Doppelganger

Chapter 11

After stopping by a store and picking up Quip a new outfit, just new sneakers, a pair of jeans and a light blue long-sleeve (Max swore she'd do more shopping while she was supposed to be at work), they drove over to Jam Pony, the bike messenger place where Max and Alec worked. Quip actually knew about Jam Pony; she had seen bike messengers from there around the city, always going somewhere with those shoulder bags. And they got through the sector gates easier than anyone else. If Quip had been older, she would have stolen one of the passes, but no one was going to mistake a seven-year-old for a twenty-year-old.

Jam Pony was one of the busiest places Quip had ever been. Soup kitchens and orphanages were pretty orderly compared to this...mess. Adults were walking in and out of the building, jumping on and off bikes, tires squealed, music played, the TV blared. People shouted at each other, fist-bumped, ran out the door pushing bikes, yelled something back before disappearing down the street. And over it all, the man with glasses and a sweater-vest was shouting orders, throwing packages at people and making demands.

It actually looked like fun.

Quip stuck close to Alec as he maneuvered his way through the people and bikes to get to the front desk where the blond man was. Alec had said his name was Normal, which Quip thought was not a good name. Of course he was normal. There was no way he could be a transgenic, not with glasses and excess fat that served no purpose.

The blond man looked at Max and Alec with disdain as the three of them walked up to the counter. He shuffled through some of the packages and envelopes around before pulling out a manila envelope and flinging it at Alec. Alec caught it before it could whack him in the face. Quip thought the blond man was borderline crazy, if not just rude.

The blond guy, Normal, didn't even look at them while he talked. "Missy-miss, fired. Small, misplaced street urchin, out. Alec, hot run to East Street. Double time, bip, bip, bip!"

"Whatever, Normal," Max said, rolling her eyes and walking towards the lockers in the back of the room. On the way over, she was stopped by a tall guy with shaggy blond hair and a goatee who seemed unhappy that someone named OC had forced him into covering for her and Alec. Quip stopped eavesdropping on their conversation when both of them looked at her; Max smiled at her and then went over to the lockers.

Alec leaned against the counter, looking like he owned the place instead of just worked there. "Hey, Normal, could you do me a favor?"

"You're my favorite degenerate, Alec, but I make it a habit to not do favors for employees," Normal said. He grabbed two more packages and hurled them at two people who were trying to leave. "42nd and Carpenter. Shoo!" They both gave him hateful scowls that would have gotten Quip six months in solitary if she had looked at a superior like that back at Manticore. Normal ignored them as he glanced back at Alec. "What do you want?"

"Nothing much-"

Normal flicked his eyes to Quip again and made a face. "You, scat! We don't give handouts, free food or hugs, so get. Scam someone else, vagabond!" He waved his arms at her as if trying to scare off a cat.

Quip crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at Alec. She didn't scam people. They just gave her stuff.

"Actually," Alec said, smirking at Normal, "This is my sister. I'm babysitting for my parents for the week while they take a trip to the countryside." He put his hand on her head, but she batted it away and put her hands on her hips. She wasn't pet-able.

"This is your urchin? This is why you missed work?" Normal stared at her through his thick glasses, and she stared right back. Normal blinked first. "Doesn't look a thing like you."