He limbered into motion like a locomotive, gathering speed, wrapped her up in his arms, lifting her, and she was laughing and he was laughing and she didn’t care that it hurt. She hugged his massive head, she kissed his hard metal mouth. “Ow,” she said finally. “Put me down, Wally. Ow… Really. Please.”
He seemed to realize how tightly he was holding her, and his eyes went wide. He put her down gently and held her at arm’s length. His gaze traveled up and down her skeletal body and settled on her thin face. “Jerusha… what’s happened to you? How are the kids?”
“It’s a long story. But the kids… the kids are fine. I got most of them out. Most…” She stopped, seeing again the faces of Efia, of Hafiz, of Naadir, of Pili and Chaga. Helplessly, she started to cry, and Rusty folded her into his iron arms again. She sobbed into his chest, then pushed away, wiping at her eyes. “I’m fine,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with me that some home-cooked meals can’t fix,” she told him, hoping that he wouldn’t hear the lie.
She glanced back to Noel, at Cameo and Bugsy. Cameo was smiling, and it was impossible to tell what Bugsy might be thinking, but Noel stared at her accusingly. Jerusha realized that her laughter had again morphed into helpless, joyous tears. “Wally, I missed you so much. I’ve been so scared for you, for both of us…” She could say nothing more, only put her arms around him. She felt his massive hands on her back, holding her as if she were a stick that might break if he pressed too hard. She kissed him again. “You stayed alive for me.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I did.” He sniffed. He seemed to notice the trio behind her then, and the steam-shovel jaw crinkled into a stiff grin. “Hey, Bugsy! Cameo! Noel! You guys came, too? Cool.” Then he was looking at Jerusha once more, and the concern was back on his face. “The kids? They’re really okay? You’re okay?”
“Yes,” she told him. “They’re okay. Noel helped me get them to the States.”
He sniffed again, nodding at Noel. “Good. That’s really good. I missed you, Jerusha. I tried everything I could to keep those leopard fellas away from you.”
“You did great, Wally.” She touched the bandages around his arm and gave a laugh that was a half sob. “We’re a heck of a pair, aren’t we?”
“We’re back together,” he said. “That’s good, isn’t it?” He looked at her as if he were half afraid she was going to say no, and his vulnerability made the tears start again.
“Yeah,” she said. “That’s good. It’s all I ever wanted.” Over his shoulder, she saw the little girl coming up to them. Or more precisely, floating toward them; her feet didn’t seem to be touching the ground. They were all being watched by the crowd, many of whom were pointing and smiling toward them. “Who’s this?” she asked.
Wally craned his head, not letting go of Jerusha. “Oh,” he said. “This is Ghost. I found her… Well, she found me, actually.” Jerusha felt him start under her embrace, as if something had just occurred to him. “Nuts,” he said. “Jerusha, the lab-that big one that the files you found talked about-I know where it is. Just outside of the town here. I found it, and I gotta go stop them and get those kids out. I was getting ready to do that, but these fellers over there”-he pointed to the crowd of poorly armed people on the street-“keep following me. If you could talk to them in French, tell them to stay here in town so they don’t get hurt, then I can go to the lab…”
Fear stabbed her. He looked fragile, the rust nearly covering him, his skin bubbling and crusted with it. She also knew she could not stop him, that he wouldn’t stop until he’d done what he came here to do-and that if she wanted to be with him, she had no choice, either.
“I’ll go with you,” Jerusha told him. “I’ll help you.”
“You’re okay?” Wally asked. “Really?”
Crowds were surging through the streets. Many carried weapons, real and makeshift. Many more carried goods looted from the stores and houses. A pall of smoke hung in the air over the city. The smoke was adding to an already beautiful sunset.
Noel rested his hands on his hips and took a slow 360-degree turn. “Well, word of the events here will certainly be winging its way to Kongoville.”
“So, we gotta get going before they send any more soldiers,” Rusty said. “We gotta get out to that Red House place right now!” He started away, his metal feet sinking into the soft asphalt road.
Noel leaped after him, and caught him by the wrist. He noticed when he took his hand away his palm was covered with rust. “Half a tic. Rusty, dear fellow. We might do well to talk this out a bit first.” Noel paused and surveyed the big iron ace. “The quickest way in will be up the western slope. That will undoubtedly be rigged with motion sensors and cameras. If it were my task to guard this facility I’d also lay down claymore mines for an added surprise. Our best hope is for a two-pronged attack. Bugsy, Cameo, Gardener, and I will slip in from the west and cause enough of a ruckus so the alarm is sounded. Then Rusty will advance down the road and through the front gate. We had best wait for cover of darkness, however. And we will need some chicken wire.”
Cameo looked up. She was wearing the battered fedora so it was Nick who looked through her eyes. “Chicken wire?”
“It will handle the RPGs that Rusty can’t dodge. Trust me.”
“Why am I not reassured?” Bugsy muttered.
“I’m counting on the guards to weigh the relative threats. Given a choice between dealing with gnat stings-”
“ Wasp stings, please,” Bugsy said. “Not that it’ll make a damn bit of difference.”
“Stop being so damn negative,” Nick said with Cameo’s voice. Bugsy subsided.
Noel went on. “-or a big iron imperialist at the front gate, they’ll vote for dealing with Rusty.”
“That puts Rusty in terrible danger,” Gardener said.
“I’ll be okay. I’m pretty tough.” When Rusty looked at her his heart was in his eyes. Noel wondered if he realized that Gardener was dying, and that nothing could be done to prevent that outcome.
He shook off the sudden burst of melancholy and continued. “All of us are going to be in terrible danger. Rustbelt’s better able to withstand the attack. You are rather like a tank, Rusty. Gardener, you’ll need to deal with the claymores with fast-growing vegetation that will force them to detonate. Will you be able to do that?” She nodded. Noel was worried that the one sentence she had uttered had left her too weak to speak again. “We will then all converge on the Red House. Between Rusty’s strength and Gardener’s tree roots we ought to be able to crack it open.”
“Can we go now?” Rusty asked.
“And what about all those soldiers with guns?” Bugsy asked, ignoring Rusty’s plaintive question.
“They’ll be focused on Rusty. I can account for a fair number of them, you as bug-boy can certainly discomfit them, Cameo as Will-o’-Wisp will add to the butcher’s bill, and when that house starts to come apart I will lay you any odds that most of them will throw down their guns and present us with a charming view of asses and elbows.”
“So what’s the one big wild card, if you’ll forgive the pun?” Nick said.
“Weathers. Our task is to hit fast, hit hard, destroy this final lab and their virus cultures, and get the hell out before the Radical can arrive.”
“Will they send for him?” Bugsy asked.
Noel shrugged. “I would. But he’s been totally focused on me and the Sudd. I think we’ll have time.”
“And if we don’t?”
“Then it will be our asses and elbows presented. Once the sun has set, Lilith can get you all out, though I’ll have to take Rusty separately.”
Rusty frowned at the setting sun. “How soon can we go?”
“Soon enough.”