Shadow Boxer: NA Fantasy/Time Travel (Tesla Time Travelers Book 2)

by Jen Greyson

  I force my mouth closed and lean forward, elbows on the table.

  “You are about to witness a small-scale experiment I have conducted over a thousand times. Soon, a full-scale tower will exist on Long Island and many throughout New York. Tonight, I’m asking for your support.”

  The waiters move to the front of the room and roll massive trays of lightbulbs to the stage until they surround Nikola. When he stands in the center of a couple hundred lightbulbs, he raises his hand. In it, he holds a small box with a black knob on the top. As he turns the knob, the orbs in the center of the tables glow with a soft, blue light.

  Everyone scoots back.

  I have a century filled with electricity to stem my fear. But my heart rate still escalates. I’m about to witness all the history I sloughed.

  Small tendrils snake out from the center of the orb, crawling and snapping against the inside of the glass. A smile spreads across my face. I’ve seen these before. It’s like the static electricity balls we played with as kids. I’m sure if I touch it, my hair will stand on end.

  With another twist of the knob, the lightbulbs surrounding Nikola glow. He turns the knob again, and the light from orbs and lightbulbs intensifies.

  People are getting nervous.

  And this is not having the desired effect.

  I understand the impressiveness of wireless energy. In fact, I’m blown away this kind of ability was invented a century ago and we’re not using it. If tonight goes bad for Nikola, he won’t be in a real chatty mood after dinner, let alone want me hanging around.

  Tonight is my only chance to win him over, because he won’t give me another.

  I ease forward in my chair and set my napkin on the table. I’m afraid any quick movements at this point will send this entire crowd bolting. I reach toward the orb.

  And hope I’m right.

  The blue tendrils inside jump and sizzle. The closer my fingers get, the more the bolts gravitate toward me. As I touch one finger to the glass, they come together to form one large blue bolt inside. There’s no heat, just a small electrical charge. I force my own away and settle my whole hand on the globe. As my flesh makes contact, the bolts line up with my fingers.

  The crowd gives a collective sigh of appreciation, and the room relaxes. My hair resists the shellacking of hairspray and tries to lift. A smattering of applause begins on the other side of the room. I raise my other hand and the hair on my arms rises. Another blue bolt of lightning lines up with my other hand. They slither and slide like mesmerized snakes beneath my fingers.

  I am the snake charmer.

  The applause begins in earnest, and as I settle both hands side by side on the glass, the room erupts.

  I glance at Nikola, but I can’t read his expression. Then he twists the knob, dousing the lights. I sit.

  Nikola steps off the stage, and the men quickly surround him, peppering him with questions and checks. I lean back in my chair and cross my legs, swinging my foot and smiling.

  After Nikola makes serious dents in checkbook balances, he joins me at our empty table. The showman is gone. Retreated again behind the pale grey-blue eyes of the scientist.

  My palms start to sweat like I’m about to face the principal. I wanted to make tonight a success for him, but I’m not sure veering drastically off course was the best route now. Before he says something we’ll both regret, I stand and gather my clutch.

  “May I walk you to your room?” he asks quietly.

  I nod, hypersensitive to the growing possibility of a screwup. All I have to do is make it to my room. Then whatever damage I’ve inflicted tonight won’t look so bad when he’s depositing those checks tomorrow.

  With each step, the stilted tension grows more awkward. I may not be good with dates, but I am good with men. They like me because I’m “one of the guys” with boobs. Unless they’re shy. Then no amount of coaxing or flirting helps. They’re little turtles peering from the safety of their shells. I’m assuming Nikola’s never, ever, in his entire life spent this much time alone with a woman. The flock of crows have returned to my belly. In my attempt to woo the crowd, I may have alienated the one person I’ve come here to befriend.

  I should have stayed put in my chair. I should have let him win the crowd by himself. I’m not very good at the teach-a-man-to-fish thing. I’d rather jump in, get it done, and move on to the next thing.

  Men aren’t real big fans of that. Especially in this time. Glad I’m only here for a quick visit. Nonetheless, I’ve still screwed up in style. Surprise, surprise.

  The lobby overflows with patrons headed out for the evening and the ones leaving his event. At the fringe of the crowd, he directs me to a side door that leads outside. I follow him through a lush garden foyer overflowing with night jasmine and tall torches illuminating the pathway. At a curve in the path, an inviting stone bench sits tucked beneath a pergola. He ducks beneath the overhanging vines and sits. I fidget and he pats the empty spot.

  “Thank you for what you did tonight,” he says as I’m navigating the wobbly stones in my heels.

  I half fall, half sit on the bench, brushing the vines with my elbow. Of all the things I thought he was going to say, that wasn’t close.

  “I’m not good with people,” he continues. “I can complete a set of choreographed moves and statements on the stage, but it’s not who I am. If the choreography doesn’t have the desired results, I have no idea how to adjust my course. If it were a science experiment gone wrong, I’d know exactly what to do. When it’s people… Well, I’m at a loss. Like tonight. You saved this evening for me.”

  I shake my head. No way this is going to be that easy. “I’m sure it’s because there weren’t very many scientists there. Actors and oilmen can’t appreciate what you accomplished. They didn’t understand what you were showing them.”

  He snorts. “When I’ve attempted the same with scientists, the results are disastrous. They either can’t comprehend the experiment because it’s beyond what they’ve thought possible. Or they’re angered because they didn’t think of it. No, that would have been far worse. Their attitude is why I work best alone.”

  I want to reach out, to comfort him, but he’s such an enigma I don’t know whether to cradle him or bow at his feet. This man surpasses genius. He gets the nuances of people, too. I’m so close, can tell he’s on the verge of letting me in, but this was just one night. One night doesn’t equal giving me access to his life work. Still lots of chances for me to blow it. “Are these orbs tonight something you’ve been working on for a while?”

  “No.” He waves his hand. “These are simple parlor tricks. I haven’t even patented them yet. Merely gas in a tube, but people respond to it better than they do when I try to show them electricity.”

  “Oh.” I relax a fraction and cross my ankles in what I hope is a lady-like way.

  “I’m learning there’s another side of science, the social side that’s as crucial to the success as the actual science. Without the funding to take the experiments on a grander scale, it doesn’t matter how brilliant the science. Without funding, even the brightest mind will wither and die from lack of exposure to the masses.”

  One of the reasons Ilif’s so consumed with his mission… According to him, money is science’s greatest evil—held away from geniuses by bean-counters too stupid to see the return unless it’s a hard number on a bottom line. Maybe he’s not so crazy after all… I tuck the thought away for now and focus on Nikola.

  He straightens and turns to me. “You trusted the science tonight. Why?”

  “Uh… ” I flounder. I can’t tell him the truth. But… he’s already seen me arc. And he’s going to ask me about that after he regroups anyway. Maybe if I tell him first I’ll manage to gain a better foothold on our precarious, weird relationship.

  He holds up his index finger, his expression stern. “But first, about this morning. I’ve theorized a dozen different explanations for your flickering disappearance, but I’d like to hear yours.

/>   Damn! Again, I’ve lost my edge because I hesitated. Why can’t I treat talking like a weapon? I take a deep breath, and leap, hoping I’m right. “I’m a time traveler and I use lightning to travel.”

  “I knew it!” He slaps his leg. “We’ll get to the details soon enough, but I knew time travel was possible.”

  “It’s not time travel, per se—” I stop. How much can I tell him? I never worried about the ramifications of Constantine having the information, but Nikola is smart enough to do something huge with it if he chooses. Very smart.

  “I care not for the specifics right now, as I said. Right now we’re focusing on me, my other dilemma, and where you fit. I am obviously a success, and that is why you’re willing to trust the electricity. You’ve seen all this before.”

  I nod. No need to tell him that even though we’re using all his inventions, and he basically discovered my century, he gets no credit for it. Maybe I can change that while I’m here. I tuck that away as a small side mission.

  He’s charging ahead again, unwilling to let me agree or contradict him. “I see now where you could assist me. Will you help me with the socializing?”

  I can barely stay in my seat. “I will.”

  He bounds from the bench with renewed vigor and holds out his hand to me. “To your room then. We will begin again in the morning. There is much to accomplish.”

  I stand and let him curl my hand into the crook of his elbow. We haven’t touched since meeting, and I think he’s forgotten about his germ issues for a moment. He’s quivering with excitement.

  I’m giddy with my own chance at success, but a sinister darkness dampens my elation. I kick and shove it into a crevice in the closet of my mind, along with all my other quasi-revelations.

  There will be time enough to second-guess this decision later.

  CHAPTER 12

  THE AIR IS crisp again this morning. A few leaves hang on to their perches in the spindly winter-arms of the trees. The streets are bustling with bodies and noise as I head toward the lab to meet Nikola. He’d arranged for a car, but I made it drop me a block from the lab. I want to get a good look at the surrounding businesses and people and see if I can figure out what’s not sitting right with me.

  I dodge men and trucks, wincing at the screaming, rumbling machinery that sets crows aflight. Their black wings paint a dark and sinister collage against the sky. At the gate, I pause and look up and down the road. Nothing seems glaringly out of place.

  I crunch through the gravel, ignoring the heartbeat of the bird’s wings. They settle in the branches again and watch my trek across the yard.

  I speed up and push through the door to the lab, an actual one with hinges. Warm air bursts past me in the vacuum. I close the winter air out and blow into my cupped fingers.

  The lab is chaos. I press myself against the wall to remain unnoticed and to afford me a moment to watch this crazy ballet of minds and bodies. Rough workmen move lazily through the space. Some carry boards, others stand on platforms with buckets at their feet, and others splatter paint. Each section of the building is in a different state of completion and I can only imagine the amount of stress the entire operation is putting on Nikola.

  He stands in the center of the room. High above him, the wooden rafters echo his words across the space. “It must be taller,” he says loudly over the din.

  The workman waves his arms and explains something. Nikola shakes his head then marches over to finish the conversation.

  On the fringe of all this, a thin, geeky-looking guy is working with a small pile of wires. One of the workmen drops a board, making him jump. I slip around the outer wall and stand at the edge of his table. He glances up at me, studies my face.

  “I’m Evy.”

  “Toby,” he says by way of introduction, either oblivious or uncaring that I’m a girl in a man’s world. “Hand me those three screws.”

  He works in silence for a while, until I can’t stand it. “What’s going on here?”

  “I’m working on one of his motors.” His hands move across the cylinders and wires with a quiet efficiency.

  Above us, Nikola shouts again. Toby sighs and lays his hands on the top of the table.

  “He works at a pace few can match.” Toby raises his arm. “Over there, two new experiments. On this side of the building, more, testing his nonsynchronizing motor. He points to Nikola. “There, he’s working on the electronic transmission of power.” He drops his arm and looks at me. “Do you understand electricity?”

  I measure my words carefully. I can see where the whole concept of electricity in general might freak someone out. “I do, but I thought he worked alone.”

  “He does. The only reason he’s permitted me access is because one of my own experiments was similar. He’s already warned me we won’t get along and I’ll not stay for long.” Toby lifts a shoulder. “He’s a genius. I’ll stay out of the firing line as long as I can.”

  The issue isn’t because he gets angry, but I don’t want to reveal the little I’ve learned about Nikola to Toby. Nikola wouldn’t appreciate anyone having an arsenal of information about him. I crane my head and spot Nikola. He’s now on the scaffolding next to the workman. Watching me.

  I smile and he tries one on again. He catches himself and says a parting comment before climbing down. I step away from Toby and toward the bottom of Nikola’s perch. I want him to tell me what he’s doing and I don’t want him to think I’m interested in anyone but him.

  Nikola climbs down the tower and guides me around the room. Papi would be insanely curious about the mechanisms he’s pointing out, but I’m scrambling to remember what he’s calling them. It’s hard not to wonder again what these are in my own time. They look familiar, and a few of them could be parts I just installed in my last bike.

  “This is my life, Evy.” Nikola points to a massive cube of metal and wires. The magnets inside tug at the rivets of my jeans. “My current funding comes from wealthy men like my friend, John Astor, but their minds are limited. It’s why I need you to help me find other financiers for my work. It’s up to you to handle my social engagements. Once people hear my speeches and lectures, they’ll be unable to ignore the truth of my science, and my inventions will finally get the recognition they deserve. I can change the world with these.” His arm sweeps the room.

  My throat constricts. Yes, he could. I’m stumbling over Astor. I can’t remember who that is. Some banker or something. In any case, a super important person. And Nikola wants me to entertain him, find a few more like him, and ask them for money.

  Sure, no prob.

  We complete the revolution of the building, and now we’re standing between two huge metal cylinders with rings of magnets on the ends. He turns to me. “I don’t ask people for help, Evy. Least of all a woman. I don’t handle them well, but you’re different. You’re smart and have capabilities unlike anything I’ve seen. You don’t dress in frilly silliness, but practical clothing which allows you to complete your tasks. I’ve asked you to work for me because of what I believe you can accomplish, girl or no.” Nikola draws a measured breath and folds his hands, left thumb precisely placed across his knuckles. “As compensation, I have ordered the hotel to give you whatever you require and to place it on my tab. Your room and all meals are already paid, and I would expect you to order clothing and cars as you need them.”

  “Thank you.” Shock vaporizes all my other words.

  “At the close of your service with me, I have also arranged to pay you ten thousand dollars.”

  I blink. I’m pretty sure that’s a load of money in turn of the century New York, and I’ll have to Google it when I get home to figure out exactly how much he just offered me. Either way, it will replace the revenue I’m missing from the shop. Not to mention everything else he’s tossed in. I scramble to recover.

  “I’m glad I can help your cause. Thank you for taking a chance on me, even though I’m a girl.” Every cell in my body rages against the words. It’s the precise
reason I’ll be good at his socializing, since men are terrible at the nuances of schmoozing.

  He nods and leads me around again. I think he’s trying to ignore the bumbling idiots holding his life’s work in their hands and tool belts. “I have much to do here, and you are a distraction for both myself and the workers. Will you meet me for dinner again this evening and inform me of your fund-raising plan?”

  I lift my hand to his arm, but stop at the last second when I see him flinch. I cross them instead. “Of course. That will give me time to plan and research. Seven.”

  He leaves me without another word and glides toward the workers, but I read the massive effort he’s using to keep from stomping and yelling.

  I survey the cavernous warehouse again and it reminds me of Papi. This is the ultimate flow of men and machines, and one he’d appreciate. I barrel out of the building, desperate for the icy air to calm me.

  He should be here, not me. He and Nikola would be able to carry on two-way educated conversations, instead of the lame input I’m bringing.

  Or would they?

  I’m yanked to a stop.

  Old Model Ts and carriages zoom by me on the busy road in front of the warehouse. Behind me, the hammering and sawing of construction echoes off a thousand bricks.

  Maybe my lack of scientific knowledge is doing me a favor. Nikola is surrounded by geniuses—maybe not his caliber, but geniuses just the same. He holds them in a lower regard than the workmen. As if they should know more, work faster, and understand it with more clarity.

  Me, he just takes at face value. I hold the ability to bend time, and I’m not afraid of his experiments.

  Even his best scientists and friends are scared.

  But I’ve seen it all before.

  My car pulls to the curb and I climb in. “To the hotel, please.”