G. Wright - Broken Things

Josh didn’t stick around to watch the rest. He darted past them and ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time. Nothing in the world could make him look back. He could still hear Norman’s faint screams as he ran out of the house, leaving the door wide open. He didn’t stop running until he’d left the nightmare many blocks behind.

James rubbed his temples. When had life gone so inexplicably wrong? He’d received the call an hour ago. Tamara hadn’t been answering her calls. They’d tracked the company vehicle, only to find her dead. His boss, Gabe, hadn’t provided any details about her death, except that she was one of two bodies found at the location.

First Gus, now Tammy . When you lived forever, you rarely thought about death. He hadn’t attended a funeral in years. Suddenly, something came along to remind you of your own mortality. There would always be drunk drivers, disillusioned psychos that couldn’t fit in to society… hell, even earthquakes. They just rarely affected him.

He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the adult android had killed her too. But Tammy had been tracking the boy, Josh. He typed the kid’s registration number into his tablet and immediately retrieved the kid’s location. Finding him would be the key to finding the rogue machine. It wasn’t his responsibility, but they’d dumped it all in his lap. It wasn’t even his department. They’d made it clear it would be his job if he didn’t get the boys back, and the adult android had been added into the equation.

At the bottom of his locker buried beneath old tool belts and mostly forgotten tools, he pulled out an odd-looking gun. He held it reverently. He had no doubts that it would still work, after all, he’d built it. To anyone else it looked like an oversized home-made toy gun that belonged in a low budget science fiction movie, not in the locker of an engineer. He’d built it back in college as a weapon of mischief.

He’d never used it on an android, but he knew what the effect would be. The electro-magnetic pulse that the gun generated would permanently ruin its computer brain. He’d used it in the computer lab his sophomore year with very successful results. Its focused burst of 5000 volts of electromagnetic radiation could take out a computer twenty feet away. He would probably have to be closer to the android. It didn’t appear anywhere as near as sophisticated as what law enforcement currently used, but it would be just as effective.

He left Kidsmith and mounted his tablet to the dashboard of his company truck and hid the gun behind his seat. Fifteen minutes later, he found the boy wandering down a side road. He walked slowly, dragging his feet, head hung low, and clutching an arm that dangled uselessly. James slowed down and pulled up beside him, rolling the window down.

“Josh?”

The boy turned his head. He had sad, haunted eyes. James had never seen such in a kid before, at least not in the androids he worked with. Something had happened to him since he’d left Kidsmith, he hadn’t heard about this kind of damage. The only thing in Tammy’s report mentioned internal damage in the head.

Josh’s eyes locked with his for a few seconds before drifting to the logo on the side of his pick-up. His expression changed to panic and he took off, running as fast as he could. “Oh Hell,” James muttered. He gave the truck gas and chased after him. The boy could run. James would’ve hated to have to chase him on foot. But he also didn’t have a destination. He had nowhere to run to.

“Josh, wait,” he yelled, “I’m not going to hurt you! I just need to talk.”

The boy slowed, and eventually came to a stop. James noted the obvious pain the boy felt. He hadn’t stopped so much from trust, but from the obvious discomfort that his arm caused. Josh reminded him of a starving, beaten dog that had given up hope in humanity. That probably wasn’t too far from the truth.

“Come on,” he said, leaning over to open the passenger door, “”Get in. I’ll take you some place safe.”

Josh took a step back, well away from the vehicle.

“Come on, Josh. Tell you what, I’ve got some candy in the glove box. Would you like that?”

Josh shook his head slowly, and took another step back. He twitched like he was about to run again. James raised an eyebrow in wonder. That had always worked, every kid loved candy. It was part of their program.

“Wait,” James said, “I just need your help. You don’t have to get in, but I’m hoping you can tell me what happened. I’ve lost two friends today, Gus and Tamara. Do you know what happened to them?”

Josh stopped backing up, and looked around. The sun was beginning to set, turning the sky a brilliant purple, red, and orange. He didn’t want to chase the boy in the dark. Seemingly satisfied that nothing was creeping up on them, Josh shrugged. “I suppose the monster got them.”

“Monster?” James asked, “You mean the man? The broken one from the mountains?”

“It may look sort of like a man,” Josh said, “But it’s not. It’s after me. It kills everyone.”

“Is that who hurt your arm?”

The boy shook his head. “No.” James waited for the boy to continue, but he remained quiet.

“Well I saw it,” James said, “When Tammy brought it to us. It’s just an android, a robot. I need you to trust me. If it’s after you, I can stop it. But I need your help to do that. And maybe I can help you.”

“I don’t think you can help me.”

“Josh, buddy, I’ve got a degree in mechanical engineering and robotics. I can fix just about anything. Give me a chance. Besides, where are you going to go? It’s getting dark.”

“I won’t go back to Kidsmith.”

“Okay, I can take you home.”

For the first time the boy’s eyes showed a promise of hope, even if only briefly. “My home?”

“Maybe,” he said, “I’ll have to talk to them first and see what they say. I can’t promise that though.”

Just like that, the hope disappeared. “That’s what everyone says. But they won’t let me talk to them.”

“Well, come home with me. Please. You can meet my wife and daughter. And I’ll see about fixing you.”

Josh took another glance both ways down the street, as though considering running again. Then the boy’s shoulders slouched as he resigned himself to whatever fate James offered. He climbed in the truck and pulled the door shut.

“Thank you for trusting me,” James said. He got his first good look at the boy. Scars and bruises covered his arms and legs. Nobody would want this kid back… unless it was to finish what they started.

“I hope you can stop the monster,” Josh replied, “Otherwise it will probably kill you too.”

They pulled up in front of James’ house, a beautiful two-story home in a nicer neighborhood than the other ones he’d visited so far. It rested up in the foothills on the outskirts of the city, and as the world grew darker, they had a tremendous view of the lights of Boise spreading out below them as far as the eye could see.

“I don’t think bringing me here was such a great idea,” Josh said. He didn’t take his eyes off of the lights. “I don’t want it to hurt your family because of me.”

“Nonsense. It can’t hurt you now, or my family. We’ll cut through the house and tell Laura I’m home, and then I’ll take you to my shop. We’ll see what we can do for you.”

Josh followed sullenly as they cut through the house. James gave his wife a quick kiss on the lips, while a little girl peaked sheepishly around her mother at him. She had big brown eyes that studied him curiously.

“Daddy, do I got a brother?” she asked.

“No, he’s a boy I need to help.”