Broken People (Serial)

Sixteen

The hour before the beginning of the show was the quietest for those who remained on the train. With the passenger cars being soundproof, none of the agitation from outside disturbed Cielo as she walked along the corridor. The hand panels allowed her access from one car to the next until she reached the third before last. Rake and Spinner called it "the factory" because that was where they fixed people. But people suffered in here, so she was partial to the term "infirmary" instead.

Familiarity with the layout of the place allowed Cielo to find her way around the workshop with ease, despite the dim light. She placed the thermos she'd brought along on the corner of a workbench, careful not to disturb anything, and turned on a bright lamp. Next to her, the unconscious patient lay on a mechanical bed. With well-practiced moves, Cielo picked a vial from a drawer and injected its contents into the IV. While waiting for him to wake up, she pressed the buttons and had the upper part of the bed elevated.

A moan broke the eerie silence in the room.

"It's okay. It's just me," Cielo said in a soothing voice. "They're not here to torture you." It was supposed to be a joke, but a groan let her know the man didn't appreciate it.

Blue eyes opened and focused on her face. After a second of scanning, his facial muscles relaxed. The contraption that kept his jaw in place prevented him from speaking, but the swelling around his eyes and nose had retreated, allowing Cielo to see his real features. In a day or so, he would look human again.

Cole's eyes strayed to the left where his liquid meal waited.

"It's still soup," Cielo said with an apologetic shrug. "But I mashed some vegetables and meat into it so it will have a higher protein value. It shouldn't taste too bad." She uncapped the thermos and guided the plastic straw to Cole's lips. "Take it easy. It might be a little hot. I hope the straw won't clog," she added, mostly to herself.

She placed the thermos on the metal frame pulled close to the bed and ran her hands down her sides, feeling Cole's gaze trailing over the sequined yellow dress. "It's for the show. We all dress up when it's on. God forbid someone saw us in our street clothes." She laughed and folded her hands in front of her.

Cole continued to stare at her while he sucked in the pasty soup. Not only were his arms encased in plastic covers, but his legs were, too, which meant he was fully paralyzed from the neck down. Otherwise, he couldn't have handled the pain. Cielo avoided looking at the cases. They reminded her of the time spent in the factory, and it hadn't been pleasant.

"I know they don't talk to you much," she said, "so I'll try to keep you up-to-date with what's happening. The procedure is going as well as could be expected. They had to stall the growing process of the muscular mass so they could insert the nerves first. Apparently, it's easier that way and prone to better results."

He groaned, and she gave a sympathetic wince. "The downside is that once they start inserting the nerves, you will regain some degree of sensitivity in your arms. However, given the state they're in, you should expect a lot of pain, as well. The good news is we have great drugs for such things. They'll keep you under for days while they work on you. They will wake you up more than once to test the results, and that won't be pretty, but you're a tough guy. You can handle it, right?"

Her teasing made the corner of Cole's mouth arch up, and a flash of pain passed over his face.

"Sorry," Cielo murmured, eyes downcast. "They'll start at midnight tonight. They hope to do the main innervations during the next eighteen hours. It will be delicate work, but they have done more difficult things, so there's no need to worry."

When she looked up, Cole was blinking rapidly. "What's wrong? Are you in pain?" She reached for the anesthetic plunger.

Blink. Blink. Then blink, blink, blink, blink, blink ...

"What is it?" Cielo asked, cursing the inability to communicate.

She had fed him before, once each day, and he drank his soup obediently, half-asleep because of the painkillers. She had never seen him so agitated. Something was wrong.

"What?" she whispered.

Cole stopped blinking. He stared straight ahead, not at her, but somewhere over her right shoulder in the direction of the door.

A chill ran down Cielo's spine, and she slowly turned around. She had a good idea what was going on before she heard the heavy footsteps walking down the corridor.