Jondy the Abandoner 3: Barcoded

Chapter 3: Barcoded

Aldrea was in a talkative mood as she rode home from school. She sat shotgun in Brian's brand new, red Jeep that Eloise had purchased for him. Or so he thought anyway. The means in which Eloise had acquired the Jeep were not entirely legal, but there wasn't any reason that Brian had to know that.

"And maybe Zack will bring me a movie!" said Aldrea. "Zack finds kids' movies better than my mom does. Last time he brought Mouse and His Child."

"Sounds fun," said Brian.

"Yeah, But he and my mom don't get along well, you know."

Brian nodded. He met Zack on his last visit, and he didn't like Zack much either. He also found that Zack brought out the most sarcastic side of Eloise's nature.

As soon as Brian stopped the Jeep, Aldrea leapt out, and ran into the building, leaving her school things behind. Brian sighed and gathered up her stuff.

Zack was once again located on the couch, flipping channels when Aldrea burst in.

"Allie!"

"Zack!"

And Aldrea ran over and began punching Zack in the gut, as was their new tradition of saying "hello."

"Did you bring me anything?" asked Aldrea, continuing her assault on Zack's abs.

"Sure did."

"What?"

"It's a surprise Allie."

Aldrea punched him harder. "Where's mom?"

Jondy hadn't been out of her room since Zack had ordered her in there. "I think she's sleeping," answered Zack and grabbed Aldrea's tiny wrists. "Let's save some punches for practice Kiddo. Do you want to practice now?"

Aldrea grinned and nodded. Zack had been teaching Aldrea martial arts without Eloise's knowledge. Eloise would never stand for it, wanting to keep her daughter "Manticore free," but Aldrea had wanted to learn, and Zack thought that she should. The only reason that any of them had managed to keep from being recaptured was because of their training. Zack knew that Aldrea would need some of that training as well, just in order to stay free. Such is the life of a Manticore alum's daughter.

"Okay then," said Zack. "Let's go outside in the back, away from your mom's window."

Aldrea giggled in excitement. It was fun doing something that her mom didn't want her to do.

"And after, when mom wakes up, then she can give me pigtails!" announced Aldrea gleefully.

Zack stopped and stared at her.

"Mom is going to do my hair in pigtails, so that I can see how it looks," Aldrea explained. "We talked about it this morning, and she said that she would do it tonight."

"Did she?" said Zack, storing that tidbit away for later verbal ammunition, as Aldrea nodded "yes" in response. He had to admit, that of all the X5s, he and Jondy had the worst sibling rivalry. He always had to be ready with a comeback when Jondy was in the room.

As the two were leaving, Brian opened the door, almost hitting Zack in the face with it. "Oh… Hey Zack," said Brian, continuing to let himself in. "Aldrea, here's your stuff. You left it in the car Kiddo."

"Oh… Sorry."

Eloise evidentially found now to be an excellent time to leave the confines of her bedroom.

"Hey mom! You're awake," stated Aldrea.

"I was never asleep Kiddo."

"Oh, Zack said you were," explained Aldrea.

Eloise sauntered over and punched Zack in the shoulder. "Don't lie to my daughter Zack," she whispered in his ear.

Zack stared at her as if she were insane, and Brian stood and watched the exchange with a smirk on his face.

"Do you want to do my pigtails now mom?" Aldrea wondered.

"Sure," said Eloise, not removing her gaze from Zack for a millisecond. The two stared each other down, each daring the other to make a comment at the other's expense. "Go get your hairbrush Aldrea."

Zack finally broke the staring contest by shaking his head, a mocking smile on his face. Jondy flicked him dead center on his forehead, and made her way to sit down on the couch, unconsciously, but deliberately swaying her backside on her way over.

A few minutes later Aldrea was seated on the floor in front of her mom, who was pulling a brush through Aldrea's silky brown hair. Brian sat down on the couch next to Eloise. Zack glared at him. Eloise turned to look at the warm male body beside her and smiled, her lips soft. She started to lean into him, only to be brought out of her reverie Zack.

"JONDY!" Zack yelled, after two attempts of shouting "Eloise" had fallen on dead ears. Jondy's head snapped toward him, her large eyes wide.

"Eloise, you…"

"Do I put you at a loss for words Zack?" Jondy said seductively.

"Why did you just call her 'Jondy'?" Brian wondered aloud.

A helpless and scared look appeared on Jondy's face as she search for a lie. Zack spoke up, "It's a childhood nickname," he explained. "It doesn't make any sense without the back story, and it's a long back story. I've forgotten most of it myself!" Zack gave a fake chuckle.

Jondy turned to look at him, amused, thinking that that had to be the worst lie anyone had ever told. Amazingly, Brian bought it.

Jondy went back to grooming Aldrea's head.

"So Zack," Brian began. "How have you been? Been off mooching of your other siblings? Each in their turn?"

"Is that what Eloise told you I do?"

"I figured it out. You have no permanent residence, every time Eloise calls you you're with another sibling, eating their food. It doesn't take a gen-"

Jondy gasped and dropped the hairbrush on Aldrea's back.

"Ow! Mom, what's your problem?"

Jondy didn't say anything, but looked up and stared at Zack with tears in her eyes. Her expression let Zack know that something serious was up. Something was very wrong.

"Her-" Jondy choked, and couldn't say anything.

Brian looked down at Aldrea, who's hair was split into what was to become the two pigtails, and got a clear view of the back of her neck. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a barcode," Jondy said evenly, having suddenly regained her composure. "She has a barcode." With that Jondy stood up, went into the kitchen and began to prepare things to make some popcorn.

Aldrea stood up, confused, and the three followed Jondy into the kitchen. Everyone was yelling at once.

"What's a barcode mom?"

"How can she have a barcode Jondy. She wasn't born with one!"

"You gave your daughter a tattoo?"

"I have a tattoo?!"

"What did it say anyway? How can it say anything?! Jondy!"

"Mom!"

"Eloise!"

"Jondy!"

"Mom!!"

"Eloise…"

"Jondy!"

"Mom!"

"Shut up all of you!" Jondy screamed. She fell backwards, her back hitting the refrigerator, and she slid down until she hit the floor sobbing. "Shut up, shut up, shut up," she murmured. Brian rushed to her side.

"Eloise…"

Jondy's dark hair hung in her face, sticking to her flushed and tear stained cheeks. She rubbed her palms over her face, and tried desperately to regain her composure. She hated to be like this! Couldn't be seen loosing control; especially not by Zack.

Jondy swallowed a knot of tears down, only to be overcome with a shudder and a fresh crop of pain found itself prickling at the corners of her eyes and running down her face. Brain sat down next to her, and hugged her close. He stroked her hair.

Glaring at them, Zack slammed his palm down on the counter angrily, and stormed off down the hall to Aldrea's room. Aldrea followed him. "What's a barcode Zack?"

He didn't answer, but went into her room and sat on the bed. He noted that she had pink and purple bed sheets. He would've paid to have watched Aldrea talk Jondy into that. Jondy was stubborn, but it seemed that Aldrea was growing up to be even more stubborn than her mother. Aldrea sat down on the bed next to Zack and repeated her question, "What's a barcode Zack?"

Zack sighed. "Look at the back of my neck."

Aldrea looked puzzled.

"Go on, look at it."

Aldrea stood up on the bed, and leaned over Zack's shoulder to get a good look.

"Do you see anything there?" asked Zack.

"Just skin," said Aldrea.

"That's because I got it removed. I have a barcode branded there, and even though I remove it, it comes back every couple of months."

"But it looks like a tattoo? Why does it come back?"

"Because it's written into my genetic code. It's like a birthmark. Your mom has one too, and now, so do you."

"What does it look like?" asked Aldrea. She looked up and saw her mom standing in the doorframe.

"Why don't you come look," said Jondy. She wiped a left over tear from her eye. "I told Brian to go home for awhile," she told Zack.

"You didn't get yours removed like Zack?"

"I just let my hair cover it, which you'll have to do too, so fortunately it's going to be a no go on the pigtails," she smiled. "I mean unfortunately."

Zack laughed.

Aldrea jumped off the bed in the direction of her mother, and made it one step short of the entire distance in her leap. She grabbed Jondy's arm and pulled her down to her height, and swept her long hair away to see the barcode.

"I have that on my neck?" she asked incredulously. Jondy and Zack both nodded.

"Let me see it," said Jondy, and she gave Aldrea the same treatment she had just given to her.

"What does it say?" asked Zack.

"'33'... It's hard to make out. I think it's only ten numbers. 'Three three nine three four zero zero nine zero zero,'" Jondy read.

"That many zeros?" wondered Zack.

"What does it mean?" asked Aldrea.

"Well, your designation would be either zero, or nine zero zero. I don't know which," said Zack.

"It makes sense as just 'zero' though," argued Jondy. "They would have assigned designations and written that in specifically. She never had a designation assigned, so it just came out zero. At least that's what I think, because the rest of it like my barcode."

"What's a designation?"

"It doesn't matter!" Jondy said, with more passion than what was expected. Aldrea was taken aback.

"So what does it all mean then?" Zack wondered toward Jondy.

"Why did it just show up?!" Jondy wailed again. She felt she was about to loose control. Her daughter had been normal. Just a happy little girl. Why did Manticore have to claim everyone? It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair to Aldrea. Jondy swallowed to keep her emotions at bay.

"Mom, what does it mean?" Aldrea yelled. "I want to know what's on me!"

"It means that they own you Aldrea. That you'll have to spend your life running. That you'll have to change your name from time to time, just to keep them away," Jondy said in a throaty whisper. She stared intensely at her daughter. "You're too young Aldrea. You can't understand. They can't have you!" she screamed. "They can't have you! They can't!"

Zack rushed over and put his hand over Jondy's mouth. She leaned into his chest and purred. Zack was reminded that she was still in heat. Damn how Manticore made everything in life so complicated.

"Who can't have me? Zack, what does it mean?"

Zack ignored her and led Jondy to her bedroom. She was rubbing her hand over his bicep, and rubbing her cheek on his chest out of pure instinct, but at the same time she was still sobbing. She just couldn't stop.

Zack led her to her bed, and forced her to lie down. The moment he severed his connection with her, she hugged her pillow close as a substitute. He covered her, and left the room. She needed to sleep her emotions off, for she was over reacting to the situation. Probably due to the vast amount of hormones in her system, Zack figured.

Closing the door behind him, Zack found Aldrea had relocated herself and was sitting in the kitchen. "Tell me what's going on Zack," the little girl demanded. The fire in her eyes was intense. She was sick of messing around and didn't want to be confused anymore.

"Well," Zack twisted his neck around, stretching it to alleviate some of his stress. "You have a barcode. I don't know why you weren't born with it, because the rest of us were. The thing is, your mom and I are…. Special." Zack knew that Jondy didn't want to tell Aldrea about being transgenic. "And, because we're special, there are dangerous people looking for us. You're mom is upset because before the dangerous people wouldn't know that you are special too, but now that you have a barcode, they'll know if they find you."

Aldrea stared at him. "So my mom's not crazy?"

"Maybe a little," Zack smiled. "You're barcode says 'three three,' that means your X5, just like your mom and I. Then it says 'nine' which is weird, because mine says 'zero' and you moms says 'two' and I don't know anybody who doesn't have a zero, one or a two in that position. Your mom had a two, and if you ask me, you should have a two there as well, but you don't. I don't know why.

"Then comes 'three four zero zero nine zero.' That's the exact same as your mom. That makes sense, because you inherited the barcode from her. Then it's just 'zero.' Your mom and I both have two more numbers in our barcode than you do. This is the designation. Mine is 599, your mom's is 210, and they aren't really important unless the bad guys catch you. Your's is just '0' because normally the bad guys would program it into you, and I think it just wound up being '0' because they didn't get a chance to."

"So zero," Aldrea said. "Like I'm nothing. Zero."

"Nothing to them," Zack grinned. "Which is a good thing. I told you, barcodes are written into your genetic code, like a birthmark. It's because the bad guys write it in there. You have one, because the bad guys put on into your mom's genetic code, but they didn't get to pick the numbers on you. That would bother them Allie. That would bother them a lot!"

Aldrea smiled and laughed. "I'm hungry."

"Me too," said Zack. "What do ya say we make this popcorn your mom took out, and we watch a movie?"

"You brought a movie! What movie?"

"It's a surprise," Zack gave her a grin, and she punched his shoulder. Just the way her mom would've done.

TBC….