The towering black forms stood unmoving.
Ahead in the line the work tools bristled in the barrel like container. Each unit moved by and quickly selected an item to work with for the day.
Seven-Eight grasped the usual root spear and pulled it out from the rest. His eyes gazed at the open door of the cube like factory. It was twice as big as the sleeping box, but a continuous blue light glowed from inside. He could see the Master inside, hovering about, working the magical factory. Seven-Eight wondered how old the Master was. He looked very different than the rest of the workers or the guards.
The Master stopped and turned towards the door, and Seven-Eight dropped his eyes and put a quicker pace in his step. Catching up with the rest of the crowd, he blended in, not chancing a glance backwards.
“I thought that was you,” Three-One said catching up.
“Good morning,”
“Good morning to you too. Are you ready for another fun filled day of digging in the dirt?”
“We are making it better. Cleaning it.” Seven-Eight stated.
“Again, there is that lack of conviction in your voice.”
“You're going to get me in trouble.”
“I doubt it. We all make our own trouble. If you didn’t like what I was saying, you would have turned me in as a defective. I think you like our innocent conversations.”
Seven-Eight walked on in silence.
“I have something for you. A gift,” Three-One said.
“A… A gift?” Seven-Eight stuttered.
The scarred metal of Three-One’s hand was closed around something.
Seven-Eight’s hand opened reluctantly, and against his better judgment received the item.
A curved yellow and white object dropped into his palm.
“What is this?” Seven-Eight asked.
“It’s the tooth from the beast you stopped… You saved a lot of us yesterday. It was brave.”
“Keep it,” Seven-Eight tried to hand it back.
Three-One waved him off, “No no no… We want you to have it as a thank you, and a reminder of the good deed you did.”
“We?”
“There are many in the family that think you are important.”
“Don’t call it that.”
“What?”
“Family. We’re just a bunch of units working for the Master. Nothing more. You know it's forbidden to organize.”
“That’s what we are... A family.”
“Well… Regardless, my 'good deed' got a new unit killed, and if you hadn’t noticed Five-Nine is dead. So I don’t see how I deserve this.”
“You need this… You know you do, and the family needs you.”
He rolled the tooth over in his hand. It was as big as his palm. How many creatures had that beast eaten? Looking up, he considered tossing it to the ground. Had the guards seen him take it? The Master forbade personal items.
Three-One laid a kind hand on his friend’s shoulder, and veered off, “I will see you tonight. We will talk more.”
Seven-Eight winced. The old unit was trouble.
Seven-Eight had spent the morning digging up the roots of small plants. Most of the time had been spent near the edge of the group, away from the others. He needed some space to think, and the work had been helpful to clear his mind.
He had wrapped a piece of old wire around the tooth and hung it around his neck. It made him smile as it clinked against his chest as he stood. The solid weight seemed like a reassurance of his ability to survive more than just the drudgery of work. Seven-Eight still didn’t know why he had stepped forward to help. It had been foolish.
Pushing the spear into the ground again he worked the leverage of the long shaft to turn the soil and pull out the root. Tapping the rod against his foot he absently watched the group scraping the green from the side of the hill.
A large concrete block on the hill caught his eye. Now that the trees had been pulled down, he could see the structure. It looked familiar somehow. Like he had been there before. A memory itched in the back of his brain. What was it?
“Do you need some water?” Came a female voice from behind him.
Turning, he could see the Water Carrier. Her soft, flexible face was new and unblemished. Even her arms were clean.
“I don’t know you,” Seven-Eight said taking the water cup that was offered. He opened his abdomen and poured in the precious fluid, feeling it fill the void inside.
When he looked up, he could see her face filled with awe. Her eye's wide and nervous.
“You’re Spear… The one who killed the beast!” she said. Fumbling to take back the cup. It slipped from her hands and dropped into the bucket with a splash. Seven-Eight could feel cool droplets land on his face.
“What?.. yes. I guess I killed it… What did you call me?”
“They call you Spear… the others have named you. You have a name,” she said, eyeing the tooth hanging around his neck.
“No… Don’t call me that. I'm just Seven-Eight. I have no name. Just my designation. You’re going to get me in trouble.”
“Were you afraid?” Wonder spread across her face as she leaned forward to touch the white enamel.
Seven-Eight gently pushed her hand away, “Yes. Horribly afraid. Afraid I had made a mistake. Something I am beginning to regret. Now go away before you get me recycled.”
He was surprised by the harsh tone of his words.
She smiled warmly at him and whispered, “… the great Spear.”
Seven-Eight shook his head turning away. His hand reached for the tooth, and pulled it from around his neck, snapping the wire. Tossing it aside, he began walking away, putting room between himself and the attention.
Looking over his shoulder, he could see her at the next unit, providing water. Both units looked up at him. He could see them talking and nodding their heads.
“Great… Just great,” Seven-Eight said to himself as he drove his spear into the ground to dig another root.
Chapter 3
Seven-Eight had spent the rest of the day skillfully avoiding all of the other units. Even when the Water Carrier came around for the afternoon run, he dodged her, hiding behind a boulder long enough that a guard came by to check on him.
But the sleeping box that night was another story. The guards were counting them as they entered. Any missing numbers, and there would be threats and group punishment with the discipline collars. The group typically ensured that everyone stayed together.
“How was your day?” Three-One asked, shouldering into the line behind Seven-Eight.
Seven-Eight didn’t respond. Quietly he walked inside and found a place along the wall on which to lean against. Everyone was looking at him, and he squirmed under the scrutiny.
“Did you hear that the family had named you?”
Seven-Eight turned to Three-One and held his hands, “Stop. Please. You're going to get me into trouble. I made a mistake. Just stop it.”
Frustration welled up in him, and he turned away.
Someone stepped over him and touched him on his shoulder.
Looking up he could see in the moonlight that it was the Water Carrier from earlier.
“Spear, you dropped this.” Her whisper felt like a roar, as the rest of the units looked at him.
Mutterings and questions spewed forth. He could hear them conversing. Telling the story of how he slew the mighty beast and tried to stop the Master from recycling the victim.
“You all need to stop,” he sat up hissing at them, “You know that if you keep spreading these… these stories, that the Master will recycle all of us. It’s happened before.”
“When?” Three-One asked, his face knowing that the event was well before they were born.
“Leave me be. Let me sleep,” Seven-Eight rolled onto his side, curling up into a ball, covering his head with his hands. He knew that there was no escape from them. The only escape was sleep. It was hours before the room fell silent, and he calmed down enough to stop his min
d from racing.
Seven-Eight stood looking at the concrete arch built into the side the hill. What was it? A bunker. A shelter? The wide metal door with strange symbols on it stood in front of him. As though driven by outside forces, his hands reached up and pushed the door shut. Sadness flowed over him that he would never be able to see them again.
He would keep them safe out here.
His fingers touched a nearby keypad, and he watched the numbers as they were pressed in sequence
3- 9- 3 -7 -4 - 5
The automatic control over his body ceased, and he looked at his hands. They were soft. Soft like his face. The material was new and clean. Somewhere behind him, thunder exploded. It had been expected, but he felt that it had arrived far too soon.
Turning, he felt more than saw the wave of bright light wash over him, burning away his sensors, and eyes. Blind, he fell to the ground.
He bolted upright, forcing his hands against the dark, “No!”
The sleeping box materialized around him. The room grumbled and moaned from the disturbance.
Three-One Opened his eyes, and chuckled before closing them again, “You know more than you think you do.”
Seven-Eight tried to hold onto the dream.
“Remember the door. Remember the door,” he repeated to himself sleepily as he closed his eyes.
Chapter 4
Seven-Eight Woke early and tried to piece together the terrible sleep he had. Sighing, he shook his head hoping that the foggy memory would lift. Nothing ever stuck. There was always a residue of the dream; then it faded away like smoke.
The others rose slowly a soon as the sun came up. Seven-Eight reflected that it was once again, time that they ate, after eating, they worked, after the sun began to drop behind the hills, they slept.
“Is this all there is?” he asked himself.
Realizing he was talking to himself, he stepped outside to fall in line. Three-One was not visible in the nearby crowd, and somehow that relieved him. Things had gotten out of hand, and it was just fine if the old trouble maker left him alone.
Inching forward in the line, Seven-Eight realize he was still clutching the tooth; Panicking he looked around. The guards were watching them. If he tossed it to the side, the motion would quickly be spotted. Warmth flooded his face.
Opening his abdomen, he slid it inside, feeling it clunk against the bottom of the empty digestion chamber. The hollow sound reminded him that he had not taken any water yesterday. Running this dry was dangerous.
It was dangerous to put things into his digestion chamber too. He wondered if the tooth would break down. What effect that would have on him. Would he die if he left it in for too long?
It didn’t matter now. Later Seven-Eight would reach in and take it out, but only once out in the working field. Out there, the guards wouldn’t see him drop it into the ash and cover it up. His nerves seemed somewhat quelled, and he continued in step to gather his nutrition block.
The unit handing out the nutrient, bowed slightly to him extending the block in an open palm.
Seven-Eight shook his head and snatched it up before continuing to pick up a tool. He would spend another day away from the group, but would make sure he flagged down the Water Carrier.
Testing the weight of the root spear he put some distance between himself and the factory. Spying an unworked area, he strode across the gray clearing and relaxed taking in a sense of calm. The stillness of the morning always brought him peace.
He let the happiness creep in, as he uprooted the plants at his feet. Soon a smile drew across his face as his world returned to normal. There were no more whispers. No more stories of lives of ancestors past. Seven-Eight just worked alone and did what was expected of him.
Hours passed quietly, and he paused to look up on the hillside. His arm was resting on the end of the spear. The light clouds blew over the sun, dimming its radiance for a moment before returning it to normal.
Smiling, he scanned the ancient rubble. The square shapes seemed to evoke happiness. He wondered if Three-One was right, and he remembered events from a past life?
Maybe something from a recycled unit?
Seven-Eight Chuckled to himself and returned to his work. Each downward stroke carved out the heart of a plant’s root system. Each upward movement lifted the destroyed core from the earth.
“Are you going to hide from me again?” came the Water Carrier’s voice.
Seven-Eight turned smiling. Today was too pleasant of a day to be upset at anyone.
The Water Carrier’s face was torn away from the cheekbone to her jaw.
Seven-Eight’s jaw dropped, “What happened to your face?” His hand reached forward and touched the missing plastic.
“It’s okay,” she said smiling and scooping water from the metal bucket.
“You had a new face before. It’s damaged now. Why?”
She handed him his water, “The Master was upset with me. I dripped water inside the factory. I should have been more careful.”
“For just a drip?”
“I’m lucky that he didn't recycle me. I’m still alive,”
The Water Carrier smiled again with half of her mouth. It was genuine and unforced.
Seven-Eight smiled back, then opened his abdomen to pour the water inside.
“What do you have in there?” she laughed at him.
Pulling the tooth out with his free hand, “The tooth from the beast. I was worried the guards would see it. So I hid it.”
She stepped forward, close to him. He tensed, feeling her invade the space he worked so hard to create. The water poured inside, filling half of the volume it should have.
“I hide things too,” she said, her hand opened her digestion compartment, and she pulled out a small glass ball. A twist of color inside caught the light.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said, “I liked it because it was shiny. It reminded me of something.”
“Of what?”
“I can’t remember. It’s always barely there. Like half of a memory. It’s a good memory, but it never shows itself. So I keep this and look at it when I am sad.”
“I like it,” he smiled.
She took the water dish back and touched his arm.
“I’ll check on you later Spear.”
He watched her walk off. He didn’t even care that she had called him that name.
Smiling, he hung the tooth around his neck. Its surface was gleaming white now. The digestion compartment had broken down the yellowed plaque. It was crisp and clean like the Water Carrier’s face as it had been before the Master punished her.
He looked up watching her. He didn’t get her name. He would have to remember that next time.
Chapter 5
Seven-Eight stepped inside the sleeping box. Since Seven-Eight was one of the first, he had the choice of where he wanted to sleep and picked a spot against the back wall.
The moon was full and flooded into the box, and he wanted to stay awake for as long as he could. He wanted to watch the moon pass across the hill and set. He sat down with a thump, happy and satisfied that the world had returned to normal. No one pestered him. No talk of defeating monsters.
Three-One walked in. His haggard face, covered with thick ash, depicted a long day. Seven-Eight patted the space next to him. Undaunted by the trouble makers difficulty.
“You look tired,” Seven-Eight said.
“And you look happy. That’s new. Lately, you've been moping about, unhappy that everyone loves you.”
“I just had a good day that's all,”
Three-One sat down shoulder to shoulder, “It's likely just the chemicals in the nutrient blocks. Tell me about it. I need something to cheer me up.”
“What’s wrong? It can’t be that bad.”
“We found a live tree. One that survived the fire. We tried to cut it down with the tools, but the Master came over. He brought the light cutter.”
“Sounds like he was h
elping today that’s new. That's good right?”
Three-One was silent. A look of anger crossed his face. After a moment he spoke again, “The tree was cut down, but fell on some units. There were six in total.”
“Are they okay?” Seven-Eight exclaimed. Amid the chatter of the pre-sleep conversations being held inside the box, the rise in volume barely registered.
“No… They were fine, trapped by the tree. We could have cut them out. The larger branches had pinned them. Somehow they had missed being crushed by the trunk.”
“So did you? Get them out?”
Three-One shook his head.
“Why not?”
“The Master used the collars on all of them. Harvested all of them right there and then made us cut out the bodies for recycling.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. He's becoming less predictable as time goes on,” Three-One said.
“That’s insane,” Seven-Eight stated quietly.
The mood had become sullen. And both sat there quietly watching everyone settle in.
“Tell me about your day. Cheer me up,” Three-One said.
Seven-Eight smiled weakly, “You sure?”
“Yes,” he chuckled, “I need something. Anything.”
“Well, I think the Water Carrier likes me,”
“Which one?”
“The female… I don’t know her number. She never told me.”
Seven-Eight tried to scan the room, but she was either sleeping or hidden away.
“Ahh… love,”
“It’s not like that.”
Seven-Eight shifted away from the wall a little and scooted down to make a more comfortable sleeping position.
“Really? It sounds like you have a partner.”
“That would be nice, but she’s a Water Carrier, and I scrape the green. She’s above me.”
There was some silence for a while, “We are not the roles we are born into Spear. We are meant for greater things.”
Spear's Journey Page 2