G. Wright - Broken Things

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.

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.”