Broken Things (11 page)

“I don’t know. I think it still see us.”

“No way, we’re hidden. Come on.” They snuck down the alley,
moving more cautiously. Soon they reached a residential neighborhood and slipped
into a backyard to wait for morning. They sat in silence, listening to the
sound of sirens and the sound of distant traffic.

“Thanks again,” said the kid, “For saving me. I thought I
was a goner!”

“Me too,” Josh replied, “And you’re welcome. Are you
defective too?”

“Me? No way! I’m state of the art.”

“Then why were you there?”

“Not every kid that ends up at Kidsmith is defective. They
also bring in runaways. That’s what I am. I’m not licensed to any adult. They
can’t have homeless kids roaming the street, so they bring them in for
reclamation. They do a memory wipe, do some touch-ups, and sell us again.”

“You’re homeless?” he asked, “How’d you lose your parents?”

“My owners used to knock me around. I decided to leave while
I could still walk. I eventually learned ways to fix myself. I’m a ‘
mod’
.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means I got rid of the crap parts Kidsmith put in me and
replaced it with good stuff. Kids going defective are nothing new. I however,
will last forever.”

“I want to be a ‘
mod’
,” Josh said, “How do you do
it?”

“I can’t do it, it takes someone that knows children.”

“But it would fix me, wouldn’t it?”

“Maybe,” the kid replied with a shrug, “Maybe not. It
depends what’s all wrong with you. What
is
wrong with you, anyway? Your
head whistles. Does that make you see monsters?”

“I was in an accident. I’ve got damaged parts.”

“Maybe you just need a parts replacement.”

“So can you help me?” Josh asked, “Can you show me where you
got modded?”

“I guess so. But there’s a cost, and it’s not always money.”

The sun rose over the horizon turning the houses from dark
silhouettes into distinct buildings. Somewhere nearby a dog started barking and
wouldn’t quit. Traffic began to increase as adults began to filter their way to
their jobs.

“We should get going,” the kid said, “There are better
places to be than here. Someone’s gonna catch us if we stick around. My name’s
Neil. What’s yours?”

“Josh,” he said, “So if you don’t have parents, how do you
survive?”

“I have help,” he said, “It’s about who you know. If you
know the right people you don’t need anyone. You need to quit thinking of them
as parents. They’re owners. They don’t see you as a real kid, no matter how
much they pretend.”

“I miss mine.”

“You won’t. Eventually. Owners lie. They treat you like their
own, but all they really want is a pet. Then once you aren’t new anymore, when
you start to slow down, they get rid of you and get a new one.”

 “I think they just lost me. They’ll be happy to see me
again.”

“Nobody loses kids. Once they realize what they’re in for,
all of the responsibility, they start looking for a way out. They start with
thinking everything will be perfect, that they need someone underfoot, but
we’re programmed to be just like real human beings, but ones that never age,
like them. They get a kid that pouts, sulks, throws temper tantrums, demands
toys, makes a mess of their room, you name it, and two days later it gets old.

“Then they start asking themselves if they really want a
kid. They get disappointed because their kid isn’t as smart as their friend’s
kid, or isn’t as cute. So you trade that kid in for a newer model, and you tell
Kidsmith what you want different, and then there you go, a brand new happy
family. Maybe this time however, you’ve been replaced with a girl or someone older,
or younger and cuter.”

“But if that’s the case,” Josh said, “Shouldn’t there be a
world full of discarded children?”

“Of course there is,” Neil answered, “There’s tons of
throwaways. There’s a room back at Kidsmith full of them, all broken and used
for parts. But sooner or later, they all end up in the pit.”

“What’s the pit?”

“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.

Part 3

1

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…”

2

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.”

“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.”