had an awful feeling about K’s impromptu trip. He considered following through with his plan to escape – to try getting to the West Coast before K – but he had no transportation and she had a big head start. Instead, he decided to wait and hope things weren’t as bad as he feared, that she still planned to come back and follow through with their plans.
“She didn’t,” E says. “A few days later, the leader of Robotropolis emerged from his residence and went on a rampage; I saw him kill several of my kind simply out of anger. I knew his rage had something to do with K. He took turns questioning me and beating me, demanding to know why K did what she did. Though I knew about some plans that he didn’t, I had no idea what she was up to. I thought he was going to kill me; there have been plenty of times I wish he had. Just before he beat me unconscious, he told me how K detonated the explosive within the confines of the West Coast production center, destroying dozens of square miles and every robot ally they had on that side of the country.”
E stops to wipe away moisture from his eyes. Before he starts talking again, a smile seems to have returned to the part of his face I can see. He speaks proudly of K’s sacrifice, says that she realized the ultimate sacrifice was needed if she was to help the humans as much as she wanted. Though she killed countless slaves and other humans in the vicinity of the major robot production center, E has since seen the devastation that K’s actions caused to the robots.
“Not that I could appreciate what she did when I first found out. I was devastated at the time, refused to continue working on K’s project even when the Robotropolis leader turned up and demanded I get to work. I’m sure he wanted to kill me when I refused to get out of bed but with K gone, I was his only other option. Soon after he left my room, I received a light knock on the door. I didn’t answer but the door finally creaked open and another female entered my room. Obviously she looked a lot like K…”
I don’t know what’s so obvious about that but I don’t interrupt.
“…but it clearly wasn’t her. She was timid, shy, scared; there was an emptiness in her eyes like so many others of my kind. She said that she was mine to do as I pleased. Though the sadness of losing K still filled my heart – as it does to this day – my depression and desire to die ended at that moment. I sent the female away and decided I would not spend one more night in the only life I ever knew.”
E returned to work that day and subtly destroyed vital parts of K’s research that his team still possessed. He knew his actions could get other members of his design team in trouble but if K taught him anything, it was how sacrifice was needed to make sure humans had every chance to survive the war. E made up a story about needing supplies from one of the other labs and easily swiped the robot-disabling prototype, exactly as he planned to do with K by his side.
“In fact, every part of my plan went perfectly. I think a part of me almost wanted to get caught, if only to prove that K made the right decision since she and I couldn’t have escaped anyway. But that wasn’t the case and by the time morning rolled around and the sun rose in the sky, I stole several days worth of food from the fields and ran so far west that Robotropolis wasn’t even a dot on the horizon behind me.”
The paths traveled out of Robotropolis by robotic soldiers were plain to see so E stayed far away from them. After running all night, he found a large pile of rubble far off the beaten path and squeezed himself inside, out of view of anyone that might be out looking for him. He slept for the rest of the day and didn’t wake up until the sun started to go
“She didn’t,” E says. “A few days later, the leader of Robotropolis emerged from his residence and went on a rampage; I saw him kill several of my kind simply out of anger. I knew his rage had something to do with K. He took turns questioning me and beating me, demanding to know why K did what she did. Though I knew about some plans that he didn’t, I had no idea what she was up to. I thought he was going to kill me; there have been plenty of times I wish he had. Just before he beat me unconscious, he told me how K detonated the explosive within the confines of the West Coast production center, destroying dozens of square miles and every robot ally they had on that side of the country.”
E stops to wipe away moisture from his eyes. Before he starts talking again, a smile seems to have returned to the part of his face I can see. He speaks proudly of K’s sacrifice, says that she realized the ultimate sacrifice was needed if she was to help the humans as much as she wanted. Though she killed countless slaves and other humans in the vicinity of the major robot production center, E has since seen the devastation that K’s actions caused to the robots.
“Not that I could appreciate what she did when I first found out. I was devastated at the time, refused to continue working on K’s project even when the Robotropolis leader turned up and demanded I get to work. I’m sure he wanted to kill me when I refused to get out of bed but with K gone, I was his only other option. Soon after he left my room, I received a light knock on the door. I didn’t answer but the door finally creaked open and another female entered my room. Obviously she looked a lot like K…”
I don’t know what’s so obvious about that but I don’t interrupt.
“…but it clearly wasn’t her. She was timid, shy, scared; there was an emptiness in her eyes like so many others of my kind. She said that she was mine to do as I pleased. Though the sadness of losing K still filled my heart – as it does to this day – my depression and desire to die ended at that moment. I sent the female away and decided I would not spend one more night in the only life I ever knew.”
E returned to work that day and subtly destroyed vital parts of K’s research that his team still possessed. He knew his actions could get other members of his design team in trouble but if K taught him anything, it was how sacrifice was needed to make sure humans had every chance to survive the war. E made up a story about needing supplies from one of the other labs and easily swiped the robot-disabling prototype, exactly as he planned to do with K by his side.
“In fact, every part of my plan went perfectly. I think a part of me almost wanted to get caught, if only to prove that K made the right decision since she and I couldn’t have escaped anyway. But that wasn’t the case and by the time morning rolled around and the sun rose in the sky, I stole several days worth of food from the fields and ran so far west that Robotropolis wasn’t even a dot on the horizon behind me.”
The paths traveled out of Robotropolis by robotic soldiers were plain to see so E stayed far away from them. After running all night, he found a large pile of rubble far off the beaten path and squeezed himself inside, out of view of anyone that might be out looking for him. He slept for the rest of the day and didn’t wake up until the sun started to go
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