Metal Man

Chapter 9: I get a stun gun

I don't know who was more shocked, Jade or me. I had thought her a pretty much harmless woman with good intentions, not a woman whose cousin and aunt were kidnapped and a (possible) desire for revenge. 

"What?" I asked.

She laid a hand on the table. "Yes. My cousin was only twelve, and my aunt twenty-five years older. He had an uncanny way with electronics. He bragged about it all the time. They came to Rome to visit, because I had only just moved there. Then one night, I heard a yell. I raced upstairs, and he was gone. I went to tell my aunt, but she was gone too. I have not seen them for five years." 

"That's... horrible" said Jade. I nodded. 

"I know. I will make the score even, so to speak, at any cost." 

"It's dangerous," I told her. "They're looking for us right now. They need us alive, but not you. You're disposable to them." The last sentence tasted like acid in my mouth.

"Unless he's alive. Then they could spare you. But they'll give an amnesia shot. You won't remember who you are. That's the best you can hope for." Jade added. 

A memory drifted into my mind about an electronic boy, but drifted away quickly. I grabbed it and held onto it. The memory of the mechanic muttering about an electronic boy came back to me. "I... don't think he's still alive. I heard a mechanic mention that they... killed him when he got too old." I looked away. Her expression fell. "I knew he wasn't alive. It was a foolish hope."

"I'm sorry." I said. What else could I say?

"So if I help you, I'll die." said Raffaella. We nodded.

"I will," she said. "Did he... put up a good fight?" she asked.

"Yeah. I heard he was always causing trouble." I said.

"Are you sure?" said Jade. "You're very likely to die, to put it bluntly." 

"It is what Roger would have wanted. He had very strong views, even for a twelve-year old."

"But-" we both began to protest. 

"I am twenty-five, and you are no older than fourteen. I should hope I know what I want."

I looked at Jade. We couldn't let her do this, even if she was eighty. She shook her head microscopically. 

"So here's the plan," said Jade. "Raffaella, you sound an alarm that you saw us all the way across Rome. This is after we have gotten far away and closed all the elevators. The men will go looking for us exactly where we aren't. We can take it from there. It may not seem like you have a big part, but you're doing more than it seems." 

She nodded. "Do you need to look for elevators now?"

"We should probably get one," said Jade. "Is that okay, Rosemarie?"

I nodded. It was a good plan. But I was tired from sleeping on streets and being chased by lieutenants. I couldn't help yawning and rubbing my eyes. Raffaella glanced at me and smiled reassuringly. "Maybe you should get some rest first." she said. 

I watched Jade closely. You could see she wanted to, but was not giving up her dream of closing the elevator. 

"It's fine if we go out a little." I said. I wanted sleep, but we needed to close the elevators. Jade nodded and stood up.