NO ROAD HOME Book Four: Cold Comfort by John Prescott

Author:John Prescott [Prescott, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-12-04T22:00:00+00:00

8

The sound of the Jeep's droning engine brought a peculiar calm to Raven. Even now, he had no direct control over his actions. It was dreamlike, his mind free to wander as someone, or something, guided his physical actions.

Smith snorted loudly in the back seat. Raven's eyes darted to the rear-view mirror. It was by his choice. At least he wasn't completely locked out.

He returned his eyes to the road as Smith pushed himself upright. “Ah, shit.” Smith looked in the rear-view mirror at himself. His robotic eye was crooked.

He opened it wide and seized it with his fingers. It came out with a wet pop. He dangled it next to Raven's face and in a funny voice said “I see you!”

Smith chuckled to himself. Raven didn't respond. “The kids love that.” He turned the eye over in his hands as he talked. “Big hit at parties.”

Raven looked in the mirror again. The hole in Smith's head was gone. Smith caught him looking. He looked back at him with his one good eye, still smiling. “The hole's gone, but not the dancing.” The smile faltered. “Dance... Damage.”

Smith lowered his head. Raven returned his eyes to the road. Smith popped his eye back into its socket and blinked wildly. “Ah! There it goes. Good as nude... New.”

“Brain damage?” Raven blinked. So he could talk freely, as well... for now, anyway.

A ragged grin slipped back across Smith's mouth. “Mama would say I've had that since I was a kid.” He nodded his head. “I had issues already. Jesse just put the dot on the exclamation point.”

“You're an android.”

Smith sighed. “It's Synthetic, and... kinda. What was your first guess?”

“Surviving an unsurvivable fall was the first clue...” Raven eyeballed him in the mirror.

“Could be good genes.” Raven looked away. “Oh, come on, Robby boy! Have some fun! You just found out you're a Synthetic. I'm a Synthetic... We're gonna live forager! Football! Forest...” Smith growled in frustration.

“Forever... Sounds like maybe you won't.”

“Just need to fit... fix my brain box. Anyway... I'm sorry you had to find out the way you did, Robert.”

Raven very much wanted to hit the brakes. Hard. Smith would fly forward, maybe even hit the windshield. It wouldn't hurt him, but it would help Raven.

He couldn't do it, though. “If you care so damn much, maybe you could have mentioned it before now?”

Smith chuckled. He shook his head. “That's not something you just rattle off to someone, buddy boy. Tell me...” He leaned forward conspiratorially. “Would you have believed me if I had?”

Son of a bitch. “No.”

“Exactly.” Smith sat back. “I'm going to tell you everything now, though. You and me are going to do gear... dog grass... grip...” He kicked the front passenger seat. “Great! Things... great things...” He rubbed at his forehead.

“This truck belonged to Sarah Wetherbee.” Spirit was standing in front of Mark and Jesse. Her hands were bound with wire.

Mark tried to tell Jesse that binding her hands would be pointless. Jesse became quite vocal after that. Mark then bound her hands, as requested.

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