Cassius sat cross-legged on the stripped floor boards, back against the wall. It had been several hours and Madame hadn’t shown any sign that they’d be leaving the abandoned Fringe building. He wondered if she’d told anyone at the Lodge what was happening. Or maybe she didn’t care. Maybe this had become too personal.
She was off in a different room of the old hotel now. Theo acted as her watchdog, standing just beyond the closed door, guarding. Madame’s voice remained ever present in Cassius’s head. It was only a precaution.
Sit. You’re not needed now. Not yet.
Avery sat on the side of the bed, kicking her heels back and forth, silent. Cassius hadn’t gotten to know her very well last spring. She’d been raised at the Lodge until Madame planted her as a spy in Skyship Academy, but Cassius never remembered seeing her. Of course, back then he’d only been a child. The more he learned, the more he began to doubt his entire opinion of the Lodge. How many kids did Madame have running around, harnessed as weapons?
Avery cleared her throat. “I remember when we were scared of you.”
“You were never scared of me.” He glanced up.
“That’s true. But Jesse was.”
His eyes shifted to the communicator beside her. “What are you gonna say to him if he calls?”
“What Madame told me to. The words she’s forcing into my brain.”
“I can try to dig it out,” he replied. “I ripped the old microchip from my wrist. If you’re not afraid of a little blood-”
“No, you can’t,” she said. “You’d like to think you can, but you’re harnessed. The moment you laid a hand on me, she’d know. Trust me. I’ve tried.”
Cassius’s shoulders deflated. “So what’s her plan? Bring Fisher here so she can collect the pair of us?”
“I’ll bring him here,” Avery replied. “After that, I don’t know.”
“Do you still love him?”
Her heels fall still. “What do you mean?”
“You did love him, didn’t you? He talks about you like you did.”
She sighed. “I’d do anything for him. I don’t know what you want to call that. Guilt, maybe. For spying on him.”
“You’re gonna feel much guiltier after this.”
She reclined on the bed. The room fell silent for a moment before she spoke again. “Do you ever think about what your life would be like if Madame hadn’t found you?” “I try not to.”
“The way I see it, I’ve lived two lives, one with her and one at the Academy. And neither one was really mine.” She paused. “When Jesse and I were running through the Fringes, away from you, it was scary. But even though we didn’t know what was going to happen to us, at least we were making our own decisions.”
Cassius’s gaze fell to the floor. “Madame’s the only mother I’ve ever known.”
“Pretty screwed up.”
“We’re all screwed up. And that kid, Theo? She’s done it to him, too. But he’s still young. Maybe someone can knock some sense into him. If he’s lucky.”
The door swung open. Theo strode into the room, cutting a line between the two of them. His eyes blinked rapidly. His steps were uneven.
Cassius backed up. “Were you listening to us?”
“I don’t know why she hasn’t separated you two,” Theo replied, twirling the handle of his knife around his finger. “It’s asking for trouble.” He turned on his heel and paced to the opposite wall, feet kicking the ground as he went.
“Stop that.” Cassius crossed his arms.
The kid’s dirt-specked face hardened. “Or what? You gonna do something about it?”
Cassius’s fist tightened. For a moment, he thought he’d be able to break through Madame’s control and strike the boy.
The moment passed.
Theo chuckled. “Didn’t think so.”
Avery yawned. “Just ignore him.”
“No.” Cassius took a step forward. “We don’t know each other very well, do we kid? Where did Madame pick you up? Some trash heap behind her office?”
“I told you.” Theo paused, wiping the sweat from his brow. “My real mom was a-”
“I don’t care who your real mom was. That wasn’t what I asked you.”
His knife stopped spinning. “How’s that harnessing treating you? We could get you on the floor if you want.” He grinned. “Make you cluck like a chicken.”
“You didn’t answer my question.” Cassius smiled. Maybe he couldn’t lay a finger on this kid, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other forms of abuse.
Theo’s eyes narrowed. He retreated to the foot of the bed, leaning on the frame. “I don’t know. Where’d she find you?”
“In the middle of a war zone,” he replied without hesitation. “Wading through a haze of chemicals, fresh from outer space.”
Theo laughed. “Hmm. Funny.”
“It’s true.”
“You can actually remember that?”
He shrugged. “Only bits and pieces.”
“Then how do you know that it’s true?”
He crouched low, eyes at the same level as the boy. “She told me.”
Theo looked away.
Cassius smiled, content in the thought that he was getting to the boy. “She hasn’t told you anything, has she? You don’t even know where you come from. And yet you follow her around like she owns you. It’s pathetic.”
He frowned, eyes fixed on the wall. For a moment, he looked like the child he was.
“How old are you, anyways?” Cassius continued. “Eleven? Twelve?” He laughed. “Not past puberty. That’s for sure.”
“There was an accident.” Theo grit his teeth, glaring at him. “I don’t remember anything past that.”
Cassius’s brows raised. “An accident can mean so many things with Madame.”
Theo pounced to his feet and resumed his irritating pace. Back and forth. “Yeah, well, at least I didn’t run away like a coward.” He paused. “There were Fringe Towns. I remember the heat. I hated it. I’d look at the Chosen Cities in the distance and think that I was imagining them. Then one day I collapsed, face first into the dirt. I would’ve died, but the Unified Party picked me up. Saved me.”
Cassius watched him move, more loose and agitated than before. “Where’d you learn how to do that, with the knife?”
Theo froze. His fist gripped the handle of the weapon. “This thing?”
“Those Fringers out there didn’t stand a chance against you. That’s what Madame said.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been good with a knife since before the accident. Madame said I didn’t even need training. Said I was a natural.”
“Sure.”
“But that’s none of your business, is it? I see what you’re trying to do. It’s not gonna work. She loves me. And I love her. Like a son.”
Cassius laughed. “Right. Like a son.”
The town rumbled behind the window.
Cassius cocked his head. “What was that?”
Theo smiled.
Avery rose to a seated position. “This town’s been quiet for days.”
The rumbling strengthened. Cassius stood and turned, crouching to stare through the open slits of the window. He could just make out the obstructed horizon, clogged with rows of buildings. Patches of spotless blue sky.
Then shadows.
Something descended on the town. Several somethings.
Ratty flags whipped in the air on the tops of buildings as a fierce wind kicked up. Sharp, black shapes fell to the earth. They reminded him of detached shark fins. Impenetrable.
Unified Party Cruisers.
Cassius had piloted several as part of his training at the Lodge. They were sleek and menacing, designed for aerial fights. They were also excellent transports for troops.
He turned. “Madame’s blanketing the town.” Theo’s smile widened.
Cassius moved back to the window and watched the cruisers set down in the streets. Most disappeared behind buildings, but he could imagine the troops pouring out of each one, hiding in derelict structures, waiting to strike.
“An army,” he whispered. “She’s brought an army.”
“They’ll shoot Fringers on sight,” Theo said. “Clear the town before getting in position. Then reload.”
The outside door swung open and Madame marched into the room. She moved immediately to the window and gripped the boards. “Marvelous, isn’t it?”
Cassius backed away from her. “You never said anything about-”
“This is the best sort of town for hiding,” she continued. “A hundred men can disappear.”
“Why bring me here?” Cassius glared at her. “Why didn’t you let me stay at the Lodge?”
“I want you to see this,” she said, still gawking through the cracks. “You’ve forgotten. All those weeks in Canada and you’ve forgotten where you truly belong.”
“I don’t want-”
“I’ve always had big plans for you,” she cut him off. “You’re capable of such great things.”
“Like killing.”
“Look at the cruisers,” she ignored him. “Like beautiful black birds seeking prey. He’ll be here soon. Our little Pearlbreaker.”
A succession of beeps sounded from the side of the bed. Cassius turned, instantly recognizing the call. It was his communicator. Fisher was on the other line.
Madame bristled at the sound, then turned with a smug smile on her face. She nodded at Avery. “Go ahead.”
Cassius took a step forward, prepared to leap to the bed and grab the communicator away.
Stop. Madame’s voice echoed in his mind. Watch.
“No,” he forced the word out.
“Quiet, Cassius.” She turned back to Avery. “Please answer his call. I will be listening.”
Avery’s hand shook. For a moment Cassius thought she was going to drop the communicator. But she’d been harnessed by Madame far longer than he had-possibly months. She had her orders.
She pulled the communicator closer and stared at it. Madame nodded, egging her on. Lips trembling, Avery raised the device to her ear.
She hit the button. It was done.