Clan World

by Jim Kochanoff

  “Then we’re back to the start. It could have been anyone with the help of any clan.” Jinn seemed resigned.

  “Then we stick to the plan. We need help. If we can make it here,” Tuko pointed to the map, “we can get the support of our family. Then any other clan would think twice before they dare attack us.” We nodded, and Jinn yawned.

  “I’m beat. Almost being eaten by a dinosaur really tires me out.” She gave me a hug. “Be strong. We’ll get through this. Tuko is right, once we meet up with our family, we’ll be safe.” The two of them rolled out their sleeping bags, but I wasn’t interested in another nightmare and stared at the night sky.

  I wanted to tell them the truth, but could they accept that everything they believed about their home was a lie? The only chance I could prove it to them was if I could find an exit out of this world. Maybe go back to the one I came in from? If I could find it. But would I want to show them? What good would it do to show them that none of this was real? I thought of when I found out my city of drones was just one of many places of study. By whom, I didn’t know. Or that the outside world was not what we imagined.

  I pushed my hair out of my eyes. Would I find a way out of this world, or would I become its permanent captive?

  5

  Orphans

  The car hit a pothole, and I lurched in pain. Sleeping on the ground had stiffened my neck and every jolt aggravated it. Tuko looked at my discomfort and laughed.

  “Something tells me that you don’t rough it outside, Princess. I bet you don’t leave home very often.” Wow, if he only knew how right he is.

  “Leave her alone.” Jinn punched Tuko on the arm. “Don’t mind him, he’s grumpy in the morning.”

  “And in the afternoon. And in the evening,” I teased. Both Jinn and I laughed. Mr. Happy just scowled and kept driving. The road was one lane and barely passable. A couple times I thought we were going to get stuck. Some of the mud puddles were huge, and I worried we would sink over our heads. After watching the dinosaur burn at Trall, I didn’t want to get caught in any liquids. It was nearly midday, and I could make out a settlement past the foothills.

  “That’s where we’re going,” Tuko stated with a flair for the obvious. From this distance, the town looked like an old Western with no building over two stories. The streets formed a cross with businesses and homes bordering the dusty roads.

  In front of us, animals milled behind a wooden fence, although they weren’t like any pasture animal I had ever seen. They were bulky like a cow but with long, muscular legs like a horse, making a combination of the two. I guess I’d have to call them a “corse.” I laughed at my silly joke. Lacey would love this humor.

  We passed near one of the gates, and one of the animals ambled toward the fence. I looked at its face. It eyes were big, and it seemed interested in our approach. Its green tongue was chewing on something, and I leaned closer. Its eyes met mine, and it stopped chewing, as if it was thinking of something to say. A hand pulled me back.

  “Don’t get too close. They love to spit at you, and it will burn if it gets into your eyes,” Jinn said and I immediately jerked back. Again I looked stupid, like a stranger in a strange land.

  “Once we stop in town, we’ll do all the talking,” Tuko commanded. “We don’t want to draw any attention to you. No telling who listens to the radio broadcasts, so we won’t know what other clans will be looking for you. This town will be one of the areas they will figure you would go.” I nodded. The less talking I did, the better. Better to look intelligent than for people to realize the truth once I opened my mouth.

  It looked like electricity or plumbing was nonexistent in the old buildings. What I wouldn’t I do for a hot shower! As our car slowed, we saw several kids who were pounding a sign into the ground. One was a teenager, but the others were younger, likely under ten. What was I doing when I was ten? Not working in a field, that was for sure. No, kids definitely had it harder here.

  As we drove down the street, I saw many things were in disrepair. Several power poles had dead wires hanging down, as if no one wanted or knew how to fix them. Two cars lay abandoned, mostly intact but with a few parts picked clean. It made me wonder why someone would give up on a running vehicle. A couple more kids stood on a veranda and watched us pass. I felt their gaze and nervously wondered if they knew who I was. The price on my head might make me valuable to a lot of people. Slowly we eased in front of a general store, its windows hawking the latest candy. Jinn and Tuko got out.

  “Did you want me to stay here?” I asked.

  “No, come in with us. You’re too visible out here and the less people that see you the better,” said Jinn.

  “Maybe we can find something to hide your face,” Tuko offered with a smile. They got out of the car and went into the shop. I stepped up the wooden stairs and looked into the window at a huge glass jar. There was a big green mass floating like a lump of chewing gum. As I looked more closely, it seemed to be rotating around ever so slowly. A bubble rose to the surface as my eyes followed it up. When I looked down again, two beady eyes stared out of the mass. Its evil mouth appeared to gurgle, as if it was laughing at me. The momentary shock made me stumble back.

  “Ouch! Watch where you’re going!” I turned and a young boy of around ten stared back at me. He had long blond hair, much of which covered his face. He wore blue jeans and overalls. He looked like a miniature adult, and I had to stifle back a laugh. He was trying to be tough.

  “Sorry. What is that?” I pointed to the jar.

  “You never seen that?” he asked, surprised, as though a huge grinning worm was an everyday sight. “Vestian — grows inside some of the herd. That one was pooped out just a few days ago.”

  “Why put it in a jar? It’s disgusting.”

  “Maybe so, but they sure taste good barbecued.” He slapped his leg and laughed like he told the funniest joke in the world. Then he stopped as quickly as he started. Okay, the kids are a bit off here.

  “You don’t want to get any of that liquid on your skin. Its venom mixes and causes instant blindness for hours.” Okay, if this kid was trying to scare me, mission accomplished.

  I decided to follow the others into the store and leave this guy to his own devices. I walked in. The first aisle looked like my science lab. There were weird jars everywhere, things floating, things moving, and things glowing. Most of it didn’t look edible, and I didn’t like the feeling of things looking back at me. A large display of incense was staged at the end of the row.

  I moved on to find that the next aisle was more interesting. There were tons of electronics, wires, and computer boards spread out along the shelves. It looked like the carcass of a huge robot with pieces strewn everywhere. It reminded me of my marketplace back home where you could find just about anything for the right price. I picked up a mechanical arm and marveled at the technology. How could such a backward place produce such high-tech items?

  “See anything you like?” The familiar voice scared me, and I almost dropped the arm on the floor. I turned and saw the same boy. Was he following me?

  “Do you work here?” I asked.

  “You bet.” The boy puffed his chest and stretched an extra inch taller. “My dad isn’t here right now, so I’m watching the store until he comes back.”

  “I see.” Although I really didn’t. What parent would leave this little guy in charge? Good chance to get robbed. “What are these electronics for? Besides some cars, I don’t see where any of this would be used.”

  “Well, that’s a question.” He stood silent, like stating the obvious was some type of skill.

  “So … what’s the answer?” I prodded.

  “No one knows for sure,” he whispered, and I had to move closer to hear him. “A lot of people scavenge parts from towns all over. Most don’t know what they were for. People keep away from the bad lands that circle the territory — too many mechanical graveyards where people get hurt.”

  All the better to keep people herded to the
center of this world and not explore the outside of their unknown prison.

  “Someone must have designed these electronics. How come no one can duplicate them?” I asked the boy.

  He looked thoughtfully at me. “My grandfather used to design all types of mechanical rigs. He built the pumps that power the water towers outside of town. But knowledge doesn’t travel well to my dad. And it certainly isn’t an interest of mine.” That’s for sure.

  “What happens when things break down?”

  “A few adults, tinkers, seem to be able to bandage things together. Especially the cars. But nobody seems to really come up with anything new. Everything eventually breaks down. My dad keeps trading for these parts, hoping to find someone who can make some use of them.” I looked over the shelves, and a few ideas came to mind. How could anyone build these things and then forget what they’re used for?

  “Hey…” I started to ask another question, but the kid was gone. That was one strange boy. I heard voices around the corner, so I guessed he was after someone else’s money. I looked at the shelves and almost felt my heart stop when I saw the object. I put it in my hand and felt its contours. It was shaped perfectly like the creature it was supposed to represent. It was a mechanical bee. Or more specifically, one of the drones that used to follow me around my grandmother’s house. What the hell was it doing here in this world? I took it and went around the corner. Jinn was talking to the boy, holding up some cans of food.

  “This one is a real charmer. Don’t try to bargain a deal.” She smiled while the boy maintained his tough exterior.

  “The price is the price,” he said and then folded his arms like he could walk away from whatever deal Jinn was offering.

  “Where did you find this?” I held out the bee drone. The boy lit up like he had found some leverage with me.

  “That’s one of our special items,” he murmured without even looking down at what I had in my hand. “That will cost you extra.” He smirked. His attitude irked me, and I moved within an inch of his face. The closeness startled him, and he jumped back.

  “I didn’t ask you how much, I asked where did you get it?”

  He straightened up and became serious. “How am I supposed to know? We barter for dozens of items every day. Does it look like I keep an inventory?” The kid could have been a teenager with all the attitude he gave off. Time to take him down a size.

  “Maybe I could speak to your father?” I put a lot of emphasis on the last word.

  He put his arms to his sides. “He’s not here right now, and I don’t know where he got this stuff. Do you want to buy or trade for it?” he asked. I looked down at the tiny bee lying in my hand. What others might find quaint, I knew as deadly. To think that this little mechanical machine would spy and track your every move. How did it get from my world of technology to this backwater, where everything was breaking down? The last thing I wanted was this little drone. Besides, I didn’t have anything of value to trade for in this world.

  “Never mind.” I started to walk back to the aisle.

  “Wait,” the kid started, “you might want to check in with Ander. He buys a lot of this stuff and tries to tinker with it to get it working. Maybe he knows where it comes from.” The kid shrugged as if saying that’s the best I can give you.

  I nodded back. “Where can I find this Ander?”

  The kid pointed out the window and down the street. “One block over, fifth house on your right. Big yellow place. There’s electronics all over the front veranda. You can’t miss it, he’s always open. Tell him Benny sent you.” He smiled but there was no warmth.

  “Thanks,” I answered, put the drone back on the shelf, and started to head out of the store. I felt an arm grab me by the wrist.

  “Whoa, Pene. What’s going on? Don’t take off on your own with a price on your head. It’s a good way to lose it.” Jinn smiled, as if she was trying to make me realize that she was making a joke. “What is this all about? What’s so important about that little miniature bee?” Her puzzled expression made me want to open up to her and tell her I was from a place where thousands of these little drones existed and followed your every move. Would she believe me? Or would I lose the only friend I had in this place? I thought I’d go with a partial truth.

  “It’s something my family used to deal with. I thought maybe if I found out more about it, it would bring me closer to my mother. Look, you don’t have to do this. Give me twenty minutes, if I’m not back by then, come get me.”

  Before I could turn away, Jinn yelled her response, but not to me. “Tuko, we’re going to run an errand. Be back soon,” she said.

  Tuko stuck his head around a corner. “Sure. Stick me with all the heavy work and with paying the bill. Typical girls.” He gestured as if he’d had enough of us. I just wished that Jinn wouldn’t tag along. It would be hard to ask too many questions without making her more suspicious of where I was really from.

  We walked outside and leaped down two steps at time. The street was mostly deserted; the only activity was a bunch of kids hanging out around at the end of the street. They turned as we walked by and spent a bit too much time watching us.

  “Losers,” Jinn jeered at them, and they went back to talking amongst themselves. The storefronts and homes looked weathered. Most needed a good coat of paint. A little girl looked at me through a dirty window. She seemed curious, and I could feel her eyes searching me up and down.

  “Does this town make you feel just bit nervous?” I asked Jinn.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Seems like people are watching me. Studying me.” I looked back at the window, but the girl was gone.

  Jinn stopped me. “The town’s a bit behind the times — not exactly a big travel destination. People are just interested in strangers. Hey, a couple of sweet-looking girls like us are always going to make the boys do a double take.” We laughed.

  We walked around the corner; it didn’t take long before I could tell which house we were going to. It looked like a junkyard had exploded on the front yard. As we got to the front gate, fences held all the objects in as if anyone would try to take this stuff. I walked gingerly around the obstacle course, ducking and jumping to avoid some metal apparatus. A large statue stood in the middle, and there was a clearing around it. It was the only space that seemed open, so we walked toward it. The statue resembled a large robot about seven feet tall, with a thick torso but thinner arms and legs. I spied a button under a small vent. Instinctively, I pressed the button, hoping the robot would dance around. Nothing happened.

  “What do you guys want?” I jumped, so focused on the statue that I didn’t hear someone come up behind us.

  “Benny sent us,” Jinn answered calmly. I guessed she wasn’t as jumpy as me. “Said Ander could tell us where a mechanical part came from. Is he your dad?”

  The skinny kid looked back at us. He had long, greasy black hair that looked like it had never seen a brush. A pair of golden goggles seemed to hold his hair in place. He had lots of metal studs on his ears, nose, and through his lip. I shuddered to think his whole body was covered with them. Maybe he wanted to be part of his junk.

  “I’m Ander. Follow me.” He turned and disappeared behind a pile of metal barrels. I glanced at Jinn and shrugged. At least with her at my side, I didn’t feel too concerned. We navigated the junkyard obstacle course and stepped through a steel door into an office. There was an audible hum that came from the back of the room. A puff of steam came out of the wall, and I could hear pulleys moving in the background. The room was warm, and I felt a bead of sweat drip down my forehead. Ander was sitting in a rotating chair in front of a table. It looked like a machine had barfed its contents all over the countertop, with cogs and wires everywhere. He beckoned us to approach. We pulled up two chairs and sat across from him.

  “What are you doing?” Jinn asked, looking at a soldering tool and a bunch of electronic components.

  “Trying to figure out what this thing was before it stopped wo
rking. There are no plans or schematics, and no one seems to understand how it operates.”

  “Can’t you just ask whoever built it? Why rediscover the wheel?” I inquired.

  Ander looked at me over his goggles. This kid seemed older than he looked. “If I knew the answer to that question, I would be a genius. For whatever reason, each generation is getting worse at passing on the technology to their kids. It’s like we are moving backward. That’s why I have a junkyard out front with stuff that keeps breaking down and we can’t fix.”

  I guess the education system here is not very organized.

  “Can we talk about why we’re here? Your friend Benny said you could help us,” Jinn asked.

  “Yeah, Benny,” Ander answered, which made me think they were not friends. “What is it that you want?”

  “Robot drones. This one was shaped as a bee. Do you know where it might come from?”

  Ander’s eyebrow raised as if he was interested. “Describe it.” He walked over to a shelf with drawers and opened several. He pulled out components and rearranged them in his palm. “How big?”

  “Almost the actual size of a bee, only slightly bigger,” I answered and crossed the floor to step on a wide area rug. He held up his hand to stop me from coming any closer. Maybe he didn’t want us to see all the equipment he had?

  “Color?”

  “Metallic. Some stripes near its rear end. The stinger looked golden. Wings white but partly transparent.” Ander nodded and grabbed several more parts, connecting them together in a dizzying whirl of motion. Seconds later, he held out his palm. The drone was a pretty good duplicate of ones back home, minus the red eyes and its ability to follow you.

  “That’s it! Where did you find it?” I asked.

  “My turn.” Ander shook his head. “Why are you so interested in this little robot? Have you seen it operate?” He leaned forward, excited by the prospect. I decided to be honest.

  “I have — back home, these things used to follow us around. Make sure everyone was safe.” I felt he could hear the sarcasm in my voice.