“Catch fish.” Please, please, please. He waited and would have held his breathe had he the ability. Breathing was such a lovely thing. One day he would. He didn’t know how he knew it, but he did.
“You want to go fishing?” She looked at the water and back at him. “Are you waterproof?”
Why did she keep asking him that? “I don’t know.” Sensing she was leading up to a refusal, he couldn’t look at her and so used his pole to draw distracting images of fish in the sand. This was probably as close as he was going to get to one today. He had told himself not to get his hopes up, but he had anyway. One of Liberty’s curse words came to mind but he didn’t say it.
“Do you have any idea how we’re supposed to go about using these short poles in those large waves?” Her voice sounded skeptical but also as though she was at least giving the idea some thought.
Boy took some meagre hope from it. “Please. I’ve always wanted to go fishing but Father never had the time.” He held up a small, rusted out container. “Waters has caught us some bait.”
Liberty sighed as she eyed the little bucket. “What’s in it?”
His hope rose even higher. He had her now. “Roaches.” How could she turn him down now? He had thought of everything. Doubt seeped in, though, when she took a step backward.
“I’m not touching a roach. They’re nasty.”
Boy would have sighed, had it been possible. Whilst not outwardly sighing, at least he did inside, but then an idea came out of the blue.
He reached over and took her pole back. “I’ll bait the hooks and promise not to get in the water.” He didn’t blink so he could watch even the slightest change in Liberty’s expression. There it was, a softening in her eyes. She was giving in. He could feel it.
Liberty scrunched her nose again. “I’m not taking the fish off the hook either.”
Sensing this was as close to an agreement as he was going to get, he turned and headed toward the water.
He didn’t even slow down when she called after him, “Not too close. If you fall in, I’m not pulling you out.”
It wasn’t easy walking in the sand and carrying the bucket and poles. Boy’s feet kept sinking into the sand, and every couple of steps a pole would slip from his hand and fall to the ground. Since he had promised to stay out of the water, he stopped just shy of where the waves reached after crashing onto the beach.
Boy popped the lid off the bucket of roaches and they scurried out. Several crawled up his arm and one slipped through the sliding hatch that guarded his photos of the Earth’s past. Fearful it might find its way inside and somehow damage them, Boy slapped at the ones on his arm and then slid back the opening so he could find the one that had slipped inside.
He’d managed to catch it between his fingers and was just putting it back into the bucket when he heard Liberty shouting. Boy turned and saw her waving. He was too far away to hear what she was screaming but could see in her expression that she was concerned. Worried she’d changed her mind about going fishing, he stayed where he was and waited, watching her as she ran toward him.
What was she yelling, and why was she waving her hands in the air like that? A second later, Boy was swamped by water, knocking him off his feet and spinning him around until he no longer knew which way was up or down.
Helplessness overcame him as he felt seawater fill his chest cavity, his last thought that he’d let his father down. Of all the generations of Keepers who had kept those photos safe it would be he who had now lost them all. Would Father ever forgive him?
Chapter Nine
Boy woke to a stranger leaning over him. That might have made him anxious but there was a kindness in the old man’s eyes that set Boy’s mind at ease.
“Can you stand?” The man’s voice was as reassuring as his eyes.
Boy’s mind was fuzzy and his joints were stiff. After a brief struggle, and with the aid of the old man, he stood. He wanted to ask the stranger who he was, but he couldn’t find the words. Boy finally stopped trying to speak for it only stressed him and made him feel less sure of everything.
A strange sound caught Boy’s attention, drawing him to focus on it measured rhythms – a soft toing and froing of air.
“Can you move your fingers?”
Boy wiggled them but his heart wasn’t in it until Liberty ran into the cabin.
“You fixed him.” She hugged the old man before pulling Boy into a tight hug.
He struggled to say he was fine but the words wouldn’t come. It was as if they were trapped inside his head, refusing to come out. Frustration bubbled through all his circuits, leaving him feeling angry and helpless. All of Liberty’s curse words flickered through his mind and he would have shouted them out if it had been possible. Why was he having so much trouble speaking and moving? Then the answer flooded his mind and he saw himself being washed off his feet and tossed around in the surf. Regret now rooted Boy in place. Grief and his inability to function properly made him but a mere spectator of Liberty and the older man’s continuing conversation.
Liberty rubbed Boy’s head, her expression alternating between concern and joy. “Is Boy okay?”
The older man wiped at his brow. “He’s running, but only time will tell if his memory has been lost or not. I don’t know the effects of salt water on his type of technology.” He walked behind Boy and adjusted something on his back.
Over Boy’s shoulder he said, “I think it’s a good idea to leave this installed. Maybe it will help with his recovery.”
Boy stopped listening when Liberty thanked the man for helping someone called Justice. Who was Justice and how long had Boy been unconscious?
Once the older man had left, Liberty again turned to Boy. “So what do we do now, Boy?” She ran a hand down his arm and sighed. She nodded toward the bed. “Come and sit down. I have so much to tell you.” She helped him walk over and sit on the bed.
Boy wiggled his fingers again, just to be certain they still worked. He now realized he had a long way to go to recover, but he would.
It was easy to see that Liberty was trying to be reassuring but her expression continued to shift between happiness and concern.
“Mender tried to fix you after the accident but was unable to.” She placed her hand on his back and patted him. “He installed this dehumidifier in case you’re wondering what the odd sound is.” She smiled. “You said you wanted to breathe and now you can. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Boy blinked and wished he could speak but each word stopped short of reaching his mouth. It was so frustrating not being able to think properly or to speak. Was his brain damaged as well as the photos?
“It bet you have a million questions.” She looked off to the side, as if gathering her thoughts. Liberty finally met his eyes again. “You’ve been out of it for some time.” She reached over and patted him again. “I’ve wound you every day, and every night I’ve told you about everything you’d missed out on during the day.”
A tiny smile quivered at the side of her mouth. “I never gave up hope that you would come around and join me on deck. Flying hasn’t been the same without you. You’ve missed some really important events.”
Liberty took a deep breath. “You’re going to love this because I know how much you love being my brother. We have a new brother and his name is Justice.” She grinned and quickly added, “You’ll like him. You really will. He’ll be someone you can get into trouble with. He’s just as curious as you are.”
What did she mean she’d found a brother? A robot or a human? There was no way he could compete with a flesh and blood brother. Liberty wouldn’t need him now if this was so. He had been built to keep her company and to be the Keeper. If he could no longer do either of these things then he was useless – a bucket held together with bolts. She should have let him die.
Not knowing the thoughts running through his mind, Liberty laughed. “I know. I can’t believe it either. We found him – or he found us when we stopped at Large Lake to fill the water tanks
before going into the Forbidden Lands. I’ve been there hundreds of times and nothing’s ever happened, but then the one time I stop there with Mender and Robbie, we’re attacked and a brother I didn’t know I had sneaks aboard Airus.”
Her brows furrowed. “We barely made it back onboard and into the air without getting killed. It was a really horrible moment.”
She shook her head. “I wanted to throw the dirty kid off the airship, and I would have too if Justice hadn’t looked so scared and helpless. He was exhausted after running away from the mountain men who he said had killed his mother. He got aboard Airus so they wouldn’t catch and kill him too. Of course, I didn’t know he was my bother then so it was a good job I decided to let him stay with us. I didn’t find out until Mender had cleaned him up and we realized how much alike the two of us looked.”
Liberty slipped a hand under Boy’s arm and helped him up. He almost fell forward but she steadied him.
She placed a hand on his shoulder and took a deep breath. “I don’t know how to tell you the worse part of it all, though, so I just will. The mountain men killed Shatter.”
Liberty hugged Boy. “I know, it breaks my heart too. I really liked him. He always treated me with kindness. Shatter was coarse in so many ways, but he really did have a gentle heart underneath all of that crusty exterior.”
Boy’s heart broke a little at hearing this news. The man had been kind to him too after his father’s death.
“We’d gone back to warn him but we were too late. It was so awful and sad.” Liberty cocked her head to one side. “Our world is changing too fast for us, isn’t it?” She gripped his hand and held on to it for several moments before standing again.
“Our trip here into Forbidden hasn’t gone without incident either. Justice was hurt yesterday when a row of shelves collapsed, covering him in crates and glass. But thanks to Patch, he’s doing much better.”
“Oh, but you don’t know about Patch either, but that’s where we met him. In the jar factory.” Liberty placed a hand on Boy’s head. “He’s the man who repaired you. It turns out he’d studied medicine and builds robots. When you get well enough, you just have to go see his workshop below the factory.”
She laughed. “Look at me, I’m telling you too much too soon, but I’m so happy you’re back with us. I’ve worried about you so. I should have kept better watch over you. I’m sorry.”
It made Boy sad she was blaming herself when it had been all his own fault, but there was no way to tell her so he squeezed her fingers instead. When she squeezed his in return, his heart ached a little less.
“What do you think about having a brother then?” She patted his head. “I think you’re going to like him as much as I do.”
What did he think about having a brother? He hated it. If Boy could have cried, he would have done. He was nothing now, no longer the Keeper or Liberty’s brother. He was just a metal bucket held together with bolts – just like Shatter had said.
Chapter Ten
“Do you want to say goodbye to everyone before they leave?” Liberty helped Boy stand, and as soon as he was upright, rubbed the top of his head and smiled.
“I don’t like seeing them go either but I knew they wouldn’t stay with us forever.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, “I know I’ve broken Father’s rule about letting anyone on Airus, but it was so lonely before. Since Father’s death I’ve been on my own, second guessing every decision I’ve had to make, wondering if it was what Father would have done.”
Liberty tucked a hand under Boy’s elbow and led him to the doorway. “I think Father would have wanted me to be happy, so, since it’s just going to be the two of us for a while, I say we make up a few of our own rules for once.” She looked at him. “What do you think?”
Boy tried to answer but couldn’t. He did manage to nod, though.
Liberty’s face lit up. “You nodded!” and she wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “You’re getting better each and every day, and I’m sure you’ll be talking in no time soon.”
She went through the door first and turned to help him through. “I know you haven’t had much time to get to know Justice.” She leaned in and whispered, “I don’t want him to go with Mender either but he wants to see all the places Mender travels to.” She shrugged. “I can’t force him to stay here with us. It wouldn’t be fair.”
Boy wanted to dislike Justice, just because he had taken his place as Liberty’s brother, but it was hard to do so. The scrawny young man had gone out of his way to help Boy get around deck and had spent hour upon hour just talking to him about growing up in the shadow of the cave dwellers. While Boy was ashamed for resenting Justice so much, it was still impossible not to resent him for taking his place – the place he had purposely been built for. Maybe once Justice wasn’t on Airus to take up Liberty’s time, Boy would feel like her brother again.
Out on deck, Liberty all but pushed Boy toward Mender and Justice. Boy felt cranky and out of sorts. What would everyone say if he kicked something? He wanted his old life back – to be whole and have everything like it had been before the wave had washed over him.
Robbie came and stood next to Boy. “I wish I could stay, but people are depending on us to bring them wheat, corn and potatoes.” He looked over toward the others before adding, “Mender would never forgive himself if someone went hungry.”
The untidy, little robot patted Boy’s shoulder. “We’ll be back as soon as we can. I hope you’re fully recovered by then, but you’ve come a long way already, so I know you’ll be better in no time.” He leaned over and whispered, “I haven’t seen any poisoned darts yet, so I’m depending on you to keep an eye out for them while I’m gone.”
Robbie tugged at Boy’s arm and forced him to join Mender, Justice and Liberty.
Mender was saying to Liberty, “It’s better if Justice comes with me.”
Boy felt an urge to shove Justice onto Mender’s airship straightaway. Why was Liberty still trying to talk him out of going? Damn it. It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair. It only took one look at Liberty’s big imploring eyes to know she could talk anyone into doing whatever she wanted them to do. If they didn’t leave soon, Justice would be sure to stay, just to keep his sister happy.
A feeling of shame washed over Boy and all he wanted to do was go back to the cabin, to get away from everyone. Maybe it would be better if Liberty just let him run down. He wasn’t good to anyone in this condition so what difference would it make?
Boy looked down at his feet. What would his father have wanted him to do? That was easy. He would have wanted him to live, so what was Boy going to do about it? He looked over at Liberty. Her expression kept switching between smiles and near-tears. He wanted to be her brother. But then, why couldn’t she not have two? He would just have to learn to share her with Justice, who he then looked at. That would mean he would be Justice’s brother too, but what if Justice didn’t want a brother?
Boy studied his feet again and looked up in time to see Justice heading his way. If only he could find his voice again. He would ask Justice if he would mind being his brother. That would settle the matter for good and he could stop worrying over it.
Justice clapped a hand on Boy’s shoulder and grinned. “Take good care of yourself little brother. I’m leaving you in charge of our sister.” He looked over at Liberty before turning back to Boy. He bent to him and whispered, “Make sure she smiles every now and then, and keep her safe. She takes too many chances.”
It was as though the world had fallen from Boy’s shoulders when he heard those words. It was going to be okay after all.
Boy nodded and would have given anything in the world to be able to speak at that moment. There was so much he wanted to tell his new brother. He would have to work hard at regaining his voice, so the next time he saw Justice he could prove just how good a brother he would be to him and Liberty.
Chapter Eleven
“Damn.” Boy backed away from the friction engine.
<
br /> Liberty turned in the captain’s chair and stared at him. “What happened?”
Too frustrated to answer, Boy clacked by and walked toward the port side. He could see the railing but his brain didn’t seem able to send the commands to his feet in time for them to stop him running headfirst into it.
“Damn.”
Liberty laughed. “Stop saying that.”
Boy backed up and now headed toward the starboard side. Once again he could see he needed to stop but his feet just weren’t listening. Inside he was screaming, “Stop! Stop! Stop!” but his feet just kept on going, clack, clack, clack. Once again he ran headfirst into the railing.
“Damn.” It was the perfect word to describe how he felt.
Liberty covered her mouth but a giggle slipped out. “Where did you learn to talk like that?”
As if she didn’t know. Instead of answering he backed up and would have headed astern had Liberty not walked over and stood in his path.
“Why are you cursing?”
He blinked as he thought over her question. It took a moment for a memory to return and suddenly it made perfect sense. “It makes me feel better.”
She grinned. “How’s that?”
She knew why, so why was she asking. He answered anyway. “I imagine poison darts are shooting out of my mouth and hitting what pisses me off, that’s how.”
Boy backed up but then, before walking away, added, “Stop staring at my mouth. It’s not really poison darts you know, just pretend ones.” Something inside him stirred when tears ran down Liberty’s face.
Laughter bubble out through her tears, though, and she hugged him. “You’re remembering. That’s wonderful. Maybe by the time we meet up with Mender and Justice you’ll have remembered everything.”
He hoped so too because he was tired of feeling as if the world was speeding by him and he couldn’t catch up. He wanted to remember everything his father had told him before his death, and he wanted to talk with Liberty as they had before – as equals.
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