Dragon's Mind

by Ehsani, Vered

  They were waiting there, just in case we made an appearance. We’d be visible, exposed. The other motorcycles were probably looking for similar strategic locations.

  I chewed on my other thumb. That nail wasn’t quite as ragged. Should we go back? But where? If we went through the city, we would quite likely be seen. Plus I was running out of time now. The fastest way to The Port from where we were was to continue along this path. And I didn’t know any other safe places to hide Dragon.

  “Stop chewing your nail,” Dragon whispered. “Let’s continue.”

  “Where?” I demanded, squinting in the direction of his voice. “We can’t go back. And they’re waiting up ahead.”

  “I know. I have a plan.”

  “Oh great,” I retorted. “Is this another of those near suicidal, impossible to succeed plans?”

  He chuckled. “Probably. The last one worked out alright though.”

  “Care to share the details?”

  “No. Not yet.” His eyes glowed and I could see them, light brown with specks of gold in them. “Follow my hand.” His eyes dimmed while his right hand softly glowed. He stood up.

  Keeping my gaze fixed on his glowing right hand, I pushed the cart along the path. Wondered what his plan was. And why hadn’t he told me? Was it payback for me lying to him? I frowned. That wasn’t his style. Then again, did I really know his style anymore?

  Up ahead, the trees abruptly ended. I could just make out one end of the bridge. The motorcycles were hidden away. Dragon stopped and turned to me.

  “You wait behind there.” He pointed at a bush. “I’m going to go out and…”

  “Oh no, you don’t,” I argued. “There’s no way you’re playing as bait.”

  I could sense more than see his smile. “I wasn’t thinking of myself as bait, more as a diversion while you wheel my brain to safety. This portable unit can travel a few blocks’ worth of distance away from the cart. That should be enough.”

  I kept shaking my head. “I’m not letting you…”

  “Myth.” He said it with such force that my head jerked up to meet his eyes. They were glowing a fierce golden-brown. “I’m not asking for your permission. I’m telling you.” His gaze softened, along with his voice. “They can’t catch me, but they sure can catch you. And if they catch you, they catch me.” He nodded slightly towards the metal encased cart.

  Dang, I hated it when he was right.

  “Fine,” I growled. Clearly this was not fine. I shoved the cart off the path, wondering if the hard bump shook his brain. Hoped so. I pushed until I was completely hidden by the bush. I had to squint and shift a branch aside to see Dragon.

  “Wait until the motorcycles are completely past you before you leave,” he told me. Ordered me, I think. Not sure if that was a good change or not. I wasn’t used to technology telling me what to do. He floated silently away, his skin now glowing all over. Only a blind person wouldn’t see him.

  I gripped my crowbar, reassured by its solidness. I pushed it under my belt so it hung at my side like a sword. Not that it would do much good if the motorcycle riders had real guns. But it made me feel better.

  I chewed on all my fingernails while I waited. It was too quiet. This was a forest, for heaven’s sake. Okay, it was small and manmade, but where were the insects and the birds? That was how I passed those painfully stretched-out minutes, by worrying about the lack of bird noise and insect bites.

  Just as I was about to step out and see what had happened, the silence exploded in a roar. Two motorcycles burst into action from up ahead, engines revving back to life. A tyre squealed like a stuck pig (not sure what that actually sounds like, but it must be horrible). If any birds had been about to sing, the noise would’ve killed that idea.

  Now time sped up. A few breaths later, Dragon raced by me, his glowing skin a beacon in the night, drawing the hunters to him. The first motorcycle wasn’t far behind, its rider clothed completely in black. A second motorcycle zipped by, dragging the noise with it.

  Three city blocks. That was all Dragon had to play with. If he pushed the sensor unit too far, it would stop registering his brain’s signals. Although the unit was ultimately replaceable, I’d be left talking to a bodiless brain stuck in a metal box on wheels. And no hologram to smile at my snarky comments.

  I waited until the trees obscured the tail lights of the motorcycles. Trying not to breathe loudly, I shoved at the cart. A front wheel jammed against something. Hissing, I stomped around and tugged at the other handle bar, pulling the wheels over the tree root.

  Someone shouted, the words muffled by wind and trees.

  “Don’t get caught,” I muttered, already missing him.

  How many blocks away was he? I could barely hear the motorcycles now. Had he already gone too far?

  Stumbling onto the path, I trotted towards the end of the forest. Half a block. The gently arched bridge marked the border between forest and beach. I peered at the gaping darkness that swallowed the path under the bridge, then peeked behind me. No motorcycles. No Dragon. Just dark trees silhouetted against the stars glittering above.

  I continued under the bridge, my shoulders tensing. As if I expected a blow to fall at any second. Kept expecting it. It never happened. I exited the short tunnel unscathed, although my lungs sounded like they were about to collapse.

  Talk about collapsing, I almost did when the cart swerved off the wooden planks of the boardwalk and embedded its wheels into the sand.

  “Stupid thing,” I muttered. “Stupid, stupid…” I blinked back tears and fatigue as I tugged at the cart. “What is this, quicksand?”

  I glanced towards the forest. It was a block away. Looked like ten blocks right now. Where was he? I slapped my hands against the handlebar of the cart. It hurt and it didn’t matter.

  He’s still here, I reminded myself. Right here, in this stupid tank of his. He’s alive. There’s hope.

  Problem was, I’d never thought of the grey blob floating in the tank as Dragon. It would be like someone taking out my mom’s brain, handing it to me and saying, “Hey, kid, here’s your mom. Why don’t you give her a hug?”

  The brain was not him. He was more than that lump of organic material. More than the body that had been murdered or the hologram that he’d created. Dragon’s mind was bigger than all of that. I guess I was really thinking about his soul. Or whatever you call the stuff that separates a person from a decaying corpse. Whatever it was, it made him more real than my own body was to me.

  I almost started snivelling. I despised snivelling. I always say if you’re going to cry, cry; but don’t snivel. This wasn’t the time for crying or having a breakdown. And definitely not for snivelling.

  I took a deep breath and pulled at the handle, digging my feet into the sand. The cart inched upward. My back ached. My hands hurt. My legs wobbled. I kept pulling until the wheels were back on the boardwalk.

  Shivering, I raced along the path bordering the beach. To my right, waves rolled against sand. The horizon of the ocean looked a little less dark. An edge of light tickled along the line separating sky from sea. I was running out of time. Dragon had run out of signal.

  “He’s still here,” I whispered over and over, as if through sheer repetition, my brain would be forced to believe it.

  At least a dozen city blocks had disappeared under my feet since I’d last seen Dragon.

  The boardwalk ended at a stone-paved path that wound through a park. The park that bordered my neighbourhood. The school was near.

  I took a few steps. The cart’s wheels bumped along the stones. I felt the vibration up to my shoulders. My very sore, tense and tired shoulders.

  I stopped, rolled them, rolled my neck. I heard a whisper behind me. I spun about, yanking the crowbar up, fully prepared to give someone a really bad headache.

  Dragon raised his hands. “I surrender.”

  The crowbar clattered against the stones. Unable to breathe or say his name, I sprung towards him, arms starting to rise up,
to grab him, hug him, make sure he was really alive. I pulled myself back, forced the arms to stay down, just as my chewed-up fingernails grazed the air at the surface of the hologram. I froze, my face a hand’s width from his, my hands hovering near his non-existent ones.

  His eyes really have gold in them, I thought.

  I eased myself back a step. He smiled at me, a soft kind of smile.

  “I’m sorry if you were worried,” he said, reading me well. “And I’m sorry I can’t hug you back.”

  Ugh. He read me way too well. What else was he picking up? I clenched my hands, hoping I wouldn’t blush.

  “Yeah, sure.” I shrugged a stiff shoulder. “What took you so long? I was worried the unit went out of range and stopped working.”

  He looked at me, probably studying all the minute changes in body temperature, heart rate, breathing, muscle twitches, facial colouring. I straightened up, stared back at him.

  “I led them around the forest for a while,” he finally answered. “I was always in range. Once you reached the boardwalk, I turned off the image and followed you from a distance, just in case they decided to look there. But they were still hunting through the forest, last I checked.”

  “Oh.” My eyes widened. He had been near me the whole time on the boardwalk. Had he heard all my muttering and near snivels? I had a habit of talking to myself. Had his sensitive audio sensor picked all that up?

  If only a hole could open up and swallow me now.

  His gentle smile shifted into a grin. “So, shall we continue to your ultra-safe hiding place? Or wait here until they finally do come looking?”

  I shook my head to clear out the cobwebs of silly thoughts. The ocean horizon was clearly a lighter shade of darkness. And I still had to get to The Port.

  “This way,” I said as I scooped up the crowbar and led the way to my old school.

  The grounds were spooky without the usual bustle and noise of kids filing from class to class or running around on the playground. Plus it was dark. The glass windows glowered at us like the eyes of giant, angry cats.

  Okay, now I was just letting my imagination go crazy on me.

  I ignored the glowering windows and the scratching sounds of a branch against the roof. My feet crunched on the summer-scorched dry grass. It would be another month before anyone returned to these grounds. I’d have Dragon out of here way before then. I headed for one of the small, one-floor classroom buildings scattered around the main one.

  “Can you disengage the alarm?” I whispered, indicating the panel beside the door.

  Dragon glanced at me like I’d just insulted him and all his ancestors. A few seconds later, the door popped open. I eased the cart through the door and entered the room. Slid the cart against the wall near a plug. I rolled down the metal sheet covering the small control panel. I fiddled, delaying what had to be said. There was one thing I needed first. I pulled out a memory stick and inserted it.

  “What’s that for?”

  “We need to have all the relevant files on it,” I said, gesturing to the stick. “You know, for the authorities. I’m not exactly going to hand you over to the mainland people and walk off.”

  “I should hope not,” he retorted, but he didn’t sound so sure. “It’s done.”

  I pocketed the memory stick and began chewing my nail.

  “What’s wrong, Myth?” Dragon asked.

  I closed my eyes. Of course he knew something was wrong, had known since I’d lied about the phone call. I could try to sugar coat it, but it wouldn’t change his reaction. So…

  “You’re staying here, Dragon,” I said, still not looking at him, still fiddling with the cart. Initiating a firewall to keep him offline. “Griffin’s got a place for me only. As soon as I get my mom, we’ll report all this, and I’ll come back to get you.” My eyes shifted upward, found his gaze fixed on me.

  “No,” he said. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

  “Please don’t make this any more difficult than…”

  “I’m going to make it very difficult,” he said. “We don’t know this other brain and…”

  My head jerked up and I glared at him. “You were the one who said we could trust her, that she would help us. Well, she’s helping us.”

  “By leaving me in a school room?”

  “It’s for your own safety,” I told him, repeating Griffin’s words. They tasted like sawdust in my mouth. I wanted to spit the acidic saliva building up.

  His image glared at me. I’ve never seen him so angry.

  “I can look after myself,” he snapped.

  “Stop pouting,” I ordered. Maybe I was talking to myself.

  “I’m not. I’m fuming.” His expression shifted. “Don’t leave me here.”

  Was he pleading with me? My eyes stung.

  “Stay hidden,” I commanded. Said. Squeaked. Whispered. Maybe I didn’t say anything at all.

  I plugged the cart into the grid and flicked the energy connection on. That would ease the pressure off the portable support system. Kept him off the other systems. He’d figure it out, how to break through the firewall I’d put up, how to get past that OMG button. But not before I found Griffin and got away from him. He wouldn’t be able to stop me.

  I cleared my throat. “Stay hidden. And if I don’t…” I gulped. “If I don’t make it back, find someone to help you. It’s a school, so it’ll be full in a few weeks. Must be at least one person with enough intelligence and curiosity and… and…”

  “Determination?” he suggested. “Pig headed stubbornness? Irritating persistence?”

  “Yeah, yeah, all of the above.” I smiled through the tears. “Someone who can maintain you. Help you. Hide you.”

  Don’t leave me.

  Did he say that? Did I imagine him saying it?

  “I can handle arrest. Can’t handle you being…” My throat seized up.

  “Decommissioned, I believe they call it.” He said it like a question.

  “Killed. Murdered,” I growled. Kicked the wall.

  The burst of angry energy dissolved into tears. I sobbed and checked the time. I had ten minutes tops before he broke through the patch I’d just initiated. Ten minutes before he found a way to get online. He’d try to stop me. He’d stop all the transport systems of Sana Island if he had to and risk getting tracked down.

  “I’ll be gone by the time you try,” I whispered. I peered up, into his eyes. Would this be the last time I’d see that colour of light brown? “And when you do go online, and I know you’re going to, put up diversions, Dragon. They can’t find you. They mustn’t find you. Okay?”

  “There’s nothing okay about this, Myth.” His voice wasn’t his usual calm and cool that reminded me of a mellow creek trickling over smooth stones on a hot summer day.

  Still, it was calmer than mine. My voice sounded like a bag of gravel.

  Time to go.

  “Goodbye, Dragon.” I reached into his head.

  “Ah, come on. Not the ‘Oh My God’ button,” he protested.

  I pressed the button on the sensor unit. The image quivered, dissolved as the unit sunk to the ground.

  “Sorry, Dragon,” I whispered.

  He’d get it up and working soon enough. But I’d be gone by then. I glanced outside. The sky was a lighter shade of dark blue. Dawn edged the ocean.

  I started running.

  Chapter 31: Dragon

  I’m blind now, so I can’t see her leave. Maybe that’s a good thing. I don’t want her departure to be my last memory of her, just in case she doesn’t come back before I’m found. I’ve never been so alone and isolated, not like this.

  I definitely don’t like it. Apart from dislike, there’s another emotion. What if she doesn’t come back? I don’t have nails to chew, but if I did, they’d be gone pretty quick. Or maybe I’d be cracking my knuckles, like Darren does. No, probably not. Myth doesn’t like that habit. Nail biting it is.

  I’m still working on the patch she put on. I focus on
breaking through it. I need to find her, to stop her from going alone. If something happens, I want to be with her.

  The firewall starts to crumble and I push through. Now for the ‘Oh My God’ button. I can’t believe she used that on me. That’s for when a device goes completely berserk and isn’t responding to commands, verbal or otherwise. That’s when you press the OMG button.

  This one takes longer to sort out. The button is a manual one, and I don’t have hands to push it off. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get at it without hands, just not as fast.

  Finally. The unit is up. It buzzes to life, floats upward and I feel free for a moment, like flying in my dragon dream. It’s been nine minutes, twenty-nine seconds since she left. I zoom outside, scan the schoolyard. It’s empty. I zip along the sidewalk, heading in the direction of The Port. I know this is the route she would’ve used. It’s quiet and empty and the shortest distance by foot. I keep scanning for any sign of movement. A dog barks at me and chases me for half a block, but that’s about the only sign of life I find. I reach the three block radius and stop.

  The sidewalk stretches out ahead of me, disappearing around a curve. She must be at the piers by now. Maybe she still has her headpiece in. I try calling her, hoping, hoping. Pick up, please pick up.

  There is no answer.

  I watch the edge of the sun bob above the horizon, its light shimmering over the calm ocean. I remember: this vision of light and water is one of the reasons why I loved racing dragon boats in my previous life. I stay a little longer as the dark waters turn golden, before I bring the sensor unit back into the classroom.

  I am a prisoner until someone finds me.

  Chapter 32: Dragon

  The drum booms across the water. My arms rise and dip to the rhythm. My heart matches the beat. The hull of the dragon boat hums, alive in the water, the drum its heart, the paddles its bones.