novelTo the Surface…… (1)
| ← Ch.09 | Ch.11 → |
A night passes, and it鈥檚 the day of the operation.
鈥淓veryone, line up in single files. Face forward. 鈥?
All three hundred villagers are gathered inside the REM forest. Twenty a row, fifteen rows altogether. Every one of them comprise of male and female, young and old. The children today are exceptionally obedient for once.
鈥淩ow A, report in!鈥?
G?tz orders, and the villagers call out in order 鈥淥ne!鈥?鈥淭wo!鈥?Three!鈥? It鈥檚 a military-like check, but the voices of the children give it the vibe of an elementary school sports meet, and gives a few chuckles.
Starting from row A to row O, the attendance taking continues. There are three hundred people lined up and six who aren鈥檛, a total of three hundred and six villagers. Everyone, except for the Chief, is present.
At this point, Chief鈥檚 death has yet to be revealed. The Senate decided to wait till everyone arrived at the surface and calm down to avoid agitating the villagers, before announcing the death and the funeral.
鈥淟ady Amaryllis, thus ends the attendance. 鈥?
鈥淕ood work. 鈥?
鈥淗ow鈥檚 things on your end, Viscaria?鈥?
鈥淗old on. 鈥?
Viscaria leans out from the chair, and is checking all the parameters on the control panel of the Snow White. The screens show all angles of the Snow White, and the spindle continues to spin at its original pace.
鈥淐radle values normal. All vital values as normal. Eh, and鈥es, yes, got it. 鈥?
Viscaira mutters to herself as she proceeds with the final checks. 鈥淥kay!鈥?She rolls her sleeves,
鈥淎maryllis, I鈥檓 done here!鈥?
鈥淯nderstood!鈥?
鈥擡verything鈥檚 going well.
I nudge my chest with my hands, affirming my determination. This operation affects the future of humanity and robots. We鈥檙e transporting more than three hundred masters to the surface. I can鈥檛 let my guard down until they wake up peacefully.
鈥擱est well, Chief. We鈥檒l definitely finish this.
I recall the face of the deceased Chief, and bit my lips lightly.
鈥擱est well too, Gappy. I鈥檒l definitely bring the Cradle you protected to the surface.
Ga, ppy, the nostalgic volce echoes in my mind again.
鈥淣ow then, everyone!鈥?
I shout at the villagers who are all lined up.
鈥淪tarting from now, we鈥檙e beginning the operation to move the Cradles out!鈥?
In the meantime, the atmosphere seems tense.
鈥淭he operation will occur like before. Each team as a unit is to move the Cradles to the surface based on the designated routes. Follow the instructions of your leaders, and move extra cautiously鈥攏ow then. 鈥?
I loudly declare,
鈥淏egin the operation!鈥?
The outer walls of the Snow White slides open, resembling a massive, blooming flower, pretty and regal.
Cradles are being escorted out like newly hatched eggs inside the white storage units of the flower. The eggs are being transported out for about ten meters, and arrive at the other end鈥擥?tz鈥檚 back. There is a latch installed on his back to move the Cradles that synchronizes perfectly with the magnets of the Cradle. The cables extending from the Cradle are attached to G?tz鈥檚 chest. Thus, the preparation work is complete.
鈥淔irst array, launching!鈥?
G?tz carries the Cradle easily as he climbs up the ladder of the wall. Looking down from the top, it appears that long and narrow eggs are climbing up the wall.
With G?tz leading, the second villager follows suit. Thus, the villagers carrying the Cradles climb up one after another. About two hundred meters or so up the 鈥榩ath canal鈥? the ladder is directed sideways towards the 鈥榳ork tunnel鈥?
鈥擭o problems.
I watch the villagers advance as I gently put my hand before my chest.
鈥擨t鈥檒l succeed.
There鈥檚 another twenty hours. Anything beyond that, and both us and the Cradles will die.
The thing most worrying here will be an earthquake. Of course, once a tremor is detected, everyone will receive an emergency notification. Each team has a spare battery, but even so, due to the uncertainty of the earthquake scale, nobody knows what will happen. We鈥檙e completely lost if there are massive earthquakes that cause the work tunnels to collapse completely.
鈥擮h Earth, please. Just remain peaceful for now.
I pray to the earth god as I wait for time to subside. There鈥檚 nothing we can do, and I can鈥檛 help but feel uneasy.
鈥淭his is G?tz. Arrived at the first checkpoint have I!鈥?
The first checkpoint is the entrance into the work tunnel.
鈥淩ight, going well! Listen, there鈥檚 still lots of time, so please be careful!鈥?
鈥淯nderstood!鈥?
It has been fifteen minutes since the operation started, and more than thirty villagers have departed. G?tz will take the lead, and Eisbahn follows at the end. Viscaria and I will not be participating, and will be giving instructions in the Snow White until the operation is over.
鈥淗ow鈥檚 it going?鈥?
I watch the screen next to Viscaria. There鈥檚 the underground world map with numerous lights moving up in a single line.
鈥淓nergy reactions are all normal. Going very well. 鈥?
鈥淚 see鈥hank goodness. 鈥?
The red lights continue to move forward in the underground well. The planned path has been imprinted into the Mind Circuits of the villagers, but there may be changes in cases of obstacles.
鈥淐radle A block, transport complete! Opening B block!鈥?
鈥淯nderstood! Keep going like this!鈥?
I give the instruction, and with a rumbling sound, the second petal of the Snow White鈥攖he B block is exposed. The Cradles leaving the units are transported out, carried on the back of the villagers.
鈥擱ight, things are going well.
The Cradles are moved out in an orderly manner, and once we reach the surface, it will be a succeed鈥擨 can鈥檛 help but make an optimistic guess.
But,
Right when the seventy-third Cradle is being carried.
A siren rings.
鈥淧ulse detected!鈥?
Viscaria yells.
鈥淗igh energy hitting us!鈥?
The hopeless of her voice strikes me along with an electric pulse running through me.
鈥擜n earthquake at such a moment!
鈥淓veryone, stop!鈥?I contact everyone through the wireless. 鈥淚nitiate Manual C-1! Lie prone on the ground and stay defensive鈥斺€?
Before I can finish, the siren becomes reality.
鈥?!!
A massive tremor strikes us.
鈥擶oah!!?
I lose control of my body, my knees land on the ground before I lose balance, and I fall forward.
鈥淓v鈥︹€very鈥ne!鈥?
I want to give evacuation instructions to everyone, but the strong quake wouldn鈥檛 allow me to. Like a massive wave rocking a boat, I tumble all around, and the ceiling collapses upon me like rain.
鈥擜h-ahh!
And then, I see this. In a corner of my shaking vision, I see Viscaria and the technicians facing her. Beyond that, the massive white building, the Snow White tilts greatly, the landscape of the RM forest cracks open, and forms a massive black mouth鈥?
鈥擜h, ahh, you got to be kidding. Ahh, ah, ahhhhhh鈥?
A rumble.
With a ripping sound, the ground cracks up like heinous fangs. The Snow White loses its balance and begins to topple over, and the cracks continue to spread as quickly. The massive Snow White trembles along with a few villagers, and topples over abruptly with a deafening metallic sound.
Even so, the earthquake shows no signs of abating. The earth is roaring, the air quivering, and the world sways with malice. I grab the ground that has collapsed, trying to remain where I am as I sway like a clock bell. The Cradles being moved out pinball each other, rolling into the crack, and buried by the collapsing rubble. Everyone鈥檚 tumbled over by the immense quakes, unable to reach out to the Cradles fallen by their sides.
The earthquake is quelled after a few minutes, and once it does, blue light gushes out from the cracks like a waterfall, followed by massive explosions booming in the underground world. The pillars of flames rise up the path canal, and the swirling crimson flames filled the entire room with black smoke like the devil.
Those were the final moments of the Snow White.
鈥擴u鈥?
After three minutes of downtime, my Mind Circuit is rebooted.
鈥擴u鈥uuu鈥?
I exert strength into my fingers, trying my best to climb up. The REM forest remains filled with black smoke, but white steam spray upon it, apparently trying to flush it away. It appears the emergency fire system has been activated, and the extinguishers are sprayed.
鈥淯u. 鈥?
I push aside the rubble pressing on me, and stand up. Due to the cracks on the floor, the ground is tilted greatly and the walls and roofs are twisted. The massive cracks that devoured the Snow bare their wounds before me, about to cleave the house in half.
鈥擜hh!
I realize something, get up on my knees, and shove the rubble aside. I can see the familiar 鈥榝eeler鈥?there.
鈥淰iscaria鈥?鈥?
I shove aside a large metal slice, and shake my friend on the shoulder. 鈥渦uu鈥︹€?she finally reacts.
鈥淰iscaria, you alright鈥??鈥?
鈥溾€鈥檓 fine, I guess鈥︹€?
Her eyes are giving off light, and she weakly get up.
Once she regains her functions, Viscaria stands up by putting her feeler on my shoulder. Her white face has signs of scratches on her face. It seems that she only has some minor wounds.
鈥淗ow鈥檚 the situation鈥?鈥?
Viscaria presses her neck and turns her neck around as she asks calmly. Seeing how poised she remains even after all this, I too calm down a bit.
鈥淭he Snow White鈥斺€?
I look back at the crack, and smoke continue to rise from this crevice-like hole, depicting the intensity of the fire beneath.
鈥溾€ait. 鈥?
Viscaria鈥檚 eyes look exceptionally grim as she taps at the portable terminal at her waist. Numerous red lights are flickering on it like a starry sky.
鈥淗ow鈥s it?鈥?
I look over at the screen with apprehension.
鈥淚t鈥檚 useless. 鈥?Viscaria stats bluntly, 鈥淭here鈥檚 no energy reaction from the Snow White. 鈥?
鈥淭hat鈥檚鈥 complete wipeout?鈥?鈥擳he Snow White, got wiped out鈥?
There鈥檚 less than a hundred Cradles that were moved out. In other words, there are two hundred or so Cradles buried alive in the Snow White under the cracks.
鈥淜u鈥︹€?
The shock and faltering pricks at my heart. A colossal damage leaves me dejected.
At this moment, I recall Chief鈥檚 words.
鈥擜maryllis, you are the one with the highest standing in the village, and thus forth, you shall inherit my title as Chief.
These words nudge me forth like an invisible hand.
鈥擨 shall leave the village to you
I take a deep breath, and switch on the wireless.
鈥淣otifying all villagers!!鈥?I cheer myself up, and yell, 鈥淓veryone, report your situations鈥? I repeat! Everyone, report your situations鈥?鈥?
Midway through, I can hear anguished voices through the wireless.
鈥淶a鈥his is鈥an. Can鈥檛 move鈥t鈥ll!鈥?
鈥淢assive damage鈥azaa鈥e got wounded鈥?! Zaaa鈥eed immediate鈥ssistance鈥?!鈥?
鈥淭unnel has collapsed鈥? Path is鈥bstructed鈥ahhh!!!鈥?
There are collapses everywhere due to the earthquake, and many villagers are buried alive. I clench my fists, and instruct loud and clear.
鈥淭his is Amaryllis! Initiating Emergency Manual D-3! Anyone able to move is to assist the wounded! Everyone else is to secure the Cradles!鈥?
鈥淭unnel is obstructed! What do we do鈥?鈥?
鈥淧rioritize rendezvous with our friends immediately! There鈥檚 a shortcut at the cutback there!鈥?
鈥淐-Cradle is damaged! I-I don鈥檛 have a battery!!鈥?
鈥淒on鈥檛 panic! Contact with the other Cradles, share batteries鈥? Follow Viscaria鈥檚 instructions after that!鈥?
鈥淚鈥檓 stuck in the ridge! Can鈥檛 move鈥?鈥?
鈥淪tay where you are! Wait for help right now!鈥?
The signals pleading for help swarm the wireless like a burst dam, and I instruct them one after another. The priority mission at this point is to regroup.
Gather intel, affirm the situation, give immediate commands. Through the intel reflected by the villagers and the energy responses I got from Viscaria, I have a rough understanding of the situation. Given some estimates, there are more than a hundred and fifty dead or missing, and at least two hundred Cradles are destroyed. The scale of damage is mind-numbing, but this isn鈥檛 the time to be sighing.
鈥淩emember to conserve battery power! Switch to power saving mode and cut off all functions that has nothing to do with maintaining the vitals! Nothing too complicated, just recall the contents of the manual!鈥?
I continue to give instructions one after another, trying my best to avoid causing panic. Soon, the survivors gather by my side in trios, fives.
I try my best to sound as optimistic as possible so as to encourage those present.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fine! We still have lots of battery power. Everyone, let鈥檚 calm down before taking action!鈥?
My heart was rattled moments ago, and now it鈥檚 starting to calm down as I keep giving instructions. In any case, I鈥檒l do what I can do, and once we get to the surface, we鈥檒l sort everything out.
鈥淚鈥檓 reassigning work to everyone! All survivors of the technical team are to go over to Viscaria! Put down the Cradles for the time being and begin emergency checks. At the same time, treat the injured! All the children are to come over too! Everyone else, go help our buried friends! Follow me!鈥?
鈥擳hat鈥檚 right, Amaryllis. Do your duty as the new Chief. This is your mission.
Again, I make up my mind, and a few minutes after I call out, more than thirty villagers gather around me. These people become the paramedics, and head out to save the buried injured and Cradles nearby. Sounds of breaking walls can be heard as I look around, and I can see some limbs.
鈥擡veryone, please stay safe鈥?
So I pray as I pull out the buried villagers from the rubble. The sturdy structure of the REM forest building fulfils its functions, as survivors are found one after another. Once they鈥檙e dug up, spare batteries get attached to them. Once they are rebooted, they鈥檙e dragged to the repair team led by VIscaria.
After twenty are saved,
鈥淵ou hear me, Amaryllis鈥??鈥?
There鈥檚 a signal from the wireless. No doubt that this voice is his.
鈥淓isbahn鈥??鈥?
鈥淵eah it鈥檚 m鈥!鈥?
鈥淕reat, you鈥檙e alright鈥? Are you hurt!鈥?
鈥淓nough with that and hurry to my side! Get everyone else here! Bring as many batteries as you can!鈥?
鈥淲hat鈥檚 going on!?鈥?
He sounds as serious as ever, and I start to feel increasingly tense.
I can only hear him shout,
鈥淭he Cradles are doomed鈥?! Lots of them!!鈥?
I receive the report, and hurry to the scene,
鈥淎maryllis, over here!鈥?
A tall blond is waving at me in a place my wireless can detect. His face is completely covered in soot, but there鈥檚 no visible wounds.
鈥淟et鈥檚 go!鈥?
鈥淎h, wait!鈥?
I hurry after him as he sprints. Within the belly of the REM forest, the rubble piled on cause the ground to be heavily uneven and greatly tilted.
鈥淭his is鈥?鈥?Once I arrive, I can鈥檛 help but open my eyes. 鈥淎 Storage Unit鈥?鈥?
The silver white object poking out like a large nail is the Storage Unit of the Snow White. At this point, it鈥檚 snapped in an L shape down the middle, akin to someone wincing in pain and cupping the belly.
鈥淭he contents鈥??鈥?
鈥淚t鈥檚 okay right now! But if don鈥檛 hurry up and save it, it鈥檚 gonna sink!鈥?
鈥淲hat the鈥??鈥?
I have a closer look, and see the Storage Unit is able to be swallowed by the crack, sinking down. The soft ground seems incapable of withstanding the massive weight.
鈥淓mergency contat鈥?鈥?
I immediately give an instruction.
鈥淪torage Unit in C block is about to sink immediately! Anyone able to move, please gather immediately! Everyone, help ouit!鈥?
The villagers frantically pull up the Storage Unit that鈥檚 sinking little by little. But even with the arm strength of the robots, it鈥檚 not easy to lift something with the weight of a hundred tonnes. The base is also collapsing, making it difficult to establish footing.
鈥擭ot good. We can鈥檛 pull it up!
I immediately make a decision.
鈥淪top pulling! There鈥檚 no way to avoid it sinking! Anyway, put out the Cradles inside! Recall Manual E-6, everyone! Steady!鈥?
Righto! There鈥檚 this response, and the thirty people or so move towards their designated spots. Everyone gather in pairs, and spread out in equal distance between them.
鈥淓isbahn!鈥?
鈥淩ight!鈥?
Eisbahn and I stand at the front, and we start moving out the Cradles. I manually unlock the Unit, and two of us carry a single Cradle out, handing it off carefully to the duo behind us, who then hand off to the duo behind them. In other words, we鈥檙e following the concept of a bucket relay.
The silver lining here is that the Cradles in the storage unit isn鈥檛 really damage. However, the storage unit continues to sink, as though prompting us to hurry.
鈥擥ot to move faster!
I unlock them with brute force, and hastily drag out the Cradles from the unit. The number moved out increase to ten, twenty, but there鈥檚 no sign of it not sinking anymore. One-third of the Storage Unit is already buried into the crack, and it鈥檚 sinking faster than ever.
鈥擨f this keeps up, we won鈥檛 make it!
After moving more than twenty-five of them, we鈥檝e reached our limit. The crack spreads like a wound, and the Storage Unit tilts greatly. Eisbahn and I hope off before it gets crushed underground.
鈥淎hhh鈥?鈥?
The storage unit sinks in, seemingly devoured by the crack. This harkens memories of the last moments of the Snow White, and I can鈥檛 help but hold my breath. The other villagers shriek in agony as the sounds echo in the room.
At that moment,
鈥淓veryone get down!鈥?
Suddenly, a blue light flashes from the side, and cleaves the sinking Storage Unit in two. The part above the bend pops out and gets stuck before us, while the remaining lower half sinks into the crack, vanishing completely.
Eisbahn sheathes his Phantom Blade, saying with a grim look.
鈥淚鈥檓 not kind enough to let it take it all. 鈥?
鈥淐-36, C-39, C-41鈥-49 is the last one. 鈥?
Thirty-eight Cradles have been salvaged from the Storage Unit. These Cradles are moved to the 鈥楻EM forest鈥?and inspected. Even though they might seem okay on the outside, there are quite a few masters who died due to system malfunction on the inside.
As the Cradles are being checked, I鈥檓 reunited with the children led by Daisy. They all run towards me, sobbing, and I hug them tightly.
鈥擶hat do we do now鈥?
We have a cave-in, and are stuck deep underground. Typically, this is a dire situation, but as robots, we can easily push aside the rocks blocking us, and we can crush them. G?tz and Eisbahn have much destructive power, and it鈥檚 not difficult to eliminate all obstacles as we escape to the surface.
But this isn鈥檛 the problem.
鈥擳he Cradles.
The Cradles require a lot of electricity to be maintained, and the internal batteries can only last for less than twenty hours. In other words, if we can鈥檛 reach the surface within twenty hours, the Cradle will lose electric power, and the humans inside will freeze to death. Of course, the villagers sharing electricity with the Cradles will collapse.
Also, we can no longer return to the village. The cave-in caused by the earthquake blocks off the return path to the villager, and has it mostly buried. If we had voted the preposition to 鈥榣et humans live鈥?or 鈥榳ipe out humanity鈥?during that meeting, it would have undoubtedly resulted in a tragedy of a higher scale.
And the issue most tricky to deal with is the villagers who are buried alive. Given the remaining batteries, there鈥檚 a high likelihood of us barely managing to return to the surface, or even running out of power. It鈥檚 almost impossible to do this and save the villagers who have fallen to the bottom along with the Snow White. If we do, there鈥檚 no doubt there鈥檒l be a second disaster鈥攖he rescuers will run out of batteries and lose mobility. When that happens, the villagers and Cradles will both be wiped out.
鈥擜rgh鈥?
I鈥檓 forced to make a painful decision鈥攖ruth be told, the worst decision. We鈥檒l have to abandon all our friends and most of the villagers who are buried alive, all for the sake of returning to the surface.
I lower my head bitterly. At this moment, a pair of hands land on my shoulders.
I look up, and see Eisbahn standing there.
鈥淐hief. 鈥? he gives a signal that鈥檚 not easily detected. 鈥淧lease give the instructions. 鈥?
I recover.
鈥擱ight, I am.
The Chief.
Looking closely, the warning lights of the Cradles spread throughout the room like red fireflies. The time left is 鈥?1:47:56鈥?鈥擳hen there鈥檚 only one way left.
鈥淓veryone look here!鈥?
I call out for attention. The villagers all look at me.
I exert strength into my words, as though trying to wipe away the anxiety.
鈥淚鈥檓 giving the next instruction鈥?鈥
There鈥檚 still one path.
The batteries of the Cradles can only last for another twenty-two hours. We lost the Snow White, and have no extra electricity to spare. In this case, there should only be one single path left for us.
-To head straight to the surface.
The basic directive hasn鈥檛 changed at all. The target is still the generator on the surface. We gather the scattered villagers in groups, assign leaders, and head forth again. If possible, we鈥檒l meet up again from time to time. We鈥檒l continue moving to the surface while being unable to contact each other鈥擨 give these instructions, and we hastily move forth.
The initial gateway is the 鈥楶ath Canal鈥?
鈥擟arefully, carefully.
To avoid slipping, I watch the steps as I climb the ladder. Going first is Eisbahn, and then Viscaria, followed by a team of a hundred villagers. Adults, children, everyone is carrying a Cradle, wordlessly climbing up. This mass exodus of robots is reminiscent of refugees who lost their hometowns due, wounded, and slow-footed, but despite this, the only way to live is to move forward. There鈥檚 no battery malfunction, no certainty that we can make it to the surface, and the aftershocks that strikes like pursuers. Whenever the aftershocks happen, we can only climb the ladder with all our might. A despair more gripping than anguish fills the atmosphere, and I can only give encouraging words through the wireless from time to time.
The path before us looks exceptionally perilous.
鈥淪top鈥?鈥?I look up, and see a block of ice obstructing us. How many obstacles has it been over the fifty meters since we left the REM forest? I can鈥檛 be bothered to count.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 the situation now?鈥?
鈥淏y my estimate, about 1. 4 tons. It鈥檚 hollow on the other side. We can take it out easily!鈥?
Viscaria taps at the portable monitor at her hand, and it clearly depicts an upright visual.
鈥擱ight!
After the form analysis is done, I give a signal through the wireless.
鈥淧repare to shatter the ice! Everyone hang onto the wall inside of the ladder! Make sure the Cradles are close to the wall!鈥?
After giving this warning that鈥檚 already a template by itself, I wait for the moment.
鈥淎ll villagers in position!鈥?
Viscaria checks the monitor, and notify me that all the villagers are in position to evade.
鈥淎lright, Eisbahn!鈥?
I give the call sign, 鈥淟eave it to me!鈥?and Eisbahn extends his arm out to the ice block above us. A dazzling blue light extends from his fingertips, and the 鈥楶hantom Blade鈥?signature move is unleased. The dark tunnel is lit like day, and a fleeting blue space is unraveled.
鈥淗aa鈥?鈥?
With this sound, the blue saber flashes. A line appears on the ice block above our heads, and the severed surface collapses.
鈥淎nd that. 鈥?
鈥淣ext obstacle is 12. 6m ahead. 鈥?
Viscaria flatly notes as she checks the monitor display.
鈥擭ot again鈥?
A little advance, and we have to stop, warning, cut, check clear. Sometimes, we have to do emergency checks on the malfunctioning Cradles. We鈥檙e going at the pace of three steps forward and two steps back, but there鈥檚 no other way out of this.
鈥淟et鈥檚 go!鈥?
I suppress the anxiety I have inside my head, and reach my head for the next ladder.
鈥淗ah!鈥?
And with a blue light gliding past the darkness, the ice fragments rain down the tunnel like hail. Ice, destroy, advance, ice, destroy, advance鈥攖his boring work continues, and everyone remains silent due to anxiety and uneasiness. 鈥淎hh~ahh~, this is troublesome鈥?鈥?Eisbahn alone is grumbling in such an atmosphere, and it鈥檚 strangely such valuable respite.
鈥淪eriously, stop grumbling and get to work鈥?鈥?
鈥淕ot it!鈥?
鈥淵es, next!鈥?
鈥淗ehe鈥hh, it鈥檚 because you like commanding robots, Amaryllis, 鈥?
He continues to swing the blade as he grumbles, the arcs so bold yet delicate. The destroyed shards of ice fall into the Path Canal, down the path as planned.
鈥淎h, wait!鈥?
At this moment, Viscaria calls out,
鈥淲hat is it?鈥?
鈥淗old here. It鈥檚 the checkpoint. 鈥?
She shines the light at the rocky wall of the tunnel, and there鈥檚 a horizontally hole.
鈥擜h鈥?
鈥淭he work tunnel鈥??鈥?
鈥淥f course. 鈥?
I stare intently at the hole. Most of it is buried by the collapsed rubble, but there鈥檚 no doubt that it鈥檚 the work tunnel I used. I have been climbing the ladder and checking that the villagers are safe, and I never realized that we鈥檝e arrived.
鈥淓isbahn!鈥?
鈥淗ehe. Looks like we鈥檙e going to dig there鈥h my. 鈥?
Suddenly, he stops.
鈥淲hat is it?鈥?
鈥淚 guess it鈥檚 not my turn here. 鈥?
鈥淓h?鈥?
At the next moment,
With a loud explosion, the rubble inside the tunnel are all blown aside. This power comes from the other side.
And then, a nostalgic voice echoes,
鈥淚s everyone fine, no!?鈥?
鈥淵es, open your arms wide and move slowly! No need to rush!鈥?
We build a bridge with enhanced wires, and have the villagers, totaling more than a hundred, pas through. Eisbahn waits under the bridge, making sure it won鈥檛 collapse.
鈥淲e鈥檙e here!鈥?
The children pass through the bridge, and give me a smile, looking as though they just played an interesting game. I鈥檓 healed by their innocence.
鈥淵ou worked hard there. Good, good. 鈥?
I pat a child on the head, and the other children who crossed the bridge are yapping away, 鈥淎hh, that鈥檚 too much. I want one too!鈥?鈥淢e too me too!鈥?approaching me.
鈥淣o, no, everyone鈥檚 crossing the bridge. Okay, next!鈥?
A lot of time is needed to have more than a hundred villagers, but if anyone one is to slip off, it鈥檒l be over; the villagers are resting at the outer wall of the tunnel at the end of the long ladder, giving relieved looks.
鈥擧m, very good. Looks like there鈥檚 some hope.
We鈥檝e made it through less than half the journey, but there has yet to be any martyrs over the past three hours. It鈥檚 really wonderful to be able to reunite with G?tz again after all that happened.
鈥淲e鈥檝e take a little break here! Put all the Cradles next to the wall! Check on your conditions immediately! Anyone who needs parts can ask Viscaria here!鈥?
I give the instructions, and start checking the Cradles that are lined deep into the tunnel. There are some with batteries that are over drained, but the only thing we can do here is to switch over to power saving mode. Due to the earthquake, we lost almost half of our spare batteries. The electricity issue is almost critical.
鈥淎 hundred and three in total鈥?鈥?
Including the Cradle from G?tz, there are a hundred and three. After the checks, I fold my arms, and start to think. A lot of Cradles have batteries that can last for almost twenty hours, but there are quite a few that have only fifteen hours鈥?worth of battery. The Cradles can adjust the temperature accordingly based on the external air, and thus, there are variances in the rate the electricity is depleted.
鈥淕?tz, may I have a moment?鈥?
鈥淚s there something?鈥?
鈥淎bout the advanced team you went with鈥︹€?
I ask tentatively, 鈥淵es鈥︹€?and G?tz gives a grim look.
鈥淚ncluding this me, all hands were buried alive. Only I managed to escape successfully. 鈥?
鈥溾€︹€?
鈥淚 would have saved them, had it not been that they fell into the deep crack鈥︹€?
G?tz spoke grimly, 鈥淎 failure am I. 鈥?he lowers his head dejectedly.
鈥淣o, this isn鈥檛 your fault. Nothing could be done about that earthquake. 鈥?
鈥擴gh鈥?
I bite my lower lip without anyone looking, and start checking on the Cradles again.
Our troubles continue.
鈥淲hat? Can鈥檛 we just break through here?鈥?
Eisbahn says with displeasure.
However, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 impossible. 鈥?Viscaria denies him immediately.
鈥淚f we continue moving forward, we鈥檒l have to keep cutting blocks of ice. You鈥檒l end up depleting all the electric power, and have to retire. 鈥?
鈥淏ut鈥︹€?Eisbahn stamps on the ground lightly. 鈥淗ow much of a detour will this be?鈥?
鈥淲e got no choice here. We can鈥檛 waste our electricity, and we鈥檒l have to use the path we have now, even though it鈥檚 a detour. 鈥?
鈥淪urely in our masters鈥?world, there鈥檚 the saying 鈥榟aste won鈥檛 do the job鈥?鈥?
G?tz too joins in the lecture, 鈥淗mph. 鈥?Eisbahn looks extremely miffed.
鈥淲hatever works for you. 鈥?
鈥淭rust me here. Please, just once. 鈥?
It鈥檚 rare for Viscaria to be begging.
鈥淲ell, it鈥檚 not like I鈥檓 doubting your calculations here鈥︹€?
Eisbahn looks all the more miffed, and stabs at the ice with his heel. This is a marking for cutting with the saber.
鈥淚s this fine?鈥?
鈥淢ostly. It鈥檚 about two meters thick. Try digging it like it鈥檚 a manhole. 鈥?
鈥淵es, yes. 鈥?
Eisbahn slouches his back, and follows Viscaria鈥檚 calculations as the Phantom Blade immediately gives off a blue light, stabbing right into the ground. He then moves his body around slowly, creating an arc.
After ten seconds, the cut off part sinks in, and a round hole appears like a hole on a frozen lake.
鈥淪o this leads into the underground tunnel?鈥?
I ask as I look into the hole. It鈥檚 completely dark inside, and nothing can be seen.
鈥淩ight. Head East from here. We鈥檒l finally reach the path leading to the surface. It鈥檒l be a long detour, but this is the move that saves the most electricity. 鈥?
鈥淚 see鈥鈥檒l go first then. 鈥?
The electronic meter detects the depth to be at least ten meters. I lower the rope, check that it鈥檚 down, and enter the hope.
鈥擧ow far more do we have to go?
As I head down the rope, I recall the words Eisbahn said,
He鈥檚 right too. We鈥檙e trying to hurry to the surface, yet we have to go down. This really gives an unappealing feeling. The other villagers are feeling the same, 鈥淲hy are we heading back?鈥?Daisy鈥檚 voice enters the wireless.
鈥擠on鈥檛 get anxious. Don鈥檛 get anxious.
I continue to descend down the rope, shaping my legs. The hardness of the ice reaches the soles of my feet, and I know I reach the bottom. How long will it take for us to lower the Cradles one by one? I feel really uneasy.
鈥擠on鈥檛 get anxious. Haste won鈥檛 do the job. Haste won鈥檛 do the job.
I mutter to myself, as though I鈥檓 uttering a mantra, and I feel a little relieved.
I look up, and see a round full moon-like ring in the darkness. The villagers will be descending the rope from there.
Suddenly, I have a feeling that everyone鈥檚 sucked into the darkness, and I can鈥檛 help but quiver.
We continue on wordlessly in the dark tunnel.
Rsst, rsst. What we step on isn鈥檛 snow, but the corpses of the work robots. It鈥檚 one thing if they are metal plates shattered due to frostbite, it鈥檚 eerie if they still had their limbs or heads intact. However, if we want to advance, we have to step over them.
鈥淚t鈥檚 long鈥︹€?
EIsbahn grumbles behind me. 鈥淵eah鈥︹€?I too mutter back. The little conversations we have ends here, and all that鈥檚 left are some little mumblings.
And this heavy atmosphere lasts for an hour.
鈥淗ey, aren鈥檛 we there yet?鈥?
I ask Viscaria.
鈥淎hh, it鈥檚 near. Just a minute more and we鈥檒l reach. 鈥?
She answers as she looks at the portable terminal. There are more than a hundred lights lined up in a row on the screen (These are us), and there are ten lights before us.
鈥擭ow we鈥檒l finally meet up.
We lost contact with no more than forty due to the earthquake. Given the directive, they鈥檒l continue to move up towards the surface, and this will be the first time we will be meeting other squads. Fifty meters, forty, thirty, we naturally increase our pace as we approach. If we reunite, these isolated villagers, and our team will all be livened uo.
鈥淓h鈥?鈥?
We arrive there, and what we see is the hill of rubble.
鈥擜n aftershock鈥??
Aftershocks keep coming till this point, and a few times, we鈥檙e rattled by the collapsing dirt. This particular instance is really dire.
鈥淢ove the rubble aside!鈥?
I instruct, and everyone get down to work, digging out this place where our friends may be buried under.
But,
As we keep digging them out one after another, we鈥檙e all left speechless.
鈥淯uu鈥︹€?
We find our comrades amidst the rubble, each of them hugging the Cradle firmly. It鈥檚 obvious that they immediately protected their masters the moment they got buried.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e all dead鈥︹€?Viscaria checks them all, and reports to me with regret, 鈥淭heir Mind Circuits are all cracked due to frostbite. 鈥?
The bodies look utterly mangled, due to the damage caused by the weight of the rubble and the cessation of electrical supply. The Mind Circuits in the center of the chest are completely shattered beyond shape.
鈥淭hey, cut these off themselves鈥︹€?
Eisbahn takes out a cable, and notes silently,
Looking closely, the cables are draped from the Cradles like an umbilical cord. Looking at how the cable remains undamaged, it鈥檚 obvious the villagers took them off voluntarily.
鈥擳hey offer their hopes of life to the Cradles.
If they had just obtained some electricity from the Cradles, they could have survived, but they never did so, not even for a minute, or a second. They shut off all possibility of living, and chose the path of letting our masters live.
鈥擳his is our mission, our raison d鈥檈tre. But鈥?
鈥淭hese fools鈥︹€?
Eisbahn sadly mutters,
All ten villagers look peaceful, giving the expression of those who died after accomplishing their missions. The reason why their communicators are cut off is because they cut off the charging cables.
鈥淎hh鈥︹€?
I let out a little sigh.
There are ten Cradles that manage to survive, and ten robots who sacrificed their bodies. All the other villagers can only stand still as they watch this.
鈥溾€et鈥檚 move them away. 鈥?
I assign the salvaged Cradles to the villagers. The Cradles have exceeded the villagers in numbers, so some villagers, led by G?tz, will carry multiple Cradles.
The villagers bury the corpses. Considering how little battery power is left, there鈥檚 no other choice here.
A hundred villagers clasp their hands together as they stand in front of this little grave made of ice.
鈥擴gh鈥?
I feel the anguish over the lost friends, and curse at my own helplessness as I lift my face, saying,
鈥淥kay, let鈥檚 go. 鈥?
After a short funeral, we head off again.
鈥淔rom here on, we鈥檙e going to climb. 鈥?
We arrive at a fork, and Viscaria stops, looking up. There鈥檚 a slope forty-five degrees steep, and looking up from the bottom, it looks like a broken cliff.
鈥淎ck, we can climb this thing?鈥?
Like usual, Eisbahn remains unmotivated.
鈥淪top complaining. Let鈥檚 go. 鈥?
鈥淵es yes. 鈥?
I grab onto the wall of ice, as though ready to rock climb. It鈥檚 not difficult if I have to climb on my own, but it鈥檚 really not easy having to carry Cradles of two hundred kilograms while doing so.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a little steep. Don鈥檛 force yourself here, children! Eisbahn and I will pull you up with rope!鈥?
鈥淓hhh, you serious?鈥?
鈥淲hat did you say?鈥?
鈥淣othing. 鈥?
I feel the weight on my back with my fingertips as I climb with all my might. I feel that I expended quite a bit of battery power, but I鈥檒l slip and fall if I don鈥檛 control my power output well.
Eisbahn and I watch the footing as we cautiously climb up. Soon after, the other adult robots follow. Viscaria instructs us on a path that鈥檚 easy to climb, while the children are looking up at me worriedly.
After the short climb of about ten minutes, I put down my Cradle.
鈥淓veryone, take it easy! There鈥檚 not much time! Be careful!鈥?
It鈥檚 steep, but luckily, the slope isn鈥檛 that high. After about twenty minutes, the adults have all finished climbing. Following that, the children have all climbed, and finally, we pull up the children鈥檚 Cradles with rope. G?tz, the strongest of us all, really put in a lot of effort during this time.
鈥淥raaahh, orraahhh鈥nd we stop!!鈥?
Many loops are wrapped around the Cradles, but the villagers cautiously pass them on one after another. Even after a long time, none of the hundred and so Cradles dropped. This is the best situation for us.
鈥淥kay, five minutes rest!鈥?
I want to rest for twenty, thirty minutes, but after considering the battery power, I decide against it. There鈥檚 only twelve hours of electricity left. More than half has been depleted if we consider the initial twenty-two hours planned.
鈥擟an we last until the end?
We have few spare batteries at hand, and we鈥檙e almost at our limit. I try to act as calm as possible as I observe the resting villagers. Over the past ten hours, they have been exerting grueling manual labor, and thus, all of them are looking really weary.
Once rest time ends, we head off again.
But thirty minutes in, our worries become reality.
鈥淐an鈥檛 go on鈥?鈥?
I receive contact on the wireless, and have the other villagers stop.
I head to the back, and find a girl with a severed leg there. It鈥檚 Vicia, who has the 鈥榟opping pain鈥?and often visits Viscaria.
鈥淲hat is it鈥?鈥?
鈥淓-er-erm鈥i-cia鈥檚鈥ody, power鈥︹€?
The girl starts to utter some words, but her voice installation doesn鈥檛 seem adept. She鈥檚 looking weak.
鈥擜 malfunction鈥??
I kneel down before the girl, 鈥淒on鈥檛 move. 鈥?
I have her lie on a flat surface. Then, I check on the girl鈥檚 Cradle.
鈥?0:25:38鈥?
鈥ust this much鈥??
There鈥檚 no more than thirty minutes of battery power left that鈥檚 indicated. Normally, in order to protect the data, the machine will become inactive if a robot has less than thirty minutes of power. It seems Vicia has encountered this situation.
鈥淲ait. I鈥檒l change your battery immediately!鈥?
I open the battery unit of the Cradle, pick out a spare battery in my pocket, and inserts it.
鈥擯lease, work properly鈥?
After a slap, a little light runs in the girl鈥檚 eyes. With a deep thud, her petite body quivers.
Again, I check the remaining battery power on the Cradle 鈥?8:31:47鈥? once I see the time, I can鈥檛 help but just feel relieved. It seems it isn鈥檛 a system malfunction, just a depletion of power.
鈥淗ow do you feel?鈥?
鈥淭hank, you鈥︹€?
The girl smiles weakly, and reaches her hand out. I grab her hand, and help her to her feet.
鈥淚鈥檓 going back to the front now. If you don鈥檛 feel fine, voice out. Understood?鈥?
鈥淵es. 鈥?
The girl nods weakly.
鈥溾€ see. 鈥?
Upon receiving this report, Viscaria nodes silently.
鈥淭he original plan didn鈥檛 require us to plan this far ahead鈥︹€?
Basically, the remaining amount of battery power is deduced, and there are often errors in the actual count. Robots that are particularly aged, like the villagers will have depreciated greatly. They will have worn out further with these extremely harsh conditions and having to carry heavy objects of two hundred kilograms.
鈥淭he batteries these Cradles use are large, so I thought they would have lasted a little longer. 鈥?
鈥淚 thought the same, but it鈥檚 running out faster than we thought. 鈥?
I know very well that exerting large amounts of force or moving heavy objects will expend more battery power. However, we never expected to run out of battery midway through the journey. 鈥?
鈥淲ell, at this point, I don鈥檛 want to say too much. It鈥檚 due to the 鈥榚xtraction鈥? The over-degradation of the machine causes the efficiency to be drained greatly. And after this, we鈥檙e going to have more people who can鈥檛 move due to burned parts. 鈥?
Viscaria hisses,
鈥淗aa鈥︹€?
I can only let out a sigh. At this point, we鈥檙e helpless against the years of depreciation.
鈥淣othing we can do?鈥?
鈥淣othing鈥ust got to hurry. 鈥?
鈥溾€ see. 鈥?
We exchange this conversation, and continue to move on.
After that, like a dam bursting, one robot malfunctions after another.
Damaged parts, short-circuits, Mind Circuit freezer鈥攙arious parts are malfunctioning, but the basic reason is due to the robots aging. Clearly, this is due to the many 鈥榚xtractions鈥?we had.
The spare batteries we have on hand are all quickly depleted, so we keep helping each other, supporting each other as we head forth. Those with electrical power left share their electricity, and those that can still move will carry those that can鈥檛.
But,
First, there are sirens.
鈥淏eep. 鈥?A shrill siren can be heard from the back.
鈥淐radle is malfunctioning! Hurry!鈥?
鈥淲hat鈥檚 wrong!?鈥?
鈥淭he internal temperature is dropping rapidly鈥?鈥?
鈥淲ait, I鈥檒l be right there!鈥?
I contact through the wireless as I run. G?tz and Eisbahn follow me.
And when I reach, I鈥檓 left shocked.
鈥擧ow did it鈥??
That Cradle is completely white, as though frozen, and the indicated temperature is zero degrees. The human inside will be frozen to death.
鈥淰iscaria鈥?鈥?
鈥淲ait a moment!鈥?
Viscaria hastily checks on the Cradle. She frisks the control panel, and start tapping at the keys.
鈥淯uu鈥he temperature regulation function is malfunctioning鈥︹€?
She let out the air, injected some oxygen, and boots the emergency system鈥hen, Viscaria taps a few key commands, trying to get the temperature inside the Cradle back to normal.
But after ten minutes, her hands stop.
鈥淲hat is it鈥?鈥?
I ask tentatively.
鈥淚t鈥檚 useless. Nothing I can do. 鈥?
She moves her hands away from the keys, and retracts her feelers, indicating that the work鈥檚 over.
The human inside the Cradle鈥攁 male of about fifty years old鈥攕imply passes away silently. His body is completely white, the cause of death undoubtedly hypothermia.
鈥淭he air conditioning system is wrecked. I want to switch it out, but there鈥檚 no spare part鈥鈥檓 really sorry. 鈥?
鈥淣o. 鈥?
I put my hand on her shoulder.
鈥淵ou did good there. There鈥檚 nothing we could have done either. 鈥?
鈥淵eah. There was no choice鈥︹€?
It鈥檚 rare to see Eisbahn give some encouraging words.
I stand up, and instruct the gathering villagers.
鈥淟et鈥檚 bury this master. 鈥?
We dig a shallow ditch into the ground, and lower the frozen Cradle in. It鈥檚 placed upright, so it stands upright like a grave.
We want to carry it back to the surface, but we don鈥檛 have much left in the tank. We don鈥檛 have enough strength to dig a hole a bury him.
After offering just a minute of words to soothe the soul, we leave the Cradle behind, and head on,
鈥淭he direct reason is due to the malfunctioning air conditioning regulatory system. However, this is merely a coincidence. The real reason here is due to 鈥榗onstant degradation鈥檚鈥攊n other words, they鈥檙e suffering from the same symptoms as us. 鈥?
Viscaria states it as a matter of fact, but looking at her sidelong face, it鈥檚 obvious that she鈥檚 really miffed about this. I too am the same, and I鈥檓 shivering in frustration over my own helplessness.
鈥擜gain, I鈥檓 unable to save them.
It鈥檚 an operation to save our masters, but none of us made it there. This huge amount of helplessness leaves me slightly furious.
And the tragedy continues,
鈥淐radle鈥檚 dropping in temperature!鈥?
鈥淓mergency! Cradle鈥檚 heating up abnormally!!鈥?
鈥淧lease hurry! Master鈥檚!鈥?
And within the next hour, another twelve masters die.
There are those who died due to the internal temperature dropping, abnormal heating, or asphyxiation鈥攖he reasons for malfunctioning isn鈥檛 just due to constant degradation over the years, but also the physical damage from the prior collapse. In any case, we can鈥檛 do anything without a change of parts, and can only watch our masters die one after another. The Cradles all end up as coffins, and then graves.
And within the next hour, another twenty-one masters died.
| ← Ch. 09 | Ch. 11 → |