Line in the Sand Chapter 6, an el tigre fanfic

A note before I begin:

There seems to be more concern over Manny's love life than his well-being. You crazy kids. What is it about Zoe that is so unlikable? Or is it that we all, deep down, believe that friends make for good partners?

Let me know in reviews why Manny should be with Frida in the end. State your arguments. Convince me.

Chapter 6, Before and After

Unknown Location, Wednesday, four hours before Manny Rivera calls Zoe Aves

M tapped on the desk, counting down the seconds before any of the anticipated events would occur. Nikolai would land in two hours; the power amplifier would be finished in two and take at least a day to get here; and the Cactus Kid was due to be released from the growth chamber in under an hour. Fifty-eight minutes… that was starting to get to him. How could that happen so fast? The projected time for completing the mutation was three days, and only one had gone by. True, they'd had a week to prepare the lab, but… this was giving M a migraine. His phone rang, gaining his ire for a moment. He picked up and hastily opened it.

"What is it now?"

"… There is no need to be angry."

"Oh," he sighed and rubbed his eyes, wanting nothing more than to rest. "Nikolai… sorry, I hate this part of the job. It's been twenty hours in front of these computers."

"I understand, my friend. But do you think you can tear yourself away long enough to come and meet me at the airport?"

"You're early?"

"Da. Earlier flight."

"Well, that's good. Who didn't make it to the airport this time?"

"Investment banker."

"Nice," M chuckled and swiveled in his chair. He couldn't see the screen flashing red at first. "But you do remember that I can't be seen in public just yet. I'll have someone pick you up though."

M turned around again and caught sight of the flickering screen. His smile disappeared in one red blink. "Nikolai, I'll have to call you back."

"Da."

M flipped the phone shut and brought up the tab linking to the Cactus Kid's growth chamber. Heightened blood pressure, neural instability, rising body temperature. He now took up a radio transmitter.

"Chipotle, what's going on down there?"

"Nothing that can't be handled," said the doctor, trying to retain control of the situation.

Chipotle's statement seemed to be the prompt needed for things to get worse. The screen now reported the growth chamber's compromise. He radioed in again, but got nothing. Not good. M opened a tab and entered a command. In front of him he now saw through the lab security camera. It seemed to be your typical ruined laboratory after your experiment starts running amok. Steam and shattered glass all over, people flying across the room.

"Chipotle, tell me what's happening. Where's he going? … Chipotle!"

Now thoroughly angry, M stood from his chair and exited his control room. The hallways were designed to be straightforward, all leading to the front gate. He'd meet the Cactus Kid there. But once there, it seemed the Kid was no longer the only creature to meet. There stood three new cactus monsters… and these were much more aggressive looking than those in the criminal file.

"Let me out! Now!"

The boy… the creature, upon saying that, pointed his arm at M. From his shoulder to his wrist, it looked as if it was coated in plant matter. Or converted into it. A ridge of spines lined his knuckles. The Kid fired one past M's face in warning, and the monsters pointed their own spines at the unresponsive gringo. M waited for another moment, then turned to the gate control panel.

"A, B, B, C, C, A, C… in case you change your mind."

The steel gate slid up, and as soon as the sunny desert was in view, the Cactus Kid and his vicious creations sprang out into it. M watched from inside the base as they tore off across the sand, off to do who knows what. This was not a good turn of events. Not at all.

Miracle City High School, 1:35 PM

Manny stared at the clock, willing it to turn its gears faster, wanting to go home. He had things to look forward to doing today, and they were driving him crazy. First he'd see if Frida was free. If not… maybe Zoe would want to do something. The bell rang, signaling the end of the penultimate class. All that remained was another fifty or so minutes of torturous education. Manny was out in the hall with remarkable speed, as though he thought that moving faster would make time go by just as quickly. He found Frida waiting for him, clearly having evaded sitting in class for the last five minutes of lecture.

"Hey Manny. Looking springy considering how late in the day it is."

"I guess… I just wanna' get outta' here."

"You and me both… but come on, one more class."

But that "one more class" was their least favorite. If they weren't both in it together, they'd likely go insane. Chemistry with Gomez was the worst class they could possibly be in. They weren't allowed to do anything fun with the chemicals after the day they made "drinks" for everyone. They got grounded for weeks because of that; whatever happened to the love of science?

"I hate chemistry…"

"And chemistry hates you, Mr. Rivera. Take your seat."

Manny sighed and dragged himself to the table. Frida comforted him, but that was about the extent of her power here. Once everyone was seated, or at the very least in the room, Mr. Gomez stood and started writing away on the chalkboard.

"Callate! Now, open your books to page 192. We will resume our discussion on acids."

Miracle City High School, 2:50 PM

Zoe and Diego met in front of the doors just as school was let out. They walked down the steps as they always did, Diego talking about some nonsense that Zoe did not want to hear. Then he said something she had long anticipated him to say, but was shocked when she had spent the day without hearing those words.

"So Zoe, where were you last night? I called, but your grandmami said you were out doing… she didn't know what you were doing either."

"Diego," she said as she stopped walking, "if you must know, I was out having fun with Manny. Yes, I said fun." She started picking at her finger nail absent-mindedly, pretending not to see his look of disbelief. "That said I'll be trying to spend more time with him. You should find a way to fill up your free time that doesn't involve bugging me. See you tomorrow."

She left him standing there. What the hell? What had happened yesterday that changed her mood about this so incredibly? There was no way she would've had the courage to just walk up to Manny and invite out for an evening of who knows what. There had to be a ploy, there just had to be. Although… this could be to Diego's advantage. He rubbed his chin as he thought of all the repercussions of Zoe and Manny dating. Frida would be alone. And what if she found out about it? It was no secret that Frida hated Zoe. And with that in mind, Diego began formulating a cunning plan.

"Yes… this is going to be fun! I am brilliant!"

He saw Manny and Frida exiting the building themselves, then slunk around a pillar to stay out of sight. When they were near him, he tried his damnedest to hear them, but the crowd of students made that hard. This was pointless! Oh wait, evil genius. Smiling again, Diego's cybernetic implants deployed a most cunning device with which to overhear what was going on between them. And it certainly wasn't invented after Diego saw a commercial advertising a similar device. He focused in, not hearing the friends over other people at first.

"… I know, Manny. But all my teachers heard about my dad's deal with Malverde. I guess that makes it cool to suck up all my free time with homework."

Manny sighed and looked down at his feet. After a moment of silence, he looked up to her again, seeing her as sad as he was. Smiling to show hope, he started walking her home. "Don't worry Frida. This can't last forever."

Diego watched them walk off, stifling his maniacal laughter as much as humanly possible. He stopped laughing and started screaming when something reminded him that his listening device was still on and up to high: a student stopped in the exact spot where Frida stood and adjusted her personal radio. The static caused a sharp pain in Diego's ear, causing him to yell out in blind, agony driven fury.

"Grah! Swine!"

Suarez Residence, 3:09 PM

Manny and Frida had taken the long way home, making the most of today. The weekend was still so far off… homework was going to be in high supply in the coming days. They stopped in front of her house, just standing, waiting to part ways again.

"I'll call you later, kay?

"Yeah… later."

Sensing his disappointment, Frida pulled Manny into a hug, holding him tight for a good ten seconds. She released him and patted his shoulder, signaling the goodbye. Frida hopped the fence and disappeared into her house, leaving Manny sad that this was happening, but happy that they were still such good friends after all these years. Manny proceeded down the street, not letting himself get all depressed now. At least there was a plan B today. Diego watched him leave, pondering how best to do this. Well, a lie was certainly in order… but those dogs didn't look too happy just to see Manny, and they saw him all the time. That problem, luckily, was resolved when Frida came back to let them inside. Forgetting that his objective WAS inside, Diego smiled and strolled along to the fence, opening the gate. Already the dogs went crazy, wanting to eat someone. Unwilling to give up, though, he continued to the front door. He knocked twice and waited… during that time he started to panic. Frida opened the door, fighting with the "puppies" as she tried to calm them down.

"Hola… wait a sec, do I know you?"

"Hello Frida. How are you doing today?"

She stared at him a moment. She SHOULD know his name, shouldn't she? "Dippy?"

"Diego," he countered, not yelling, but not calm anymore. "I'm here to help you with your studies."

"Oh yeah?" She propped herself in the door, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "How did you know I was having trouble with my homework?"

"Because, uhm… your teachers told me," he said with an upward inflection, almost asking a question, "and I'm in the… the tutor program."

Frida actually found that to be believable to the point she stood straight, behaving as though she were caught in a lie. "Oh… then I guess you can come in. You're good at math, right?"

He smiled and casually strolled in. "I'm good at many things, mi amor."

"That's good… wait, what was that?"

Aves Residence, 5:32 PM

"At the bus station by 5:45… yes, I can do that! See you then, Manny!"

Zoe gently hung up the phone and smiled as she pulled herself into a hug. Wonderful was the only word that could describe how she felt. He actually wanted to go out with her again! She felt…

"Who was that, Zoe?"

"Er, someone from school. I'm going out tonight, grandmami."

Grandmami Aves emerged from the kitchen with a stern look. "Not if it's that Rivera boy."

"Why would you say that?" Zoe asked, reaching now for a clever ruse. "You know I'm completely over him."

"You say that, but you know that I know better."

"Well you know what? It doesn't matter. Even if I was going out tonight with him, I'd do it. But, uh, I'm not. Going with him, that is."

Unwilling to pursue this any further, or willing to let experience teach Zoe this listen, Grandmami Aves conceded and returned to the kitchen. Zoe was once more free to embrace her feelings, which she did as she walked out the door.

"You can contact me at any time, but I won't be able to help you steal anything, so keep that in mind."

The door closed almost with a slam, but Grandmami Aves was a little too busy searching the refrigerator for something, anything to eat. Dinner was at 7:30, but she was hungry now.

The Bus Station, 5:43 PM

Manny stood at the entrance to the bus station, waiting once more for a friend to show up. He looked at the street up and down, but didn't once see anybody who could even be confused for Zoe. Manny turned to look at the clock to see if his watch was right… it was. He also saw a kid standing across the room, just staring at him. Inside his hood, Manny thought he saw a pair of piercing red eyes. He stared back for a time, and the world seemed to get quieter and slower as he did. Manny was jarred from the odd sensation when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hello Manny."

"Wha? Oh, Zoe. I was worried you wouldn't show."

"Aw, I could never stand you up," she whispered, pinching his cheek lightly. The smile she got from him was just precious. "I was running behind though. We'd better hurry if we want to get on the 5:45 bus."

"Right behind you."

Manny started toward the bus, now much less aware of the stranger staring at him. He did notice, though, that the kid was no longer on the opposite side of the room. But he wasn't about to start being all paranoid about something like that. Dumping some money in the tray as they climbed aboard, Manny walked Zoe to a pair of seats. He smiled with her, sharing a sense of excitement. It was going to be a fun night. His smile faded when he saw a kid dressed in a familiar hoodie walk past him. That kid from the station was going to the same place? Odd… but not suspicious. The bus jolted forward as they started off toward the carnival, a place of good, clean, questionable fun.

Unknown Location, Flashback

"Nikolai, this is the target."

M handed his favorite Russian agent a pair of photographs. The first one showed El Tigre, and the second showed Manny Rivera. He took in the faces of both, making sure he could recognize them at any time. Photographic memories rock.

"And what is the mission?"

"Watch him, keep him alive for me. He'll be with this girl. Keep her out of trouble too."

M handed him a photograph of Zoe as well. This was not the sort of mission that Nikolai had in mind. He was an assassin, a spy, an infiltrator… he was not a babysitter.

"I don't understand."

"You think that's weird? This is the best part..." M stood from his chair and looked out the window, watching the sun-baked land shimmer. "I need you to make sure that they get… closer."

The Carnival, 6:10 PM

Manny and Zoe stepped down from the bus, and immediately they looked up at the sparkling lights of the hastily erected rides. Sure, they didn't have insurance, but they were fun all the same. He led her to the ticket booth and paid the entry, playing the chivalry card as much as possible. It looked like it worked. Once beyond the gate, Zoe immediately began leading Manny around the park.

"I think we should do the roller coaster first, get it out of the way."

"That sounds good," he said with a smile, "you always have a plan, don't you?"

"Yes I do."

"… I like that."

The couple did all the things associated with carnival fun. The roller coaster, though rickety and unsafe looking, was indeed enjoyable, solely because of the adrenaline rush caused by the fear of the rickety and unsafe ride. The haunted house, though not even close to scary, gave Zoe the perfect chance to take Manny's arm in false dread. He didn't seem to mind. And despite their best efforts, the game vendors had little choice but to give Zoe her prizes. This part worked backwards, though. Manny tried first to win her some low quality stuffed lion, but found throwing three rings onto a bottle to be very difficult. Zoe, not to be dismayed by a game, managed this feat and two similar ones in a single go. She smiled as she held a stuffed lion, seal, and elephant against her chest.

"Ah, we're finally here."

"What?" Zoe asked, but then looked up to the shimmering attraction to all couples. The huge Ferris wheel beckoned for her and Manny to ride in it, to see Miracle City's million lights from the height of the ride.

"I was hoping to get here just as the sun was setting."

"Oh my…" she whispered, blushing behind her prizes. Taking her wrist gently, Manny led her to the line, which quickly processed them to the front. Leading her into the gondola, he smiled when she whispered again. "Manny, this is just…"

He only smiled, happy that she was happy. With the gondolas all filled, the ride proceeded. Zoe held Manny's arm tightly as they glided up to the top of the wheel and came back down. The stranger seized this opportunity. It didn't matter what culture you came from; parking at the top of the Ferris wheel with a beautiful view was romantic. Once the couple was on the upswing again, he emerged from the crowd and talked to the operator.

"200 dollars American says the wheel stops with gondola 4 at the top."

"You got it."

And just as Zoe and Manny reached the top, the Ferris wheel halted sharply. The gondolas rocked a bit when it did, and on the ground it looked like the controls had mysteriously "broken down." When Manny looked down, he saw what looked to be that same weird kid from the bus station. He was distracted, though, by Zoe sighing, looking out into the night. Miracle City lay before them, glittering as if it was the sky and all the lights were the stars brought to the earth. The colors of the sunset were painted across the sky, vibrant hues of red, orange, and pink.

"Manny… this is amazing."

"Yes," he whispered, gently taking her hand in his as he stared out into the world, "yes it is."

Suarez Residence, 8:00 PM

Diego filled in the blanks left in the eraser smudged regions of Frida's homework. He was a little upset with her that he had inadvertently agreed to do tonight's assignments, but in the spirit of conquering her heart, he had to concede to it. Just the same, he turned to her as he worked.

"You know, a tutor is supposed to help students do their homework."

Frida smirked as she chewed a bite of apple. "Yeah, thanks for the help."

"That means you do it, and I help you work through the problems."

"But this works better, since you're so smart," she laughed, but not at him. She was a little indulged in a comic book at the moment as well, which was even more frustrating for him. "Besides, I did some too."

"You spent four hours saying 'I don't know how to do this.'"

"And I don't… and no, I won't get any better with practice. Trust me, I've tried."

Diego rolled his eyes and dropped the pencil to the desk. "How many times have you tried?" There was only silence.

For all you Zoe x Manny haters, be sure to read deeper into what's going on. You may find something…