Born of Silicon

Sunrise comes just before I finish with Corax’s wing. I hadn’t realized so much time had passed. I guess it must have been well past midnight when I started. I finish bending the last bit of metal back into place and spend a minute to overlook my handiwork.

“This should work. There are a few fractures but I guess just yell if it hurts too much.”

Corax shifts side to side in excitement. He’s been restless the past hour or so as I finished up my work. Once I reconnect his wing back in he takes a few experimental flaps. He flinches just a little bit with pain but seems excited.

After a few more progressively stronger flaps he takes off like a rocket. He barrels down the center isle of the bus and takes a sharp 90 degree turn out the door. I run behind him, just as excited as he is. I only catch sight of a flash of metal flying along the ground before he disappears around a distant corner.

I wait for a minute, then five. I don’t see or hear him. Seven minutes. He’s coming back, right? Ten. Maybe he’s just enjoying his time. Fifteen minutes. Maybe he’s lost? Each second weighs on me. Crushing me under the fear, no, the growing certainty Corax is gone forever.

“You still think he was real? That’s funny.” Finn cruelly laughs from behind me. 

I’m about to respond when Corax lands on my shoulder from behind me. I hadn’t even heard him approaching.

“Battery.” He croaks out.

“Yeah, I still think he’s real.” I respond to Finn. Corax tilts his head at me, as if he’s confused who I’m talking to. I turn my head to Corax. “Let’s see if we can recharge you.”

I bring both of us back into the bus and set him back down. It takes a few minutes to get his metal chest feathers removed and gain access to his internals.

His body is incredibly intricate, even more so than mine. It’s a genius design, a single motor sits at the core of him. Hundreds of slidable gears interlock in thousands of ways to turn that one motor into any motion he may need. Just beneath that motor lies a battery with two prongs sticking out. Kara would have loved to see his schematics.

“That should be easy to charge.” 

I grab the light that Lucas rigged up for me and disconnect the wires from the light. I connect each loose wire to Corax’s terminals and plug the other end into my port. 

Instantly I notice a small drain on my power. I guess it’s working then. 40 years ago I would have had enough power to charge dozens of him without noticing. I guess that’s something to worry about in the future, assuming I live that long.

“How was your flight?” I ask him.

He gives only a small nod.

I’m guessing that’s good? Maybe he felt like a real bird again? That’s probably stretching it.

“I’m glad to hear it, I think. Your battery is charging, right?”

Corax nods once again.

“Good! Just so you know, this bus should be able to withstand a sandstorm. Do you want to stay with me?” Do I sound too desperate?

Corax stares at me, thinking. He can’t have all that much processing power, especially if it’s all in his head. To my relief, he eventually nods.

“I’m glad! We just have to latch the windows closed and reinforce the door. I might need you to help me remember.” I’m sure the scientists will re-open the windows, Corax can help with that.

We sat for 15 minutes in silence while he charged. I can’t believe I’m already out of things to talk to him about. It’d be nice if he spoke more than a single word back, but oh well, I can’t exactly complain. Eventually Corax suddenly jumps to his feet.

“Done.”

“Alright. Let me put your chest back on.”

Putting it on is much harder than taking it off. Every part of him is designed with such tight tolerances that even the smallest imperfection could bind up his gears. If that bat had hit him there’s no way I ever could have fixed it. 

After a couple of tries, I manage to get his chest back on without any problems. The second I finish he’s off again. I wonder what he’s doing out there.

I don’t see him again for the next two hours. I do my best to not panic though. If he came back last time he’ll come back again.

I manage to keep the panic mostly contained until he once again appears out of nowhere and swoops onto my shoulder.

“Storm.”

The single word fills me with fear. The tenuous grip on my fear shatters in an instant. I can handle it. I’m ok. I’m prepared this time. I have light. I have shelter. I have a friend. I need to put my guns somewhere I can’t reach them. I’m not going to let myself have a breakdown and hurt my new friend.

“How long do we have before it hits?”

Corax only shakes his head and begins pecking at the latches. I’ll take that as basically no time. 

Is there anywhere in here I can put my guns where I can’t get it? Maybe, but not quickly. Screw it. I toss both the pistols out the window and start latching everything down. Jade specified just how rare my harpoon is, I can’t get rid of it. It’s not designed for murder anyway.

Just as soon as I finish double checking every window the first grains of sand begin to pelt the side of the bus. 

“Why didn’t you warn me earlier?” I ask Corax. Not angrily or anything, just a little confused.

Corax only pauses to shrug before beginning to tear up one of the seats. I think he’s trying to make a nest? How can he work in the pitch black? I have to hold Lucas’ light close to whatever I’m trying to look at. It was barely enough to light up the car, much less an entire bus.

I settle down next to him for the long haul. A few days in here isn’t going to be fun, but I guess I need to get used to it. Even if today goes well, I’m going to have to do this every few days for the rest of my life. 

At least I’m hopefully not alone this time. After making dozens of small adjustments, Corax finally settles down in his makeshift nest. He keeps one eye open and trained on me, but he’s also making this cute ticking noise. It sounds similar to how I’ve read a cat’s purr sounds. I wonder if I’ll ever get to hear one for myself. Are there even any cats left?

“Hey Corax, how much of the world have you seen?” I try to fill the growing silence.

He only stares in response. Right, one-word answers and only if he feels like it.

“Have you seen any other animals?” I ask.

He nods, though the ticking stops and his eyes display his sadness.

“Is that why you were flying? To look for them?”

He shakes his head this time and turns away from me, tucking his head under his wing. 

“Sorry. I won’t bring it up again.” That was the wrong question to ask. Why is it that every time I get even the smallest chance to do anything, I find a way to screw it up. 

Don’t think about it like that. I’m ok, stay calm. Freaking out is just going to make him afraid of me. I don’t want to hurt him or anyone else.

Oh my god, now that I have time to think, it hits me like a truck. I killed three people like it was nothing. I didn’t even think about what I was doing. I didn’t bury them. I’m a monster. I’m-

“Ow!” Corax suddenly pecks me on one of my few remaining plates. “What was that for?”

“Quiet.” He returns to his nest without even looking at me. Was I even making noise?

Finn’s mocking voice comes from behind me.

“Looks like he kn-”

“Ow!” Corax jumps onto my shoulder and pulls my ear way harder than he needed to. Finn vanishes from behind me as his bite connects. “What? How did you-”

“Quiet.” He pecks me once again on my cheek, gently this time. He spends a moment on my shoulder to ensure I’m not going to speak again. 

Satisfied, he jumps off and settles down in his nest again. He continues to keep one eye on me as he rests.

“How can you tell when I’m having problems?” I ask him even though I know he won’t answer. True to my guess he stays silent. 

I take the seat right next to him. 

“Do the storms always take a few days?”

He nods. Great.

“Do you want to do anything while we wait?”

“Quiet.” 

Right.

I’m already antsy being unable to do anything. By now the storm is raging outside. A constant roar of sand. There are gusts so strong that if the bus wasn’t half buried, we would be tossed around like we’re weightless. Corax just sits in his nest and ignores the storm outside. How can he stay so calm in the dark?

“Sorry if you have to peck me a lot. I was doing well until, well, yesterday. I got rid of my guns though! So you should be safe.”

He opens his other eye and stares directly at me.

“Right, quiet. Sorry. I promise I’m doing my best.”

It doesn’t take long to rediscover that there’s nothing worse than sitting there doing nothing. I’ve more than had my fill of it. Is there anything I can be doing? A small trickle of sand is finding its way in a few of the windows. I can turn my focus to fixing that.

There’s not much in the bus to use for repairs. The floor has a small dusting of sand and a few metal bits that found their way in over the years. Neither of those will make a sand tight seal. What we do have, however, is seats. Both the fake leather coverings and the cotton inside them can be great to fill small cracks with. I get to work. 

It takes a few hours to get every crack stuffed with material, but eventually the sand stops coming through. That doesn’t mean I stop working though, I inspect every crack over and over again just for something to do. 

For days while the storm rages I pace around the bus. Corax occasionally comes to join me on my shoulder or flies a few laps around the small interior. For the most part he just relaxes in or further perfects his nest. 

Finally the pounding sand outside ceases. The storm has passed. In my excitement I unlatch one of the windows and attempt to open it, only to find it unmoving. That’s fine, it’s probably just stuck. Sand got inside the hinges or something, no need to panic. I check another window, then another, the door, another window. Each and every one is stuck. That’s bad, but I can’t let myself panic.They all must be stuck. That has to be it. There’s an emergency hatch on the top of the bus, that one has to work. I stand on the back of two seats and push with every bit of force my body can muster. The weight of the world pushes back.

I’m buried again.