Clean Fall Chapter 3, an el tigre fanfic

It occurred to me that I haven't done a great job managing the chronology so far. But here's what's gone by, in the proper order: Monday, Manny leaves the hospital (though no one knows it), M confronts Sartana, and Manny falls asleep in his father's chair. Tuesday, Zoe falls into shadow, Sergio starts to lose control, and Frida goes to school.

Also on Tuesday…

Chapter 3, The Others

Miracle City High School, Tuesday, 11:52 AM

After the morning Frida had, she was rather happy to receive her lunch, a meager prize in a world so full of sorrows and annoyances. True, she was not particularly fond of this school's choice in hot dog… but she was not about to send it away either. As Frida made her way back to her usual table, her mood sank again. It was still empty. Well, of course it was. Manny was still in the hospital. Sighing in defeat, she walked slowly to the table and was about to sit down when something caught her eye. Frida happened to look up and see another table, almost as vacant as her own. Diego sat stabbing at his food again and again, looking very much bored out of his mind. She recalled how Diego had helped her and been there for her before this disaster was in full swing… and now he was alone. This allowed Frida to smile; she waded through the chaos of the courtyard and sat down next to him. At first he didn't notice, or at the very least pretended not to. Finally, he broke the silence.

"… Hola Zoe…"

"What?"

"Hm?" Diego turned when he heard his angel's voice, not even believing he had heard it. But there she sat, giving him quite the stare. "Oh, Frida! I'm sorry… I thought you were…"

"Yeah, because we're so similar," she said, words dripping with sarcasm. Just the same, she managed a smile, starting to stab at her food in much the same way as he.

"So… what are you doing at my table?"

"Oh, you know…" she mused, still playing with her meal, "you looked like you could use some company; I know I could use some."

"Oh, right," Diego said quietly. "What with Manny still being injured."

"Yeah. You don't mind, do you?"

He smiled and sat up straight, giving her a look that just resonated "not at all."

Military Command Center, 12:00 PM

Nikolai was tapping his pencil against the desk as he read over the reports his team had assembled. He let his disguise relax a bit as he sat in Fitzgerald's office; he was grateful that soldiers would follow just about any order. He had been left to his own devices for the better part of three hours, requesting to be left alone so that he may better process the information. And with each minute he read, he grew smarter, gaining the advantage he needed for the next phase. At least, that's what M had told him. He had no idea what the next phase was going to be. To be honest, Miracle City had proven to be an entirely different puzzle for his boss, and the mission, while moving along quite nicely, has taken on some peculiar twists. A knock at the door alerted Nikolai quite effectively, and within a second he had taken on the general's features again.

"What is it?"

"Sir, I've brought you your lunch."

"… Bring it in."

A nameless soldier pushed open the door and entered, and upon setting the tray containing the general's not so meager rations stood at attention. Fitzgerald continued writing something, not taking notice to the soldier. After a minute or two, he stopped writing and held up the paper. The soldier had no idea how to respond; he was just waiting to be dismissed.

"Take this to Lieutenant Gutierre. Tell him we're going to applying more pressure in these areas."

"Yes sir."

Watching the soldier leave, Nikolai let out a sigh when he saw that his guest had neglected the door. What's worse, his phone had started ringing, which actually caused him to jump. Always with the unexpected calls. He stood and walked quickly to the door, pushing it closed quietly. This allowed him to answer his phone in peace, which he did after quieting his breathing.

"General Fitzgerald."

"Don't worry, Nicky. You won't have to be him for much longer."

"That's good to know, sir."

"Cute. Now, you'll be glad to know that Sartana is playing ball."

"… Why would that make me glad? You know I have reservations about her. She's dangerous, my friend. Possibly more dangerous than you."

"Well," M continued, barely taking note of Nikolai's objection, "I do have one last thing to do to make sure we actually walk away from this partnership with her. But in the mean time, I'll keep your reservations in mind."

Nikolai remained quiet after that. He didn't like it when M made light of his instincts, which he was becoming more and more prone to do. Sometimes he felt as though he were being phased out.

"Is something troubling you, Nikolai?"

"No. Nothing."

"… If you say so. Anyway, like I was saying, you won't have to be the general for much longer. Would you like to hear the plan?"

"You have to ask? This body is terrible. I was worried I'd never get out of here."

Rivera Estate, 12:00 PM

An agreement was reached. Until things were judged to be safe for him, Manny was to remain sequestered to the estate, with one of the elder Riveras keeping an eye on him. Grandpapi had chosen to take the first watch, not realizing how boring guard would be. He expected at least a small morsel of fun to be gained from this, but almost immediately Manny went to his room and passed out on his bed. Six hours of nothing to do… that can drive you mad if you aren't at all satisfied with lazing about. And these days, being a sloth was the farthest thing from what Grandpapi Rivera wanted to do with his time. After all, how long would it be before he was too senile to be a villain anymore? Thoughts like that plagued him more and more these days. He watched the news for any sign of anything that could be remotely interesting… and found nothing. Disappointed, Grandpapi decided to take up another minute and check on his grandson for the fifteenth time. With a sigh and a popping knee, he climbed from his seat and made his way down the hallway… to find an empty bed.

"Eh? Manny?"

Now, that isn't something to panic about… but after checking all the usual places, Grandpapi had to start worrying. If Manny left the building, he ran the risk of getting injured, or killed, or possibly abducted by random men in vans. Well, maybe not the last one so much. Men in vans are typically a non-threat for Riveras anymore. At this stage, not knowing where to look, Grandpapi began to lose the ability to think straight. Forced by his own fear and thoughts of the worst case scenario, he rushed out the door onto the sundeck, deploying a balloon and lifting himself off via his sombrero. He'd find Manny if it took him forever! And had he started by checking the swimming pool, it wouldn't have taken him any more than thirteen seconds.

Suarez Residence, 3:15 PM

Frida laughed like she hadn't laughed in two weeks as she walked, keeping Diego nearby for the sake of company and entertainment. He proved to be a doubly valuable individual this day… triply if you add to it his vast intelligence. And as he walked with her, Diego couldn't help but let his mind swim within the vast ocean of his happiness; here he was, just going along on a nice day with his ideal woman, making her happy no less. He had to fight hard to continue the goofy smile that wanted desperately to crawl across his face. When they had reached Frida's house, however, his good feelings drained away, leaving a small frown where a smile had previously been.

"Well… I guess this is it…"

"Yeah," Frida replied softly, watching him shuffle his feet and stare at the ground. She felt a little bad for him. "But, uh, you could come in for a while if you want."

"That would be nice," he said, immediately perking up. But as he looked into Frida's eyes, ecstatic that she was finally letting him into her world without first being deceived, his smile once more faded. He couldn't today. There was work to be done. "But, I'm afraid I have to get home. The, uh, floors won't clean themselves, now will they?"

"No… I guess not."

"But thank you for inviting me, Frida. And for keeping me company today."

He was unsure how to part ways with her now… no physical gesture seemed at all appropriate. Finally, Diego extended his arm as if to give her a handshake, gently taking her by the fingers when she returned the gesture. He smiled and held her hand for a brief moment, turning to leave after that. He beat a hasty retreat home. Much work to be done.

Skies of Miracle City, 3:36 PM

He's been at it for hours… and frankly, Grandpapi was starting to panic. By now there was no way he'd be able to help Manny if he was in trouble, especially if it meant he was attacked before he could make use of his Tigre powers. Over and over he tried to imagine exactly what had happened. How did Manny get out without him noticing, and injured no less? It seems so improbable. Yet here he is, floating high over the streets, gazing down at the people walking to and fro, cursing them for their complacency. Didn't they realize how bad things were? He did spy one person that made him feel something else… unfortunately, it was only dread. And when that man leaped up onto a nearby rooftop, Grandpapi slowly descended, landing gently opposite of Rodolfo. There was silence between them, which was inevitably broken.

"Papi… what are you doing out here? Why aren't you watching Manny?"

"Well," he began, "I'm most certainly not out looking for him. After all, it's not as though he wandered off. I'm just… getting him an ice cream. Yes. Nothing more than that."

"… What was that first part?"

Suarez Residence, 3:40 PM

Frida was only part way into her homework, which she really didn't care about finishing. She had made a deal with her parents two weeks ago; if she at least put a reasonable amount of effort, they wouldn't stop her from visiting Manny in the hospital everyday. And it was actually working out nicely, though her teachers were complaining instead that the homework was only partially done. Nag nag nag… that's all teachers seem to do anymore. Tapping her pencil against her desk, Frida stared down at the word problem in her book. She hated word problems even more than regular problems. She didn't know why, though, because she was pretty fond of words. The fruit cake principle, it seems. Fruit is good, cake is great… where did fruit cake go wrong? Her train of thought, already taxed beyond all belief, was completely derailed when she heard the phone ring. She sighed angrily and pushed away from her desk, preparing to scrape off Sergio yet again.

"Yeah."

"Hey Frida."

Her eyes shot wide open and she gasped audibly. Once her heart had resumed beating, she choked on a few words before finally arriving at one that worked. "Manny?"

"Yeah, Manny. What's up?"

"Uhm, wow. Nothing." Frida sat down on her bed, still making sounds in her disbelief. After a brief pause, she spoke softly. "How are you?"

"Pretty good, but a little bored. You wanna' come over?"

"Uh… sure. I can be at the hospital by four."

"What? No no, I mean do you wanna' come over to my house."

"Your house? Manny, did you check yourself out?"

"… Kinda'?"

"Manny!" She was getting angry now. As much as she loved him, it was painful to consider that he would do so something so self-destructive. "I just saw you yesterday! You're still hurt!"

"… I got better."

"This is totally irresponsible! What were you thinking?" Frida was met with silence, which only made her angrier. She wanted him to say something, anything. She wanted him to try to justify his actions so she could just shut him down. "Well?"

"… You sounded very grown up just now…"

Now, a comment like that shouldn't have any bearing on the conversation, but in reality it can be very diffusing. After Manny had quietly said those words, Frida let her anger go, wondering if she really did sound grown up. No… she preferred the word mature. And to be honest, she did feel mature right now; and wasn't her goal in these hard times to try and be mature? So what he said flattered her a bit.

"Manny…"

"Would you please come over? I'm kinda'…"

"Lonely?"

"… Yeah."

Aves Residence, 4:00 PM

"Where is Zoe…?"

Grandmami Aves had taken to pacing, waiting patiently for her granddaughter to come home from school, that she may know if she was alright or not. And right now, evidence suggested things were not alright. What is it with kids and not being where they're expected to be? She had no idea what to do… Zoe wasn't answering her communicator. It was as though it was deactivated, which meant it couldn't even be traced to find her location. That was probably the most concerning thing of all. Grandmami started tapping the end of her cane on the floor, counting each and every second that passed with a single click of her walking aid. Something dawned on her, then. She was part of a network, wasn't she? And what was a network for if not for help in stressful times? Grandmami hobbled her way to the phone and picked up the receiver, dialing in a number that she, as well as many others had committed to memory. Holding the phone to her ear, she waited patiently as it rang. Then she heard his voice.

"M."

"M… it is I. Lady Gobbler."

"Yes… what can I do for you, ma'am?"

"… Zoe is missing."

There was a silence… Grandmami waited for him to respond, not knowing why he wasn't. He was simply trying to play this right. And after tapping his fingers a bit to make it seem as though he were just trying to understand what she said, he spoke.

"Missing?"

"Yes."

"You're telling me that Zoe is missing…"

"Yes!"

"… I'll do what I can. In the mean time, just try to relax. No need to worry too much about this. I have eyes everywhere."

"Thank you…"

The phone found the hook, and Grandmami Aves found her chair. She slowly backed into it, sinking into the downy comfort it sported. She was so tired, but she dared not go to sleep; she had a nasty habit of sleeping through important phone calls these days, and the one she was expecting was of the utmost importance.

Rivera Estate, 4:30 PM

Frida jumped into the pool with a hearty laugh, making as massive a splash as she possibly could. Needless to say, it wasn't particularly big. She surfaced and smiled, watching Manny drift atop the water with a contented smile on his face. The sun was bright, cooking his skin with its golden rays; the pool juxtaposed this perfectly, keeping him from becoming well done. Eyes closed and ears submerged, he didn't notice Frida gently swim up next to him until he felt her fingers running across the stitches his chest. He planted his feat and stood, shaking water from his hair. She continued to run a finger over his injury.

"Should you be getting these wet?"

"I dunno'… but it doesn't seem to bother 'em. I think I'm okay."

He warmed up a little under Frida's touch, still a little uncertain how to act around her. Surely his blush was apparent… but Frida did not once look away from the still forming scars on either side of his rib cage where the surgeons entered him to save his life. It was a little haunting to see Manny with injuries like this.

"Frida…"

She stopped and began to pull away, looking up when his hand took her by the wrist. They locked eyes for a moment, which was uncomfortable for both of them. He felt that he should say something… don't stop, keep going, or something to that effect. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. Frida, on the other hand, felt it was wrong to continue touching him, not knowing that Zoe was no longer competition for his affection. The tension was broken when she smiled and patted Manny gently on the cheek. He let her arm go so he may touch his face softly, watching her slip under the surface of the water. A smile crossed his face, and despite the tightness of his chest, he started to swim after her.

Police Station, Chief Suarez's District, 4:30 PM

It had all started so nicely… a simple bank robbery just to keep loose. And now where was he? A holding cell. Again. He sat on a bench, scratching his chest absent mindedly as he stared at the floor. He took no notice of the fleas that scrambled from him as he slid his nails across his furry torso, caring in no way about them. All that mattered was that he was in jail. Again.

"Man… how does this keep happening to me, man?"

Author's Note: No reason to include Oso, really. I just felt he needed something after his long hiatus. And what better than to put him exactly where he belongs: a cell right after being captured. They never tell you what exactly El Oso feels after being arrested, but I'm sure that before he cracks open the wall and runs off for more chaos, he's a little depressed.

Anyway, it's time for my vacation! *Vacation time, brother! Vacation time, brother! Va-ca-tion!* Enjoy this chapter as much I do. I'll have more once I return from my adventures.