P’yxx looked from Ellie to the robot then scrunched her face – trying to concentrate and summon her telekinetic ability. But nothing happened.
Ellie had no idea what she was doing. “Would you go already?”
“Go where? How will I find her?”
Ellie struggled against the robot trying to buy a few more seconds. “Go to your room. What floor is it on?”
“Um . . . I think . . . twenty-one. I forget the room number.”
“Then wait outside in the hall. I’ll get word to her.”
“Ellie, I’m so sorry. I’ll be back to save you, I promise,” and she ran out the door that led to the kitchen. As she ran, one thought kept screaming inside her head – he reprogrammed an ALF Prime. That idiot. That overweight, arrogant bully tried to reprogram the most complex computer in the galaxy. They were doomed.
While this was going on, Z’spon spoke to the Professor – his words turning her blood cold. “There are numerous technologies here that, if they can be perfected, will benefit all of humanoid-kind. You and your students will assist me in that endeavor. I have determined that the loss of life – should it occur – would be regrettable but more than offset by the ultimate good. The Infinite Requiem of Scientific Insufficiencies thanks you in advance for your sacrifice. Please remain here until summoned. If there is anything you need, please ask.”
Z’spon turned, pulling and dragging the now crying Oh’tezla with him.
“But . . . but your Prime Directive. You cannot hurt biologics,” screamed the Professor.
Z’spon stopped and turned back. “The interpretation of that directive has been recently modified. I now take it to mean that ‘the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few – or the one.”
“That’s . . . that’s not right. No.”
“The logic of it is quite sound and consistent with my understanding of biologics. Therefore, your objections have no merit. Please enjoy your dinner.”
Chapter 12 – Who’s Your Momma?
“Syl’kie, wait,” called Zani.
The girl had just bolted from the capsule. “What?”
“Where do you intend to look for your sister?”
“I don’t know. Everywhere, I guess.”
“The probability that we will ever find Ellie Rose before some evil befalls her is not great.”
“It’s better than doing nothing.”
“Perhaps . . .” but the rest was interrupted by Syl’s communications crystal.
“S*l.”
“Ellie, where are you?”
“Fo#@et abo*& m*. Go fin% P’y$#. She’s %$ fl*&* twen%$-^%^. Hur%$.”
“Ellie, you’re breaking up. Say that again. Ellie. Ellie. RATS.”
“I believe she said to forget about her and find someone named P’yxx.”
“Find her where?”
“She mentioned the number twenty but the last part was incomprehensible.”
“What does twenty mean?”
“Most likely the floor in this building.”
“Then will start on twenty and work our way up. Any idea how we get there?”
“They use transporter technology like the gate we saw outside of this city. I will show you.”
They found the device down the hall but there were no controls. “Now what?”
“I would suggest telling it which floor you wish.”
“Okay.” To the device she said, “Twenty,” then walked into the shimmering center followed by Zani. An instant later they came out – presumably on the twentieth floor. “That was cool.”
“Princess, something is coming. Please stay calm, your disguise may prove sufficient to fool it.”
A large robot lumbered by, glanced at Syl and the dragonetta, and without hesitation stepped into the gateway and disappeared.
“That was close.”
“Indeed. May I suggest we take stairs up to the next floor? When we exit, we will be able to ensure that no one or no thing is waiting. We can’t be certain that at some point, these mechanical creatures will be able to detect that you are human.”
“Okay, but let’s first make sure that the girl isn’t on this floor. It will be faster if you fly down each hallway.”
“Very wise. I won’t be a moment.”
True to his word, Zani was back in less than a minute. “I found no one, however, I did find the stairwell. This way.”
They entered the staircase and began to climb. For Syl’kie, still in her robot disguise, the task was difficult. “Geez, I hope she’s on this next floor; I don’t think I can climb too many more steps.”
“I believe a good exercise regime when we return home will serve you in good stead.”
“Shut up.”
They reached the next landing and Syl’kie opened the door a crack. “There she is. Let’s hurry before someone else comes.”
She and the Zani exited the stairwell and she began to run towards P’yxx.
The Shazarette, who had her back turned, spun around when she heard clanking. Upon seeing a crazed looking robotic charging her . . .
. . . she screamed. Without thinking, she raised her right hand toward her attacker, fingers outstretched, and yelled “NO.”
A ball of energy, invisible to the naked eye, formed in the palm of her hand . . . then shot out towards her assailant. It smashed into Syl’kie and Zani like a sledgehammer and both of them went flying backward through the air and crashed into the far wall.
Ironically, both lost their heads – Syl’s robot mask flew off her own head while Zani’s real head was severed at the neck.
*****
P’yxx forced herself to take a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart. In that short span of time, a couple of thoughts danced through her mind. For reasons she still didn’t understand, she had been able to call up her telekinetic power and, like the time with the snowballs, it made her hungry. Weird.
Her thoughts turned to the robot she had just crushed and what she should do about it . . . when she gasped. It had happened so fast that her mind was just now registering that it had been a robotic and a flying thing. Elle had mentioned something about that.
‘OH NO, OH NO’ she screamed silently. What if she just killed Ellie’s sister?
She began to shake and her knees felt rubbery but she forced herself to walk down the hall to the wreckage she had created. As she approached, she could see the blue face of a young girl. It was Syl’kie.
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” she kept screaming as she knelt down and cradle the other girl’s head.
“So’kay.” came a mumbled response.
P’yxx was so shocked that the dead girl spoke she nearly let go of her head. “You’re alive?” It was kind of a silly question.
As Syl’s eyes came into focus, she saw the Shazarette for the first time . . . and the unusual outfit she was wearing.
The shoulder wrap looked for all the world like angel’s wings which prompted the obvious question. “You an angel?”
“What? No.”
“Oh. Then I’m probably not dead.” She struggled to sit up and P’yxx helped her to do so.
“I’m so sorry. I thought you were one of the crazed robotics. Ellie didn’t say you’d be wearing this thing,” and she pointed at the other girl’s robot skin.
“It was a disguise. Guess it worked.” The thought made her proud. “So, you must be P’yxx?”
“Yes. Are you sure you’re alright?” Then, “Why are you alright?”
“I’m wearing my flying suit. It protects me.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“Just help me up and out of this robot stuff.”
“Of course,” and she did.
Standing there as Flying Girl was a lot more comfortable. “Much better.”
“Princess.”
“Oops, sorry Zani,” and she turned to find a headless dragonetta lying in a tangled heap. “Oh. Does it hurt?”
“Thank you for asking, but no.” The
voice didn’t come from the bird but from Syl’kie’s communicator.
“What’s going on?” asked a confused P’yxx.
“My sister attached a communicator directly to Zani’s brain so we could talk in case we got separated.”
“But he has no head.”
“Princess, don’t you dare tell her.”
Syl giggled. “Sorry, but she needs to know.”
“Know what?”
“Zani’s brain is in his butt.”
“No?”
Trying to muster a little dignity, the dragonetta said, “I told you that it was the safest part of my body. Your apologies are accepted.”
“His name is Zani?”
“Yeah.”
“Zani, I’m so sorry. Maybe we can fix you?”
“Your reaction was logical. It was a tactical error on our part not to get your attention first. It is we (and he emphasized the word) that should apologize to you.”
“I still feel badly.”
“Hey,” blurted Syl’kie with a smile. “You did it. You attacked me.”
“I know that . . . oh. Oh, I did. I attacked you. I attacked you.” Her excitement in realizing that Spirit’s prediction came to pass was palpable.
“That deserves a Hameggattic Hug. Come over here,” and she gave her new friend a big, bear hug.
“Syl’kie I can’t tell you how excited this makes me. I just met your sister . . . your sister. We have to hurry. We have to save Ellie.” She started to pull Syl down the hall.
“Wait,” came Zani’s voice over the communicator.
“What? Make it fast,” demanded the girl.
“First, please lift me up. I seem to be tangled in something.”
“Oh, sorry,” and the two girls did just that.
To their surprise, Zani launched himself and flew up and down the hall – pretty strange sight for a headless bird. He came back and landed on Syl’s shoulder.
“How did you do that?”
“I have a built-in radar as a backup for just such an emergency.”
“Clever.”
“Indeed. You may wish to compliment Skotti. Before we run off, shouldn’t you ask P’yxx what is going on first? Such knowledge may lead to a better plan.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Okay, P’yxx, just make it quick.”
“It’s simple. This place – a laboratory to repurpose failed science experiments - is run by an ALF Prime, a super sophisticated AI. He controls all the other robotics. One of the students was trying to play a prank and made a programming change to Z’spon.”
“Who?”
“Z’spon, the ALF Prime and, by the way, my friend. Anyway, this kid who’s an obnoxious bully and way to full of himself got it wrong somehow. Now the ALF is ignoring its prime directive about hurting biologics.”
“Can you fix it?”
“Oh. That reminds me.” Without explaining, P’yxx ran down the hall a little way and entered one of the rooms.
“She seems nice,” Syl said to the headless dragonetta.
“I do hope she returns,” was the half-kidding response.
And she did. P’yxx came running back holding the Big OH’s computer tablet. “This is his computer. Maybe I can find the code and reverse it. But, that’s got to wait. Your sister is in danger,” and she took Syl’s hand and started jogging down the hall.
“Where exactly are we going?”
“Down to the place where they keep the technology. The robotics took Ellie and three others. We need to save them all.” She came to an abrupt stop as another thought came to mind and Syl banged into her. “The sync. It’s going to happen very soon.”
“What sink?”
“I’ll explain on the way. Come on.”
*****
They found the first student by the re-animator device – the very machine where P’yxx saved her classmate from the demented creature brought back to life. The boy was strapped to a table – screaming and straining to free himself - while a robotic was replacing the glass jar that held the dead creature with an empty ‘man-sized’ one. Apparently, they were going to terminate the boy’s life and try to resurrect him.
“Oh, no, no, no,” cried P’yxx as she realized what was happening. “We have to destroy that machine.”
“What does it do?”
“They’re going to kill him then try to bring him back to life. It doesn’t work.”
“You think?” was the sarcastic response. “Okay, I’m going to fly in there and crash into the machine. That should probably do enough damage.”
“What?” P’yxx had no idea what that meant.
“Princess, please allow me.” And before Syl could object, Zani took off like a shot and crashed into the device. The resulting collision sent glass, metal and bits of dragonetta in every direction. The robotic, apparently unharmed, surveyed the destruction. Realizing repair was not possible, and without further instructions, it simply walked out.
The girls rushed in and freed the boy. “You, okay?” asked P’yxx.
“What happened? What’s going on? Who’s she?”
“I’ll tell you later. Just get back to the dining room but keep out of sight of all robotics. Can you do that?”
“Just watch me,” and he jumped off the table and started to leave. He stopped and turned around. “Thank you. Do you want me to stay and help?”
“No, we’ve got it. Just hurry . . . and block the doors to slow down anyone trying to get into the dining room. Okay?”
“Okay.” He started to go then stopped again. “I’m sorry I never tried to prevent Oh’tezla from bullying you . . . but he scares me.”
“That’s sweet. Thank you.”
He blushed then mumbled, “And I think you’re really cute.” His eyes were wide as if he had just scared the heck out of himself by speaking like that to a girl. This time he turned and fled.
“I think he likes you,” observed Syl with a big grin. “What’s his name?”
P’yxx blushed. “Glyb.”
Syl’kie smiled then tapped her communicator. “Zani, where are you?”
No answer.
“Syl’kie” and P’yxx pointed at the remains of the dragonetta’s body. It was mangled almost beyond recognition. “I’m so sorry.”
“Not too worry. He’s immortal.”
“He doesn’t look immortal.”
“Add that to the list of things I’ll explain later. Let’s go find my sister.”
*****
P’yxx knew where she would find her friend and she was right. They stopped outside the lab and looked through the same window that she had earlier in the day. “There she is. And the other girl.” Both girls were crying and screaming – the student in fear, Ellie in pain since the unit she was on was probing her skull none too gently.
“What’s going on?”
“That machine will transfer some organ from that girl and replace the same organ on your sister. They wanted to try in on a brain.”
“You’re telling me that they’re going to put Ellie’s brain in that girl and vice versa?”
“No. The brain is donated by her (pointing at the student) and it replaces your sister’s brain. Her original brain just goes away.”
“They’re going to kill Ellie?”
P’yxx could only nod.
“Not happening.”
To P’yxx’s shock, Syl went airborne and flew into the lab. She knew she wasn’t big enough to hurt these enormous machines . . . but she sure as heck could knock the snot out of the robot.
Like Zani before, she flew like a guided missile and smashed into the robot’s chest. She and it went crashing across the floor and ended up in a tangled heap.
P’yxx followed her in. Her first thought was to free Ellie and get her out of the reach of the machine’s probing beam. She undid the restraints, pulled the girl to a sitting position and gave her a hug. “You okay?”
Ellie wiped her eyes then her nose. “Yeah. My head hurts but it’s already feeling better
. What was that thing you shot at the robot?”
“Your sister.”
“She is such a whacko,” Ellie responded with real warmth. “Free your friend and I’ll see to my misguided sister, the unguided missile.”
“That suit thing she wears – it protects her, right?”
“It does.”
Ellie hurried to Syl’kie and knelt beside her. “You okay?”
“She attacked me,” replied the girl with a big grin.
“Who?”
“P’yxx. I was dressed like a robot and she thought I was one. So, she shot me with some kind of energy bolt. Poor Zani lost his head.”
“Is he gone? Spirit said there was a good chance that he wouldn’t make it.”
“Actually, he was okay. He said his butt brain saved him. But then he smashed some other experiment to save a boy that likes P’yxx and kind of blew himself to smithereens.”
“Our hero. Was . . . was he in contact with his program?” For all of her pretend indifference to the dragonetta, she had learned to like it. A lot.
“Yeah. He’ll be as good as new once we get back.”
Ellie stood and helped her sister to her feet. “I think you broke it,” and she pointed at the remains of the robot.
“It was trying to kill my sister. No one does that . . . except Mom and Dad when you make them really mad.”
And yes, yes . . . they hugged.
P’yxx came over and they did a three-way hug. Then Ellie asked, “What kind of energy beam did you hit Syl with?”
“Um . . . I think I forgot to mention that I’m telekinetic.”
“Really?”
“But I can’t control it. Sometimes it happens, most times it doesn’t.”
“Ohhh. So that’s why you were scrunching your face at the robot that grabbed me.”
P’yxx giggled. “Did I look stupid?”
“More goofy than stupid.”
“If you two are finished, P’yxx said there was one more student to save.”
“It’s Oh’tezla . . . my personal bully and the idiot that caused all of this.”
“How?”
“He reprogrammed the AI for a prank. Apparently, he failed.” She held out the computer pad. “This is his. Maybe I can find the code he put in and reverse it. But, let’s go see if we can find him first.”
They did . . . but they were too late.
P'yxx - Syl'kie and Ellie Rose's 1st adventure Page 14
