Sierra Santiago and the Invisible City

Chapter 20 - Rise

Sierra grudgingly pulled her lips away from Robbie's, but left her face right up against his. "You did this?" she whispered.

"No, you did it, Sierra. If you hadn't been able to breach the Vault, the murals wouldn'ta been able to do their work. I just helped out here and there. I'm just like, the conduit, I guess you could call it."

"I see. Sorta."

"I'm like to the murals what you are to the Invisible City, Sierra."

"Ah..."

"But I've been at it a little longer, a few years now, so I know how to work it a little more."

"What makes you think I don't know how to work it?"

"No, nothing," Robbie stammered. "I just heard you were new, is all. I'm sure in no time you'll be, you know, sending them charging across the city just like I do."

"Condescending jerk," Sierra said, but her smile says 'kiss me again.' Robbie kissed her again.

"You liked your present?"

Sierra could only smile in response.

"Um, excuse me," came Biaque's voice, "I am sorry to interrupt, but I am afraid there's trouble downstairs."

Sierra turned to find Tinibu perched on Biaque's shoulder. He was shaking his head sadly. "Tinibu!" Sierra yelled, rushing to where they stood at the edge of the rooftop. "What happened? Where's Juan and Treme?"

Tinibu hopped to the ledge and shook his head at Sierra. She stepped forward, gazing down into the maze of flashing lights and police cruisers. "What's going on?"

"Tinibu got through the wall," Biaque said, "but then the- how you call them? The po-po showed up, and he wasn't able to stop them."

"What you mean?" Sierra demanded.

"I mean, look," Biaque pointed down into the crowd, where Sierra could just make out a few cops leading her brother out of the Vault and into the back of a cruiser. His hands were behind his back.

"No!"

"They arrested him for trespassing."

"Trespassing! Are you serious?"

"There was nothing we could do, Sierra."

"What about Treme?"

"They put Treme in an ambulance and whisked him off, that's all we know."

Sierra felt Robbie's hand on her shoulder. For a moment, she wanted everyone around her to just disappear, just leave her alone and let her scream and cry and be a child. Then she reached her own hand up and put it on top of Robbie's.

"Does this mean," Sierra said, turning to Biaque, "that...The Schermerhorn...I mean, he runs the prisons, right?"

"Not anymore, thankfully. Rios' spear took him out of commission for a while, and now that Twork's...uh...dealt with," Biaque nodded his head towards where Lucera was poking Twork's squirming body with one of Movimiento's drill bits, "The Scherm will be out of favor for a long time. He has already gone into exile in the Underground Realm. Apparently he had been forging his own ties with Sarcofaz's traitorous bodyguards. I am sure he is already preparing his next move, but he's been greatly weakened, and that will be a long time from now. Either way, your brother will not be at his mercy in central booking."

Sierra patted Robbie's hand to tell him to take it up and he did, which filled her with a very warm feeling. She put that away for later though, and walked away from him, towards where Movimiento was gingerly licking his wounded arm. Biaque hovered along beside her.

"What happened in the Underground Realm?" Sierra asked.

"It seems we walked into the midst of a sewer wraith coup-de-tat. From what I hear, Sicorax, succeeded in his takeover. Krestelefax escaped to exile with Sarcofaz, but it sounded as though Sarcofaz's injuries were quite severe. They don't think he'll make it, I'm afraid."

"How did you guys get away?"

Movimiento's big horse mouth smiled and the gigantic drill on his back gave a few whirls. "When there is no exit handy, make your own."

"But first we dealt a few nasty blows to those horned fools," Biaque added.

"With the help of the other horned fools, I'm guessing," Sierra said. "Because it looked like things were going pretty bad until they showed up."

"We had things mostly under control," Movimiento said, "but a helping hand never hurts." Biaque chuckled and sparked up a Malaguena.

Lucera hovered towards them. Twork's limp body dangled over her shoulder like a broken toy. He chattered nonsensically, his LED displays burping out random symbols every now and then.

"It's gonna take a long time to pick up all the pieces," Lucera said. "Before we even know how extensive the damage he has caused is."

"The clackens he stole," Sierra said, "they can be used to help rebuild the Invisible City?"

"Most of them no, but a few are salvageable. We'll have to make some changes around here, to get things going right." She looked directly at Movimiento for the first time that night. "I want you to take over as head gridlion, Mo."

Movimiento straightened his back and opened his eyes wide. "You're not...um...mad at me still, Lu?"

"I didn't say that. I said I want you to take over as head gridlion. That's all. We need to make some changes. You are the man to help us do that. Don't get all giddy about it either."

Sierra couldn't imagine the word giddy ever being used to describe Movimiento, but he definitely looked quite happy. She gazed up at Lucera. "Thanks for all your help," Sierra said. "Sorry I gave you lip before. Kind of."

"You did well, Sierra," Lucera said. "And you're in good hands with Biaque. We'll get your brother out soon, don't worry."

Lucera and Biaque exchanged a nod and then she lifted off into the night sky, Twork's body flapping along in the wind. "There is much to be done," Lucera said, her eyes sweeping out along the dimly lit city. The brightly colored murals had mostly dispersed out into the night, but a few slivers of painted faces and letters fluttered around them like Technicolor autumn leaves.

Sierra and Biaque watched the majestic keeper of city lights swoop out over Brooklyn. She glowed brighter, stretching her long arms out to either side, and then glided into a long, gradual descent towards East New York. Each section of the city sparkled to life as she passed; streetlamps and shop windows flickering one by one into a sea of twinkling lights.

Tinibu found his familiar perch on Sierra's shoulder.

"The Invisible City is already repairing itself," Biaque said. Sierra smiled. There over Prospect Park, the luminous emptiness of the Kos strode back and forth, tending to some unseen garden. Off in the distance, several other towering shapes mulled about amongst the buildings. Hunterflies were darting through the sky, swerving around several floating blimp-like creatures that Sierra imagined must be the huffaloons. Each newly lit neighborhood sent a sparkling display of clackens into the night.

"This is only the beginning, isn't it, Biaque?" Sierra said.

"Sí," he said, a sad smile stretching across his face. "Only the beginning. Are you ready, Sierra?"

"Yes," Sierra said. "I'm ready."