Disclaimer: The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Max, Zack, Logan, etc.), and everything else that has to do with the show belong to their respective owners, not to me. No money is being made off of this fic. I only own the original characters (Becky/X6-405, etc.).
Notes: This is it! The beginning of the end of this fic. This will be kind of an AU version of "Freak Nation," so possibly spoiler-ish stuff for that episode, though I don't think there's going to be much of it.
"So, what's the plan for later tonight?" Wayne asked everybody. "Who's in for Crash or should we go out for pizza?"
"No can do," Alec said. "I'm picking up Tony from Brin tonight so Brin can get some sleep."
"I'm good either way," Becky said, shrugging. "You should probably wait until Max gets back from her run before you ask." She glanced over towards the entrance and grinned. "Speaking of which, look who showed up."
"Isn't that the guy Sam or whatever his name is who took Herbal's job last year or whenever it was?" Sketchy said suspiciously. "Jerk takes his job and then blows it off."
Becky glared at him. "He happens to be my older brother and he had a very good reason for leaving so quickly. Ask Wayne if you want to know why. Excuse me." She paused and turned back around and grinned wickedly. "Do you want me to tell him how you tried to look down my shirt at least once a day for the first two weeks I was working here?"
Sketchy got a little pale. "Um…no. I think I'll just talk with Wayne over here."
"You're smarter than people give you credit for," Becky said. She turned around and walked over to where Zack was talking with Normal.
"…is on a hot run right now, but I told you before, you have no right to come back in here after leaving me in the lurch like you did," Normal said angrily. "Now, get out Sam, if that's even your real name. Reprobates like you…"
"Actually, it isn't my real name," Zack said. "It's Zack, but that's another story. I also wanted to apologize for that, sir. I didn't have time the last time that I was here to apologize for it. My little sister had been in a car accident and my parents told me that it didn't look like she was going to survive. I didn't have time to call you. I'm sorry."
"Sure," Normal said skeptically. "I'm guessing that the next part of your story is that your supposed sister lived?"
"I did," Becky said. "I was in a coma for a week, but I lived. Thanks for asking."
Normal did a double take. "You're his sister, Rebecca?"
"For the millionth time, call me Becky," Becky said. "Yeah, you didn't think that the fact that we have the same last name and that we look a whole bunch alike could mean that we were brother and sister? That whole Sam thing was an inside joke between me and him. Don't ask 'cause it's a complicated story." She sighed. "Before you even ask, I was out running some errands for my mom after school and I was on my way home and I was driving down the road minding my own business when I see this moron, whom I later found out was drunk, swerving around in the road and then right towards me. I try to swerve out of the way but I lost control of the car." She shivered. "The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital a week later and Zack and Mom are sitting next to my bed. Apparently I'd run off the road and hit a tree head-on. The doctors said I nearly didn't make it and I definitely wouldn't have made it if I hadn't been wearing a seatbelt."
"I'm sorry," Normal said.
"Yeah, near-death experiences suck," Becky agreed. She bit her lip as the memory of her real near-death experience came to mind.
"I'm sorry," Normal said to Zack. "You can have your old job back if you want. I have an opening."
Zack shook his head. "I have another job right now, but I appreciate the offer, sir."
"If you change your mind, let me know," Normal said. "It'd be nice to have two Golden Boys here."
"Are you going to steal my thunder?" Alec joked.
"No," Zack said. He shrugged.
"Anyway, I've got a hot run to 1009 Baker Street," Normal said. "It's a two person run. Re—Becky, do you want to take it?"
"Yeah, no problem," Becky said.
"Anybody else?" Normal asked.
"I'll go," Jeff said.
"Good," Normal said. He handed the packages to Becky and Jeff.
"I'll walk you guys out," Zack said.
Becky rolled her eyes. "I'm a big girl. I don't need a chaperone when I'm with my boyfriend, even when it's only work and Normal, don't have a heart attack, Jeff and I won't stop while we're out to rent a room." She and Jeff and Zack left Jam Pony. Becky and Jeff got on their bicycles and rode a little more slowly so that Zack, who was on foot, could keep up with them.
"Did Sketchy really try to look down your shirt when you first started to work here?" Zack said.
"Yeah, but it's just Sketchy," Becky said. "He's harmless and he gave up on it. You remember the guy. It took him a little bit longer to stop trying to pick me up." She shrugged. "Both Max and I have mentioned that I have an overly protective older brother before and know that Sketchy can put a face to the name, he won't even try to pick me up anymore. Not that he has since Jeff and I started dating, but you know what I mean."
"Yeah, he'd pretty much stopped trying to pick her up by the time I started to work at Jam Pony," Jeff said. He looked thoughtful. "1009 Baker Street…I think that's a grocery store. It's a kind of run-down little place. They sell decent decent snack food, though. Do you want to get some chips while we're there, Becky?"
"If we get chips while we're there, we're gonna have to get some for everybody else," Becky pointed out. "If we only get some for ourselves, Wayne and Alec and going to either smell them on our breath if we eat them right after we pay for them or see them if we just take it back with us and try to shove them in our lockers without anybody seeing."
"Good point," Jeff said. "I don't think I have that much cash on me right now."
"I've got it," Becky said.
The three of them were mostly quiet until the finally got to the address. Becky and Jeff got off of their bicycles and Zack waited for them while they chained them up to a nearby lamppost. They started to walk into the store when they suddenly froze and looked around. "See or hear anything?" Zack asked quietly.
"No," Becky said. "Either whoever might be following us knows how to keep tabs on an X-series or nobody's following us and we're being very paranoid. Either way, can you blame us?"
"Let's stay alert," Zack said.
Jeff managed a smirk. "Gee, Zack, does that mean that you'll be escorting us all the way back to Jam Pony too?"
Becky smacked him on the shoulder and laughed a little. "That was supposed to be my line, you idiot."
"I know," Jeff said. He grinned.
Zack rolled his eyes. "And you wonder why you need to be baby sat…"
"Ha ha ha," Becky said. The three of them went inside the store and up to a counter. "Hi, Jam Pony messengers. We have a delivery for a…" She checked the address on her package. "…Mr. Howard at this address. We need a signature for this package."
"Mr. Howard won't be in until this afternoon, but I can take the package for him," the man behind the counter said.
"Great," Becky said. She and Jeff handed the packages to him and the man signed the clipboard that Becky held out. "Thanks for using Jam Pony." She put the clipboard away in her backpack and she, Jeff, and Zack turned and walked over to an aisle. "So, I like regular barbeque chips and so does Max, you and Alec like salt and vinegar, Original Cindy likes regular but rippled, Wayne likes sour cream and chives, and Sketchy likes cheddar but they're out so should we get him jalapeno barbeque?"
"It'd be worth it just to see the look on his face when he tries to eat one of them," Jeff agreed.
"You read my mind," Becky said. She turned and gave Jeff a quick kiss on the lips, flipped Zack off and smirked when she saw the look on his face, and started to reach for the bags of chips when the sound of the door slamming open made the three of them jump and turn around.
"Okay, nobody move!" an angry male voice shouted. "Everybody's going to get right here in the middle and sit down. Now! We will not hesitate to shoot if you don't cooperate."
Zack and Becky and Jeff looked at each other as they slowly walked over to the spot that the man had said. This isn't good…
TBC