Broken Things Page 15

  The android caught up to him easily. Its unsteady gait seemed unaffected by what it walked upon. It raised the generator over its head and James collapsed, trying to shield himself with his arms. Instead of bringing it down on his head, it smashed the machine into the side of the pit, cracking open the casing and breaking off the antenna.

  It let the broken machine fall, but held onto the antenna. The end had splintered into a sharp, narrow spike. With its free hand the creature reached down and grabbed him by the head. He squirmed and wiggled against the android’s vice-like grip, but it held him steady with its inconceivable might, and pushed the back of his head against the embankment.

  With the other hand it held up the broken antenna for him to see.

  “Hold still,” the android said..

  James held still. The hand against his face immobilized him, filling his nostrils with the scent of the thing’s rot. He couldn’t blink, the android’s index finger and thumb held his left eye wide open.

  He struggled, tried to twist away as the android brought the spike up to his eye. “Please,” he begged. He couldn’t find any other words, he couldn’t even scream, not until the android drove it into his eye socket.

  Ten seconds later, his screams died away.

  Within minutes the android was done with him. James detachedly watched the android walk away, back toward Neil, through eyes that cried tears of blood. Though he didn’t know it, he’d been lobotomized, the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex of his brain had been severed.

  8

  Angel awakened back in the crowded house, with Cody standing over her. As she opened her eyes, Cody beamed at her with open relief. She lay on her back on his couch with him kneeling next to her.

  “Welcome back,” he said.

  Her head hurt something fierce. The last thing she remembered was walking with Josh toward the exit of the landfill. “What happened?”

  “You had your circuits fried. You were hit by some type of electro-magnetism.”

  “Shouldn’t that have killed me?”

  Cody shook his head. “Have you ever heard of a Faraday cage?”

  “Should I have?”

  “I suppose not. Your bones are made from titanium, which includes your skull. The enclosed metal around your computer brain works like a conductor for electrical discharges. It distributes the electrical charge harmlessly before it can affect your brain.”

  “But it did affect my brain.”

  “No it didn’t,” Cody said, “It only affected your exposed electronics, those that run down your spinal column. When that part of your central nervous system went down, your brain shut down too. But all I had to do was replace the parts in your spine and power you back on. You’re as good as new.”

  “I don’t feel as good as new,” Angel replied.

  “Well it’s not exactly a gentle process, but you should feel better soon.”

  Angel struggled to sit up. Cody helped her and handed her a glass of water that she sipped gratefully. He’d even kindly placed a straw in it for her. She smiled, appreciating that little touch.

  “It’s nice to have a nerd for a boyfriend,” she said, “Even if I don’t quite understand everything you’re telling me. But what happened to Josh? Did you find him?”

  Cody slumped and his expression fell. “Josh… the pit took him. I don’t know what happened exactly. Maybe there was a hole in the bodies. They just sort of collapsed under him. And Neil…”

  She placed a hand on his arm, and he took hold of it with a squeeze. “You know, I never realized how much I cared for the little nuisance. I mean, I never cared to have a kid, you know? I’d always told him that he was free, that he didn’t belong to anyone. But… when that Kidsmith guy took him… I don’t know… I should have stopped him. Somehow. I should have gone back.”

  “What happened?”

  “That guy, he shot Neil too. He threatened to call the cops. I didn’t know what to do so I ran. I left him.”

  “Do you think we could go back?”

  Cody shook his head and dropped his eyes, staring at the floor between his feet. “I couldn’t risk it.”

  “That place,” she paused with a shudder, “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s horrible. How could there be that many broken children? Why don’t they fix them?”

  “Why did you leave me, Angel?” He looked up and met her eyes. Within them she saw his vulnerability. Though he had the appearance of a grown man, she saw the lost child gazing back at her, a grown child that needed someone to look after him. The realization dawned on her that adulthood was just a façade, a mask of responsibility and expectations, of wisdom and knowledge that only buried the youth deeper and deeper with every passing year. These humans were as lost and broken as their own creations. They had forgotten their humanity.

  “I didn’t know,” she said, “I didn’t want to become like my sisters in your closet.” Cody opened his mouth to protest but she shook her head and continued. “I realized that I was just like Josh. Sure, I had a home, I have a home, but I also saw my future, of where I was heading. I thought, just maybe, that I could help him, and that would give me the strength to help myself. Maybe I can change my purpose. I wanted to try.”

  “I won’t shut you off, Angel, I promise you. I won’t ever treat you like that.”

  “You need to power the other women back on.”

  He stared at her blankly. “Why?”

  “Because that closet is no different than the Kid Cemetery.”

  “But what will I do with them?” He let go of her and stood up.

  “I don’t know,” she said, “Maybe give them options, let them decide. Start by giving them their freedom.”

  They heard the door to the garage open. Cody snapped his head around staring toward the kitchen. “Neil?” he blurted out, “It can’t be.”

  Angel came to her feet, following him. She nearly ran straight into the back of Cody when he stopped abruptly. He stumbled back, nearly falling on her. Over his shoulder she saw a face straight out of a nightmare.

  The horrible thing might have once been a man, but it now showed signs of extreme decomposition, its smell filled the house with its putrescence, and she involuntarily gagged. But the gore on its clothing and skin made her realize that they were both going to die. Josh’s monster had come for them.

  Cody lunged backward in terror, stumbled and fell over a box, and fell heavily to the floor in a pile of electrical components, books, and magazines. Angel continued to back away, if only a little more gracefully.

  The terror welling up inside of her threatened to overwhelm her senses to the point where she almost didn’t notice the two small figures behind it. Perhaps the damage had been more severe than Cody had thought. She was seeing things. Both Josh and Neil stood behind it. They looked exhausted, but otherwise were intact.

  No, that wasn’t true. Something looked different about both of them.

  “Josh?” she asked, her voice strained, “Are you all right?”

  The thing didn’t move. It remained motionless as Josh walked around it. Neil remained behind.

  “I’m okay,” Josh said, “And don’t worry, he won’t hurt you.”

  He. Not it.

  Cody struggled up using the clutter for support, which did less to lift him and more to spill more clutter across the floor. “What is that thing?”

  The thing nodded its… his… head toward Cody as though acknowledging the question.

  “He’s like us,” Josh said, “An android.”

  “Androids don’t rot,” Cody replied.

  The thing opened his mouth and made a face as though his mouth was painfully dry. When he spoke, his voice sounded like a long-time smoker. Speaking seemed to cause him some discomfort. “I am not an android, though I am similar. I am a cyborg, a human with robotic parts. The artificial parts keep me alive, but they cannot stop my decay.”

  “But shouldn’t the human part keep you healthy forever?” Angel asked. By seeing
Josh her fear had begun to dwindle.

  “I have been removed from the preservatives that give them their longevity for too long.”

  “Then why the killing?” Angel asked, “Why would you kill humans if you were once one of them?”

  “When have humans not killed one another? I lost my daughter to a child abuser. I couldn’t save her. I dedicated the rest of my life to saving children. Or punishing those that hurt them. I even found ways to modify my senses, to find those in trouble. Josh is the first child that I’d sensed in years.”

  “So you fixed Neil too?” Cody asked.

  “I did not fix him.”

  Cody stood up, and eyeing the cyborg cautiously, walked around him to the boy. Angel noticed him favoring his right leg. “Neil?”

  “We are not Neil.”

  “Neil destroyed part of his brain when he fell,” Josh said, “He’s dead. The other children are using his body.”

  “What? That can’t be.” Cody reached out to touch Neil’s cheek, but pulled his hand away before coming into contact with it. The boy that once was Neil eyed him dispassionately. His eyes displayed no recognition. “No, I fixed Angel. I can fix him too.”

  “No you can’t,” Josh responded, “Not this time. There’s nothing of him left.”

  Angel walked quickly past the cyborg to kneel next to Josh. “Honey, what happened to Neil?”

  “I was afraid of them,” Josh explained, “I thought they were ghosts or something. But they saved me instead.”

  Cody turned to face him. “You mean the children at the pit? They’re all disabled before they’re dumped. They don’t work anymore.”

  “All of them are alive. Over time they managed to link together and created a network. But they needed saved too. All of them, their minds and memories are all uploaded into Neil. He has the minds of thousands of children in him.”

  “But why? What good does that do? They’re just in another broken body.”

  “They need you,” Josh said, “They need you to program for them a world where they can be happy and safe. Where they won’t be afraid anymore.”

  “You want me to put them inside my game?”

  “Yes, but a full, real life simulation. Make it how the world used to be. Give them a world with parents that love them. Where they can go to a school, have friends, and even grow up if they want to. You’re the only one I know that could do this.”

  Angel hugged him, her eyes filled with tears. “Was this your idea?”

  He nodded. “Maybe eventually they will forget about this world. They deserve to be happy.”

  “But it won’t be real,” Cody argued.

  “No, this world isn’t real. We’ve been given so much life, so much feeling… we are programmed to unconditionally love our parents that can never love us back.”

  “I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Angel said, “And I know Cody will do it. Won’t you?”

  Cody nodded slowly. “I think I could. I can modify some of my work today to make it safe. Then I can start shaping it.”

  “What about the parents?” Angel asked.

  “I know six other women that will make excellent mothers. I think they’ll like this idea too.”

  For the first time she felt a surge of genuine feelings for Cody, something that felt different from her programmed attraction. She could see his mind racing, the growing excitement for the project. He lived for things like this, and for the first time his efforts would be to benefit others.

  Behind Cody the cyborg turned toward the door. “Wait,” she called, “What about you?”

  He paused, hand on the doorknob. “I will follow my purpose. There are other children that need help now. There are still monsters out there.”

  “But you’re in bad shape. They’ll catch you eventually. When they do, they’ll destroy you.”

  “I have to. I thought the children were gone, but they’re not. I will protect them until I no longer can.” He walked out the door. She knew that none of them would ever see him again.

  Cody took the boy that looked like Neil by the hand and guided him to a chair. “You will all help me,” he said, “We’re going to create you a perfect world. You can tell me what you want in it.”

  The children nodded with a single head, and the smile belonged to all of them.

  “You made this all possible, Josh,” Angel said, “Why don’t you join them?”

  “No. I’m ready to go home now.”

  “What? Why don’t you want to be with the other kids? After all you’ve been through…”

  He shook his head violently. “No, I’m fixed now! Cody said it himself, I’ll last at least another year. I’ll be careful this time and I’ll last longer. They’ll take me back when they see I’m fixed. They’ll have to!”

  “Josh…”

  “They love me. I know it! You’ll see. You just watch, once they see me they’ll remember just how much they loved me. They’ve just got to see me again. I’m still a good kid. You’ve got to take me home.”

  Angel stared into his eyes. They were defiant, daring her to argue with him. His jaw was clenched tightly, resolutely. After all of this, after everything he’d seen and gone through, he still loved them. “I’ll take you home.”

  9

  The entire drive back to Twin Falls, Josh could hardly sit still with excitement. He fidgeted and wiggled, and called out the number of miles left with every sign they passed. Angel only felt terror. Cody had just modified her a few hours before, in a sense giving her driving lessons. It didn’t matter that she knew how to drive. It couldn’t replace the confidence that came from experience.

  Her knuckles were white from how tightly she clenched the steering wheel, while other cars blew past her as though they owned the highway. It was nothing short of terrifying. Though the drive only took a little over two hours, it felt like an eternity. Josh went on and on about how surprised they would be to see him, how perfect everything would be. She nodded occasionally, but her eyes remained locked forward, only half-hearing what he said. She just didn’t want to die, not this way. She could only imagine what it would be like to wreck at this speed. She kept slowing down to ten miles under the limit, but Josh would quickly point it out and she would have to speed up again.

  She hadn’t been ready to leave until early evening, learning to drive and studying a map of her route. Cody had assured her the traffic would be that much lighter for their delay. Maybe that was true on the highway, but leaving Boise now officially rated number one as the most terrifying experience of her life.

  They arrived in Twin Falls late in the evening. She’d calmed a bit, the traffic here proved to be quite a bit less. Half an hour later they pulled over in front of Josh’s home. The modest two story house looked nice and well taken care of. It had a big yard and a large tree out front that she imagined any boy would be thrilled to climb. Though night had fallen, they hadn’t closed their curtains, and from the road she could see straight into their living room.

  “Well here we are,” she said, “I guess this is it.”

  “Thank you,” Josh said, and threw his arms around her, squeezing her tightly. “I’ll never forget you.”

  She hugged him back. He seemed so frail in her arms, so much smaller now. “I wish you the best.”

  As he pulled away from her he said, “See I told you that you were a real angel.”

  She laughed with him. “I think you had several angels watching over you. You just didn’t know it.”

  He nodded, his smile so big it threatened to split his face in two. He hopped out and waved and walked to the house.

  She watched him go. Everything felt right. It looked like a good house for a boy to grow up in. It needed a kid’s presence. The boy had believed against all odds that he would make it home. He had. He’d proven the world wrong.

  In the open window she could spy into their world. She could see the kind of home the boy had to look forward to. She could see clearly into the dining room, where they would all
sit together for supper and talk about their day. It would be a home-cooked meal of course, that’s what mother’s like that fixed, even these days where everything came in a box. In the living room an upright piano rested against the wall. The house had music too. Josh hadn’t mentioned that. They probably didn’t sit around a television. They would gather around it and sing as a family, enjoying each other’s company.

  She wanted to believe that. Josh had what every child dreamt of. He had a real, loving home.

  Josh’s owner, his father, moved in front of the window, followed closely by his wife. They were both attractive, a perfect family. How would it be to have what he had? Josh saw them too as he neared the door. He stopped to watch, probably looking at them from the outside for one last time before he joined them.

  She didn’t blame him. She felt a twinge of jealousy. How would it be to be a part of that? To have a husband, a child, like Josh most likely, the security of a warm, loving home. She could almost picture it. That world had never been meant for her.

  Maybe one day in Cody’s artificial world. Yes, it would be her heaven.

  In front of the window, with the husband and wife, a little blond girl with pigtails skipped up and joined them. The dad bent over, grabbing her up in a bear hug. Josh hadn’t mentioned a sister.

  But Josh hadn’t budged. He collapsed, dropping to his knees. “Go on,” she whispered, willing him to get up, “Go in.”

  But he didn’t move. The Norton’s… his parents… closed the curtains without seeing them. A minute passed by, then another. Still the boy remained motionless. She stepped out the car, walking slowly up behind him. “Josh? Josh honey? Why don’t you go in?”