The Hand of Fate
CHAPTER FOUR
After running past a few street corners, Aimee finally ran into Ozzie and Drix. "Hey, guys!" she called to them. "I'm over here!"
Ozzie immediately ran up to Aimee. At first, he seemed grateful and happy to see her, but then the mood quickly changed to concern. "Where in Frank were you?" he said, angrily. "We were looking all over for you! What happened?"
Sighing, Aimee began to explain. "Well." she started as she bit her lip, "do you remember that kidnapper you told me about earlier?"
Suddenly, Ozzie and Drix became more interested in her whereabouts. Who knows what evidence they could get from Aimee's eyewitness.
Aimee was about to give away her true location when she saw Drake out of the corner of her eye. She then remembered their pact- she couldn't tell Ozzie and Drix about him, even if he was a kidnapper. She considered trust a valuable element with other cells, including viruses.
As much as she hated doing it, Aimee had to lie in this instance. She'd tell them later, when Drake couldn't pinpoint who squealed. "I- I- I went looking for him," she fibbed. "I thought I saw him down a corner, but I guess it was just my imagination."
Groaning, Ozzie shook his head. "Dang," he complained. "I thought we had him!"
"There'll be other times, Jones," Drix reassured him. "Besides, I think it would be a good idea to check the area quickly, just to be sure he's not around."
Ozzie nodded. "That's probably a good idea, Drix," he agreed, turning to Aimee. "You stay in the car. We'll be back in a few minutes."
Reluctantly, Aimee slid into the car and waited for Ozzie and Drix. This time, Drake didn't bother coming around; he was too busy hiding from them as is. After a few minutes, they returned to the car and headed back to the lymph nodes.
At the station, Ozzie and Drix escorted Aimee to a small seat outside the chief's office. "You stay here," Ozzie instructed her. "Drix and I will be back in a few minutes; we've got to explain a few things to the chief before we bring up your situation."
Aimee nodded. "Yes, Ozzie," she said.
They walked inside the chief's office, leaving Aimee outside waiting for them. While she waited, she looked around- she was surprised how busy one lymph node could be, with all the cells and germs walking around. It was almost intimidating if it weren't for all the white blood cells.
Then, Aimee turned her attention to the box of donuts sitting on a nearby table. She was kind of hungry, and no one seemed to want any of them, so she walked over and grabbed one. She bit into it and noticed how. well, hard it was.
At that moment, another cell walked through the doors of the station. She was wearing a low-cut purple business suit and noticed Aimee eating the donut. "I wouldn't eat that if I were you," she warned. "Those donuts have been there for a few days now."
Eyes widened, Aimee swallowed what bits of donut she had in her mouth and threw the rest away. Well, at least she could die knowing that she had tasted a stale donut.
The cell walked up to Aimee, smiling. "Hello," she greeted. "Who might you be?"
Grinning, Aimee gladly made her acquaintance. "My name's Aimee Adrenaline," she introduced herself.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Aimee," the cell said, shaking her hand. "I'm Leah Estrogen. I just came by to see my boyfriend."
Aimee sat back down in her chair. "Who's your boyfriend?" she asked, intrigued.
"Oh, you probably don't know him," Leah replied with a light laugh. "His name's Osmosis Jones-"
"You're Ozzie's girlfriend?" Aimee interrupted, surprised. "Wow! That's pretty cool, but I'm not surprised- Ozzie's an awesome guy."
Eyebrows raised, Leah looked at Aimee. "You know Ozzie?" she said. "Did he hire you to say that? How much did he give you?"
"Nothing," Aimee responded, laughing. "I just know him because he found me somewhere in the arm. I'm kind of new to Frank, and he's taking me around with him for the day until I have to go to the lost cells department."
Suddenly, Leah became very concerned. "You're not from here?" she inquired. "How'd you get here?"
"It's a long story," Aimee explained, "but Ozzie's going to make sure that I go to a good family until I get back."
"Get back to where?" Leah asked.
"The City of Shane." Aimee replied.
All of a sudden, Leah was silent. She wasn't sure how to respond; she felt sorry for her, but there wasn't much she could do.
Unless.
Leah put her hand on Aimee's shoulder. "Aimee," she said, "I know that I can't help much in your situation, but you can come to me if you need to talk. If you'd like me to, I could also see what I can do about adoption."
Aimee was very surprised to hear this. "You'd really do that?" she asked, not believing what she was hearing.
Nodding, Leah hugged Aimee. "Anything I can do to help," she said. "As for the adoption, it's a pretty big 'maybe', but since you seem like a nice kid and you're a friend of Ozzie's, I'll give it a shot."
At this moment, Ozzie and Drix walked out of the chief's office. "Leah!" Ozzie said, surprised. "Hey, girl! What are you doing here?"
"Hey, Ozzie," Leah greeted him. "I was on my lunch break and thought you'd like to go out for lunch. Then I saw Aimee here; she tells me that you know each other, and I think you might be busy for-"
"Leah, I'm not busy," Ozzie countered. "I'd be happy to do lunch with you, girl."
"Jones, what about Aimee?" Drix reminded him.
Ozzie suddenly remembered that he had to explain Aimee's situation to the chief. "Oh, yeah," he said. "It'll only be a few minutes. Then, we can go for lunch, Leah- I promise."
A few minutes later, Ozzie and Drix brought Aimee in. "This is the cell we found in the upper arm," Ozzie explained to the chief. "She says she's from Shane. According to her, she was transported into Frank via an un- sterilized syringe. We need to get her home as soon as possible."
The chief sighed and shook his head. "Look, Jones," he rationalized, "it's going to be a while before she gets back to Shane. It'll take months, and even years. Until then, she'll have to stay with a foster family."
Nodding, Ozzie guided Aimee out the door. "Thanks, chief," he said. "I'll take her down to the department as soon as I can."
"You already know that it's going to be a while before you get back to Shane," Ozzie explained to Aimee, "but it's going to be a few days before we find a good foster family to take care of you. In the meantime, you're sticking with me and Drix."
Leah put her hand on Ozzie's shoulder. "I thought we had a lunch date." she reminded him.
"No problem, Leah," Ozzie reassured her. "Drix will watch Aimee while we're gone, right?"
Drix nodded. Aimee seemed like a quiet, well-behaved cell; there weren't going to be very many conflicts. Besides, they seemed to get along nicely.
They headed out the door together. While Ozzie and Leah searched for a good place to have lunch, Drix and Aimee decided to take a drive around Frank and see it's many sites of interest.
CHAPTER FOUR
After running past a few street corners, Aimee finally ran into Ozzie and Drix. "Hey, guys!" she called to them. "I'm over here!"
Ozzie immediately ran up to Aimee. At first, he seemed grateful and happy to see her, but then the mood quickly changed to concern. "Where in Frank were you?" he said, angrily. "We were looking all over for you! What happened?"
Sighing, Aimee began to explain. "Well." she started as she bit her lip, "do you remember that kidnapper you told me about earlier?"
Suddenly, Ozzie and Drix became more interested in her whereabouts. Who knows what evidence they could get from Aimee's eyewitness.
Aimee was about to give away her true location when she saw Drake out of the corner of her eye. She then remembered their pact- she couldn't tell Ozzie and Drix about him, even if he was a kidnapper. She considered trust a valuable element with other cells, including viruses.
As much as she hated doing it, Aimee had to lie in this instance. She'd tell them later, when Drake couldn't pinpoint who squealed. "I- I- I went looking for him," she fibbed. "I thought I saw him down a corner, but I guess it was just my imagination."
Groaning, Ozzie shook his head. "Dang," he complained. "I thought we had him!"
"There'll be other times, Jones," Drix reassured him. "Besides, I think it would be a good idea to check the area quickly, just to be sure he's not around."
Ozzie nodded. "That's probably a good idea, Drix," he agreed, turning to Aimee. "You stay in the car. We'll be back in a few minutes."
Reluctantly, Aimee slid into the car and waited for Ozzie and Drix. This time, Drake didn't bother coming around; he was too busy hiding from them as is. After a few minutes, they returned to the car and headed back to the lymph nodes.
At the station, Ozzie and Drix escorted Aimee to a small seat outside the chief's office. "You stay here," Ozzie instructed her. "Drix and I will be back in a few minutes; we've got to explain a few things to the chief before we bring up your situation."
Aimee nodded. "Yes, Ozzie," she said.
They walked inside the chief's office, leaving Aimee outside waiting for them. While she waited, she looked around- she was surprised how busy one lymph node could be, with all the cells and germs walking around. It was almost intimidating if it weren't for all the white blood cells.
Then, Aimee turned her attention to the box of donuts sitting on a nearby table. She was kind of hungry, and no one seemed to want any of them, so she walked over and grabbed one. She bit into it and noticed how. well, hard it was.
At that moment, another cell walked through the doors of the station. She was wearing a low-cut purple business suit and noticed Aimee eating the donut. "I wouldn't eat that if I were you," she warned. "Those donuts have been there for a few days now."
Eyes widened, Aimee swallowed what bits of donut she had in her mouth and threw the rest away. Well, at least she could die knowing that she had tasted a stale donut.
The cell walked up to Aimee, smiling. "Hello," she greeted. "Who might you be?"
Grinning, Aimee gladly made her acquaintance. "My name's Aimee Adrenaline," she introduced herself.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Aimee," the cell said, shaking her hand. "I'm Leah Estrogen. I just came by to see my boyfriend."
Aimee sat back down in her chair. "Who's your boyfriend?" she asked, intrigued.
"Oh, you probably don't know him," Leah replied with a light laugh. "His name's Osmosis Jones-"
"You're Ozzie's girlfriend?" Aimee interrupted, surprised. "Wow! That's pretty cool, but I'm not surprised- Ozzie's an awesome guy."
Eyebrows raised, Leah looked at Aimee. "You know Ozzie?" she said. "Did he hire you to say that? How much did he give you?"
"Nothing," Aimee responded, laughing. "I just know him because he found me somewhere in the arm. I'm kind of new to Frank, and he's taking me around with him for the day until I have to go to the lost cells department."
Suddenly, Leah became very concerned. "You're not from here?" she inquired. "How'd you get here?"
"It's a long story," Aimee explained, "but Ozzie's going to make sure that I go to a good family until I get back."
"Get back to where?" Leah asked.
"The City of Shane." Aimee replied.
All of a sudden, Leah was silent. She wasn't sure how to respond; she felt sorry for her, but there wasn't much she could do.
Unless.
Leah put her hand on Aimee's shoulder. "Aimee," she said, "I know that I can't help much in your situation, but you can come to me if you need to talk. If you'd like me to, I could also see what I can do about adoption."
Aimee was very surprised to hear this. "You'd really do that?" she asked, not believing what she was hearing.
Nodding, Leah hugged Aimee. "Anything I can do to help," she said. "As for the adoption, it's a pretty big 'maybe', but since you seem like a nice kid and you're a friend of Ozzie's, I'll give it a shot."
At this moment, Ozzie and Drix walked out of the chief's office. "Leah!" Ozzie said, surprised. "Hey, girl! What are you doing here?"
"Hey, Ozzie," Leah greeted him. "I was on my lunch break and thought you'd like to go out for lunch. Then I saw Aimee here; she tells me that you know each other, and I think you might be busy for-"
"Leah, I'm not busy," Ozzie countered. "I'd be happy to do lunch with you, girl."
"Jones, what about Aimee?" Drix reminded him.
Ozzie suddenly remembered that he had to explain Aimee's situation to the chief. "Oh, yeah," he said. "It'll only be a few minutes. Then, we can go for lunch, Leah- I promise."
A few minutes later, Ozzie and Drix brought Aimee in. "This is the cell we found in the upper arm," Ozzie explained to the chief. "She says she's from Shane. According to her, she was transported into Frank via an un- sterilized syringe. We need to get her home as soon as possible."
The chief sighed and shook his head. "Look, Jones," he rationalized, "it's going to be a while before she gets back to Shane. It'll take months, and even years. Until then, she'll have to stay with a foster family."
Nodding, Ozzie guided Aimee out the door. "Thanks, chief," he said. "I'll take her down to the department as soon as I can."
"You already know that it's going to be a while before you get back to Shane," Ozzie explained to Aimee, "but it's going to be a few days before we find a good foster family to take care of you. In the meantime, you're sticking with me and Drix."
Leah put her hand on Ozzie's shoulder. "I thought we had a lunch date." she reminded him.
"No problem, Leah," Ozzie reassured her. "Drix will watch Aimee while we're gone, right?"
Drix nodded. Aimee seemed like a quiet, well-behaved cell; there weren't going to be very many conflicts. Besides, they seemed to get along nicely.
They headed out the door together. While Ozzie and Leah searched for a good place to have lunch, Drix and Aimee decided to take a drive around Frank and see it's many sites of interest.