ira

Chapter 2: Lost and Found

 We left right after our encounter with Roy. I had to stop by to grab some more things, but other than that, Sark had us covered. I'm glad he was coming with me. As we left the giant city, all we could see for miles and miles was sand, dirt, and gravel. The planet had gone through a massive and devastating climate change within 1,500 years. Trees died, people died, animals died. At one point, robots and droids were the dominating race. Since then, things have leveled out. The ground is still unsalvageable, meaning we can't grow crops or build on it, with the exception of the main cities. We began by traveling west about 10 miles and came across a merchant claiming he was lost.

"P-Please kind children! I n-n-need water, a-and some food!" The merchant followed us until Sark threatened him.

I watched as the merchant slumped away, recognizing his defeat. I turned to Sark, "How did you know he was lying?"

"I've been in these areas before, they're notorious for needy merchants and scam artists. Never trust anyone you come across in these parts." Sark replied.

We continued on for a long while, when the tracking device started to make a loud beeping noise. I pulled it out of my bag and watched in astonishment as the dot moved across the screen.

"Wha... What's going on? Why is it moving?" I frantically asked.

Sark grabbed the device and looked at it thoroughly, "I have no idea. Maybe the cyborg is walking somewhere? "

He held out the tracker for a while and we watched the dot move. Suddenly, it stopped and started moving back to its original spot.

I sighed, "Alright, crisis averted. Let's keep going."

We kept walking till we got to a small desert village. It was just after sundown, one of the most dangerous times to be in the desert. The sand demons like to come out and take the souls of the unlucky. Sark and I got up to the front gate and waited while the guards took our identification sheets.

One of the guards nodded to the other, "Let them in."

We walked in, taking in our surroundings. It was a small village, about 1,000 feet across, and filled with huts and shopping stalls, animal pens and in the very back, the chiefs hut. Sark took off to the shopping stalls to try and bargain for any kind of food that wasn't nutri-based. Even though I did want some food, I decided that the best course of action was to go talk to the Chief of the village, Montohar. I've only ever met him once before, when I was first created. The scientist who created me wanted to travel to the neighboring villages and towns so I could become familiar with them. I walked to the back of the village, past small huts and stalls, animals pens and gardens. I came upon Chief Montohar's tent, which could easily fit 25 people. I bargained with the guards and pushed my way past the cloth that covered the door. Face to face with a bodyguard, I tensed up.

"Uh, I'm here to talk with Chief Montohar." I tried to look over his shoulder, but he was much taller than me.

"Let her past Sata." A soothing, middle aged man's voice called out from behind the bodyguard.

I gave him a stare, walked around him, and stood three feet away from Montohar.

I bowed slightly, "Hello Chief, I'm Ira. I come from sector 34a8r, the Iron City."

Montohar smiled and nodded his head, "Welcome, to the village of Kinradan. What brings you this way? You don't look like the average messenger we get from the Iron City."

"Yes, well, I'm not a messenger. I'm trying to find my, uh... Friend. They're out in the Badlands, I've been trying to track where they're located, but I haven't been out there in years." I pulled out the tracking device and handed it to Montohar.

He fiddled around with the device, poking the screen and pushing different buttons, "I know this area where your friend is, but to get to them will be no easy task. Tell me, what is your friend doing out in the Badlands?"

I tried to come up with a reasonable excuse as to why anyone would be out in the Badlands, but nothing I would say would justify for a person being out there, "Well, to tell you the truth, I don't even know who I'm going after. I am an Attack Defense Droid, supposedly the last of my kind. Or so I thought. This other cyborg is the last Attack Defense Droid created, and I need to get to him or her before King Opis does. He wants to use him or her to attack the other rulers, along with destroying the cities. Please, I need you to tell me where this cyborg is."

Montohar looked at me, processing what I said. He called over on of his advisors and talked with him for a bit, keeping his eyes on me the whole time. I felt a shiver run through the wires in my spine.

Finally the advisor left and Montohar stood up, "I will help you. If King Opis means war, then we need to do all we can to stop it before it starts. I have already asked for the coordinates of the cyborg to be written on a map of the badlands, along with any obstacles you may run into on your way there. I'm not sure how long this will take, so please, feel free to stay in one of the huts in the living quarters."

I nodded, "Thank you. Um, I also came with my friend Sark, is there a place for him to stay?"

As if there was a script, Sark brushed aside the cloth in the doorway and walked in, "Hey, Ira, there's some amazing food out there, and... I'm interrupting something. Uh, sorry."

I stood there, frozen from embarrassment. I turned to Montohar, "Haha, sorry about him. He probably should have waited outside."

Montohar brushed past me and stood face to face with Sark, "You. I have seen you before."

They circled each other, looking at each other's facial features, their hair and clothes.

"Raasah? Is that you?" Montohar whispered.

Sark looked at me then back at Montohar, "I haven't been called that since I was a kid."

Montohar smiled then gently gave Sark a hug that seemed to last a lifetime, "I'm glad to have found you my son."