Chapter Three: Clueless

Sketchy's day was about as exciting as he could have possibly expected. He picked up packages, and he dropped them off. He smiled at old ladies and evaded what appeared to be rabid dogs for the pennies Normal threw at him. He made a couple bucks in tips, and he managed to not be hit by any cars, maniacs, hoverdrones (which had been "swerving all weird" of late), or rival bike messengers. By 4:50 he was back at Jam Pony, and, for once, Normal didn't seem to be in the mood to send him out on another run.

The other bike messengers were still hanging around the TV, as a news anchor in a dark suit and perfectly styled hair was explaining something about the manhunt for someone. Original Cindy was watching as well, though she stood apart from the group, leaning against the lockers. She seemed uncharacteristically interested in what the man had to say, so when Sketchy approached her he didn't interrupt. He merely stood next to her and listened.

It wasn't unusual, actually, for them to separate themselves from the other messengers. They were different from the others. They were linked to the transgenics. They had hushed conversations full of codewords and numbers. They belonged to a circle so exclusive that those who knew of its existence felt estranged from their former friends, and rightly so. Original Cindy, Sketchy, even Normal were no longer ordinary Ordinaries. They were different, and they didn't really mind.

"…and so, the District Attorney insists that they will not allow this 'cyberterrorist' to 'continue to mock the government of this land.' I'm Alan Brinkley, and this is 24hour News on channel 24."

"What's going on?" Sketchy asked as the screen faded to a commercial.

"Don't you know?" Original Cindy asked, crossing her arms and looking at him like he was the biggest idiot… ever. "Didn't you see the posters?"

"No…"

"Well, the DA's hunting down Eyes Only, and he's promising to catch the man before the end of the week."

"Yeah, and there's a huge reward for information!" Another messenger interrupted excitedly. Original Cindy gave the particularly vocal messenger a withering glance, and turned back to Sketchy, who couldn't believe what he had just heard. His head spun uncomfortably. This was really flipped.

"But… Eyes Only's one of the good guys!" he said indignantly. "He's, like, the good guy."

"Whatever, sugar," Original Cindy laughed, though it sounded a bit forced. "This girl can't worry her head over people she don't know. She's got too many friends to look out for."

"Right…" Sketchy nodded. Somehow, that just didn't sound right. On second thought, nothing she'd said all day had sounded "right."

"Go home, Sketch," she advised. "Get some rest. Put some ice on that empty head of yours, and you'll feel better in the morning."

Without another word, she turned and strolled out of the building, ignoring Normal's protests that it was only 4:58, and leaving behind a very confused man with a throbbing head. Something else was bothering him. He didn't know what, but something was definitely different. He didn't think he was the one who was different, but then, how would he know? With a small, exhausted sigh, he realized he was probably just tired, and he set his sights on home and a good night's sleep.

TBC...