Circus Escape (3 page)

"You can. You have before; it's no different this time."

'"ut it's Sally's first time out. We want her to win." Joy's blood pressure flowed around her body with a fierce force. Besides, she'd told Nessie the fights weren't fixed, and her lie sat heavy in her stomach.

'You will do what I say." His words edged with authority.

"No. Why would ya do this? After all the time taken to get her built. This is the time for Sally to shine." She clenched her fists tight, the ends of her short nails digging into her skin.

"Listen sweetheart, its business. Don't lose your cool over it." Jim stepped forward, trying to intimidate Joy.

Joy wasn't about to back down. She'd argued with him before. "I haven't lost my cool."

"You'll be out on your own. I'll take your money and keep Sally for myself." He smiled, his blackened gums a disgusting sight. "I'm sure Kris will take the chance to Operate Sally."

"I sure will," said Kris. "Just tell me what to do and consider it done."

Joy glared at them both, knowing she didn't have a choice. Not when they put it that way.
I might lose this argument, but don't think I'm going to roll over and lose for you.
She had done that in the past:  it was the game, it got her paid, and she needed the money. Still did, but she wasn't about to abandon her mecha. She wanted to keep Sally Spider at all costs. "Fine then. On your head."

"My head isn't going anywhere, and it will be on yours if you don't lose." He pointed a finger at her. "You got it."

"Yeah boss, I got it." She kept her posture straight, her chin high, and looked him square in the eyes.
Bastard. He probably owes someone big some money and they are leaning on him.

"Please win, Joy. I so want to be able to Operate Sally. I'm sure we will make such a scene in the arena," smirked Kris.

Joy ignored her.
I'll deal with you later
.

"I'll be watching." Jim paused to make his intentions clear to Joy. His stare was enough to send shivers down most people or make them wet themselves. Not Joy. But she also knew when not to mess with him.

He turned to Kris, whose smile faded quickly. "And you better put up a decent fight, otherwise you'll be out on your arse as well."

Kris's eyes widened. "Yes boss, you can count on me," she squeaked.

Jim grunted. "Make sure of it." He turned and left.

"Well, that was pleasant." Joy tried to make light of what had just happened despite her ever-increasing anger.

"More pleasant for me," Kris smiled. But the confident edge she'd had before was gone. "I win tonight."

"Yeah, but ya have to make it look convincing, and ya ain't up for that."

"We will see about that." Kris stormed off, kicking a metal container on the way out and sending it clanking back towards Joy. It hit the wall, rolled and then rocked to a standstill.

I'm glad they're gone
. Joy felt as rattled like the metal container. She had lost the clear head she normally had when completing the last check. Plus, she had sworn to Nessie that the fights weren't fixed. Now she felt like a liar, and she was trying to live a more honest life now that she had her dream mecha to drive.

Honesty and the mecha business didn't really meld together.

No way am I losing this fight
. Jim was known to have rubbed a few other mecha owners the wrong way. Joy could only guess they had something on him, or he owed them money. Didn't matter. Her dream of winning the first fight with Sally was about to crash and burn. She had to think of an alternative.

Joy picked up a rag and began to wipe down Sally's body as gently as if she were alive and not a machine.
Do I throw the fight or not?
Each time she thought about losing, her stomach twisted tighter as if a screw was being driven deep within her.
Lose? Win?
It was the only thing she could think about as she finished polishing Sally's metal.

*~*~*

Nessie's blood stirred as she paused at the front of Sally's garage in the last part of the shaded concrete.
This is what I've longed for
. New freedom flowed through her body, making her feel alive. She strode off to see what other novel things she could discover. So far, she had done just fine. She had seen her first mecha, sat inside, and met a woman who made her senses flourish. Nessie feel like each step she took was on the air rather than in the red dusty dirt that clouded upwards, coating her new dress.

Normally, she would think about what to do next and how long it would take, but not today.
It was time I did things differently.

Sunlight kissed her face as she met this new world of bustling people running around carrying parts of machines, or panels for the arena wall, or an over-sized mallet to hammer in metal tent pegs for the few marquees that were being set up near the entrance. The smell, dust with a hint of grease, stirred her to almost breathlessness.

The swell of activity extended in front of her, and she stepped into the chaos of productivity and allowed the natural flow of moving people to direct her.

"Hey, watch it," said a man walking by with a thick metal pole on his shoulder.

"Sorry," said Nessie politely as she stepped back out of the way. The man ignored her, not slowing down. He continued on his path, making people get out of his way.

"Ow." Something sharp poked into her back. Nessie turned to see glass eyes reflecting a grey storm cloud. She held her breath. A sharp metal beak pointed at her face. She expected to be pecked any minute. The human-sized mecha didn't move. Nessie relaxed and stepped closer to look at the mecha shaped like an emu.

"Aren't you a clever-looking bird?" The emu blinked, its eyelids making a metal click as they rolled closed and then opened almost as quickly as a human blink.

"Who is controlling you?" Nessie looked closely at the emu.

The emu tilted its head at Nessie. She reached out her hand to pat its head. "I am pleased to meet you."

The bird shrieked, causing Nessie to jump. Its small metal wings expanded out. Unable to fly, it turned and ran away, long metal legs moving smooth and effortlessly.

"Incredible." Nessie watched the emu.
I've got some catching up to do with my research. I must find who is Operating the bird.

A sharp tug at the edge of her skirt caused Nessie to look down. A mini mecha puppy looked up at her with big silver eyes, the material of her skirt in its mouth. He wagged his tail.

"Aren't you a cutie?" She leaned down and tried to retrieve her skirt from its mouth. It growled, a metal grumble that came from its belly. Nessie laughed. "You are so real."

Maybe they are controlled remotely? Or have some internal intelligence?
The questions were building, and she was no closer to finding any answers, just more questions and no one to ask. She could wait and ask Joy later, but Nessie didn't think she could wait that long.

The puppy whined, not getting the attention it wanted, and then dropped her skirt and ran away.

"Hey, come back." She followed the mecha puppy, but lost sight as it weaved between people, tents and other mechas.

So many mechas
. Nessie's mind whirled like cogs processing the designs and constructions of the smaller mechas. Without realising, she had almost circled back to Sally's garage, but she was now further away from the entrance. Garages extended around the back of the arena. Signs above the garages: Cate Carapace and Beli Beetle caught her attention.

I have to check out the competition
. She walked into the closest garage.

Cate Carapace stood sleeping like an oversized beetle.
No way would it have the agility to win. It's too heavy
. She looked into the small window at the front. The metal looked cheaper compared to Sally's exterior. There was no way the Operator could see out clearly.

"Thinking that she won't be able to see well?" asked someone from behind.

"Well, yes." Nessie turned to see an older woman staring at her.

"Don't be fooled. Cate can hold her own in the ring." Kris stood, wiping her grease-blackened hands on a dirty piece of cloth.

"But can she win?" Nessie was already biased towards Sally; that's who she would bet on even though she didn't gamble. It wasn't lady-like.

"Naturally."

"I don't believe you."

"You shouldn't be in here. We ain't open to the public yet."

"I came with Joy."

She stepped towards Nessie, her eyes narrowed. "Did you?"

"Yes." Nessie wasn't going to back down or stop looking around. She'd waited too many years to finally have the chance to see a mecha. She wasn't about to let a snaky woman push her away. "Tell me, why does Cate have good vision when clearly the metal used to construct the torso of the beetle is not as good as Sally's?"

"You've seen Sally?"

"Of course." Nessie puffed her chest proudly.

Kris made a disapproving sound, stepped around Nessie, and pulled down the door to enter the crab. "Look for yourself."

Nessie didn't need to be invited twice. She went inside. Her eyes widened at the sight.
Maybe she could win?
Her heart sunk a little. She wanted one particular mecha to win tonight, no matter what:  Sally Spider, Operated by Joy.

"Now you know. Sally's not so unbeatable."

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
.