The Engineer

Hannah tossed back her coffee, feeling the warmth of the mug against her lips as she took another long drag of her cigarette. It was an unusual sight for those who knew her, as Hannah never smoked. But today was different. Her son had been taken from her, and somehow, smoking felt right for the occasion. She knelt on scorching rocks, feeling the heat sear through her thin pants, a discomfort she welcomed as a distraction from the pain in her heart.

The relentless sun had been beating down on her as she sat between a maze of railroad tracks, gazing into the distance as far as her eyes could see. The tracks stretched ahead, disappearing into a haze miles away, and she imagined her son riding on the back of a Freightliner, traveling to God knows where. She fought back stubborn tears, her mind consumed with worry and fear for her son's unknown journey.

Coming from somewhere behind her, the roaring sound of a vehicle approaching from behind caught her attention. She turned to see a white truck barreling towards her, kicking up clouds of dust and gravel in its wake. The truck screeched to a stop on an uneven dirt road next to a dense grove of trees and a man burst out of the driver's side door. His face was contorted with anger, ranting and raving about how she was trespassing, threatening to call the cops if she didn't leave immediately.

"I'm looking for my 12-year-old son. He's been kidnapped." Said Hannah, rising to her feet as she faced the tempered man who didn't appear the least bit cooperative.

"I don't care what you're doing out here. This is private property and you need to leave now!" His voice grew louder, and spit flew as he moved closer to her. The yellow lights on top of his BNSF truck flashed behind him.

"Excuse me? I don't think you just heard what I said. My son was taken, and I'm not going anywhere until you tell me where these tracks lead to."

The stranger was displeased with Hannah challenging his authority. A sarcastic smirk appeared on his face until he moved in close enough to see the ferocious determination of a mother who would do anything for her son. Her fiery eyes almost made him step back as he prepared to contact dispatch on his Walkie-Talkie.

"Gee lady, I don't have a clue where the tracks go. Las Vegas? San Diego maybe? All I know is the trains that run on these tracks are connected to the entire west coast. Now can you please leave?"

She considered arguing with him for a moment longer, but even in a bitter upheaval, she knew it was merely a consequence of a situation he had no control over, and it certainly wouldn't bring her son back any sooner.

As Hannah sat in her car that was parked on the side of the road, she leaned forward with her eyes fixed on a map that was projected onto her windshield. In her peripheral vision, she could see the railroad security officer sitting in his truck from behind, his gaze fixed on her. Her mind raced, trying to account for all the possible places her son could have ended up. Frustration overwhelmed Hannah, and it felt as if a wave of heat washed over her. A mix of fear, anger, and sadness gripped her, making it difficult to think clearly.

Hannah rested her head on the dashboard, the hot plastic pressed against her forehead as she squeezed her eyes shut. She tried to imagine the sequence of events that could have led to Ari running away from home. Anxious thoughts of her husband resurfaced, and she reflexively checked her phone for any missed calls or messages from him, but there weren't any. The weight of her son's disappearance was already overwhelming, and not being able to reach the only person she could trust and rely on made the situation even more distressing. The two people she held closest to her heart had vanished without a trace or warning, leaving her to piece together the ominous events of the last two days alone.

Hannah slammed her fist onto the middle console, her knuckle turning white with force. A whirlwind of feelings engulfed her, shrouding the life she once knew in darkness. A scream tore through the air, escaping from the depths of her as tears blurred her vision. She closed her eyes once more, and she could almost see a vivid image of Ari perched on the back of a train with his hair dancing in the wind as he traversed the rugged terrain of the rocky mountains, clutching his backpack tightly.

"His backpack!" Hannah exclaimed, a surge of realization flooding her as she remembered that her son's backpack was equipped with a tracker that she could access.

Suddenly some kind of maternal force awoke within her, electrifying Hannah before her eyes flew open. She turned the car on and as the dashboard illuminated with a myriad of controls and information, she activated the right program before discovering that the location of Ari's backpack was in California.

"Please say or enter your destination." The car requested.

"Manual override!" Hannah's voice roared with power, and the steering wheel immediately and automatically unfolded from the dashboard before she pulled out onto the road, heading toward the freeway. Following his location, Ari's mother drove with a fury, determined to get her son back if it was the last thing she ever did.

"Vehicle battery depleted. Now pulling over." The car's soft voice announced as the vehicle came to a stop on the shoulder of a desolate, scarcely traveled highway.

When Ari got out of the vehicle to get a clearer view of his surroundings, he couldn't figure out where he was. Dense clusters of deciduous trees enveloped the road, stretching endlessly in every direction. The air was heavy with the unmistakable scent of conventional fuel, the kind you'd only experience outside the city. The sound of cars and trucks blazing past him was so deafening that he couldn't even hear himself think. He didn't know where to go or what to do, and after throwing his backpack over his shoulder, he started walking.

After hours of trekking along the rural highway, his feet blistered while the relentless sun was finally seized by clouds and smog. He started losing the last little bit of strength he had to keep him going. Finally, when he glanced up into the distance, he witnessed the first sign of civilization for miles.

It was a town so small that it was engulfed by forests and rolling hills As he inched towards the heart of the rural city, he passed many ancient, weathered houses, most of which were connected to improvised tool sheds and situated alongside charming rustic barns. The fragrance of freshly mown grass wafted through the air, while in the distance, the faint scent of a wildfire swept through town.

As he walked further into town, the houses became closer to each other. Families were coming and going, running errands and laboring their gardens, while their children mischievously played amongst themselves.

Even during the blisteringly hot afternoon, they stared at Ari with frigid caution, immediately recognizing him as an outsider despite not knowing him at all. It was a town of no more than a thousand, where their effervescent grinning was reserved only for each other.

When Ari reached the vacant town center, he noticed a young boy who appeared close to his age. He was skinny and wore a tattered shirt that was torn at one of the seams. He pushed his bicycle across the noisy main road, his clothes fluttering with the force of the passing vehicles. For a while, their pace seemed to synchronize, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the kid stealing curious glances in his direction before steering his bicycle to align himself next to Ari.

"Hey there!" He announced, gesturing to get his attention. His squeaky voice barely registered above the traffic behind him as he flashed a warm smile, the first Ari witnessed in town. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"No. I'm headed to San Francisco." Ari said flatly, weary of strangers even his age.

"Well you're going the wrong way, and it's gonna take you a long time on foot."

"Are there any buses around here?" Asked Ari.

"Yeah, but they take a long time. If you wanna get there fast, semi trucks are the way to go."

"Semi-trucks? What do you mean?"

"Just hop on one while they're charging. I've done it loads of times. They're driverless so you won't get in any trouble. Just don't get spotted by drivers on the freeway. They'll report you."

After the two parted ways, Ari watched passing semi-trucks that he dismissed before. He noticed that the space between the container and the rest of the truck was narrow, and some trucks didn't have a bottom to support anyone trying to hitch a ride. The powerful wind force that followed them made Ari think twice about attempting such a brazen move, and he eventually discarded the idea all together. Then suddenly, as he left town, he spotted one of the charging stations that the mysterious boy had mentioned.

At the station, maintenance workers inspected trucks as they recharged. They exited in troves from a tower at the far end of the property, shouting at one another as they worked on recharging trucks. Although his uncertainty about hitching a ride onto a semi-truck maimed him, he noticed there weren't any security guards at the station, and the workers hardly paid any mind to their surroundings. It had Ari wondering about the prospect of pulling off a jump onto the back of one of the trucks as they slowed to enter the station.

He imagined it would be an easy undertaking until one was in front of him. Just like the scenarios in his favorite video games, Ari carefully observed the rhythmic motion of the trucks, all following a uniform pattern that he imagined was orchestrated by some centralized system from afar. He focused on the rear grille of one truck and matched a sprint with its pace. As he merged with the moving truck, he tried to make the jump, but his attempt eluded him. Despite knowing he could do so, his fear overshadowed his eagerness.

When the next truck left the station, he tried again, closely following behind before sprinting to jump onto the back of the truck. Suddenly his hesitation once again prevailed, preventing him from boarding the truck and leaving him frustrated and disappointed. He clung to that frustration as he eyed another truck rumbling in his direction. This time he was determined and resolute, silently making a promise to himself - he could and would accomplish this feat if only he believed it so. With stealth and precision, he closely monitored the truck's movements, strategizing his every move. As the vehicle approached, he sprinted towards its center, knowing that he would need to bend his trajectory at the last moment. Matching his pace with the truck's, he took a deep breath, summoning every ounce of courage before launching himself at the truck with all his might - and he made it.

Ari edged the perimeter of the cargo container and gradually made his way to the crevice of the truck. After squeezing himself into the narrow space he found a spot with enough room for his small frame and settled in. When he stuck his neck out to gaze at his surroundings, he realized the truck was increasingly moving too fast for him to change his mind and hop off. Whether he liked it or not, he was now on a journey without a fixed destination.

Eventually the wind became so powerful that its whirring sound was louder than the cars and trucks that passed by. There was an almost enchanting vortex of smoke that twirled aside the semi-truck next to the space he hid in. His hair whipped around with the wind as he clutched firmly onto his backpack. The intensity of California's sun hardly offset the cold Pacific breeze that became twice as cold in the shade of the truck's container behind him.

After an hour became two, Ari started to doze off and leaned out to check his surroundings. He saw traffic stretching as far as he could see. As the truck slowed, some of the nearby cars drove so slowly that their drivers made direct eye contact with him, causing him to duck for cover. Suddenly, traffic came to a stop in the middle of the interstate. With vehicles surrounding him and only feet away, many drivers stared at him with suspicion. It was only when he heard the booming of music from rolled-down windows that he realized he was getting closer to next metropolis.

When the massive truck pulled into another recharge station, Ari stuck his neck out from the truck to see where he was. Rolling to a complete stop, he noticed that several maintenance workers were headed his way to inspect the truck. He knew he needed to get out as quickly as he could, but he also knew he wouldn't be able to avoid detection. Without haste, Ari squeezed through the narrow gap between the truck and the container and started for the road nearby. Halfway from the recharge station, someone spotted him, and by the time he glanced back, several of them were already running after him.

Ari doubled the pace of his sprint to evade the people chasing him. He eventually found himself in the parking lot of a nearby grocery store, where crowds of cars and shoppers were gathered. He merged with the crowd of people entering and exiting the store, seeking cover as he hoped he wouldn't be pursued inside the store. He figured if he stayed hidden for long enough, the coast would clear, and he'd be able to continue his journey afterward.

As Ari made his way through the aisles of the grocery store, he couldn't help but be drawn to the vibrant displays of baked goods and the deli's meats and cheeses. Although he wasn't particularly hungry, the sight and smell of the food made his stomach growl aggressively in anticipation. Despite having no money to spare, he found himself lingering, unable to resist the allure of tempting snacks. Ari had no desire to steal anything, but the longer he looked the more that desire began to shift.

He found the smallest product, a sleeve of crackers, casually holding it as he inconspicuously glanced at the security cameras that surrounded him. He walked through the store looking for the best place to put it into the pocket of his jacket, but there wasn't one. At every corner, he stumbled across another camera, and clusters of shoppers were everywhere. As they passed him by, he politely smiled at them while he found himself plotting his first theft. Despite the risks, he decided to pocket the item find while being directly in view of a security camera.

As he gazed up at the strangers that walked by, he noticed the look on their faces, the look that he did something wrong, even though no one saw what he did. Face after face was tattered with a look of disappointment, and even though he told himself that it was just a figment of his youthful imagination, he couldn't seem to convince himself that it was little more than an irrational symptom of guilt. His heart started pounding so loudly that he wondered if others could hear it, and he inched toward the decision to put what he had pocketed back where he found it, his fear threatening to swallow him up.

His face became flushed, and he decided that if he was going to steal the crackers, he needed to get out of there as fast as he could before whoever was on the other side of one of those security cameras decided to chase after him too. He briskly walked toward the front doors of the grocery store, but he couldn't will himself to exit. Somewhere between his self-assured guilt and the fear of getting caught, his determination crumbled, and he put the crackers back onto the shelf.

"Hey, you! Kid!" Asked the voice of a mysterious man, causing Ari to flinch and turn to see who caught him shoplifting. "Are you Ari?"

"I-I was gonna pay for it." He lied through a trembling tone as the size of his eyes grew.

"I don't work for the store. My name is Liam. Jean Wilkins asked me to help you."

"Sorry, you have the wrong person."

"Ari, it's okay. I'm here to help you." He pleaded.

Liam was a well-dressed man with a soft, kind face that somehow appealed to Ari, and even though he didn't feel like he could trust anyone, he felt as though he was trustworthy.

"How did you find me?"

"Jean's car keys. She tracked them and told me where to find you."

Liam didn't seem like one of the bad guys, but he couldn't be sure. Ari eyed him up and down, analyzing every bit of him to determine whether or not he posed a threat. In Ari's mind, fraternizing with any stranger at all wasn't a risk he was willing to take, but he was in a position of desperation. Besides, how would he know about Jean Wilkins if he wasn't telling the truth?

"I don't need help."

Suddenly he was hit by a sharp, shooting migraine, it's intense pain grew worse than ever. It was so unbearable that he couldn't stand, and he fell to the floor, gripping his head with his hands. Liam rushed to help, supporting him with an arm around his shoulder, and Ari was too exhausted to deter him.

"Let's get you out of here buddy."

"I'm fine. Really, I am."

"No, you're not. I can help you. You can trust me, Ari. It's gonna be okay."

Ari attempted to push through the pain and adopt a more rational mindset to determine whether accepting help from Liam was a good idea. However, the thought was overwhelming, and he found himself at a loss. Without a plan, he didn't have any idea what to do.

Liam assisted Ari as they made their way through the bustling parking lot in the bright sunlight towards his car. Despite the man's seemingly kind and caring nature, Ari wondered if what he was agreeing to might not be a good idea. Despite wavering back and forth and having second thoughts after accepting the offer, Ari found himself reluctantly going along with it as they drove to Liam's house. Ari, feeling completely drained, was exhausted, parched, and famished, leaving him in no state to make sound judgments.

When they arrived at Liam's three-story house, they were greeted by its striking exterior of exposed concrete and double-paned glass. Upon stepping through the front door, Ari found himself immersed in a space adorned with chic, modern furniture. An abstract sculpture crafted from porcelain caught his eye, its twisting and turning form resembling a trunk of tarnished metal growing into two. The townhome's lights gradually illuminated the space as they moved through it, creating a welcoming ambiance. Liam casually tossed his keys onto a massive marbled slab that served as a polished concrete end table next to a luxurious leather sofa. He then carefully hung his oversized jacket on a sleek titanium hook near the front door while Ari marveled at the enormous and immaculate two-level room that surrounded him, appreciating every detail of his stunning home.

"Would you like something to drink? Maybe some refreshing infused water or sparkling tea?" Liam inquired, as he casually strolled toward the distant kitchen, stealing weary glances at the young boy.

"I'm good with just water," Ari replied, unclasping the clips of his backpack before settling it down next to the couch where he made himself comfortable.

When Liam came back into the room, he was carrying a tall glass of water with a single sphere of ice in the middle. He passed it to Ari, who seemed to shrink into himself, looking disoriented. Liam then walked to the middle of the room and raised his hand, causing a luminescent hologram to appear in front of him, showcasing a wide array of entertainment choices.

"Do you like music?" Asked Liam, turning to catch another glance at Ari who held an extended hand out towards a vintage record player of grained mahogany with a black vinyl disk rotating on its axis, an artifact from a time well before his.

"Don't touch that!" Shouted Liam, causing Ari to flinch instinctively at the trumpeting sound of his voice. "You do not want to know what I had to do to get one of those. Believe me."

Liam turned back to gaze at the hologram in front of him, and after carefully making a selection from a meticulously curated collection of music, smooth jazz filled the room around them. As it's rich bass enveloped Ari, it soothed his lingering weariness and creeping migraine. The music accompanied glimmering projections beamed onto the walls of the living room. Silky waves of neon blue lines curved in a mesmerizing display, their motion flowing with enchanting shapes that danced in every direction. The visualization moved gracefully in synchronous harmony with the music, creating an immersive experience.

"This is for your headache." Said Liam, extending his flattened palm that held 2 strange-looking white pills nestled above his skinny fingers. His soft tone offered reassurance that Ari was in good company and that he could indeed be trusted, but Ari's concerned expression didn't falter. "It's okay. It's just aspirin. I can show you the bottle if you want." Ari acquiesced to his offer, tossing the pills into his mouth along with a large gulp of water after debating whether or not it was a good idea.

"Jean told me what happened. I'm very sorry for what you're going through." Said Liam, dragging a tall barstool across the Oakwood floor beneath them before taking a seat only feet in front of him. "I worked with Jean at the institute years ago."

"Are you some kind of doctor?" inquired Ari, his voice laced with curiosity as he gently placed his glass on the table beside him. He shot a quick, concerned glance at Liam's front door, a subtle expression of worry crossing his face which Liam couldn't help but notice.

"I'm a software engineer specializing in medical technology for a company located nearby, but I also contract some of my work. Would you like to see it?"

Ari gave a subtle nod, prompting Liam to raise his hand into the air once more. With a flick of his wrist, a holographic cube materialized before him, adorned with an array of intricate programs. Liam manipulated the cube with both hands, sifting through a myriad of options and deftly typing on a three-dimensional drop-drown of a projected keyboard. With a confident tap, he pressed the ENTER key, and in an instant, the ambient light in the living room dimmed. The wall behind Liam transformed into a digital screen, displaying a series of images showcasing incomplete prosthetic machines. As Liam scrolled through each image, he couldn't help but steal glances at Ari's evolving expression, gauging his reactions to the innovative designs.

"Did you make those?"

"I design programs that interlink prosthetic limbs with the human physiology. Pretty cool right?" Exclaimed Liam, rising to his feet as he inched closer to mire at the evidence of years of his work. "That's how it started anyway. Then they asked me to develop software for these."

In the next moment, the screen transformed, displaying intricate digital sketches of manufactured eyes and machine-operated organs. Liam carefully scrolled through each design, causing them to expand and reveal their details. As Ari examined the collection of designs, his eyes fell upon one in particular that stood out – it was tucked away in the corner of the enormous screen, distinct from the rest in both form and function.

"What's that one?" Asked Ari, extending a finger as he hunched in closer to see details that were too far away for him.

"That is an imaged brain scan. I can show you a better view of it if you'd care to take a look."

Ari stood still, transfixed as a three-dimensional holographic projection of a brain materialized in the center of the room, suspended in mid-air. The intricate features of the human brain seemed almost lifelike as it slowly rotated, captivating him. As Ari examined it closely, he noticed a peculiar void within the brain. Liam furiously typed away at his keyboard, and webbed lines and patterns began to fill the empty space, emitting a soft, glowing light that seemed to flow outward like a gentle current of illuminated beads.

"What is that thing?" Asked Ari.

"It's a miracle is what it is. A second chance at life."

"What do you mean?"

"That's a machine, Ari." Said Liam, taking half-sized steps toward the boy as he eagerly watched his expression with equal concern and curiosity. "It works in tandem with the rest of the brain."

"Who's brain is that?" He asked.

Suddenly a soft alert chimed, halting the soothing background music as the holographic display was reduced to a 2-dimensional video feed of a compact car gliding into Liam's driveway.

"New visitor detected," a computerized voice announced, prompting Liam to dash towards the screen to scrutinize the details of the enigmatic car. As the vehicle parked, it unveiled a mysterious figure stepping out with a sense of urgency. The stranger stormed the front porch, their demeanor exuding palpable angst as they forcefully rang the doorbell.

"I'm not expecting anyone. Do you know who that person is?"

Ari's head was tilted with curiosity before he started for the wall to get a closer look at the mysterious figure. Once he made out the details of the stranger, his eyes widened and his face lit up in surprise.

"That's my mom!"