The hallway seems endless. And there are no other directions Don and Jack could take to let the robots pass theirs. Don finally notices a door in front of them. They are about to arrive but they know they won’t be able to open it. Jack proposes a bold move to Don. If their robots’ presence was not noticed upstairs when they stood in front of the elevator, it is possible that the robots are not aware they are there with them. Maybe they should just stop next to the door and let the other robots open it. Don agrees. It is worth a shot. And in any case, they don’t really have another choice.
Don and Jack’s robots move away from the way and position themselves on each side of the door. And just like Jack believed, the other robots ignore them and simply open the door.
Another elevator.
Don and Jack follow the robots. As the door closes, it seems that something is happening. The picture in Don and Jack’s goggles starts shaking. It is not stable anymore. And as soon as the picture goes back to normal, they notice that the other robots have drawn their weapons. They are taking an offensive position but they are not aiming at Don and Jack’s robots.
Something is going on, but they don’t know what. Don decides they should draw their weapons as well.
The door opens as the elevator finished its course. Don and Jack get out and position themselves on each side of the doors to let the other robots get out.
They follow them at a much accelerated pace than before.
As they go down the corridor, they realize lights are flickering and large cracks are showing on the walls. The more they walk, the more damage they see.
Something has happened, without a doubt. Could it be that Dave and Gabe managed to do that? If so, they are probably in danger.
The robots preceding Don and Jack’s seem willing to defend the premises from whatever caused so much destruction. They will use their weapons against any threat they encounter. And if the threats are Dave and Gabe, they will probably not stand a chance.
Don aims his robot’s weapon right behind the head of the robot in front of him. He asks Jack to do the same. If something happens, anything, they will just pull the trigger and take them out without hesitation. As they walk down the hallway, they notice rooms on each side. The doors are no longer there. Don takes a quick peek in each room as his robot is passing them. They look like cells. If Dave and Gabe were held prisoners, they were probably detained right here, he thinks.
And suddenly Don is pulled back from the thoughts of his son alone in one of these cells straight into the present reality.
A shooting has just started.
CHAPTER 32
“Has anyone ever fired a gun?” Gabe asks the group.
“No,” they all answer in concert.
“Ok. Dave, let’s grab the robots’ weapons and see what we can do with it,” Gabe says.
He turns to Rose and asks her if she can walk. She looks better than a minute ago but she still feels weak. Ted and Byron propose to carry her. She accepts. As they help her stand up, she looks around the room and sees the robots on the floor. They seem to have been crushed by a giant sledgehammer.
“What happened here?” Rose asks.
“You did all that. Don’t you remember?” Byron says.
“I did?” she asks, apparently shocked by Byron’s answer.
Meanwhile, Gabe and Dave have managed to remove the weapons from the robots’ hands.
Gabe tries to fire it and it still works. He wonders what happened here as well, but there is no time to think. They need to escape.
“Dave, you stay with me. We are going first. The others, follow us. Stay right behind us and keep your head low,” Gabe orders.
As they start their progression down the hallway, the damage is even more important. The boys do not have a clue of what may have caused so much destruction.
As they are getting closer to their cells, they see a group of robots waiting for them. The kids stop right away and hide inside a room, which door, like the others, is wide open.
Gabe takes a quick peek. He counts six robots. Four are aiming at them, in a crouched position, one knee on the floor.
The other two stand right behind them. But Gabe doesn’t have enough time to see exactly what they are doing. However, something is troubling him. He decides to look again.
While he slowly looks down the hallway, the robots fire at him. He barely has enough time to pull his head back inside the room. They are under heavy fire.
And as quickly as the shooting started, it suddenly stops.
Gabe waits a few seconds and cautiously attempts to take a look again. The scene in front of him is far from what he is expecting to see in such circumstances. The two robots that were standing behind the other four have apparently shot them. They are still aiming at the ‘dead’ robots on the floor.
Gabe cannot believe his eyes. There must be a bug with GAIA’s robots. Or, but it seems very unlikely to him, the robots are on their side. He gets back inside the room where the others are still hiding and explains what he just saw.
“Do you think it’s possible your dad is behind that?” he asks Dave.
“Possible. Remember how they hijacked a personal robot at the base. Maybe they did the same here,” Dave explains.
“That would mean they are here to help us,” Gabe says. “Let’s find out. Follow me and cover me. If they move, you shoot. I’m not dying here.”
Gabe slowly comes out. Head first, then a leg, and then the rest of his body. He is standing in the middle of the hallway. The two robots do not react. He points his gun at them and starts walking. Dave is right behind him, also keeping his gun trained on them.
“I cannot believe it … Do you see that?” Don asks.
“It’s the boys. They’ve made it!” Jack shouts.
“Drop your weapon and raise your hands,” Don says to his robot.
“What are you doing?” Jack asks.
“They don’t know we are here. As far as they are concerned, the robots they see are the enemy. Do as I did. It will probably draw them closer and we will be able to give them the headsets,” Don says.
Jack has his robot drop its gun and reaches in a compartment in the robot’s leg to extract the headsets.
“What are they doing?” Dave asks.
“I don’t know … come,” Gabe replies.
“What is it holding? Wait, it looks like a …”
“Headset!” Gabe says before Dave can finish his sentence. “It’s them!”
Gabe and Dave start running to the robots’ direction. As they arrive in front of them, one of them hands them the headsets. The boys put it on right away.
“Dad?” they both ask.
“Hey, boys,” Don says.
“So glad we found you,” Jack says, about to burst into tears.
“We are so happy you’re here,” Dave says.
“Boys, you are not safe yet. I need you both to focus,” Don says. “Jack and I are currently in an aircraft outside waiting for you. We are located in the Metropolis airbase, on top of a building nearby.”
“We know where it is. This is where we arrived,” Gabe confirms.
“Good. Just follow the robots. We will bring them back here. Let’s go,” Don says.
“Dad, wait. We are not alone. There are other people with us,” Gabe says.
“What? How many?” Don asks.
“Four,” Gabe answers.
After a couple of seconds hesitating and looking inside the aircraft, Don finally responds.
“Alright. They will fit in the aircraft. Where are they?” Don asks.
“They’re still hiding in a room. Let me go get them,” Gabe says.
“Be careful,” Don says.
After a minute, Gabe comes back with the four kids. They look shocked and also surprised. One of the girls seems weak. It will certainly not help if they need to run.
As they walk back towards the elevator, Don suddenly remembers that they still don’t have a way to call it. He doesn’t know if there
is another exit. But even if there was, he quickly realizes that they will find themselves in the same situation regardless of where they go. The best is probably to stay there and wait.
“Dad, what are we doing? Why are we waiting here?” Gabe asks.
Don explains they cannot call the elevator and that they can only wait for it to come. When it does, it is very likely there will be other robots inside. Fortunately, the elevator is not very large and therefore can only carry a limited number of robots. A limited number of enemies for his and Jack’s robot to destroy. His plan is that their robots will wait for the elevator while the kids hide in a room.
Gabe acknowledges and asks the group to follow him in one of the cells.
They probably have a few minutes available before they can leave. Gabe wants to make the best use of them and asks Rose to lie down on the bed. He takes a quick look at her while Dave stands guard outside.
Gabe asks his dad for advice regarding the girl’s condition. Don doesn’t really know what to do, but based on Gabe’s description of her symptoms, the girl just seems to need to rest and maybe eat. Gabe grabs what he left from his soup in his cell.
When he comes back and hands it to Rose, she thanks him in a way that makes him feel uncomfortable at first, but also strangely happy and proud of himself.
He sits by her and helps her drink a few sips from the glass. After a minute or so she already seems to feel better. She is no longer as pale as she used to be. She confirms by standing up from the bed and walking around the cell.
She finishes the soup and as soon as she puts the glass on the floor, they hear gunshots. It is very brief. Dave quickly confirms that the robots are fine.
“Gabe, Dave, come to the elevator with the others,” Don says.
As they arrive, Jack’s robot is busy pulling the ‘dead’ robots out of the elevator, while Don’s robot maintains the elevator doors open.
“Get in,” Don says.
As the doors close, Don asks if they are actually moving. He cannot feel a thing from where he is.
“Yes. Feels like we’re going down,” Dave says. “That’s a good sign.”
“Thanks, Dave. Now, tell the others to stay behind us. You and Dave, get on each side of the doors, get on your knees and be ready to fire. Aim at the face. I believe we will have company when the doors open again,” Don says.
“Copy that,” Gabe says.
The doors open, and as Don thought, several robots are coming in their direction in the long corridor. But they do not seem to do anything alarming, yet. They just walk towards the elevator.
And then, they stop.
“Do not shoot yet,” Don says to Gabe and Dave.
Don and Jack’s robots make one step forward. They are now at the separation between the elevator and the corridor. The robots suddenly aim at the elevator. Follows quickly a deluge of bullets hitting Don and Jack’s robots.
They fire back and are joined in their fight by Dave and Gabe.
The four of them manage to keep the robots away.
“Jack, stay behind. Block the door with your robot’s shoulders. I’m going in,” Don says.
“No! Dad! …” Gabe shouts before he realizes his father is actually not going to the front line. His robot is.
Don’s robot keeps getting hit by bullets. Don tries to protect the robot’s face as much as he can. His weapon is almost empty, and so will the others’ soon be. When he reaches the first robots, he puts his robot on its knee, grabs a weapon and starts shooting again.
The robot’s commands are getting slower to respond. Don’s robot is about to fall under the heavy fire. Before it collapses, Don grabs a few more weapons and has his robot throw them towards the elevator.
“Everyone, my robot is almost destroyed. I’ll be right back. Keep resisting until I come back. If they get too close, go back upstairs,” Don says.
In the aircraft, Don quickly removes his goggles and asks Jack to give him his so he can control Jack’s robot while he connects one of the robots that are still in the aircraft to Don’s goggles.
“You’re good to go,” Jack says a few seconds later.
Don quickly takes his goggles back and directs his new robot towards the airbase elevator where additional robots are now gathering around. Don’s robot pushes its way through so it stands right in front of the doors.
As soon as the doors open, Don’s robot enters the elevator first. He wants to be the last to exit. On purpose.
Inside the elevator, all the robots are holding and aiming their weapon. Don’s robot does the same, but with a different target in mind.
“How are you holding up?” Don asks Jack and the boys.
“It’s getting difficult. I don’t think my robot will be able to hold it much longer,” Jack says.
“Protect the kids, do whatever it takes. I’m on my way,” Don says.
As soon as Don’s elevator doors open, the robots that were standing in front of him rush into the corridor.
Don follows them while aiming directly at the back of their heads. He shoots. They do not have time to turn around. They all collapse. Don’s robot grabs one of the robots at its feet and pulls it across the elevator doors to block them and keep them open.
He’s now on his way to the other side of the corridor.
“Status!” he screams.
“I’m done. I’m out of ammos. I’m keeping the door as tight as possible so the boys can keep shooting. Whatever you do, do it quickly,” Jack says.
“We’re fine, dad. Just be quick!” Gabe adds.
“Shoot to kill. Save your ammos. Single shots. I’m almost there,” Don says.
A minute or less later, Don sees the robots shooting at the elevator. There are no more than a dozen left standing.
“I’m here, right behind them. Stop shooting. I’m taking over. When they turn around in my direction, start shooting again,” Don says.
Don approaches his robot as close as possible to the other robots.
It is going to be a massacre. Don does not like this kind of fights. He always tries to confront his enemies face-to-face. But this time is different. He is clearly outnumbered and his son’s life is on the line. There is no honor anymore. The only thing that matters is the result.
Don’s robot fires its weapon, following with deadly accuracy the directions pointed by Don’s hand. He points at the base of the robots’ skulls. It seems to be a weak spot. They collapse with just a single bullet.
As he shoots them, some robots turn around and shoot back at him. Gabe jumps towards some of the ‘dead’ robots, grabs its weapon, and starts shooting as well. The robots that stand in the middle don’t stand for long. They are caught between Don and Gabe’s fires. There is no escape.
The shootings stop in less than fifteen seconds.
“Everyone ok?” Don asks.
“Yes!” Dave and Gabe answer.
But as Gabe turns around to enquire about the others’ condition, he realizes they all seem to be in shock. Their eyes are wide open. They all have tears coming out, except for Ted. He is big, and maybe he is less sensitive than the others, Gabe thinks.
“Hey … are you okay?” Gabe gently asks the girl.
“The images … the war … the deaths …” she answers.
Gabe and Dave do not understand what she is talking about, but they all seem pretty much shaken by the fight. She is probably just delirious.
“Ask them if they can move,” Don says to Gabe.
“Are you able to stand up? Can you walk?” Gabe asks the group.
They all seem to recover from a trauma, but they all nod in agreement.
Dave and Gabe look at each other hoping to find in the other’s eyes an answer or an explanation to the group’s behavior. But they understand they are both lost.
The whole group steps over the robots on the floor and follows Don to the elevator all the way back to the other side of the corridor.
Don then asks Jack to leave his robot behind and to take his in
stead. He will escort the kids back to the elevator. But he will need to wait for Don to tell him he can close the doors.
Don looks through the aircraft’s windows to monitor the situation outside. It is not nice. There are still many robots waiting for the elevator. The kids won’t stand a chance when they reach the top and face them. And with only one robot left in the aircraft, Don and Jack have limited ways to help.
Don needs to find a different way to bring the kids back here safely. The solution suddenly hits him. He will simply use the aircraft. It seems to carry a lot of fire power. What better place and better time than to make use of it here and now?
Don would love to take another aircraft, especially the one that stands across them on the other side of the runway. It is much bigger, and compared to their small aircraft, it looks like a mean machine with unquestionable destructive capabilities. But this is clearly a new generation aircraft. Something built by GAIA, something that probably doesn’t have anything in common with what Don is familiar with. And probably something that is not meant and made to be flown by a human.
Don needs to stay focused. He cannot get distracted like a kid in front of a toy store window.
After he quickly exposes his plan to Jack, Don moves to the front seat and starts the aircraft’s engines.
He slowly takes off. He is flying just a couple feet above the runway. He turns the aircraft around to make a full rotation and to check their immediate surroundings. There are no other aircraft in the air and all the ones that are stationed on the airbase seem to have been deserted by the troops. All the robots that were still at the airbase are now standing in front of the elevator. Aiming at it. Ready to fire.
Don is sure that by now GAIA knows that the robots it sent after the kids are no longer transmitting data and therefore have been attacked. This information has already been relayed to all the robots, and they are now waiting for the kids to come back up.
What GAIA doesn’t know is that Don is flying his aircraft behind them and is once again about to send them all back to whatever hell robots may have.
ACTIVATION Page 31