Cindrac

by Mikayla Lane

  Cin went back into the kitchen and checked the refrigerator and cabinets, not the least bit surprised to find them empty. Realizing his next problem would be sustaining himself in this time, Cin studied what he would need on the internet.

  Next, Cin opened up a bank account with the most corrupt institution he could find. Quickly finding the Rotchild’s information in this decade, Cin siphoned millions from their accounts.

  Through a complex series of false transactions, Cin disguised that the money went into his newly opened account, then deleted all traces that might lead to him. Refusing to use the corrupt, elite owned bank, Cin then transferred his stolen cash to a more secure one with a local credit union. When he finished, Cin ordered debit and credit cards sent in a rush.

  Within minutes, Cin had the numbers of his new cards and concentrated his energy on his hands. He smiled broadly when the nanites replicated in his palms, forming square, hard shells until they were perfect copies of the credit and debit cards he’d just ordered.

  Already knowing the nearest town was Laurel Springs, Cin ran through the local directory in his mind until he found a cab service and entered a request for pick up. While he waited for the taxi to arrive, Cin did another walkthrough of the cabin to see if there was anything else he needed to get.

  A series of short horn blasts out front a few minutes later had Cin pocketing his new credit cards and walking out the door. Although he’d learned as much as he could about this time, Cin was still a little surprised to see the tiny red car and the young man behind the wheel.

  Quickly figuring out how to open the door, Cin slid into the vehicle's passenger seat and turned to the young man. “I need to go where I can buy a vehicle.”

  The guy grinned and nodded. “Yeah, I got you, man. We have a couple of used car places in town. Did you just move here? This your place now?”

  Cin nodded as the guy pulled out of the driveway and headed down the road towards Laurel Springs, eight miles away. The driver kept up a non-stop one-sided conversation the entire way there, telling Cin about all the local things to see and do.

  Marveling over the changes to the roads and scenery in this time versus his own, Cin was content to listen to the young man and watch out the window. He knew they were closer to town when the forest thinned out, and more homes, farms, and businesses became visible.

  “If you don’t like anything at Marvin’s place, you can call me, and I’ll take you to Magic Motors on the other side of town,” the kid offered with a smile.

  Cin had already pulled up the map of Laurel Springs in his mind and shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, but I think I’d rather walk it and take your suggestion to stop at Maisie’s Diner on the way.”

  The kid pulled into the parking lot of Marvin’s Motors and smiled over at Cin. “I promise you can’t beat the food at Maisie’s! Good luck, man.”

  Cin pulled out his credit card and swiped it on the attachment of the kid’s phone. He added a twenty-dollar tip as he waved goodbye to the driver pulling back out of the parking lot. Cin had barely turned to the cars when an older, heavyset man came out of nowhere.

  “Son, if you’re looking for a car, you’ve come to the right place!” Marvin Shrope desperately needed a sale and was hoping the strange-looking guy was there to buy and not just window shop.

  An hour later, Cin was pulling out of the parking lot in a meticulously maintained, used white muscle car. Just the sound of the purring engine the moment it started up had sold Cin, who’d never heard anything like it before.

  In Cin’s time, engines whispered, and the rumble of the old carburetor engine made his blood pump and sounded like music to his ears. Quickly learning the driving laws in this state, Cin pulled onto the two-lane main road and drove the few blocks to the diner.

  Easily maneuvering into a parking spot, Cin hated to turn off the engine until his stomach began to rumble louder than the car. Using his nanites to comb through Earth’s internet, Cin learned as much dining etiquette as he could before striding in the front door of Maisie’s.

  The eerie silence following his entrance didn’t even affect Cin, who was familiar with a world where people weren’t encouraged to get to know one another or form relationships of any kind. It wasn’t until the hostess led him to a booth that Cin realized everyone was staring at him.

  “You’re definitely new around here,” a pretty redhead waitress said with a smile. “Passing through?”

  “No, I bought the old Duncan place and moved in late last night,” Cin admitted, noting that the whole diner was listening intently. “My name is Cindrac Miles, Cin for short. Can I get some coffee, please?”

  “What an unusual name!” the waitress grinned. “I’m Shannon. Welcome to Laurel Springs. You’re going to love it here. Let me get you that coffee, and we can talk about the specials.”

  Cin grabbed a menu propped up by condiment bottles at the opposite end of the table. He was just opening it when Shannon returned, set a clean cup in front of him, and filled it nearly to the brim with the steaming brew.

  “Cream or sugar?” Shannon asked and chuckled when Cin shook his head. “You didn’t strike me as the type. So, let’s go over that menu in your hands. There are all kinds of stuff listed on that thing. Some good, some not so good.”

  Shannon paused to glare at a few regulars who burst out laughing at her words.

  “Now breakfast, you go with biscuits and anything. Gravy, sausage, bacon, pork chop, if it comes with a biscuit, get it. Same with eggs. Omelets, scrambled, over easy, and even Benedict. Don’t even consider anything exotic like French toast or crepes,” Shannon warned in all seriousness.

  “Uh, how about your meat lovers omelet?” Cin hoped that fit in with her recommendations and felt relieved when Shannon smiled.

  “Biscuits or toast?”

  Just the way Shannon had already emphasized the biscuits made that answer easy. “Biscuits, of course.”

  “Hashbrowns or grits?” Shannon asked next.

  Cin narrowed his eyes in thought. “What do you recommend?”

  “Hashbrowns,” an older man called out.

  Shannon shot him a dark look then turned back to Cin. “Some of the older locals think the grits aren’t cooked long enough.”

  Cin was just learning what grits were and nodded his head. “Hashbrowns will be fine, thank you, Shannon.”

  Sighing in relief when the woman walked away, Cin sipped at his coffee and tried to ignore the other patrons' interested stares. He was quickly learning the drawbacks of being in such an isolated area with a low population.

  Still, the benefits outweighed the bad, and as long as Cin treated the local population courteously and respectfully, he hoped they would do the same.

  While he waited for his breakfast, Cin used the World Wide Web and was quickly learning the history erased by the elite only a few decades in the future.

  Cin was shocked at the world's changes between now and his time and how different the people acted before they were chipped, drugged, and enslaved. What he couldn’t figure out was why anyone had allowed it to get to the point where his future even existed.

  Shannon slid a heaping plate of omelet and hash browns in front of Cin, bringing him out of his thoughts immediately. Next, she placed a plate of biscuits beside the first and grinned down at him.

  “Do you need any condiments?” Shannon asked, pulling a handful of jellies and butter packs from her apron pocket and setting them beside the biscuits.

  “Wow, this smells amazing, thank you,” Cin said politely. “I can’t think of anything else.”

  “Enjoy, honey.” Shannon sauntered off, leaving Cin wondering where to begin eating. Everything smelled wonderful.

  Looking up what the little plastic tubs were for, Cin cracked open one steaming biscuit and slathered one side with butter and the other with strawberry jelly. His eyes lit up when he tried the jelly side and thought for sure the butter one couldn’t compare until he tried it as well.

 
Cin was done eating and finishing his coffee when a big bear of a man walked over and removed his hat before sliding into the booth across from Cindrac.

  “Well now, my cousin’s boy Andy says you bought the old Duncan place. I’m Sheriff Robbie Groenig and just wanted to introduce myself to our new resident.” The sheriff smiled politely, but his eyes were filled with suspicion. “I hadn’t heard about the Duncan place going up for sale, so I was surprised to hear about your arrival.”

  Cin reached a hand across the table and quickly shook with the sheriff. “I’m Cindrac Miles. I’m a computer specialist and designed a program to troll the internet for upcoming bank repossession sales. When I saw the Duncan place, I knew I had to act fast. The cabin is amazing. Your whole town seems to be a great place.”

  “Did you get a job around here? Was it just the cabin that brought you to Laurel Springs?” Robbie made no effort to hide the fact that he was interrogating Cin.

  Cin chuckled at the sheriff’s protective instincts for his town and its people. He liked the man immediately.

  “It certainly wasn’t your non-existent town website,” Cin laughed. “I own a research and development company making programs, apps, and websites.”

  While Cin spoke, his nanites created the background information and paper trails necessary to withstand a search by the sheriff. Placing his hand out, Cin quickly made a basic business card in his palm and handed it over to Robbie.

  “If you’d like, I have some spare time on my hands and can have a website up and running for the town in a day,” Cin offered as an olive leaf to the sheriff.

  Robbie studied the business card for a moment and looked up at Cin with only a hint of suspicion still in his eyes.

  “Well, we’re a small town and don’t have the budget for such a thing,” Robbie admitted, pocketing Cin’s card for later. “Becca at city hall would be the one to run it, and I’ll tell her about your offer.”

  Cin handed the waitress his debit card when she came over to the table and kept his eyes on Robbie.

  “Tell Becca that I’ll do the website for free and train her on how to use it and make updates,” Cin offered, already creating the website through his nanites.

  “That’s mighty kind of you, Mr. Miles.” The suspicion was back in Robbie’s eyes.

  Cin laughed. “Actually, it’s not. I’ve already got a generic template and bots to help with the rest. It’d take twenty minutes. It just sounds more impressive than it is.”

  Robbie seemed startled at Cin’s honesty. “Well then, I’ll have Becca call you.”

  Cin filled out the receipt Shannon handed him, including a generous tip, and stood. “I’d be happy to help. It was nice meeting you, Sheriff Groenig.”

  Chapter Eight

  Cin spent nearly two hours going down every aisle in the small grocery store until he was rolling a heavily laden cart to his car. After being alone for so long, the town's chatty and happy people made him excited for the peace of the cabin, and he wanted to get back.

  He was almost to the car when a speeding vehicle drove by, and Cin was surprised to see someone dump a garbage bag in the grocery store parking lot. Putting the cart next to his car, Cin walked over to pick it up and throw it away when it moved.

  Carefully stepping closer to the wriggling plastic, Cin was shocked at the soft, plaintive cry coming from inside. Rushing over, he grabbed the hot black bag and ripped it open so whatever was inside could breathe.

  Falling back in surprise, Cin stared at the fluffy gray face and the teary green eyes that looked back at him. Slowly, as if hurting or weak, the tiny creature crawled out of the bag and moved closer to Cin until it collapsed at his feet.

  Shocked and horrified that the small being may have died, Cin scooped the creature into his palms, and his mind went through the internet to find out what it was and if he could do anything to save it.

  Running to his car, Cin chucked the groceries into the trunk and flew down the road to the nearest office claiming to be a veterinarian. He screeched to a halt in the parking lot and ran inside, cradling the tiny being close to his chest.

  “Help me, please.” Cin held the creature out in his hands in front of the woman behind the glass window so she could see the motionless fur being.

  Two hours later, Cin was still pacing the waiting room of the veterinarian’s office, trying to find out if the little kitten would live or not.

  “Mr. Miles, please come with me,” a vet tech said from the open door to the back.

  Cindrac’s long stride had him at her side in seconds, and he followed her past half a dozen closed doors, odd medical equipment, and machines. Finally, the tech opened a door, and Cin sighed in relief at the creature walking around on the floor.

  “The doctor will be here in a minute.” The tech closed the door behind her, and Cin just stared at the little ball of gray fur running over to him.

  Cin was watching the kitten climbing up his pant leg when the door breezed open, and an older gentleman smiled at him.

  “Mr. Miles, I’m Dr. Mulligan,” the Vet said with a smile. “That little guy is just precious, and you got him here just in time. He was badly dehydrated.”

  The kitten had just reached Cin’s waistband and was having trouble getting any further when Cin scooped the little thing into his hand and held it to his chest. Undaunted, the small furball climbed up to Cin’s shoulder and nuzzled his ear, purring loudly.

  The Vet chuckled. “He likes you a lot, which is good. We’re going to send the little guy home with you, but because he’s barely weened, you’ll need to get some wet food-”

  “Wait!” Cin was shocked. “You’re just going to send a live being home with me?”

  The Vet looked at Cin oddly for a moment and checked the chart. “Oh, I see that you found the little guy. That’s a shame. I hate to see good ones like him sent to the shelter. Most of the time, they don’t make it.”

  “What?” Cin put a protective hand over the creature on his shoulder.

  The Vet smiled sadly. “Without a good home, chances are you saved the little guy for nothing.”

  Cin turned his head to look at the adorable little face that kept head butting and rubbing up against his neck.

  “I will take him home.” Cin couldn’t be more surprised he said it. “Tell me what I need to do to keep him alive.”

  Cin spent the next half hour learning what to feed the kitten and how to give it the medicine the animal needed to get better. By the time Cindrac was heading back to his car, he carried the tiny kitten in a large padded pet carrier in one hand and half a dozen bags of food, vitamins, and medicines for the animal in the other.

  Cin opened the trunk, and the smell told him that most of the frozen and refrigerated foods were now spoiled from baking in the car for nearly three hours, and he closed it. He put the creature’s food and medicines in the back seat on the driver’s side, and the carrier and animal behind the passenger seat.

  When Cin slid behind the steering wheel, the animal screamed nearly non-stop and clawed at the carrier's mesh door. Figuring the little thing was scared, Cin moved the kitten into the passenger seat.

  Watery looking green eyes seemed to plead with Cin while the kitten cried sorrowfully and tried to push its way out of the carrier. Unable to watch the poor little thing struggle, Cin sighed and unzipped the mesh door.

  The second the flap hit the seat, the kitten launched himself into Cin’s lap before climbing up to his shoulder. Cin chuckled when the kitten head-butted and nuzzled his neck, purring loudly as he did.

  Cin drove home, making sure he didn’t make any sudden moves that would dislodge the kitten from his shoulder. They hadn’t been going for long before the little guy curled up and fell asleep. Not wanting the creature to fall and hurt himself, Cin put his hand over it, leaving one to steer the car.

  Pulling into the driveway, Cin parked the car and got out, surprised that the kitten didn’t wake up. He grabbed the bags from the back seat, went inside the cabin, and
put the sleeping kitten in the corner of the couch.

  Cin had just put the vet bags on the counter and headed out the door to see what groceries he could salvage when he saw the little guy running after him. Knowing the kitten would be safe by his side, Cin let the animal follow him back and forth to the car until everything was inside.

  Standing at the counter, Cin pulled out the kitten items and familiarized himself with the medication times and dosages. He washed the new food and water bowls and filled both before setting them on the floor next to the animal.

  Cin couldn’t help but smile when the little guy attacked the food and turned his attention to his own. By the time he’d gone through everything, nearly half of his groceries had ended up in the trash. Unable to make any of the recipes he’d wanted to try, Cin hastily put together a meal and cracked open a beer.

  Heading into the living room, the kitten was hot on Cin’s heels and quickly climbed up the couch when Cin sat down to eat. He was getting ready to put the plate in his lap when the kitten moved into it and promptly fell asleep.

  Narrowing his eyes at the animal’s strange behavior, Cin ate his dinner and learned everything he could about the tiny creature that had claimed him. When he was done, Cin felt unworthy of the love and trust the kitten showed him.

  Unwilling to disturb the exhausted animal, Cin set his empty plate on the table next to the couch and turned on the TV. He was shocked at what was available to people in this time versus his own.

  Determined to learn all the truth, hidden from the slaves in the future, Cin turned off the TV and allowed his mind to surf the internet. The first thing he did was find the ancestors of the elite in this period. It was they and those before them who had begun the enslavement of the human race.

  What shocked Cin the most was that the news organizations actually did their jobs most of the time in this period and told the truth. He knew that it would be another three years before the President would sign and enact into law HR 4310, also known as the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012.