A/N: I do not own MGLN that should be obvious based on the lack of lulz in the second half of strikers.
Someone For Everyone?
Chapter 2
"Unique Gathering Techniques Tend to Lead to Cliched Ends"
Or
"In Which the Readers Wonder Who Has All Those Shoujo Mangas"
Or
"Part 2 Which Follows Part 1"
This was a troubling predicament. It had been three days, three whole twenty four hour periods adding up to a total of seventy two hours, since anyone, aside from Uno, had actually seen the Doctor. He'd holed up in his study, taking even his meals in there. That alone was odd, after all, it was the Doctor who'd pressed the importance of family meals upon all of them. However, it was the fact that the Doctor hadn't taken in any sort of materials with him that truly bugged Cinque.
In all the years she'd known her creator, he'd only ever camped out in there if he was on to something. So, what was up with him now? Cinque wouldn't admit it but she was, in fact, worried. Though maybe not as much as Quattro, who'd taken to staring at the doorway longingly, like a lonely puppy waiting for its master to come home. Uno seemed to know something but her lips were sealed. Due still wasn't back from her long term mission. And as for Tre, well, expecting Tre to actually vocalize or show what she was feeling was really rather silly.
The younger sisters, on the other hand, didn't seem perturbed in the least. Rather they were glad for a break. They'd been in heavy preparation for the mission to come since what seemed like forever and it was like a mini-vacation for them, not that they didn't get plenty off them. Sette had wandered off to train more, not unusual for the 7th sister but still bothersome to Cinque. She'd prefer Sette to be as noisy as Wendi rather then her emotionless state. Dieci, Otto and Deed might have all been taciturn as hell but at least they felt something.
Cinque sipped her tea, it was becoming something of an addiction. There were worse substances to love perhaps. Though, she'd heard the Saint Church ran up an astounding tea bill every year. Drinking by oneself was lonesome though, Tre sometimes joined in but that was rare. Cinque looked around the room, equivalent to what would have been, in a normal family, the living room. Though she wanted to ask them to join it was difficult picturing any of the girls in the room drinking tea.
"Cinque-nee~~" Wendi popped up beside Cinque that perpetual smile of hers plastered across her face. "Come play!"
"Play?" Cinque craned her neck back. It seemed the game of choice was Dress-Up-Dieci. Sein was in the middle of cramming what seemed to be a maid outfit of some sort on the tenth number, while Nove stood off to the side seemingly torn between stopping Sein and taking pictures. "Ah I see."
Cinque was about to go into a why-we-don't-use-our-sisters-as-dolls speech when the room's door slid open (as sliding doors tend to do).
Jail Scaglietti looked like he hadn't slept at all the past three days. The bags under his eyes had bags under them. His long, gangly hair was greasier then usual, and he had the beginnings of a purple beard going on.
"Doctor!" Quattro sprung up instantly going into bubbly henchwoman mode. "Have you had a breakthrough? Some new doomsday device? A new sister? Something that will make the TSAB tremble and boost the operation ahead?"
"Ah yes, the operation." Jail rubbed his stubble and thought for a moment before responding. "I've decided to cancel the operation."
"Wait. WHAT!" Quattro spat, her fake innocent girl face contorting into one of ugly confusion and anger. "You're whating the what what!"
"Doctor?" Cinque managed to stay much calmer though her confusion was just as great. "Are you sure that's what you want?"
"I've been studying it intensively, going after document after document and I can only come to one conclusion." He fell quiet his serious expression deepening.
The Numbers watched him with anticipation, wondering what his conclusion could possibly be.
"Girls don't like it when you take their cities hostage."
"E-Eh?" The numbers sounded off together. They all exchanged looks, not a single one of them understood what was going on.
"Our mission objective has changed!" Jail flung out his hands in his typical dramatic fashion. "Uno!"
Uno stepped beside him, holding a large scroll of paper which she promptly unrolled. On it were the words "New Operation! Operation: True Love! Mrs. Scagletti to Be!" Written in large curly letters, Uno's handwriting, not Jail's.
Blank stares greeted the new Operation title.
"The title isn't important," Jail waved it off. "What's important is... well... um... I'm not quite sure where to go from here. I've spent days reading those comic books with the sparkly girls in them but I'm not sure what to do next."
Wendi raised her hand. "You should give her a gift! Like flowers!"
Nove's hand shot up as soon as Wendi finished,"Girls like chocolate better!"
Dieci slowly raised her own arm, "What do you know about her Doctor?"
"Her name is Maria," Jail answered proudly.
"...And?"
"She works at the grocery store."
Dieci played with her long ponytail, her expression never changing, "I think... you should get to know her first."
Jail thought over what Dieci said, then he snapped his fingers. "Of course! Cinque," He pointed to the eye patch wearing girl, "you, and uh..." He looked around the room seemingly choosing the next girls at random, "Sein, Wendi, Nove and Dicei. Come with me! The rest of you procure as many flowers and as much chocolate as you can!"
Sometimes, working for a mad scientist was a very strange thing indeed.
There were very few times, actually none in Cinque's memory, that going on a "mission" involved sitting at a little cafe eating snacks. However, it just so happened that the cafe gave a perfect view of the particular grocery store where Ms. "Maria" worked. So the six of them sat around a table, looking to the rest of the world like a very odd family, staking out the grocery store.
It was also the first time in recent memory that Cinque could recall wearing normal clothing. Blue bodysuits were a no-no when trying to be inconspicuous. It was... a nice feeling. Sitting in a public place, acting like normal people, was almost enough to help her forget that there were gears in her body, almost.
"Ah! There she goes!" Jail stood up and pointed earning the gawking stares of the other patrons. But of course it was impossible to really forget, Jail couldn't fit in even if he wanted to, for that matter how could a little girl missing an eye fit in either?
They sprung went into action. Or rather they attempted to calmly and quietly exit the cafe while Jail hung back reading a newspaper but was really secretly stealing glances at the girl who'd stolen his heart.
This was an important job, they all knew it. The doctor's heart rested on the success of their mission. Though having his cyborg children stalk the woman of his desire might not have been the best plan of operation, it was the one he had chosen and they would not let him down if Cinque had anything to say about it.
Sein, with her incredible eyesight, led the pack, able to keep sight of Maria where ever she went. Close behind her were Nove and Wendi, Wendi keeping just one step in front of an infuriated Nove, trying to keep up. Dieci and Cinque brought up the rear trying to keep up the impression they were a normal group.
And so they followed her, hiding behind cars, mailboxes, other pedestrians whenever it looked like she was going to turn around. But they were learning valuable information. For instance, she had to live nearby because she walked home. From a chat with a flower shop owner they overheard (read: eavesdropped on), they learned her favorite flowers were begonias.
Still they couldn't help but get the feeling she was catching on to them. As they moved into a more deserted area she kept looking over her shoulder. Of course, she didn't see them as they were quite good at hiding themselves. Well at least Sein, Dieci and Cinque were. The moment she turned they were already hiding.
Alas, Nove and Wendi weren't. They were too caught up in their own competition, rather Nove's competition as Wendi was just having fun teasing Nove. They awkwardly stood there. Not sure what to do about the little issue they had.
"Do something," Nove hissed out of the corner of her mouth to Wendi.
So Wendi did something. The first thing that came to her mind. She grabbed Nove by the collar, brought her up to Wendi's level and gave her a big one. A kiss that is.
"O-oh my," Maria turned a bright and possibly unhealthy shade of red and quickly turned away and started walking very very quickly.
"Okay lovebirds cut it out," Cinque scolded and rolled out from behind a rather nice red car, looking off to the side with a blush of her own. Jeez, Wendi really got into it. Was that a tongue? Cinque swore she saw a tongue when they pulled apart.
"C-Cinque-nee it's not what it seems like," tears formed in Nove's eyes as she smacked Wendi out of the way. "She forced herself on me."
"Now now," Sein slung her arm around Wendi's neck, "You're ready to take responsibility for your actions aren't you?"
"R-responsibility?" Wendi looked bewildered.
"Oh yes, don't you know? Now that you've kissed you have to get married, the child will be coming soon." Sein nodded seriously.
"M-Married!" Wendi gagged.
"I-I," Nove sniffled and wailed, "I don't want to have Wendi's baby!"
"Sein, stop teasing them," Cinque tugged on Sein's hair. "Marriage and babies do not work like that."
"Oh, she's getting away," Dieci stepped out from behind a potted plant and pointed down the sidewalk where indeed Maria had completely vanished while they were talking.
"O-oopsie?"
They took off down the street, abandoning the inconspicuous thing for the not-getting-in-trouble-for-screwing-up thing.
"Oh no! My purse! I hope some brave handsome man who's just a bit taller then me, has longish hair and a steady job will come save me!"
"That was-" Wendi looked to her sisters who nodded in affirmative. Their search for the Doctor's first love was interrupted by said love's, strangely specific, cry for help.
They sped up, skidding to a stop at the mouth of a street where Maria was, having been shoved onto the ground by the large man running away her purse in his hand. She lay there with a... very unusual look of shock.
The girls looked at one another and decided at once what to do. They took off after him, their cyborg speed showing but their sense of justice overriding any part of them saying that maybe it wasn't a great idea.
They needn't have bothered.
A blur of purple and white surpassed them in the blink of an eye.
"What do you think you're doing to an innocent young woman?" And with those words Jail Scaglietti, as the numbers realized the blur was, who they'd never seen doing any physical labor, flying kicked the thief in the head. He stood tall, hands on his hips, glaring down at the thief.
"You're the lowest of the low!" Why don't you get a job? Or if that's not good enough for you, you can donate your body to SCIENCE!" The mad scientist's fist clenched, "At least then you'd be doing some good for someone out there!" He punched the air in front of him, "If that's not an option then go rot in a field and fertilize the earth, decomposing matter is great for nature! There's absolutely no excuse for being useless to society!" Said the wanted criminal.
"Does the Doctor know what he's saying?" Nove wondered out loud.
"The thing is, I'm pretty sure he does," Cinque sighed rubbing his forehead.
Jail bent down, yanking the purse from the thief's hands, "get out of here you lowlife." His golden eyes stared into the thief's, "Don't let me see your face again."
The thief whimpered, when he wanted to be, Jail could be downright scary. Then the thief stood up and ran without looking back.
"Oh thank you so much."
Jail's scary face of rage melted into one of pure, gooey bliss. He smiled, genuinely smiled. "Ah no no it was nothing. I just happened to be near by."
"So he was following her too?" Cinque was starting to get a headache.
He handed her the purse. Their fingers brushed as it passed from him to her, he looked like he was about to pass out. There was a pause as they both held the little black bag. Had this been taking place in one of the books Jail had been reading the scene would have been accompanied by roses in the background and many, many sparkles.
"This is your chance sir!" Wendi shouted to him.
"Quick! While she thinks you're cool!" Sein shouted from beside her. "Ask her out ask her out!"
Jail opened his mouth to speak but he didn't get the chance.
"You- you're..." there was a long pause.
The whole group froze. What was she going to say? You're the man from my dreams? You're my one true love? You're really quite a creep get away from me right now?
"Mr. Pralastiper."
The five girls sighed in sequence.
"Ah ha, you remember that," Jail looked, shockingly, flushed. He looked down, staring at her feet. And so ended the tale of Jail Scaglietti's innocent, pure first love lo-
"Ah he he he he he," then a giggle broke the narration.
They all looked at her in astonishment. Huh?
"That was so cute," Maria squealed. "Um..." she scratched her cheek, "I can't tonight but could I... maybe..."
Jail hung on to her every word.
"Takeyououttodinnertomorrow? As thanks of course!"
THUD!
"H-Ha? A-Are you okay?"
"Doctor!"
"The world, I think it's spinning." Jail lay sprawled onto the ground, where he'd collapsed in shock. He was too dizzy to notice Maria's arm was around him, holding him up.
"So... what do you say Mr. um..."
"Jail," that smile came back, the one that was entirely new to his face, "It's Jail."
"I'm Maria." She stood up, offering him her hand.
"I kno- I mean, it's a pleasure." He took it, getting back to his feet and not letting go of her hand.
"Um..." she fidgeted. "Your answer...?"
"Huh. Ah. YES! It's yes! A hundred times yes!" Jail answered eagerly.
"Mr. Jail..."
"Yes?"
"Um... your hurting my hand."
A/N: If you enough cliches in one scene it becomes original. It's true they did a study on it in Harvard.
No I'm sorry that was a lie.
I'm far too fond of Jail now, it can't be safe.
Anyhoo Read and Review please, it isn't hard I just wantto know what you think, or if you laughed, actually the latters more important to me then the former.