Colour Kid's Arc

Chapter 9 of 11

The brush was still wet in Colour Kid's hand when Mara's scanner screamed. The boxy relay hub at her hip lit up red. Conduits popped. Tiny lights spun. She slapped it twice, but the numbers kept climbing into nothing. "Null spike," she said. Her voice was flat, but her fingers were not. "If he paints one more stroke, every faction in the city has his exact location inside three minutes. Maybe two." The room froze. Twelve faces turned. The pink television hummed. The green charm hummed. Above them both, the air around Colour Kid had started to glow in soft, sharp points — a slow star opening outward from his shoulders. Alec stood up from the bench by the door. He had a small leather satchel on his lap. He closed the buckle. "Stop the lesson," he said. "Now. We leave through the back. Headcount of two." Colour Kid looked at the witch's cracked charm. He looked at the techno-mancer who had asked to be shown slow. He set the brush down on the table. The glow at his shoulders dimmed, just a little. "I'll come back," he said. He meant it. They went out the side door before the star could finish. The lesson was over. The signal was already moving.