Spider-Bots Rising

Chapter Four: AB200961408

Chuck and the Dreamseeker walked back out of the vision core in silence. They were both trying to imagine the adventure they were about to undertake. It would be exciting, but it was also sure to be dangerous.

They stepped back into the busy activity of the dwell outside. The same whirl of color and sound surrounded them, but it all looked different to the Dreamseeker now. All of these creatures and dreams depended on her. All of this life and joy could crumble to nothing if the spider-bots weren't stopped.

She had a purpose.

A mission.

She only hoped that she could live up to it.

She looked down at the compass again. Now that she could look at it more closely, she noticed something strange. Odd markings were carved around the face of the compass. Instead of pointing towards North, South, East, and West, it only showed four small symbols. The Dreamseeker didn't recognize any of them. They weren't letters or numbers – at least not in any language she knew. They looked like dancing snakes trapped in silver.

"Hellooooooo? Paging Dreamseeker. Come in, Dreamseeker. Anybody home in there?"

"Wha?" The Dreamseeker looked up. Chuck was snapping his fingers on either side of her helmet, trying to get her attention.

"That gizmo put you in a trance or somethin'?" he asked, raising a wiry eyebrow.

"No, sorry," she replied. "I've just never seen anything like it. From what The Council said, I feel like I should know how to use it. But I don't. Not yet, at least."

The Dreamseeker slipped the compass into her chest pocket. They started walking down a quiet alley, away from the vision core and the crowds. After a few steps the alley quickly melted into a narrow dirt path. Milky, rainbow ice cream waterfalls poured down on either side of them.

"Yeah that brings me to my first point," Chuck said. "Where exactly are we supposed to start this goose chase? The Council was a bit fuzzy on the details." He slid a finger into the ice cream and popped it into his mouth.

"I don't know," the Dreamseeker said, thinking. "I guess we should start by trying to find the spider-bots. Find out where they're going after the raids."

"Blechhh! Creepy, crawling, metal-headed little weirdos. They give me a real bad case of the pukeys," Chuck shivered. "Those spider-bots have been hitting dwells all over the Dreamscape. How the heck are we supposed to know where to find them?"

Just then a large dark shape came crashing out of the waterfall on their left. It rolled to a stop in front of them, dripping in mint chocolate chip. It was a fully grown spider-bot.

The next thing the Dreamseeker knew, Chuck was on top of it. Flailing wildly he struggled to pin all its legs down.

"Hello. Fluffy. Rabbit," came a muffled robotic voice from under Chuck's foot. "Please do not. P-p-please. Not. Please not with the biting. I h-h-hate the biting. Must. You. T-twist. My. Cables?" The bot's flat voice came in jolts and starts. It stuttered on certain letters. But it didn't attack Chuck. It didn't seem to be fighting back at all. Chuck however, was still in full swing.

"Why, I oughtta–" Chuck bellowed, raising one fuzzy fist.

"Chuck!" the Dreamseeker yelled. "Hang on! Just cool it for a second." She stepped toward the spider-bot, watching it carefully. Its sensors rotated towards her. A glob of ice cream slid slowly down its face. "Where are the others?" she asked.

"W-what others?" came the spider-bot's timid reply.

"The other bots," she said, taking another step towards it. "Is this some kind of ambush? I've never seen a bot on its own in The Center before."

"Then you have n-n-never seen me. I do not travel with other bots. I. Am. Not. Like. Them," it said.

"Oh no?" Chuck sneered. "That's a new one. There ain't ever been a spider-bot that wasn't just like every other spider-bot. That's how they are. A bunch of clones who all act like jerks. Every last one of 'em."

"S-sorry you feel that way, rabbit," the spider-bot said. "You. Are. Not. So. Fuzzy. On. The. Inside. I. Guess."

"What do you mean, you're not like the other bots?" the Dreamseeker asked.

"I was built the same. But I was different. I have a g-g-glitch. The other bots d-did not like me. D-did not trust me. So. I. Left. I have been on my own since then. R-r-right here in The Center," it said.

The Dreamseeker felt something warm against her chest. The compass. It was giving off a gentle heat.

"You're not actually buying this, are you, boss?" Chuck asked. He was still sitting on top of the bot, holding it down. He looked at the Dreamseeker in disbelief. "Come on! These spideys are coded to lie! They're all thieves! You can't believe a word they say!"

But the Dreamseeker thought he was wrong. She didn't know why, but something about this spider-bot's words rang true. And though she wasn't sure, she felt like the compass was agreeing with her.

"What's your name?" the Dreamseeker asked.

"My s-serial number is AB200961408," the spider-bot replied. "But you can call me Abby."

"Who cares what it's called!" Chuck roared. "Let's tie it up! Let's force it to lead us to its little friends! Let's get what we need and get AWAY from it!"

The Dreamseeker crouched down to the spider-bot's eye-level, ignoring Chuck. "Abby," she said, "do you know what the other bots are up to? Do you know what they're planning?"

"No," her red sensors dimmed a little. "But whatever it is, it will not be g-g-good. I have heard about the new raids. I fear for the Dreamscape. F-f-for The Center. The spider-bots seek power. It is w-what they most want. Always."

"You would know..." Chuck muttered.

Abby's sensors lit up again. "You. Wear. A. Scape-suit," she said. "You. Are. A. Dreamseeker. You will try to s-stop them. Correct? Let me help you. I want to help you. Please. The Center is my h-h-home. Not. With. Them."

The Dreamseeker looked hard into the bot's metallic face. Could she really trust a spider-bot to help them?

"Oh no," Chuck began, sliding off of Abby's back and shaking his head. His ears flopped back and forth. "No, no, no, no! No way, no how, buddy! Absolutely not! Nope. Nay. Never. Nix."

The compass glowed warm against the Dreamseeker's chest again. She'd made her decision.

"Welcome to the team, Abby. I can't promise this mission will be fun, or even safe. But it'll definitely be interesting."