Cogheart

Chapter Four: Open Invitation

I hand my water flask to the trembling Iris, still hunched over and burying her face in her black stockinged knees. Her skin is pale- too pale, an early sign of dehydration. I quickly sneak a look at her spilled open satchel- only to see a strange parchment map, a compass, a few crude tools and some family photos. I nearly groan in dismay- not a single flask of water or bit of food in sight! This girl is either foolish or woefully unprepared for the heat and danger of our district. Probably a little bit of both. 

"Take this," I say, gently prodding her with the edge of the flask. "You look dehydrated, you need it more than I do." 

It takes a while, but she finally gives up hiding her face in her knees and reluctantly raises her head to take the flask in her shaky hands. "You d-didn't poison this, did you?" 

"What kind of monster do you take me for?" I ask, a little affronted. "I've been drinking from it this whole time. Of course it isn't." 

Not saying another word, Iris shakily undoes the screw at the top and begins ferverently swallowing the water, sucking the tip of the exposed flask until the thing's gone dry. She wipes her mouth on her sleeve, bright red from either sunburn or embarrassment. "Thank you." 

"You were certainly thirsty," Ambrose remarks flatly. "That was our water for the day." 

"I'm very sorry," she says quietly. "I haven't had water in four days." 

My eyes nearly bug out of my head. "Four days? In this climate? At this point I consider it a miracle you're still alive!" 

"Coghearts can go for longer periods of time without food or water," she replies. "I've gone without food for two weeks before- I can go without water for long enough." 

Ambrose whistles in disbelief. "They weren't kidding when they said you were all abnormal." 

"I've got a clock for an eye and my heart and lungs run on gears. What did you expect, ordinary?" Iris retorts sourly. She looks away bashfully. "I'm sorry. I'm never this rude, I swear! I'm just- out of my element today." 

Ambrose still looks miffed and turns away haughtily, but I give her a reassuring pat on the back. "We live in the Cog District. I think we can handle a little irritability." 

For the first time, Iris almost smiles. 

Ambrose seats herself beside me on the sand, staring warily at the clock ticking away in Iris's right eye socket. "Before we move even a muscle, we're gonna need some answers," she says accusatorily. 

Iris sighs, her body still shivering from the after affects of her adrenaline. "It- it's too much for me to explain right now, in the open." She lowers her voice to a whisper and glances warily around the junkyard. "You have no idea who could be watching us right now." 

I nod grimly. I know what she means. Government bots. They're everywhere now. Originally, they were installed in various inconspicuous places under the guise of keeping tabs on crime in order to keep the district communities safe, but it's become clear that it isn't about safety at all- it's a badly disguised ploy to spy on their citizens and ensure maximum obedience at all times. Any dissent or negative comment against the government has the potential to be caught by a bot and incriminate you. When discussing the government or potentially illegal practices, I've learned to keep inside your homes when you discuss them, and even there it's unwise to raise your voice. 

"I agree," I say. "Since you're a Cogheart, I can assume it's not safe for you to be out and about discussing things with total strangers." Iris nods. 

"So, what is it you want from us?" Ambrose interrupts, thankfully in a whisper. "I'm not letting you go anywhere with me unless I know what your intentions are!"