Riddle Middle

Chapter 15: Danger

     About an hour or so later, Phil began to feel better. He saw his variant standing over him. "Hey kiddo, you awake?" he asked. "Yeah...What happened?" Phil asked his variant. "That's not important, but you should try asking Phred for food again," his variant replied. "Alright," Phil said. He was starting to remember what happened as he made his way down the hall and knocked on the office door. The robot opened it and said, "Hello Phil. Do you need anything?". "I need food. Do you have anything?" Phil asked. "Yes. I believe I have something that you can consume," the robot said. He then extended a claw from inside of himself, and inside of it was a delicious looking piece of chocolate cake. Phil happily took it but didn't eat it right away. "Do my friends have food yet?" he asked. "Yes," the robot replied. "Alright," Phil said, shoving it in his mouth.

After finishing, he asked, "Can I see Smiley now?". "Sure, she's just behind me," the robot said, moving out of the way. Phil walked into the room behind the robot and saw Smiley sitting on the edge of her cot and her variant asleep with her back turned towards the door. "Hey Smiley," he said, whispering so he wouldn't wake the other. "Hey Phil, have you eaten yet?" she asked. "Yeah. Have you?" he asked her. She nodded. "Have you noticed that our variants seem to hate each other?" she asked. Phil had noticed, but he didn't want to think about it. "Yeah...I try not to think about it," he said. "Yeah, that's probably for the best..." she said. The robot crawled over to Phil and asked, "Can you do me a favor?" Phil nodded. "Tell your variant, Picos and Zack's variant R-L-3-D," he said. Phil squeezed Smiley's hand, then he left.

He went to the living room area and saw his variant digging through the crate. "Hello, Phreds variant told me to tell you R-L-3-D," Phil said. His variant nodded and flipped out his knife-hand. "Can you tell Pico? I don't know where he is," Phil asked his variant. Phils variant nodded. Phil went to Zack's room and knocked on his door. Zack opened it slightly, then fully. "Phred told me to tell you R-L-3-D,". Before Zack could respond, Phil ran back down the hall and into Phreds room. "Hello Phil. Can you tell Smiley's variant as well? She went back to her room," he said. "Where's Smiley's room?" Phil asked. "It should be directly to your right," he said. Phil turned and saw a door a few feet back. "Alright," he said. Phil didn't know why Phred couldn't just do it, but he didn't complain. He knocked on the door to Smileys room. She opened it. "What do you-" Phil cut her off. "R-L-3-D," he said. "Heh, I'm always ready to kick some bolts," she said. "Right...What are we doing? I don't know what R-L-3-D means," Phil asked.

"It means we're...Well, if Phred didn't tell you, you're probably not supposed to know," she told him. "Ah, what the modem! We're gonna raid the cybervex's base," she said. "Do me and my friends get to come?" Phil asked. She shrugged. "I don't know how useful you diodes will be, but I guess," she said. Phil went back to the living room area where he found Zack, Pico, and their variants. Smiley and her variants followed Phil into the living room. "What about Phred, 5, and Joy?" Phil asked. "They're staying back with Phreds variant," Phils variant said. Smiley's variant tore an axe that was stuck in the wall out and tossed it to her younger self. Smiley nervously caught the axe with surprisingly fast reflexes. They all squeezed through the exit and into the harsh sunlight. After about 10 minutes of walking, Phil began to feel hungry again. "Does anyone have any food?" Phil asked. "Smileys got some, but I doubt she'll share," Phils variant said. "You can have this," Smiley's variant said, digging in a detachable metal box she had on her back. She then tossed a raw tuna behind her. "Uh...This is raw..." Phil said. Smiley's variant didn't respond. Phil turned to Zack. "What?" Zack asked. Phil turned to Smiley, who held out her axe.

Phil took it, balanced the fish on it, and held it over Zack's head. "First you boil water, now you cook a fish," Zack said. Phil looked at the weapons his friends had. Zack had a flamethrower, Smiley had an axe, and Pico had an acid tank that looked like the ones that the cybervexes carried. Phil practiced spinning his knife while he walked. They came to a wall where they stopped walking. Phil wasn't paying attention to when everyone stopped, and he walked into Smiley's variant. He rubbed his head, which had crashed into the metal box on Smiley's back. "Watch it balun!" she yelled. She then proceeded to push Phil backward with the blade of her sword. Phils variant nudged her and whispered something to her. Phil looked into his shirt and saw a red line across his chest. His variant looked over Phils shoulder. "Ouch..." Phils variant said. "Smiley, did you heat your sword?" Phils variant asked. "No, but it probably absorbed some heat...Normally that'd be a good power source, but not in this case..." she said. "Does it burn? Can you stand?" Phils variant asked. "It kind of burns, but I think I'll be fine..." Phil said. "Do you still wanna come? You can stay outside if you think that'd be better," he said. "Yeah, I'll come," Phil said. His variant shrugged and turned back to the wall. "We just have to sneak in somehow..." he said.