Simple

by Dena Nicotra

  Chapter 6

  We left shortly after noon, in the truck I’d arrived in. The supplies were down to the bare bones, so we had one bottle of water to share, and no food. Mic suggested that I drive so that he could use his tablet to ‘pause’ any simps that might be in our path. We knew that there was a risk involved with trying to take the Premrail, but none of us discussed it. If the track was severed anywhere along the route, we would likely meet our deaths instantaneously, considering the speed at which it traveled. I shifted my thoughts. Ripples of heat came off the road in the distance, and I silently prayed we would get through this quickly.

  After the first hour on the road with no incidents, I began to relax. My bladder demanded attention, so I pulled off to the side of the road. When we finished, we switched positions so that Mic could drive for a while. He took some time to show me how to use his tablet, and what buttons to press if we ran into a herd of simps. I did my best to learn, but figured I’d use my gun if it came down to that. I was low on ammunition, but I wasn’t about to die trying to click and drag. We drove on, making small talk about our former lives. It was hard to make sense of some of the things Mic said, but he was far more educated than I was, and I couldn’t expect to understand many of the elements of his former life. The age difference hadn’t really registered until we started talking about music. We eventually settled in to a comfortable silence and I drifted off until the air conditioner stopped working. I sat up and leaned forward to pull my back away from the seat. My shirt was soaked, so I began banging my hand on the dash in an effort to get cold air to come through again.

  “That’s not going to work, Lee,” Mic said calmly.

  “It’s worth a damn try. Jesus I’m hungry!” I said, slamming back against the seat in frustration. My hair was wet with sweat, and both of the windows were down. The air blowing in felt like it came straight out of hell. Mic took his eyes of the road to glance at me briefly. “Hang in there, we’ll be to the Premrail soon. Twenty minutes later we’ll be in the Bay and it will be much cooler there.”

  “I just wish we could get some food first,” I mumbled. My mood was beginning to turn, and I was doubting my decision to come with him and try this crazy idea. What the hell had I been thinking? I mean, the man was great in bed and all, but I didn’t need to get myself killed trying to go along with his ludicrous plans. Besides, the thought of a simp version of myself, like the one in my dream with the shark teeth, made me feel sick to my stomach. It was worse than sleeping with the enemy…which, I’d already done.

  “Mic, if we make it that far and we make my simp double…how are we going to get her back to the desert with us?”

  “That’s the easy part, Lee. It’s all in the coding.” He sounded so sure of himself, and in my mind that bordered on arrogance. I let out a string of curse words under my breath and focused my attention on the monotonous landscape. With nothing to eat, and the weight of the horrible heat, I finally gave in and drifted back to sleep. When I woke up, my head was in Mic’s lap. I sat up slowly and looked around. The air was much cooler so I knew we’d put some distance between us and the desert.

  “How long have I been out?”

  “As long as you needed to be,” he said with a wink.

  “Have you seen any simps?”

  “No herds, but there have been some random groupings that I’m sure were not human.” I yawned and stretched my arms up over my head as best I could without touching the ceiling of the truck. “How much further?”

  “It’s just two exits down, if memory serves.”

  We were moving slowly at this point, as the road was clogged with vehicles, some on their sides, others smashed together. The slow pace made me tense, because I knew how fast simps could move and how quickly they could be upon us. We rode in silence until the Premrail came into view. I removed my seat-belt and put my arm through one strap on my pack so that I’d be ready to jump out as soon as we stopped.

  “You ready?” Mic asked.

  “Hell can’t have me today. Let’s do it,” I replied. Mic pulled the truck to a stop, and we opened our doors simultaneously. We met in the front of the vehicle and then ran together to the steps of the station platform. There was a large digital sign on a tall post that was still working. It flashed ‘San Jose’ in big red letters. The wind had picked up, creating an eerie sound around us. Mic was running toward the sleek, silver capsule, and I was keeping pace at his side. My eyes darted back and forth, ready to raise my pistol at any sign of trouble, but we made it to the capsule without issue. We stood at the double doors as Mic slid his fingers around on his tablet. I watched him impatiently, realizing that it wasn’t as simple as just getting on. We’d have to get the doors to open and then hope the damn thing was operable. Again, my inner voice screamed at me for taking such stupid chances.

  “Relax Lee, I’ve got this.”

  “I’m absolutely counting on that, believe me.”

  “Then I’ll gain some points when I make it happen?”

  “Definitely.” Mic grinned at me as the doors slid open. Once inside, the wide side door slid shut. The row of pale green lights overhead flickered and then a whirring sound began to echo through the cabin. Instantly, frosty cool air began to circulate around us. “Good Afternoon. Please be prepared to insert your ticket in the eReader upon request. Next stop, San Jose.” The automated female voice sounded surreal to me. It was as if the world hadn’t collapsed at all. One side of the train is completely made of glass so as we took our seats in the C-shaped chairs, we stared out at the contradiction to technology. The rumble beneath our feet was a good sign, and soon the images outside became a whirring blur. I never understood why they built the train in such a way that everyone faced outward. The landscape whizzing by was impossible to focus on but, then again, most people pulled the head gear down to catch a quick burst of oxygen rejuvenation. Remembering this, I yanked the headgear down and waited. “Oxygen releasing in three, two, one.” I laughed and breathed deeply. When it finished I lifted the headgear and saw that Mic was doing the same.

  “See, a little technology is a good thing, right?”

  “Yeah Mic, a little,” I replied, with an emphasis on the last word. I was just beginning to relax when the doors at the end of our car slid open. A short, plump man in a red baseball cap appeared at the end of the rows. His white beard made him look like a little Santa Claus. He held out his hands to grasp each chair he passed, to keep from falling. Typically, one does not move aboard the Premrail once it’s moving. As he approached, I realized he was saying something but it was hard to make out. “Mean you no harm, mean you no harm,” he repeated. I was fumbling with my seat-belt harness as fast as I could but he was getting closer faster than I was getting the buckles undone. Mic slid his finger across his tablet, but nothing happened.

  “Jesus Mic, do something!”

  “I’m trying Lee, but he’s not responding!”

  By the time I got the buckle undone, the man was right next to me. His age-spotted face bent down in a grimace over my own.

  “I was sound asleep! What did you do to get this bastard to move?” I eyed him suspiciously, knowing that this close, he could snatch my weapon from me faster than I could pull it on him.

  “Goodness, I tell you I have been praying and praying this thing would go for days now!” He laughed and then sat down in the seat next to me. Mic was quietly scrambling with his tablet. We exchanged a glance and then Mic mouthed ‘human’ to me. I gave him a slight nod to let him know I understood.

  “You’re human?” I asked, but it wasn’t so much a question as a statement of utter surprise.

  “Of course!” he said incredulously.

  “How would we know that, and for that matter, how did you know that we were?”

  “I didn’t. I just don’t care anymore. I’m old, and if it’s my time, it’s my time!” He laughed again, and then removed his cap. “Name’s Ben Gottlieb. I’m sixty-four years old, and I used to ride this rail every day to visi
t my wife in the nursing home outside of Mountain View. We lived there for forty-two years together before the world fell apart. How bout you kids, you been married long have you?”

  “We’re not married,” I said flatly.

  “No? Well, I guess there isn’t much of a point in marriage, now anyway. So where you headed?” Before I could answer, he squinted at Mic. “Big fellah, you look familiar to me. Do we know each other?”

  “No. I’m afraid not,” Mic said.

  “What’s your name?”

  “His name’s Fish, and I’m Lee. Nice to meet you, Ben.” I extended my hand and he shook it. I noticed his grasp was strong for an older man.

  “We’re going to the end of the line, San Jose,” said Mic.

  “Well then, I guess I am too.” With that statement, we knew that Ben intended to stay in our company. Mic and I exchanged an annoyed glance. Having an old geezer slowing us down was the last thing either of us wanted.

  “Hey, I’ve got some hard salami and cheese back there,” he pointed to the car from which he’d appeared. “I’ll go get it, and we can have a feast of sorts to celebrate new friendships!”

  Ben had just gotten a little closer to my heart.

  “That would be great Ben, thanks,” Mic said. The old man got up with a smile and worked his way back to the other car. While he was gone, I turned to Mic. “What the hell are we going to do with him with us, Mic?”

  “We can’t turn him away, Lee. You can see he’s lonely and has no one else to turn to.”

  “Why do you have to be such a bleeding humanitarian, Mic?”

  “It’s just how I was raised I guess…and call me Fish around him. He may be old, but he’s not stupid. If you call me by my real name, he’s going to figure out who I am, and then he may not be too happy to be in our company.”

  “Well that sounds like a good plan then, let’s just tell him who you are and be done with it. Besides, he’s going to figure it out if we take him with us to IDE, anyway.”

  “Let’s give it some time, okay?” I thought about the cheese and salami, and caved.

  “Okay, but if he slows us down…we’re ditching him.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Ben returned with a large cloth sack over his shoulder. I helped him to get to his seat and then he went about pulling out some sharp cheddar and salami slices. He handed us each a small stack and then rummaged through the bag at his feet again. When he pulled out a bottle of screw top wine, I knew I liked him. He took a swig from the bottle and then passed it to me.

  “Well Ben, that’s the nicest offer I’ve had since this morning.” Mic laughed, getting my meaning, and took the bottle from me when I handed it to him.

  “You know, it’s nice to see young people again. To have someone to talk to again…well, it’s just about the best thing that’s happened to me since my wife passed.”

  “I’m sorry to hear about your wife, Ben. How’d she die? If you don’t mind my asking that is,” Mic said.

  “No, it’s quite alright, Fish. It was over a year ago now. A simp patient assistant that went by the name of Natalie held a pillow over her face I think. It was back before everybody knew they’d all gone nuts. I pieced it together, though.” He tapped the side of his temple. “Of course, no one believed me at the time, but I knew my Sally was strong.”

  “What made you think that it was a simp with a pillow?”

  “There was blood on her pillow case, and her nose looked different. Like it had been broken and then re-shaped or something.” He looked away, as if remembering the scene. “That Natalie said that, statistically, my wife had lived longer than she should have, and that insurance premiums were heavily impacted by the longevity of human life. She said it as if she was trying to make me feel better. It was then that I knew she’d done it. I can’t explain it, but I knew she had.”

  “I’m sorry.” It was all I could manage to say.

  ‘Next stop San Jose. This is the final destination of train two-nineteen. All transfers must be purchased at the platform. Watch your step, and thank you for traveling by way of Premrail.”

  I’d enjoyed the air conditioning, and when it cut off, the silence brought me back to the real world. The doors slid open, and there was a faint ding-ding-ding sound in the background. I recognized the beep as the eReader near the door. We collected our things and filed out, with Mic in front and Ben taking up the rear. The air was cool and I took a deep breath. There was a hint of fog hanging above the distant blue mountains and the sky was a silvery grey. I adjusted my pack on my back and waited as Ben made his way toward us. He walked with a limp that I hadn’t observed in his movements on the train, but then he’d been relying on the vacant chairs to support him. I was just certain he was going to cause us a problem. There was no way he could keep up with us if trouble broke out.

  “This way,” Mic said. I turned my attention to my lover and followed behind him as we made our way down from the platform. Being back in the city put my senses on heightened alert. This could get bad at any second, and I started scanning the parking lot for a potential vehicle. My gut said we’d gone far too long without trouble, and that we needed to get out of plain sight quickly. I turned back to see Ben leaning against a post. He was coughing profusely and the sound was echoing.

  “Shit!” I grumbled under my breath. I walked back to where he was standing and offered my arm. The older man took it and ambled along beside me. Mic gave me a look that suggested I be patient. I gave him an overly-cheerful smile that said all that my words could not in that moment. This old man was a stranger to me, but I didn’t want to have to watch him die because he was too slow to avoid it. I also didn’t like the prospect of him putting us at risk because we were trying to rescue him. Why did I get myself into these positions? Mic suggested we sit on the low cement wall adjacent to the parking structure while he found us a vehicle. He was using his tablet as a scanner, and I had to laugh, because it meant we’d be taking a newer style model. The older ones didn’t have the electronic adapters for automatic start, let alone auto drive. When a silver car pulled up next to us, I decided that technology could come in handy.

  We helped Ben into the back, and then proceeded to climb in ourselves. I was just adjusting my seat-belt when I heard a male voice shouting. I looked up to see a very dark skinned man with long braids. His eyes were wild, and he was waving his hands. He was blocking our path. I grabbed my pistol and aimed it at him through the windshield. It was chaotic inside the car because Mic was shouting at me to lower my weapon and Ben was yelling something along the same line.

  “We can’t trust every single soul we come across, you guys! He’s a simp and he’s setting us up!”

  “You can’t know that for sure, Lee,” said Ben from the back seat.

  “And you can’t assume the opposite!” Mic reached for his tablet and slid his fingers across it. The man dropped in front of us. He maneuvered the car around him, and we drove away in silence. I was too pissed to say anything, and Mic must have sensed that, because he didn’t try to engage in conversation. At this point, I was ready to go off on anyone who opened their mouth —everyone was fair game. Someone was going to get an ear full if he said a fucking word. Instead, Ben muttered an apology, and I sighed.

  “We can’t walk away from our humanity in this, and if it was a man and not a machine…” Ben trailed off.

  “But it wasn’t, Ben. I understand your position, but you have to realize that any hesitation could cost lives, and I won’t stand by and let that happen.”

  “I understand that, and I’m appreciative of you both for taking me along with you. I just think that we have to be careful and not take unnecessary risks with human lives.”

  “Ben, if you are going to stay with us, you’re going to have to accept the way we do things,” I said.

  “If it means you’d shoot a man…or a woman, then let me out right here, right now.” Ben was coughing between his words.

  “I’m not saying I’d do anything
of the kind. I’m just saying that if it comes down to risking the lives of the people I care about, I’m going to shoot.”

  “Okay, okay, let’s just take it easy,” Mic said.

  “Mic, you have to tell him who you are before this goes any further.”

  “Mic?” said Ben. “I thought your lady here said your name was Fish. I knew I recognized your face. You’re the guy!” He began to chuckle. “I’ll be damned, you’re the guy.”

  “Yeah, I’m that guy, Ben. We’ll understand if you want to part ways, but I want to get you some place safe first if you do.”

  “Listen, I don’t blame you for all of this.” He waved his hands around for emphasis. “I just want to know what you’re going to do about it.”

  “Well, I appreciate that Ben. We’re heading to IDE headquarters, and it’s my hope that I can create an impermeable version of a simp. If I can create one, then I can take her code and push it out globally.”

  “You said her. Does that mean you are going to make a woman?” Mic made a right turn out of the parking structure, and then looked up at Ben in the rear view mirror.

  “Yes, I am. I’m going to duplicate Lee.”

  “Well, this ought to be interesting,” said the old man. “Too bad your name isn’t Eve young lady. Now that would be karma at its finest.” I laughed this time. Partly because I was feeling the same way, and partly because I was amused by the way Ben responded. The road in front of us was lined with businesses on either side. I spied a grocery store and my stomach rumbled. It was getting later in the afternoon now and the small bit of meat and cheese that Ben had shared with us wasn’t cutting it. I’d been hungrier, but my nerves were jumpy and I wanted something in my stomach in the worst possible way.

  “Mic, what do you think about stopping at that market to try to get something to eat?”

  “I’m hungry too, but it is a risk, you know that,” he said softly.