Broken Things Read online

  “Most of that sounds like good news though,” Josh said, “If you can mod me, I’d have longer than another year, wouldn’t I? Neil says he’ll live forever.”

  “I don’t have access to what you need. You’ve got to collect the parts.”

  “Where do I get them?”

  “From a newer model of course,” Cody said, “They’re expensive. If you go find them, I’ll put them in. Neil is good at this sort of thing. He can help you identify the newer models. He’s never gone wrong for me.”

  “Yeah, and he pays well, too,” Neil said, walking into the room. A young woman accompanied him, long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail.

  “Speak of the devil,” Cody said. He walked back around the table and flopped into a chair. It groaned as though reconsidering holding his weight. “But if you’re going to use the part I’m not paying anyone. Neil, you’ll need the microprocessor and a newer hard drive. You might as well grab the Ram while you’re at it, we can always use more. Now you know which microprocessor you’re looking for?”

  Neil nodded. “He’s going to want an Abel.”

  The man nodded, “And then we’ll upgrade your operating system and mod you into a Cain. That’s my homebrew. You’ll feel like a whole new machine.”

  The woman walked around the table and sat down next to Cody. She studied Josh with mild disinterest. “I see you’ve got a new Pinocchio.”

  “Are you his wife?” Josh asked.

  Cody chuckled. “No, this is Angel. I did some work for a guy in Nevada and got her in trade.

  “An angel?”

  “Don’t let the name fool you,” Cody said, “She’s anything but.”

  The woman rolled her eyes. “Cody wouldn’t know what to do with a wife anyway. He just likes to play with dolls.”

  “Careful or I’ll take away your personality.”

  “And make me like the other girls in your closet? Be careful, kid, he may pretend to be Geppetto, but he’s really Bluebeard or Marques de Sade.” She turned back to Cody. “Besides, you told me you liked girls with a spark.”

  “You read too much,” Cody said.

  “You’re a robot too?” Josh asked. “I’ve never seen a grown-up one before.”

  “The proper word is android,” she corrected him, “We’re more alive than metal.”

  “You are a facsimile of life,” Cody corrected her.

  “No,” she said back, “You are a facsimile of life. I know how you live.”

  “You love it,” Cody said, and turned back to Josh. “She does love it. She just likes to stir shit up. I would take away her personality, but I really need someone that can hold a flashlight steady while I work. Half the time I think she’s going to smother me in my sleep. I think she only sticks around so I can keep her upgraded.”

  “There is that,” Angel conceded, “But it’s mainly for your book collection.”

  “So does that mean there are other ro… androids… that are grown-ups?”

  Cody shook his head. “Though it’s possible, it’s too difficult for an android to fit in. They’d be discovered eventually. People haven’t taken it well to work with your kind. The few adults out there are in private collections, like mine. Before we started making kids, private industries tried. Some of those models might even still be out there. They were incredibly durable. Tough as nails and nothing but purpose.”

  Cody pushed himself away from the table. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some programming to do. Let me know when you got the parts.”

  Josh looked at Neil. The kid leaned against the wall, watching the conversation with only mild interest. “Let’s go,” Josh said eagerly.

  “In a bit,” Neil said, stifling a yawn. “It was a long night. I’m gonna take a nap.” He turned and followed Cody into the other room.

  Josh thumped his head down onto the table. It wasn’t fair. He could almost go home. Almost. But he didn’t want to go until he’d had the upgrades, otherwise he’d be dumped again next summer.

  He felt a hand gently squeeze his arm. He looked up to see that Angel had remained behind. “It’s okay,” she said, “Cody is good at what he does. You can trust him.”

  Josh felt tears in his eyes and quickly blinked them away. “I know. I just want to go home. I want my parents.”

  “I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you. How long have you been gone?”

  “A week or so.” He paused, afraid to continue. His eyes met hers, and despite her attitude, she had soft eyes. “Can I ask you a question?”

  Angel raised an eyebrow. “Sure. What is it?”

  “Are you sure you’re not an angel?”

  “It’s just a name,” she said, “Humans have a sense of irony like that. It’s like Cody said… I’m no angel. Why do you ask?”

  “I prayed for an angel last night. Suddenly here you are. You might be an android but you’re an adult too. You could help me get home.”

  Angel withdrew her hand. “I can’t do that,” she said, “I could get in a lot of trouble. Or get Cody in trouble. Technically, I shouldn’t even be in this State. If I were to get caught masquerading as a human, they’d tear me apart.”

  “You wouldn’t get caught,” he said, “You look just like a real person. Once Cody has upgraded me you could get me home. Neil says that nobody has the time to pay attention to us anyway.”

  “I could talk to Cody for you,” she said, “Maybe he would give you a ride. There are other options, just not… just not me. If there is a God, I’m not sure He’d even listen to us. We’re built for pleasure. You to fill a need for a child. I’m for… well… other needs. When we no longer serve our purpose, we’re no good anymore. We may mimic life, but science can’t give us a soul.”

  Josh shook his head. “I’m not so sure half of the people I’ve met have souls. Why do we have to serve their purpose, anyway? What if today we decided to find our own?”

  “Then why do you want to go home so bad? It’s the imprinting. You think of them as your real parents. If you want a new purpose, why go home at all?”

  “Because…” Josh paused. “… it’s where I belong. You’ll see. It’s my home.”

  Angel nodded and gave him a sad smile. “I hope you’re right.” She leaned forward and firmly grabbed his hand. Almost in a whisper she said, “Ask yourself why Cody calls his hacked operating system a Cain.”

  She let him go and walked out of the room, leaving him to his doubts.

  3

  Neil slept for several hours, and despite Josh’s eagerness he could do nothing but wait. Angel brought him a few books, but he turned them down. He couldn’t focus on books.

  He walked through the house looking for the bathroom when he saw Cody sitting in front of an old computer. He didn’t work on a tablet like his father did, he actually had a monitor. He tried to remain quiet and watch him work, but Cody seemed to feel his eyes and turned to face him.

  “What do you need?” Cody asked.

  Josh shrugged. “Nothing. I was just watching.”

  “Huh. Well come and check this out.” Josh looked at the screen, but it was just a bunch of words that didn’t make any sense. Cody typed in additional lines with incredible speed, his fingers flying. “It doesn’t look like anything, but it renders a world that looks almost like the real thing, with actual stimuli like scent and touch. The best part is when it’s ready I’ll be able to modify it into any type of game. It’ll make me millions.”

  “How do you do that?” Josh asked, “Do you wear glasses or something?”

  “Even better. I use a similar technology as androids to affect human beings.” He reached behind his head and lifted up his hair showing Josh two metal prongs protruding from the base of his neck. “Eventually these will be subdermal implants. Right now they’re just piercings to keep them in. I grab this wire…” He reached under the desk and grabbed a wire with two plugs on the end.

  “…And I plug myself into the computer, like so. Now all I have to do is tell the comput
er how long I want to play for, and my mind is linked to the game. The computer sends my brain electrical impulses that put me into the new world. I experience anything within the game that I’ve programmed. At the end of the duration the computer ends the signals and I’m safely removed.

  “People won’t have to have the piercings either. Most will just use sensors that stick to the back of the neck. I think the piercings are cooler though.”

  “It sounds cool,” Josh agreed, “The game, I mean.”

  “Want to try it?”

  “Can I? Is it possible?”

  Cody picked up a second set of wires. “Sit down on that box with your back to me. I can plug you in easily.”

  Josh sat down with his back turned. He felt Cody open him up and his cold fingers fiddling around inside his skull. He distracted himself with looking around the room. It was decorated with posters of pin-up girls wearing very little. He started to open his mouth to ask Cody how long it would take when…

  …Josh stood on a low hill in an open field. A gentle breeze ruffled his hair, carrying with it the smell of fresh apple pie. He looked around to see where it came from but he could see no signs of civilization. Trees and flowers were interspersed across the countryside, all displaying colors more vivid and crazy than anything he’d ever seen before. But they looked genuine. At the base of the hill a gentle brook cut across the landscape, coming from distant mountains and disappearing beyond the rolling hills.

  “This is amazing!” he said. His words were clear in his own ears, though no one else was around to hear him.

  “Thank you.” The voice came from everywhere and nowhere at once, like a voice of God, but belonging to Cody.

  Josh spun around but the man was nowhere to be seen. “What can I do here?”

  “Just about anything you want,” said the disembodied voice, “You can go anywhere or do anything. I can change the laws of physics to allow you to fly or teleport, or even change your appearance.”

  “I want to fly,” Josh said. He looked down and saw his heels leave the soft grass. He rose up a few inches and the world shimmered.

  “Maybe when you get back, it sounds like Neil is ready to go.”

  The world faded and turned gray, and he blinked his eyes as they focused in on Neil’s face. He was back in Cody’s crowded, stuffy house.

  “Pretty cool, huh?” Neil asked.

  Josh nodded enthusiastically. “I can’t wait to try it again.”

  “It gets old after a while. I’m trying to get him to add monsters to fight.”

  Cody unplugged him and closed the back of his head up. Neil led the way out of the room, but Josh turned and looked back Cody. “Where was the pie?”

  Cody just smiled. “There was no pie. But what better smell is there?”

  4

  Josh and Neil slipped out of the house through the garage. Everything was finally coming together, he’d return home better than ever. When his parents learned that they didn’t have to fix him, that he’d taken care of everything, they would welcome him back with open arms.

  Neil went to the back of the garage and rummaged behind a stack of boxes, finally pulling out a baseball bat. “Here we go,” he said.

  “What’s that for?”

  “Parts removal. They won’t give them easily. This makes them more cooperative, if you know what I mean.”

  Josh got the idea. “We take the parts out of the first kid we see.”

  “Pretty much,” Neil replied, “As long as I can tell that it’s the right model. Most kids are now, but there are always a few older ones like you. I’m pretty good at telling the difference though. The best place to find other kids is the park. Even if no one is there we only have to wait. Parents send their kids there when they want them out of the way. We walk up… Bam! We take the parts.”

  Josh smiled. This would be the best day of his life. Nothing could go wrong.

  They walked for a while, the homes turned into businesses. The roads were crowded with traffic, more people coming and going than he had ever seen. “How long have you known Cody?” he asked.

  “Pretty much as long as I can remember,” Neil replied, “He took me from Kidsmith before they fired him.”

  “And he just works on his program all day?”

  “Mostly. It’s going to make him famous.”

  They darted across a street as the traffic ebbed. “This is the Julia Davis Park,” Neil said, “There are always kids here. See that over there? That’s the zoo. I used to go there sometimes, but now you can only get in with an adult. They don’t do very well anymore, with no real kids. Nobody wants to take an android to see animals. But they like to dump their kids at the playground. Some owners will leave them all day while they go to work. That way they don’t have to leave them loose in their house. Like they think we’re programmed to break things.”

  “Is that a river running through the park?”

  “Yes. That’s part of the Greenbelt. It runs through the city. It’ll take you to a bunch of different parks.”

  “Have you done this before?” Josh asked.

  “Yes, a few times. I did it to get my own upgrades. I’ve also done it for Cody a few times for money. You can’t do it very often, or they start watching for you. Okay, there’s our target.” He pointed at a young girl playing alone, away from the other children. “She’s perfect. We grab her, take the parts, and split. Before anyone even misses her, you’ll be rebuilt.”

  “I don’t want girl parts.”

  “The parts aren’t girl, stupid! Only her casing is.”

  “Okay, let’s just go get the parts.”

  “Fine,” Neil said, “Follow my lead.”

  Neil walked casually toward the girl, not making eye contact with her, just passing by minding his own business, such business that didn’t include little girls. She had strawberry blond hair pulled into pigtails, her cheeks and nose covered in freckles. She couldn’t have been older than eight. She didn’t pay the two boys any attention. She pretended to have tea with her doll.

  Josh watched as the other boy walked around behind her. Neil lined the bat up at the base of her neck, and posed like a major league baseball player warming up for the swing. He brought it back one last time, his face contorting with hate.

  “Neil, no!” Josh leaped between the two kids.

  “Move, Josh,” Neil said, “It’s the only way.”

  “No, you’re going to break her.”

  “What did you think I was going to do?”

  The girl had turned to watch them. “What are you guys doing?” she asked.

  “Run,” Josh told her, “go home.”

  Neil’s eyes widened in desperation as the girl got to her feet with her doll and ran away, leaving her plastic tea cups behind. “No, we need those parts.”

  “I can’t break another kid,” Josh said, “There has to be another way.”

  Neil nodded. “There’s my way.” He shoved Josh hard. Josh staggered backward and fell as the other kid ran past him after the little girl. Neil had speed and size on his side and would catch her quickly.

  Josh got to his feet and ran after him. They tore across the playground, darting between trees, heading toward the edge of the park. Neil gained on the girl, bringing the bat around. Josh couldn’t run fast enough. The swing clipped her on the shoulder and she fell to her hands and knees with a high-pitched scream.

  Neil raised the bat again with practiced ease, aiming the blow between her shoulder blades. Josh didn’t slow down, tackling him at a full-on run. Both boys flew over the girl and hit the ground, tumbling. The bat flew away as Neil spit curses at him.

  Neil became a ball of fists and feet, kicking and punching at Josh who desperately tried to avoid them. Josh had never been in a real fight before and Neil had turned into a raging beast. He scrambled to get away. Neil let him go, choosing instead to go after the bat.

  “Who do you think you are?” Neil screamed, picking up the bat. “You think you can mess with me? You’
re nothing! You’re broken! You don’t know who you’re messing with!”

  Josh raised his arms to block the incoming swing. He managed to raise his forearm in time, but Neil’s anger gave him power and he felt something pop in his shoulder. The pain was intense. Neil raised the bat for another swing. Josh curled up in a ball to protect his head as Neil rained down frenzied blow after blow upon on him.

  Distantly he heard voices of adults and of other kids. It sounded like the little girl continued to scream, but he couldn’t focus on any of them through the pain. The blows struck everywhere, across his back and shoulders, over his arms and legs, but miraculously none of them connected with his head.

  Finally they stopped as adults approached, and he heard the bat clatter into the street as Neil discarded it and ran off. His entire body hurt, the pain coursed through his limbs.

  None of the adults approached, they hung back talking amongst themselves. Slowly he uncurled from his fetal position and felt the tears come. He looked about, searching the faces for someone to help him. One by one they all walked away, leaving him alone.

  It wasn’t fair. He’d come so close. He’d gotten fixed. He had the promise of being made better, of having a chance to last forever. He could’ve gotten his family back. They would’ve let him come home, but Neil had ruined everything. He couldn’t go back to Cody’s. He would never mod him now. What if he was broken again?

  Some of the pain began to dull. His left arm though, every time he moved it lightning bolts of pain exploded from his elbow. He could hardly move his wrist and fingers, and when he did pain accompanied it.

  He wiped his nose and tears on the back of his right arm and took a deep breath. He could still go home, his parents wouldn’t complain about a broken arm. They could afford to fix that, especially since he’d taken care of the expensive part. He’d go home now, and he’d be good enough. Maybe he could find a way to mod himself on his own.

  Slowly he got to his feet. Though they hurt too, his legs seemed to be okay. He scanned the park but everyone ignored him. If he caught someone’s eye they quickly looked away. Nobody had bothered with the baseball bat. He didn’t want it either. It represented something terrible, something that had been used to break children, other children just like him.