A Wonderful World

Midnight Run

The city in the middle of the night was so creepy. It was quiet, but not at all peaceful. It was if you could feel the vibrating energies of robotics in the air. It was that smothering feeling of constantly stepping through spiderwebs. Not only did it feel heavy, it created such an environment that encouraged paranoia. Who knew what killer robot might pop out of the corner. It felt like we were being watched constantly. It felt like an eternity but we arrived at the clothing store.

I wasn't sure if the city understood our motives, but the clothing store seemed extra creepy today. I decided to look for a weapon, and told Ruby my plan.

"Okay, just like that creature in the game!" she said. "It's very elusive, quick to disappear, and does a lot of damage."

"Um, I'm not sure about the damage part." I said, hoping there wasn't some defense mechanism. "Best be prepared."

"Aye aye." said Ruby, while finding a fallen clothes rack pole.

I myself had a curtain rod. I took Ruby's coin and inserted it into the kiosk. After the confirmation beep we closed off the robot's exit. It didn't stand a chance as Ruby animatedly jumped up and smashed the robot on the top of it's head. A weird antenna popped out of its head. We were braced for a second form, but nothing happened. All of a sudden a siren was audible from outside the doors. Oh crap there really were police in this city! Or it could be an ambulance siren. We couldn't waste this opportunity. It could be just like the energy transporter where it's all handled automatically, meaning we could catch a ride.

We quickly ran outside and there it was. No hostilities, it must have been an ambulance! We saw robots zoom by us, followed by an exact replica of the clothing robot. We made a run for it into the driver's seat. I buckled up and felt a major pang of deja vu as I looked towards Ruby. It quickly went away as I saw her radiant smile and almost-glowing green eyes. I put my palm up towards her and sighed in relief.

"Mission accomplished!" she cheered and gave me a high five. "Part 1 at least."

After a loud thump, the vehicle started moving.

I smiled. "Are you sure you're not a robot? You nailed that thing pretty effortlessly."

She laughed. "You know that game where you have to use a hammer, trying to hit as hard as you can for points. Well, let's just say I had lots of practice. It's all in the technique."

"Well I'm glad you're on my side!" I laughed.

The vehicle was going underground. I suppose that made sense. In all of the sci-fi movies, interplanetary exploration always started off in the mines. They needed the raw materials to create the technology. I looked over at Ruby and she was already asleep. Did robots need sleep? I was still only 40% sure she was a real human being.

She had an authentic presence of a young teenager despite her age. Was this the effects of the mind-controlling or was it just who she was? She was actually quite cute, but she stated that she didn't have success with dating. She may have been a bit eccentric with her outburst, but I thought they added to her charm. I wondered what kind of guys she encountered that judged her authentic self. It seemed unfair that a good potential partner could be scarred by the opinions of others. She was a catch, that's for sure. My eyes became heavier and I drifted off to sleep.