Branch Codes

Chapter 2

Birkin slowly opened the door to Tappers bar and peered in. It was fairly quiet considering the time, but he was very thankful. Ionia took a running dive inside and landed on her face.

"Thtop injuring your thweet fathe!" Turbo yelled at her and helped her to her feet again. "It'th mine."

It was then that Birkin noticed Blanky. Somehow she had managed to slip away from them and he wanted to know why. He looked her over as she stood playing pool with a rough looking crowd of men. "Huh. So that's where she got to." He waved to see if he could get her to notice that he was there, but she was too busy watching the big, muscle-bound thug make his shot. She had managed to change from her regular attire to a tank top and shades. Birkin couldn't help but wonder how she had found the time.

Ionia was not interested in anything but getting herself a drink and scrabbled her way up to the bar. She sat down on a bar stool and signalled to Tapper to slide her over a few pints. Before long she was surrounded by pint glasses.

Birkin waved at Blanky again. "Uhhh. Hey."

Turbo gave Blanky the onceover and whistled in surprise. He was so used to her being dressed as an officer that he had never imagined her dressed as anything else.

Birkin was getting tired of signalling his arrival. "Hey! Guy with the lab coat here."

Blanky finally looked up over her shades. "I'm sorry, were you talking to me?"

Birkin frowned. What was going on?  "Everything OK? You left without saying anything."

"Well fellas, I beat you all. Again." Blanky laughed and leaned against the pool table grinning. It was as if she was ignoring Birking completely and he was not impressed. He stood there and watched in the hopes that after she had finished seeing off the group of thugs that she would finally speak to him. This made Turbo snicker to himself.

"What?" Blanky turned to face Birkin and looked at him from behind her shade.

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

"To be honest, no I didn'." She turned on her heels and placed her pool cue back on the table. "Well anyway, its good to see you. I thought you got bored of me."

"You left. With no word at all. I come here trying to find you and..." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nevermind. You're here and safe."

"Oh, so you want to talk to me, Birkin? I left because I realised I was getting in the way. But, I appreciate you coming to find me."

Turbo grinned and stuck out his chest. "It wath all MY idea!"

"Well, that was nice of you."

Birkin narrowed his eyes, mashed a hand over Turbos' face and pushed him back behind him. "Bored? I was discussing something very important. And it could be very important for... For everyone."

Turbo flailed and slapped his hand away from his face angrily.

"Go on then. I'm all ears." Blanky folded her arms and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"It's not something I can really discuss here."

It was then they were all interrupted by Ionia who had managed to down all the glasses of root beer and was sat looking back at them with half open eyes and drool dripping down her chin. "S'not... S'not... Hai."

"Aaaanyway, I felt hot where I was and wanted to get out of the heat. I wasn't going to disturb you." Blanky looked back to Birkin after Ionia's odd distraction.