“We scared it?” Peony’s voice carried a shudder with it. “Can we go now, please?”
Cinder sighed. “Fine.” Dismissing the blueprint, she squirmed out from beneath the car, accepting Iko’s offered grippers to stand. “I thought all the surviving gasoline cars were in museums,” she said, brushing the cobwebs from her hair.
“I’m not sure I would label it a ‘survivor,’” said Iko, her sensor darkening with disgust. “It looks more like a rotting pumpkin.”
Cinder shut the hood with a bang, sending an impressive dust cloud over the android. “What was that about having a fantastic imagination? With some attention and a good cleaning, it could be restored to its former glory.”
She caressed the hood. The car’s dome-shaped body was a yellow-orange shade that looked sickly under Iko’s light—a color that no one in modern times would choose—but with the antique style of the vehicle it bordered on charming. Rust was creeping up from the hollow beneath the shattered headlights, arching along the dented fender. One of the back windows was missing, but the seats were intact, albeit mildew covered and torn and probably home to more than just rodents. The steering wheel and dash seemed to have suffered only minor damage over the years.
“Maybe it could be our escape car.”
Peony peered into the passenger’s side window. “Escape from what?”
“Adri. New Beijing. We could get out of the Commonwealth altogether. We could go to Europe!” Cinder rounded the driver’s side and scrubbed the dirt from the window with her glove. On the floor inside, three pedals winked up at her. Though hovers were all controlled by computer, she had read enough about old technology to know what a clutch was and even had a basic idea of how to operate one.
“This hunk of metal wouldn’t get us to the city limits,” said Peony.
Stepping back, Cinder dusted off her hands. They were probably right. Maybe this wasn’t a fantasy vehicle, maybe it wasn’t their key to salvation, but somehow, someday, she would leave New Beijing. She would find a place where no one knew who she was—or what she was.
“Plus, we couldn’t afford the gasoline,” continued Iko. “We could trade in your new foot and still not be able to afford enough fuel to get out of here. Plus, the pollution fines. Plus, I’m not getting in this thing. There’s probably decades’ worth of rat droppings under those seats.”
Peony cringed. “Ew.”
Cinder laughed. “All right, I get it. I won’t make you guys push the car home.”
“Whew, you had me worried,” said Peony. She smiled because she hadn’t really been worried and flipped her hair off her shoulder.
Cinder’s eye caught on something—a dark spot below Peony’s collarbone, visible just above the collar of her shirt. “Hold still,” she said, reaching forward.
Peony did the opposite, panicking and swiping at phantoms on her chest. “What? What is it? A bug? A spider?”
“I said, hold still!” Cinder grabbed Peony by the wrist, swiped at the spot—and froze.
Dropping Peony’s arm, she stumbled back.
“What? What is it?” Peony tugged on her shirt, trying to see, but then spotted another spot on the back of her hand.
She looked up at Cinder, blood draining from her face. “A…a rash?” she said. “From the car?”
Cinder gulped and neared her with hesitant footsteps, holding her breath. She reached again for Peony’s collarbone and pulled the fabric of her shirt down, revealing the entire spot in the moonlight. A splotch of red, rimmed with bruise purple.
Her fingers trembled. She pulled away, meeting Peony’s gaze.
Peony screamed.
Chapter Five
PEONY’S SHRIEKS FILLED THE JUNKYARD, SEEPING INTO THE cracks of broken machinery and outdated computers. Cinder’s auditory interface couldn’t protect her from the shrill memory, even as Peony’s voice cracked and she dissolved into hysteria.
Cinder stood trembling, unable to move. Wanting to comfort Peony. Wanting to run away.
How was this possible?
Peony was young, healthy. She couldn’t be sick.
Peony cried, brushing repeatedly at her skin, the spots.
Cinder’s netlink took over, as it did in moments when she couldn’t think for herself. Searching, connecting, feeding information to her she didn’t want.