Chapter Four – Attacks
(I think I fixed the line breaks so you can see when a new scene starts, yay for me…and I don't own JSR. Unfortunately. Please r+r!)
Gum and Tab walked back into the garage. Yo-Yo was lying flat on his back, staring at the ceiling, surrounded by several squashed beer cans.
"Ohhh…it's you…" he muttered. "And…Tab? What're you doing here? What's going on?"
"Get up and listen," Tab answered.
"I'm busy…"
"This is more important." Tab kicked the beer cans out of the way, the hollow rattles echoing around the garage. "Now get up."
He hauled Yo-Yo to his feet. The GG wobbled slightly, but stayed standing.
"Who is this?" Tab asked, pointing to Gum.
"Some dumb chick who believes in time travel. It ain't the real Gum, she's in Sing Sing."
"I know that. She told you about the time travel?"
"Oh, god, not you as well!" Yo-Yo turned to walk away. "You two can hold your Star Trek convention, but I got better things to – yarrgh –"
Tab hauled Yo-Yo back by the collar. "Listen. According to her, the last date she saw was September 24th, 2000. That mean anything to you?"
"No. Now let go…"
"That was the night Beat disappeared. Now if we can get her back the right time, she can make it so he doesn't have to."
"And how're we meant to do that? Get her back, I mean. Even the Noise Tanks can't, or are you more advanced than I thought?"
"One of us might know how to," Tab said. "But you can at least let her stay here until we've thought of something."
"She's not a GG," Yo-Yo muttered.
"I am so a GG." Gum gripped Yo-Yo by the front of his collar. "At least I'm keeping positive here. You just want to kill off the last few brain cells."
"Will you two please get off!" Yo-Yo shook them both free from his collar. "Look, fine, you can stay. But what's the point? I still think hitting her head damaged something in that brain and this time travel stuff is a load of bull."
"Well, it didn't," Gum said. "This is real, now, and I know I wasn't here last night. Anyway, why don't you want to believe it? If it's true, there's a chance I could change all this."
"I used to think there was a chance we could all change this," Yo-Yo said. "That was before people started leaving." He glared at Tab.
"We could get them back," Gum said.
"Yeah, right!"
"We could! Three are in jail – we've done jailbreaks before. We can talk to Piranha and Slate –"
"They won't come."
"Well, we can try! And we can try and get in touch with Combo, and Cube and Garam…"
"You want to try talking to the Skulls?" Yo-Yo snorted. "Write your will first. And give me instructions for your funeral."
"I don't know…" Tab said. "Combo might come back, at least. And if we could do a jailbreak…"
"We'd probably end up in there ourselves," Yo-Yo said.
"Geez, what is with you?" Gum yelled. "Can't you put a bit of effort in?"
"No, maybe I can't!" Yo-Yo stood up. For the first time in Gum's life, he was taller than her. "What's the point? As soon as we get something good going it ends up smashed, so why bother?"
"You've got to try and get it back! The Yo-Yo I know would've tried, he wouldn't have just sat around getting pissed out of his skull!"
"Well I'm not the Yo-Yo you knew! That was five damn years ago and I've got used to what I've got now!"
"But you could have something better," Tab said before Gum could speak.
"When did you get all dreamy-eyed?" Yo-Yo snapped.
"Oh, come on, what've we got to lose?" Tab said.
"Our lives. Our freedom. Possibly our limbs."
"We're rudies. That's what we've always got to lose. The point is we don't sit around worrying about that. We go in and just – paint the town red. I think we should try because if we don't we may as well quit being rudies right now. You're on the way to that – I haven't seen any GGs tags for ages –"
"We painted 'em, it's just people keep covering 'em up. Okay?"
"Then get more people. And paint more tags."
There was a short silence. Then Yo-Yo shrugged.
"A jailbreak, did you say?"
***
Future Gum – though she would have been baffled to hear herself called that – sat on the cell bed and tried to think.
She had to get out of here. She was not going to just sit here and watch her life go by. She was getting out of here.
She just wasn't sure how.
They'd moved her from the police holding cells on the ground floor to this one, which was on the second or third. The station had expanded since the new law to accommodate many more prisoners, becoming jail and station combined. Gum's new location wasn't an improvement.
Cramped, with a flat thin bed along one side, concrete walls and floor, barred window. The top of the door was also barred, the bottom half metal, and stripes of shadow fell onto Gum's face.
This was not, repeat not going to be her surroundings for the next ten years.
Think. Think.
Getting up, she crossed over to stand next to the door. Locked. Duh. She drew another deep breath – don't panic, don't panic – and considered her options.
There weren't many, and she found her thoughts wandering. He'd said last night he'd always thought she was pretty, but he'd never had the courage to speak up. She wanted to tell him she didn't mind, that she was just glad he'd told her at last. Maybe this relationship wouldn't work, but it was human contact, human love. It was all she had. Maybe all he had.
That's the corniest thing I've ever heard. Look, buddy, he doesn't fall in love, he doesn't remember special days, he doesn't stay faithful, he's basically no good for you! You don't need a boyfriend, they're useless and all they do is break your heart.
But…
Footsteps coming down the corridor slapped her back to reality, and she cursed her brain. Why couldn't it occupy itself doing something useful?
She leant back against the wall. The footsteps stopped at her door, and she heard the rattle of keys. Through the bars she saw a female prison guard unlocking the door, and flattened herself against the wall. Geez, did Onishima want her to tell him about rudies? She had nothing to tell. The GGs were no more.
Not that he'd believe her…
The door swung open.
Gum stuck out her foot before she could think, and the woman fell. Gum dashed forward and pinned her to the ground. "Don't move," she hissed, keeping her voice low. "Don't move or I'll kill you."
The woman froze. Gum glanced at her belt, saw stun gun, handcuffs, truncheon. Stun gun. Excellent.
She grabbed it, hands shaking, finger slipping on the trigger, fired, she saw the burst of blue electricity hit, the woman gasped, then her eyes closed.
Gum breathed out slowly, her heart humming against her ribs. Okay. A totally unplanned attack, but one that seemed to have worked.
She pushed the cell door to and started pulling off the woman's uniform. If this worked it would be a miracle…no, it would work, she had to stay positive. She wriggled out of her own clothes, tried to ignore the cold air nipping her skin, pulled the uniform on.
Running her hands through her hair, she scrumpled it up and shoved it under the guard's cap. Spat on her fingers and tried to rub the black tag shape off her cheek. Finally she stood up, trembling all over. She felt inept, incompetent, immature.
Took a deep breath, straightened the white shirt, and walked out of the cell.
***
Mew squinted as the Kogane sunlight struck her full in the face. Warmth rose from the ground and walls, and she was hot and sticky under her uniform. She followed Isas along the humid shadowy streets of Kibogaoka until he stopped at one of the identical front doors.
A nervous-looking woman opened it. "Isas," she gasped. "Oh, thank goodness you're safe…"
"Mum, the bus was cancelled, that's all." Isas shuffled his feet. "This is Miyako…uh…can she use our phone and stay a while?"
Isas's mother gave her a quick smile. "Of course. Please, come in. Isas, keep it down, won't you, your father's asleep."
Mew swallowed as she walked into the Miyamoto's hallway. It was carpeted in bright yellow which echoed the daylight draped through the windows.
"Would you like to come upstairs?" Isas asked. Boy, he did look nervous. Mew smiled. "I'd love to."
The banister was burnished wood, smooth under her fingers. Halfway up the stairs was a window – Mew caught a glimpse of red and green Kogane roofs. She wondered if she'd ever skated over Isas's house.
So far, it all looked normal.
Well, of course it would, she chided herself. Cops are people whatever you like to think. And they have families and homes and carpets so stop gawping, okay? Isas feels bad enough about his dad already.
He pushed open a door and Mew followed him inside.
"Nice bedroom," she said. The walls were white, but they were plastered with posters – anime, music, movies. Typical teenage boy. Suddenly she felt very old.
Isas grinned, quickly, like a flicker of light. "I'd put up some other stuff, but my dad wouldn't like it."
"Other stuff?"
"Someone's been putting out posters of the tags in the book. Look." He reached down behind the desk, dislodging a book and several pieces of paper as he did so, and pulled out some laminated posters.
Each one had an X-tra large tag on it, and each tag was one she recognised.
"Where did you get them?" she asked, feeling that stupid grin flood over her face.
"Another second-hand shop. They have a bunch of posters, and lately these ones have been in there, all the time. Why? You think it's someone you know?"
"They're all GG tags." Mew tried to speak calmly, but she could hear her voice trembling with excitement. "But…I don't know. Maybe someone's turned professional, or maybe they're just copies."
"Copies?"
"A graffiti artist who can mimic GG tags. They are beautiful though. Doesn't it say who did them?"
"Nope. I've looked. There's nothing but the picture itself, no name or nothing. Can't you work out who it is from the tag?"
Mew shook her head. "We all did these. Look, I'd better call the home, so they know I haven't gone AWOL. Can I use your phone?"
Isas nodded, and they walked downstairs into the kitchen. This was also yellow, but paler. Mew made the call, ignoring the frosty tones on the other end, and then turned back to Isas.
"You want some juice or something?" he said.
"Sure."
This was so civilised, Mew thought. Boy and girl go to the house and drink juice. Sweet. Maybe we'll go for a nice, healthy walk later on.
She didn't mind hanging out with Isas though. He at least didn't pick on her. Unlike everyone else.
***
Cube stood outside the house, in the shadows. She didn't like doing daylight jobs. It made her feel more vulnerable. She could be seen. She could be spotted.
…Monster, monster, monster…
But she had a job to do. She had a mask on. It should be okay.
Gripping the gun tighter with one hand, she walked towards the hall window. It was open, and it was simple for her to slide her hand in and unhook the catch, pushing it wide enough for her to climb in.
Slithering into the hall, she felt adrenaline start to pump through her body like white fire. There were voices in the kitchen. Time to start the ball rolling.
***
There was a crash as the glass Isas was holding exploded.
Mew spun round, and saw the black figure in the doorway. White skull on the chest.
Oh, shit.
The figure levelled the gun, pointed it at her.
***
Cube cursed silently. How could she have missed? She'd meant to hit the boy, not the glass. Oh, well…
The girl turned to face her…
The sight lines of the gun zoned in on her face…
Cube's world stumbled…
***
"Please – don't!"
Mew never remembered shouting that.
***
Cube froze.
That voice.
Mew.
A GG.
She swung the gun away…
***
Mew saw the gun barrel focus on Isas.
"Don't you dare!" she screamed, and ran towards the Skull.
She expected to get shot.
She wasn't.
***
Cube knew she should fire. But – but this was Mew, for heaven's sake…
Hands on her face, struggling to rip off her mask…
***
I'm going to die, Mew thought, even as she struggled to get the girl's mask off…
There was sunlight shining through onto the kitchen table. There were the dust motes in the beam, hovering there like glitter mosquitoes. There was Isas, standing there, eyes wide, pineapple juice staining his shirt…
…the mask came off…
There was Cube, eyes like ink spills, dark hair tangled, a scar running down one cheek.
Mew couldn't move. Her body seemed separate from her mind, which had flown up to the ceiling and was staring at the schoolgirl and the killer facing each other across a gun.
***
Kill her…
Cube could feel the gun clawing into her hands, the trigger smooth under her finger, a tiny thing connected to the power supplies of life and death.
Monster…
Mew was standing there, eyes gaping as she stared. Her school collar was crooked, there were specks of sweat on her shirt, her patent shoes were covered in Kogane dust. She was real. She was alive.
Kill her…
You've got a job to do, you can't let feelings get in your way. You have to do it, you're the best at what you do, what's she doing in a cop's house anyway?
Monster…
She's a GG and no one, no one, kills their own gang members. You can't do it. And if Garam found out about this he'd hate you forever.
Kill her…
You've got a job to do…
Monster…
No one kills their own gang…
Kill her…
Job to do
Monster…
Kills their own gang
Kill her
Monster
Killher
Monster
KillherMonsterKillherMonster…
"Shut up!"
***
Cube's eyes were crumpled as she screamed.
***
Mew stared, face filled with horror…shock…disgust…
Cube swung away from her, don't look at me like that…
Running into the hall, wriggling out through the window, and then running, running, running down Kogane streets, back to Benten, to safety, to the present. Because the past was alive in that house. And it had tried to get her.
***
Mew slowly became aware that someone was talking to her.
"Mew? Miyako? Are you okay? Did she hurt you? Mew? Please talk to me!"
"Isas…" That was it. As Mew spoke the word, she felt herself dropping back into her body. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, yes, the bullet missed me, it broke the glass though, Mum's gonna kill me, I'm not really supposed to use glasses, I just wanted it to look nice for you –"
"Why?" Yes. Let's talk about something normal.
"I want you to have nice things…" Isas drew a deep, shaky breath. "I want you to like me, and I don't know why, normally I can't care less if people don't like me…"
Mew focused on him, slowly, her eyes carefully going through the motions as if they were on thin ice. Black hair, dark eyes, face too white, cold as snow, he could be ill.
"Sit down," she said. Her tongue felt too big for her mouth. She felt drunk. She felt as if she'd just been punched in the teeth.
Isas dropped into one of the kitchen chairs. Mew did the same, holding onto the table as she did so. They stared at each other across it.
"Thank you for wanting to be nice to me," Mew said at last. She didn't know why she said it. It just seemed the right thing to say.
Cube was here and she was going to shoot you…
Isas was breathing quickly, gulping the air like it was rationed or like he hadn't had it for a month. "They – they're after us – the Skulls – they're gonna come back –"
"I'm sorry…"
"Are they rudies, Mew?"
"No. Well…some are ex-rudies, I think…they don't wear skates…"
"She didn't kill us."
"No." Because she knew me. I was her friend.
"But she could have done."
"Yes."
"I'm scared." Isas got to his feet, started to pick up the pieces of broken glass. Mew got up as well and helped him. "I'm really scared."
"Me too."
"Why? You're not a cop's kid."
I knew that girl, we were friends, and she was going to kill me…
Mew shrugged. "I just was."
"She looked pretty freaked when she saw you. Did she know you?"
Mew didn't answer.
"She did, didn't she," Isas said, suddenly sounding angry.
"Don't. Don't start getting mad with me, not now…"
Isas bit his lip. "I don't want them to hurt my family, I don't want them to hurt me. It's not my fault my father is who he is."
Cube would have killed Isas if I hadn't been there, would have killed him, killed Isas, would have killed him…
The floor rocked beneath Mew, and she sat down on it, next to Isas, who was picking up the last pieces of glass. He dropped them in the bin, and said, "Are you okay?"
"You already asked me that."
He still looked pale, even more so, his eyes were eternal black against his skin now. Mew didn't want to look into them too much. There was darkness in there. A lot of darkness.
She reached out and hugged him, and she felt him hug her back. He was trembling, warm, he smelt of pineapple juice. Mew felt her mind take flight again, hover above the cop's child and the ex-rudie, two friends, embracing on a juice-spattered kitchen floor.
***
Cube crept back into the base, and dropped the gun. It clattered across the floor, and she flung her bag after it.
"Cube, what's wrong?" Saburo asked.
"I – I goofed up."
"What do you mean?"
Cube heard her voice tremble. "I didn't do it, Saburo. I failed." She spoke faster, desperate to finish talking before she started crying. "I didn't get rid of any of them and – and I left my mask behind…"
And then the tears came.
"I'm sorry…" She rubbed them away, leaving black and white makeup streaks across her arm. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
She felt Saburo's hands on her shoulders, pressing down, strong and unrelenting. "None of the Miyamotos are dead?"
Cube shook her head. "There was someone I knew there. Someone who used to be my friend."
"Oh, Cube…"
He put an arm round her. "Listen. I know it's hard for us. We're doing the right thing, and to do that sometimes you have to let go of friends who are wrong."
"Letting go is one thing. But Saburo, I couldn't kill her! I –"
"Ssh, Cube-chan. I know it's hard now. But if you keep trying, keep struggling, it'll get easier."
"Really?"
"I promise."
But – but what if I meet another GG that way, Cube cried in her mind. Piranha. Yo-Yo. Combo.
She hadn't thought of Combo for months – hidden him in her subconscious – but now he broke into her mind, and guilt and anger slammed into her stomach, cutting off her breath.
"What is it?" Saburo asked.
"Nothing. Nothing." Cube drew a deep breath. She didn't care about Combo any more, okay, he was nothing to her and he could damn well stay that way.
Liar.
"Where's Garam?" she asked.
"Out getting some more bullets. We're alone."
Cube looked up at him.
He moved closer to her, she felt his hips against hers.
Look in his eyes and see what he wants.
Garam thinks you're a monster. At least this guy will let you be yourself.
She leaned up and kissed him on the lips. He smelt of oil, sweat, aftershave.
His hands gripped her waist, then one held her while the other moved down, unzipping, touching, confident as if he were selecting a chocolate.
The floor was cold on her back.
What was the point of not doing it? At least she had one ally now.