Notes: What happened after Zack escaped Manticore in February 2020? Well,
you already know that but do you wanna now why he contacted Max? Why not
Noah? Had he really forgotten everything? Read and Review please..
Chapter IV: All is not for the best.
Vitali's POV
These three geeks are such morons! They've never been very useful. I've always assigned them small tasks and they're not even capable of doing them successfully. Oh, well! They've at least discovered that girl, that. I don't even know what to call her!
I'm sitting in my office, the three morons standing in front of the TV set. They're showing me the video they've managed to get. I am impressed, I'd never thought they'd be intelligent enough to imagine such a plan: sending out a couple of men to pretend they're robbing her apartment. Nice going, I gotta admit! Up until now, they only had brought me back a couple of pictures, nothing very useful.
That girl is even more amazing. I knew she could beat it outta three men but outta five armed men! This little baby could've been useful to me but hey, Italy wants me to find a buyer! I'll just have to stick with those three geeks a little longer. I have to follow orders.
The way she moves is just incredible, she so fast, too fast. Unfortunately, the video was a good idea but it's not good enough. All you see and hear are a couple of guys groaning and drawing out their guns. You barely see her before the camera stops recording, as she must've hit it without even knowing it was there.
Still, I've seen the five men after she was done with them and that's a good enough proof for me but it might not be for the future buyer. So, it was a nice try but Miller, Anderson and Peterson are still as huge morons as they were before!
"What d'you expect me to do with this?" I yell at them.
"Well, you can see her face and you saw the five men afterwards." Anderson says.
"Yeah. well d'you think it'll mean anything to our buyer?" I yell again.
I love abusing of my boss's powers.
"A buyer? You wanna sell her?" Miller asks.
Shit! I forgot to tell them about that. Oh, well, not that it concerns them.
"Yes" I say, "That girl's high tech. She was created in an American secret governmental lab and she's worth millions of dollars as every single government would want a soldier like her to take care of their dirty work!"
They stare at me. Anderson smirks. He's probably thinking I'm joking.
"How else do you explain the fact that she's stronger than five of our men?" I ask them.
Anderson's smile fades away as he realizes I'm very serious.
"I want to know every information you morons have collected on her in the past few weeks" I say grabbing a pencil, "Official name?"
"Noah Jackson" Anderson says.
"Job?" I ask again.
"Waitress in a bar called Feria" Miller says.
"Official date of birth and official place of birth?" I ask, not that it would be very useful since it's all a lie.
"July 3rd 2000. Austin, Texas" Peterson says.
"Address?" I ask.
"Sir, our men found something" Anderson tells me, "Well, maybe it's nothing but while they were going through her stuff, they found this" he says handing me small bottle filled with pills.
I read the label. It says 'tryptophan'. This confirms the whole thing: she is a transgenic. I've done my little research on them. More precisely, a couple of my men that aren't such morons as Miller, Anderson and Peterson did the research.
"Excellent" I mumble without giving them an explanation, "Address?" I ask again
Zack's POV
What's taking her so long? Well, it's only been half an hour since I've called Max. I'm sitting on a rock in a dark cave not far from Manticore. I'm not physically capable of going any further. I don't even have any vehicle. Where did I last leave my bike? I can't remember: Crash? No. Max's? No. Wonderboy's? I don't think so.
Thank god, I got outta this place! Three months, they've kept me for three months. I fear to imagine what Brin's been through: indoctrination all over again. It's all my fault!
If it hadn't been for that Psy Ops doctor, I'd probably be dead or something close to it. I don't know what drug they gave me for me to see Max when she wasn't even there. I never wanna step foot in Manticore again, never again!
I've managed to forget everything. well, almost. Fortunately, I still remember Max's phone number and where she lives and her dear rollerboy who she foolishly risked her life for. I also remember Noah. the fight we had in her apartment in Phoenix. I couldn've forgotten any of those two even if I had tried.
I called Max because she was the closest and because I don't want Noah to get involved in all this. She's managed to stay away from Manticore for over nine years, I don't want her to even risk being caught and going into Psy Ops. Just the name of that place makes me shiver. I remember all the things going on in there, how they play with your mind and manage to make you tell them everything you know. I haven't said a word; I'm a 100% positive.
Well, maybe not a 100% since I hadn't forgotten everything. I hope I haven't compromise Max more than she already is anyway. Above all, I hope I haven't compromise Noah. I hope I haven't told them anything. I jolt outta my thoughts and look up towards the cave's entrance. Someone's coming.
Noah's POV
He's been gone for three months! I haven't even heard from him, not a phone call, nothing. They've got to be very happy for him to completely forget me like this. Well, last time he went out looking for her he left for five months, so, I shouldn't get worried this time.
"Keep low Noah and I'll be back sometime soon" he said.
I feel so lonely. I'm sitting in front of my brand new TV set I've stolen yesterday. I sold the old one for a nice couple of dollars. I keep changing the channels, not even capable of focusing. I miss Zack. I miss Ginna. I don't want another roommate. I'd feel like betraying her. I don't want another best friend. I just wish she was here with me and that she would take me in her arms and comfort me. Tears are starting to run down my cheeks as I remember that crazy red haired girl I had met years ago, that had decided to make me her little sister and had made me discover the joys of living outta Manticore.
Suddenly, the image on the TV set blurs. For half a second I tell myself 'Shit, should've kept the old one!' The eyes of a man appear on the screen as he starts saying something that sounds like:
"Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a streaming freedom video bulletin. This cable hack is being beamed to you across America. It cannot be traced. It cannot be stopped. "
What the hell.? Who the hell's this freak? But, I hold my breath as soon as I hear:
"This is a message to those known as X5. You've been compromised. You're in danger. You know what to do. I repeat, your locations have been compromised. You know what to do. This message will repeat every hour on the hour until each of you has checked in"
A couple of numbers pass in front of my eyes, not any kind of number though: 656, 471, 210, 205, 701.
Tinga, Krit, Jondy, Zane, Syl. What's going on? What happened? The only one that knows where to find you all is. Zack. Something must've happened to him. Manticore must've got him back. How come that Eyes Only guy knows about it?
Zack's POV
Miracle boy's not that big a jerk after all. Syl, Krit, Jondy, Zane have called. They've already moved. I hate to admit it but Logan's saved our ass this time.
"You sure I didn't blab about the others while Lydecker was listening?" I ask Max, meaning 'What if I've mentioned Noah?
"Believe me. I'd remember it" she tells me.
I'm kinda relieved. If Manticore let me out it's because I didn't tell them a thing when I was back there, in Psy Ops. Nothing, not even a thing about Noah. I'm sure now. She's still safe in Phoenix. I can't wait to go back there, to see her get angry and punch me because I've been gone for so long without calling her. Soon. Not yet because I still haven't heard about Tinga.
Later that night.
I'm driving a stolen car. Tinga's next to me, safe and sound.
"Why didn't Maxie come with us?" she asks me breaking the silence.
"I already told you" I sigh.
"No. You just yelled 'Don't bother'. So, I'm asking again: why?" Tinga asks again.
"Haven't you noticed that guy that was with us all along? That Logan guy? He's the reason"
"He and Maxie are. together"
"Was it that hard to tell?" I reply annoyed.
"What does it put you in such a bad mood? Are you jealous? Oh, I forgot that was you're normal mood" she adds smirking.
Tinga's definitely afraid of nothing. I don't know many of my brothers and sisters that would purposely annoy me that way, well except for Noah. But, then again, Noah's different.
"I'm not jealous, it's just that I don't want her to end up like you" I spit out coldly.
"Well, at least she'd be happy" Tinga says raising her tone.
"She'd be slowed down by a kid and a husband" I reply raising my tone as well.
"I don't have to justify my decisions to anyone" she mumbles sinking further into her seat.
"To me, you do! I'm the one in charge of saving your ass here!" I say turning my eyes away from the road to glare at her.
"Well, I believe that if my ass was on the line in the first place, it was because of you" she barks out straightening up.
Like I said, nothing scares her. Tinga: one. Me: zero so I shut up and look at the road once again. She knows she's been tough on that one but I asked for it.
"I'm sorry big bro. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful or anything. I know you love us all" she apologizes immediately, "It's just that we can't not get attached. If we escaped, it was because we wanted to find out about what was going on in the world, to learn and to know what it was like to be normal. You're missing to whole thing if you don't open up your heart a little Zack. You're only seeing the bad things of this world. Don't spoil your life, big bro." Tinga says.
"It's not our mission to be happy or to live like a normal person because we'll never be normal OK, Tinga?"
She sighs and finally gives up. But she's managed to make me doubt.
"Where are we going by the way?" she asks again.
"Phoenix" I reply.
"All the way in Arizona" she says surprised.
I nod, keeping my eyes on the road.
"Why? Think Seattle's to chilly in February?" she shrugs.
"I need to see someone"
"Someone I might know?" she says in a friendly tone and looking in the car's different compartments.
I nod. She's found a pack of chips and three cans of beer.
"Hungry?" she asks, "I know you're not like Zane" she smiles.
True, I'm not like Zane. I need to eat. She must be referring to the last time I visited her in the bakery she worked in. Hey, I was really hungry then, not like now though.
"More thirsty for now" I say.
"So who is it?" she asks again handing me one of the cans.
"Noah" I finally answer.
Renfro's POV
Lydecker's just screwed up again. He's lost 599, 656 and 452. I'm thinking about getting rid of him soon. He's getting too weak for this job. Someone knocks.
"Come in" I say coldly turning my chair around to face the entrance.
"Mrs. Renfro. We've just found something interesting," he says dropping a report on my desk.
"What is it about?" I sigh.
"One of the twelve X5 escapees. We might have a lead on one of them" he says.
"Does Lydecker know about this?" I ask my eyes quickly running through the report.
"Good. Let's keep it that way. How d'you found out about it?"
"Some Italian Mafia guy's willing to sell what he calls a 'transgenic killing machine'. He's contacted several foreign governments. We can't let him sell our technology"
"We won't" I say a devilish smile on my face.
Zack's POV
Tinga and I have just got rid of the car we've stolen in Seattle. I haven't got my bike back so we're walking to Noah's apartment. We're climbing up the stairs of Noah's building now. I think she'll be home. It's nearly noon. I don't have the extra key anymore. I got rid of it before going back to Manticore. I knock. I barely hear her rushing towards the door; she's so light and quiet.
The door opens. She's standing in the doorway. Her hazel green eyes widely open as she sees me. She jumps into my arms and hugs me.
"Thank god you're all right. What happened? I saw the hack, I thought they had you back!" she says panicked.
Then she pulls herself away from me, punches me in the shoulder and says:
"I thought I told you not to be gone for so long"
I look at her and I can't keep myself from grinning. I'm truly happy to see her again.
"I've got a good excuse promise," I say caressing her caramel cheek.
Then, I step aside and let Tinga step forward. Noah studies the tall woman in front of her. She looks at her long hair and probably remembers what I've told her about Tinga never cutting her hair. Noah's eyes open even wider and she hugs her older sister.
"Tinga" she says.
"Hey, baby sis! How ya doing?" Tinga says.
"Come in, come in both of you" she says pushing us inside, "Sorry for the mess. I really don't know what to wear today," she adds.
Clothes all over the place confirm her statement. Suddenly, my stomach lets go a growl, reminding me I haven't really eaten since. forever. My two sisters turn their head towards me in surprise. That's the trouble when you're surrounded by X5s; they see and hear everything. My stomach didn't make that much noise. A normal person wouldn't have noticed it. I shrug and say, smiling:
"It's lunch time"
"Sure is. You guys'll tell me everything over lunch. Pizza? Chinese? Greeks? My treat" Noah says picking up the phone.
After lunch, after the talking, after the sun's set, after Noah's cleaned up the place and left for work, Tinga and I sat down in the living room. I can't stop smiling. Noah has managed to make me forget about Manticore for a few hours, thanks to her optimism. I turn my head towards Tinga. She's been looking at me for a while I think, but I hadn't noticed, lost in my thoughts. She too is smiling.
"Why ya smiling?" I ask her still grinning.
"Cause I've never seen you this way. You look happy and carefree which is a good thing" Tinga tells me passing her fingers through her long dark hair.
"Well, I'm just happy to be spending some quality time with two of my little sisters" I say smirking.
"No doubt of it. But I'm not the one responsible of your sudden change of mood. You've been grumpy all along on our way here. It's like you're another Zack... Maybe not" Tinga muses.
"What are you talking about?" I ask her sitting up and rolling my eyes.
"Well, maybe you are the one and only Zack, maybe you're not different to her because it's the way you always are around her and that with us you're always X5 599" Tinga says.
"Why would I be any different?" I frown.
"I dunno, you tell me" she smirks, stands up, yawns and adds "I'm going to bed" as she walks towards what used to be Ginna's bedroom. I get the honor of sleeping on the couch.
That's just the way Tinga is. It's like she seems to always have the answers to everything but instead of telling you, she just points you the doors, which lead to them. You have to open them alone and find the answers alone. It's like a teacher would do with a student. Maybe, it's her maternal instinct coming out.
If I've always been the big brother, she's definitely always been the big sister though Syl was the oldest female. Tinga's always been careful everyone was feeling all right, had eaten enough and so many other stuff only a mother would think off.
Notes: I'm sorry, like I said, I'm not American, I don't even live in the States, I've never seen a DA episode in original version. Still, I was only able to find a transcript of 'The kidz are aiight' on the net, but it wasn't an official one. So, the Eyes Only's hack written here might not correspond to the real one. If any of you guys know for sure what Eyes Only really said, be sure to tell me, I'll correct it right away. Same for what Zack tells Max and Tinga. I'm thinking about buying DA's first season on DVD so that I can finally see it in original version. Don't forget to review! Love ya. BO
Chapter IV: All is not for the best.
Vitali's POV
These three geeks are such morons! They've never been very useful. I've always assigned them small tasks and they're not even capable of doing them successfully. Oh, well! They've at least discovered that girl, that. I don't even know what to call her!
I'm sitting in my office, the three morons standing in front of the TV set. They're showing me the video they've managed to get. I am impressed, I'd never thought they'd be intelligent enough to imagine such a plan: sending out a couple of men to pretend they're robbing her apartment. Nice going, I gotta admit! Up until now, they only had brought me back a couple of pictures, nothing very useful.
That girl is even more amazing. I knew she could beat it outta three men but outta five armed men! This little baby could've been useful to me but hey, Italy wants me to find a buyer! I'll just have to stick with those three geeks a little longer. I have to follow orders.
The way she moves is just incredible, she so fast, too fast. Unfortunately, the video was a good idea but it's not good enough. All you see and hear are a couple of guys groaning and drawing out their guns. You barely see her before the camera stops recording, as she must've hit it without even knowing it was there.
Still, I've seen the five men after she was done with them and that's a good enough proof for me but it might not be for the future buyer. So, it was a nice try but Miller, Anderson and Peterson are still as huge morons as they were before!
"What d'you expect me to do with this?" I yell at them.
"Well, you can see her face and you saw the five men afterwards." Anderson says.
"Yeah. well d'you think it'll mean anything to our buyer?" I yell again.
I love abusing of my boss's powers.
"A buyer? You wanna sell her?" Miller asks.
Shit! I forgot to tell them about that. Oh, well, not that it concerns them.
"Yes" I say, "That girl's high tech. She was created in an American secret governmental lab and she's worth millions of dollars as every single government would want a soldier like her to take care of their dirty work!"
They stare at me. Anderson smirks. He's probably thinking I'm joking.
"How else do you explain the fact that she's stronger than five of our men?" I ask them.
Anderson's smile fades away as he realizes I'm very serious.
"I want to know every information you morons have collected on her in the past few weeks" I say grabbing a pencil, "Official name?"
"Noah Jackson" Anderson says.
"Job?" I ask again.
"Waitress in a bar called Feria" Miller says.
"Official date of birth and official place of birth?" I ask, not that it would be very useful since it's all a lie.
"July 3rd 2000. Austin, Texas" Peterson says.
"Address?" I ask.
"Sir, our men found something" Anderson tells me, "Well, maybe it's nothing but while they were going through her stuff, they found this" he says handing me small bottle filled with pills.
I read the label. It says 'tryptophan'. This confirms the whole thing: she is a transgenic. I've done my little research on them. More precisely, a couple of my men that aren't such morons as Miller, Anderson and Peterson did the research.
"Excellent" I mumble without giving them an explanation, "Address?" I ask again
Zack's POV
What's taking her so long? Well, it's only been half an hour since I've called Max. I'm sitting on a rock in a dark cave not far from Manticore. I'm not physically capable of going any further. I don't even have any vehicle. Where did I last leave my bike? I can't remember: Crash? No. Max's? No. Wonderboy's? I don't think so.
Thank god, I got outta this place! Three months, they've kept me for three months. I fear to imagine what Brin's been through: indoctrination all over again. It's all my fault!
If it hadn't been for that Psy Ops doctor, I'd probably be dead or something close to it. I don't know what drug they gave me for me to see Max when she wasn't even there. I never wanna step foot in Manticore again, never again!
I've managed to forget everything. well, almost. Fortunately, I still remember Max's phone number and where she lives and her dear rollerboy who she foolishly risked her life for. I also remember Noah. the fight we had in her apartment in Phoenix. I couldn've forgotten any of those two even if I had tried.
I called Max because she was the closest and because I don't want Noah to get involved in all this. She's managed to stay away from Manticore for over nine years, I don't want her to even risk being caught and going into Psy Ops. Just the name of that place makes me shiver. I remember all the things going on in there, how they play with your mind and manage to make you tell them everything you know. I haven't said a word; I'm a 100% positive.
Well, maybe not a 100% since I hadn't forgotten everything. I hope I haven't compromise Max more than she already is anyway. Above all, I hope I haven't compromise Noah. I hope I haven't told them anything. I jolt outta my thoughts and look up towards the cave's entrance. Someone's coming.
Noah's POV
He's been gone for three months! I haven't even heard from him, not a phone call, nothing. They've got to be very happy for him to completely forget me like this. Well, last time he went out looking for her he left for five months, so, I shouldn't get worried this time.
"Keep low Noah and I'll be back sometime soon" he said.
I feel so lonely. I'm sitting in front of my brand new TV set I've stolen yesterday. I sold the old one for a nice couple of dollars. I keep changing the channels, not even capable of focusing. I miss Zack. I miss Ginna. I don't want another roommate. I'd feel like betraying her. I don't want another best friend. I just wish she was here with me and that she would take me in her arms and comfort me. Tears are starting to run down my cheeks as I remember that crazy red haired girl I had met years ago, that had decided to make me her little sister and had made me discover the joys of living outta Manticore.
Suddenly, the image on the TV set blurs. For half a second I tell myself 'Shit, should've kept the old one!' The eyes of a man appear on the screen as he starts saying something that sounds like:
"Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a streaming freedom video bulletin. This cable hack is being beamed to you across America. It cannot be traced. It cannot be stopped. "
What the hell.? Who the hell's this freak? But, I hold my breath as soon as I hear:
"This is a message to those known as X5. You've been compromised. You're in danger. You know what to do. I repeat, your locations have been compromised. You know what to do. This message will repeat every hour on the hour until each of you has checked in"
A couple of numbers pass in front of my eyes, not any kind of number though: 656, 471, 210, 205, 701.
Tinga, Krit, Jondy, Zane, Syl. What's going on? What happened? The only one that knows where to find you all is. Zack. Something must've happened to him. Manticore must've got him back. How come that Eyes Only guy knows about it?
Zack's POV
Miracle boy's not that big a jerk after all. Syl, Krit, Jondy, Zane have called. They've already moved. I hate to admit it but Logan's saved our ass this time.
"You sure I didn't blab about the others while Lydecker was listening?" I ask Max, meaning 'What if I've mentioned Noah?
"Believe me. I'd remember it" she tells me.
I'm kinda relieved. If Manticore let me out it's because I didn't tell them a thing when I was back there, in Psy Ops. Nothing, not even a thing about Noah. I'm sure now. She's still safe in Phoenix. I can't wait to go back there, to see her get angry and punch me because I've been gone for so long without calling her. Soon. Not yet because I still haven't heard about Tinga.
Later that night.
I'm driving a stolen car. Tinga's next to me, safe and sound.
"Why didn't Maxie come with us?" she asks me breaking the silence.
"I already told you" I sigh.
"No. You just yelled 'Don't bother'. So, I'm asking again: why?" Tinga asks again.
"Haven't you noticed that guy that was with us all along? That Logan guy? He's the reason"
"He and Maxie are. together"
"Was it that hard to tell?" I reply annoyed.
"What does it put you in such a bad mood? Are you jealous? Oh, I forgot that was you're normal mood" she adds smirking.
Tinga's definitely afraid of nothing. I don't know many of my brothers and sisters that would purposely annoy me that way, well except for Noah. But, then again, Noah's different.
"I'm not jealous, it's just that I don't want her to end up like you" I spit out coldly.
"Well, at least she'd be happy" Tinga says raising her tone.
"She'd be slowed down by a kid and a husband" I reply raising my tone as well.
"I don't have to justify my decisions to anyone" she mumbles sinking further into her seat.
"To me, you do! I'm the one in charge of saving your ass here!" I say turning my eyes away from the road to glare at her.
"Well, I believe that if my ass was on the line in the first place, it was because of you" she barks out straightening up.
Like I said, nothing scares her. Tinga: one. Me: zero so I shut up and look at the road once again. She knows she's been tough on that one but I asked for it.
"I'm sorry big bro. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful or anything. I know you love us all" she apologizes immediately, "It's just that we can't not get attached. If we escaped, it was because we wanted to find out about what was going on in the world, to learn and to know what it was like to be normal. You're missing to whole thing if you don't open up your heart a little Zack. You're only seeing the bad things of this world. Don't spoil your life, big bro." Tinga says.
"It's not our mission to be happy or to live like a normal person because we'll never be normal OK, Tinga?"
She sighs and finally gives up. But she's managed to make me doubt.
"Where are we going by the way?" she asks again.
"Phoenix" I reply.
"All the way in Arizona" she says surprised.
I nod, keeping my eyes on the road.
"Why? Think Seattle's to chilly in February?" she shrugs.
"I need to see someone"
"Someone I might know?" she says in a friendly tone and looking in the car's different compartments.
I nod. She's found a pack of chips and three cans of beer.
"Hungry?" she asks, "I know you're not like Zane" she smiles.
True, I'm not like Zane. I need to eat. She must be referring to the last time I visited her in the bakery she worked in. Hey, I was really hungry then, not like now though.
"More thirsty for now" I say.
"So who is it?" she asks again handing me one of the cans.
"Noah" I finally answer.
Renfro's POV
Lydecker's just screwed up again. He's lost 599, 656 and 452. I'm thinking about getting rid of him soon. He's getting too weak for this job. Someone knocks.
"Come in" I say coldly turning my chair around to face the entrance.
"Mrs. Renfro. We've just found something interesting," he says dropping a report on my desk.
"What is it about?" I sigh.
"One of the twelve X5 escapees. We might have a lead on one of them" he says.
"Does Lydecker know about this?" I ask my eyes quickly running through the report.
"Good. Let's keep it that way. How d'you found out about it?"
"Some Italian Mafia guy's willing to sell what he calls a 'transgenic killing machine'. He's contacted several foreign governments. We can't let him sell our technology"
"We won't" I say a devilish smile on my face.
Zack's POV
Tinga and I have just got rid of the car we've stolen in Seattle. I haven't got my bike back so we're walking to Noah's apartment. We're climbing up the stairs of Noah's building now. I think she'll be home. It's nearly noon. I don't have the extra key anymore. I got rid of it before going back to Manticore. I knock. I barely hear her rushing towards the door; she's so light and quiet.
The door opens. She's standing in the doorway. Her hazel green eyes widely open as she sees me. She jumps into my arms and hugs me.
"Thank god you're all right. What happened? I saw the hack, I thought they had you back!" she says panicked.
Then she pulls herself away from me, punches me in the shoulder and says:
"I thought I told you not to be gone for so long"
I look at her and I can't keep myself from grinning. I'm truly happy to see her again.
"I've got a good excuse promise," I say caressing her caramel cheek.
Then, I step aside and let Tinga step forward. Noah studies the tall woman in front of her. She looks at her long hair and probably remembers what I've told her about Tinga never cutting her hair. Noah's eyes open even wider and she hugs her older sister.
"Tinga" she says.
"Hey, baby sis! How ya doing?" Tinga says.
"Come in, come in both of you" she says pushing us inside, "Sorry for the mess. I really don't know what to wear today," she adds.
Clothes all over the place confirm her statement. Suddenly, my stomach lets go a growl, reminding me I haven't really eaten since. forever. My two sisters turn their head towards me in surprise. That's the trouble when you're surrounded by X5s; they see and hear everything. My stomach didn't make that much noise. A normal person wouldn't have noticed it. I shrug and say, smiling:
"It's lunch time"
"Sure is. You guys'll tell me everything over lunch. Pizza? Chinese? Greeks? My treat" Noah says picking up the phone.
After lunch, after the talking, after the sun's set, after Noah's cleaned up the place and left for work, Tinga and I sat down in the living room. I can't stop smiling. Noah has managed to make me forget about Manticore for a few hours, thanks to her optimism. I turn my head towards Tinga. She's been looking at me for a while I think, but I hadn't noticed, lost in my thoughts. She too is smiling.
"Why ya smiling?" I ask her still grinning.
"Cause I've never seen you this way. You look happy and carefree which is a good thing" Tinga tells me passing her fingers through her long dark hair.
"Well, I'm just happy to be spending some quality time with two of my little sisters" I say smirking.
"No doubt of it. But I'm not the one responsible of your sudden change of mood. You've been grumpy all along on our way here. It's like you're another Zack... Maybe not" Tinga muses.
"What are you talking about?" I ask her sitting up and rolling my eyes.
"Well, maybe you are the one and only Zack, maybe you're not different to her because it's the way you always are around her and that with us you're always X5 599" Tinga says.
"Why would I be any different?" I frown.
"I dunno, you tell me" she smirks, stands up, yawns and adds "I'm going to bed" as she walks towards what used to be Ginna's bedroom. I get the honor of sleeping on the couch.
That's just the way Tinga is. It's like she seems to always have the answers to everything but instead of telling you, she just points you the doors, which lead to them. You have to open them alone and find the answers alone. It's like a teacher would do with a student. Maybe, it's her maternal instinct coming out.
If I've always been the big brother, she's definitely always been the big sister though Syl was the oldest female. Tinga's always been careful everyone was feeling all right, had eaten enough and so many other stuff only a mother would think off.
Notes: I'm sorry, like I said, I'm not American, I don't even live in the States, I've never seen a DA episode in original version. Still, I was only able to find a transcript of 'The kidz are aiight' on the net, but it wasn't an official one. So, the Eyes Only's hack written here might not correspond to the real one. If any of you guys know for sure what Eyes Only really said, be sure to tell me, I'll correct it right away. Same for what Zack tells Max and Tinga. I'm thinking about buying DA's first season on DVD so that I can finally see it in original version. Don't forget to review! Love ya. BO