book title | proof status | page 3 01 02 03 04 05 Chapter One 06 07 08 09 The screw through Cinder’s ankle had rusted, the engraved 10 cross marks worn to a mangled circle. Her knuckles ached 11 from forcing the screwdriver into the joint as she struggled 12 to loosen the screw one gritting twist after another. By the 13 time it was extracted far enough for her to wrench free with 14 her prosthetic steel hand, the hairline threads had been 15 stripped clean. 16 Tossing the screwdriver on to the table, Cinder gripped 17 her heel and yanked the foot from its socket. A spark 18 singed her fingertips and she jerked away, leaving the foot 19 to dangle from a mess of red and yellow wires. 20 She slumped back with a relieved groan. A sense of 21 release hovered at the end of those wires – freedom. 22 Having loathed the too-small foot for four years, she 23 swore to never put the piece of junk back on again. She 24 just hoped Iko would be back soon with its replacement. 25 Cinder was the only full-service mechanic at New 26 Beijing’s weekly market. Without a sign, her booth hinted 27 at her trade only by the shelves of stock android parts that 28 crowded the walls. It was squeezed into a shady cove 29 between a used netscreen dealer and a silk merchant, both 30 of whom frequently complained about the tangy smell of 31 3 fo Cinder bound proof TXT.indd 3 3.3 Garamond_B_ctr 27/05/2011 16:51 book title | proof status | page 4 01 metal and grease that came from Cinder’s booth, even 02 though it was usually disguised by the aroma of honey 03 buns from the bakery across the square. Cinder knew they 04 really just didn’t like being next to her. 05 A stained tablecloth divided Cinder from browsers as 06 they shuffled past. The square was filled with shoppers 07 and hawkers, children and noise. The bellows of men as 08 they bargained with robotic shopkeepers, trying to talk 09 the computers down from their desired profit margins. 10 The hum of ID scanners and monotone voice receipts as 11 money changed accounts. The netscreens that covered 12 every building and filled the air with the chatter of 13 advertisements, news reports, gossip. 14 Cinder’s auditory interface dulled the noise into a static 15 thrumming, but today one melody lingered above the rest 16 that she couldn’t drown out. A ring of children were 17 standing just outside her booth, trilling – “ashes, ashes, 18 they all fall down” – and then laughing hysterically as they 19 collapsed to the pavement. 20 A smile tugged at Cinder’s lips. Not so much at the 21 nursery rhyme, a phantom song about pestilence and 22 death that had regained popularity in the past decade. The 23 song itself made her squeamish. But she did love the 24 glares from passersby as the giggling children fell over in 25 their paths. The inconvenience of having to swarm 26 around the writhing bodies stirred grumbles from the 27 shoppers, and Cinder adored the children for it. 28 “Sunto! Sunto!” 29 Cinder’s amusement wilted. She spotted Chang Sacha, the 30 baker, pushing through the crowd in her flour-coated apron. 31 “Sunto, come here! I told you not to play so close to –” fo 4 Cinder bound proof TXT.indd 4 3.3 Garamond_B_ctr 27/05/2011 16:51 book title | proof status | page 5 Sacha met Cinder’s gaze, knotted her lips, then grabbed 01 her son by the arm and spun away. The boy whined, 02 dragging his feet as Sacha ordered him to stay closer to 03 their booth. Cinder wrinkled her nose at the baker’s 04 retreating back. The remaining children fled into the 05 crowd, taking their bright laughter with them. 06 “It’s not like wires are contagious,” Cinder muttered to 07 her empty booth. 08 With a spine-popping stretch, she pulled her dirty fingers 09 through her hair, combing it up into a messy tail, then grabbed 10 her blackened work gloves. She covered her steel hand first, 11 and though her right palm began to sweat immediately inside 12 the thick material, she felt more comfortable with the gloves 13 on, hiding the plating of her left hand. She stretched her 14 fingers wide, working out the cramp that had formed at the 15 fleshy base of her thumb from clenching the screwdriver, 16 and squinted again into the city square. She spotted plenty of 17 stocky white androids in the din, but none of them Iko. 18 Sighing, Cinder bent over the toolbox beneath the 19 worktable. After digging through the jumbled mess of 20 screwdrivers and wrenches, she emerged with the fuse 21 puller that had been long buried at the bottom. One by 22 one, she disconnected the wires that still linked her foot 23 and ankle, each spurting a tiny spark. She couldn’t feel 24 them through the gloves, but her retina display helpfully 25 informed her with blinking green text that she was losing 26 connection to the limb. 27 With a yank of the last wire, her foot clattered to the 28 concrete. 29 The difference was instant. For once in her life, she felt 30 . . . weightless. 31 5 fo Cinder bound proof TXT.indd 5 3.3 Garamond_B_ctr 27/05/2011 16:51 book title | proof status | page 6 01 She made room for the discarded foot on the table, 02 setting it up like a shrine amid the wrenches and lug nuts, 03 before hunkering over her ankle again and cleaning the 04 grime from the socket with an old rag. 05 THUD. 06 Cinder jerked, her head smacking the underside of the 07 table. She shoved back from the desk, her scowl landing first 08 on a lifeless android that sat squat on her worktable, and then 09 on the man behind it. She was met with startled copper- 10 brown eyes and black hair that hung past his ears and lips that 11 every girl in the country had admired a thousand times. 12 Her scowl vanished. 13 His own surprise was short-lived, melting into an 14 apology. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t realize anyone was 15 back there.” 16 Cinder barely heard him above the blankness in her 17 mind. With her heartbeat gathering speed, her retina 18 display scanned his features, so familiar from years spent 19 watching him on the netscreens. He seemed taller in real 20 life and a gray hooded sweatshirt was like none of the fine 21 clothes he usually made appearances in, but still it took 22 only 2.6 seconds for Cinder’s scanner to measure the 23 points of his face and link his image to the net database. 24 Another second and the display informed her of what she 25 already knew; details scribbled across the bottom of her 26 vision in a stream of green text. 27 28 Prince Kaito, Crown Prince of the Eastern Commonwealth 29 ID #0082719057 30 Born 7 April 108 T.E. 31 ff 88,987 media hits, reverse chron fo 6 Cinder bound proof TXT.indd 6 3.3 Garamond_B_ctr 27/05/2011 16:51 book title | proof status | page 7 Posted 20 Aug 126 T.E.: A press meeting is to be hosted by Crown 01 Prince Kai on 21 Aug to discuss the ongoing Letumosis research 02 and possible leads for an anti– 03 04 Cinder launched up from her chair, nearly toppling 05 over when she forgot about her missing limb. Steadying 06 herself with both hands on the table, she managed an 07 awkward bow. The retina display sank out of sight. 08 “Your Highness,” she stammered, head lowered, glad 09 that he couldn’t see her empty ankle behind the tablecloth. 10 The prince flinched and cast a glance over his shoulder 11 before hunching toward her. “Maybe, um . . .” He pulled 12 his fingers across his lips. “. . . on the Highness stuff?” 13 Wide-eyed, Cinder forced a shaky nod. “Right. Of 14 course. How – can I – are you –” She swallowed, the 15 words sticking like bean paste to her tongue. 16 “I’m looking for a Linh Cinder,” said the prince. “Is he 17 around?” 18 Cinder dared to lift one stabilizing hand from the table, 19 using it to tug the hem of her glove higher on her wrist. 20 Staring at the prince’s chest, she stammered, “I-I’m Linh 21 Cinder.” 22 Her eyes followed his hand as he planted it on top of 23 the android’s bulbous head. 24 “You’re Linh Cinder?” 25 “Yes, Your Highne–” She bit down on her lip. 26 “The mechanic?” 27 She nodded. “How can I help you?” 28 Instead of answering, the prince bent down, craning 29 his neck so that she had no choice but to meet his eyes, 30 and dashed a grin at her. Her heart winced. 31 7 fo Cinder bound proof TXT.indd 7 3.3 Garamond_B_ctr 27/05/2011 16:51 book title | proof status | page 8 01 The prince straightened, forcing her gaze to follow 02 him. 03 “You’re not quite what I was expecting.” 04 “Well you’re hardly – what I – um.” Unable to hold his 05 gaze, Cinder reached for the android and pulled it to her 06 side of the table. “What seems to be wrong with the 07 android, Your Highness?” 08 The android looked like it had just stepped off the 09 conveyer belt, but Cinder could tell from the mock- 10 feminine shape that it was an outdated model. The design 11 was sleek, though, with a spherical head atop a pear- 12 shaped body and a glossy white finish. 13 “I can’t get her to turn on,” said Prince Kai, watching 14 as Cinder examined the robot. “She was working fine one 15 day, and the next, nothing.” 16 Cinder turned the android around so its sensor light 17 faced the prince. She was glad to have routine tasks for 18 her hands and routine questions for her mouth – 19 something to focus on so she wouldn’t get flustered and 20 lose control of her brain’s net connection again. “Have 21 you had problems with her before?” 22 “No. She gets a monthly check-up from the royal 23 mechanics and this is the first real problem she’s ever had.” 24 Leaning forward, Prince Kai picked up Cinder’s small 25 metal foot from the worktable, turning it curiously over in 26 his palms. Cinder tensed, watching as he peered into the 27 wire-filled cavity, fiddled with the flexible joints of the 28 toes. He used the too-long sleeve of his sweatshirt to 29 polish off a smudge. 30 “Aren’t you hot?” Cinder said, instantly regretting the 31 question when his attention returned to her. fo 8 Cinder bound proof TXT.indd 8 3.3 Garamond_B_ctr 27/05/2011 16:51 book title | proof status | page 9 For the briefest moment, the prince almost looked 01 embarrassed. “Dying,” he said, “but I’m trying to be 02 inconspicuous.” 03 Cinder considered telling him it wasn’t working, but 04 thought better of it. The lack of a throng of screaming 05 girls surrounding her booth was probably evidence that it 06 was working better than she suspected. Instead of looking 07 like a royal heartthrob, he just looked crazy. 08 Clearing her throat, Cinder refocused on the android. 09 She found the nearly invisible latch and opened its back 10 panel. “Why aren’t the royal mechanics fixing her?” 11 “They tried, but couldn’t figure it out. Someone 12 suggested I bring her to you.” He set the foot down and 13 turned his attention to the shelves of old and battered 14 parts – parts for androids, hovers, netscreens, portscreens. 15 Parts for cyborgs. “They say you’re the best mechanic in 16 New Beijing. I was expecting an old man.” 17 “Do they?” she murmured. 18 He wasn’t the first to voice surprise. Most of her 19 customers couldn’t fathom how a teenage girl could be 20 the best mechanic in the city, and she never broadcasted 21 the reason for her talent. The fewer people who knew she 22 was cyborg, the better. She was sure she’d go mad if all 23 the market shopkeepers looked at her with the same 24 disdain as Chang Sacha did. 25 She nudged some of the android’s wires aside with her 26 pinkie. “Sometimes they just get worn out. Maybe it’s time 27 to upgrade to a new model.” 28 “I’m afraid I can’t do that. She contains top-secret 29 information. It’s a matter of national security that I 30 retrieve it . . . before anyone else does.” 31 9 fo Cinder bound proof TXT.indd 9 3.3 Garamond_B_ctr 27/05/2011 16:51 book title | proof status | page 10 01 Fingers stalling, Cinder glanced up at him. 02 He held her gaze a full three seconds before his lips 03 twitched. “I’m just joking. Nainsi was my first android. It’s 04 sentimental.” 05 An orange light flickered in the corner of Cinder’s 06 vision. Her optobionics had picked up on something, 07 though she didn’t know what – an extra swallow, a too- 08 quick blink, a clenching of the prince’s jaw. 09 She was used to the little orange light. It came up all the 10 time. 11 It meant that someone was lying. 12 “National security,” she said. “Funny.” 13 The prince listed his head, as if challenging her to 14 contradict him. A strand of black hair fell into his eyes. 15 Cinder looked away. 16 “Tutor8.6 model,” she said, reading the faintly lit panel 17 inside the plastic cranium. The android was nearly twenty 18 years old. Ancient for an android. “She looks to be in 19 pristine condition.” 20 Raising her fist, she thunked the android hard on the 21 side of its head, barely catching it before it toppled over 22 on to the table. The prince jumped. 23 Cinder set the android back on its treads and jabbed 24 the power button, but nothing happened. “You’d be 25 surprised how often that works.” 26 The prince let out a single, awkward chuckle. “Are you 27 sure you’re Linh Cinder? The mechanic?” 28 “Cinder! I’ve got it!” Iko wheeled out of the crowd and 29 up to the worktable, her blue sensor flashing. Lifting one 30 pronged hand, she slammed a brand new steel-plated foot 31 on to the desk, in the shadow of the prince’s android. “It’s fo 10 Cinder bound proof TXT.indd 10 3.3 Garamond_B_ctr 27/05/2011 16:51 book title | proof status | page 11 a huge improvement over the old one, only lightly used, 01 and the wiring looks compatible as-is. Plus I was able to 02 get the dealer down to just 600 univs.” 03 Panic jolted through Cinder. Still balancing on her 04 human leg, she snatched the foot off the table and dropped 05 it behind her. “Good work, Iko. Nguyen-dàshī will be 06 delighted to have a replacement foot for his escort-droid.” 07 Iko’s sensor dimmed. “Nguyen-dàshī? I don’t 08 compute.” 09 Smiling through locked teeth, Cinder gestured at the 10 prince. “Iko, please pay your respects to our customer.” 11 She lowered her voice. “His Imperial Highness.” 12 Iko craned her head, aiming the round sensor up at the 13 prince, who towered more than three feet above her. The 14 light flared as her scanner recognized him. “Prince Kai,” 15 she said, her metallic voice squeaking. “You are even more 16 handsome in person.” 17 Cinder’s stomach twisted in embarrassment, even as 18 the prince laughed. 19 “That’s enough, Iko. Get in the booth.” 20 Iko obeyed, pushing aside the tablecloth and ducking 21 under the table. 22 “You don’t see a personality like that every day,” said 23 Prince Kai, leaning against the booth’s doorframe as if he 24 brought androids to the market all the time. “Did you 25 program her yourself?” 26 “Believe it or not, she came that way. I suspect a 27 programming error, which is probably why my stepmother 28 got her so cheap.” 29 “I do not have a programming error!” said Iko from 30 behind her. 31 11 fo Cinder bound proof TXT.indd 11 3.3 Garamond_B_ctr 27/05/2011 16:51