G. Wright - Broken Things

“Kid Cemetery. It’s a landfill full of broken children.”

Josh stopped walking. “That place is real?”

Neil didn’t stop. “Of course it is. What do you think they do with all of those garbage parts? They got to go somewhere. It can’t all be reused.”

“You’ve seen it?” Josh asked as he hurried to catch up, “I can’t believe that they wouldn’t have fixed me if they could have.”

“So what did you do to let them down?”

“Nothing.” But maybe that wasn’t entirely true.

Josh walked along next to Neil, for the first time in days feeling like he had hope. The world ignored them. Once a police car had driven by and Josh wanted to run, but Neil paid it no mind, and the officer didn’t even look their way. Once he was a mod like Neil his parents would take him back. They’d want a kid that was better than everyone else’s.

“It doesn’t matter that we escaped,” Neil explained, “They don’t want people to see us as real or as trouble-makers. And Kidsmith doesn’t have the resources like they used to, to track us down. Unless you get caught shoplifting they’re going to leave you alone.”

Neil turned into the driveway of a small rundown house with peeling paint. Soda cans, cigarette butts, and plastic bags were scattered amidst the thick weeds and patches of grass that masqueraded as a lawn. Josh followed as the boy lifted the garage door just high enough to slip under and let it fall noisily shut behind them. Boxes of electronics parts were everywhere. They filled the shelves and created a barely usable path through the two-car garage that only had room for one old car that looked almost as rundown as the house. Neil walked up to a door and knocked.

“Do you live here?” Josh asked.

“No, sometimes I stay here though.”

A moment later the door cracked open and an adult with dark frizzy hair and a thick scraggly beard peered out. “Neil,” the man said, “What’ve you been up to?”

“I got caught shoplifting,” Neil replied, “Took me in for parts. This kid busted me out.”

“Dude, that sucks. That’s twice now, isn’t it? Soon you’re not going to be able to go anywhere.”

Neil shrugged.

The man laughed, opening the door wide, and gestured for them to enter. They squeezed by his obstructive bulk. “Any friend of Neil’s is a friend of mine,” he said, “But if you try to steal anything, I’ll bust your case open.”

Josh nodded rapidly. “I won’t.”

The boys wove through the house path created by boxes, books, magazines, and computers (many in pieces) stacked in every available spot. Josh tried not to stare. It wasn’t anything like his home. His mother picked up everything, and everything had its place. He’d never been too good at picking up his own room and she constantly pestered him every time she’d peek in. Maybe that was something that had disappointed them.

“You guys hungry?” the man asked, “I’ve a cupboard full of cereal.”

The boys nodded eagerly, and with Neil taking the lead they helped themselves to overflowing bowls. The man sat down across from them, watching them eat. He introduced himself as Cody.

In between mouthfuls Josh said, “Neil says that you can ‘mod’ me.”

Cody smiled, and said with a shrug, “I suppose. I’ve done my share.”

“So, can you?”

“I don’t know,” he said, “I’ve got to see what’s under the hood. With your permission of course.”

“Yes!” Josh said eagerly, “Where do you have to look?”

Cody stood walked around behind him. “At the base of the neck, off of the spine. It gives me access to your brain, and I can see what’s making that noise. All I got to do is push in and lift. Now let’s see, I got to unplug you for a sec…”

When Josh opened his eyes, Neil was gone. “How long was I out?”

“About an hour,” Cody replied, “You had a broken fan blade. I’m surprised you didn’t burn up. I had an extra one I didn’t need. Notice anything different?”

Josh looked around. He listened, but the only sound other than the man’s breathing came from a television in another room.

“I don’t hear it,” he said, “The sound is gone!”

“Yeah, it was an easy fix. I think you’ll feel a lot better now.”

“So am I fixed?”

“Yes, you’re almost as good as new.”

“That was it? They told my father I would cost thousands of dollars to fix.”

Cody shrugged. “I ran diagnostics, tightened your connections, replaced a damaged circuit. I didn’t see any real damage. Besides being old. You’re way overdue for an upgrade. You’re model is an Adam36, that’s what your microprocessor is. You’re a second generation kid, which has a terrible failure rate. Kidsmith claims that it’s one percent, but the truth is that it’s closer to fifteen. You’ve probably got another year in you though.”

“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.”