Memory Dump

I hadn’t a name for several years now. In the same way my brother and I hadn’t a mother, or a real home, or anything but tattered rags on our backs. Or in the same way my brother and I hadn’t a ticket when we snuck aboard the train heading Federation West. I wasn’t sure what was waiting for us there, but it had to be better than the dusty plains and tumbleweeds of Federation East.

We sat with the shipping containers in the little train car rubbing our tired feet. Feeling the web of calluses and bruises on our soles reminded us of how long we had really been on our feet. Neither I nor my brother remembered much of our journey, or even how it started. Memories were the prime currency these days, especially the good ones. We had already sold most of ours to get by, even though they weren’t worth a thing. My name was the first thing to go. Vendors paid top dollar for the precious memories like those, so I also had no recollection of my mother really anymore. My hand went to the heart shaped locket around my neck. As battered and as dull as the little trinket was, it was the only piece of her I had left. At one point there was a picture of her inside, but I ended up giving that way too for some scraps.

I looked over at my little brother with a sad smile. Lee fiddled with his boot buckle and smiled back. He was just a younglin, too young and innocent like to really know the dangers of the world yet. Too young to have all his memories of happiness wiped out just so his belly could be full..

Whoosh!

The train car door opened and two figures decorated in full Federation garb slipped inside. They waved around flashlights, scanning the contents of the car. My hand flew to Lee’s mouth and I doubled down us both like flapjacks to the hardwood floor. We held our breath.

“Boss really telling the truth?” The first guard asked as he brought his flashlight beam over the flats of the containers.

The other guard leaned against the doorway, disinterested.

“I don’t know stretch. You’re welcome to check em’ if you really feel so inclined.”

The curious seeming guard clicked open a container.

“I’ll be cracked!” he exclaimed, “That’s enough memories to turn a whole town into junkies.” He turned to his comrade.

“...and each one of em is filled to the brim.” the other guard in the doorway added.

“Let’s get back. I’m pretty sure they got moon pie for us in the cafe car.”

The two slipped back out of the train car as casually as they had come in.

We both gulped down air, and I pulled away my hand to find it covered in hot slobber.

“You really had to drool on me?”

“Your fault. I can hold my own breath.” The little sharp son of a jackal replied.

After I wiped the last remnants of Lee’s DNA off my hand, I thought to take a look for myself in one of the containers. I dragged one over so it was perfectly in the middle of us and clicked it open. Sure ‘nough the whole thing was chock full of memory processors. A treasure trove of little digital tablets that stored and transferred memories. I smacked Lee’s hand away as he reached for one.

“Heyyy I just wanted to see.” he whined, dramatically massaging his hand.

“These are stolen memories, Lee. They’re dangerous.” I scolded, shutting the lid.

“And I didn’t even hit you hard.”

“Nope, I’m gonna need stitches.” He insisted.

Stolen memories were beyond danger. Selling your memories was like letting someone pick around in your cranium like an antique store until they found something that caught their gander, but stolen memories was like robbing the whole store goose dry.

So carrying a case of em’ up through the crowded underbelly of Federation West’s most infamous black market was probably the dumbest thing we could've done, but I figured selling ‘em was our best chance for survival. To the right buyer those memories could get us a ticket off the planet. We could make a life somewhere else. Somewhere that didn’t always smell like urine and despair.

The market was a pile of shacks hastily stacked on top of each other in weaving columns. Narrow planks of wood suspended in the air in zig zags attached column to column. The shops themselves were in serious need of a tidying. Caved in roofs, missing shingles, and broken glass windows were all common traits of each. We tried to keep our heads down as we cautiously pressed past the other shop goers, dancing on the flimsy wood beams as we went.

‘Three sharp knocks for business’ was what the seemingly friendly looking bandit at the entrance said, when I had worked up the courage to ask him where we could sell memories.

Lee stopped me and insisted he do it. Three sharp knocks, and the door creaked open. No one was waiting for us.

I brought myself to Lee’s eye level, grabbed him by the shoulders, and stared deep into his eyes.

“Lee if this is a trap, no matter what, you gotta run. You gotta hike tail it out of there and leave me. Ok?”

I could see the fear in his eyes. He didn’t even blink. He didn’t say anything, he just gulped and shook his head in agreement.

We stepped through the door into darkness. A light switched on guiding us to the table in the center of the room. and casting shadows on the face of a hooded silhouette. My grip tightened around the case at my side.

A snake-like voice cut through the black void. A Reptilax. Deceitful Snakes with limbs from another world.

“You have memoriessss for me?”

“Y-yes.” I stuttered, presenting the case.

“Why would I value thessee particular memoriessss?” The Reptilax asked. It shed its hood, enlarged fangs sprouting from its jaws gleamed in the halo of the table light.

“They were collected by the Federation themselves.” I replied quickly, proudly in tone.

“Hmmm and what do you want in exchangee?”

“My brother and I need a ticket off-world.”

The Reptilax reached deep into its cloak and produced in between its scaly fingers, two tickets. I stupidly extended a hand out to touch them. The Reptilax pulled them just out of reach with a swift motion.

“A case of stolen memoriesss is not worth nearly enough for these ticketssss.”

‘How do you know they’re stolen?!” Lee who had remained quiet this whole time, shouted.

“Why would you sssell them here on the black market otherwise?” The Reptilax replied coolly.

It had a point, I thought to myself.

“Ssssweeten the deal and I may accept your offer.”

Lee and I searched for each other's faces in the dark. We had nothing. There was nothing left worth taking. The memories that still remained in our antique shops were covered in a thick layer of dust. No one wanted memories of hardship, tragedy, or suffering.

I could feel Lee’s eyes on me, before he turned to face the Reptillax. No Lee, I thought, I couldn’t let him do what he was about to do.

“I can give you my name.” he said.

The Reptilax, with what appeared to be a look of surprise on his face, paused to consider the offer. Reaching into its cloak again, it produced a memory processor and handed it to Lee.

“I accept your offer, child.” it hissed.

The memory of a name was more important than Lee could ever had known’ at his age. Still knowing his name separated him from the lost souls on this gunk heap of a planet. His name separated him from the memory junkies, the mindless Federation drones, and his empty husk of a sister. His name was the one thing that had given me hope all those years

“Noooo!” I screamed and ripped the processor out of Lee’s hands.

“What are you doing?!” Lee cried.

The Reptilax hissed angrily. It’s long slender body rose over the table until its bloodshot eyes were inches from my own.

“I want the child’ssss name, or no deall, girl.” it spat.

“Wait.” I said blindly peeling at my neck.

My hand closed around the little chain and I pulled. “I have this.”

In front of the small light on the table the locket shined more brightly than I had ever gandered before. The golden paint chipping off the heart almost sparkled.

“What is thissss?” The Reptilax questioned, circling around me as it dangled from my hand.

I told the honest truth. It was the last memory of my mama. Without it I would ‘ventually forget her.

I didn’t forget her though. I didn’t forget anything about my life after we had clambered on to the first flight Off World. Lee and I found jobs on a neighboring planet working on a farm. We worked till we were blue in the face, but the ‘ol couple who ran the place took a liking to us and eventually took us in. I still remember the day when they took us out for a picnic. We was all situated on a big patterned blanket. The air was filled with the smell of fresh baked bread and all kinds a berries. That was when they told us they wanted to adopt us. I remembered we tackled them in a great hunkering hug. My new ma, she had turned to me and smiled so sweetily. Her voice as soft as the petals that breezed past us on the wind as she gave me a new name.