grin.
Damnation.
He’d done it again—figured something out before Robi had seen it. It was getting annoying, especially from someone trained to be a lab monkey. She resolved to keep an eye on John for the foreseeable future.
“Well?” she said, expectantly.
Without answering, John reached through the bars of his cell and took hold of the deputy’s arm. He braced himself against the iron bars and pulled, sliding the unconscious man next to the cell. With that done, he removed the deputy’s key ring from his belt.
Robi felt her mouth fall open for a second. She’d been so fixated on picking the lock on the Scrapstalker cage that she forgot there were other ways out. John told her that the shocker box could be simply turned off if he could just reach it.
After a few moments of fumbling, John selected a long iron key and stepped to his cell door. One deft twist of the key later, and John stood outside the cell.
“It will take a minute for the cell to lose its charge,” he said, moving to the open shocker box.
Robi nodded her approval.
“I should have seen that,” she said. “You’re pretty bright—even if you didn’t grow up on the streets.”
“You’re right,” John said, fixing her with his eyes.
Green eyes.
Stop that!
“What are you waiting for?” Robi asked when John didn’t move. “He won’t be out forever.”
“I’m not street smart,” John went on. “I know about growing crystals and I can repair Lantian machines but I don’t know the first thing about finding people. I’ll let you out, but only if you promise to help me track down the woman who stole my crystal.”
A lead weight dropped into Robi’s gut.
Damn him.
“You can’t leave me here,” she hissed.
“I’ve got the keys,” he said, jingling them suggestively. “I can walk out of here right now and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
“I can yell.”
He shook his head.
“Nice try,” he said. “The others must have gone out. No one came when this one got shocked.”
Damn, damn, damn.
“You won’t last an hour out there,” she said. “They’ll find you and bring you right back here.”
“That’s why I need you,” John said. “You need me to get out of your cell, and I need you to help me pick up the trail of the tattooed woman. Is it a deal?”
Robi sighed. This was not going the way she’d anticipated. All she had to do was get out and help John get on a train for somewhere else and then everybody would be fine. Now crystal boy wanted to muck up a perfectly good plan with his personal revenge.
Still, what choice did she have?
“Fine,” she said. “I know a few people and we can ask around. It shouldn’t be too hard to find someone who remembers a woman with a tattoo on half her face.”
“Swear,” he said.
Unbidden, the old man’s words came rushing to her lips. “You don’t know me, so I’m going to let that one go. When I give my word, it’s my bond, my honor. If anyone breaks this deal, it will be you.”
John seemed to think about this for a moment, then he nodded, turning off the flux valve in the shocker box. A few minutes later, Robi stood outside the Scrapstalker cell, retrieving her dropped lock pick.
“What now?” John asked, eyeing the solid door leading to the front office.
Robi closed the door of the Scrapstalker cell and re-locked the door. “Reactivate the shocker box.”
“Why?” John asked.
“It’s something my dad taught me,” she said. “No one wonders how you got out of an unlocked cell. But if they find you gone and the door locked, it keeps them guessing. People literally thought my dad could walk through walls.”
John considered that for a moment, then shrugged and turned the rubber valve to re-activate the shocker box.
Without waiting for the cell to charge again, Robi tied the deputy’s keys back on his belt, then led the way to the cell block door. Her steps were light and noiseless. John, however, sounded like an army of steam
Damnation.
He’d done it again—figured something out before Robi had seen it. It was getting annoying, especially from someone trained to be a lab monkey. She resolved to keep an eye on John for the foreseeable future.
“Well?” she said, expectantly.
Without answering, John reached through the bars of his cell and took hold of the deputy’s arm. He braced himself against the iron bars and pulled, sliding the unconscious man next to the cell. With that done, he removed the deputy’s key ring from his belt.
Robi felt her mouth fall open for a second. She’d been so fixated on picking the lock on the Scrapstalker cage that she forgot there were other ways out. John told her that the shocker box could be simply turned off if he could just reach it.
After a few moments of fumbling, John selected a long iron key and stepped to his cell door. One deft twist of the key later, and John stood outside the cell.
“It will take a minute for the cell to lose its charge,” he said, moving to the open shocker box.
Robi nodded her approval.
“I should have seen that,” she said. “You’re pretty bright—even if you didn’t grow up on the streets.”
“You’re right,” John said, fixing her with his eyes.
Green eyes.
Stop that!
“What are you waiting for?” Robi asked when John didn’t move. “He won’t be out forever.”
“I’m not street smart,” John went on. “I know about growing crystals and I can repair Lantian machines but I don’t know the first thing about finding people. I’ll let you out, but only if you promise to help me track down the woman who stole my crystal.”
A lead weight dropped into Robi’s gut.
Damn him.
“You can’t leave me here,” she hissed.
“I’ve got the keys,” he said, jingling them suggestively. “I can walk out of here right now and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
“I can yell.”
He shook his head.
“Nice try,” he said. “The others must have gone out. No one came when this one got shocked.”
Damn, damn, damn.
“You won’t last an hour out there,” she said. “They’ll find you and bring you right back here.”
“That’s why I need you,” John said. “You need me to get out of your cell, and I need you to help me pick up the trail of the tattooed woman. Is it a deal?”
Robi sighed. This was not going the way she’d anticipated. All she had to do was get out and help John get on a train for somewhere else and then everybody would be fine. Now crystal boy wanted to muck up a perfectly good plan with his personal revenge.
Still, what choice did she have?
“Fine,” she said. “I know a few people and we can ask around. It shouldn’t be too hard to find someone who remembers a woman with a tattoo on half her face.”
“Swear,” he said.
Unbidden, the old man’s words came rushing to her lips. “You don’t know me, so I’m going to let that one go. When I give my word, it’s my bond, my honor. If anyone breaks this deal, it will be you.”
John seemed to think about this for a moment, then he nodded, turning off the flux valve in the shocker box. A few minutes later, Robi stood outside the Scrapstalker cell, retrieving her dropped lock pick.
“What now?” John asked, eyeing the solid door leading to the front office.
Robi closed the door of the Scrapstalker cell and re-locked the door. “Reactivate the shocker box.”
“Why?” John asked.
“It’s something my dad taught me,” she said. “No one wonders how you got out of an unlocked cell. But if they find you gone and the door locked, it keeps them guessing. People literally thought my dad could walk through walls.”
John considered that for a moment, then shrugged and turned the rubber valve to re-activate the shocker box.
Without waiting for the cell to charge again, Robi tied the deputy’s keys back on his belt, then led the way to the cell block door. Her steps were light and noiseless. John, however, sounded like an army of steam
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