Tesla: A Teen Steampunk/Cyberpunk Adventure (Tesla Evolution Book 1) (30 page)

They all squinted and noticed the faint glint of a solitary beacon of hope in the pit of the night.
 

“Why didn’t we see that before?” she said.

The automaton came flapping down from the torrential night, like a crazed No Bearing fan. It hit Isaac in the middle of his chest and sent him crashing to the ground, spinning through the mud.

“At least it’s happy to see you,” muttered Sebastian.
 

They trudged off in the direction of the solitary light, with Isaac scrambling to catch up.

*

Melanie knocked on the door. She had to duck to fit in under the low roof on the strange shed located in the middle of nowhere. She craned under the eaves, and the water ran down the back of her neck, making her shiver. She was about to turn away when the door creaked open. There was no one standing behind it.

“Hello?” she called out. There was no response.
 

She peered in. The place appeared to be empty, as well as warm, tantalizingly dry, and peaceful. She took a step inside. No one shouted or attacked her so she took another step. The walls were covered in decorative hangings, and a thick carpet appeared to be attached to the ceiling. It dulled the incessant hammering of the rain to a gentle and soothing lullaby. She yawned, and indicated for the others to enter.

Isaac was looking intently at the images on the walls. He pointed at one showing four young people running in the rain being shot at by men in black holding guns that were firing light. He cleared his throat.

There was a loud cackle. They all spun around and faced the center of the room. There was no one there. Melanie felt Gavin’s hand on her shoulder. She turned to see a hideous old woman standing behind her. After several minutes of having to convince Isaac to come out from under the large chair, the group settled down.

“That was a colorful display of local language,” said the old woman. She was short and wrapped in rags. Her gray hair was tied up into a severe bun, and her eyes looked full of menace.

“You startled me,” Melanie replied as a way of explanation.

“Still, you could have entered several minutes beforehand and without the personal threats. Your young beau nearly hit the roof.” She indicated Gavin, who was trying to compose himself.

“I’m not used to people appearing out of thin air,” he said.

She laughed. “I didn’t appear out of thin air. I came in from the other room.”

“The one that we were all looking at,” Melanie said. “But you appeared behind us.”

“Yes …” the woman replied hesitantly. “Anyway, you look like you could use some shelter. Maybe a bite to eat?”

“Food?” whimpered Isaac. He still had not emerged from beneath the seat.

“I need to sit down,” Sebastian said. He looked tired beyond words.
 

“Yeah, me too,” added Gavin.

The two sat down on rugs and pillows piled against the wall. They both yawned and relaxed into the comfortable heaps.

“Gentlemen, give me your clothes. I shall dry them,” the old woman said.

Much to Melanie’s surprise they got up and removed their outer clothes, somewhat in a daze, and handed them over. They lay down and were asleep almost moments later.

“You too, young man under the chair,” the old woman said.

A bunch of clothes was thrown out and landed at her feet. And within seconds, a slight snoring came from Isaac’s direction as well.

“They must have been tired indeed,” muttered the old lady. “Help me with the task.”

“I normally have someone who does that for me,” Melanie said.

“Even in the cave?”

“How did you know about the cave?”

“I didn’t, you just told me.”

“Hang on, that’s very suspic—”

“Enough of this lighthearted chatter, we must dry the clothes.”
 

The old woman handed the soaking wet collection of garments to Melanie and motioned for her to follow. Through the archway lay a utilitarian room, stark and cold. There was a wide pillar in the center of the room that looked like an ancient tree trunk. Even without the carpet on the ceiling, the rain had a distant, smoothing quality, like it was happening a long way off. Melanie yawned again and blinked to keep her eyes open.
 

She saw in the corner of the room a large bronze contraption full of pipes, wheels and a large cylindrical drum.

“What’s that machine?” she asked, stifling another yawn.

A boiler was producing a steady head of steam, turning a paddlewheel, which in turn rotated a belt, which was attached to a large metal drum. It turned quietly with the occasional
whump
sound. An incredible amount of heat was pouring off the drum and boiler.

“It’s for the rapid drying of clothes. I call it the aeration-and-freshening-of-clothes device.”

“That’ll catch on.” Sarcasm dripped like unpleasant honey from Melanie’s voice. She fought against the drowsiness trying to claim her.

“You cannot stop the march of progress, child. You will learn that one day.”
 

The old woman wandered over to the device and pulled a lever. It came to a shuddering halt. She opened the door and steam billowed out of the drum. She signaled for Melanie to join her.

“Come, dear, help an old lady with crooked hands fold the clothes.”

“This machine seems like a lot of effort when you could simply hang your clothes up outside in the heat like everyone else does.”

“You cannot trust the air; it carries the voices of evil men. It soaks into the clothing if you leave it out. And then I hear their foul mutterings when I wear the clothes.”

The old lady withdrew Sebastian’s shirt and folded it neatly. She handed it to Melanie, who threw it on the floor. The old lady glanced over her shoulder to make sure Sebastian was asleep in the far room.

Melanie shook her head. She was being handed back clothes she couldn’t remember handing over.

“There’s not much I can tell you, but this I know for certain.” The old lady paused and closed her eyes. “You will meet your demise at his hands. Follow him and you will lose everything. Your heart. Your mind. Your body. And all that will be left will be your angry and bitter thoughts floating in the wind across the empty desert.”

Melanie looked down at the pile of clothes on the floor, unsure what to make of the prophecy.
 

“I’m sorry. Now pass me the basket. You’ll be given a chance to leave him. That’s the only way you can save yourself and what you truly love.”

“Do you mean Gavin?”

The old woman winked at her, and turned to leave. She disappeared behind the pillar.

“Hey, I was asking you a question. Why do old people always do that? Can’t start a sentence. Can’t finish one. Hey, come back.”

She walked around the pillar, and was confronted by the total absence of the old lady. She appeared to have disappeared. Melanie searched around the room several times, even knocking on the pillar to see if it had a secret entrance.

She turned and trudged back to the sleeping Sebastian. As she sat down, a voice floated to her on the wind as if being shouted from a long way away:
What you truly love.
She assumed that meant Gavin. But she had conflict. With all her heart she wanted to protect Gavin, but she had sworn to protect Sebastian. She hoped she wouldn’t have to make a choice.

She rubbed her eyes. Something seemed wrong. The boys were asleep on the floor, breathing heavily.

“Dear child, you must be tired. Maybe you need some clean air. Come with me to the well, for we are without water.”

“I’m not a child.”

“Technically you’re not. But you are.”

“Technically you’re not an old, annoying bat. I don’t want to go out in the rain.” She could still hear it drumming away on the roof, with the deceptive lyrical tone that seemed to wash away your troubles.

“What rain?” said the old woman as she opened the door. They both stepped out into a cold night. Melanie’s breath billowed out in the frost. The night sky was clear and full of stars. Her mind was losing its fight against sleep and she stumbled forward, not noticing the strange land surrounding her.

“Many people will come and go over your coming battles, child, and it won’t always be clear who the enemy is. You’ll need to learn wisdom and trust your instincts. Otherwise dark times will come and take the land.”

“You’re the cheery one,” Melanie said. “Do you have anything positive to say?”

“You’ll have good weather for two days. Then heavy rains.”

“All in all, that doesn’t really balance out the doom-and-gloom, end-of-the-world stuff.”

“How about this. You’ll meet a tall, dark stranger, and fall in love.”

“I thought that already happened.”

“Child, what do you know of love? You haven’t felt the raw pain of loss, the eternal damnation of unrequited affection.”

“I think I preferred the weather report.”

“Nevertheless, much will rest on you. There will be times when you need to make decisions with your heart, and sometimes with your head. If you fail to do this, all will be lost.” She cackled and wandered off to the well. “So what do you think you’ll do?”

“About what?” The bucket was heavy in Melanie’s hands.

“Your oath. Will you keep your promise?”

“How did we end up back in your shed? We were just out by the well.”

“Yes, then we came back. It would be impossible for us to just magically appear here.”

Melanie sat down on the floor. Behind her were a dozen pillows. She reclined into them and closed her eyes.

“Your oath. You must keep it if you’re all to survive. Break it and the world will be lost.”

“What oath?” Melanie yawned. “I can’t remember …”

“The one you’re yet to make, child,” the old woman said.
 

Melanie fell into a deep slumber, and all four of them slept on as the rain drummed on the roof, alone in the empty room.
 

38

SEBASTIAN STIRRED. HE was the first awake. He was covered with several blankets and his clothes were next to him, dry and pressed. His chestplate had even been polished. He staggered up and quickly dressed before anyone had the chance to see his underpants. He stretched out his limbs. They were stiff and sore from the overnight march.

He crept over to the front door. The morning sun greeted him and lifted his spirits. He stepped out into the growing light and onto the hardening sands. He walked around the shed. It looked small from the outside, barely big enough to fit even the one room, let alone two. He took a couple of deep breaths, smelling the freshness of the clean skies and damp ground.

The old woman coughed.

He jumped out of his skin.

“Young child, you must be thirsty,” came her old, croaky voice. She was standing behind a large boiling pot. A small fire burned underneath, glowing green in the morning light. “Drink long of the broth, and receive its gifts.”

Sebastian gave her a long stare. He stepped over to the pot and sniffed. “Does this contain strange things and foreign exotics, like vegetables?”

“You’ll receive great nourishment in both mind and spirit.”

Sebastian took this to mean that it not only had vegetables, but also tofu. Yet it did smell tempting. He hadn’t eaten in a day, and the sandwiches Isaac made had looked highly suspect.
 

The old woman looked at him gleefully as he approached. She held out her ancient, hooked hand and beckoned him to taste.

“If I drink from this, will I be given insight into dark, possible futures?” he asked.

“No. You’ll be given relief from thirst and hunger for a short while, stupid child. Just have a drink and be on your way. You’re annoying and ask too many stupid questions. I have things to do, people to see. I’m a busy wit—person. You’ll need the sustenance from the broth once the darkness comes.”

He took the small bowl she offered and dipped it in the broth. He slurped noisily. “Hey, that’s not ba—”

*

Sebastian was woken by someone shaking him violently.
 

Melanie was shouting at him. “What were you
doing
out here?” she yelled, rocking him back and forth.

Sebastian took a deep breath. He saw Gavin and Isaac standing behind Melanie. “I came out, and it was fresh and the old woman gave me something to drink, and it was quite tasty, then she said some stuff, then everything went dark suddenly. Then there was the elephant. Then the fire under the pot exploded.”

Everyone looked around at the ground. There was no sign of an explosion. Or even any other tracks in the drying mud other than Sebastian’s.

“Are you okay?” asked Isaac.

Sebastian took a deep breath. “I feel good. Great, in fact, full of beans. Not beans, because they’re vegetables and I’m generally allergic to all vegetables. Even beans. But they’re funny because they make you fart.”

The others looked uncertainly at each other.

“Are you sure—” Isaac began.

“Don’t ask him any more questions,” Melanie blurted. She had to interrupt otherwise it would take them all day to get going.
 

She helped Sebastian up and handed him his pack. It felt heavier than before, but he felt strong and bouncy. He slipped it over his shoulders and they set off in the direction of the cyborg hive.

*

“Come on, Gavin, keep up.” Isaac had been giving the older boy trouble for the last several miles.

“Shut up, pipsqueak.”

“Hey, I’m the one who found shelter. What have
you
done?”

“My task’s more important. When it’s time I shall be revealed and save the day,” Gavin replied.

“Save the day? More like save your skin.”

“Leave him alone, Isaac. You’re coming across as jealous,” Melanie said.

“What’s there to be jealous of? Some of us have had to earn our rewards, not have them just handed to us.”

“I’ll have you know I worked damned hard to get where I am,” she said.

“It’s hardly the same. That physical stuff is easy compared to the mental pain and anguish a tesla goes through,” Gavin said.

Sebastian looked back over his shoulder at the others trailing behind. He shook his head at their bickering and focused ahead, into the wind.