by CC Bridges
“Course not. He needs shoes too.”
Gabriel looked down at his standard-issue gray boots. What was wrong with them? Maybe they marked him as an outsider, too obviously from the city above? Angels weren’t the only ones with such footwear. They would hardly expose his secret.
He followed Trixie out of the truck, feeling very small as Jeff drove away. Since he’d awoken in Old Trent, Jeff had been the one constant fixture.
Kayla took his hand, her skin warm. Perhaps he was the one made wrong, his own body temperature too cold for humans. Unmodded humans, dammit. He was still human.
“Don’t go too far,” Kayla told him. “It’s easy to get lost if you’ve never been here before.”
As she led him through the walkway between the fences, he grinned at how she’d taken on the adult role. He resolved to hold on very tightly, knowing he would be lost if he didn’t have her. Trixie trotted along on Kayla’s other side.
Once they passed through the gate—and there was no checkpoint to keep anyone out—the market stretched before them, a maze of tents and stalls, filled with items of every color imaginable, on racks, in piles, thrown on the ground, hanging from hooks and poles. Some tables held tiny mechanical parts—neural nodes with twisted wires, specialized circuits, and in one case an old-fashioned metal hand, probably from back before synth-skin was invented. Others displayed anything from decorative jewelry to old rubber tires, pipes, and water purifiers. Gabriel saw crates clearly marked with the Heaven Corp logo, and he clenched his fists. So this was where the demons disposed of their thievery.
People gathered around barrels of fire, selling whatever meat they were roasting. The scent burned his nose and made his belly roil, nothing like the bland nutricubes he’d grown used to eating. Still, it smelled far better than the pit of garbage they circled around, surrounded by flies and bees and other creatures Gabriel didn’t look at too closely.
They lived so differently, these people of the earth. They were dirty and rank, they ate animal flesh, and they were loud, crowding in on Gabriel as he and Kayla tried to move past the more popular stands. He hunched his shoulders in, afraid of strangers walking past, not wanting anyone to accidentally brush his wing. He wanted no one but Jeff touching him.
He could almost feel Jeff’s hands on him now, running down his back and making him shiver. Kayla looked up at him, and Gabriel realized he’d actually shuddered. What was it about Jeff that made Gabriel want that gentle caress again?
JEFF FIGURED the truck was as safe as it could get. His forceshields were good, but he hadn’t lived this long without learning there was always a better hacker out there. Of course, the demons had chased off some of the gangs who ripped out spare parts of vehicles, and now even patrolled the market. Somehow that didn’t make Jeff feel any safer.
He made a sharp left after entering the market complex, heading for those stalls that held some of the more unsavory items. Kayla knew better than to bring the angel anywhere near here—too many demons. Jeff needed to find more oil for Gabe, a few more cells for his nuclear generators, and he wanted to look over some of the machinery for sale. He might find a broken neural node or two, useless to anyone else, but he could fix most pieces of junk. Metal and wires made sense to him, and he could always twist them into something else. Too bad people weren’t as easy to deal with.
Going over his mental list, he nearly missed the sound of his name being called. Jeff turned, not seeing anyone he knew. It took him a moment to notice the screens flickering outside a little shack that offered socketing—though he’d never trust just anyone to put a port in the back of his neck. Chase appeared on all of the displays, tilting his head toward the interior once he got Jeff’s attention.
No one was inside, but there were more screens here, all showing Chase’s smooth, unlined face. Jeff missed having that ability to be anywhere once jacked in. He was limited by his own body and senses.
“What’s the news?” Jeff asked.
Chase shook his head. “Don’t know what you’ve got going on down there, Werth. Nothing about any missing angels, but I got the lead on some dead ones.”
“Dead ones?” Jeff wrinkled his forehead.
“Presumed dead anyway. One poor priss left only a wing behind.”
“So Heaven’s noticed something’s going on,” Jeff said.
“You could fucking say that, Werth. They’re talking about invading Old Trent, putting some demons in their place. Hasn’t been an incursion in ten years.”
Old Trent did best when Heaven forgot they existed. All-out fighting would not be good for anyone. “Fuck. Keep an eye on it, would you?”
“Now that I’m in, no problem.”
The screens flickered out, back to showing random scrolling patterns. Jeff slipped out of the shack, angry with Luca. Typical of the demons to start shit with Heaven when it was going to be the regular people in Trent who’d pay for it.
He stomped away, nearly colliding with someone who walked right into his path. Jeff grabbed familiar shoulders to keep them both from falling.
“Nice to see you too, Jeff.” There was laughter in her voice. She must have been coming in his direction on purpose.
“Mattie.” He grinned. “Where have you been?” She hadn’t come by the junkyard in longer than he could remember. Mattie never used to let so much time pass between visits. And she hadn’t been at Ronnie’s the last time he and Kayla had been there.
“Working.” Her dark eyes narrowed. At second glance, after his initial pleasure at seeing her, Jeff realized Mattie didn’t look well at all. Always thinner than her sister, Mattie looked downright starved. Jeff knew it wasn’t from lack of food. Ronnie would have seen to that. Her thick hair had been pulled back, mostly hidden beneath a bright scrap of fabric, which could be what made her face look so gaunt.
“Working where?” The warning was obvious in his voice, and Jeff really didn’t mean to sound like an angry parent. Mattie wasn’t a child anymore, though sometimes he couldn’t look at her and not see the little girl she had been, following him and Ronnie around. “Mattie?”
“Midlevel.” She pulled her brown and orange shawl tighter around her shoulders, covering her chest. She looked away as she spoke, not meeting his eyes.
“Ronnie know this?” Last Jeff heard Ronnie wasn’t fond of her sister looking for work up midlevel. She liked even less the way the labs found workers, how people from Old Trent huddled together around designated pickup points, hoping a gondola would drop and take them up above.
“’Course she knows. Jeff, it’s the only way out of here.”
Jeff tugged on her shawl, not surprised when she startled away. “Not if it kills you first.”
“You sound like Ronnie. I’m fine, Jeff. Been working up there for a while now. I’m stronger than you think.”
He knew Mattie was tough—no one grew up in Old Trent without needing to prove themselves. Jeff just shook his head in response. At one time he’d thought he was strong enough to ride the net and not pay the consequences. He was wrong then. But maybe Mattie could do what she set her mind to. Jeff didn’t know anyone more stubborn, except maybe her sister.
“I have to go. Promised Ronnie I’d find her a chicken.” Mattie rolled her eyes but grinned. “Bring your li’l girl round our place. We’ve been missing her.”
“She’s not so little anymore,” Jeff said with a smile. He watched as Mattie melded into the crowd, wondering what would happen to the other people like her if the angels brought war to Old Trent. It was a nice dream, moving up to midlevel, but not really feasible on the salary the labs were willing to pay their test subjects. Easier to play by the rules they knew—deal with the demons and survive.
Fuck. They were caught between angels and demons, and Jeff didn’t know which were worse. ’Course, he’d already thrown his lot in with demons, so maybe he’d better start making sure they didn’t end up the angels’ latest victims.
He sensed the demon sauntering next to him an instant before
Nazaro spoke. “So, Werth, I hear your angel boy is up and walking around.”
Nazaro wore dark sunglasses over his eyes, his hands stuffed deep in the pockets of his long coat. He matched his steps with Jeff, almost as if they were friends.
“He ain’t my angel. You said you wanted me to play nursemaid. So what’s the problem?” Jeff kept looking straight ahead, moving toward his goal.
“Ain’t a problem at all. Long as you keep him leashed. Luca likes the idea of having an angel on tap, dig?”
Jeff didn’t like that idea. He had no choice but to nod in agreement and just watch as Nazaro slipped back into the crowd.
GABRIEL PUSHED aside the curtain shielding him from the outside world, dressed up in the clothes Kayla had picked out for him to try. He didn’t know his size or what would be appropriate. She had chosen pants in the same dark wash she wore, with a shirt that was far too tight on his arms, though baggy enough to hide the bumps from his wings.
He walked stiffly out of the cubby, still wearing his boots but feeling odd in the strange clothing. “All right?” he asked Kayla, who clapped when he reappeared. Trixie danced around the girl’s legs, as if giving her own opinion.
“Perfect! Thank you, Shondra.” She turned to the woman selling the clothes.
“’Course, child.” Shondra waved a hand. “Anything else you need, you let me know. Tell your father thank you for the node he fixed for Ryen.”
Kayla nodded before walking away, lugging a canvas bag of clothing. Gabriel felt a pang of guilt at the money Kayla must have spent. “I would repay you, if I could.” His situation was so precarious. Without Jeff’s generosity, Gabriel would still be in his bloodstained clothes and possibly in the hands of demons.
Kayla pulled the strap over her shoulder. “It’s okay. Dad’ll probably make you work it off anyway. He’s always saying he could use an extra set of hands around the junkyard.”
What would that entail, exactly? Just how close would he get to work with the other man? He imagined some physical labor, toiling under the dim light with sweat-soaked clothing, Jeff’s curls wet and droplets tracking down his face, licking his lips to get at the salt there.
Pain pierced his forehead again, and Gabriel rubbed at it, trying to will it away. It seemed like he was always on the edge of pain. It muddled his thoughts, just when it seemed he was close to figuring something out.
Could he blame the loss of his halo for that? Gabriel didn’t realize how connected he had been, how dependent on his fellow angels’ voices when he needed reassurance. To hear silence left him empty and alone.
Trixie barked, running ahead into the crowd, and Kayla chased after her. Gabriel closed his eyes at the wave of dizziness that struck him, his head throbbing. He had to follow her, though, so he forced himself forward. She’d gone to the throng of people hovering around another stand, this one selling food by the smell of it, something roasting that twisted his belly.
Kayla chatted with two men, and only after a moment did Gabriel recognize the visitors to Jeff’s junkyard. He narrowed his eyes at the one who had called him Jeff’s boy. Both were dressed in black leather, though the blond one went without a shirt, the black collar around his neck obvious for all to see. Gabriel gritted his teeth as he approached, not liking anything about these strangers. In Heaven they would be heavily sanctioned for their inappropriate relations.
“You remember Gabe, right?” Kayla grinned as he arrived.
Gabriel attempted to smile for her sake. “Hank and Ian, correct?”
“I’m Hank.” The blond one pointed at his bare chest.
Of course he was. Gabriel rubbed just above his left eye, his fingers brushing against the tiny ports made for his halo to fit. Maybe he could find something else to jack in with, if that would be possible down here where everything seemed cobbled together like an afterthought. Maybe he could contact Metatron that way, somehow.
“I never see you at the market,” Kayla said.
“That’s because your dad won’t let you near our booth.” Ian laughed. He had a look about him, with his dark eyes and heavy brow, the way he held himself, that made Gabriel think of one of his generals, of someone in command.
“We’re done with appointments for the day. I wanted something to eat.” Hank gestured toward the food stand.
Their voices seemed to come from very far away. Gabriel blinked, trying to get the rest of the world to come into focus, but his vision continued to blur and warp. He reached out, not sure what he would grab on to, but instead he fell… down… down… down….
THE WATER retreated from his toes, almost as if he’d frightened it away. He laughed as it rolled forward again, and he scampered back, kicking up sand as he went. The ocean stretched out before him, and he extended his hand, imagining that the world would drop off right there at the horizon.
“Gabriel!”
He turned at the voice calling his name and looked up as his mother swooped in to pick him up. When had he gotten so small? She wrapped him in a towel that smelled like her sweet perfume and the roar of the ocean.
“Did you have fun, Gabriel?” When her lips shaped his name, it was not Gabriel. But he didn’t know what she meant to say.
“Yes. Again!”
She laughed and twirled him around and around, the ocean and sky blurring together until all was blue and gold.
GABRIEL BLINKED as a warm tongue rasped along his cheek. He swiped a hand across his face, dislodging Trixie from any more licks. Ian and Kayla stared down at him, and he wondered how he’d ended up on the ground. Sharp gravel dug into his back, and he winced at the flare of pain in his left shoulder blade.
“When did you last eat?” Ian asked.
Gabriel pushed himself up to sitting, his forehead still pounding. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten. Had he had any food at all today? Surely he’d gone longer than a day without food before, but he couldn’t remember that either.
“Yesterday?” he answered, remembering Kayla giving him a nutricube. This morning he’d bypassed the kitchen on his way to Jeff’s workshop. The memory of that had him flushing again.
“Here.” Hank appeared out of nowhere, wearing a fuzzy gray shirt over his formerly bare chest. “This should help.” He held out a small glastic bottle.
Gabriel took it with a shaking hand. “This is from midlevel,” he said without thinking.
Hank snorted. “Where you been, boy? Everything has to come from somewhere.”
But how did it get here? Gabriel took a sip of the sweet, cool liquid, feeling his belly calm. His head still pounded and he bent over, covering his eyes for a moment, hoping that would help.
“Where’s your dad?” Ian asked Kayla. “Gabe shouldn’t be out walking the market.”
“I’ll be all right,” Gabriel insisted.
“Supposed to meet him when we’re done shopping ’round the food supplies.” Kayla pulled Trixie back, keeping the dog settled with gentle strokes behind her ears.
Hank and Ian exchanged a look, and Gabriel imagined they were having a whole conversation with only their eyes. He didn’t like being left out. He already felt like he was missing worlds of information.
“I can take him to Ronnie’s,” Ian said. “You and Kayla bring Jeff ’round there.”
“Wait a minute.” Gabriel realized he didn’t want to be separated from Jeff so thoroughly. He knew nothing about this man. Why should he go with him? “I’m perfectly capable….” He moved to stand and would’ve stumbled back to the ground if it weren’t for Hank catching him by the arm.
“Oh yeah, you’re fine.” Hank turned to Ian. “Can you contact Jeff?”
Ian shook his head. “Jeff ain’t wired.” He motioned toward his ear, where a tiny black device stuck out of the port there. Gabriel had seen them before, mostly on the common people on midlevel. “I’ll get the bike and take him to Ronnie’s. You take the kid to Jeff.”
“Don’t I get a say in this?” Gabriel asked.
“It’s fine
, Gabe.” Kayla grabbed one of his hands and squeezed it tightly. “You can trust Ian.”
Gabriel wasn’t too sure of that.
Chapter Five
REALLY, THE guy had a lot of nerve charging that much for boxes of nearly expired nutricubes. And Jeff told him so, repeatedly. “You know I can just find someone else who’ll give me a break.”
“Man, you know these things are good for two years past the date.” The seller crossed his arms, his hair falling over his shoulder in thick braids. He didn’t look impressed with Jeff’s proposed price at all.
“Still not paying that much.” Jeff shook his head and made to walk away. Before the guy could come back with another price—which was what Jeff had been waiting for—Trixie’s barking caught his attention.
He turned to greet Kayla as she ran up and threw her arms around his waist. “That was some fast shopping.” When he looked up and saw Hank instead of Gabe behind her, Jeff didn’t know what to think. “What happened?”
Hank buried his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt. “Your boy passed out. Ian took him over to Ronnie’s place to rest up and get some food in him.”
Jeff narrowed his eyes at Hank. It would be just like Ian to do something like that, especially if he thought he could pump Gabe for information. “He passed out?” He ruffled Kayla’s hair. “You didn’t bring him by Hank and Ian’s tent, did you?”
Kayla pulled back and made a face. “Dad, really?”
Like she’d ever disobeyed him a day in her life. He grinned down at her. It helped not to think about the danger they were all suddenly in. If Gabe figured out that Jeff was holding out on him, that Ian still had connections to midlevel… well, Gabe leaving was the least of his problems.
“I’m sure Gabe’s seen worse.” Hank’s blue eyes seemed all too wise at the moment. “It’s probably because he hasn’t eaten since yesterday.”