Chapter 7: The Doctor of Gu Town

Amid fields of wheat sat Gu Town, a dark ink blot on an otherwise golden landscape. It had been a woodland once and home to a myriad of birds and beasts. Now, all that was left of the trees were a palisade that penned the town in, and a wooden gate that was left wide open.

 Standing before the wooden gates were two dusty travellers: one short and wearing a wide hood from which shells jingled; the other, a youth in grey. There were no townsfolk in sight.

 "The gates are unguarded," Old Ma said.

 "Is that a bad thing?" Kaelon asked.

 "Listen."

 Kaelon paused. "I don't hear anything."

 "No, listen!"

 The faint sound of shouting could be heard.

 The old woman grabbed his sleeve. "Come but keep your eyes sharp." She put on a constant smile, her eyes slitted. "Look pleasant and dumb, it will keep us both safe."

 "Uh?" Kaelon crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out to the side, pinching his thumb and pointer in preparation for the worst.

 "Oh, you are good at this I think," Old Ma remarked.

 Kaelon couldn't help but frown at her.

 The streets ahead were compacted dirt, unlike Clearshade with its winding trails carved by the passage of feet, and they were empty. Yet, the sound of shouting grew louder. As they turned a street, they saw a crowd ahead. Brown-garbed with conical sun hats, the townsfolk craned to see over one another.

 "Kaelon, what do you see in the town square?"

 "A small group of unwashed people," he answered.

 Old Ma scowled at him.

 It was at that point that the townsfolk nearest Kaelon noticed him. They took in the grey clothes and their faces paled. Stepping back, they bumped into others who turned to shout or raise their hand to slap until they too saw him. The crowd parted affording both he and Old Ma a direct view of the square: four burly men with their heads tied with a strip of black fabric surrounded a small boy whom they shoved. The men laughed cruelly as the boy sobbed, covering his head. His face was badly bruised. On the far side of the crowd, a drab-looking woman cried out as bystanders held her back.

 "Liu'er! Liu'er!' she called.

 One of the boy's assailants dangled an embroidered purse in the air. "Thought you could make off with a bit of coin, eh?"

 Unnoticed, a woman stood on a rooftop wafting her face with a painted fan. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the purse, which matched the embroidery of her mustard yellow dress.

 "It's mine!" the boy cried.

 Tucking the purse away, the man sneered. "Oh, is it now? Boys, show him what happens when you pilfer on the turf of the Black Rat Gang."

 Everyone watched as a skinny fellow with unkempt hair produced a rusted knife. With the now silent crowed bearing witness, he sliced the boy's throat leaving him to fall to his knees.

 The boy choked as his blood spurted across the pavers.

 Animal blood is so red, Kaelon thought.

 Old Ma let out a horrid wail as she rushed to the child. Her desperate attempts to staunch the flow coated her arms and hands in red.

 Kaelon slowly followed so as not to be left behind. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of their body odour. Citizens never smelled like that. It wasn't possible.

 When the men saw Old Ma, they laughed at her; when they saw the grey of Kaelon's clothes, they blanched and fled. The crowd scattered with them. Instinctively running when others ran. It was a matter of self-preservation.

 Some lingered and peered from behind others.

 The child lay on his side, his eyes fearfully wide as his blood leaked in pulses.

 No one held the screaming woman back, and she rushed to the child's side. Sobbing, she pawed at his clothes.

 Kaelon wasn't sure what he should be doing. Bodies were usually taken care of by droids. What was he supposed to do? He looked down at Old Ma. She looked up at him, calling to him. Shaking himself out of a daze, he knelt by her side. The stench of blood brought a metallic taste to his mouth reminding him of home. It was oddly comforting.

 "We must act quickly! You take the legs, I'll take the arms."

 Kaelon shook his head. The data of his scan confirmed what the boy's lack of movement made him suspect: he was on the verge of death. "It's okay. Dead is not the end. He'll serve well as clothes."

 The woman beside them let out a cry of anguish upon hearing his words, bowing over the boy as if to shield him from harm.

 Old Ma's mouth worked without sound, and she noticed how bloody her hands were in trying to stop the flow of blood. The red of failure. It seeped from between her fingers in weakening pulses. "No! It is not okay. This life is precious. A child. We must help!"

 The look in her eyes somehow hurt Kaelon. He had never been looked at like that before. Vacant expression aside, those eyes brimmed with emotion. It both fascinated and horrified him.

 The child spasmed weakly, tiny red bubbles forming at his lips.

 Just like Reject Girl.

 Kaelon wasn't sure why he did it, he just did. He reached out and pressed his hand to the boy's collarbone.

 "Repair," he commanded in his own language.

 Old Ma wasn't sure where to look in her confusion. Nothing was happening.

 A small red prompt sprung up with an error ping sounding in his ears. Lines of light cascaded down the boy's body—holographic projections that only Kaelon could see. It took seconds to complete the scan.

 [Negative . . . Modifying alien flora & fauna is a breach of Regulation 4 Section 11 C Paragraph 9]

 Kaelon pursed his lips. "Reclassify. This is a . . . droid. It's broken. Initiate repair."

 The red prompt flashed again.

 [Negative . . . Alien organic matter detected . . . Recommendation: dissection]

 "It's a . . . primitive droid?"

 A few moments of silence passed. The two women were staring at Kaelon in bewilderment.

 A chime sounded.

 [Reclassification complete. Designation: droid . . . Commencing repair]

 A grey goo began to secrete from Kaelon's hand, latching onto the boy's skin and clothes. Old Ma snatched her hand back, watching in fascination as it spread across the neck wound that had cut all the way to the windpipe. Grey tendrils began to draw the blood away from the ground leaving not even a drop to stain the fabric of the boy's clothes.

 A sharp inhalation made the woman jump, the child's chest rising and dragging in air with a horrid sound. Even the bruising faded away like it never had been.

 From her vantage point on the roof, the yellow-garbed woman stopped wafting her face. Her eyes narrowed as she scrutinised the grey substance. "Impossible," she whispered, her delicate eyebrows rising.

 It took only a moment for the grey goo to return to Kaelon's body, and when it did, the boy's flesh bore no evidence of either a scar or swelling.

 Old Ma helped the boy sit up, steading him as he trembled. She looked at Kaelon with a complicated expression but said nothing.

 The other woman lunged at the boy, sobbing as she held him. Rocking back and forth, the two began to wail.

 On the roof, the woman snapped her fan shut. A cold expression on her face as she continued to study the scene before her. "Now, that is a neat little trick."

 Seeing that the boy was fine, Old Ma grabbed Kaelon by the arm and guided him away at a brisk walk.

 "Ow, that hurts!" Kaelon complained.

 "Quiet. Just walk and don't look back." Old Ma didn't relent until they were out of sight and in a deserted alley. "What you just did . . . was it necromancy?"

 "A what?"

 "Is the boy dead but not dead?"

 "No, he's alive."

 "So, he's not a living dead?"

 "How can anyone be a living dead? That is preposterous."

 Old Ma took a deep breath. "Tell no one you have this ability – if others find out . . . promise me!"

 "Alright! I promise."

 Scrutinising his face, Old Ma slowly nodded making her shells clink softly. "Very well. This thing you did," she began. "It was a good thing. A kindness."

 Kaelon suddenly felt embarrassed and wasn't sure why. He liked receiving this woman's praise. Praise was rare in Sector 11. His old caretaker bot never praised him, it left him thinking that Old Ma was superior in some ways. He straightened a little.

 "Let us speak of this no more," she said. "It never happened." Old Ma rubbed her forehead, trying to hide the tremble in her arm. "Come, I will take you with me to Doctor Dou. He will know what to do."

 As they walked away, Old Ma glanced at the rooftops suspiciously. There was nothing out of the ordinary, but it filled her with misgiving.

***

The hospice was the cleanest place that Kaelon had seen since coming to this world. It made his chest ache to think of the clear window-walls of his cubicle and the half-light of the day cycle. Still, this planet may be far from his idea of paradise, but it did have its own charm. The hospice was such a place and this planet's equivalent of a medical droid was just as fascinating: Doctor Dou was a man of billowing light brown robes that hung off a thin frame. Being no taller than Old Ma, it made Kaelon wonder why so many non-human humans were so short.

 Maybe it's because they don't eat nutrient cubes?

 The doctor was fast on his feet, crossing the room in a dash and examining Kaelon's grey clothes as he stroked his beard and made affirmative sounds.

 "Old Dou, stop that. This is Kaelon." Old Ma gestured with one hand in a show of introductions.

 Doctor Dou ignored her and looked up at Kaelon's face, from one eye to the other. "Hmm, curious. You wear the colours of a disciple, but you are so . . . mundane."

 "Old Dou!" Stomping her foot, Old Ma made a grumpy face.

 The old man turned away waving dismissively in her general direction.

 "You're not afraid of me?" Kaelon asked.

 "Afraid of you? Why? Because you wear grey? Anyone can wear grey, but not everyone can fly!"

 Kaelon was speechless.

 Old Ma sat on a short stool and looked up at the ceiling as she shook her head in exasperation. "You haven't changed. Always talking about flying immortals!"

 "It's true! Immortals can fly!" Doctor Dou's slippered feet pattered quickly as he rushed up to Kaelon and shook a finger at the ceiling. "They fly so high!" He made a pinching gesture in the air expressively. "They are like tiny little ants, so small up there. Hard to see—"

 "You've never seen them!" Old Ma retorted.

 "—but that doesn't mean they're not there. We would be like ants too but crawling on the ground. So small in this big world." He seemed transfixed on something between his hands, but there was nothing there.

 "Enough of that, we come but we have a problem . . ."

 "Oh?" Doctor Dou turned to Old Ma, his hands behind his back.

 "Kaelon must lay low, let things pass . . ."

 "I must?"

 Old Ma ignored him. "Too many eyes have seen what they should not," she said, the hesitancy in her voice was not lost on the old man.

 Kaelon didn't know what to say.

 Doctor Dou turned to Kaelon and narrowed his eyes as he surveyed him again. "The most dangerous place is the safest."

 "Uh, where would that be?" Kaelon asked.

 The old man glanced at Old Ma as he sat on a mat by a rickety window and tucked his hands into his sleeves. "Among the immortals . . ."

 "Old Dou!"

 "It's true! Hmm, but I see there is a need for a more immediate solution. Why not join the Black Rat Gang? They are good at hiding."

 "Uh . . ."

 "Old Dou, the idea is to lay low not become a criminal."

 "Ah, well . . . there is—" Doctor Dou straightened, licked his finger, and held it up in the air. "There is a yin wind about. Strange."

 "Well? What about laying low?" Old Ma pressed.

 "How about you join Feixing Martial Hall?" Doctor Dou brightened. "I can write a letter of introduction!"

 "No one can read your writing," Old Ma interjected, "I will write it."

 Doctor Dou spluttered indignantly. "The only thing being worse than blind is having sight but no vision," he retorted.

 Old Ma puffed up her cheeks in indignation. "Y-you!"

 "Did the nag forget to bring its hay?" he barked back.

 Kaelon was startled by their bickering. In the end, they had turned away from each other. Old Ma with her nose in the air; Doctor Dou blowing on the same cup of tea that had already gone cold.

 "Maybe you could both write it?" Kaelon suggested.

 "No!" they both shouted at him in unison.

 "Old Ma, listen to this child trying to be wise!"

 "Indeed! Gold cannot be pure, and people cannot be perfect."

 "Where did you find this one?

 "Fell out of the sky," she answered.

 Kaelon felt his ears turn warm. These two were just bickering one moment, but now they were united. He wasn't sure what was worse.

 Doctor Dou stroked his beard. "Hmm, a favour for a favour."

 Old Ma nodded as if that made sense and joined him at the low table. She fumbled with the tea and poured herself a cup. She spilt some but the doctor paid it no heed.

 Doctor Dou cleared his throat. "I will secure your entry into Feixing Martial Hall . . ."

 "What price?" Old Ma asked.

 The old man looked at Kaelon with eyes that were sharp and didn't miss much. "You must show me a real flying immortal."

 Kaelon spluttered. He had no way of doing that let alone figuring out what the old man was on about. This sounded—

 "Thank you, Old Dou!" Old Ma said firmly. "Thank the doctor!" she snapped.

 Kaelon bowed slightly, cupping his hands.

 The doctor nodded in approval. "Good. Good. Good."

 "But how will you secure his entry?" Old Ma asked, leaning forward on the table between them.

 Doctor Dou jumped up and dashed over to a small, unobtrusive drawer. He opened it and took out a small pouch, which he threw to Kaelon. The doctor watched it hit him in the chest and fall to the ground. Rubbing his temples like he had a headache, the old man sighed. "I said I'd get you in, but whether you can stay there depends on your luck."

 Kaelon picked up the bag sheepishly. He opened it. Inside was a strange small orb.

 Old Ma directed her vacant gaze in his direction.

 "What is it?" she asked.

 "Organic matter," Kaelon answered.

 Doctor Dou blinked. "It's a pearl, boy! A pearl! Why are you so dumb?"

 Old Ma gasped. "Thank the good doctor!"

 "I just did."

 "Again! Thank him again! He has given you a treasure."

 Doctor Dou sighed. "Treasuring a jade—"

 "—ring is a crime," Kaelon finished, receiving two nods of approval.

 "There is hope for you yet," Old Ma smiled. "Come, I will take you there now."

 Finishing his tea, Doctor Dou looked at the bits of tea leaf stuck to the bottom of his cup. He pinched his thumb and forefinger, then pinched his thumb with other fingers. "Luck is on your side," he said enigmatically, turning to Kaelon who was half out the door after Old Ma.

 Kaelon looked back.

 "But take your ghost with you," the doctor grumbled.