Polaris: Route 43

It was getting darker down the highway, heavy cloud cover obscured a young moon and the chevrons lining the road started to glow a pale blue. Sirius’ eyes strained, despite the drop in light it was still horribly hot inside the car, the low hum of the engine had been his only company for the past eight hours and fatigue was starting to set in. No other travellers had passed by all day leaving the road completely deserted.  He drove by a billboard for a Cosmo’s Diner three miles away, he could use a break so moved into the lane closer to the side. The light indicating Cosmo’s got closer, the chevrons now small angels pointing to it. 

The lot outside it was close to empty, of the ten spots to park six were free, choosing the space furthest from the entrance Sirius parked the car and looked out at the lot. Two small hatchbacks, dull colours green and blue, one minivan a new model it’s solar panels built into the frame rather than the old builds which were placed on the hood and roof, the minivan was sleek and precise and finally a big motorbike, huge exhaust an old model running on Frak gas the type of vehicle rarer to see these days. His own car was a few years old but had been kept in good condition a silver coloured Interceptor stolen on his way out of Kansas City, Sirius had thrown out as much of the previous owner’s belongings as possible, the highway was now littered with old papers, photos of family and bottles. Even though there was no tails following him out the city he still was on red alert, his paranoia was still high and the hunger and fatigue he was feeling was fuelling it even more. Sirius looked into the diner to get a feel for the place and decided to go in, his steps sounded louder in the stillness at night as he approached the door. Cosmo’s was a throwback place, gone were the hard light holo-windows and automatic doors, replaced with glass and manual doors. Cosmo’s wanted to celebrate the style of the 1950s, it celebrated Americana but through a plastic gaze, it was informed by movies and books, faded memories and fiction, the reds and blues, black and white chequered floor, green table tops and teal booths, glass salt and pepper shakers and in each diner was an antique, a genuine Wurlitzer reproduction, Cosmo’s was a welcome sight in most cities and along with the big three fast food names dominated the highways when it came to convenience. Entering the diner set off the small tingling of a bell.

“Be right with ya” It came from one of the booths, a waitress in a cherry red dress and white apron was speaking to some customers. Sirius nodded and took the booth near the door the teal had always reminded Sirius of seahorses, long extinct now with the oceans partially drained and the seas boiled away long ago, but he had seen in a book and been amazed at these tiny, strange creatures. Seahorses.

 He picked up the laminated menu and scanned it, he pressed his hands firmly onto it but left no fingerprints, he missed that. His hands like most of his body was a black and red metal prosthetic, the fingers were fully opposable allowing the most delicate of movements but also capable of crushing and bending the hardest materials. He held his hand out in front of him and it was still, the organic would have jittered slightly, a sign of natural birth that was gone forever now. His body drew on bioenergy and solar to keep his prosthetics working but with all the trouble in the city and the constant movement since he was feeling a little run down. Sirius saw in the menu pancakes and more enticingly a long selection of burgers. Under each item was small print: “all natural”. All natural. The idea that a chain like Cosmo’s had natural beef sounded ridiculous.

“You ready buddy?” The waitress had snuck up on him, he should have heard her heels clicking against the floor maybe something had scrambled his systems. Sirius would have to run a diagnostics check.

“Maybe. Is that true. Natural beef? Cows aren’t outside anymore.”

“True enough. But Cosmo’s has habitats set up in Scotland and Ireland, last patches of grass on the planet and out there hundreds of cows all cloned and grown from the best cows available. It’s not lab grown meat it’s out there mooing and chewing”

“I’ll take a cheeseburger then. You know I’ve been going to Cosmo’s for years and I’ve never noticed this.”

“It’s new is why hon. Started growing the cows just a year back. Anything else?”

“Yeah I’ll take a Cosmo-cola too and water”

“Can do.” The waitress had a small flip notebook but that was where Cosmo’s cut corner, the notebook was holo, even here paper was cherished. She clicked her way behind the counter and spoke to a teenager who had poked his head out the kitchen. 

Sirius looked outside onto the lot, the cloud had moved on and this far out from the city allowed a little bit of the sky to look down, small balls of fire hundreds of thousands, millions of lightyears away shined down on him and every other soul on the planet, they did not care why he was running from Kansas City or why he was taking the time to ponder the situation in a diner. 

“Do you know where you’re going?” The question came across the table from a young woman, light refracted around her, Sirius felt like he was staring into the sun. “You should know. Traveling without a clear destination is the quickest way to get lost. And to be lost is easily the scariest thing one can be. I myself never get lost. I have perfect direction.”

“Do I know you?” He asked her.

“Yeah. We’ve known each other a long time. You’ll be sitting here one day. Helping someone who is daydreaming of extinct animals, pretending that they can forget the things they’ve done. But you won’t stop running until you accept what happened.”

The waitress came over and placed the burger in front of him, the click of the plates as it touched the table, she then placed a glass beside it.

“There you go, all natural, all good. You need anything wave me over”

“Thank you. It looks good.” Sirius noticed the waitress paid no mind to the girl sitting across from him, he looked outside again and there was no new cars. Could she have been in the diner already? Was this a hallucination? 

“I am here Sirius. Don’t worry why she can’t see me. I’ll give you advice seeing as you’re lost. Enjoy that, really enjoy it. Make sure you savour every moment of peace you can, stretch out and take in the sounds around. Then when you leave follow that.” She pressed her finger against the glass window, right up there. Follow that star. It’ll keep you right.”

Sirius looked at the spot she was pointing at to the far north. He head her whispering.

“Wičháȟpi owáŋžila”

“But wher…” She was gone, he looked forward and then behind him but she was gone. The bell did not ring from the door, the sound of an engine was not heard, no indicators of what happened. The number of people inside had not changed, the waitress was speaking to the cook, the people in the booth were chatting and the biker was on his personal terminal grafted to his arm. The girl was gone. Without much else to do he bit into the burger and was hit with taste. Taste he thought he would never experience again, his body being mostly carbon fiber had gave him the idea that his senses were no longer human. His eyesight was stronger than any living human, his hearing was sharper, but smell, taste and touch was gone, he had sensors true but no experience anymore and the warm bite into the meat, cheese and bun was an explosion to him. The bubbles in the cola did not stop once swallowed he savoured them fully, each bite and drink gave him clarity as to what had happened, he would look outside at the stars and think on where to go next. 

Once finished he walked over to the counter and paid, despite the dedication to the aesthetic not even Cosmo’s with its love of the past and all its dreadful nostalgia could stand up to the progression of capital. Sirius had to run his chip over the holo reader.

“So how was it handsome?”

“It was as good as you claimed.”

“Where to now?” 

“Just keep heading that way I guess. Still a bit of a long drive. Thanks guys.” Sirius waved to the cook in the back who nodded at him, the bell rang as he left and he clicked the car door open. Sitting down he took in the night and headed back out onto the road. 

“That’s right. Keep following her Sirius, it’s a long drive but we’ll get there together.” She was sitting beside him now, the girl had returned as his guiding light and with her he would get where he needed to go.