The theatron was abuzz with Saints' activity. Unlike a normal amphitheatre, the seats and benches were arranged in a semicircle descending towards an upraised platform, a dais.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck." Kyle fidgeted next to me. He really liked that word. He was obsessed with it. He could hardly keep it out of his damn mouth.
I slapped his head. "Shut up."
He swung back around at me like a bobblehead. "Fuck, sorry. It's just…we're screwed."
"No we aren't."
Kyle twitched. "He's angry I bet."
"Shut up. Don't dig us into a bigger hole than the one we're already in. Keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking." I was over this. I was over him. I was over all the bullshit now, and I knew just who was responsible for it.
He rubbed the spot where I smacked him. After recovering, he began to glance about the area with a worried expression painting his face. His eyes caught a bigger guy as he approached the two of us. A yellow bandana hid his face, like an old timey railroad bandit. Kyle swung back around, hoping he'd forget he was there.
"Surprised you haven't run off, Mayday. You've got some balls to stick around."
One of his lackeys taunted, "Mayday! Mayday!"
"I'm not afraid of a little slip up."
The big man's heel, the one who taunted me with that dumb nickname, skulked out from behind the other's shadow. "Boss won't like it one bit."
"So? We'll just get it back, like before. Besides, I know exactly where to track that kid down."
The big man said, "tough luck, kid. And here I thought you'd be eyed for Pillar." He shrugged and spat down at my feet.
"They'll make me one yet," I said with confidence. My chest puffed out a little. "Once they do make me one you'll have to show me some respect. I'll cherish the moment you realize that." I looked back to Kyle, then to the rest of the Saints convening around us. "You'll all regret it."
A booming sound, like someone had slammed a steel pipe against the broadside of a dump-truck, barreled its way up toward us. In the center of the dais at the bottom of the pit a man in a hoodie with the sleeves torn off crossed his arms and commanded the area like a warden surveying his prison.
"Line up!" he shouted.
The big man hid a nasty glare and returned to the theatron to await our Pillar's orders. Kyle and I followed down towards the bottom and picked out a bench with a few others in our crew. Even down here in the pit, cliques were forming.
He began to pace the dais. "Boss-man wanted me to say a few things. First thing is we're moving the schedule up. We don't have a few months anymore. It just isn't feasible with the way things have gone the past few weeks. Second, Royals have been spotted south of Vaux. They can't catch on to what we've accomplished, so no fucking around. And third--what the fuck was the third thing?"
He watched the crowd's confused faces. Idly, he scratched at his naked arms until his gaze fixed on me.
"Yeah, third thing. Stand up Mayday."
I groaned and rose to my feet. Kyle fidgeted next to me as everyone's eyes glued to us. The boss smiled.
"Report," he commanded.
I sighed. "We had a break-in. Things got rough. Turns out an old friend of mine was looking to cut ties with the Saints. He helped some thieves run off with the Hype-whatever."
"Hypercube," the big man corrected. He grinned ear-to-ear. Giddy bastard. I'm going to wipe that smug smile off your face.
"They took it. But we know who's responsible. I know where the thief probably took it. I'll get it back. I just need a small crew."
"You need a crew to clean up your own mess?" He taunted. "Cause the way I see it is I gave you a responsibility, and now I hear that you've squandered this opportunity to move up in our ranks. What do you expect me to say?"
My teeth were grinding into dust. Blood rushed to my cheeks.
"We'll get it done," I spat out.
A few whistles flared out in the stands. Saints were getting riled up. They could smell blood.
"Yea you will. But first, a punishment is in order." He nodded to the big man. "Mauler, he's yours."
Mauler pulled his bandana down and bared his fangs as he cackled. A cruel, blood-curdling cackle erupted from his maw like a hyena's howl of laughter. "Don't worry Mayday, I won't hit anything lower than the belt. Boys!" He whistled. Three of his men surrounded me. I backed off from the bench nearly tripping over Kyle who threw himself to the side and hid cowardly in the stands.
"You know the rules, Mayday. Repentance is in order."
"I said I'll get the Hypercube back, didn't I?" I said aloud, so the boss would hear me.
"I believe you," the boss said. "This is just a formality."
I pushed one of the lackey's with an elbow. "Get bent." The other on my flank punched my stomach. Almost immediately the air had sucked out of my lungs. I started to slump forward but they caught me and dragged me out of the stands toward the dais.
They knelt me down before the whole of the theatron, abuzz with activity. Hooting and hollering filled the stands like an actual football game. I saw some familiar faces. Guys and girls who were there when Lynn and those kids broke in and stole the damn box. They were smiling, enjoying themselves. I could feel something boiling deep down in my stomach. I tried to shake the guys holding me down off me, but that only won me a smack to the head.
"Let this be a lesson to all of you. Don't fuck up," the boss said. He nodded to Mauler again.
Mauler stood in front of me. In his hand a wooden bat waited in anticipation. He leaned down and whispered. "One hit for each punk you let slip. Capiche?" I closed my eyes before the first swing could land and waited for the other four to follow.
I sat groaning on one of the benches, nursing my arm with a scavenged cold pack. Bruises and welts climbed up all over my chest, arms and face. A split lip still bled slightly.
Kyle sat nearby, mumbling something under his breath. That coward, I thought, could have taken some of that heat off of me. I'll remember this you sniveling brat. Why had I been stuck with him, and the rest of these assholes, when I could have had Lynn looking out for me? He wouldn't have put up with that shit back there, I bet. Why'd he have to go and make a fool of me?
He was just confused. I had been a little hard on him, maybe. But why didn't he see that it was because I was giving him a way up in the org?
Mauler had his eye on becoming Pillar, just like I did. And today's fuck up would put him a step ahead of me. If I could convince Lynn to give up the b--the Hypercube, and maybe join back up with the Saints, then I had a chance of getting back into the Boss's good graces.
As for that kid he was with. I've seen him before. He was there the night we got the Hypercube. Why the hell had Lynn gone and helped the brat? Did he have something on him? "Monty," I whispered under my breath. And the girl, Cindi. She just seemed like a whole other can of worms, probably more trouble than the boy.
I checked my phone. Three missed calls from Jimmy and another twenty from Mel. After I flipped it over so I didn't have to see the notifications.
Kyle said, "This is all because of that bastard Lynn, man. I never trusted him."
"Kyle," I said simply.
"Hmm, what?"
"Just shut up."
A couple other boys were nearby. Guys I've been running with these past few months. They snickered. They were Easties, from our side of the tracks. Most of the kids here were, but not all though. The Saints had the largest gang presence in Easttown City. Our rivals, the Royals, to the north in Vaux wanted a piece of the city too. They also had a strong presence to the East in Lenox, so the pressure on us to follow orders was high. We were surrounded on all sides.
I didn't need a PhD to know that the city was falling apart. Factories closing up, industries going under, even our institutions are getting fucked over. The school systems were no different. It was like trapping a bunch of anxious, flea-ridden rats inside of a box, with some from different towns or neighborhoods altogether, and telling them to get along. The AADs weren't the start of everything going to shit. They just helped speed things up.
It's not like I wanted to join the Saints. I had to. Kye and Owen were like me, they wanted a piece of the Ward to themselves. Unlike me, though, they didn't know what to do with it.
Speaking of the devil, Owen sauntered around a bench, hands in his jeans. He had an easy nonchalance about him. I remembered that being a good thing. Lynn was hot tempered and Kyle could be annoying. Funny, because in my mind, he was in just as much shit as Kyle. I threw on a plastic shit-eating grin so the two of them wouldn't notice how angry I really was.
"About time. We got work to do."
He nodded. What, not gonna say anything? Not even a "wow that looks like it hurts"? My bruises began to ache again.
"What do you mean we got work to do?" asked Kyle.
"We're moving out. Pull the truck around front and meet us in the lot at ten. Owen, round up a few of our crewmates. We're paying a visit to an old friend of mine."
Kyle nodded and left in a hurry. Owen mimicked the gesture in a slow stride out to the yard. I was alone. The hairs on my neck prickled, like a dog when he sniffs out shit. A cold cruel voice appeared from behind me, as if on cue.
"You bring it back and I just might consider making you a lieutenant. After the boss-man makes me one of the five Pillars, of course."
I turned to find Mauler gloating over my embarrassment. He wore a jacket with a mane of faux fur, like a lion. A glistening gold chain hung from his neck. As it caught the light of a nearby industrial lamp, it nearly blinded me.
I rubbed my arm. I shot him a dirty look. He didn't appear the least bit bothered. I wanted to tear off that smug grin of his.
"Who said that was ever going to be the case?"
"Boss-man told me himself. He said it was gonna be easy pickings for me when I get it back for him."
Of course he was going to try and make me look bad by going for the Hypercube himself. But why was he telling me all this?
"What do you want?"
"I want to cut you a deal. Take the heat off. We might run into each other out there. It's a small city, maybe we don't see the yellow and mistake you for Royals. A lot could happen, but if I see that you've got something that I'm looking for, maybe things could be smoothed over."
Yea, right. And give him the Hypercube so he could be in charge of a branch of the Saints? Like hell. But keeping him in my pocket until I can get it back might be the move.
"I'll have to think about it."
He smirked. "Don't think too hard now. Good luck, Mayday. I hope you find your friend before we do."
As he walked off to find his own crew a thought slid across my lap. Thinking back on the whole situation, one thing felt odd. I tried to imagine the Hypercube, how it felt, how it weighed. Had I imagined things?
It just seemed so innocuous. Lynn somehow threw that thing to the kid, didn't he? A cube, with its sharp edges and black-glass casing. It weighed like a baseball, but that kid didn't play for the Underdogs. I knew Jesse's reputation, and Raiden's too. But who was that kid, really? Some kind of force pulled me in. It was that same feeling that I had on the beach. Was I imagining things? One thing was for sure, that Hypercube did more to us than I realized.
Mauler's bruises stung like static along my cheek.