Free Tesla: A Teen Steampunk/Cyberpunk Adventure (Tesla Evolution Book 1) by Mark Lingane Page B

us,” she managed, “aren’t we the party people.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up. “Let’s go. Maybe the change of scenery will take our minds off things. I’ll get my stuff.” She disappeared into the darkness at the back of the cave only to reappear moments later, carrying nothing.
    “Where’s your stuff? Are you going out like that?”
    “Like what?”
    “In your underwear.”
    “It’s not underwear.”
    “Where’s your dress? You’re wearing a corset at least.”
    She narrowed her eyes and poked him in the chest. “You just watch it. These are breeches. Good for carrying lots of things. And I’ll have you know that this is a clasped brocade corset. Absolutely everyone is wearing them.”
    “But I can see your shoulders and the shape of your legs.”
    “For crying out loud.” She extracted a long black hooded coat out of one of her pockets and wrapped it around her. She raised the hood over her head and disappeared into its dark depths. “Happy?”
    “Now you look like a witch.”
    “Good.” She stomped out into the damp forest with her coat flowing behind her.  
    Sebastian picked up his pack and hurried out after her.
    The rain had ceased and left deep, unexpected puddles across the plain.
    “You don’t have to swear so much,” said Sebastian.  
    “My breeches are soaked.”
    “You should’ve worn a dress.”
    “I’m warning you, the last person who tried to force me into a dress got a boot in the groin and a frying pan in the face. And she was a friend.”
    They drudged on through the mud. Sebastian could feel a mild pain in his head. He looked around, scanning the horizon, but couldn’t see anything. They approached the remains of the train as the sun toiled toward the mountains in the west.  
    “There’s the train,” Sebastian said. He pointed to the long black silhouette several hundred yards away.
    “Oh,” she said as they approached the wreckage. She felt it wasn’t personal enough. “My.” She felt it wasn’t religious enough. The vast expanse of the desolation was terrifying. “God.” She let the statement rest.
    She ran her hand over the charred mess. She kicked through the remains of one of the carriages, sifting through the rubble and bones.  
    “Something’s wrong,” Sebastian said. He rubbed his temples.
    Melanie stooped over and picked up a small skull. She pulled back her hood, which fell down her back. Sebastian couldn’t help but notice how pale she was. She looked as sickly as his mother had when the doctor took her to the hospital.  
    Melanie spun the skull in her hands. It crumpled to dust and floated away in the wind. “They were children,” she whispered.  
    She turned around and wandered among the wreckage, searching for anything salvageable. She spotted some large, stacked boxes that had been sheltered from the rain behind a series of seats that had been folded together. She slid the first box from the top, just as the cyborg jumped out from behind the pile of boxes.  

12

    THERE WAS BARELY time to blink. The cyborg leapt forward, raising a large blade toward the young girl. She shrieked in surprise. There was a blur as she twisted, with the long coat twirling wide under her rapid movements. There was another shriek, followed by a thud. The cyborg collapsed to the ground.  
    Melanie was breathing heavily and staring down at the man. Blood dripped from the end of the long knife she clasped in her hand.
    Sebastian had watched the action unfold from the other end of the carriage. “Did the cyborg make a comment about you wearing a dress?” he shouted.  
    “Be careful, there could be more,” she shouted back.
    “No, that was the only one.”
    “How can you be so sure? Oh, this is stupid.” She walked down the length of the carriage. “How do you know?” She kept a wary eye out for more cyborgs.
    “I can sort of sense them when they’re near.”
    “Would’ve been helpful if you’d told me earlier.” She shook