The Guard Slumps in the corner, mortified. I don't say a word.
Time passes. I check my watch only to see it was smashed. The clock on the wall uses clockwork and dead bugs have rendered the gears immovable.
After awhile, I decide to take a look outside.
With some effort, we're able to shift the security shutters slightly. A pale, bright light creeps under our fingers.
"What the hell?" The guard says.
The air seems to be clear...somehow. The light isn't supposed to shine through this well.
A low clomping drifts through the walls.
"Look! Look under! See what it is!" He holds the shutter open while I peer out.
The slat is so thin that I can barely make out the shape slowly moving past the shack. It stops, seems to sink into the junk, and a loud rattling emanates in the air.
"I think it's looking at the ship." I say.
The guard pushes me away from the slat and lets it go. It slams shut loudly.
"What the he-" I start, but he's already at the door, kicking and punching it. It doesn't budge.
"Stop, stop! Let me see the switches." I shout.
I check the circuit panel. There are 3 sets of switches missing, well, the switches. It's a pretty simple circuit, like you could just use...
I hurry over to the fridge, checking the panel that the freezing cartridges should have been under and tearing some of the exposed wiring free.
Using the rubber handle of an ancient wrench, I place it in the panel and complete the circuit. The door makes a loud clunk and seems to loosen.
The guard is two steps ahead of me, pulling it open and temporarily blinding us with the sudden glare of an overcast sky.
My eyes adjust to see a large robot, maybe ten feet tall, staring back at us with a cyclopean orange eye. It's standing over at the heap of metal that was the caretaker, with a trail seeming to suggest it dragged it into the clearing. It shifts its gaze to the wall beside us, following it, I see it's staring at saunters propped up shell. The large robot tromps over, extends a hand and picks up the body. It seems like he's just throwing it behind him when a loud clunk seems to emanate from his back.
"Hey!" The guard flops his arms trying to get its attention. "Help!".
The titanic robot stops for a second at his second words, and shifts his body back to us.
"ASSIST." It exclaims. A small speaker on the right side of its face produces the sound.
"ASSIST." It repeats.
It dawns on me that this robot is incredibly old.
"It's not saying, it's asking." I whisper.
"Uh...Yes..." The guard says.
"ESCORT. PRIORITY. SHIIIFT." It seems to drag out its last word.
Turning to no direction in particular, it starts clomping its way toward one of the paths. It extends its arm to the side, and the hand seems to release with some pressure at the caretaker. Dragging it back over the dirt and into an enormous wicker basket on the Robots back. Above the basked the words 'Altar Boy' are visible in chrome. It stomps away. The guard and I follow, dumbfounded.
EDIT: Sorry if this seems kind of short.
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I see you jockin' me.
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