A/N:
Thanks to everyone for all the reviews and favs!
I've raised the rating up by one to T, from suggestion of Sempaiko. Next chapter you'll see why.
There's some Spanish dialogue in this chapter. Translated phrases are at the end. For all you fluent Spanish readers out there, I apologize in advance for my very crude and elementary Espanol
Holiday released a frustrated sigh as she walked away from the car.
Why couldn't he just admit that they were lost? Sometimes she didn't understand men and their antics. It wasn't that difficult a task really, just like asking this friendly man for directions.
With a mannered smile, he watched her approach, but she waited until she was closer to greet him so she didn't have to speak over the noisy gravel that crunched beneath her boots. He wasn't as old as she thought him to be now that she could clearly see his features, and it was his dark hair, still thick and youthful, that told his age better than his tanned, wrinkled face could.
"Buenas tardes, Senor."
"Oh." He was surprised that she spoke Spanish, clearly not expecting her to have, but he nodded with an impressed smile and replied, "Y tu, Senorita."
"Me puede decir como llegar a Conchita?"
"Eres perdido? Wrong turn?"
She shook her head and the smallest of smirks played on her lips. "Too much fun," she confessed. "Coming south from Route 79, did we miss the turn at Piedra Roja?"
"No." The man frowned. "Se destruido. Um..." He looked around trying to find the English counterpart. "It's been blocked off. Providencia. There is no more turn at Piedra Roja," he explained.
Holiday sighed again, a tired exhale as she scratched irritably behind her right ear and shot a dirty glance at Six because he would, of course, be watching her. This was probably the reason he didn't want to admit they were lost, and it was very probably his fault too. Or Rex's. Either way, he had to know about it. She made a mental note to ask him about it.
"Is there another way to Conchita?"
"Si." He paused and pursed his lips. "There are two actually, but I would recommend the first one. Go back onto the 79 the way you came and take the 55 through Higly."
She knew the way. It was a backtrack of their current route which brought them back again to Providence and in the opposite direction, which meant a nearly two and a half hour drive. She thought of the distance and the time. It was probably around five and the sun would not set until nine, but she didn't think they had that much time, unless they returned to the base and took the jet.
"Why not the second?"
"Monstruos de lagarto. Lizard monsters," the older man answered as if the words left a bad taste in his mouth.
Holiday nodded in understanding. She never really could get away from work, could she? After the perks of earlier, it seemed that now came the cons of this joyride. She smiled as politely and graciously as she could.
"Un momento," she asked and jogged the short distance back to Six. He raised his eyebrows in question as she drew near.
"We did miss the turn at Piedra Roja," she answered and leaned on his door. "Because it was blocked." She paused to see his reaction; he didn't move. "By Providence." His eyebrow twitched and she tilted her head. "Care to explain?"
Six pursed his lips and pushed his glasses further up his nose. "Not really. Did he give directions?"
"Yep. Back through Higly. He says there's a shorter way, though, but there are EVOs."
The information didn't faze him and he simply nodded as if it was nothing. "Ask him."
"You're fine with that?"
He only raised an eyebrow.
"Of course. I forgot who I was talking to," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "But you know," she added, "We probably wouldn't have to take this way if someone didn't block the canyon pass."
At her allegation, Six straightened up in his seat.
"I didn't," he clarified.
Holiday laughed. She couldn't believe that he'd deny this, too, because there was simply no way a man as meticulous as he would ever let important details slip from his mind.
The corners of his mouth fell and his brow dipped below the frame of his sunglasses. "What's so funny?"
"You," she answered honestly and she saw that both eyebrows were bent in confusion now.
She couldn't contain her mirth or exasperation any longer, not when she discovered that he fiddled with his tie when he was uncertain of things. When his mouth parted to release a sigh, she assumed he was peeved, perhaps even slightly offended.
She bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry, Six," she apologized, squinting at his shades to see his eyes, but only found her contrite reflection staring back. She shook her head in honest defeat. "I'm just trying to understand you. We go out on this ride and you still maintain the highest level of impeccability. Would it would it kill you to lose the tie at least?"
As if considering her question, he looked down at it hanging languidly over his shirt before tucking it back neatly under his jacket.
"What's wrong with my tie?" he asked.
The movement of his hand smoothing the thin cloth caught her attention, and she realized his tone wasn't chiding or challenging. He was sincerely curious of her opinion.
"Nothing is wrong with it," she answered truthfully. In her opinion, he looked great in it, even if it was the only other outfit she ever saw him wear, but surely even he could understand a dress down? Was fun even in his vocabulary? Because the real question of his intentions continued to nag her.
Carefully, she posed the loaded question. "Why are we on this trip?"
He looked genuinely confused. "For dinner," he said plainly, as if it was the most obvious thing.
Holiday felt that bubble of exasperation overwhelm her again and shook her head in disbelief.
This man, I swear. He was either oblivious or uncaring. Not a comment on her dress, or her well-being, or even a reason for his spontaneity. Her mind was already drawing out possible conclusions for his unprecedented behavior this afternoon. Was he toying with her?
No, Six didn't play games. Then again, she reminded herself, Six didn't race hot rods or go on joyrides.
Very well. Maybe today was a day they would both do things they normally didn't do.
A sly smile curled on her face as she reached out and slowly ran her fingers on the lapel of his jacket. They curved around to the inside of it and fished out the tin mint container he had in his breast pocket. She kept her eyes locked on his, enjoying his perplexed expression from her sudden invasion of personal space as she popped a mint into her mouth.
"I'll get those directions," she grinned, patting the case after she returned it back to his pocket.
She strode back to the gentlemen waiting at the bench.
"Sorry about that. We'll take our chances with the shortcut."
He looked almost terrified at her answer.
"Don't worry about us, Senor. We can take care of ourselves."
The man glanced at Six for a moment, considering perhaps his ability to fight EVOs, and finally accepted her assurance and gave her the directions.
"Thank-you so very much," Holiday said through a broad smile. Truly he had saved then quite some time from wandering in the desert. Even now as she thought of it, she felt the heat creeping up on her now that they were not moving in the hot rod.
"Do you sell water?"
"Si." The older man nodded vigorously and rose from his chair, gesturing for her to enter the shop. "Inside."
She walked through the squeaky, paint-chipped door that he held open. The store was small, limited to only four freestanding shelves that cramped up the room, and a layer of dust covered every surface; it couldn't be helped in the desert.
He leaned against the counter and pointed to the rusted refrigerator at the farthest corner of the room that she soon discovered was also the most humid. Grabbing two water bottles and making sure they were sealed, she made her way back to the front of the store.
"How much?"
"No, no." The Hispanic storekeeper frowned at the cash in her hand and waved it away. "Gratuito."
"But-" She had done nothing to earn such a gift, and it made her feel terrible to accept it. She doubted he saw very many customers.
"Free of charge," he repeated.
"Senor," she implored. "I simply can't accept that." She was going to deny a third time, when something caught her eye behind the counter, something she had to buy.
"Let me pay for that at least."
He followed her finger to the item on the wall and smiled. "Ok."
Handing over her money, she paid for the item and offered the man her hand.
"Thank-you so very much, Senor."
He gave it a firm shake and a broad smile spread across his face once more. "No, thank you for visiting," the gentlemen replied with a sincere nod.
Holiday exited the store, and with one last wave to the older man behind the counter, resolved to visit this gas station again in lieu of the fancier ones further down the I-10. For one, she suddenly had a special place in her heart for this dilapidated rest stop, and she also wouldn't have found such an awesome gift. She examined it more closely as she walked back to the car. It was perfect for Six, but she wouldn't give it to him just yet, not until she got some answers from him.
Six was leaning on the roadster again, watching her approach, and she plunged her gift into her pocket.
"Got some water," she smiled at him. She watched him twirl the keychain through his fingers, and she noted that everything he handled he did so with skill.
He halted the keys midswing and returned her smile with a smaller one. "Thanks."
They both hopped back in the car and Six drove back onto the highway.
"Alright," Holiday explained, "he said get back on Route 79 north, turn at Brown's pass, and take Lemon Road straight to Conchita."
She loved that they were moving again and the desert scenery was zipping past. Six found the turn at Brown's Pass with no trouble and soon they were zooming between twin mesas that led them to Lemon Road.
Past the rocky formations, the land surrounding the road had considerably more vegetation than what she'd seen so far on this trip. Most were waist-high shrubbery and the rest Saguaro cacti that towered over everything else, until they traveled another mile down and then there were acres of dead lemon trees lining the road.
Holiday was amazed at the sheer size of the orchard and wondered how anybody could possibly maintain the vast amount of irrigation for it out in the desert. It stretched out for miles. Whoever used to own it must have realized this and abandoned the produce to fall victim to the hostile environment. Watching the lifeless trees pass silently made her ache for their sad fate.
She sat up in her chair.
Something darted between the rows. Something big. A lump started to form in her stomach. Maybe it was just a trick of the light, a fallen trunk amongst the trees, but then her eyes saw it again as it kept up to their speed and she knew for sure what it was.
"Six."
"I see them," he murmured and sped up.
Them? Her eyes only tracked one.
Then she saw the rest.
Four more shapes navigated through the orchard with deft coordination. They weaved between the trees, leapt over rocks, and kicked off of branches to launch themselves forward. One finally cleared the cover of the lemon trees and pursued them down the road, keeping perfect pace with the roadster.
"They're fast," she whispered to herself, studying every feature she could for future reference. The creatures were bipedal, but with very obvious reptilian biology. They were probably mutated from roadrunners or desert spiny lizards.
"How are we going to deal with them?" Holiday glanced at the speedometer and knew they were almost at their top speed. They couldn't outrun the EVOs who would certainly pounce on them once they stopped or slowed.
"We keep driving." Six tossed his head to the rear of the car. "There are some things you could use the trunk."
He was letting her do the fighting?
Today was certainly not an average day, she mused and turned around in her seat, gripping the headrest to anchor herself.
Holiday leaned over to pop the trunk and raised her eyebrows at the contents she discovered. Nestled in an unmarked, silver attaché case was a standard-issue tranquilizer rifle. Considering that Six never used guns, this spoke volumes.
This man was always prepared.
Musings aside, she gritted her teeth at the wind whipping her short dress up, exposing all her assets to Six, the wind, and the elements, and right now was really not the right time to care about it. Slinging the rifle over her shoulder, she placed a clip between her teeth and knelt in her chair.
She slammed the darts into the chamber and targeted the closest EVO, aiming for the neck where its scaly epidermis was thinnest.
"Hold steady," she ordered.
Trigger engaged she was prepared to fire when the car suddenly lurched and so did she.
:::
The EVO on their left flank lunged for them, and he reflexively swerved to avoid it.
All too late, however, came the sound of talons scratching his door and his realization of the danger he had just put Holiday in.
She was falling out of the roofless vehicle, and quicker than he'd ever moved before, he reached out to grab a part of her where he could gain the most purchase, so his arm curved around the back of her thigh and his fingers sank into the warm flesh on the inside of it. Perhaps too strongly, he planted her back down into the bucket seat and she glared at him through wild eyes.
"I said hold steady," she hissed.
Still, she stood up again in her seat and prepared to fire the tranquilizer.
Damn, this woman. Did she not know that his heart hammered in his throat at her near-death?
Perhaps she did, because she tried to stabilize herself by pressing her body closer to the seat-back. She frowned when she discovered it had no real difference.
"Hold me," Holiday commanded, and he obeyed by locking his arm and elbow around her knee to steady her.
He heard the distinct hiss of the weapon discharging three times and the three thuds that accompanied them afterwards. She fired a fourth time and he heard her swear into the wind.
"Damn." Holiday spun around and trained the rifle at the EVO flanking them on her side.
A mere second passed, and the lizard disappeared from his peripheral. She was good.
She corrected herself in the chair and glanced at his direction as she swept her bangs from her eyes.
Six couldn't resist giving her a smile of approval. Instead of a smile, she reciprocated by grabbing the front of his jacket and thrust him backwards into his seat as she shot a dart between the narrow space of his face and the steering wheel.
He sat in stunned silence for a second, even as he saw the last EVO fall from the side of the car.
It was his turn to glare now.
"Don't do that again," he murmured, referencing both the close call and her insistence earlier to stand in a moving vehicle.
She nestled the gun between her door and her chair and arched an eyebrow in his direction.
"I was going to the say the same thing."
For the remaining fifteen minutes on Lemon Road, the two of them stayed in companionable silence.
The road became increasingly worn and he did not have to look at the fading road signs to know they were nearing Conchita. The town grew rapidly as they drew near, tin covered roofs and washed-out wooden structures so engrained with desert grit they might as well have been made from the pervasive sand. Conchita was hardly considered a border town by his definitions. It was nowhere near Mexico, but it was one of those towns that was secluded enough from civilization it gave the illusion that one step into it was two steps backward in time.
Barely a century old, Conchita looked about the same as it did all those years ago; he'd compared it with archived photos and satellite imagery. The wooden and steel water tower greeted them at the edge of the sparse collection of buildings, just like it did in 1914 to visitors on horses and mules.
Six drove them past the General store and finally stopped at the white building next to it they were so familiar with. Hombre's Restarante y Auto shop was the reason Six even knew about Conchita; to keep up with Rex's Friday "family" dinners every week. He wasn't quite sure if it was Bobo or Rex who brought it up, but somehow, they had stumbled across here for authentic Mexican cuisine and all of them enjoyed it.
Holiday jumped out of the roadster before he could even set the emergency brake, taking quick long strides to the restaurant.
He took his time joining her, observing her mildly from the roadster. She was really enjoying herself this afternoon, barring the EVO attack, of course, and he was glad he could help get her mind off this past week. It had been grueling for all of them. Endless EVO attacks, which of course meant endless reports on top of their normal responsibilities.
He watched her smooth her dress, trying to flatten the wrinkles out of it from sitting too long. He didn't understand why she fussed with it; it looked perfectly fine. She looked perfectly fine in it as it draped gracefully over her body, not tight or folding and rigid like her normal lab attire.
Six looked down at his tie, remembering her comment about his obstinate apparel, and considered it. Maybe if he actually did what she suggested, she'd forget about trying to get him to admit they had gotten lost. He loosened his tie with two fingers and shook his head. It was becoming very apparent to him that she loved taking him out of his comfort zone. With a sigh, he shrugged his jacket off his shoulders, and after draping it neatly on his chair, went to join her.
"Buenas tardes, Pedro!"
Hombre's owner peered up from the grill behind the high counter of his open kitchen trying to recognize her voice. Holiday slid off her shades, resting them on the top of her head and smiled at him.
Pedro's tanned face split into a broad grin. "My favorite customers!"
She leaned on the counter with her elbows. "How've you been?"
"Good, good." He paused to flip the food he was preparing. "And you? I love your dress. Es bonita."
"Thank you," she replied. "El no ha dicho nada acerca de ello."
Six didn't catch what she said to the cook, nor could he really understand it, but he knew it had something to with him when she jerked a thumb in his direction. Pedro followed her thumb and frowned at him for a split second.
"Seis!" he hollered with a smile again and waved enthusiastically. "Que pasa?"
Rolling up his sleeves, he joined Holiday at the counter and smiled with a nod. "Doing well." He didn't appreciate the translated name, because it reminded him of another man with a Spanish number for a name, but it beats Rex's insistence for Pedro to call him Ninero.
Pedro accepted his answer and wiped his hands on his stained apron. "Shall I whip up the usual?"
By "usual" he meant thirty tacos; fifteen soft and fifteen crunchy, ten burritos, six quesadillas, and depending on what Rex was in the mood for, twelve taquitos. That's not including the various salsa and guacamole that accompanied their order.
Holiday shook her head. "No it's just us today."
"Where's Rex?" Pedro peered through the mosquito net looking for the teen.
"Out having fun."
Pedro looked slightly disappointed at the news, but still clapped his hands. "So what are you having then?"
Six listened to Holiday give her order in Spanish, never having properly done so any other time. Her accent wasn't perfect but she was clearly fluent in it to have excellent pronunciation. She'd mentioned once it was something she learned when she was recruited for Providence.
She turned to him and gave him a double take, a sly smile pulling her lips at his undress.
"What are you getting?"
"I'll have the ah, Choriqueso torta," he replied, not bothering to attempt proper pronunciation.
She grinned broadly now, thoroughly amused at his lack of proficiency.
The Hispanic cook was already sorting ingredients on the table. "Alright, I'll get your torta done first, because I need to get more eggs." He turned around and shouted to the doorway behind him. "Joaquin!"
Pedro's son appeared immediately at the doorway. "Yes?"
"Can you run back to the coop and get a dozen eggs? Make it quick." He inclined his head to his customers and Holiday waved at the boy.
The lanky teen returned her wave with a polite smile and left the kitchen. Six could see him sprinting to wherever the coop was, catching glimpses of the boy between the different buildings.
"I see you didn't come here in your plane," Pedro chatted while he chopped up a slab of meat and gestured with his cleaver at the roadster. "Is it yours?"
"Yes," Six answered.
"It's nice," he complimented with an approved nod. "Y' know if you ever need a mechanic or someone to fix that paintjob you can call me," he said and flashed his best smile.
Six smiled too. "Sure."
Joaquin returned with a basket full of eggs and placed it on the table for his dad.
"Thank you, mijo. Hey, what do you think of that hot rod. Nice, huh?"
The raven-haired teen looked over the counter at it. "Yeah. Very nice." He frowned for a moment. "What happened to the door?"
Holiday answered him. "We took Lemon Road to get here."
"Jesus Maria!" Pedro stopped his frying momentarily and both he and his son had the same shocked expression. "You took Lemon Road? How did you get past the EVOs?"
"With her shooting," Six admitted, and daringly, he placed his hand on the small of Holiday's back briefly to show his regard.
She was startled at first of the unusual contact, but she gave them all a sheepish smile.
"Wow. I'm impressed. I'll make sure not to get on your bad side," Pedro joked.
A wise decision, Six thought.
Pedro and Joaquin finished wrapping up their meals and placed them on the counter. Six paid for the food, adding a generous tip.
The cook frowned at the extra money. "What's this?"
"Just a tip."
Pedro looked unsure of accepting the large amount, certainly a lot more than the price of the food.
"Or, you can save it for when we come back to get the paintjob fixed," Six assured him.
"Ok." Pedro's smile grew. "Maybe we can put some flames on it, huh?"
Holiday seemed to like that idea and laughed at Six's expression. "I think that would be great."
He didn't really agree with her.
"Anyways, it's a beautiful ride," Pedro continued. "But you know," he paused and turned to Six. "You should pay more attention to what rides in it," he suggested and winked at Holiday.
With a knowing smile, she grabbed the food. "Thank-you so much, Pedro. We'll come back soon. Most likely with Rex, so be prepared."
Pedro chuckled. "Joaquin and I are always up to the challenge. Adios."
Six nodded his farewell and started walking back to the car.
"Going back home then?" Holiday asked. She sounded slightly put off.
Across the roadster, he looked at her anticipating expression. "Not yet."
Her eyebrows shot up. 'Where?"
With his gaze locked onto her vibrant eyes, he couldn't resist mirroring her delighted grin
"Some place you'll enjoy."
A/N:
Gratuitous Spanish:
"Buenas tardes, senor." - "Good afternoon, sir."
"Me puede decir como llegar a Conchita?"- "Can you tell me how to get to Conchita?"
"Eres perdido?" - "Are you lost?"
"No, se destruido." - "No, it was destroyed."
"Piedra Roja"- "Red rock."
"Providencia"- Lol "Providence"
"Monstruos de lagarto"- "Large lizard monsters"
"Gratuito"- "Free of charge."
"Ninero"- "nanny (male)"
"Hombre"- "man"
"Es bonita"- "It's beautiful."
"El no ha dicho nada acerca de ello."- "He hasn't said anything about it."
Soooo:
1. What do you think Holi bought at the store?
2. Where is Six taking her?
Also fun facts from last chapter:
I used my little brother's toy cars to reconstruct the drag race, complete with green and red cars and trucks.
I seriously have a whole page of calculations to try and figure out the actual time and distance it would have taken Six and Holi to hit the truck but then I just went for theatrics and went with four seconds.
Conchita is the name of my aunt.
I watched a documentary on American Hot Rods, Bullitt, the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull and looked up pics from the Thomas Crown affair for research on this. Also, a hot rod and a roadster are two different things, but for the sake of ease I use the terms synonymously.
The I-10 is a real interstate that runs from New Mexico, through Arizona, to California, all the way up to Washington. I speculate that Providence is somewhere in Arizona/New Mexico, so I've used a ton of real life roadways, plants, and animals in this story.
The "Men don't get lost line" is what Rex originally used in the ep "Badlands." I wanted to show how much he is influenced by Six and probably learned it from him.