vN The First Machine Dynasty(31)

The garbage dump wasn't actually that big. It was roughly the size of the big-box store they had visited earlier, and sat on a square of green spongy material, sort of like the stuff that got sprayed over oil spills, when there were more of those. The sponge spanned the entire width of the dump, from fencepost to fencepost. It was darker and plumper under each pile of garbage. If Amy could get some of it on her hands, it might absorb the acid – maybe even the electricity from the fence, too. She'd have to reach under the fence to get it, though, or maybe she could dig under it and snatch some. If the fence's wires didn't go down too far, it was worth a try. Amy peered through the fence. There was a single PET shack with a solar tile roof, but Amy couldn't see if anyone was inside. It sat facing the proper entry to the dump, which was on the access road she'd walked up. Aside from the pump and crunch of a compactor unit and the roar of the compiler's furnaces, there was no sound. Even the yellow camelbots with the forklift teeth slumbered silently, their work done for the day. She'd never have another opportunity like this one.



You're right. You should run away now, while you still have legs to carry you. Leave the boy and his iteration behind. The only thing they're still good for is food.



"I'm really starting to hate you, Granny."



Amy bolted from the cover of the trees. She shot forward faster than she'd intended, and had to turn herself sideways to avoid the fence. Without looking up, she began digging her fingers under the fence. Under the sponge the dirt was wet, dark and heavy, and seemingly full of rocks. Soon Amy was digging those out, too, clawing at them and throwing them to one side as fast as she could. She had exposed some of the sponge's underside, though, and if she could just reach it without touching the fence–



–a drone hove into her vision. She froze. It was a botfly model, tiny and black, and it zoomed around her head, blinking.



Destroy it! Now, before it broadcasts! A sudden rigidity overtook her left arm. Portia. Her hand slid free of the dirt and reached for the bot, palm stiff and open and ready to choke. Another hand closed around it, though, and yanked it behind her back. Just as Amy yelped, Javier said: "Don't. Move."



The botfly examined them for a moment, then buzzed away. Amy watched it fly between the fence wires and disappear behind a pile of old toilet seats. Behind her, Javier briefly rested his head between her shoulder blades. "Well. Thank Christ that's over."



Amy turned. Javier looked worn and thin. He'd fashioned a sling from an old black long-sleeved T-shirt, and Junior lay curled up inside, his head against the side of Javier's chest where his heart would be if he'd had one. She beamed. "You're OK!"



"Yes, I'm OK. But you are out of your fucking mind. Did you not see the guns up there?" He scuttled back toward the trees. Amy followed. Javier pointed toward the dump. "What are you doing here?"



"I was trying to get in so I could get some food."



He glanced at the fence. "I thought you wanted to stay away from this place."



"That was before you fell asleep at the wheel." Amy leaned in and squinted at him to see if his eyes still had the sleepy, unfocused look from before. In the dark, it was hard to tell. "Are you sure you should be out here? You passed out. And you couldn't even talk, before."



Javier wove away. "I'm fine. And why are your hands covered in dirt?"



"I was trying to dig my way underneath the fence, so I could get some of the sponge," she said. "I thought I could use it to climb the fence. You know, like oven mitts?" She made a lobster-claw motion with both hands.



Javier snorted. "Climb the fence? We don't climb fences. We hop fences."



And with that, he broke into a run for the fence. At the last minute, he jumped toward a tree instead. He ran straight up it for a few steps, bounced off it like a swimmer kicking into a backstroke, and sailed over the fence easily. He landed in squelching foam. Junior didn't even wake up.



"Your turn," he said.



Amy pointed from the tree to him and back. "How…?"



"Your body knows how." He waggled his limp little thumb at her. "You can do everything I can do, now. You can feel tickles. You can photosynthesize. You can make this jump."



Amy stepped forward. "Is it hard?"



Javier smiled and shook his head. "It's easy. Just think with your body and not your eyes."



Amy had no clue what that meant, but it was worth a try. Jumping that high looked like fun, and she remembered how it had come in useful for Javier in the past, when they were running away from the police. (Technically, she realized, they were still running away from the police.) She backed away from the fence and shut her eyes tight. She listened to the sound of her boots pounding the dirt beneath as she bounded forward and leapt with all her might. The ground faded away and her hands reached out. They knew exactly where they wanted to go. Her fingers had already curled into claws before they hit the tree. Bark crumbled under her weight and when she opened her eyes, Javier was staring up at her and smiling.