The Search For WondLa

by DiTerlizzi, Tony

  Muthr spun the craft around and headed for the back entrance. With deft precision she navigated the vehicle through the throng of royal guardsmen, who were now focused on taking down the remaining pillar guards in the chaos.

  Shooting out into the royal gardens, Muthr piloted the malfunctioning Goldfish through the onlookers, trees, and shrubs, leaving a trail of fallen branches and leaves in her path.

  “Fuel level low,” the craft said in a garbled voice. “Please stop and refuel immediately.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Eva said, looking back over her shoulder. No one appeared to be following them.

  “The vehicle runs on a water-based fuel,” Muthr said. She struggled to steer, compensating for the damaged tail rudder, and blasted the craft through a garden of tube-creatures. “Currently it is drawing its power from me. Hopefully, we can get to a secure location to refuel it shortly. Let us just hope it remains intact long enough to get us to a secure location.”

  CHAPTER 33: REUNION

  The citizens parted as a dilapidated hovercraft maneuvered down the bustling streets of Solas. The lanes and sidewalks were packed with all manner of city folk: coachmen driving large feathered beasts of burden through throngs of foot traffic; little ones flying about on floatscooters alongside the Goldfish, begging for change; and the occasional merchants drifting in hoverjunks overhead selling anything—and everything. Eva Nine thought it was spectacular.

  Despite having just escaped an army of towering pillar guards, and having just destroyed the Royal Museum, she wanted to blend in with the locals and explore every nook and cranny of the city … but she knew better.

  As the Goldfish raced down a winding alley, heading farther and farther from the royal grounds, Eva noticed that the abodes went from large and fantastic to simple gigantic gourds with windows and doorways carved out of them. Eva looked around the quiet neighborhood streets, disregarding the odd stares from the occasional passersby. “Nobody is following us. I think we are safe,” she said at last.

  “Thank the stars,” Muthr replied, and slowed the Goldfish down. It puttered less than a meter off the ground, shaking and rattling like the old machine that it was. “This jalopy is about to drain me of my power reserves. Let us find a water source and refuel it.”

  “Wait here,” Eva said, hopping out. She approached a pedestrian who looked like a hairless rabbit with small arms hopping along on three stilt legs. Eva held up her hand, palm out, as she had seen Rovender do. “Greetings,” she said.

  The rabbit pedestrian slowed, glancing at Eva with its many round eyes as it passed.

  Eva spoke loudly and clearly. “I was wondering if you could tell us where we could get some water, please?”

  The pedestrian hurried past her and continued on its way.

  “What? Hey, wait!” Eva turned back to look at Muthr.

  “It ez only a messenger,” a voice came from across the street. “Zay only zuppoz to talks to za recipient.” A grotesque, lump-faced, heavyset character strolled over to Eva. Striking cobalt blue wattles hung near its tusked snout in front of large mustard eyes. Its heavy natty jacket was worn and frayed, and it dragged on the ground, concealing most of the creature.

  “Namez Caruncle,” the creature said, eyeing Eva. “You lookings for ze port?”

  “Um, yes,” Eva said, “the port would be great.” She felt uneasy near the large character. He smelled sour, like he had taken a dip in the same vile drink that Rovender carried around.

  “Well, ez jus over zat way.” Caruncle gestured with a curled, atrophied arm.

  “Okay. Thanks, Carnucle.” Eva trotted toward the Goldfish.

  “Caruncle,” he corrected her. “Zow. You haves flying macheen? Did you builds it? I never seen nothing likes these style. Howz haves you gottens dis?”

  Eva climbed in, next to Muthr, who glided the hovercraft around toward the direction Caruncle had indicated. “Thanks again for your directions,” Eva repeated.

  “And automatonz driver, too?” Caruncle pointed at Muthr. “No ones in Solaz has zeese things essept za queen. Are you a queen? A prinzess?”

  “No, just a human.” Eva waved as the hovercraft took off. “Bye!”

  “Youz stoles it! I knows dis!” Caruncle yelled after them. “Your zeecret is zafe wif me, Justa Human!”

  “We are almost ready,” Muthr said, pouring water from the lake into the Goldfish’s fuel reservoir. They were parked in a run-down dockyard on the outskirts of the city. Eva looked in the distance at a tall spiked, yet graceful, building towering high above all else.

  “That must be the palace,” she said. She blocked the sun from her eyes with her hands, squinting at the details of the otherworldly architecture.

  Muthr rolled up next to her. “It is wonderful,” she said.

  “The castle?” Eva sighed, thinking of her not-so-wonderful encounter with Queen Ojo. “Yeah, I suppose.”

  “No, Eva.” Muthr brushed Eva’s bangs out of her eyes. “It is wonderful to be with you once more.”

  “I’m glad we’re back together too,” Eva said, embracing the robot. She could feel the warmth emanate from Muthr’s enameled torso right through to her silicone-tipped fingers.

  “How is your hand?” Muthr asked. “What happened to it?”

  Eva showed her the injury. “I had a run-in with a sand-sniper—a little one, at that. Even it was bad news.”

  “Nice dressing,” Muthr observed. “Though, you will likely have a scar. We will clean it up when we get to wherever we are going.”

  “Where are we going?” Eva asked. “There have been no replies to our distress call from Sanctuary fifty-one.”

  “Let us recover somewhere and come up with a plan. But not here,” Muthr said, pointing at the dilapidated docks. She rolled back toward the Goldfish. “We can still use this, but I do not think our getaway vehicle is going to get us much farther.”

  “When I spoke with Zin—you know, the short floaty guy,” Eva said as she hopped into the vehicle, “he told me there was a place where they’ve been digging up stuff—like this hovercraft.”

  “Very well.” Muthr nodded. “That may be a good place to look for clues.”

  “Yeah, it would,” Eva replied, “but he said it was really far away. Across a desert. A really dangerous desert.”

  “I see.” Muthr blinked, processing. “Well, perhaps I may be able to repair this hovercraft enough to get us there. But I will need time, and we do not have any provisions for you or supplies for the Goldfish.”

  Eva sighed. “I know, but I think if we don’t leave Solas soon, then—”

  A voice drifted into her mind.

  You. Me. Find.

  Eva’s eyes grew big. “It’s Otto!”

  “Otto?” Muthr scanned the area for the giant water bear. “I do not see him.”

  “He’s not right here,” Eva said, closing her eyes and focusing. “But he’s not far, either.” Concentrating, she pointed. “Go this way. Down the shore and back around town.”

  With her eyes still shut Eva guided Muthr through the city’s small winding alleys. These soon turned into simple footpaths, which led out toward a patchwork of lichen farms and pollen granaries. All trails faded as the land became drier and scrubbier, eventually turning into a great and vast ash-colored wasteland.

  “There!” Eva exclaimed, opening her eyes and pointing. Muthr guided the craft in the direction Eva indicated, toward a lone wandering tree. Underneath was the unmistakable shape of a water bear, hooting in the shade. Before Muthr could bring the craft to a stop, Eva hopped out of it and ran toward her armored friend.

  Safe. Little one. Back.

  “Oh, Otto!” Eva stretched her arms out and hugged his face, feeling the familiar comfort of being near him. She traced her delicate fingers over his bumpy carapace, smiling at him. “Thank you, Otto. Thank you for coming for me,” she whispered.

  “Eva Nine,” a voice came from the other side of the tree’s trunk. “My traveling companion. My puzzle solv
er.” A blue lanky creature hopped down from one of the tree’s leafy platforms. “It does my spirit good to see you alive and well.”

  “Rovee!” Eva squealed, and moved to hug her friend tightly. “I’m so glad you’re here! I was worried about you.” She looked him over. “Your color,” Eva said, “it’s brighter. You look good. Healthier.”

  “Thanks,” Rovender said, holding Eva.

  “You are here to say good-bye, aren’t you?” she asked.

  “I thought I was leaving,” he replied, “but clearly you and Mother need someone to keep you out of trouble, right?”

  Eva looked at his grinning face and smiled back.

  “So I’ll tag along for a little longer,” Rovender added. “I want to see where your journey takes you—that is, if you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t mind at all.” Eva beamed.

  “Otto, Mr. Kitt,” Muthr said as she rolled up. “I am happy you made it.”

  “You too, Mother Robot.” Rovender put a hand on Muthr’s shoulder. “So tell me, how did you both manage to escape Besteel?”

  Muthr smiled. “Eva rescued me.”

  Rovender nodded. “She rescued me as well.”

  Otto hooted in agreement.

  Misty-eyed, Eva stood facing them. “You’ve rescued me, too.”

  “Oh, before I forget,” Rovender said as he walked over to Otto. “Your belongings.” He handed Eva back her jackvest and satchel.

  She peered inside her satchel and saw that everything was as she’d left it—including the WondLa. She ran her fingers over it and smiled at Rovender. “Thanks,” she whispered.

  “Of course.” Rovender’s voice was soft. “Though I assume that while you were detained you had no luck finding clues as to the whereabouts of your clan.”

  “Actually, I did,” Eva said, leaning back against Otto’s armored side. “It’s across a vast desert. An ancient city lies there.”

  “The … the wastelands?” Rovender’s mouth was agape. He pointed to the ash-colored plain that stretched out behind them. “It is here. We are at the edge of it.”

  Eva stepped forward, walking out from the shade of the wandering tree. An endless barren expanse extended out toward the midday horizon. There was not a tree, or any other living thing, visible as far as she could see.

  “Many have traveled into this wasteland,” Rovender said, standing next to her. “Many have disappeared. This is dangerous land.”

  “We will need to find food and water, Eva.” Muthr rolled up to Eva’s other side. “Enough for you, Mr. Kitt, Otto, and the car.”

  Rovender stared out at the barren plain. “You can have whatever provisions I’ve collected.”

  “We need coordinates,” Muthr continued. “I do not believe the Omnipod has the radar range we will require.”

  “Mother Robot is right,” Rovender concurred. “If we don’t know where we are going, we are walking to our deaths.”

  “We know where we are going,” Eva said. She pulled out the crystal given to her by Zin that was tied around her neck. “We are going to find the answer to the puzzle.”

  “A beamguide? Very nice.” Rovender hummed, eyeing the cube crystal. “Well, then, I am ready. Let us find your WondLa, Eva Nine.”

  Otto nuzzled Eva’s hand.

  “Otto says he’s ready too,” Eva said, looking over at Muthr.

  The robot turned her gaze from the vast sea of sand and faced her. “I am here for you, Eva. Lead the way.”

  PART IV

  CHAPTER 34: GREAT MIGRATION

  A hot wind blew dusty gusts over the dark badlands as the procession began. Rovender was saddled on top of Otto, using the beamguide to navigate, while Eva rode along with Muthr in the Goldfish. Eva leaned back with her feet on the dashboard and looked up at the afternoon sky. She watched brilliant patches of blue begin to overtake the gray clouds that blanketed the atmosphere. Even though it was daylight, she saw a distant half-moon peeking down at her through the cloud cover, its face pocked full of craters.

  They continued over the crescent dunes for several hours, stopping to refuel near a rocky ridge. Sweaty and nauseous, Eva exited the Goldfish and climbed on top of Otto. She sat next to Rovender as the water bear journeyed onward; their shadows grew long over the dunes.

  “Feeling better?” Rovender asked as he watched the endless desert unfurl in front of them. “Your complexion has returned. You look more like yourself.”

  Eva sipped her Pow-R-drink. “Yeah. Muthr said it was motion sickness.” She glanced down at the robot driving alongside Otto. “I think she’s happier with me up here on Otto anyway. That hovercraft may look like fun to ride in, but it’s a real clunker.”

  “I am not one to trust a machine,” Rovender said, glancing down at it. “They are always limited by the hands that crafted them.”

  Eva looked down at Muthr navigating the Goldfish. “I just want to find the hands belonging to a person that crafted anything.”

  “Have you ever known another like yourself?” Rovender seemed relaxed on the makeshift saddle he’d created with blankets and bed mats.

  “No.” Eva’s eyes scanned the bleak landscape.

  “So then, tell me: Who built your home?” Her companion picked at one of his ivory teeth with his fingernail while he watched clouds drift by. “Who built Mother Robot?”

  Eva finished her drink. “I … I don’t know, really. I’ve seen stuff in the Sanctuary that said ‘Made by the Dynastes Corporation,’ but Muthr said she knew nothing about that. All she knew was that I was very special. That I was part of a ‘future world vision for humankind.’”

  “What does that mean?” Rovender looked at Eva sideways.

  Eva shook her head, feeling hot. Feeling stupid. “I don’t know.”

  “Well, perhaps we’ll find out soon,” Rovender said. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “It will take a couple of days to get there, if I’ve measured the distance correctly.”

  Eva nodded. “Okay.”

  They rode in silence for some time as the orange sun sank into the west behind them. With the sky now dim, Otto let out a singsong series of low hoots.

  “What is it, boy?” Rovender patted the behemoth.

  “He senses others like him.” Eva stood and peered out into the fading twilight. “It’s his herd.”

  Somewhere, far in the distance, carried by strange and wondrous currents, a chorus of water bears drifted and danced through the gloaming.

  “They sound like they are northeast of us,” Rovender said as he pulled out his spyglass. “But I see no sign of them. They must be some ways off.”

  “Otto is telling them about us … about Besteel.” Eva looked down; sorrow racked her face. “And he’s singing about the loss of his companion.”

  “That is amazing,” Rovender said, running his calloused fingers over Otto’s armored plates. “Many times I have seen and heard these tardigrades in my travels. But always I have thought of them as simple beasts. I never knew them to be so interconnected.”

  “Just like the forest, right?” Eva sat back down.

  Rovender looked up at the sky. “Yes, Eva Nine, just like the forest. Just like everything.”

  There was a loud blurping noise. Eva looked down to see the Goldfish putter out and drop into the fine hot sand.

  “Well, that does it,” Muthr said with an electronic sigh as she exited the crippled hovercraft. “Despite my adjustments, Eva, I do not know if we can go much farther with this machine. The tail fins are leaking hydraulic fluid, and I am making it worse by driving it farther. Dirt and grit are clotting the steering lines.”

  “Let us rest here for the night, if we can,” Rovender said. He pointed to a cluster of round lichen-plastered boulders that were half-buried in the dunes. “Those rocks up ahead should be a safe place for camp.”

  He hopped down on his backward-bending legs. “Come, Mother Robot, I’ll guide you by foot.”

  “Careful, Rovee,” Eva said. “Otto says his herd has seen w
hat they call tunnel biters—or sand-snipers—out here.”

  “Have they? Well, I trust their words.” Rovender began thumping the sandy ground with his walking stick. “Let me know if you see anything from up there.”

  Eva stood on top of Otto and scanned the horizon in all directions. “There’s no sign of them,” she announced. “I think we are safe.”

  “Good.” Rovender stopped. “Eva, Mother Robot, let us drag the hovercraft to the campsite. We may need it after all.”

  After hauling the Goldfish close to the massive rock formation, Eva and Rovender set up camp atop the largest boulder of the bunch. Nestled below, Muthr remained with the Goldfish as the Omnipod instructed her on how to mend the tail rudder and stabilizer fin. Otto was beside the busy robot, stripping the lichen off of the wind-worn stones and licking up the trapped moisture underneath.

  As he sat high up on their mossy perch, Rovender took out his woven sleeping mat and unrolled it. “For once many of the clouds have cleared away,” he observed. “We may get to see the Rings of Orbona tonight.”

  “Rings?” Eva looked up. A chilled desert wind played with her hair, blowing her bangs into her eyes. With the onset of night she was no longer uneasy about being out in such an open space.

  “Oh, yes.” Rovender unhooked his lanterns from the overloaded rucksack. “Orbona is encircled by quite an expansive set of rings consisting of asteroid fragments and dust.”

  “How long have they been here? The rings?” Eva gazed up at the dark clouds wandering across the horizon.

  “Shortly after Solas was established, an enormous asteroid was discovered heading on a direct course to Orbona,” Rovender explained as he lit his lanterns. “The Ojo family used an immense sonic weapon, much like a boomrod, to disintegrate the asteroid a safe distance from our atmosphere. Over time the fragments began to circle the planet, forming the rings.”