An Unauthorized Genetic Experiment: episode two.
Author: Chippewa Livingston Archive: Please ask Disclaimer: I claim no affiliation or ownership of characters or material related to Dark Angel.
9. Blood and water
"But that's way out at the end of the bus line!" Roxanne informed me, as we dodged puddles the sidewalk, and the stray branches of un-pruned shrubbery. The light drizzle that I'd seen before dinner was getting heavier.
I decided to shut my mouth and start thinking. An hour by car, probably 50 miles. Many hours on foot, or . . . what were cab rates around here, anyway? Other thoughts surfaced.
"You don't have to come along," I pointed out.
"Yes, I do." The street lights were turning her eyes weird colors, and the blue streaks in her wet hair looked green.
"It only takes one of us." I held her wrist.
She put her hand carefully over mine, and smoothly levered my arm behind my back. "I'm not going to loose track of the rest of my unit!" she whispered, and twisted a little harder. Not trying to hurt me, just wants me to know she means business.
"But . . ."
"Get one thing straight, test-tube baby! No place is safe for me right now. Or you." A whisper meant only for transgenic ears. "If something happens, I want to know."
"Nothing is going to happen." Somebody's famous last words, probably.
"Then you don't have a problem with me coming a long." She let me have my arm back, and showed her teeth. "Family sticks together, like they taught us."
"Uh." If I argued, the bloodshed was going to start right now. Real family didn't fight like this, did they? Asha and Nathan seemed to get along. Asha and Nathan. . . "Is there a pay phone around here somewhere?"
**
We found a pay telephone, and 'Roxie' handed me change from her tips. She leaned casually and invisibly in the shadow of a brick column. The glass of a darkened store window reflected the empty parking lot.
"Nate Barlow," said the voice on the other end of the line.
"This is Jack. Don't say anything, just listen." I tried to put my thoughts in order. "I think Asha is about to get herself into trouble. Roxie and I think we can stop her, but we need your help."
"I need more explanation than that, if you don't mind."
"I was eavesdropping on your sister," I confessed. "I think she is going to do some snooping. If we can borrow a car from you, we'll be able to catch her first."
"I'm driving. Where are you?"
"The shopping mall shaped like a half-circle, with an obelisk in the middle."
"Oh, that one. I'll be there in five minutes."
The line went dead, and I hung up the phone.
"The more the merrier?" asked 'Roxanne', and put an arm around me.
I hugged her back. Her hair smelled like French fry grease, and her sweater was damp from the rain. "I hope he doesn't drag Mikah along. It's going to be hard enough to explain just to him."
"You know if we try to stop Asha she's going to be suspicious," she said to my chest.
"Not going to stop her." I wondered how much of my confidence was due to the fact that I knew *exactly* where 'Roxanne' was. "We're going to shut down the building's security, so she gets in and back out without getting caught."
"Then we grab her, and find out what she wanted to look at."
"I'm hoping we can follow her on security cameras," I admitted.
She snuggled a bit closer, shifting her feet closer to mine. One warm, real thing in a cold universe. Planning was going to wait until I could see the building.
Headlights bounced off one store window after another, as a cream-colored car arced around the parking lot.
The driver's window rolled down, and Nathan stuck his head out. "Get in!"
Author: Chippewa Livingston Archive: Please ask Disclaimer: I claim no affiliation or ownership of characters or material related to Dark Angel.
9. Blood and water
"But that's way out at the end of the bus line!" Roxanne informed me, as we dodged puddles the sidewalk, and the stray branches of un-pruned shrubbery. The light drizzle that I'd seen before dinner was getting heavier.
I decided to shut my mouth and start thinking. An hour by car, probably 50 miles. Many hours on foot, or . . . what were cab rates around here, anyway? Other thoughts surfaced.
"You don't have to come along," I pointed out.
"Yes, I do." The street lights were turning her eyes weird colors, and the blue streaks in her wet hair looked green.
"It only takes one of us." I held her wrist.
She put her hand carefully over mine, and smoothly levered my arm behind my back. "I'm not going to loose track of the rest of my unit!" she whispered, and twisted a little harder. Not trying to hurt me, just wants me to know she means business.
"But . . ."
"Get one thing straight, test-tube baby! No place is safe for me right now. Or you." A whisper meant only for transgenic ears. "If something happens, I want to know."
"Nothing is going to happen." Somebody's famous last words, probably.
"Then you don't have a problem with me coming a long." She let me have my arm back, and showed her teeth. "Family sticks together, like they taught us."
"Uh." If I argued, the bloodshed was going to start right now. Real family didn't fight like this, did they? Asha and Nathan seemed to get along. Asha and Nathan. . . "Is there a pay phone around here somewhere?"
**
We found a pay telephone, and 'Roxie' handed me change from her tips. She leaned casually and invisibly in the shadow of a brick column. The glass of a darkened store window reflected the empty parking lot.
"Nate Barlow," said the voice on the other end of the line.
"This is Jack. Don't say anything, just listen." I tried to put my thoughts in order. "I think Asha is about to get herself into trouble. Roxie and I think we can stop her, but we need your help."
"I need more explanation than that, if you don't mind."
"I was eavesdropping on your sister," I confessed. "I think she is going to do some snooping. If we can borrow a car from you, we'll be able to catch her first."
"I'm driving. Where are you?"
"The shopping mall shaped like a half-circle, with an obelisk in the middle."
"Oh, that one. I'll be there in five minutes."
The line went dead, and I hung up the phone.
"The more the merrier?" asked 'Roxanne', and put an arm around me.
I hugged her back. Her hair smelled like French fry grease, and her sweater was damp from the rain. "I hope he doesn't drag Mikah along. It's going to be hard enough to explain just to him."
"You know if we try to stop Asha she's going to be suspicious," she said to my chest.
"Not going to stop her." I wondered how much of my confidence was due to the fact that I knew *exactly* where 'Roxanne' was. "We're going to shut down the building's security, so she gets in and back out without getting caught."
"Then we grab her, and find out what she wanted to look at."
"I'm hoping we can follow her on security cameras," I admitted.
She snuggled a bit closer, shifting her feet closer to mine. One warm, real thing in a cold universe. Planning was going to wait until I could see the building.
Headlights bounced off one store window after another, as a cream-colored car arced around the parking lot.
The driver's window rolled down, and Nathan stuck his head out. "Get in!"