The New Humans

Chapter 16

Ash had been shouting for five minutes, yet still nobody appeared. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the image of his broken bones. He imagined the bones realigning and merging together.

"Heal yourself," he said.

But the pain was too severe; he couldn't stay focused. Ash could heal superficial cuts, but it took a lot more practice to repair a broken bone.

"Help! Someone help me!" He shouted so hard his throat hurt.

He imagined his father's gray eyes penetrating him like a blade. If Dad were here, he would have shouted at Ash that he was not an IDAN agent and never would be—this was proof. Just the thought made him want to cry. He'd dreamed of becoming the new Luther Wall, but he couldn't even repair a broken bone.

He heard footsteps and glimpsed shadows coming closer.

"Anyone there?" he shouted. "Please help me."

Two boys no older than Ash came toward him; they had dirty faces and clothes that looked like they'd come out of a garbage bin and hung on their thin frames. They stopped a few yards away, looking fearfully at Ash.

"Thank heavens you're here," said Ash. "Please, I need help. I can't move. I've broken my knee. Could you help me get home?"

The kids stared at him from a distance as if they were trying to decide if he would harm them. One of them, the taller and older of the pair, said something, but his voice was so faint Ash only heard it thanks to the suit's enhanced hearing.

"Do you have a cellphone?" the boy said.

"Yes," said Ash.

"Have you called anyone to come help you?"

"No. The phone is inside the suit. I can't get it out."

The boy stared at Ash with an absent look. "Where did you get that?" he asked, nodding with his chin to the suit.

"From one of my father's colleagues, but I've screwed up. I fell. Can you please help me get home?"

"Where's your father's colleague now?"

"He may be at home now, why?"

The boy thought a bit, then said, "I can't help you unless you take the suit off."

"What? Why?"

"It's rigid," he said. "You can't move with it on."

"I can't take it off. My leg hurts too much."

"We can't carry you with the suit on," the kid said. "You'll be too heavy."

"Can't you just call an ambulance?" asked Ash.

"Take off the suit and we'll help you," said the boy.

They want to steal the suit and leave me here. "Look guys, the pain is gone. I think I can manage by myself. Thanks anyway; you've been very kind."

He took a deep breath. He was unable to repair his bones, but he could try to stop the pain stimulus. He closed his eyes and repeated in his mind My leg doesn't hurt. He attempted to get up and take a few steps to get away. He put his sore foot on the ground, and he felt a jolt of pain start from his foot and rise up his back, but he tried to hide his expression of pain.

The smaller boy leaned over and whispered to his companion, "How much do you think that enhancer suit would be worth?" He must have assumed Ash couldn't hear him.

"Minimum thirty thousand credits," said the other. "I saw one once on Net that cost a hundred thousand."

Ash tried to walk away, sweat dripping from his forehead, but he could only take short slow steps.

"How can we get it off him?" one boy whispered.

"You hold him from behind while I pull it off," the other said.

"But how? He can flick me away with that suit."

"Well, we can knock him out with those iron bars we found this morning."

Ash felt the blood drain from his face. He had to get away from them.

"We'll have to kill him though," said the smaller boy. "Otherwise he'll report us to the IDAN"

Even with all the strength he had in his body, Ash could only manage to walk three yards. He tried to jump but couldn't get any momentum.

"Okay," said the taller boy. "Go and get the bars."

Ash pretended he couldn't hear what they were saying, but he couldn't take even one step to flee the situation. As the smaller boy returned with two long pieces of iron in his hand, Ash crouched, preparing for the fight. "Listen, we can all be reasonable here, can't we?" Ash said.

The taller boy tried to strike him on the head. Ash put up his arm in defense and the armor cushioned the blow. The metal resonated like a tuning fork and the vibration tickled Ash's arm. The smaller boy hit him repeatedly on the chest and back. Ash couldn't feel a thing, but if they hit his head and damaged the helmet, the suit would stop working and Ash would be unable to move with a weight of four hundred and fifty pounds on him.

Then he remembered the suit's special buttons. He clicked the button on his forearm and it enveloped them all in a cloud of white smoke. The boys began coughing while Ash crawled across the asphalt. He felt a hand take his arm.

"Come with me," a voice said. "I'll help you."

Ash stood up and leaned on the stranger's shoulders; he continued to feel pain, but leaning on the stranger he managed to remain standing until they reached a sunny alleyway that led into the street.

Only then did he turn to look at the boy: he was robust, not quite as tall as Ash, with black hair and a bandana around his face, like bandits in the Far West, maybe to protect himself from the smoke.

"Is everything okay my friend?" the boy asked.

Ash grabbed him around the throat and said in a threatening voice: "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing, I have come to your rescue," he replied very calmly.

"Why did you save me?"

"You have been calling for help for half an hour, those two wanted to smash your head in, should I have left you there?"

Ash stopped and looked at him for a few seconds. After the experience with the other two, he did not have much confidence in a perfect stranger, especially not one with his face covered.

"I understand you're still frightened. But I've brought you out into the sunlight and I have no weapons. If I had wanted to rob you, I would have done it in the alley." He removed the bandana and held out his hand. "Owen Felim MacDarmott."

He had a friendly face and a sly smile. Furthermore, Ash liked the T-shirt he wore with F**ck the system! written on it. He let go of his throat and shook his hand. "I'm Asher Mack, but everyone calls me Ash. And sorry I grabbed you by the throat, but after what happened with those two . . ."

"No problem. I've had people put their hands around my throat for much less. How do you feel?"

"I can't walk. I think I broke my knee," said Ash.

"It's better if you lie down and put some ice on it."

Ash laughed. "And where am I going to get ice?"

"Follow me."

Owen took Ash arm-in-arm and started off, but Ash stiffened. Why was this guy helping him? As soon as he found out he was Numa, would he call him synthetic and leave him on the road?

Owen glanced at him, shooting him a strange smile.

Oh, what the hell! Ash would take any insult to put ice on his leg.