Broken People

by Ioana Visan

  He barely finished getting the words out when Cole grabbed Cielo with the back arms of the transporter, set her on the platform in the back, and rushed down the corridor.

  “No, wait!” Spinner and Rake ran after him before the guards could flinch.

  Everyone else followed, but they didn’t have to go far. Cole stopped at the first window facing south and broke the glass with the front arms. When he couldn’t fit through, he used the mechanical arms to break off chunks of the wall, too.

  Rake and Spinner stood with their knives ready, but they didn’t try to stop him.

  The transporter climbed through the hole and dove.

  They made it to the edge of the hole in time to see the Robot Girl flying down, the transporter grasped in both arms, and landing it with a loud screech of broken glass and twisted metal. The transporter wobbled, two of its deformed and unresponsive legs dragging on the ground, but managed to pick itself up, leaving a puddle behind.

  Aurore gasped. The cryo boxes had broken.

  “Damn, we haven’t thought to make it resistant to such impact,” Spinner muttered. “And I had made it so pretty …”

  “Well, you’ll have to pay for this, too.” Ternchiev pursed his lips.

  The knife throwers took off down the corridor.

  “Let them pass!” Ternchiev told the guards.

  Dale stayed. There was no point in fighting. He’d failed. Chances to succeed had been slim to begin with, but he’d seen a glimmer of hope at one point. Funny how he associated hope with gold for some reason.

  “Take him away,” Ternchiev told the guards, nodding at Dale.

  “Uncle …” Aurore placed a hand on the old man’s arm. “He doesn’t have to rot in jail. He can be more useful somewhere else.”

  “You want to let him go?” Ternchiev’s eyes narrowed at her. “After all he did?”

  “He didn’t know all of the details. And we played him as much as he played us,” she said with a tight smile. “Actually, you played us all. You owe me.”

  “I don’t know …” Ternchiev shook his head, giving Dale an up and down look.

  “Let’s end this unfortunate affair. Please?”

  “Fine. For you.” Ternchiev patted her cheek. “Escort this man out of the perimeter. And I want you out of town by morning!”

  49

  The doors at both ends of the train car opened simultaneously. Anya hesitated in the doorway, having not seen Nicholas yet, and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.

  “How is Serioja?” Nicholas closed the door behind him and advanced towards her.

  She silently closed the other door then, just as silently, gesticulated with her hands.

  Nicholas let out an impatient groan. She couldn’t speak. He walked up to her and placed his palm on her throat, right under her jaw. Her pulse beat wildly under his fingers and her breath caught. He sent in a small jolt.

  Anya coughed and spit a black plastic device into her palm. “Great. You broke it.”

  “It’s all right. They’ll fix it. How is he?” Nicholas rested his hands on her shoulders and lowered his head to make her look at him. He wanted a straight answer, even if it hurt.

  Anya slipped the device in a pocket of her purple skirt. “Not well.” She looked up with glassy, red eyes. “Rake is working on fixing him, but everything inside him is crushed. He might have a chance if he makes it until morning, but…”

  “Serioja is strong. He’ll make it.” The determination in his voice was supposed to give her strength, but Anya sighed and buried her face in his chest.

  “Oh, Nick … You didn’t see him fall!”

  Nicholas held her in his arms and rested his cheek against her head. She had changed her costume, and in the absence of the mask, with the locks of dark brown hair escaping from the pins and framing her face, she looked like a helpless little girl.

  “It’s going to be fine,” he murmured, running a soothing hand on her back. If only he could guarantee her that.

  “I sent him out there. I urged him to do something … and then he let go. How could he do that?” Anya mumbled against his jacket.

  “Serioja knew what he was doing. He bought us time when we needed it. No one could ask for more.”

  “It’s already too much!”

  Nicholas closed his eyes. Despite the way their relationship had ended, Anya and Serioja had remained friends, and Anya cared fiercely for her friends. Of course, she suffered. “Yes, I know. And I’m sorry.” Sorry for a lot of things.

  Something in his voice must have triggered her alarm because Anya straightened her back. “How’s Cielo?”

  “She broke her other leg.” Nicholas made a grimace. “Spinner is mending it already. She’ll have to use crutches for a while, but she’ll be fine.”

  “And Cole?” Anya asked.

  “Ironically, he came out of this the least harmed, just some scratches and bruises caused by the rough landing,” Nicholas said. “Fei Lin burned a few connectors, though. According to Spinner, those will be harder to fix, but not impossible, so we’re good.”

  “What about you?” Anya cupped the side of his face. “Did you eat anything?”

  He smiled, touched by her concern. “I’m fine.” There had been no time to think about his needs. If he focused on other things and kept the shivering locked inside, he could get through it without giving his body extra fuel to recover.

  “Then what’s wrong?” Anya’s fingers caressed his cheek.

  His pale face must have given him away despite the dim lighting. But it wasn’t just that.

  “Anya … there’s a fair chance I will be fired after tonight.”

  “What? Don’t be silly. Because of what happened?”

  “Yeah. I only had two members of the crew maimed under my watch, plus two other only moderately injured.” Nicholas let out a bitter laugh.

  “Stop that.” Anya pulled her lips into a severe, unhappy line. “That wasn’t your fault. You weren’t there when it happened.”

  “Yes, but I should have been …”

  “Nick,” her voice softened, “it’s not your responsibility. You’re not the manager, remember?”

  “Of course not…” It just felt like that. He wasn’t sure why. “I’m just saying Big Dino might not see it that way, so I need to take that possibility into consideration.” If he were indeed fired, he’d have to leave the circus. He had some money put aside, and since this was only supposed to be a temporary job anyway, it should have been a relief to leave this mad circus world. It wasn’t. If he left, he would probably never see Anya again since the circus was constantly on the move.

  “Big Dino likes money,” Anya said. “And you made him lots the past two weeks. He’ll forgive everything else.”

  Nicholas shook his head. “He won’t forgive me for attacking his precious Nightingale.”

  “What? Why on earth would you attack Cielo?” Anya slapped his chest lightly, as if they were joking, which they were not.

  “She was going to kill the guards. There’s no middle ground with her. She’s either all sunshine and rainbows, or death and destruction. She sees one gun aimed at her, and she goes ballistic. I get that she’s been too abused as a child, and she can’t help it, but I had to stop her. Those guards were only doing their job. They didn’t have to die when there were other ways …”

  “You did it, didn’t you?”

  “Well, someone had to …”

  “Nick …” Anya’s sigh was self-explanatory.

  He could get away with it while working at the circus, but if he manifested his powers outside of it and assaulted someone, the laws would have to be applied. And if he was put into the system, it would become general knowledge he escaped the drafting committee and was wanted in at least seven countries.

  “Did you hurt her?”

  “Nah, maybe bruised her a little.”

  “Okay, I’ll talk to her. She’s reasonable when she’s not in the zone. You talk to the Golden Lady to put in a good wo
rd for you with her uncle. She likes you, though God knows why.” Anya rolled her eyes. “You’re such a fool.”

  Nicholas grinned. She was probably right.

  The door behind him opened, and Jacko peeked inside. “Big Dino wants to see you.”

  Well, that was fast. Nicholas let go of Anya and started for the door. Before heading out, he glanced back at her, raising his eyebrow. You were saying?

  50

  Big Dino’s round, black eyes gleamed in the lights hanging above the sturdy bed. His thick, sausage-like fingers shifted on the large mound formed by his belly under the covers. He was fully awake.

  Spinner rested a hand on Nicholas’s shoulder and leaned in to whisper, “Don’t keep him up too long. He needs to rest. And don’t antagonize him. The stuff we gave him can make him irritable.”

  Nicholas nodded and took a step closer to the foot of the bed as Spinner left the room. No, this was not a good time to antagonize Big Dino.

  “From what I heard, you had a pretty exciting night.” A smile played on Big Dino’s dark lips. That smile could become extremely cruel on occasion.

  Nicholas’s eyes darted to the left where Cielo sat in a chair, her bandaged leg held up by a contraption. Of course she’d run up to her protector and rat him out. He lowered his head, prepared for a good scolding. Would a beating be part of it before he threw him out? Probably not. Rake and Spinner had seen a little of what he was capable and wouldn’t dare. They had too many wires inside them to risk it.

  “Do you know what you did wrong?” Big Dino asked.

  “Lots of things!” Nicholas let out a disgruntled laugh.

  Big Dino stared at him without blinking.

  “Oh, you want a list? Let’s see …” Nicholas pretended to count on his fingers. “I shouldn’t have let Rake and Spinner drag me into this.” In his defense, it had seemed harmless at the time.

  Big Dino gave him a slow nod, as much as his short neck allowed.

  “I shouldn’t have agreed to do the show.” They wouldn’t have had to do it if they had access to the funds. Having been the circus accountant for the past few years, Nicholas could have accessed them in Big Dino’s absence, but everyone knew that, after the circus and the Nightingale, money was what Big Dino cared about the most.

  The tightening in Big Dino’s green cheeks agreed with him.

  “And I definitely should not have let the circus get involved in the heist.” That part had been stupid, and it had failure written all over it right from the start. But, once again, it hadn’t been Nicholas’s decision. He’d been a puppet in the knife throwers’ hands.

  Nicholas paused to stare at his well-polished shoes. He was digging his own grave. Better get it over with. He straightened his back and raised his chin. “I shouldn’t have brought the circus to the Hrad … and I shouldn’t have attacked the Nightingale.” Out of them all, that was the highest offence. “Sorry about that.” He gestured at Cielo’s throat where his fingers had left dark bruises.

  Cielo nodded. She wasn’t normally this quiet. Nicholas swallowed, forcing down the lump in his throat. Sweat gathered under his collar. If she wanted him out but didn’t want to get her hands dirty … Big Dino would never say no to her.

  “Do you know how this could have all been avoided?” Big Dino asked, still calm and lucid.

  If I’d grown a backbone overnight? Nicholas couldn’t honestly say he’d ever had one. He’d run away from responsibilities his whole life, so what on earth had possessed him to get involved now? But it seemed like an easy thing to do in the beginning, and he didn’t mind helping people. It was what the circus did. It had helped him when he most needed it, too. And this was how he’d repaid it. One more thing to add to his long list of failures.

  “I should have seen to my own business,” Nicholas said.

  “That’s one way to put it …” Big Dino twiddled his fingers.

  “How much longer are you going to try to get him to wet his pants?” Cielo asked in an arguing voice. “My leg might be numb, but we still have a circus to pack by morning.”

  Big Dino frowned at her interruption. Oddly enough, Cielo was the only crew member who dared to address him in that tone. No wonder she was his favorite.

  “Like I was saying—” Big Dino glanced at Cielo, and she pursed her lips, “—there is another answer. All of this would have been avoided if you were the manager.”

  Nicholas sucked in a breath. That had been unexpected to say the least.

  “I understand you have been put in an impossible position where you had no choice, and you did the best you could under the circumstances,” Big Dino said. “The crew vouched for you. No one could have done more.”

  It sounded like a compliment, and Nicholas blinked, startled. He wasn’t used to receiving compliments. People were usually disappointed in him, and he’d made it his life’s purpose to keep it that way. If no one ever got close, they wouldn’t be hurt when he got caught. And sooner or later, telecharchers always got caught.

  “I … don’t know what to say,” he admitted.

  “To start with, you should be pleased I’m not throwing you to the dogs,” Big Dino said with the beginning of a smile.

  “Yes, of course.” Nicholas hurried to nod. “You’d be right to do it, too.”

  “And I was going to … until someone opened my eyes.”

  Cielo shifted in the chair and winced. “Can we get to the point?”

  “So, what I’m proposing is to make your position official,” Big Dino said.

  What? Official? Nicholas stared for several long seconds, unable to do anything else. “You want to make me manager?”

  “Yes, with all of the bonuses associated with the position,” Big Dino said. “You’ll get a monthly paycheck, a share of the profit, access to some of the accounts, and full decisional range in my absence. What do you say?”

  The ground swayed under Nicholas’s feet. “I don’t know where to start …” This was insane!

  “Say yes, and we’ll figure out the rest of the details later. Okay?” Big Dino yawned, showing a set of sturdy, yellow teeth. “I’m getting sleepy here.”

  “What about … what about her?” Nicholas nodded towards Cielo.

  “It was her idea actually.” Big Dino let out a louder yawn.

  “I don’t understand … I could have killed her!”

  “You could have, but you didn’t. You’re no murderer.”

  “But I am.” Cielo’s voice was merely a whisper. “Whenever there’s danger, I go to full power. I can’t help it.” She sighed, then brightened up. “You’re the first person able to stop me. We’ve been looking for someone who could do that, but we didn’t know if you were strong enough. Now we do.” Her smile turned hopeful. “You must become the manager!”

  Had she used the voice on him? Would he be able to tell if she did? Nicholas narrowed his eyes at her. “And if I refuse?”

  Cielo’s green eyes also narrowed, gleaming with a challenge as she smirked. “Don’t make me make you.”

  “Good. You two kids wrestle it out between you two, but if it ends up with even more broken bones, I don’t want to hear about it.” Big Dino closed his eyes. “Send for that Armstrong guy and wake me when he gets here.” The next moment, he was snoring softly.

  Nicholas turned to Cielo and gave her a long look. She held his gaze, obviously waiting for him to make a decision

  “I don’t have time to wrestle you,” he said. “There’s a lot to do if we ever want to leave this town.”

  “Speaking like a manager already.” She grinned. “Yes, of course, you are right. I wish I could help but …” She nodded at her left leg. The contraption was designed to allow her to walk, but it wouldn’t be easy for her for a while.

  “That’s all right. You stay here with him in case he needs anything, and I’ll see to everything else.” He started for the door. “We can discuss the rest while we’re on the road later.” They didn’t have to decide tonight.

  “Nichola
s…”

  He stopped. Uh-oh. What now? “Yes?”

  Cielo fiddled with the skirt of her dress. “He wants to take us to Paris.”

  “He knows I can’t return to France. I’d get picked up before we even crossed the border.”

  “He said he’d clear you with the drafting committee. It’s one of the things he’ll negotiate in exchange for his help.” Cielo bit on her bottom lip. “I believe him. He needs you.”

  Sure he did. And the thought of seeing his family again was so tempting. He couldn’t think about this. Not right now. He had work to do. “I’ll think about it.”

  51

  With a cup in her hand, Anya waited for him outside when Nicholas left Big Dino’s car. “What did he say? Did he fire you?”

  The cup in Anya’s hand trembled slightly, so Nicholas took it and drank from it. Hot coffee was exactly what he needed to get him through the rest of the night. “No, actually, he promoted me …”

  She blinked. “Oh?”

  Nicholas frowned, still puzzled by the recent turn of events. “He made me manager.”

  “That’s wonderful!” A genuine smile lit up Anya’s face before suspicion filled her brown eyes. “Did you accept it?”

  She knew him so well.

  “He didn’t leave me much choice.” Nicholas laughed, shaking his head.

  “Don’t worry about it. You’ll do great.” Anya patted his arm, her long fingers gliding up and down the jacket sleeve as if wanting to prolong the contact.

  Nicholas wasn’t so sure, but for once, he didn’t mind the challenge.

  “Will you keep your magic act?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I didn’t have time to think about it … Of course, all of the acts will have to go through a strict revision. We’ll make it a class act, less of a freak show.” If he wanted to do it, this was the proper time. Big Dino would spend most of his time sleeping, and he had access to the funds. It would be less stressful for the Nightingale, too.