Trial X6

Dinner Party

  Max was finally able to convince her boss to let me work at Jam Pony, and Normal was surprised and happy with my work. He was even pleased with how I called him Sir. Apparently, no one else really did, not even Max. I wasn't sure if it wasn't customary or not, but I did it more out of habit.

  Working for Jam Pony wasn't all that bad, either. It was honestly quite nice. I got to go from sector to sector without having to sneak past the fences, and I got to see more humans. I picked up their mannerisms and took bits and pieces of their personalities to create a mashup to use. With each person I met, I used different quirks and ticks based on their individuality. So far, no one had complained, and I always got tips.

  When I came in from a run, I saw Normal and Alec talking while looking at Max. Hopping off my bike, I started to walk towards them.

  "Plus, I think she's got a lot of underlying hostility." Normal whispered. My ears twitched under my beanie as I listened.

  "What are you two lookin' at?" Max asked when she noticed them staring.

  "Nothing." They both said while turning their heads away. Normal then started talking about a package and handed it to Alec. Max came up and took it instead, saying she'd handle it.

  "Hey, Shadow." She smiled while passing me.

  "What'd I tell you?" Normal pointed after her, then to his own head.

  "Back from the previous delivery, Sir. And here is the received signature." I handed him a clipboard with a Jam Pony delivery form on it. He glanced it over and handed back the clipboard while taking the paper.

  "Nice work, Shadow. We got another package that needs to go out to sector 12." He handed me a box the size of a sawed-off shotgun.

  "Yes, Sir." I placed the box into my backpack and put the new form onto the clipboard.

  "Whoa, what's with all the formalities? You sound like a drone." Alec popped off when I was putting the clipboard into my pocket.

  "It's because I have respect for my workplace and respect for my superiors. If I didn't work properly, I would bring shame to the Jam Pony name." Turning back to Normal, I gave a slight nod. "I'll return as soon as I can, Sir." Just as I was leaving, I heard them say something else that made my ears twitch.

  "She's a fine worker. I don't know how Max of all people was able to find her." Normal said.

  "Probably walking out in the woods somewhere." Alec popped off, not too far off from the truth.

~

  Sneaking into Logan's place, I went over to his kitchen. Grabbing an apple, I wandered to the area where he usually did his broadcasts. Instead of seeing Logan, I saw Max and a large male transgenic.

  "Let's stick with who's the informant."

  "I don't know who."

  "Well, I pulled up the arrest reports from the police databases, so just....do your thing."

  "Okay, well, that's the guy that got shot, so we know it's not him. Unless....that's what we're supposed to think, and it is him." Max made a face while listening to the man. Taking a bite of the crisp apple, I caught their attention.

  "Who is he?" I questioned with a blank face.

  "Brain. He's another one of the X series." Max went back to the computer.

  "And who are you?" The big guy asked me.

  "Shadow. But to Manticore, X6-1031." I went over to him and held out a hand in a greeting, but he wouldn't shake it.