4. Disappointment

Quinn reached the front door of Harrison's shop and pushed gently. The door gave way with a subtle creak as the sun finally set. Harrison was sitting at his desk reading a newspaper, willfully oblivious to Quinn's presence. Taylor and Don came stumbling in after, both were out of breath. Between pants, Taylor shouted, 

"Quinn! You know Don doesn't walk that fast! It was getting dark! You could have slowed down!" 

Don ran past them both and up to Harrison's desk. He grabbed a liter of water off the top then sat on the floor, unscrewed the cap and drank. Harrison raised an eyebrow. 

"Hey, that ain't free, kid. It's gonna cost ya. You better find some good stuff for me to sell out there in the Pit tomorrow." 

Don gave a thumbs up in agreement. 

"Hey, Harrison. I got something for you to look at." Said Quinn.

Harrison went back to shrouding his face in his newspaper. He turned a page while crossing his legs. 

"Hmm, is that so? Quinner? Is it another spark plug? Or, maybe some rhinestones?" 

Quinn became annoyed at Harrison's sarcasm but decided not to show it. 

"Honestly, I don't know what it is. Here, have a look." 

Taylor, now rested, began stretching her limbs while sitting on top some old newspapers against a wall. 

"Harrison, I think Quinn may be right this time. It looks high tech." 

This caught Harrison's attention. He folded the paper in half and tossed it on the desk while leaning back in his chair with his legs still crossed. He made a hand gesture for Quinn to toss the object. With an underhanded throw, Quinn threw it and watched it land in Harrison's lap. Harrison picked it up and started to study it. 

"Hmmm. Where'd you say you found it?" 

"Actually, Don found it the ground." 

"How long it take you to dig it up, Don?" 

With half the bottle of water gone Don was leaning back on both arms with his belly protruded. Wiping his mouth with his forearm, he gave it some thought. 

"Tator, how long do Quinn's naps take?" 

Quinn shot Don a dirty look. Taylor smirked. 

"Eh, I don't know maybe a half hour." 

Harrison nodded his head while holding the object under the lamp on his desk. 

"Hey, at least his naps are getting shorter. This thing doesn't show any signs of damage. I would wager its been in the Pit for a couple days, tops. Taylor, do you know what quadrant you were in today?" 

"Uhh, yeah, I'll show you on the map." 

Next to the assortment of random pictures hung a framed four by four map, hand-drawn by Harrison himself. It took approximately two years to scout out the Trash Pit. All thanks to Shirley, he was able to separate the area into quadrants. The map of the area was separated into four rows of four squares. Every quadrant was color-coded, metals were red, plastics blue, electronics yellow and clothes green. When getting three tons of trash per week it helped to be organized. 

"We were here today. Sector 4." 

"Sector 4? Ok." 

Taylor nodded her head in acknowledgment and Quinn began to grow impatient. Whenever he felt this way, habitually, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and tilted forward a bit. The pressure placed on his hands helped alleviate some of his anger. A coping mechanism he developed as a child. 

"So is it worth anything, Harrison?" 

Stilling holding the object under the lamp, Harrison examined the small etchings. 

"Eh, it might be. Give me until tomorrow to analyze it. Swing by first thing in the morning. I'll have an answer for you, then." Taylor let out a huge yawn. 

"Alright. Cool. I'll try and make sure Quinn doesn't sleep in too late." 

Quinn didn't respond to Taylor's jab. He just turned heel and waved a hand above his head, his way of saying goodbye. Don started hopping in place like a rabbit while holding his groin. Taylor expressed a look of confusion. Harrison smirked. 

"I think the little guy has to use the bathroom." 

Don nodded frantically. Shaking her head, she grabbed Don by the wrist and pulled him across the floor to the bathroom. 

Harrison shouted, "Hey! Remember the toilet doesn't flush! Drop the seat when you are done!" 

Shirley quiet through the whole ordeal suddenly sprung to life. 

"Charge complete. Energy levels at max capacity." 

"Good morning, Shirley. Great timing, looks like it's gonna be a late night. I m going to need you to analyze something for me. Also, I m going to need access to your files." 

A toilet lid slamming shut could be heard from across the room. The bathroom door swung open and out marched Don with Taylor behind him, pinching her nose. 

"You really need to fix that toilet." She said in a nasally voice. 

"Good night to you too, Taylor." 

With that said Taylor made her exit, Don waved frantically at Harrison before being pulled through the door. 

"Ahh, those kids, gotta love them. I just wonder if they dying for." 

Harrison said to himself as he stared at the object in the palm of his hand.