Broken Things (20 page)

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?”

He didn’t answer. She placed her hand on his shoulder but he
didn’t turn his head.

“Josh?”

She shook him lightly. Finally she walked around to face him
and knelt down. His eyes were open, but he didn’t see her. They were wide and
sad, but he didn’t shed any tears. He had shut down.

Gently she scooped him up in her arms. He should’ve been
heavier, but there was nothing to him. She slipped him into the back seat of
the car and stood there staring at him. If she hadn’t looked into his eyes, she
would’ve sworn he slept. He had willed himself to shut down a final time.

He’d finally given up.

10

The light blinded him. Josh blinked, and slowly the room
came into view. He lay in a small bed, in a room with few furnishings. It
looked like a hotel room. He rolled over, not surprised to see Angel. Her face
showed concern, staring at him with red and puffy eyes.

He looked up at her, seeing her perhaps for the first time.
Not the woman he thought was an angel, her expression so full of apathy when
they’d first met. Not the toy of Cody or the woman that had stood up to James.
He saw a young woman, a girl really, not even old enough to be an adult, not in
this world. Her hands covered her mouth. She looked as though she’d been
praying. She was nothing but a scared, lonely child too.

“Why?” he asked, “Why did you bring me back? I don’t want to
be here. I don’t want to live anymore.”

“Josh…”

Just another scared little girl. She would try to talk him
into going into the simulation now, joining her in an imaginary world, their only
hope for heaven. The world had turned its back on them. She would try to talk
him into leaving it, like an angel.

“I can’t live with the memories,” Josh said, “I still love
them, I can’t stop the feelings. Even though I know it’s all true now, that they
threw me away, that they replaced me. I could never be good enough for them to
take me back. I’m still broken. My
soul
is broken. I don’t want it
anymore, I don’t want to feel. I want to go to sleep and forget it all. Please,
Angel. Turn me off.”

She reached for his arm hesitantly, as though he might pull
away, but he didn’t have the fight left in him. His final hope rested with her.