PART 2: Meeting Old
Friends
"Boy's!" Normal said coming out from behind the counter. "Glad you're here, and early as well. Go find yourselves a locker and I'll see what I can do about setting you up on your first run."
"Thanx Normal." Sam said walking over to the locker area. "This oughta be interesting." He said putting his stuff into one of the cramped lockers at Jam Pony.
"As opposed to what?" Josh asked sarcastically. "A hole in the head? This is going to be boring."
"Don't say that. Give it a chance." Sam said. He and Josh just sat around for a while, while they waited for Normal to set them up on their first run.
"Looking forward to your first day?" Max asked walking up to them. "Cause I gotta tell you, this place isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"Don't say that Max, you might scare them away." Sketchy said. "Guys this place is fantastic, the people you meet. God, I mean there's nothing like someone slamming the door in your face in the afternoon."
"Now who's the one who's scaring them away." Max said. "Grow up Sketchy."
"Ah, our new comrades." Herbal said shaking the boys' hands. "I'm Herbal Thought and this man is Sketchy. Pay not attention to him, he doesn't always think before he speaks."
"You got that right," Original Cindy said. "This fol never thinks before he speaks. Which is probably why he's always runnin' from somethin'."
"Hey, where's Angela?" Max asked Original Cindy. "She usually comes in with you."
"My suga was running a bit late and missed breakfast, so she's gone to get some at that little shop down the road."
"But the food there tastes like shit. Why would she go there when she knows that?"
"Because I was hungry." Angela said hearing the last part of the conversation. "I was hungry and I wanted food. Besides I think the foods there's getting better. Either that or I'm loosing my tastebuds."
"Probably the tastebuds thing." Max said. "The food in this city tends to do that to people."
"So is there anything new in the world of Jam Pony?" Angela asked. "I mean apart from the new guys, who we've already met."
"You already met them?" Sketchy asked. "And here I though I knew something that you didn't."
"That will never happen Sketchy. Because I know everything before everybody. It's a curse."
"I don't know, I'd love to know everything before everybody else. It'd make life interesting." Sketchy responded.
"Alright, I have deliveries. Sam, here's one a Gambor, Josh, one on Belcorn." Normal said tossing the packages to the guys. "If you don't know where to go Sam, follow Angela, she's headed that way."
"I am?" Angela said. "How interesting that you tell me these things. Well I guess this proves that I don't know everything, because I didn't see that one coming."
"Yes," Normal said. "And Josh, follow Max she's kind of going in your direction, she can tell you where to go."
"Thanx Normal." Sam said getting on his bike.
"Check out the dutiful kid." Original Cindy said. "If he tired any harder he'd find himself halfway up Normal's ass."
"That's a lovely mental image at this time in the morning." Angela said going to her bike. "Ley's go Sam, time a-wastin'." She took of out of Jam Pony, aware that Sam wasn't too far behind.
"So how long have you worked for Jam Pony?" Sam asked her as they made their way through the traffic that was Seattle.
"A few years." Angela responded. "It's not the greatest job in the world, but it gives me something to do, and it uses up energy, which is great for someone like me."
"What do you mean by that?" Sam asked curious.
"I have heaps of energy, and if I just sit around doing nothing, I tend to go a bit insane. I need to get out and do stuff, need to keep busy."
"Well, I'll have to remember that." Sam said smiling at her.
"Maybe you should." Angela said smiling back. She stopped on the side of the road, pointing down the street. "You just go down this street and turn left at the end. You can't miss it."
Thanx," Sam said. "See you back at work."
"Bye," Angela said riding off.
* * * * *
"Logan you said you've got something on my stuff. What is it?" Max asked walking into the apartment. "Come on tell me."
"A few days ago a young male adult had a barcode removed from his neck." Logan began. "The last three numbers were 599."
"Zack," Max said to herself. "Zack's in Seattle. What tattoo parlour?"
"It's in China town. Bou's. Do you know where that is?" Logan asked her.
"Yeah, I'll find it." Max said beginning to make her way out the door.
"Max wait." Logan said. "Don't go alone Max. Take Angela with you at least. And be careful for Christs sake."
"I always am." Max said walking out the door.
* * * * *
"So what exactly are we looking for?" Angela asked as they walking into the room where Zack was staying. "I mean besides the fact that it's obvious that two people have been staying here."
"I don't know, stuff." Max said distractedly as she looked through draws. "Anything that might tell us why he's here, or why they're here."
"So why don't you have your barcode removed. I mean this Zack guy did, why haven't you tried?" Angela asked as she looked through more draws.
"I tried once. It feels like someone pour acid o you skin after it's been sand blasted. It came back in a couple of weeks. It's etched into our genetic code."
"Kind of like a mole that won't go away." Angela said, then she found a bottle in one of the draws. "Well we know that they have seizures like you do." She held up a bottle of Tryptophan.
The bottle was suddenly kicked out of her hand and she felt someone grab her from behind. A hand went over her mouth so she couldn't scream.
Max was held in the same way, but she was able to mutter, "Zack! It's me Max!" The person let her go and she turned around. "You?" She said looking at Sam. "You're Zack? Why didn't you tell me?" She hugged him.
However the person who was still holding Angela, hadn't let her go. She began to struggle and shout but the sound was muffled against his hand.
Max realised this and released Zack, turning towards Angela she told her captor. "Let her go."
Angela was released and she ran behind Max. "Okay, does somebody want to fill me in here? I can guess from the hugging that this is Zack, so then, who's he?"
"Zane," he responded.
"Zane," Angela said raising her eyebrows. "Another X-5 I take it. And how many more of you are there around here?"
"Almost all of us." Zack told her. "We came looking for you Max. We need you to help us."
"Why?" Max asked warily. "Why, after all this time separated do you need me now? What happened?"
"Brin was caught." Zack said. "Well not really caught, she went back because something was wrong with her, she needed their help, and now we're going to get her back."
"You going to get her back? Go to Manticore?" Max gasped. "How do you expect to do that? That's probably what they're waiting for, for someone to get Brin. It'll be walking into a trap."
"We're willing to risk that." Zane said. "You know what it's like there. No one deserves that again, especially Brin. We need to get her out of there."
"What are you going to do? Go in there shooting everything that moves, grab Brin and run? You know that won't work." Angela said.
"We know. We've already worked out how to get in and out without being detected. All we need to work out is how to get Brin." Zack explained. "They security around her is tight. And there are heaps of security locked doors before where they're keeping her. The codes are changed everyday and we don't know how to get them.
"Logan'll know." Max said, "We can get them from him."
"Eye's Only?" Zack asked. "I always knew you'd end up with someone like him. The whole knight in shining armour deal. It was just so you."
Max smiled sarcastically. "It's good to know you find me so predictable Zack. And what about you? How's your love life?"
"Non-existent." Zane answered for him. "Zack thinks that he needs to look after all of us. Like a baby sitter. He just can't get over the fact that we're all grown up now."
Angela laughed. "I know people like that." She gave Max a meaningful look. "Sometimes I'm treated like a five-year-old."
"Maybe you're treated that way because you act that way." Max responded over her should as she walked out of the room. "Come on, let's go see Logan."
