He was still eating his Olga Muffin—it tasted about as good as an Egg McMuffin—when someone tapped his shoulder. He turned to see Renee there. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” he asked.
“Whatever. I took my chemistry test. The rest is just listening to teachers yak.”
“Does that include Miss Earl?”
“No, she’s my chemistry teacher. Right now anyway. She’s just a sub anymore.”
“I see. Isn’t your dad going to be mad if he finds out you’re cutting class?”
“I do it all the time. Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“You’ll see.”
He assumed they would take a bus, but Renee had a cab waiting for them. She gave the driver an address and then leaned back, her heavy backpack on her lap. “How did you know I’d be in the restaurant?” he asked.
“Where else would you go? I guess you could have gone to the Draken Donuts down the road, but too many cops hang out there.”
“Your cops eat donuts too?”
“I guess it’s universal.” She reached into the backpack for her unicorn folder. “I hope you don’t mind, but I looked over these again and made some notes. I think if we cut down on the angle of the shoulders it will make you more aerodynamic.”
“Aerodynamic? I’m not really planning to fly.”
“Why not?” she said with a pout.
“The real Scarlet Knight doesn’t fly.”
“That sucks.” The pout brightened into a smile. “You’re not the real Scarlet Knight, so you can do what you want.”
“Let’s worry about that later. What else do you have?”
“Well, I thought we could put some guns here—”
“No guns.”
“Why not?”
“Emma would never forgive me.”
“What is she, some kind of liberal tree-kisser?”
“Tree hugger.”
“What?”
“Never mind. The point is that she doesn’t like guns. Her mother was shot by one.”
“Oh. So her mom is dead too?”
“Both her parents are dead.”
Renee looked down at her feet, which weren’t long enough yet to reach the floor. “I guess I’m lucky to still have Daddy then.”
“Yes you are.”
“What about your parents? Are they alive?”
“We had a falling out after what happened. They thought I should have put up more of a defense than I did.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Oh, right, because your fiancée died. That’s why you’re all bummed out, right? Just like Daddy.”
“I guess so.”
Neither of them said anything for a moment. Then Renee’s face brightened again. “Well, if we can’t use guns, how about tranquilizer darts? Those are nonlethal. Aggie does some volunteer work at the animal shelter; I bet she could get us some.”
“I don’t think you should involve Aggie in this. You haven’t told her anything yet, have you?”
“Do I look stupid to you? No, I didn’t tell her anything. She’d probably go tell her sister. Her and Sophie are like conjoined twins anymore.”
Before they could get any farther, the driver stopped the car. Tim looked through the windshield to see a grubby red brick building. From the smokestacks on the top of it, he guessed it had been some kind of factory; from the rusty gates that hung loose on their hinges, he assumed the factory hadn’t been open in some time.
“You can leave us here,” Renee said. She reached into her pocket for some money and passed it up to the driver. “Thanks.”
Tim hesitated for a moment, but finally decided he might as well see what Renee had in mind. She skipped over puddles of water despite the weight of her backpack, as if this place were some kind of playground. She led him around to a loading dock, the huge wooden doors held shut by a rusty chain and padlock. From her pocket she took out a key.
“How’d you get that?” he asked.
“Daddy owns this place. Bought it at auction a couple of years ago. He was going to turn it into lofts for the yuppies, but the developer backed out. So for now he’s stuck with it.”
Given how little trouble she had with her backpack, Tim wasn’t surprised she could open one of the titanic doors enough to squeeze inside. He followed her onto a dark, dusty factory floor the size of two football fields. The dust prompted him to sneeze, which in turn startled a rat; the creature skittered deeper into the shadows.
“Don’t mind them. They won’t bother you if you don’t bother them.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Near the center of the factory, between two machines covered in cobwebs, Tim saw a recent addition to the old place. Renee had fashioned a tent out of old bed sheets. Beneath this she had stacked pillows and an olive green sleeping bag she’d probably taken from her grandfather’s things. She dropped her backpack at the door to her tent and then ducked inside. She let out a childish squeal of delight; her voice turned to that of a small girl as she said, “Hewwo Mr. Snuggles. How are you? You been eating lots of mice? Yes you have. Who’s a good kitty?”
She crawled out of the tent, a cat with dark gray fur under her arm. She held the cat up so Tim could see. From the scars on the cat’s face and the chunk taken out of his left ear, he didn’t exactly look like a Mr. Snuggles. “He lives in here. Daddy won’t let me have a pet. Isn’t he cute?”
The cat hissed at Tim and swatted at him with one paw. “Yeah, cute.”
Renee turned the cat around to swat his nose. “Bad, Mr. Snuggles. You be nice to Tim. He’s going to be staying here for a while.”
“Here?”
“Well, sure, why not? There’s plenty of space, no one to bother you, and I’m sure you can get some of this old junk working. And you’ll have Mr. Snuggles to keep you company.”
The cat hissed at Tim again. “Yeah, just great.” Like being back in prison, he added to himself.
***
For the rest of the day, Tim worked on the rusty machines in the factory, to coax them to work. The first order of business was to dispatch Renee to a hardware store with a list of what he needed. “You’re sure you’ll have enough money?” he asked.
“Please. Daddy gave me an AmEx to use for emergencies.”
Tim questioned the wisdom in giving an eleven-year-old—even one as intelligent as Renee—a credit card. He didn’t say anything, since at the moment he needed Renee’s deep pockets to get his idea off the ground. Unlike when Ward bought his idea, this time he knew his skills would be put to good use.
Once Renee had gone, Tim surveyed what he had to work with. The answer was: not much. He got lucky that the previous owners hadn’t stripped the place bare, but clearly no one had maintained the equipment that remained either. Inside one drill press, he found some of the rats had made a nest inside of it. He shooed these away with a length of pipe and then continued his examination. He made mental notes to himself about which machines he could revive and which he could only use for spare parts.
When Renee returned, two deliverymen accompanied her; they wheeled in wooden crates with the stuff he would need. “Just put it over there,” she directed them with an ease he couldn’t master even as an adult.
“Are you sure it’s wise to bring people here?” he asked.
“Why? You haven’t even started to do anything yet. I told them Daddy’s paying you to clean up this place so he can sell it.”
“Great.”
“I brought you something else too,” she said. From her backpack she took out a bag of hamburgers and French fries. “I thought you’d be hungry.”
“That’s very thoughtful.”
“Later I can do some grocery shopping. What sort of things do you eat?”
“I’ve been in jail for two years so it doesn’t really matter.”
“You don’t have to be so grumpy.” She stomped away to pick up Mr. Snuggles, who for some reason submi
tted to her babying. “And I’m going to buy you some yummy food and treats and maybe even some catnip if you’re really good. Yes I will. Yes I will.”
Tim shook his head and then opened the crates. Inside he found everything he had asked for: wrenches, screwdrivers, a hammer, a sledgehammer, and a measuring tape. There was also a welding torch, mask, and tank of butane that he would need. Renee had also included gloves, safety goggles, and a hard hat. “This looks like everything,” he said.
“Of course it is. You don’t think I could buy tools because I’m a girl?” When she said this she sounded so much like the adult Renee he’d met on the bus that he had to do a double-take to make sure he still saw the turquoise-headed little girl.
“No. I thought the store might have forgot something.”
“Oh, right, because I didn’t bother to check. I’m just a scatterbrained kid.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything.”
“I should feed your hamburgers to Mr. Snuggles. You’d like them, wouldn’t you? Yes you would. Yes you would.”
“Renee—”
She put the cat down and then smiled at him. “I’m just messing with you. Hurry up and eat before it gets colder.”
The cheeseburgers tasted about as good as the Olga Muffin earlier, but at least it was food. Tim ate quickly; he had a lot of work ahead of him. Renee didn’t eat most of her hamburger; she fed the majority of it to Mr. Snuggles, who snapped it up like a dog. She stroked the cat’s back as she said wistfully, “I was thinking of getting some marshmallows. We could make a fire and roast them just like we were camping.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“No one will notice the smoke in a place like this. Really, all the winos have those lighted barrel things and no one calls the fire department on them.”
“No, I mean you shouldn’t stay here overnight. Your father will probably call the cops.”
“I’ll just tell Daddy I’m sleeping at Aggie’s.”
“And if he calls her?”
“She’ll cover for me. She’s a nerd but she’s still my friend. She won’t sell me out.”
“Renee—”
She tossed the rest of her hamburger to Mr. Snuggles and then stood up. “Oh, I get it. You don’t want me around. I found this place for you and got you the tools you need and now you don’t need me anymore. Fine. You can get your own groceries. Or starve for all I care.” She stomped towards the door; her boots echoed on the concrete.
Tim got up to follow her. “Come on, Renee, don’t be like that. I appreciate the help you’ve given me. Really, I do. But this isn’t a safe neighborhood.”
“It’s not like I’ll be alone. You can protect me.”
“I’ve got a lot of work to do and—”
“And you don’t want some stupid kid getting in the way. I get it. See you around.” She turned and then continued to walk; she took the cell phone from her pocket. She ordered a cab, and ended the call by saying, “And make it quick.”
Tim watched her go. She definitely had the same temper as the Renee Kim in his world. For that matter it was the same temper Sylvia had too. He hadn’t kept anything breakable within easy reach in their apartment so she couldn’t chuck it at his head when they quarreled. “Women,” he muttered.
***
He fell asleep next to a hydraulic press that he had managed to get working with parts from some of the other machines. Just before he woke, he dreamed he stood in the middle of the highway while Old Coyote’s truck bore down on him, except it wasn’t Old Coyote at the wheel: it was little Renee. The truck rumbled towards him; the pavement vibrated beneath his feet.
He realized the floor really was shaking. He wiped the sleep from his eyes to see that a tractor-trailer had pulled up to the old loading dock. Tim scratched his head and wondered what this could be. Maybe Renee had convinced her daddy to collect the machines and other junk in here so he could raze the place.
To his surprise he found Old Coyote on the loading dock with a clipboard. Her face brightened in a smile. “Well, small world, ain’t it?”
“I guess so,” Tim said. Now that he was closer, he could see metal pallets stacked inside the truck. “What is all this?”
“Got an order from Northman Aerospace. Said to deliver all this stuff to Tim Cooper at this address. That is you, ain’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s me, but I didn’t order anything—” he stopped himself and then shook his head. “Renee.”
“Just sign this invoice here and I’ll be out of your hair soon. Don’t suppose you got anyone to help unload this, do you?”
“No, it’s just me.”
“Well, might take a while then.”
Tim took the clipboard and saw that Renee—it could only be her—had ordered a truckload of advanced composite metals like the kind used in jet fighters. It was just the kind of material he could use for his project. He signed his name on the clipboard and then handed it back to Old Coyote. “Guess I’d better start to unload.”
It wasn’t much trouble to unload the truck. It would have gone much faster if he had a forklift, but he’d used the engine from the one in the factory to repair the generator so he could have electricity. Old Coyote volunteered to help, but he refused to let an old woman, even a tough one, help him with this.
It took two hours before he could shake Old Coyote’s hand. “Be seeing you,” the trucker said. “Good luck with whatever you’re doing.”
“Thanks.”
The truck had hardly left when a van from IKEA arrived, stuffed full of groceries, mostly canned goods so the rodents couldn’t get at it, but to his surprise there were also boxes of tranquilizer darts. Tim had just signed for these when another IKEA van arrived. The driver handed Tim an invoice for a top-of-the-line laptop, server, and extra-large LCD monitor. The invoice also listed a prepaid cell phone that was already set up for Tim’s use—apparently IKEA did sell everything.
He used the phone to dial Renee’s cell phone. She answered on the first ring. “I bet you are so surprised right now. I wish I could see your face.”
Tim went around the corner from the loading dock so he couldn’t be heard as he growled, “What the hell is all of this, Renee? Did you put all of this on your father’s credit card?”
“No way. Do you know how much that composite shit costs?”
“Yeah, I have a pretty good idea now. How’d you get the money?”
“That was pretty easy. I used Daddy’s computer system to set up a fake holding company and then made some very lucrative trades.”
“Are you insane? That’s illegal! If anyone finds out—”
“They aren’t going to find out. I’ve been doing it for years, just on a small scale.”
“Jesus, Renee, you could get into big trouble for this.”
“I thought you’d be grateful.”
“I am, but this is too much.”
“I’m just trying to help.” He heard her sniffle. “Are you mad at me?”
“No, I’m not mad at you. I just wish you wouldn’t take chances like this.”
Her voice turned chipper again as she said, “Can I come over and help later? I already did all of my homework.”
“Fine, but just for a little while.”
“Don’t worry, I already told Daddy I’m sleeping over at Aggie’s.”
“Renee—”
“It’ll be fun. You, me, and Mr. Snuggles. Please?”
“All right, but just this one time.”
“Goody! I’ll be over in a half-hour.”
The groceries had been unloaded when she arrived, but the computer technician was still at work on the server. Tim tried not to bother the man; he sorted through the groceries and put the non-canned goods into a crate where they might be safe. He was still at work at this when Renee skipped in, clad in a dress that matched her hair and that looked more appropriate for a nightclub than a dingy factory.
“How’s it going?” she asked.
“We’re al
most done,” the technician said.
Renee skipped over to him and supervised the rest of the installation. She actually barked orders at the technician, to direct him on how to hook the system up properly. At one point she told him to step aside so she could do something. “There. Now it’s working.” She glared up at the technician. “You’d better knock a few bucks off the labor cost.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Tim shook his head sadly; he knew exactly how it felt to be emasculated by an eleven-year-old girl. He busied himself with the groceries again and tried to stay out of Renee’s way. She might be as smart as Emma, but she certainly wasn’t as nice. But then he supposed that’s why they needed to find Emma so badly—she was one of a kind.
At the bottom of the groceries he found a bag of marshmallows. Renee snatched these from his hand with a smile. “Those are for later.”
“Yes ma’am,” Tim said with a trace of irony.
She took his hand and led him towards the computer system. “Come on, I got it working now.” She punched in a few keys on the laptop; the LCD monitor came to life to show the same thing. “Great, now I can put in the drawings we made. That should make things easier, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, I guess so. You don’t think it’s a little excessive though?”
“Hardly. This is still pretty primitive. But it’ll have to do.” She patted him on the small of the back as if they were teammates. “Let’s get to work.”
For the rest of the day they worked on the prototype. While Tim worked with the actual materials, Renee did the computer work. From the terminal, she ordered some steel, circuit boards, and other materials they needed. Most of it wouldn’t arrive until the next day, but by midnight Tim had most of the exterior armor plates cut out.
Renee had made her fire pit by her makeshift tent; she sat there with Mr. Snuggles on her lap and the bag of marshmallows beside her. She handed him a metal spit that had come with the groceries. “Isn’t this fun?” she said.
“Lots of fun,” Tim said. He really just wanted to collapse on the floor and sleep, but he knew this was important to Renee. “You ever go camping with your father?”
“With Daddy? God, no. He hates the woods. We always go on vacation to Paris. He thinks I need more culture.”
Tales of the Scarlet Knight Collection: The Wrath of Isis Page 149
