UnWholly

Rincon takes this as his cue to end the meeting—something he’s clearly wanted to do since the moment he arrived. “Hey, I’m just the messenger—don’t take this out on me!”

But there are some things Co

“There’s my message,” he says. “Please take it back to the people who sent you.”

•   •   •

There’s a wingless Boeing 747 airliner that has been gutted, like just about every other plane in the Graveyard, and retrofitted with gym equipment. It’s been named GymBo, although some call it “the fight deck” since so many brawls seem to break out there.

This is where Co

A big punching bag before him, he pounds it like a prize-fighter hell-bent on a first-round knockout. He imagines the faces of all the kids who pissed him off that day. All the ones who have excuses for not doing what they’re supposed to do. And he spreads his anger further to people like Rincon, and the Juvey-cops that he’s had to face, to the smiling counselors at the harvest camp who tried to make unwinding seem like a wholesome family-friendly activity, and finally to the faces of his parents, who set in motion the clockwork that landed him here. For them he can’t hit that bag hard enough and yet can’t stomach the guilt he feels for feeling that way.

The punches from his left hand are nothing compared to those from his right. He looks at the shark tattoo staring at him from the forearm; that tiger shark even uglier than the real thing. He has to admit to himself that he’s gotten used to it, but he’ll never like it. The color of the hair that grows on that arm is also thicker and darker than that of his other arm. He’s here, Co

He moves toward a bench press, and a couple of kids who had been sharing it make way for him—a perk of being in charge. He looks at the weight, adds another five pounds on either side, then leans back, ready to pump. Every day he does this, and every day this is the part he hates the most . . . because nowhere is the difference between his left arm and his right clearer than on the bench press. The arm he was born with struggles to raise that bar. And suddenly he realizes that even now he’s still fighting Roland.

“Need someone to spot you?” says a kid behind him. Co

“Yeah, sure,” says Co

Starkey points at the shark on his right arm. “You get that after Happy Jack?”

Co

“Actually,” says Starkey, “I was talking about the arm. The way I figure it, if the guy who’s so against unwinding has an Unwind’s arm, it probably wasn’t by choice. I’d love to hear how it happened.”

Co

“There was this kid—a real tough guy. He tried to kill me once but couldn’t go through with it. Anyway, he was the last kid unwound at Happy Jack. I was supposed to be next, but that’s when the clappers blew up the Chop Shop. I lost my arm and woke up with this one. Trust me, it wasn’t my choice.”

Starkey takes in the story and nods, not offering any judgment.

“Badge of honor, man,” he says. “Wear it out loud.”

Co

Co

“You’ll have to let me see some of your magic tricks, Starkey,” Co

“You know everyone’s name here?”

“Only the ones who make an impression. Here, let’s switch,” says Co

“I think I’ll pass.”

Starkey sits up, taking a long look at him. Most people can’t hold eye contact with Co

“Yeah,” Co

“Why’d you do it?”

Co

“I was a storked baby,” Starkey tells him.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“No, it’s all good. I just want you to know I respect you for what you did.”

“Thanks.” Outside, someone calls for Co

But what he doesn’t see is what happens after he’s gone: Starkey lying back on the bench press, doing twenty reps of that same weight without even breaking a sweat.

•   •   •

After the sun sets, Co

It wasn’t Co

“What the hell kind of army wears blue camouflage anyway?” he griped when Trace first suggested it.

“It’s for air attacks by jetpack,” Trace told him. “Never actually attempted, but it works in theory.”

The idea was to set Co