A New Night

Prison Time

I waited with Romalla in the black closet like that for hours; neither of us said a word. I don’t think we could have if we tried. There was just … nothing left for either of us. However, it did seem like we had successfully escaped—for whatever good that did us. Finally, when there were no more sounds nearby, I stood, opened the door, and peeked outside. It was night, and there was nobody.

So, I opened my chassis and put an entirely unresponsive Romalla inside. From there, I returned to the balcony and then used my claws to silently climb down the building. It wasn’t too difficult, but I carefully avoided climbing around windows that were lit up. I only realized once I reached the ground that this was the first time since the death of Krogallo that my despondence had canceled out so much of my fear.

Once on the ground, I heard some nightlife… with music oddly similar to the tunes sung by the Night People … but it seemed to come from several streets over. I also saw a drone flying too high and far from us to be an immediate concern. So I proceeded forward—making my way along alleys toward where I thought the beach had been.

I wondered if the Sky City was entirely unaccustomed to intruders and danger. This seemed like it had to be the case, as surprisingly easy as it was to make my way through the dark and mostly empty streets.

I soon made it back to the beach. While plenty of people were still there, they were gathered around fires in one main area. So I stepped onto an unlit portion of the beach where some couples and small groups kept to themselves. Apparently, the people of the Triumvirate were unconcerned with whatever emergency had occurred earlier.

I opened my chassis and lifted Romalla out. She did not appear to be in shock … but still wouldn’t look at me. I lowered her to the sandy ground and then just paused awkwardly.

I … I didn’t know what to say. Eventually, I said, “I’m sorry, Romalla.”

Romalla did not reply.

I sighed heavily and then asked, “Can you make it back to the Island?”

Romalla nodded her head, still not looking at me.

I sighed heavily, tried to meet her eyes one last time, and finally turned my back. I thought about saying something more. But when I turned around, Romalla was already flying across the water.

I waited and watched until I could not see her any longer. I felt … so heavy. Almost drunkenly, I walked along the beach. And when the wind began to blow, I felt a hollowness inside me that was more than just my chassis.

What was left for me now? I thought about looking for Dro and Scraa, but then decided against it. I had hurt enough people. I wasn’t sure if they’d get what they wanted or what, but their chances would be better without a lumbering robot. Then what? I had come here to seek help from the Triumvirate on behalf of the Night People. That meant I needed to turn myself in.

The idea of flagging down one of the drones from earlier was not appealing. I thought about finding some kind of police station—but the mental image of myself as a giant weaponized robot approaching anyone potentially armed was not pleasant.

What about a hospital? I could talk with someone, tell them what was happening, and then let the doctors confirm that I wasn’t threatening anyone before being hauled away in chains. Yeah … this seemed like the best plan of action. The only issue was that I had no idea where any kind of hospital was.

So, I looked around until I saw a friendly-looking bunch of people walking away from the beach. One stood away from the rest, an older-looking being that looked vaguely like a human, if a little shorter. His eyes seemed bigger—not comically so, but enough so that I would have thought he had good eyesight. He wore light canvas pants that easily caught the wind, and no shirt or shoes. This made sense ... since he was at the beach.

I followed him to some little wooden boxes with dim lights overhead. I assumed these were restrooms, so I waited just outside of them. Sure enough, he did soon walk back out.

From the dark, I asked, “Excuse me, can you tell me where the Hospital is?”

The old man froze for a moment, seeming surprised as he looked at me. “You sure you don’t mean the mechanic, friend?” The old man spoke in a slightly different language than the dialect that I used. It was the same one used by the drone. He smiled pleasantly when he spoke, teetering just a little as he stood and took another sip from his bottle.

“No, I have to pick someone up from the hospital …uhm … friend,” I said.

This caused the old man to release a hearty cackle, almost like a coughing fit. The way he moved reminded me of something. He wiped a tear from his eye and said, “You must be one of those elderly assistant bots I’ve heard about. Your accent is absolutely delightful! It reminds me of the nature programs. And your design is like something out of ancient history; it’s so retro!”

I forced an amiable smile.

The man continued, “Well, I’ll tell you. You go down the beach until you reach a big ole street—La Madre—you’ll recognize it. Then follow that halfway to the park, and you’ll find your hospital.”

I thanked the old man and went on my way, carefully staying as close to the buildings and their shadows as possible.

As I walked, I noted the many different species of creature that I passed. Many looked like they were kin to human, like the old man. Then there were other beings, which I could not begin to describe with all the different shapes, colors, and textures in their appearances. The occasional creature had to wear a bodysuit, while others walked in colorful clothing or nothing at all. Had I been more interested, their diverse forms would have overstimulated my vision.

But I just felt so … numb.

Following the old man’s directions, it wasn’t long before I reached the street he’d mentioned—La Madre—printed on a sign with letters that seemed mostly familiar to me. However, it was also quite close to the street with all the nightlife. People bustled through it, almost shoulder to shoulder.

So, I took a back road behind the main street, where I could keep to the shadows. I worried that I would have to double back around the opposite side of the street, as I had forgotten to ask what side of the road to look on. But once I reached a white building with red crosses, I assumed I had made it.

Now what? I stood outside the back of the hospital and just … waited. Minutes passed, and I felt a shiver. It wasn’t from the cold or even from fear. I was just unable to get past my profound sense of emptiness.

Seemingly from nowhere, a white light flashed up from the ground. Suddenly, there was a person standing right beside me.

I jumped, startled.

The person standing there looked almost human—like the old man on the beach. She was a bit thinner and had larger curves beneath her white lab coat. She had warm brown skin and, like all the people I’d seen, had no hair on her head.

I stuttered for a moment and then managed to mumble, “I need help for the Night People.”

The doctor looked me up and down, making me feel like she was dissecting me with her eyes.

I shook my head and felt my cheeks glow red. “The, uhm, bats down below that live on the beach. And there are also some people down there called the Servants, and they are very sick. They’re all being threatened by-”

“The Walls,” the doctor said in the dialect close to that of the Night People. Her face became smooth and expressionless. Her eyes widened. The intensity made me feel afraid—like I had broken the greatest of unknown taboos. “You ... you were below.”

My face grew even redder, and I began to stutter. “N-n-no, definitely not. No, I’m on the, uhm, research team studying the Night People. It’s kind of a secret project being conducted … up here … in the Sky City.”

“You mean Nueva Esperanza,” the doctor corrected, looking more hostile with every word I said. “And you are referencing the Desmodontinae Sapien. And in their language. Your accent … you ... you have been among them! Do you have any idea how many laws you’ve broken, Educator? I’m calling security.”

“No!” I shouted desperately.

But it was too late. The doctor vanished, and yellow lights flashed throughout the previously dark street.

I heard the faint hum of a speaker before I heard, “Educator Model Alpha PSA, we’re here to help you.” It was not the same one I had broken, but it was also very calm. “Please take a seat on the ground, and representatives will help you resolve your emergency.”

It didn’t matter how calm the alarm was—the doctor had made it perfectly clear what the Triumvirate would think of me and my actions. They weren’t going to help the Night People at all. I couldn’t surrender to these people; I had to return to the Island! The blades under my arms extracted, and I picked up the ring gun off my hip. But which way would I need to go!

The same light from before flashed from the ground, and then another person stood there. Like the doctor, she looked mostly human. There were some differences between her and every other one of these humans I’d seen. The most immediate difference was that she had long brown hair that fell to her back. She also wore glasses, which I had not seen on anyone at the beach. Her clothing was canvas, though she did have patches on her elbows like some sort of college professor.

She looked at me, smiled curiously, and said, “Well, I’ll be. An old Educator model, washing up after all this time. I see you’ve already found yourself in quite the pickle.” She gave a chuckle and folded her arms. I also noticed that her words were English—the language I’d only heard Steelface speak!

I just stood there, stunned.

“I don’t suppose I could persuade you to talk to security,” she asked pleasantly. Without waiting for my response, she continued. “No ... you seem to be on a mission. Try not to hurt yourself while you attempt your escape, alright sweetie?”

“Sure,” I said, feeling confused and still more than a little distrustful. “Thanks.”

The bohemian professor nodded with a smile, gave me a friendly wave, and then vanished.

I took a few steps back and began running just as the hum of emergency drones began their approach. From there, I sprinted toward the beach. When I looked up, however, the little boxes with yellow lights were in the hundreds. It seemed that they would not be caught off-guard a second time. I sprinted faster than I ever had.

A single drone caught up and began hovering in front of me just as fast as I could run. At first, it seemed that it had no way of stopping me. However, this misconception was corrected as soon as my feet touched sand. An attachment briefly glowed blue and then sent an electric bolt into my chest.

My entire body spasmed, and I crashed to the ground. After that, everything dimmed to black.