by SJ Davis
Chloe turned to him. "What of you, Tom? That man will be coming for you tomorrow. I can't let him take you, I just can't!"
Tom looked at his wife, and took her hands and placed them over his chest. "I promise I will come back to you and our children, my pearl."
Chloe's tears streamed down her face. "It's not right, Tom. What kind of world is this where people can own and sell off other people? All our parents did was try to survive any way they could. They wanted the best for us and tried so hard. Now we're to be separated because of…”
"It's that or prison, my love," Tom whispered. "I'll take a new owner over any of you suffering for my sake. Just be glad it's me and not you or the children."
She buried her face against his chest. "It's not right."
"It will be alright, Chloe."
"No, you must run!" she pleaded. "Run after Ezra. Help him and Henry. Please go now, Tom."
Tom shook his head, a deep frown etched into his face. "I've never run from what is my lot in life, Chloe. I won't start now, even if it kills me."
"You stupid, beautiful idiot," she whispered and hugged him tightly. "You're faith will be the end of you."
***
The next morning, Haley glared at the laborer standing in front of him. "What do you mean that the man and the automaton are gone?"
"I'm sorry, sir," the laborer said. "But no one can find Ezra, George or the automaton anywhere."
Haley stamped his foot in anger. "Shelby!" he roared.
"What is all this racket?" Shelby demanded as he stepped out of the house with his wife close behind him.
Haley raised his finger and pointed it at the Shelby's. "You have cheated me. That manservant of your wife has run away with his man and the automaton."
Shelby frowned and turned to the laborer. "Are they really gone?"
"Yes, sir. We can't find them anywhere."
Haley's eyes narrowed as he noticed the small smile that grew on Mrs. Shelby's face. "You planned all of this," he hissed.
Shelby turned sharply and glared at Haley. "Watch your mouth, man. I signed your papers. Those men and Henry were here when you arrived. If they left, it is no fault of mine or my wife's."
Haley growled, "Fetch me a cruiser! I'll go after them and run them down myself."
Shelby looked at the man with disgust before he turned to the laborer. "Get him what he wants."
The laborer hurried off while Haley paced impatiently. When the laborer finaly returned with the steam powered ground cruiser, Haley glared at Shelby. "That other one, Tom, had better be ready when I'm back. Or I promise you that you'll lose everything, Shelby. I swear it."
Shelby crossed his arms. "He'll be ready."
Without another word, Haley sped off on the ground cruiser.
***
Tom packed his bag. "I love you."
Chloe smiled at him sadly. "I love you too."
Sebastian burst into their home in a rush, breathing hard. "Uncle Tom? I just overheard a trader tell my father he owns you now. Please tell me they're lying!"
Tom looked at the boy. "I'm afraid that man is telling the truth, Master Sebastian. I've been sold."
"But it's wrong!" Sebastian shouted.
"You won't find us arguing with you there, Master Sebastian," Chloe said. "But there is nothing we can do."
Sebastian threw his arms around Tom's waist and hugged him tightly. "I don't care how long it takes me, I'll get you back, Uncle Tom. I'll bring you back to Aunt Chloe and set things right. I promise."
Aunt Chloe patted his shoulder. "Of course you will, dear boy. But you had best run home to your parents. They'll be worried about you."
Tears in his eyes, Sebastian pulled away from Tom and nodded. He looked up at the big man with determination in his eyes. "I mean it. I'll bring you home."
Tom smiled. "I believe you, Master Sebastian." Then he grabbed his bag and went out to wait for his new owner.
***
Ezra listened to Henry as the automaton attempted to whistle while they walked. He smiled at the boy's attempts. "No, Henry. You have to put your lips together."
"But I don't have any lips, father."
Ezra laughed. "Don't worry, Henry. I'm sure when we see George, he'll help you whistle."
"Oh I hope so!" Henry said and waved his arms with excitement. "Will we see him soon?"
"I hope so..." Ezra said quietly. He noticed large power lines above them. "We must be near the power substation."
Suddenly, Ezra turned when he heard the sounds of machines behind him. He saw two sentinels hovering toward them along with a steam cruiser."
"Oh no!" Ezra groaned. He pulled Henry into his arms and started running. He ran into a clearing, saw the fence of the substation ahead and hurried toward the nearest gate.
Ezra gasped, trying to breathe despite the pains in his chest.
He could hear the hum of the sentinels as they neared. The deep tones of the electrical machines droned in the air and made his hair stand on end.
He glanced at Henry. He knew taking Henry's metal shell inside of the substation was dangerous. It would attract localized bolts of energy, and could not only damage Henry, but kill Ezra.
"There he is! After him!"
Ezra tried to force open the lock and threw his shoulder against the gate. It wouldn't budge.
"Don't worry, father," Henry said. He reached out with his small arms and hands and took the chain between them. He yanked on them hard and snapped the lock. "Here."
Ezra stared at Henry for a moment before shouts, and the sounds of the sentinels behind him, spurred him on. He kicked the gate open and ran inside. When he reached the first relay, he stumbled with Henry in his arms and fell. Henry cried out as they went down, and Ezra's only bottle of medication dropped out of his pocket and rolled next to the relay.
Haley stopped the steam cruiser and jumped out. The sentinels slowed at the entrance to the gate, their programming warning them of the danger from the high voltage coils. Haley hissed and jumped back as an electrical discharge hit the ground close to his feet. He turned to the hovering sentinels. "Go after them! I want that automaton."
The sentinels sped after Ezra and Henry. When they neared, they were much higher off the ground than Ezra. A discharge shot out of one of the relays and hit a sentinel before traveling to the next. The machines shuddered as their systems overloaded from the burst. With their insides smoking, both machines fell to the ground, shook one final time and then neither moved.
Haley swore, "Stupid piles of junk!"
He stared after Ezra, who had picked up Henry. "I swear I'll catch you! I'll turn that automaton to scrap in front of you and let you watch as it dies!"
Ezra tried to cover Henry's ear-holes, but he couldn't shut out the noise. "Papa?"
Ezra gasped for breath and fell to his knees. The pain in his heart was getting worse. He stared at the bottle of medication but knew he couldn't reach it without being hit by electricity. "Yes, Henry?"
"What does he mean?"
Ezra choked back a sob and hugged Henry tightly. "It's nothing. I promise he won't do that to you." Then he turned and ran ignoring the pain shooting through his chest with every pounding step.
***
Haley stopped the cruiser in front of the Shelby house and glared at Shelby. "You're stupid laborer ran off with my property."
"So what will you do now?" Shelby asked gruffly.
"I've hired hunters to go after them. They'll run that laborer to hell and get back what's mine. Now, where is the rest of my property? I warn you, don't test me, Shelby."
Shelby looked at him in disgust but waved an arm. He pointed to where Tom stood with his bag, ready to serve his new owner.
"Good," Haley muttered. He walked up to Tom and glanced over him. "You're mine now, laborer. Do what I tell you and things will go smoothly for you. Cause me trouble, and you'll get what's coming to you."
"Master, I don't cause trouble," Tom said.
Haley snorted.
"Whatever. Get in my steam carriage, and be quick about it. We've got a long voyage ahead of us."
"Haley!" Shelby called out. "Remember you promised me you would take good care of him." Sebastian watched from the porch with his mother. Both wanted to go to Tom, but knew there was nothing they could do.
Haley sighed. "I'm a man of my word, unlike some, Shelby. Now don't forget the next installment is due later this month."
Shelby watched helplessly as Haley drove off with Tom. "I'm sorry, friend."
***
Tom ascended the ramp to an airship with Haley. The airship was a large, oval shaped beast. Tom, although he was a large man who felt his faith carried him through his fear, felt a slight tremble shiver through his body. It wasn't natural for men to fly through the heavens. He cast his eyes skyward to pray for strength, when he noticed a young girl standing next to a man he believed might be her father, due to the resemblance. She had short blonde, curly hair and bright green eyes. She glanced down and saw Tom looking at her. She waved and smiled.
Tom waved back.
"Keep moving," Haley warned him.
"Yes, Master." Tom said, but he smiled at the little girl still.
After Tom had set Haley's luggage in the baggage area, Haley had cuffed him to a metal post overlooking the side of the airship, when he noticed how uncomfortable the big man looked.
"Wouldn't want you to fall out, Tom." Haley chuckled.
"No, Master," Tom said softly when he glanced over the railing.
"Enjoy the view!" Haley said as he walked away.
Tom sighed and did his best not to look out into the sky as the great ship lifted away from the ground. He felt his stomach turn upside down, but he tried to ignore it.
"Hello," a small voice came from behind him, “I’m Eva.”
Tom turned to see the little girl from earlier standing there.
"Hello there, miss, I’m Tom."
"Are you enjoying the trip?" she asked him.
He winced slightly, but did his best to smile. "Well enough, miss. Only... I don't really like heights."
She smiled at him. "Why would you take an airship if you don't like being high up in the sky?"
"My new owner, Mr. Haley, wants to get home as soon as possible," Tom said. "I follow where my owner goes."
"Maybe my papa should buy you, and then you can follow me!" she said. "I'd really love to get to talk to you more."
Tom chuckled. "I don't think your father would want to buy me, miss." He watched her sit on the railing a few feet from him."Young miss, I don't think you should be sitting on the railing." he nervously cautioned her.
"But I want to talk to you, Tom," she said. "You're attached to the railing." She smiled and reached out her arms to him just as a heavy gust of wind shook the airship. Eva lost her balance and fell backwards off the side of the railing as she screamed.
"Miss Eva!" Tom shouted and leaned over the side.
He looked down to see the little girl tangled in the guidelines that hung below the massive airship. "Hold on, Miss!"
The man who had looked like Eva heard his daughter’s cries and rushed out on deck. "Eva!" he cried out. He struggled out of his coat to try and get to his her, but steam sailors restrained him.
"No, sir! Let the rescue team handle it."
"No! They'll never get to her before she falls. Let me go, curse you!" he shouted.
Tom stared helplessly at Eva hanging from the guidelines. He looked at the restraints on his arms, and then at the little girl again. He wrapped arms around the restraints and pulled with all of his might. The post didn't budge. He kicked it hard and shoved it with his shoulder until it broke free. Without hesitation he jumped over the rail and started climbing down the lines.
"Look out! That brute is loose! Maybe he is a criminal!"
Tom ignored the cries and focused only on the little girl. "Hold on, miss!" he yelled down to her.
"Help!" she cried. Although she was tangled in the guidelines, her dress started to tear.
"Miss, give me your hand!" Tom called out.
"I can't! I'm too scared!"
"I'm scared too, miss! But please, trust me and give me your hand."
For a moment, he was worried she was too paralyzed with fear. Finally, she reached up her tiny hand, and he grabbed it with his. He clung to the guidelines with one hand, while he pulled her up to his neck with the other.
"Don't let go, miss," he said. "Just keep your hands around my neck."
She cried against him and nodded. Tom began to climb back up to the railing, where St. Clare waited with his arms outstretched.
"Eva!"
Tom passed her up to the other man before he climbed up himself.
The man hugged the little girl tightly."Oh you silly girl!" he said. "What were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry, papa," Eva said. "I just wanted to talk to Tom. He saved my life!"
The man turned to Tom, who leaned back against the railing, his face covered in sweat from his own fear. "My name is St. Clare," he said. "Thank you for saving my little girl."
Tom nodded. "It was my pleasure, sir."
Haley arrived and grimaced as he looked at the scene. "What have you done now, you stupid brute?"
***
Ezra made it to a trading outpost a few days later. His body was weakened without his pills and his skin was bluish and pale. He made it to the door with Henry in his arms before he collapsed.
A large trader with curly white hair answered and looked down at them. "Goodness!" he exclaimed. Then he shouted inside, "Quick! Someone give me a hand. A man has collapsed."
Several men hurried to his side and helped lift Ezra.
Henry stumbled slowly after them, hanging onto Ezra's arm. "Please, Father, get up!" he cried.
"What is that thing?" one of the men asked, staring at Henry.
"It's an automaton," another said. "I saw them in the city last month. Fascinating little devices that can mimic, or say what you tell them to say. Worth a pretty penny, too. Some have even been compared to humans, but never tire."
The trader put Ezra in a bed and had his wife came in to tend to him. She blinked in surprise when she saw Henry. "Perhaps I should stick that in a closet for now, before it gets in the way."
"No, please! I hate the dark," Henry said and clutched Ezra's sleeve tighter.
"Please," Ezra groaned weakly. "That's my son."
"What an odd little thing," she muttered and then sighed. "Very well, but do stay out of the way." She turned to Ezra. "And you need to rest. A doctor has been sent for. He'll be here shortly."
"Thank you," Ezra whispered.
"Yes, thank you," Henry said and bowed to her.
She blinked. "Astonishing."
After a doctor had seen to Ezra and sold him a new prescription with some of the money that Tom had given him, he slept with Henry by his side. The next morning he got up and thanked the trader.
"You saved our lives. Thank you."
"You're welcome, son. That's quite an automaton you have there," the trader said. "I've never seen anything like it."
Ezra placed a hand on Henry's head. "He's my son."
The trader’s eyebrows shot skyward. "Your son? Well, a fine looking... boy he is." The man smiled at Henry.
The automaton looked up at the trader. "May I ask for something?"
The trader looked astonished. "Why... why of course! What would you like?"
"May I read a book?"
The trade looked at Ezra. "He reads too?"
Ezra smiled. "He even understands emotions."
"Incredible!" The trader turned to Henry. "You take any book you like. It's a gift!"
"Thank you!" Henry said.
Ezra took a cup of tea the trader gave him and sipped it slowly. He noticed a man wearing a hood sitting in the far corner of the trading post.
Ezra stared at the hooded man. "No..." he whispered. "George?"
The hooded man froze and looked over at him. "Ezra? Ezra!"
"Oh you fool," George said. "I told you I would come back for you one day. Why did you pursue me now? You know how dangerous it is for your heart, not to mention taking Henry out!"
Ezra pulled back. "You don't understand, George. Shelby sold Henry and me. He sold us, and Tom, to make up for his debts."
George stared at him, "Sold you? And Tom? What rights does he have to sell Henry! He's not that man's property."
Ezra shook his head and groaned. "I know, but he did it anyway. He claimed anything we owned is his. I tried, George. So did Mrs. Shelby, bless her heart. But all I could do is run. So I grabbed Henry, and I haven't stopped since."
George touched Ezra's beautiful pale cheek. "I'm so sorry. To think with your heart you attempted such a journey... I should never have left."
"Then Haley would have had us all."
The trader grimaced and growled. "Haley? That man blackmails people. I'm surprised he hasn't been arrested by now, but then the way he bribes people, he probably has the law in his pocket." He sighed and then looked at the two haggard men and Henry, who was beginning to rust.
"You need to get away from here. If Haley bought you and the automaton, he won't stop searching."
George nodded. "I know. We'll try to get to the next city. Will you help us?"
The trader hesitated a moment, and then nodded. "Sure, son. We'll make arrangements today, and you'll leave in the morning." The three men put their heads together while Henry went to a bookshelf and pulled out a dictionary.
Henry looked at the book. He turned the pages slowly to the definition of the word 'die', and read the words aloud quietly. "To die: to stop working or functioning. To cease to exist or be alive."
Henry looked down at his small metal fist and touched his torso. "I... don't want to die."
***
The next morning at breakfast, George and Ezra looked at one another, their eyes filled with love.
"Father?"
George turned to Henry and smiled. "Yes, son?"
"Will I die?"
George stared at him before he glanced up at Ezra with a questioning look. Ezra's face had gone white.
