The Rise of Io by Wesley Chu Page A

it back and took a sip. “I have an investment for you then. You get me back all the money I invested, with that fabulous return you promised, or you get to stay in this cell. You have until you die of thirst to pay me back, with interest.” Manu took another sip and dumped the rest of the water on the floor, then walked back to his desk.
    â€œHow am I going to get your money back stuck here in this cell?” she yelled.
    He began working again. “You’re resourceful. Figure it out.”
    Ella sunk down to her knees and stared at the puddle of water on the other side of the bars. She reached between the bars with her hands and wetted her fingers, and then let a few drops fall into her mouth. She couldn’t recall a worse situation than the one she was in right now. There was literally no one in the world she could think of who would be willing to give her money to get out of here, even if her life depended on it. That was a little depressing.
    How much did you steal from him?
    â€œI didn’t steal. It was a bad investment. It happens.”
    Did you withhold vital information regarding the investment?
    â€œOf course. He was the silent partner.”
    Did you fully intend on giving him the returns he expected?
    â€œNo, but who does?”
    You stole from him. Dumb decision stealing from the police.
    â€œWhose side are you on, anyway? Can you stop patronizing me and help me figure out how to get out of here?”
    Already on it. Just relax.
    It wasn’t as if Ella had anything else to do in the cell. She lay down and stared at the ceiling, and traced the cracks running along it with her fingers. Much like how she used to see animals and faces and objects in cloud formations, she imagined shapes within the spiderweb-like lines that cut the ceiling.
    She pretended that two dark, nearly parallel lines formed a mighty river and the small bumps on either side were hills. The pointy grooves became trees and the small circles transformed into animals. Before she knew it, she was staring at a lovely forest. Then she imagined that the water stains slowly spreading across the surface of the ceiling were waves of lava flowing over the land, burning everything in their path.
    That went down a dark train of thought.
    Ella sighed, and erased that image from her head. She reformed the lines again, this time imagining the two edges of a tower. The bumps on the sides were clouds, the grooves became planes, and the circles were bombs. The water stain became the smoke that choked the air.
    You grew up during the war?
    Ella nodded. “The day the Vadsar Air Base was attacked, I was in school down the street with all the other army brats. Teacher took us away on the bus and we fled south. I thought I saw Amma’s plane get shot down.”
    I am sorry.
    â€œI’ve been in Crate Town ever since. A kid doesn’t have a lot of happy thoughts growing up in that world.”
    What about your father?
    â€œHe’s an asshole. Appa and Amma got into a big fight a few weeks before the attack. The next day, he was gone. I haven’t heard from him since. I hope he’s dead.”
    Ella kept staring at the water stains, wondering if any of it was going to form a drip. At least she’d get a drink that way. Probably dysentery too, but it wasn’t like she was going to live much longer anyhow. Maybe Manu was bluffing. She raised her head and looked over at the uncle still working at his desk. No, probably not. She was just lucky that bastard was too lazy to torture. Otherwise – she looked over at the car battery on the floor attached to clamps – things could really get unpleasant.
    You have never seen the forest, have you?
    â€œNope. Army bases and Crate Town.”
    One day, I will show you.
    â€œLike we’re ever getting out of here alive. Didn’t you say you were working to get us out?”
    I am. Hang tight.
    â€œIt’s already been three hours. How much more