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.”
“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.