and got out the bottle. It was ice cold. He’d heard somewhere that babies liked their formula warm, so he ran it under the hot water for a minute. It seemed to warm up slightly.
He glanced back in the mirror and started. Broken’s face stared back at him.
"So," she grunted quietly, "Where are we going?"
He gathered himself quickly. "Uh. Delmarva, first."
She concentrated for a moment. "The spaceport. Long walk. You have money?"
"Not much," he admitted.
A weird grin cracked her face, then disappeared. "That ain’t a problem."
He nodded, and risked a glance at his possibilities. Relief flooded through him. She was in all of them.
"So," she finally asked, "What’s with the kid?"
[CHAPTER 5]
T hey walked slowly, Broken awkwardly holding the softly gurgling baby against her filthy rags. Michael rattled off the places they needed to stop.
"Okay, first a store to buy diapers and baby food," he said. "Then some food for us. That might just about do it for my cash, though."
"You wanted to go to Delmarva with no cash?" she asked. "You can see the future; you should plan better."
True. But all the planning in the world couldn’t make up for not actually having ,much money to begin with. “I had some. I spent it getting here.”
Broken looked amused. “Some fortune-teller.”
"You shouldn’t be holding him. You’re filthy."
"Bite it," she said, but reluctantly handed him over. The baby mewled a bit, then seemed to fall asleep.
"What's his name?" Broken asked suddenly, with great interest.
Michael shrugged. "I have no idea. You want to give him one?"
"How’d you get a baby if you don’t know his name?"
"His mother handed him off to me before squishing herself under a subway car," Michael explained.
"Oh," said Broken. "Why you?"
"Fate, I guess," Michael said with an air of nonchalance that he didn’t really feel. "Also, I think there were some guys after her."
"Like the river," Broken said, more to herself than to Michael.
"Yeah, like them. Same sort of guys. They want the kid."
"Why?"
"They’ve got someone like me, I think. Maybe a little different, maybe someone who can see general possibilities. I just see possibilities for people I look at." He lowered his voice. "We’re talking about the government, here. The Reformists, and their goons, the Black Bands. They want to make him into a monster."
"Okay," Broken said, unaffected by this devastating news.
"Don’t you care that your own government wants to do this?" he asked, taken aback.
She shrugged. "Not really."
Michael shook his head, unable to make sense of her. "Go ahead and give the kid a name if you want. We’ll never know what his mother called him."
Broken didn’t say anything for a little while.
"Maybe… Ian?" she suggested shyly after some thought.
"Ian. All right, whatever."
"Or Joey. Matt. Buddy." She happily rattled off a list of names as they walked onwards. Michael sighed quietly. Ian it was.
* * *
There was a park in the middle of the Bronx, near the East River, where Broken claimed she’d hidden some money once. Michael was stuck carrying Ian while Broken led the way.
"Black Bands rally here," Broken hissed. "They come and go. It's their turf. We need to be quick." With the jerky quickness of someone who has been on the streets a long time, she darted over to a faded sign, and started fiddling around with the back.
Michael read the sign.
Yankee Park. The site of New Yankee Stadium, home of the American League baseball New York Yankees, 2009-2040. The Stadium was partially destroyed by bombs during the Last War 2046-7, and demolished 2056. Park dedicated by the Metropolitan Recreation Authority, 2066.
Broken emerged from behind the sign with a brown paper bag and a smile. "Ready," she said. "What?"
Michael was shaking his head slowly back and forth. "I thought it was still standing."
"What?"
"Yankee Stadium."
Broken shrugged. "All the old stuff is destroyed around
He glanced back in the mirror and started. Broken’s face stared back at him.
"So," she grunted quietly, "Where are we going?"
He gathered himself quickly. "Uh. Delmarva, first."
She concentrated for a moment. "The spaceport. Long walk. You have money?"
"Not much," he admitted.
A weird grin cracked her face, then disappeared. "That ain’t a problem."
He nodded, and risked a glance at his possibilities. Relief flooded through him. She was in all of them.
"So," she finally asked, "What’s with the kid?"
[CHAPTER 5]
T hey walked slowly, Broken awkwardly holding the softly gurgling baby against her filthy rags. Michael rattled off the places they needed to stop.
"Okay, first a store to buy diapers and baby food," he said. "Then some food for us. That might just about do it for my cash, though."
"You wanted to go to Delmarva with no cash?" she asked. "You can see the future; you should plan better."
True. But all the planning in the world couldn’t make up for not actually having ,much money to begin with. “I had some. I spent it getting here.”
Broken looked amused. “Some fortune-teller.”
"You shouldn’t be holding him. You’re filthy."
"Bite it," she said, but reluctantly handed him over. The baby mewled a bit, then seemed to fall asleep.
"What's his name?" Broken asked suddenly, with great interest.
Michael shrugged. "I have no idea. You want to give him one?"
"How’d you get a baby if you don’t know his name?"
"His mother handed him off to me before squishing herself under a subway car," Michael explained.
"Oh," said Broken. "Why you?"
"Fate, I guess," Michael said with an air of nonchalance that he didn’t really feel. "Also, I think there were some guys after her."
"Like the river," Broken said, more to herself than to Michael.
"Yeah, like them. Same sort of guys. They want the kid."
"Why?"
"They’ve got someone like me, I think. Maybe a little different, maybe someone who can see general possibilities. I just see possibilities for people I look at." He lowered his voice. "We’re talking about the government, here. The Reformists, and their goons, the Black Bands. They want to make him into a monster."
"Okay," Broken said, unaffected by this devastating news.
"Don’t you care that your own government wants to do this?" he asked, taken aback.
She shrugged. "Not really."
Michael shook his head, unable to make sense of her. "Go ahead and give the kid a name if you want. We’ll never know what his mother called him."
Broken didn’t say anything for a little while.
"Maybe… Ian?" she suggested shyly after some thought.
"Ian. All right, whatever."
"Or Joey. Matt. Buddy." She happily rattled off a list of names as they walked onwards. Michael sighed quietly. Ian it was.
* * *
There was a park in the middle of the Bronx, near the East River, where Broken claimed she’d hidden some money once. Michael was stuck carrying Ian while Broken led the way.
"Black Bands rally here," Broken hissed. "They come and go. It's their turf. We need to be quick." With the jerky quickness of someone who has been on the streets a long time, she darted over to a faded sign, and started fiddling around with the back.
Michael read the sign.
Yankee Park. The site of New Yankee Stadium, home of the American League baseball New York Yankees, 2009-2040. The Stadium was partially destroyed by bombs during the Last War 2046-7, and demolished 2056. Park dedicated by the Metropolitan Recreation Authority, 2066.
Broken emerged from behind the sign with a brown paper bag and a smile. "Ready," she said. "What?"
Michael was shaking his head slowly back and forth. "I thought it was still standing."
"What?"
"Yankee Stadium."
Broken shrugged. "All the old stuff is destroyed around
Similar Books
Beautiful Antonio
Vitaliano Brancati
The Master of Rain
Tom Bradby
Submitting to the Boss
Jasmine Haynes
Swift Justice: The Southern Way
R.P. Wolff
Moffie
Andre Carl van der Merwe
The Irish Upstart
Shirley Kennedy
Meghan's Dragon
E. M. Foner
IceAgeLover
Marisa Chenery
The Scent of Blood
Tanya Landman
The Shadow Woman
Åke Edwardson