12. Exsqueeze Me
"That is a bold fashion choice, even for you," Normal told Sketchy. He rubbed his ear. While he felt his headset was inherently cool, it had a tendency to chafe.
"I think that shirt violates the Jam Pony dress-code," kidded Original Cindy. Normal was still in his good mood, and it was a rare treat not to have to boondoggle for his benefit. They were leaning on the counter, shooting the breeze. Cindy was all for transgenics in the workplace. They made her workday so much lighter.
She saw Alec, silhouetted in the doorway. He was wearing a tight T-shirt, and actually looked very fine. Cindy had precious little interest in men, but she supposed she could get her leg over that just once, to see what it was like. As an experiment. She wondered if he'd be surprised to know she'd be willing to give him a tumble. He certainly never bothered her, which she appreciated. So many men seemed to consider a girl's girl the ultimate challenge. She liked the fact that he never panted in her ear. In her experience, men were clingy, needy, and frequently embarrassing. It wasn't that Cindy didn't like men. She liked them fine. What she felt for women was deeper, more erotic and beautiful. That was her true nature.
"Don't think I wouldn't enforce a dress-code around here," Normal was saying, momentarily mesmerized by a vision of shiny Jam Pony uniforms.
Sketchy groaned, wishing OC would find something new to gripe about. He had the sensibilities of a teenager. His philosophy on fashion was simple: a lot of layers. At present he was wearing four shirts, not counting the Hawaiian that topped off his ensemble. He never, ever did laundry. At the end of the day, he hung his things on the back of a chair. Soon enough they aired out, and were no longer officially dirty.
"I know a lost cause when I see one," concluded Normal. "Where have you been?" he barked at Alec. "Can't run a circus without my star performer."
"I'll make it up to you, boss," said Alec thickly. "I've been under the weather." He surprised everyone by grabbing Original Cindy. She was small, and his hand went all the way around her arm. "I've come for Cindy," he said, and with that he dragged her away.
Normal was hideously disappointed. There went his favorite part of the day. With unusual sensitivity, he felt uneasy. Something was sure off about that situation. "You all right, Princess?" he called after Cindy, but she didn't answer.
Jeeze, Sketchy was thinking, the stuff he gets away with. He liked Alec. The guy was easy-going and fun. He didn't have a mean bone in his body. He gave no thought to the fact that Cindy might actually be in trouble.
"Leggo!" said Cindy angrily. She tried to shake him off, but he was very strong. He had never touched her before, or so much as looked at her the wrong way. What was with the humiliating caveman drama? Nobody got to drag Original Cindy around. If this was the way things were gonna be, she was doing some serious rethinking. Immediately, Alec was just another guy, and a creep at that.
He squeezed her arm, and it hurt. He manhandled her outside, and she stopped struggling, aware of the way the other messengers were noticing them, seeing how their eyes slid away. Cindy felt a surge of helplessness, and that scared her more than anything else.
Outside, Alec took her by the shoulders, and gave her a rough shake.
"Where's Max?" he said.
"Max?" OC repeated stupidly. Max was out on a run, but she wasn't about to tell him that, not the way he was acting. Max had said she was making a token appearance today; she couldn't afford to lose her job.
Alec shook her again, making her teeth rattle. "Don't screw around with me Cindy," he said. "You can make me go away. All you have to do is answer my question."
That sounded like creepy, soldier-boy logic to Cindy. She wasn't making him do anything.
He lowered his voice. "You don't want me to get angry."
The truth of the matter was he looked plenty angry already. He was hot and sweaty. She hadn't even known transgenics could sweat.
Cindy didn't know what to do. All of a sudden she found herself in the ugly situation every woman stumbles into sooner or later. She knew she was in trouble. She just wasn't sure. Above all, irrationally, she felt she mustn't make a scene. Alec was super-strong, and she was a regular girl. He could do anything to her, and there wasn't much she could do about it. She felt betrayed.
Original Cindy was Max's roommate and best friend. They stood back to back against the world. From the beginning, she'd sympathized with the predicament of the transgenic escapees; she felt any sane person would. They hadn't asked to be born, and now they were being hunted and killed. For the first time, she felt an ugly thrill of doubt. They all had extraordinary abilities, and the capacity to be extremely dangerous. Had she thrown in her lot with the wrong team? Looking into Alec's hostile, shadowy eyes, she wasn't sure she had been right to trust them so quickly.
"Cindy," he said, still holding her hard enough to bruise, "I have to find Max, it's very important. The success of the mission depends on it." He was eerily calm, talking foolishness. He even smiled a little, which made her more frightened. How much further could this go? If she ever needed a rescue, it was now.