The Enigma's Anomaly

Kind of awwww, and Also Kind of AHHHHHHHH!

Bang.

"Gerard?"

"Sorry! Shit, oh shit sorry. Frankie, it was an accident," Gerard says.

I peer out of the side of the car to see Gerard holding the gun in his hand like it's a time bomb rather than a gun.

"Fuck, did you shoot?" I ask, trying not to sound angry.

"I, um, may have. I just wanted to see how it worked. Shit, I didn't mean for it to go off, Frankie! I didn't, god do you hate me?"

"No, I'm pissed off, but I don't hate you. Your mistake did make things just get a hell of a lot more urgent, Gerard. Get in this car now," I say.

"What, why?"

"Because we're going to have company soon. It's a revolver, Gerard! It's louder than a pistol," I say and now I have to hurry up on getting the damn engine to start. Gerard just cost me a lot of time and I want to be very mad at him, but I love him too damn much.

Gerard knocks on the window of the other door and I realize I've forgotten to open the door for him, so I reach over and get it for him.

I grab the rifle on the seat and I place it next to me, half on the gear control, and half on the floor near the pedals.

"How much longer is it going to take?" Gerard asks.

"I don't know, Gerard. I don't know," I say, sounding a lot more annoyed then I'd like.

"Frank, you hate me!" Gerard complains.

"Gerard, shut the fuck up. I love you, but I need you to be quiet right now," I say. "Okay? This is a hard process and I need you to be silent. Shut up."

Gerard opens his mouth to say something but thinks better of it and closes it again. I look down at the mess of wires before me, and I groan, because this is going to take me longer then I'd hoped, and now I have the threat of a likely time crunch on my hands. I don't know how I can possibly do this without endangering both of us.

"Gerard, fuck, I don't know how much time this is going to take," I say.

"But you can do it?" Gerard asks.

"Yes, hand me that gun," I say, and he gives it back to me. I don't want him firing it again and giving those guys a game of Marco polo. One shot is enough for them to know where are we are in general, and another would lead them straight to us. I put the safety on, trying to fathom why Gerard would have taken it off in the first place, and I keep working. There's so many wires in these newer cars though, I haven't done this in forever, and now I have to work on a car that's designed to be harder to hotwire. This is just great.

"Do you see anyone coming?" I ask him. Gerard blinks a few times and bites his lip, but he opens the window and peers out into the night from the top of the car.

"I don't see anyone," Gerard says.

"Good, stay there, but keep your body in the car. If you see anybody tell me, okay. We've still got the big gun."

"Alright," Gerard answers nervously.

A few minutes later and my heart is starting to beat so fast that I'm afraid it's going to cause an earthquake. I don't like Gerard being so exposed like that, but if he doesn't keep watch then it'll be easier for them to sneak up on us.

I think I've got it, but then it doesn't work and I frown at myself. It's just not starting. I've connected the right wires, or at least I think I have, but they're just not starting. Nothings doing anything, and I don't know why.