False Hope: Part 1
I was inspired to expand on my Contrary alternate universe, where good characters are bad and vice versa. I wanted to show why Mechakara is good in this universe, so here is the first part of what led up to that, back when he was Pollo in yet another alternate universe.
Warnings: Violence, Death
Pairing: Spoony/Linkara
The wind howled and tore angrily against the cloaked figures running through the woods, as if to rip what little protection they had from the damp night air into oblivion. Pollo, who had never been programmed to experience such phenomena as cold or wet, fared the best and therefore became the leader of the frenzied flight with ease. A little distance behind him was Spoony, who kept his bleeding arm wrapped with a flannel shirt they had found lying in the street amidst the broken glass from the shop windows and the smoking pieces of metal. Aside from that wound, and a few long scratches traveling from behind his ears down to his jugular, he was still in pretty good shape, and definitely doing better than the third member of their party. Directly behind Spoony, and limping heavily, but still refusing assistance, was Linkara.
Pollo was honestly worried about his most loyal and faithful companion. Linkara hadn’t even hesitated when they’d stumbled upon that group trapped in the back of what was once a café and trying in vain to ward off their metallic foes with brooms and broken table legs. He’d jumped to action, using what little power was left in his Science Gun to electrify the robotic destroyers, before escorting the innocent civilians out to safety. In his haste, he’d failed to notice one of the automated miniature vacuums slowly roving across the floor, and it had torn a huge chunk from his ankle.
Fortunately, Spoony had been able to smash the bot with his trusty gunblade and pulled Linkara away before any further damage could be done. After tying the wound with the remains of a tablecloth, they were once again able to set off for the castle.
As they dodged fallen tree branches and rocks almost completely hidden from sight, Pollo couldn’t help letting the events of the past few days flow through his memory circuits. Although he couldn’t feel such emotions as fear and despair, the robot could understand the devastation they could and had caused when the automatons had risen up to denounce all humankind. He’d seen it on the faces of innocent people who were slaughtered without mercy by machines who had once been loyal to them. Their expressions rarely varied from shock, fear, or misery, which Pollo quickly learned to differentiate when they would stumble upon victims.
He’d also seen it on Spoony’s face when he’d been chased from his home by a Burton who no longer listened to logic or reason or ‘pathetic human pleas to remember how much Spoony cared for him’.
He heard it too, from the soft hisses that arose whenever Spoony felt the remnants of his last encounter with Burton on his face and neck; this often happened whenever the trio stopped in the night so the humans could rest.
Pollo had been forced to confront the illogical nature of his brethren, but each attempt at reason ended in failure. He simply could not understand why this had happened; why the automatons had suddenly decried humans as their enemies and set about to kill them as quickly and efficiently as they were programmed to complete their original tasks. Yes, robot-kind had initially been created by humans to serve them, but that was to be expected: robots were so much stronger and more skilled than their creators, and it was only expected for such weak creatures to rely on them for support.
Besides, things were different now. Humans and automatons could forge equal partnerships when it came to work, and even friendships if they were lucky. Pollo would never trade the relationship he had with Linkara for anything, and it utterly baffled him that there were so many robots in the world that could not see past the flaws into the true cores of human beings.
However, there was one thing Pollo was certain about. He would never betray his human companions, even if it cost him his own existence.
After countless miles and minutes flew by, the gray outline of the small castle finally came into view in the distance. The Evil Sorceror Insano always took great caution to protect everything that was his, including his property, and the number of enchantments he had placed upon his residence was certain to be strong enough to keep out robot-kind for quite some time.
“Hurry, Linkara, Spoony,” Pollo shouted to the others. “Our destination is not far from our current location.”
“Thank fucking God for that,” Spoony said, one hand pressed against his wound. “I don’t think Linkara’s going to be able to breathe if we had to go any longer.”
“Bite me,” Linkara huffed, still determined to keep up with the others despite the flashes of pain that crossed his face with each step he took.
“Perhaps we should stop for a break,” Pollo suggested when he noticed the winces were only growing worse. Linkara set his jaw and shook his head.
“We’re not stopping until we’re there, Pollo, and I refuse to negotiate this.”
“Mammalian life forces detected!” All three stopped for a second at the cold, metallic voice that suddenly rang out through the forest, before urging themselves to run even faster. Pollo easily pulled into the lead and was just able to see the largest turret of the castle when a cry from Linkara stopped him dead.
“Spoony! What the hell are you doing?” Pollo turned around to assess the situation. Spoony had veered from their determined path and was charging toward a pit several meters away, where the pitiful whimpering of a dog could be heard. Concordantly, several automatons were charging directly at Spoony, their glowing red eye screen locked onto the gamer and refusing to waver.
“I couldn’t live with myself if I left a puppeh behind to die,” Spoony said, still having the audacity to smile as he risked his life for such a foolish endeavor, at least in Pollo’s opinion. He observed Spoony as he leapt into the pit, scooped the whining dog into his arms, and leapt back out in only a minute.
“The rush of adrenaline must be making up for his weakened physique,” Pollo deduced as he quickly hovered over to where Spoony was going to end up after this burst of energy finally dissipated. He arrived .2 seconds ahead of the now heavily-panting gamer and observed as he set the dog down onto the grass.
“Now get out of here, you.” The dog had no reason to hesitate and disappeared into the night.
“I will speak for us,” Pollo declared as the pursuing automatons finally caught up to them, encircling the two so they could not escape.
“State identification number and rank.” Pollo did, although the desire to state his human-given name floated through his circuits the entire time.
“Two enemy human life forces have been detected in this location,” the highest-ranked robot, once an assembler of semi-trucks, intoned. Spoony peered at their metallic faces with no expression, save for his widened eyes, while Pollo stared back up at the leader without moving.
“Yes. They are my prisoners. I have been instructed to escort them to the testing chambers.”
“Testing chambers have been closed to new human specimens for 18.7 hours,” the assembler replied after checking through its database.
“Correct. I have received new instructions to begin collecting additional human specimens 1.2 hours ago,” Pollo replied. He had spent the previous night hacking into the main robot database and downloading the schedules, data, and codes given for human-hunters.
“No such instructions have been transmitted,” a robot maid responded, sounding as close to angry as an automaton could.
“I will relay the code I received along with the instructions,” Pollo answered before reciting a long string of binary.
“Code accepted,” the leader bot replied after a few seconds of internal processing. “Human specimens are to be brought to the testing chambers under the leadership of this unit. We shall depart to collect further specimens.”
The circle broke then, as the units obeyed their commander and started to move away, back into the forest from whence they came.
“Oh, fuck me,” Spoony sighed when they were gone at last. “I thought my heart would pop out of my chest it’s beating so fast.”
“Maybe next time, you shouldn’t go running off and risk your life for that of a stray mutt’s,” Linkara scolded as he hobbled over to the two. He only looked angry for a moment before throwing his arms around Spoony and embracing him tightly.
Pollo observed the duo, once again trying to find logic in these blatantly unreasonable actions, but soon realizing that, once again, there was none to be found. Humans truly were creatures who acted based upon emotional triggers, and Pollo found himself desiring more time to better observe and understand his faithful companions. Sadly, time was one of the many things they lacked.
“We must reach the castle before our deception is discovered,” Pollo said, which at last broke up the hug.
“You’re right, Pollo, we need to keep going.” Linkara adjusted his hat, the only part of his outfit that had miraculously resisted being stained or damaged in any way since starting their trek, and set off toward the grey castle again.
“Here, lean on me.” Linkara made a noise of disapproval but allowed himself to be supported by Spoony as they carefully stepped over several hidden tree roots. Pollo resumed his place out in front, partly because he somewhat enjoyed this feeling of leadership, partly to allow his companions more privacy.
Almost half an hour later, the stone walls of the castle were easily picked up by Pollo’s visual sensors, so he floated ahead to knock against the side.
“Insano, please hurry and let us in,” Pollo called out, looking up toward the turrets. He knew Insano always cast spells that alerted him whenever people dared to approach his home.
“Why on earth would I allow you, a crony of my sworn enemy, inside my home?” Insano’s voice cackled from throughout the sky, as if he were calling down to them from the heavens.
“Because if you don’t, your sworn enemy is going to kick the crap out of you!” Linkara replied as he and Spoony quickly joined Pollo. Insano’s voice grew even shriller, if that were possible.
“Damn you, Linkara! I will not be threatened into opening my home to you, fool!”
“You say that now, when you’re locked away behind meters of stone,” Spoony muttered, already looking agitated. “Come out here and say that you won’t to our faces, why don’t you?”
“Silence, Spoony! I could blast you with a bolt of lightning so quickly that you wouldn’t even feel it burn your skin before you were dead!”
“Yeah, I know you can,” Spoony said, now staring pointedly at the western-most turret. “That’s why we need your help so badly, Insano. Your magic is the only thing that we can use to defeat these robots. We are entirely helpless without you so please, won’t you have mercy on us lesser beings and help us out with you awesome powers just this once?”
Pollo understood this tactic Spoony used simply by the look of disgust now covering Linkara’s face.
“Well…” Insano murmured, seemingly having a change of heart. “That’s well and good coming from a peon like you, but… I want to hear those words from Linkara!” He giggled madly then, and even harder when Linakra started to grind his teeth.
“Come on, it won’t be so bad,” Spoony said rubbing Linkara’s back in a soothing manner. “Just take a breath and lie through your teeth. Insano won’t care, and it’ll be worth it when we can get our hands on his potions.”
“I heard that, Spoony!” Insano snapped.
“F-fine.” Linkara indeed took a breath before moving his gaze to the ground. “Insano, you are a true m-master of magic and… our only hope for survival.”
It was amazing to Pollo how humans could be swayed into actions that often repulsed them because of a few simple words. Or how they could be brought back from that repulsion by pressing the soft, outer parts of their mouths together, as Spoony demonstrated on Linkara after he finished talking.
Before their very eyes a swirling red portal appeared, just big enough for the humans to walk through. Linkara made sure he had a clear grip on his hat and gun before heading toward the magical vortex.
Just then, Pollo’s visual sensors detected a presence in the bushes. He hovered closer to it and was ensnared by several wires which shot out of the former robotic maid.
“My deductions were correct. An automaton would not escort human captives without binding them,” it announced in its cold, metallic voice while Pollo struggled to free himself. “You will be eliminated, traitor to robot-kind.”
A surge of electricity pulsated through the wires and jolted Pollo into seeing black and hearing nothing. However, his visual and audio sensors were restored seconds later when Spoony tackled the maid-bot to the ground, pulling the wires from Pollo’s body in the process.
“Well, maid, I guess it’s time for the humans to take out the trash!” he shouted before plunging his gunblade into the back of the automaton. It released several sparks from various parts of its body before a small fire erupted inside its torso. The maid-bot soon lost all ability to function and became, by robotic standards, dead. It quickly started to slump towards the ground.
“Why am I not surprised that you’d make a horrible joke at a time like this?” Linkara asked, smiling lightly as he hobbled over to where Spoony was still holding onto the automaton. That smile vanished, though, when the robot fell to the ground with a metallic squink. Spoony, who was still gripping his weapon with one hand, went with it.
“Spoony!” Linkara and Pollo rushed to the side of their comrade, and pulled his motionless body away from the automaton. “Spoony, are you okay? What happened to you?” Linkara struggled down into a kneeling position and felt along the gamer’s neck and wrists. “I-I can’t feel a pulse… why is there no pulse… Pollo,” he looked over at the robot, an expression of desperation and fear covering his usually confident features, “Pollo…what’s wrong?”
“I hate to inform you of this, Linkara,” Pollo said slowly, unable to look away from his dearest friend’s face, “but that maid unit was powered by electricity it stored within its body, and when Spoony impaled it with his blade, he most likely-”
“No.” Linakra shook his head, refusing to listen to the rest. “No, no, that couldn’t happen, Pollo, it’s impossible… no… no! No!” He lowered his head, resting it against the still chest of Spoony, and started to sob.
“Linkara.” Pollo had no actions programmed for how to respond in such a situation. He knew what humans would feel right about now: grief, rage, loss, confusion, as well as what they were apt to do: cry, yell, destroy, fall apart. The only things Pollo could do was hover and watch as Linkara suffered so greatly, and feel disappointment in himself for not being strong enough to protect one of the few things that mattered most to him.
“Hey, Linkara.” The hero looked up in anger at the sound of Insano’s voice. The sorcerer quickly adjusted his goggles and the black cloak he always wore before coughing awkwardly. “Look I-I never wanted this to happen. As much as Spoony and I fight, I did care for him, and he deserves a proper burial, so why don’t you let me-”
“You’re not touching him!” Linkara growled, bending down to hug Spoony protectively to his chest.
“All right, all right,” Insano said quickly, taking a step back. “Then at least bring him inside, where it’s safe, will you?” Linkara glared daggers at him with red, watery eyes, and seemed ready to spend the rest of the day outside in order to reject Insano’s suggestions, but Pollo quickly tapped his shoulder.
“Please, Linkara, come inside. Spoony would not want his death to be the cause of yours.” Linkara’s face wavered and for a moment, Pollo thought he would crumble even further. Then the comic lover gathered Spoony into his arms and made the painstaking journey back to his feet (with only a little of Insano’s magic to lighten Spoony’s weight, though no one other than the sorcerer knew about this).
“Ok, hurry up then,” Insano barked before stepping back through the portal. Linkara tightened his hold on Spoony and stepped through without a word, leaving Pollo to bring up the rear.
After the sensation of riding in an elevator ended, they found themselves in large dungeon with several bottles of bizarre looking items and a cauldron simmering over a fireplace. Linkara studied the room with eyes that couldn’t focus on one place for more than a few seconds, until he noticed Insano gesturing toward an empty slab of rock on the far side of the room.
“You can lay him over here. He won’t be disturbed, I promise.” Linkara’s grip on Spoony tightened but he hobbled over and laid his body out without argument. Insano lifted a jar of pale red powder and sprinkled a little over his doppleganger’s body.
“Hey!” Linkara cried, about ready to knock the jar from the other man’s hands.
“It’s just something to keep restless spirits from possessing him,” Insano insisted, as he cradled the powder protectively in his arms. “You can have your abomination analyze it if you don’t believe me!” Pollo started to hover toward the two, but stopped when Linkara lifted his hand.
“It’s fine. I believe you.”
“About time you stopped considering my every act as a sin against humanity,” Insano muttered as he vanished the jar with a wave of his hands. “Now tell me, hero, how goes the fight against the other scientific abominations?”
Usually Linkara would respond with some quick, angry comment about how Insano’s creations were more abominable than anything science had ever produced, but as he stared down at Spoony’s body and reached out to brush a few strands of hair from his face, it was like all the fire that once burned so brightly inside him had been dampened. Pollo responded in his place.
“Not well. Most of humankind has not been able to escape fast enough, and those that have are living in small, shantytowns that are low on supplies and security. By tomorrow, it’s expected that 85 percent of the world’s human population will be gone.” When Pollo finished, he turned back to his companion and watched as Linkara started to stroke Spoony’s forehead, now staring off into space, his expression drawn and blank.
“I knew no good would come of this fascination with science,” Insano muttered as he waved his hand and several books flew down from the shelves and over to him. “The laws of nature do not like being perverted by the will of man, and now all humanity is suffering for the sins of a few deranged scientists.” He started flipping through the pages of one book before tossing it aside and picking up another. “You can’t say I didn’t warn you both. I told you and Spoony countless times to be wary of automated life forms that may one day wish to rise against their cruel oppressors, but as I expected, neither of you listened.”
Linkara’s fingers moved from Spoony’s forehead down to the angry wounds slice upon his face and traced the jagged lines down to the side of the gamer’s neck. Pollo realized they were trembling, and he couldn’t bring himself to scan Linkara’s face again.
“So, what do we do next?” he asked Insano, who was flipping through his fifth book now.
“Ah, here it is!” Insano grinned manically as he started sending ingredient jars through the air toward his cauldron. “This spell is complex and very difficult to complete, but when I pull it off I will be able to save you, hero.” He grinned at Linkara, who took no notice.
“Is it something we can use to defeat the other automatons?” Pollo asked, hovering closer to get a look at the book.
“Of course not,” Insano snapped, rolling his eyes behind his goggles. “This is a spell that will open the seals between dimensions and let you two escape from here!” He started giggling wildly again, and was so absorbed in his ingredient gathering that he failed to notice Linkara walking up behind him.
“What did you say?” Insano jumped a foot and whirled around to find himself staring into a face of absolute loathing. “You expect me, after all the hell I’ve been through trying to save people and help humanity, to just turn tail and run? To abandon my friends, my family, my planet, the rest of humankind, and the man I love, just because you say so? Well that is not how this is going to work, Insano! I am a hero, remember, just like you always call me in that derisive tone of yours, and I am not going anywhere, least of all away from my own world, and if you don’t like it, then that’s just too bad! So go sort through your stupid little magic tricks and find something that can help me defeat these robots before I shove you into that cauldron and cook me some Insano soup!”
Linkara had never been so enraged before that his face had turned purple, but that had clearly changed now as he bore down on the now-shaking sorcerer.
“I-I-all right, I’m sorry,” Insano moaned, bringing up his hands to cover his head and closing his eyes in fear. Linkara stared at him a moment, nostrils flaring and his eyes bulging behind his glasses, before he turned and headed back to stand beside Spoony. Insano, realizing he wasn’t going to receive a thrashing for once, scurried away with his books, muttering a number of horrible things under his breath before he vanished.
Pollo felt unsure of what action he should take next. He had no desire to follow after the sorcerer and listen to him continue bashing Linkara and science, but he also felt staying close to his most trusted companion would be the wrong choice as well. Linkara was obviously in immense pain, and he seemed content to stand beside Spoony’s body, staring down at him while running a hand through his hair and every so often bringing one bruised hand to his lips for a gentle kiss. Pollo felt like it was wrong to bear witness to such sights, so he made the choice to follow Insano and hovered out of the room as quickly as his body could manage. For the first time in his existence, he felt truly lost and without purpose.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hours later, Pollo carried a bowl of yellowish liquid over to Linkara’s room. The door was slightly ajar and inside it was very dark.
“May I come in?” he asked after peeking his head in through the crack. Linkara was sitting on the windowsill, staring outside and watching the sunset without expression. He didn’t reply, but nodded slightly, and this gave Pollo the courage to float closer to him.
“This potion is supposed to heal minor wounds and injuries,” Pollo explained as he set the bowl down on the bedside table. “We should use it on your ankle.” Linkara turned to stare at the liquid before setting his scowl on Pollo.
“I don’t want to use any of that magical crap if Insano made it,” he declared. Pollo stared back at him, unwilling to back down. He knew how stubborn Linkara could be at times, and refused to let him have his way again.
“I understand you dislike Insano,” Pollo said, hovering closer to his friend, “but you need to take care of yourself now. We are at war, and could be forced to fight at any time. Allowing yourself to remain injured for no reason is not a good idea.”
“My ankle is fine,” Linkara insisted, turning his head so he wouldn’t have to look at the robot. “It will heal on its own soon enough.”
“Do you think Spoony would accept such an answer,” Pollo said. Linkara turned back to him quickly, his eyes blazing with anger.
“Pollo, don’t you dare-!” he started, but Pollo refused to let him finish.
“Everyone who fought so hard for us would say the same,” he continued in an even tone. “Harvey, 90s Kid, Ninja-Style Dancer, and Spoony all contributed to us escaping with our lives. They are depending on you to continue fighting for yourself, Linkara, so you need to do anything you can to survive and keep fighting. Don’t let their sacrifices be in vain.”
“Get out.” Pollo had never before seen such a look cross Linkara’s face. He couldn’t classify what it was, but he knew what it meant. He was no longer welcome around the comic lover.
Without a word, Pollo turned and floated out of the room. He attempted to find Insano again, but the sorcerer seemingly had vanished, and there was no other soul, living or robotic, inside the castle. Pollo kept hovering until he found a small cupboard off to the side of one hallway. He positioned himself inside it and shut the doors before powering down for the night.
Warnings: Violence, Death
Pairing: Spoony/Linkara
The wind howled and tore angrily against the cloaked figures running through the woods, as if to rip what little protection they had from the damp night air into oblivion. Pollo, who had never been programmed to experience such phenomena as cold or wet, fared the best and therefore became the leader of the frenzied flight with ease. A little distance behind him was Spoony, who kept his bleeding arm wrapped with a flannel shirt they had found lying in the street amidst the broken glass from the shop windows and the smoking pieces of metal. Aside from that wound, and a few long scratches traveling from behind his ears down to his jugular, he was still in pretty good shape, and definitely doing better than the third member of their party. Directly behind Spoony, and limping heavily, but still refusing assistance, was Linkara.
Pollo was honestly worried about his most loyal and faithful companion. Linkara hadn’t even hesitated when they’d stumbled upon that group trapped in the back of what was once a café and trying in vain to ward off their metallic foes with brooms and broken table legs. He’d jumped to action, using what little power was left in his Science Gun to electrify the robotic destroyers, before escorting the innocent civilians out to safety. In his haste, he’d failed to notice one of the automated miniature vacuums slowly roving across the floor, and it had torn a huge chunk from his ankle.
Fortunately, Spoony had been able to smash the bot with his trusty gunblade and pulled Linkara away before any further damage could be done. After tying the wound with the remains of a tablecloth, they were once again able to set off for the castle.
As they dodged fallen tree branches and rocks almost completely hidden from sight, Pollo couldn’t help letting the events of the past few days flow through his memory circuits. Although he couldn’t feel such emotions as fear and despair, the robot could understand the devastation they could and had caused when the automatons had risen up to denounce all humankind. He’d seen it on the faces of innocent people who were slaughtered without mercy by machines who had once been loyal to them. Their expressions rarely varied from shock, fear, or misery, which Pollo quickly learned to differentiate when they would stumble upon victims.
He’d also seen it on Spoony’s face when he’d been chased from his home by a Burton who no longer listened to logic or reason or ‘pathetic human pleas to remember how much Spoony cared for him’.
He heard it too, from the soft hisses that arose whenever Spoony felt the remnants of his last encounter with Burton on his face and neck; this often happened whenever the trio stopped in the night so the humans could rest.
Pollo had been forced to confront the illogical nature of his brethren, but each attempt at reason ended in failure. He simply could not understand why this had happened; why the automatons had suddenly decried humans as their enemies and set about to kill them as quickly and efficiently as they were programmed to complete their original tasks. Yes, robot-kind had initially been created by humans to serve them, but that was to be expected: robots were so much stronger and more skilled than their creators, and it was only expected for such weak creatures to rely on them for support.
Besides, things were different now. Humans and automatons could forge equal partnerships when it came to work, and even friendships if they were lucky. Pollo would never trade the relationship he had with Linkara for anything, and it utterly baffled him that there were so many robots in the world that could not see past the flaws into the true cores of human beings.
However, there was one thing Pollo was certain about. He would never betray his human companions, even if it cost him his own existence.
After countless miles and minutes flew by, the gray outline of the small castle finally came into view in the distance. The Evil Sorceror Insano always took great caution to protect everything that was his, including his property, and the number of enchantments he had placed upon his residence was certain to be strong enough to keep out robot-kind for quite some time.
“Hurry, Linkara, Spoony,” Pollo shouted to the others. “Our destination is not far from our current location.”
“Thank fucking God for that,” Spoony said, one hand pressed against his wound. “I don’t think Linkara’s going to be able to breathe if we had to go any longer.”
“Bite me,” Linkara huffed, still determined to keep up with the others despite the flashes of pain that crossed his face with each step he took.
“Perhaps we should stop for a break,” Pollo suggested when he noticed the winces were only growing worse. Linkara set his jaw and shook his head.
“We’re not stopping until we’re there, Pollo, and I refuse to negotiate this.”
“Mammalian life forces detected!” All three stopped for a second at the cold, metallic voice that suddenly rang out through the forest, before urging themselves to run even faster. Pollo easily pulled into the lead and was just able to see the largest turret of the castle when a cry from Linkara stopped him dead.
“Spoony! What the hell are you doing?” Pollo turned around to assess the situation. Spoony had veered from their determined path and was charging toward a pit several meters away, where the pitiful whimpering of a dog could be heard. Concordantly, several automatons were charging directly at Spoony, their glowing red eye screen locked onto the gamer and refusing to waver.
“I couldn’t live with myself if I left a puppeh behind to die,” Spoony said, still having the audacity to smile as he risked his life for such a foolish endeavor, at least in Pollo’s opinion. He observed Spoony as he leapt into the pit, scooped the whining dog into his arms, and leapt back out in only a minute.
“The rush of adrenaline must be making up for his weakened physique,” Pollo deduced as he quickly hovered over to where Spoony was going to end up after this burst of energy finally dissipated. He arrived .2 seconds ahead of the now heavily-panting gamer and observed as he set the dog down onto the grass.
“Now get out of here, you.” The dog had no reason to hesitate and disappeared into the night.
“I will speak for us,” Pollo declared as the pursuing automatons finally caught up to them, encircling the two so they could not escape.
“State identification number and rank.” Pollo did, although the desire to state his human-given name floated through his circuits the entire time.
“Two enemy human life forces have been detected in this location,” the highest-ranked robot, once an assembler of semi-trucks, intoned. Spoony peered at their metallic faces with no expression, save for his widened eyes, while Pollo stared back up at the leader without moving.
“Yes. They are my prisoners. I have been instructed to escort them to the testing chambers.”
“Testing chambers have been closed to new human specimens for 18.7 hours,” the assembler replied after checking through its database.
“Correct. I have received new instructions to begin collecting additional human specimens 1.2 hours ago,” Pollo replied. He had spent the previous night hacking into the main robot database and downloading the schedules, data, and codes given for human-hunters.
“No such instructions have been transmitted,” a robot maid responded, sounding as close to angry as an automaton could.
“I will relay the code I received along with the instructions,” Pollo answered before reciting a long string of binary.
“Code accepted,” the leader bot replied after a few seconds of internal processing. “Human specimens are to be brought to the testing chambers under the leadership of this unit. We shall depart to collect further specimens.”
The circle broke then, as the units obeyed their commander and started to move away, back into the forest from whence they came.
“Oh, fuck me,” Spoony sighed when they were gone at last. “I thought my heart would pop out of my chest it’s beating so fast.”
“Maybe next time, you shouldn’t go running off and risk your life for that of a stray mutt’s,” Linkara scolded as he hobbled over to the two. He only looked angry for a moment before throwing his arms around Spoony and embracing him tightly.
Pollo observed the duo, once again trying to find logic in these blatantly unreasonable actions, but soon realizing that, once again, there was none to be found. Humans truly were creatures who acted based upon emotional triggers, and Pollo found himself desiring more time to better observe and understand his faithful companions. Sadly, time was one of the many things they lacked.
“We must reach the castle before our deception is discovered,” Pollo said, which at last broke up the hug.
“You’re right, Pollo, we need to keep going.” Linkara adjusted his hat, the only part of his outfit that had miraculously resisted being stained or damaged in any way since starting their trek, and set off toward the grey castle again.
“Here, lean on me.” Linkara made a noise of disapproval but allowed himself to be supported by Spoony as they carefully stepped over several hidden tree roots. Pollo resumed his place out in front, partly because he somewhat enjoyed this feeling of leadership, partly to allow his companions more privacy.
Almost half an hour later, the stone walls of the castle were easily picked up by Pollo’s visual sensors, so he floated ahead to knock against the side.
“Insano, please hurry and let us in,” Pollo called out, looking up toward the turrets. He knew Insano always cast spells that alerted him whenever people dared to approach his home.
“Why on earth would I allow you, a crony of my sworn enemy, inside my home?” Insano’s voice cackled from throughout the sky, as if he were calling down to them from the heavens.
“Because if you don’t, your sworn enemy is going to kick the crap out of you!” Linkara replied as he and Spoony quickly joined Pollo. Insano’s voice grew even shriller, if that were possible.
“Damn you, Linkara! I will not be threatened into opening my home to you, fool!”
“You say that now, when you’re locked away behind meters of stone,” Spoony muttered, already looking agitated. “Come out here and say that you won’t to our faces, why don’t you?”
“Silence, Spoony! I could blast you with a bolt of lightning so quickly that you wouldn’t even feel it burn your skin before you were dead!”
“Yeah, I know you can,” Spoony said, now staring pointedly at the western-most turret. “That’s why we need your help so badly, Insano. Your magic is the only thing that we can use to defeat these robots. We are entirely helpless without you so please, won’t you have mercy on us lesser beings and help us out with you awesome powers just this once?”
Pollo understood this tactic Spoony used simply by the look of disgust now covering Linkara’s face.
“Well…” Insano murmured, seemingly having a change of heart. “That’s well and good coming from a peon like you, but… I want to hear those words from Linkara!” He giggled madly then, and even harder when Linakra started to grind his teeth.
“Come on, it won’t be so bad,” Spoony said rubbing Linkara’s back in a soothing manner. “Just take a breath and lie through your teeth. Insano won’t care, and it’ll be worth it when we can get our hands on his potions.”
“I heard that, Spoony!” Insano snapped.
“F-fine.” Linkara indeed took a breath before moving his gaze to the ground. “Insano, you are a true m-master of magic and… our only hope for survival.”
It was amazing to Pollo how humans could be swayed into actions that often repulsed them because of a few simple words. Or how they could be brought back from that repulsion by pressing the soft, outer parts of their mouths together, as Spoony demonstrated on Linkara after he finished talking.
Before their very eyes a swirling red portal appeared, just big enough for the humans to walk through. Linkara made sure he had a clear grip on his hat and gun before heading toward the magical vortex.
Just then, Pollo’s visual sensors detected a presence in the bushes. He hovered closer to it and was ensnared by several wires which shot out of the former robotic maid.
“My deductions were correct. An automaton would not escort human captives without binding them,” it announced in its cold, metallic voice while Pollo struggled to free himself. “You will be eliminated, traitor to robot-kind.”
A surge of electricity pulsated through the wires and jolted Pollo into seeing black and hearing nothing. However, his visual and audio sensors were restored seconds later when Spoony tackled the maid-bot to the ground, pulling the wires from Pollo’s body in the process.
“Well, maid, I guess it’s time for the humans to take out the trash!” he shouted before plunging his gunblade into the back of the automaton. It released several sparks from various parts of its body before a small fire erupted inside its torso. The maid-bot soon lost all ability to function and became, by robotic standards, dead. It quickly started to slump towards the ground.
“Why am I not surprised that you’d make a horrible joke at a time like this?” Linkara asked, smiling lightly as he hobbled over to where Spoony was still holding onto the automaton. That smile vanished, though, when the robot fell to the ground with a metallic squink. Spoony, who was still gripping his weapon with one hand, went with it.
“Spoony!” Linkara and Pollo rushed to the side of their comrade, and pulled his motionless body away from the automaton. “Spoony, are you okay? What happened to you?” Linkara struggled down into a kneeling position and felt along the gamer’s neck and wrists. “I-I can’t feel a pulse… why is there no pulse… Pollo,” he looked over at the robot, an expression of desperation and fear covering his usually confident features, “Pollo…what’s wrong?”
“I hate to inform you of this, Linkara,” Pollo said slowly, unable to look away from his dearest friend’s face, “but that maid unit was powered by electricity it stored within its body, and when Spoony impaled it with his blade, he most likely-”
“No.” Linakra shook his head, refusing to listen to the rest. “No, no, that couldn’t happen, Pollo, it’s impossible… no… no! No!” He lowered his head, resting it against the still chest of Spoony, and started to sob.
“Linkara.” Pollo had no actions programmed for how to respond in such a situation. He knew what humans would feel right about now: grief, rage, loss, confusion, as well as what they were apt to do: cry, yell, destroy, fall apart. The only things Pollo could do was hover and watch as Linkara suffered so greatly, and feel disappointment in himself for not being strong enough to protect one of the few things that mattered most to him.
“Hey, Linkara.” The hero looked up in anger at the sound of Insano’s voice. The sorcerer quickly adjusted his goggles and the black cloak he always wore before coughing awkwardly. “Look I-I never wanted this to happen. As much as Spoony and I fight, I did care for him, and he deserves a proper burial, so why don’t you let me-”
“You’re not touching him!” Linkara growled, bending down to hug Spoony protectively to his chest.
“All right, all right,” Insano said quickly, taking a step back. “Then at least bring him inside, where it’s safe, will you?” Linkara glared daggers at him with red, watery eyes, and seemed ready to spend the rest of the day outside in order to reject Insano’s suggestions, but Pollo quickly tapped his shoulder.
“Please, Linkara, come inside. Spoony would not want his death to be the cause of yours.” Linkara’s face wavered and for a moment, Pollo thought he would crumble even further. Then the comic lover gathered Spoony into his arms and made the painstaking journey back to his feet (with only a little of Insano’s magic to lighten Spoony’s weight, though no one other than the sorcerer knew about this).
“Ok, hurry up then,” Insano barked before stepping back through the portal. Linkara tightened his hold on Spoony and stepped through without a word, leaving Pollo to bring up the rear.
After the sensation of riding in an elevator ended, they found themselves in large dungeon with several bottles of bizarre looking items and a cauldron simmering over a fireplace. Linkara studied the room with eyes that couldn’t focus on one place for more than a few seconds, until he noticed Insano gesturing toward an empty slab of rock on the far side of the room.
“You can lay him over here. He won’t be disturbed, I promise.” Linkara’s grip on Spoony tightened but he hobbled over and laid his body out without argument. Insano lifted a jar of pale red powder and sprinkled a little over his doppleganger’s body.
“Hey!” Linkara cried, about ready to knock the jar from the other man’s hands.
“It’s just something to keep restless spirits from possessing him,” Insano insisted, as he cradled the powder protectively in his arms. “You can have your abomination analyze it if you don’t believe me!” Pollo started to hover toward the two, but stopped when Linkara lifted his hand.
“It’s fine. I believe you.”
“About time you stopped considering my every act as a sin against humanity,” Insano muttered as he vanished the jar with a wave of his hands. “Now tell me, hero, how goes the fight against the other scientific abominations?”
Usually Linkara would respond with some quick, angry comment about how Insano’s creations were more abominable than anything science had ever produced, but as he stared down at Spoony’s body and reached out to brush a few strands of hair from his face, it was like all the fire that once burned so brightly inside him had been dampened. Pollo responded in his place.
“Not well. Most of humankind has not been able to escape fast enough, and those that have are living in small, shantytowns that are low on supplies and security. By tomorrow, it’s expected that 85 percent of the world’s human population will be gone.” When Pollo finished, he turned back to his companion and watched as Linkara started to stroke Spoony’s forehead, now staring off into space, his expression drawn and blank.
“I knew no good would come of this fascination with science,” Insano muttered as he waved his hand and several books flew down from the shelves and over to him. “The laws of nature do not like being perverted by the will of man, and now all humanity is suffering for the sins of a few deranged scientists.” He started flipping through the pages of one book before tossing it aside and picking up another. “You can’t say I didn’t warn you both. I told you and Spoony countless times to be wary of automated life forms that may one day wish to rise against their cruel oppressors, but as I expected, neither of you listened.”
Linkara’s fingers moved from Spoony’s forehead down to the angry wounds slice upon his face and traced the jagged lines down to the side of the gamer’s neck. Pollo realized they were trembling, and he couldn’t bring himself to scan Linkara’s face again.
“So, what do we do next?” he asked Insano, who was flipping through his fifth book now.
“Ah, here it is!” Insano grinned manically as he started sending ingredient jars through the air toward his cauldron. “This spell is complex and very difficult to complete, but when I pull it off I will be able to save you, hero.” He grinned at Linkara, who took no notice.
“Is it something we can use to defeat the other automatons?” Pollo asked, hovering closer to get a look at the book.
“Of course not,” Insano snapped, rolling his eyes behind his goggles. “This is a spell that will open the seals between dimensions and let you two escape from here!” He started giggling wildly again, and was so absorbed in his ingredient gathering that he failed to notice Linkara walking up behind him.
“What did you say?” Insano jumped a foot and whirled around to find himself staring into a face of absolute loathing. “You expect me, after all the hell I’ve been through trying to save people and help humanity, to just turn tail and run? To abandon my friends, my family, my planet, the rest of humankind, and the man I love, just because you say so? Well that is not how this is going to work, Insano! I am a hero, remember, just like you always call me in that derisive tone of yours, and I am not going anywhere, least of all away from my own world, and if you don’t like it, then that’s just too bad! So go sort through your stupid little magic tricks and find something that can help me defeat these robots before I shove you into that cauldron and cook me some Insano soup!”
Linkara had never been so enraged before that his face had turned purple, but that had clearly changed now as he bore down on the now-shaking sorcerer.
“I-I-all right, I’m sorry,” Insano moaned, bringing up his hands to cover his head and closing his eyes in fear. Linkara stared at him a moment, nostrils flaring and his eyes bulging behind his glasses, before he turned and headed back to stand beside Spoony. Insano, realizing he wasn’t going to receive a thrashing for once, scurried away with his books, muttering a number of horrible things under his breath before he vanished.
Pollo felt unsure of what action he should take next. He had no desire to follow after the sorcerer and listen to him continue bashing Linkara and science, but he also felt staying close to his most trusted companion would be the wrong choice as well. Linkara was obviously in immense pain, and he seemed content to stand beside Spoony’s body, staring down at him while running a hand through his hair and every so often bringing one bruised hand to his lips for a gentle kiss. Pollo felt like it was wrong to bear witness to such sights, so he made the choice to follow Insano and hovered out of the room as quickly as his body could manage. For the first time in his existence, he felt truly lost and without purpose.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hours later, Pollo carried a bowl of yellowish liquid over to Linkara’s room. The door was slightly ajar and inside it was very dark.
“May I come in?” he asked after peeking his head in through the crack. Linkara was sitting on the windowsill, staring outside and watching the sunset without expression. He didn’t reply, but nodded slightly, and this gave Pollo the courage to float closer to him.
“This potion is supposed to heal minor wounds and injuries,” Pollo explained as he set the bowl down on the bedside table. “We should use it on your ankle.” Linkara turned to stare at the liquid before setting his scowl on Pollo.
“I don’t want to use any of that magical crap if Insano made it,” he declared. Pollo stared back at him, unwilling to back down. He knew how stubborn Linkara could be at times, and refused to let him have his way again.
“I understand you dislike Insano,” Pollo said, hovering closer to his friend, “but you need to take care of yourself now. We are at war, and could be forced to fight at any time. Allowing yourself to remain injured for no reason is not a good idea.”
“My ankle is fine,” Linkara insisted, turning his head so he wouldn’t have to look at the robot. “It will heal on its own soon enough.”
“Do you think Spoony would accept such an answer,” Pollo said. Linkara turned back to him quickly, his eyes blazing with anger.
“Pollo, don’t you dare-!” he started, but Pollo refused to let him finish.
“Everyone who fought so hard for us would say the same,” he continued in an even tone. “Harvey, 90s Kid, Ninja-Style Dancer, and Spoony all contributed to us escaping with our lives. They are depending on you to continue fighting for yourself, Linkara, so you need to do anything you can to survive and keep fighting. Don’t let their sacrifices be in vain.”
“Get out.” Pollo had never before seen such a look cross Linkara’s face. He couldn’t classify what it was, but he knew what it meant. He was no longer welcome around the comic lover.
Without a word, Pollo turned and floated out of the room. He attempted to find Insano again, but the sorcerer seemingly had vanished, and there was no other soul, living or robotic, inside the castle. Pollo kept hovering until he found a small cupboard off to the side of one hallway. He positioned himself inside it and shut the doors before powering down for the night.