City of the Cyborgs by Gilbert L. Morris

Author:Gilbert L. Morris [Morris, Gilbert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-57567-654-8
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 2000-11-13T05:00:00+00:00

9

The Captive

Sarah and Josh were making themselves a snack in what had once been the cafeteria kitchen.

“I think Cee Dee is going to get well,” Sarah said. She glanced over at him, adding, “She’s making much more sense now. Just give her a little time, and she’ll be fine.”

Josh had made himself a sandwich and was proceeding to add a layer of beef. He added salt. He shook pepper over it until it was almost black. Then he eyed the sandwich and took a huge bite. “That’s good,” he said and offered it to Sarah. “Have a bite,” he mumbled.

“It would paralyze my tongue, Josh! I don’t see how you eat anything with that much pepper. You always did do that—even back in Oldworld.”

“It adds flavor.” But then he said, “I think you’re right about Cee Dee. She has some bad times, but in between she’s talking quite a bit and making a lot more sense.”

“It gives me chills just to think about her life here.”

They had found some windfall apples lying under a tree, and Sarah was cutting one into small slices with her sheath knife. She nibbled on a piece, then said, “These aren’t as good as apples used to be in the old days. They aren’t as sweet, and they’re harder. But they’re apples.”

Josh swallowed another bite of sandwich, then said solemnly, “Well, when people get to be your age, the olden days always seem better. That’s one sure sign you’re getting old.”

Sarah stuck out her tongue at him and shoved a sliver of apple into his mouth. “There, chew on that!” She took another bite herself and then walked to a window. The abandoned cafeteria was in an especially rundown section of town. She looked out at the grim street and sighed. “Josh, this has got to be the ugliest city in the whole world. Not one colorful thing in it. I’ve never seen such an awful place in my life!”

“It’s sad, all right. These people don’t have any color or any beauty. They never sing. There’s no art, no television, no nothing! It’s really dullsville!”

“Saddest thing to me is when you go into their barracks and see them just standing there.”

“I know,” Josh said. “It’s like they’re a toy that’s run down. You wind it up, and it moves jerkily for a while, and then it just stops until the next time you wind it up.”

Still looking out, Sarah thought about the green fields as the sunlight hit them. “This could be a beautiful valley,” she murmured. “It’s the buildings that make it ugly.”

“They must have a chief uglifier. The guy who runs this place designed the city, no doubt. The Peacemaker, she called him. Somehow I don’t much like that name.”

“Nor do I. It’s such a beautiful, unsuitable name for such a terrible person.”

“I’ve noticed,” Josh said, “that people always like to think up better sounding names for things. Remember back in the old days when they changed the title janitor to building engineer?”

The two stood at the window and nibbled on their snacks until Sarah said, “Let’s check on Cee Dee.

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