Circus Escape Page 3

The series of screens inside meant the Operator would have an excellent vision around the crab, an advantage in a fight for sure.

  "What other secrets has Cate got?" asked Nessie.

  "Can't be giving too much away, now can I?" said Kris. "But I will give you another hint. Bet on Cate tonight. You'll win for sure."

  "Of course, you are going to say that, aren't you? You're her Operator." Nessie kept looking at the console trying to work out what secrets were there, probably in plain sight, but she didn't know quite enough of the inner workings of mechas, only what she read in books, and that was turning to be rather limited and much more out-of-date than she would've thought.

  "Not necessarily," Kris said. She was outside by the door, keeping a watchful eye on Nessie. "Consider it a helpful tip from a friend. You never know what's going to happen in a fight."

  "Unless they are rigged," said Nessie. She had wanted to believe Joy that the fights weren't, but too much had been documented in the news over the years for her to dismiss the fixing of fights.

  "Course not. But if you think they might be, then you should place a bet on Cate here. She won't let you down."

  "I don't place bets," answered Nessie tightly. She leant forward to inspect the controls overhead.

  "Look at you, sweet as honey, all innocent. No wonder Joy took you in."

  "What?" Nessie didn't like the way this woman was talking.

  "You can't trust everything Joy tells you," said Kris.

  "You're just jealous," Nessie answered. Her instincts had always been right about people. Joy seemed an all right sort of gal, someone she wanted to know more about.

  "Nothing to be jealous of, especially when I know that I'm going to be the one holding the trophy tonight and cashing in a check. You want to make sure that you choose the winning side."

  I have. But a little doubt crept into her mind. Sally will win.

  "Come on. Time you left," said Kris abruptly.

  I must be close to something. Nessie paused, looking upwards, straining her neck. But the dim light inside made it hard to see the detail needed to spy a gadget. "Just a minute."

  "You've had a minute too long. Out. Or I'll come in and get you out, and I won't be gentle on you." Kris jerked her head as if reminding Nessie the direction she should be going in.

  "Okay, okay." Nessie smiled politely to Kris. "Thank you for allowing me to look around."

  "Out." Kris glared at Nessie.

  Nessie stepped down from the inside the crab's body, nearly colliding with Kris. "I'll be on my way then."

  "Make sure of that." Kris folded her arms over her chest. "I'll walk you out."

  "No need." Nessie had been hoping to at least walk around Cate first, but that was no longer an option as Kris grabbed her arm and practically dragged her out of the garage.

  "Stay out." She pushed Nessie out into the sunlight.

  Nessie stumbled forward, her feet scrambling to find purchase on the dirt. Just when she thought that she was definitely going down, something grabbed her skirt from behind and pulled her backward. It was enough to change her momentum, and she wobbled upright back on her feet.

  "Thank you …" Nessie turned to see the glass eyes of the mecha emu staring at her. It screeched, flapped its stunted metal wings and then ran off. With enough curiosity still coursing around her veins, Nessie followed, this time determined to find out who was controlling the bird. But she struggled to keep up, and when she slowed, a rusty sign caught her eye. Beli Beetle.

  Her investigative nature kicked in once more.

  Nessie slipped to the side and stepped into the shadows of Beli's garage to keep out of plain sight of the men and women working near the entrance. Her attire made her look suspiciously out of place, but she managed to walk right up to Beli without anyone noticing her.

  Long feelers with sharp ends extended forward from Beli's head. They hung in the air with a slight bend, radiating strength. Six legs extended along the torso of the beetle, three on each side, just keeping Beli's large belly off the ground. The short legs had only one pivot point and the joints weren't the rotatable sort like Sally's. Beli wouldn't be able to move fast. I still think the spider will win.

  Nessie knocked on the metal exoskeleton. A hollow sound echoed around her. Strong. Very strong.

  "Oi," yelled a young man. "You ain't suppose to be 'ere."

  Nessie turned to see a young man swinging a wrecking bar. She wasn't about to hang around and see if she could convince him otherwise. Joy seemed to have made some rather special allowances showing her Sally Spider.

  "Get out of 'ere." He thumped the wrecking bar into his hand and then repeated the motion.

  Nessie ran. She didn't want to meet this man. She burst out into the sunlight, giggling. I've never had so much fun in my life.

  *~*~*

  Joy turned off the cold water from the communal shower. She had to hurry to get ready on time. Her mind swirled like the brownish water disappearing down the drain. She couldn't make up her mind whether or not to follow Jim's instructions. She'd never disobeyed him before. But she hadn't been Operating Sally Spider before.

  After a quick rub dry, she slipped on a frilled cream dress over her worn brown tights and secured a brown corset around her waist. Her overalls were fine when she was doing the grease work, but during the fight and when relaxing she wanted something that breathed and was tailored to her body. Something more feminine.

  Joy sat down and pulled on her brown leather knee-high boots and laced them. She brushed them down with her damp towel, giving them a modest shine. Her dark hair was twisted up into a loose bun. A wisp of hair hung down along the side of her long face, giving her a natural carefree look. A look that was far from how she felt inside.

  "In one hour's time, the Mecha Mesh will begin. Get ya bets on quick. Don't leave it too late." The speaker crackled.

  Joy cursed herself for being so slow and for getting herself in a knot over whether or not to win the fight. I have to lose tonight. There's no choice. She sped her preparations to make sure she made it back to prime Sally before the fight. Under her instructions, she had a few lackeys who would be there making sure that no one went near Sally once she had finished her last check. They would be cleaning up the garage, sweeping it out and organising the tools. It was about all she could allow them to do since she hated anyone touching Sally without her being there. She'd never been so protective of a mecha she'd Operated before, but then they hadn't been made of her own design, based on ideas she'd spent years dreaming about. She bundled up her dirty clothes and ran back to Sally's garage.

  "Cutting a bit close Joy," said Oren. "We've been waiting for ya."

  "Here." She handed her dirty clothes to a young boy standing nearby looking like he had too much free time on his hands. He wrinkled his nose, turned and ran off to get them cleaned.

  "Is she primed?" Joy went into automatic mode. Clean, wearing fresh clothes, she felt confident. Plus, she had made up her mind about the fight. Throw it. It didn't sit well with her, but she'd been in this business long enough to know that this was how things went here. If she didn't do what Jim told her, her reputation would be scrap metal and the only job she would be fit for would be a washer-woman. She didn't want that to happen.

  "Was about to start."

  "You know to wait for me." Annoyance edged her voice. She walked up to Sally and inserted the charging line.

  "Yes, ma'am." He bobbed his head in apology and went over to the wall ready to start the flow of electricity.

  "Start her up," yelled Joy. The line clicked in place. It hummed, a loud, electrical sound as the juice flowed into Sally's body. It was the kick start needed to get the big machine moving.

  Joy stepped away from Sally and looked around the garage to check things were in order. She might leave the place a mess, but it didn't mean that she liked it. She preferred to put her energy into the machine.

  "Oi, you, shut the garage door." She pointed to a girl standing doing nothing. The girl ra
n to the front and used the chains and pulley to lower the garage door.

  "Ya should've done that already." Joy didn't want people staring at them while they got Sally started.

  "Jim says thirty minutes and remember ya head," said Oren.

  Yeah, I bet he does. She nodded her head in acknowledgement.

  "She's juiced up," yelled a woman watching the gauge.

  "Good, switch her off." Joy walked to Sally as the lackeys ran to switch off the flow of electricity and pulled out the line. This part needed to be timed perfectly. If she got Sally ready too soon, they would be waiting in the wings wasting electricity.

  Joy stepped inside. "Ready the back door." She closed the door and settled into her seat. For a moment, she felt the shape of Nessie's body in the seat before the material remoulded around her. At least Nessie will be watching. Joy couldn't imagine Nessie missing out on the chance to see a Mecha fight. A buzz went through her body knowing Nessie was out there to see her. Sally, more to the point, but Sally was part of her and to Joy it was the same thing.

  Joy put the communicator in her ear. It buzzed as it connected in with the system. Jim was arguing with one of the Operators of the pre-show performance.

  Nothing unusual there. Joy tuned out the noise.

  "Hope you're ready for your big loss, Joy." Joy ignored Kris as she flicked through the start-up sequence. The time for talking was over. She had a job to do.

  Blue lights on the console flickered on and glowed in the dark space. Joy looked out and someone gave her the thumbs up. "Let's go Sally."

  *~*~*

  Spectators lined up at the entrance to purchase their tickets. People from surrounding moons arrived frequently. Ship lights lined the horizon as they powered down from the flight. The numbers swelled. Past the garages were a series of tents where the workers had set up their makeshift homes for the night.

  Children ran and screamed in amazement at the miniature mechas walking around the marquee. Nessie had managed to find out that they weren't Operated and had some sort of internal intelligence, but the man she'd asked hadn't been very helpful, more concerned she bought his wares.

  Nessie chewed on a Dagwood Dog, her tastebuds delighting in the salty, fatty flavour. She walked casually through the marquee, ignoring the shouting of the sideshow people who were trying to get people to come and play. She knew the games were definitely rigged.

  She dabbed her mouth with her lacy handkerchief to remove any ketchup. The stick, licked clean, was dumped in a rubbish bin and she continued walking.

  "Place ya bets here," yelled a man standing on a forty-four gallon drum. "Bets here, ladies and gentlemen."

  Nessie paused. Over the last few hours, she hadn't been able to keep thinking there was no way that Sally could lose tonight. It was a sure bet. But I never gamble.

  "Come and place ya bet, quickly now. The main fight starts in fifteen."

  "One hundred on Cate," yelled one man.

  "Right you are." He took the money and handed back a small piece of paper. "Good luck."

  "Twenty on Cate," yelled a woman. "No, make it fifty."

  The atmosphere swept over Nessie, making her part of the increasing excitement as another person stepped up to make a bet. She couldn't ignore the temptation anymore. There wasn't the time for her to stand and ponder whether or not this was the right thing to do or not. What would be the wise amount? No time for that either. She walked up to the man.

  "Do you take money cards or cash only?" asked Nessie.

  "Both," he answered.

  Nessie reached into her handbag and pulled out her card. "All on Sally," she said firmly as she handed over the card. Her entire savings. She'd been keeping it hoping that one day it would be enough to buy a ticket out of here and go and study or get an apprentice. But she'd always been too scared. Today, her confidence rocketed. She was ready to take a risk. Her blood pulsed in time with the energy of the building crowd.

  The man took her card, swiped it through his ticket machine. He raised his eyebrow.

  "The odds aren't great for the newbie." He looked at her. "Maybe try Beli, or Cate? Or you could try the old machines. One of them could win tonight too, ya know."

  "No. I want it all on Sally."

  "Ya sure?" The man asked.

  "I've never been more sure in my life."

  He typed on the ticket machine and a piece of paper scrolled out printed with the transaction. "Don't lose this." He handed the paper and card back to her.

  "Of course." She put them her purse, snapped it shut, and walked off feeling like for the first time in her life she was taking control.

  *~*~*

  Joy moved the spider up a gear. She turned the driving stick to move Sally around in a circle, using all of her eight legs to make the 180 degree turn. The lackeys ran out of the way, pressing themselves up against the wall to give her the room needed. Sally's legs might be thin, but they would easily kill a person if they got in the way.

  Sally's vibrations retuned Joy's body and together they pulsed excitedly with anticipation with what was to come. Joy went into the next gear and moved Sally forward through the back door and out into the makeshift tunnel that would come out into the arena.

  "Two minutes," warned Jim.

  "Perfect." Joy slowed Sally's movements a little so that she could use the momentum to walk through the door rather than having to stop and then start again. It was going to be a long night, and she wanted to keep the energy stored in Sally for the fight with Cate. "Come on, baby. Let's give them a show to remember."

  *~*~*

  Nessie couldn't wait to see how Sally Spider performed in the arena tonight. She felt a connection to the mecha because she'd been lucky enough to sit inside it. She'd missed the first few fights after placing her bet and getting a ticket, and then finding the correct numbered gate for her seating area. At least the first few fights were with the older mechas; she only wanted to see the new models fighting.

  Nessie went up the stairs into the arena and spied a single seat near the front of the railing. Lucky. She caught a few stares she walked down to the front—her ocean blue dress wasn't appropriate for a night out in the arena, but she hadn't had time to change. She'd rung her mother and left a message with the maid that she was coming home soon and not to worry. It was fortunate her mother was still laid up with a migraine and her father was busy with the re-election campaigns.

  "Excuse me? Is that seat taken?" she asked at the end of the row.

  "You want it love, you take it," answered a man.

  "I will. Excuse me." She pushed past the man and then a couple, missing their toes, before coming to the free seat. She sat down on the hard plastic surface and looked out. She had a clear view of the arena, both entry points and the over-sized screen. Perfect.

  "They can't have made the spider's legs so thin. They can't have. It's not technically possible." She heard a man nearby say. She clamped her jaw together to stop herself from interjecting. It was better not to correct people. Besides, it wasn't that long ago she had been in awe of those legs. She still was. It was those beautiful legs with two rotating joints that she hoped would give Sally an advantage. She had put money on it.

  The puppy and emu were entertaining the crowd by chasing each other in the arena. From what Nessie could tell, the emu was winning because it kept pinching the puppy's tail. She laughed at their clowning behaviour and kept squirming in her seat, wanting the real fighting to begin. She was so close to the action, she reckoned that she would be able to see the sparks coming off the metal as they fought. Nessie pressed her lips together to stop herself from squealing and pinched her arm to make sure this wasn't a dream. Her eyes glued to the large doors, she waited impatiently for them to be opened.

  "Welcome ladies and gentleman." Nessie sat up straight in her seat.

  "For the first time tonight, welcome Sally Spider." The crowd roared, the people around her jumping up, yelling and screaming, and she did too, forgetting to behave like a lady. A fe
w boos and hissing sounds mingled with the cheers. "Welcome the spider from her web. Her first time in the arena. Will she have enough venom to win?"

  Sally crawled out into the dusty arena. Nessie couldn't see Joy inside. The front leg raised as if waving and the crowd's volume increased. Those legs are amazing. Then Sally reared back and moved her front legs, ready to strike. A wave of gasps rolled around the spectators. She looks beautiful.

  Nessie's hands hurt from clapping so much.

  "Aaaand Cate Crab for her second fight this year." Cate crab-walked out from the opposite door. Nessie's hands stilled. She didn't want to cheer for the Crab, even if it was only in good sportsmanship. Instead, caught in the moment, she hissed, even though people around her cheered. Cate's front claws clipped together fast and hard, razor insides capable of cutting and crushing other mechas.

  "Watch out for those claws."

  Nessie's stomach churned as she saw the raw power of Cate. She began to doubt the bet she had placed. It's too late, just enjoy this. But it wasn't easy as the partly-digested Dagwood Dog threatened to emerge from her stomach.

  She placed her gloved hand to cover her mouth and made herself look at Sally who was turning around, baring the striking pose to the other side of the arena. The sight of the sexy spider eased her stomach. She could tell by the graceful movements Joy handled Sally well. Joy. Nessie glanced over at the crab scurrying across the arena. It was powerful. It would be a close fight.

  "Aaaand finally, for her second appearance, Beli Beetle."

  Again the crowd cheered and Nessie booed as the beetle scuttled out. It was much lower to the ground than the other two mechas, and she was sure that it wouldn't stand a chance.

  The three mechas moved around the arena, snapping at each other and posing for the audience. Sally stopped in front of Nessie, waved her front leg, and then moved on, leaving Nessie wondering if Joy had seen her or not. She hoped so.

  Slowly they left the arena, returning through the blackness of the doors they had entered. "Buuut first, we have some entertainment. Some oldies, but you love them."

  She plonked back down in the seat, almost exhausted from yelling while the old mechas paraded around.