Page 9 of The Fall
“You look ridiculous, Uncle.” Pinga knocked into Sparx.
Sparx sucked his teeth. “How times have changed.”
Sesi laughed. “Did you know your Uncle thought I was a skrae the first time he saw me?”
“What’s a skrae?” Pinga screwed up her face.
“I don’t fuckin know,” Sesi nearly fell over laughing. “But he was convinced.”
“It’s not my fault!” Sparx whined. “That’s what I was told.”
“Which goes to show that you should never accept what someone tells you without fact-checking yourself.” Sesi wiped away a tear before it froze to her face.
“How was I supposed to check? Scour the entire Arctic?” Sparx whined.
Shaking her head in pity, Sesi trudged on, leaving him behind. “You could have asked me.”
The moment of levity passing, Lusa blew a thin stream of vapour to calm herself. This wasn’t a trading camp and she wasn’t familiar with the terrain. Keeping vigilant, she scanned the horizon. Tyton’s dead corporate towers loomed like cursed monuments. Cracked and dirty Hexaline, repurposed bricks and corrugated aluminium populated the lower street level. Her mother and Sparx did not appear to feel the same unease.
Lusa checked on her sister. Pinga stared agape at an ad featuring a woman with a dog face and multiple breasts to match before the screen switched to a bowl of algae ramen with mosquito flakes.
Sesi kept the mood light. “It tastes better than you’d think.”
“Noodle shops were never able to afford ad space before.” Sparx added. “Now I’m hungry.”
Sesi shrugged. We can pick some up on the way home. Just don’t tell Callie.
“Can we have some?” Pinga asked.
Lusa curled her lip. “Leave me out of this.” She may have longed to disappear into the crowd of people. To become anonymous, seen and forgotten like a million other faces that passed by that day. Free to reinvent herself. But she doubted she could handle the food.
“Rhea certainly has gone downhill.”
Lusa assumed her mother was talking about the market, a path carved through piles of rubbish, lined with stalls made of rubbish selling slightly fancier rubbish. Instead, she pointed to an old Adlets tag painted over. Lusa spotted a bare-breasted woman with an equally bare skull.
“Styx,” Sparx whispered to the girls. She swivelled her head and then added, “Looks like your mom was right.”
“I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show.” Pinga spun around at the strange voice.
Sesi only gave him the satisfaction of a backwards glance. “I knew you had a tracker in that gift, Cinder.”
Cinder pretended to look ashamed. “You found the phantom power source.”
“Did you think we wouldn’t?” Sesi crossed her arms. Hidden by her coat, Lusa knew they were larger than Cinder’s. She had also been warned about judging based on appearances here. His strength amplifier patch was visible, the latest gen on the market before BioNTech shut down along with the other implant manufacturers.
“You should know we’re also in contact with the Styx.” Cinder tilted his head toward the graffiti. “If you can’t make a deal, we’ll be going to them.”
“Hmm.” Sesi flexed her shoulders. Even if Cinder was stronger, she still looked impressive. “You know what my mother told me?” She pitched forward slightly. “Don’t chase men.”
Lusa knew that Sesi’s mother had said no such thing. She disappeared when Sesi was six. But she doubted Cinder knew that.
Only hesitating a moment, Cinder conceded. “Fine.” He walked away. “Come with me.”
Sesi and the girls followed. “I’ve got eyes on you. All clear so far.” Sparx’s voice sounded underwater through the bone conducting mechanism in her monocle.
“You’re aware of the limitations of your DocPods, even with the override chips, right?” Sesi said. “You won’t be able to give yourself green eyes and fangs.”
Lusa watched attentively. She loved seeing which mask Sesi would wear for different traders. Polite. Haughty. Ingenue. Finding just the right buttons to press. Cinder’s shoulders bristled, but he didn’t respond. Subtle actions became a lot less subtle. Cinder became an open book.
