Ji oh Joey saga

52nd Street, 5:30 PM.

The dim streetlight casts a faint glow on Joey and Chris as they stand silently beneath it, waiting for their friends to show up.

The evening air is cold, and the orange glow of the light gives the street a calm, routine vibe. The background noise is minimal, with occasional movement.

Chris breaks the silence, glancing at his watch repeatedly:

"Man, where the hell are they? We've been here since five, and no one's shown up yet!"

His tone drips with impatience, his eyes scanning the dark street for any sign of the others.

Joey smiles calmly, pulling his phone out of his pocket to type a message:

"Don't stress. They're not late. We're just early."

He quickly types a text to let someone know he'll be late for dinner, then looks back at Chris with a reassuring grin.

Two minutes later, Alex arrives, panting as he approaches them.

He looks at them in surprise:

"Finally made it! Where's everyone else?" he says, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.

Chris smirks sarcastically:

"Probably chickened out. Guess they decided this mission's too dangerous for them."

He chuckles lightly, but his restless stance betrays his underlying worry.

A confident voice interrupts them from behind:

"You think we look like cowards?"

It's Jeremiah, walking toward them with steady steps, hands in his pockets, flanked by Salim and Rodri.

"Anyway," Chris says, glancing between Jeremiah and Joey, "I figured you guys would show up tomorrow or something."

Joey takes a step back, his sharp gaze locking onto Chris:

"Cut the jokes. We need to focus on why we're here."

Rodri joins them from another direction, looking slightly worn out:

"So, what's the plan now? Where do we start?"

Alex responds after a brief pause:

"First, we gotta find Gary. Heard he's around here. Let's spread out and cover as much ground as possible."

Joey nods:

"Got it. I'll head east. You guys figure out your directions."

Without waiting, he starts walking east, clearly unwilling to waste time planning, even if it makes him seem impulsive.

Chris, with an enthusiastic tone, adds:

"Alright, I'll take 60th Street." He turns and heads off, his confident strides reflecting his seriousness despite his constant sarcasm.

Rodri looks at everyone and says quietly:

"So, we're splitting up here. If anyone finds something, let the rest of us know immediately."

They all agree and head off in different directions.

---

Joey starts running, his heart racing as he weaves through busy streets filled with pedestrians and cars.

He carefully checks alleyways and under bridges but finds nothing so far. He asks a few passersby, but their tired faces offer no helpful answers.

Sweat beads on his forehead as frustration sets in.

While passing a café, something unexpected catches his eye.

Among the people sitting outside, he spots a familiar face...

Amy Harrie, sitting quietly, staring into her coffee cup with a distant look.

He hesitates for a moment before deciding to approach her.

"Hey… Amy, right? I'm Joey. How's it going?" he asks with a faint smile.

She slowly lifts her eyes to him, her expression cold and uninterested:

"And you're Joey, right?"

Joey chuckles nervously:

"Yeah, I transferred to your class last month."

She glances at him sideways, replying with a sarcastic tone:

"Yeah, I know. You're the new guy stirring up all the noise lately… and Chris's annoying friend. So, what are you doing here alone?"

Joey scratches the back of his head awkwardly:

"Oh, uh… I'm looking for someone named Gary, but I haven't had any luck yet. Been searching everywhere.

Anyway, what about you? What're you doing here?"

Amy stands up slowly, checking her watch before replying coldly:

"Nothing important. Just having tea, but I'm leaving now. Got something to do.

Bye. Maybe we'll bump into each other again… or not."

As she walks away, she pauses and turns back:

"Gary? You'll find him at the park south of here. He'll be there."

Without another word, she leaves.

Joey blinks, taking a moment to process her words.

"What? Oh! Thanks!" he calls out before rushing toward the park.

Meanwhile, Amy looks at her watch again as she walks away. This time, it emits a faint static noise.

She presses a button and mutters, "I'll be there soon."

In an instant, she disappears into the crowd.

---

Heading south, Joey's steps are quick and eager.

He's determined to find Gary before he vanishes again.

As he nears the park, a familiar voice calls out from behind. He stops abruptly and turns to see Chris approaching him.

"Oh, Chris! I was just about to call you!" Joey says, catching his breath.

Chris raises an eyebrow:

"Why? Did you find Gary?"

Joey shakes his head:

"Not yet, but I think I know where he is. Ran into Amy, and she told me where to look. That's why I'm here."

"And where's he supposed to be?" Chris asks cautiously.

"At the park up ahead. We need to hurry before he disappears again," Joey replies, his concern evident.

Without another word, the two of them set off toward the park at a fast pace, as if afraid the opportunity might slip away.

---

Meanwhile, Alex stands behind a dumpster, watching two figures moving through nearby shops.

He's been there for a while, staying out of sight, but he doesn't notice someone silently approaching him from behind. Before he can react, a firm hand grabs his shoulder.

He yelps, frozen in place.

"Stop screaming like a little princess!" Jeremiah says, laughing loudly, with Salim joining in.

Alex turns around angrily, glaring at them:

"Damn you both! This is the last thing I needed right now!"

Jeremiah keeps laughing:

"Wait, weren't you supposed to be looking for Gary? Or did you forget?"

Salim adds mockingly:

"We've searched every alley and street, didn't find him. So, we decided to follow you, and here we find you hiding behind a dumpster like a princess!"

Their laughter continues as Alex's frustration grows. He raises his voice to take control:

"First of all, I wasn't hiding. I was watching those two over there. Second, you two just ruined what I was doing!"

Jeremiah, trying to stifle his laughter, asks:

"What about Gary? Did you forget why we're here?"

Alex steps closer, his tone serious:

"Listen, I've been watching these two since we split up. They work for Berry Corp."

Salim, his laughter fading, responds in surprise:

"You're serious?" He looks toward the shop Alex was observing and adds, "You might be right. They're in that convenience store."

Alex continues calmly:

"I've been following them since we split. They've been acting suspicious, hitting up certain shops."

Jeremiah frowns slightly:

"You think they're androids? Like the one Joey and Chris fought?"

Alex stares at the store thoughtfully:

"I'm not sure yet. But if we keep watching, we might find out."

---

At 6:40 PM, Joey and Chris enter the park searching for Gary.

The sun is setting, its last rays fading through the trees. The air carries a slight chill, and the park is quiet, save for the sound of the wind rustling fallen leaves.

Stopping by a bench, they scan their surroundings. The park is large, filled with dense trees and scattered stone benches. Finding Gary isn't going to be easy.

Chris, looking a bit tense, asks a passerby:

"Excuse me, have you seen someone named Gary around here?"

The man points toward the large fountain in the park's center.

"Yeah, saw him there a little while ago."

Joey and Chris quickly head toward the fountain. The path is long, but they take a shortcut through a narrow trail between the trees.

Suddenly, Chris grabs Joey's shirt.

"Look over there!" Chris says sharply, pointing at a distant figure.

"Isn't that Rodri?"

Joey pauses, squinting to focus on the figure.

"Yeah, it's him… Wait, is he holding a baseball bat? And why's he swinging it like that?"

Without hesitation, Chris walks toward Rodri, who's waving the bat in the air like he's practicing.

"Training for baseball, or what?" Chris jokes with a smirk.

Rodri stops swinging and glares at Chris coldly.

"None of your business," he says, lowering the bat before adding seriously, "Did you find Gary yet, or are you still looking?"

"Yeah, we know where he is," Joey replies excitedly.

"He's by the fountain in the park's center. We gotta hurry before he disappears again."

Rodri gives them a quick glance before saying:

"Alright, let's move now."

The three of them head toward the fountain quickly, but when they arrive, no one is there.

Chris broke the silence with a hard kick to the nearby lamp post, shouting angrily, "Damn it, we're late!" His eyes were full of frustration as he kicked the post again.

Joey placed a hand on Chris's shoulder to calm him down. "Relax, I think I hear something... Do you guys hear that?" he said, focusing on a faint sound coming from behind the fountain.

Rodri looked back and said, "Yeah, it's singing... Someone's singing."

They all cautiously moved toward the sound. Behind the fountain, they saw a man sitting on a wooden chair, strumming a small guitar and singing softly. He wore an old hat, and his clothes looked shabby. As they got closer, Joey could make out the strange lyrics of his song.

"...Today I was hungry, so I had some beans... They didn't taste that great, but oh well, we all get used to it..."

Joey smiled, confused, and tried to get the man's attention. "Uh, sir... Hey, sir?" But the man kept singing, completely ignoring them.

Raising his voice, Joey called again, "Sir!!"

The man startled and abruptly stopped singing, looking at them with wide eyes. "What the hell do you want?!" he snapped, annoyed.

Joey stepped forward calmly and said, "Sorry, Mr. Gary, we're here to ask you a few questions."

Gary cut him off excitedly, "Ah! I get it now. You're fans of my music, aren't ya?"

Joey, caught off guard, stammered, "What? No, no… it's not like that. We just—"

Gary interrupted again, "Shhh... no need to explain." He pulled a pen out of his pocket and scribbled his signature on Joey's hand without asking.

Chris muttered under his breath, "This guy's nuts."

Joey tried to steer the conversation back. "Mr. Gary, we heard you broke into a Berry Corporation facility. We need to know what you saw or what you know about them."

Gary ignored him, rambling about his street performances and music instead.

Suddenly, he turned to Joey and asked, "Kid, you like music?"

Joey hesitated. "Yeah, I guess… but why are you asking?"

Gary grinned smugly. "Because I'm the biggest star in New York, obviously! So, tell me, did you like my last song?"

Joey, unsure how to respond, said, "You mean the one about beans? Yeah… it was, uh, fine, I guess."

Gary beamed with pride. "Ha! You've got good taste in this world that just doesn't appreciate true art." He started strumming his guitar again.

Joey quickly interrupted, "Mr. Gary, listen, we know you broke into Berry's facility. We need to understand what you saw or learned there."

Chris, desperate, chimed in, "Please, just tell us something useful."

Gary stopped playing, finally looking at them seriously. "You kids starting to notice how weird this world is, huh? But for me, it's all become... normal, I guess." He sighed and added, "What do you wanna know?"

Chris pressed on, "Like we said, we heard you broke into a Berry Corporation facility. What did you see there?"

Gary leaned back, squinting. "Why do you care?"

Joey stepped forward. "Because a month ago, one of their employees attacked us. He was a robot. He tried to kill Mr. Jerry, but we managed to stop him."

Gary smirked slyly. "Oh, those guys… yeah, I've heard about them. They popped up about three years ago, and they've been causing trouble lately."

Rodri asked nervously, "So… are they really robots?"

Gary nodded. "Yeah, but they're still newbies here in New York. The world's way bigger than you kids realize, and there's stuff—people—around us we don't even know about. They're everywhere… but we just don't see." He chuckled to himself.

Joey asked, feeling unsettled, "What do you mean the world's bigger than we think?"

Gary stared at him, serious now. "If you had the choice to uncover all the world's secrets or stay blissfully ignorant... what would you choose?"

Joey thought for a moment before answering confidently, "If it means I wouldn't stay clueless about what's going on around me, then yeah! I'd do it, no matter the cost!"

Gary burst out laughing. "What's your name, kid?"

Joey replied proudly, "Jonathan Morales."

Gary smiled cryptically. "You remind me of him, you know... Did you know that?" He pulled a small notebook from his pocket and handed it to Joey. "This'll help you uncover the unknown, Jonathan. But don't get yourself into too much trouble out there." He turned and walked away, leaving the group confused.

Chris muttered, "Well, at least we know Berry's hiding some seriously weird stuff… but what's with that notebook he gave you?"

Joey looked at the old notebook and said as he opened it, "It looks ancient… there's a map of New York and some nearby states."

Rodri asked, concerned, "And what's strange about that?"

Joey examined the pages. "There are areas and markings that aren't on the official map of New York."

Chris pointed to a part of the map. "What's that circle near the Statue of Liberty?"

Rodri noticed other marks. "There are seven more, pointing to different places."

Joey said firmly, "Looks like we need to check them out… or what do you think?"

Chris, cautious, replied, "Look closer. The marks are pretty far from us."

Joey interrupted, excited, "Wait here! This mark is really close. We could take a bus to get there—it's at the last stop. Why don't we go and see what it's about?"

Rodri hesitated. "What about the others? Are we just leaving them behind?"

Chris replied, "I already texted them that we found Gary. They'll stop searching."

Joey said decisively, "Alright then, let's go!" And with that, the three of them set off to investigate the nearest mark, eager to uncover the mystery hidden in the map.

Next chapter to follow now