Angelique moaned while the
giant emerged from the swamp and charged toward a tall, metallic
fence, which circled a cluster of large, white, rectangular
buildings. Gray smoke billowed from steel chimneys on the roofs of
the buildings. Huge spirals of razor wire spanned the top of the
fences. The robot marched around the circumference of a junkyard,
where stacks of scrap metal, outdated androids, and obsolete robots
formed huge mounds of debris. In the center of the yard, two
androids heaved chunks of rust-plagued material into the mouth of a
trash compactor. The compactor’s metallic teeth clanged and churned
as it transformed old hovercrafts and ancient robots into long
pieces of shredded metal. In the background, another android tossed
chunks of wood and plastic into metallic tubs, where intense fire
burned the wood and melted the plastic.
The robot approached a
security checkpoint on the northern side of the tall fence. A tall,
feminine android emerged from the guard shack and scribbled notes
on a notepad with a black, ink pen. Blonde hair spilled from her
alloy skull. She wore a black uniform, spit-shined combat boots,
and a leather gun belt. The butt of a nuke gun protruded from her
holster. Her eyes extended from their sockets, much like the zoom
lenses of a camera, and focused on Angelique. She took snapshots of
Angelique’s arms. The guard yanked the cloth away from Angelique’s
breasts and zeroed in on her metallic heart. Flashes of bright
light illuminated the guard’s eyes while she took digital
photographs of her heart and battery pack. Moments later, she said:
“Please wait while I download the data to Professor Beauregard’s
computer.” The guard lapsed into a limp, relaxed state while the
data transferred from her memory bank to Professor Beauregard’s
hard drive.
A green light glowed next
to the metallic, rolling gate when the transfer of data concluded.
Over an intercom, Professor Beauregard’s high-pitched, shrill voice
said, “Bring the specimen to my laboratory at once! I can’t wait to
make Desiree whole again!” He cackled like a madman.
The robotic guard became
animated, stood at attention, and saluted. Then she stepped into
the guard shack and pressed a large, green button on the back wall.
Gears grinded and metal clanged as the gate slid slowly to the
side. The robot stepped sideways through the gate and entered the
main compound. As the giant walked slowly down a main corridor,
which was lined on both sides by huge warehouses, Angelique
listened to a high-pitched, beeping noise while the gate closed.
Deep down inside, she wished that Dr. Stine, Alexander, Razor, and
Shadow would’ve been able to sneak through the gate while it was
still open. She imagined they were still in the swamp and following
the trail of crushed trees and squashed snakes, trampled earlier by
the robot’s feet.
Angelique watched the robot
climb a narrow, S-shaped section of the road. At the top of a steep
hill, the brick walls of a tall building rose from a cluster of
knee-high weeds and thick foliage. The giant walked around the
perimeter of the building and approached a tall, wooden door on the
back side of the structure. The giant pushed the door inward with
his left hand and stepped into the dark, stagnant air of a vast
chamber. Red, green, and yellow fluids bubbled in large, glass
flasks, which leaned on the warped boards of slanted bookshelves.
Under the metal grate of the rusted floor, mutated rats scurried
next to a flowing stream of green, radioactive fluid. The robot
approached two metallic tables and analyzed the left one, where the
head of a red-headed, freckle-faced woman rested near a pile of
wires, circuit boards, and mangled body parts. When the robot
pushed a button next to the bed, a jolt of electricity caused the
woman’s eyes to flash open.
“
You found my
heart
,
my
spine
, my
pelvic joints
, and my
arms
!” the
woman said.
“
My mission to retrieve
your stolen components is complete, Madame Desiree. I hope
Professor Beauregard will reward me with another mission!” the
robot said.
Sparks flew from the wires
and circuit boards. Desiree’s legs, feet, and shoulders shifted on
the bed while her mechanical lungs, intestines, and stomach
twitched. Her lips peeled away from her teeth when she smiled. It
was almost time for her to be reborn!
“
Well, your next mission is
to find Professor Beauregard and bring him here!” she
said.
The robot deactivated the
magnetic pull of the horseshoe-shaped device. Angelique fell to the
metallic grate and crawled across the floor. When radioactive fluid
splashed against glowing rocks beneath the grate, she rolled to the
side to avoid contact with the liquid. She screamed when a mutated
rat’s three eyes stared at her from a dark crevice.
“
You can’t escape! There’s
nowhere to hide!” Desiree said. Static distorted her
voice.
Angelique squealed when the
robot’s left hand wrapped around her waist and lifted her into the
air. He slammed her against the bed next to Desiree. The robot
placed leather restraints on her ankles and wrists. After he
secured her to the bed, he plodded from the room to find Professor
Beauregard. Angelique struggled while Desiree laughed.
“
Enjoy your final moments!
It’s time for me to become whole again!” she said. Her silver
tongue licked her gold lips. Then her eyes bulged and rolled in
their sockets.
***
Shadow galloped through the
swamp while Dr. Stine held the horse’s reins in his tight fists. He
glanced over his shoulder when Alexander’s hands, one of which
clutched his Bible, wrapped around Dr. Stine’s upper torso. Razor
sat on Alexander’s lap and held on with his paws. Dr. Stine cringed
when he felt the warmth of Alexander’s fever after the boy pressed
his face against the small of Dr. Stine’s back. He knew Alexander
needed medical attention as soon as possible. But he wanted to
locate Angelique and rescue her first. When the boy moaned and
erupted into severe spasms, Dr. Stine grimaced.
The robot left a trail in
its wake. Dr. Stine gasped when he noticed the ruptured abdomen of
an alligator and the glistening flesh of the animal’s internal
organs. He stared at the exposed pulp of a cypress tree, which had
split in half when the robot’s left foot sliced it in two. Swamp
water filled the robot’s deep footprints and formed ponds. A deer
and a rabbit sipped water from them.
“
How are you feeling,
Alexander? Do you need to stop and rest?” Dr. Stine
asked.
“
No. Keep going. It’s just
a bad fever, that’s all,” Alexander said.
Dr. Stine glanced over his
shoulder and glanced at the bite wound on Alexander’s arm. Green
pus oozed from the puncture marks. Red, swollen tissue bulged on
his white, pale skin. The infection inched toward Alexander’s
shoulder and crept into his forearm.
“
I know someone who can
help you. She’s an elf and lives in a nearby garden. As soon as we
rescue Angelique, I’ll take you to her village,” Dr. Stine
said.
“
Is she…a doctor? Do you
think she can cure me?” Alexander said.
“
Yes. She’s a priest.
She’ll admire your faith in God,” Dr. Stine said.
Dr. Stine guided Shadow
away from the edge of the swamp. To the east, he spied the razor
wire and stout structure of a metallic fence. Farther to the north,
he caught a glimpse of the main gate and the guard shack. Off to
the right, huge piles of junk and trash rose to the sky. Razor
growled and Alexander lifted his head when they listened to the
androids throw metal, wood, and plastic into their respective
bins.
“
Let’s rest for a moment.
It won’t take us long to find Angelique now,” Dr. Stine
said.
“
You act like you’ve been
here before,” Alexander said. He dismounted from Shadow’s back and
staggered toward a cypress tree. His stomach heaved but he didn’t
vomit.
“
It’s true. I’ve been here
once before. And I’m ashamed of what I did. But I stole the
components because Angelique would’ve died if I hadn’t. I never
would’ve been able to forgive myself if I’d done nothing and let
her die.”
“
So you stole android parts
from the factory?” Alexander asked. He stepped away from the tree
and glanced at the junkyard. Razor stood next to the boy’s feet and
panted.
“
Yes, I’m a thief and I
won’t deny it. I should be punished for stealing, but I should also
be rewarded for saving Angelique’s life. It’s never fun to be
caught between a rock and a hard place,” Dr. Stine said. He stared
at the ill boy and wondered if he was making the wrong decision
again. He’d feel horrible if the boy died due to fever and
infection.
Alexander walked toward the
junkyard. He was fascinated by the decapitated heads, the rusted
appendages, and the discarded circuit boards of old robots and
androids. A hovercraft, one which dated back several decades,
appeared to be in pristine condition. It leaned against a mound of
large bolts and rusted hinges. Alexander realized that precious
time would be saved if they could analyze the Hovercraft and repair
it.
“
Don’t get too close to the
junkyard! There are invisible sensors that will trigger an alarm!”
Dr. Stine said. He cringed when the boy ignored him and stepped
closer.
Alexander crossed into a
field of invisible lasers. Loud sirens blared from several
speakers, scattered throughout the junkyard. Red strobe lights
flashed from the top of nearby towers. Several androids stopped
what they were doing and glanced toward Alexander. They snatched
whistles from chains around their necks and blew into them
simultaneously. The ground rumbled and vultures took flight from
heaps of trash.
“
What just happened, Dr.
Stine? What did I do?” Alexander said.
“
You activated the alarm
system! We need to hide!” Dr. Stine said.
A tall, metallic skeleton
emerged from behind a pile of junk. Blade-like teeth churned and
alloy claws clicked as the giant’s knees and elbows created harsh,
grinding sounds. Dr. Stine and Alexander realized the skeleton’s
body was magnetic when android skulls and robotic appendages flew
through the air and connected to the giant’s arms, legs, and upper
torso. Huge bolts and long screws spiraled through the air and
connected to the giant’s skull. When Razor felt himself slide
toward the giant, his front paws transformed into metal hooks,
anchoring him to the ground. He whined, yelped, and groveled. The
junkyard’s guardian exhaled a loud screech of rage.
“
Should we run, Dr. Stine?
Which way should we go?” Alexander said.
“
Run toward the guard
shack! Run as fast as you can!” Dr. Stine said.
The guardian of the
junkyard opened its mouth and coughed. A large net emerged from the
back of its throat and surrounded Dr. Stine. After the net’s weight
knocked him to the ground, Dr. Stine struggled to crawl from
beneath its heavy ropes. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard
a loud, buzzing noise. It sounded like a high-powered
chainsaw.
Tons of junk whirled
through the air and clung to the guardian’s skeleton. The towering
giant’s red eyes peered forth from several layers of android parts
and robot chunks. It thrust its hands into the air and stamped the
ground. The guardian’s fingers became sharp, whirling blades of
steel. It plodded toward Dr. Stine while it grinded its
teeth.
“
Alexander! Razor! Please
help me!” Dr. Stine said. He felt suffocated by the net.
The junkyard’s guardian
stopped walking when it reached Dr. Stine. Several androids scooted
toward the giant’s feet and tried to resist its magnetic pull.
Razor barked and Alexander screamed when the spinning blades
dropped toward Dr. Stine’s body. Then he curled into a fetal
position and waited for it to be over.
***
Angelique stared at the
high ceiling of the laboratory while she listened to Desiree sing
the lyrics of a romantic song. She twisted her wrists and ankles,
but ceased her attempt to escape when the leather restraints rubbed
her skin raw. Several rats scurried along the adjacent bookshelves
and concrete ledges. Their pink tails and beady eyes reminded her
of Reverend Stark’s Doom Wagon. She stopped trembling and smiled
when she noticed movement on the sill of an open window, which
allowed sunlight to illuminate the upper half of the room’s walls
and ceiling. She knew that a friend had somehow found
her.
Yellow eyes peered down at
Angelique from the window sill. Large wings flapped and carried the
bird away from the window. He hovered in the air. The bird’s left
talon gripped the smooth surface of a bottle. A folded piece of
yellow paper, which the bird held in its right talon, fluttered as
a gust of wind flowed through the open window from outside.
Angelique smiled when Stanley hooted at her and ruffled his
feathers.
“
Why are you
happy
?
Don’t you realize that you’re about to die?” Desiree
said.
Angelique glanced toward
Desiree’s table. The android’s eyes scanned the walls and the
ceiling. She glanced at the window to see what Angelique had
noticed. Unknown to Desiree, Stanley flew out the window when he
realized Angelique wasn’t alone. Desiree exhaled a sigh of disgust
when she didn’t detect anything out of the ordinary.