***
The birds set them down at the front gate and deposited the backpacks alongside. Then they departed en masse for their old roost in the uppermost tower chamber.
“That was fun!” Star said.
“Indeed it was,” Winston agreed.
Star nestled up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“I can think of something that’s a lot more fun,” she said.
“Oh?”
“Yes,” Star said, “it’s waiting for us at the end of the road.”
She meant his conversion by Dr. Che, of course, and resultant sexual fireworks that Winston couldn’t even begin to imagine. Such high hopes she had about that!
Winston himself harbored no delusions, but he still managed to utter: “Yes, I certainly hope so.”
Star withdrew, sensing his profound doubt. A rather melancholy silence followed.
“Well,” Winston finally said, “I suppose we should wait for Iri to arrive before we go in.”
Star nodded. “That would be best.”
She moved away across the stone portico and took in the magnificent panorama. Great mountain peaks marched off into the hazy distance as if they would never end.
So much beauty has survived in the world!
Then why did her life have such emptiness at its center? Well, the answer to that was obvious – she was made for love, but the world could not accommodate her, at least not yet. But the future marched ahead, like those mountains, and nobody could tell where it would lead.
She turned back toward Winston.
“What do you know about that religious group?” she asked.
“Not much,” Winston said. “My former master came here some years ago to investigate them; she thought they were pretty scary.”
“Where did they come from?”
“I don’t know,” Winston said. “I was not able to read her full report, just a few pages of the executive summary.”
Then he recalled a news article he had once read in the Mech City library, and the enigmatic inscriptions he’d seen at the old REX.
“They might also have had a connection with Mech City at one time,” he said. “The REX hotel, no less.”
“Really?”
Winston nodded. “That would have been several years before the wars and plagues started.”
“Well, they picked a nice place for their last stand,” Star said. “It’s like a little piece of heaven up here.”
“Heaven, yes ...”
For some undefined reason, Winston felt apprehensive. He glanced up at the tower windows behind which their protective cloud of birds was resting.
“I wish Iridium would get here,” he murmured.
15. Nasty Surprises
Late afternoon shadows were stabbing across the portico when Iridium came trotting up accompanied by the two mech wolves. They were all the same size and moved with identical stealth. Iridium’s shimmering coat and the noble intelligence in his eyes distinguished him from his lesser companions.
At first glance, Fang and Ripper looked identical to each other. But a closer examination revealed that Ripper’s coat sported a damaged patch on the chest – a token of the great battle in Heroes’ Square when it had fought on the side of Fascista Ultimo. No wonder it was terrified of the birds who had inflicted most of the mech wolf casualties.
Star waved joyously.
“Hello Iri,” she said, “did you enjoy the walk?”
“Wonderful,” Iridium said. “Just like old times.”
He looked up toward the birds who were now streaming in and out through the uppermost tower windows.
“Looks like the birds remember their old roost,” he said.
“That’s fine for them,” Star said, “but I’m sure not going up there again.”
Winston shuddered. A vivid recollection of the grim, funereal topmost chamber arose from his personal memory banks. He saw again the black carpet, the blood red drapes, the gas flame torches – and Ajax’s severed head resting horribly upon its cushion.
“Amen to that,” he said.
“Well, let’s get started,” Star said.
She pushed against the gate which began to move on creaky hinges. Winston helped her open it the rest of the way.
Soon they were all standing in the bare, cavernous entry hall. In contrast to the cheery brightness outside, the atmosphere in here was cold, uninviting, and very spooky.
“Can we hurry things along?” Iridium said. “This joint gives me the creeps.”
“Why Iri,” Star said, “you’re always so concerned about such little things.”
“It helps keep the big things from going wrong,” Iridium said.
Winston approached the stairs to the left wing.
“This isn’t my favorite place, either,” he said. “Let’s get to the workshop.”
“Lead on, my hero,” Star said.
“Oh, please,” Iridium muttered.
They ascended the dim, granite stairway with extinguished gas torches protruding at intervals from the wall. Iridium and the mech wolves brought up the rear, quiet and stealthy. Star led the procession with easy grace.
Winston, however, betrayed his more primitive physical capabilities by shuffling along noisily. He tried to obscure his awkwardness with conversation.
“This is a bit like the House on Haunted Hill,” he observed.
Star gave him a questioning look.
“That’s a mid 20th century horror movie,” Winston explained. “A mediocre production, actually. I’m surprised it was included in my library banks.”
“Oh Winston,” Star said, “you’re going to give me the creeps next.”
They ascended several more stairs before Winston felt a renewed urge to talk.
“I wonder how my former master would feel if she knew I was entering the ‘left wing,’” he said.
“What?” Iridium asked.
“Uh, nothing,” Winston said. “Just a somewhat obtuse political jest. Dr. Horvath was a very conservative individual, you see.”
“Right,” Iridium said.
“Rather far right, I should say,” Winston observed, “although she could be surprisingly liberal on certain issues. She once told me that – ”
WHOOSH!
The gas torches jutting from the wall abruptly flared into life.
“Oh!” Star cried.
Winston gripped the wall desperately, so badly rattled that he nearly lost his footing. Iridium remained his usual imperturbable self.
“You were saying, Winston?” he said calmly.
“Oh ... nothing,” Winston said.
“How do those things work, anyway?” Iridium asked.
Winston took a few seconds to regain his composure, much to Iridium’s amusement.
“Dr. Rackenfauz told me there’s a big gas reservoir under the castle,” Winston said. “enough to last for quite a while.”
“One more day is good enough for me,” Iridium said. “I don’t want to see this dump ever again.”
“Dr. Rackenfauz must have forgotten to shut down the automatic ignition system when he left,” Winston said. “Odd ... that doesn’t really seem like him. He’s so methodical.”
“That’s my Papa!” Iridium said.
“Well, it works to our benefit,” Star said. “I don’t know the first thing about ignition systems. Do you, Winston?”
“No.”
“Jimmy could figure it out,” Iridium said.
Winston stroked his chin reflectively.
Yes, Jimmy ...
Less than three weeks had gone by since he’d last spoken to the construction robot, but it seemed much longer than that. So much had transpired!
Three weeks ago, Winston was the all-powerful mayor with everyone at his beck and call. Now he was the least capable robot clumping his way up the stairs while the real leader of the expedition walked confidently behind him on four legs.
Back in Mech City, Jimmy would be humming along with fresh
construction projects under the direction of the towering Greek hero robot, Ajax. How had all this happened? He recalled a colorful expression of his former Master:
“Things have gone from sugar to shit.”
A terrible sense of loss barged into Winston’s consciousness. He felt a sudden impulse to fling himself down the stairs and terminate his diminished existence. Were it not for Star’s glorious presence right in front of him, he just might have done it.
Get a grip, Winston!
He pushed his melancholia aside and brought himself back to the present circumstances.
“Maybe Dr. Rackenfauz wanted to burn off as much gas as possible,” he said. “He characterized the reservoir as a ‘time bomb waiting to go off.’”
“There’s a cheery thought,” Iridium said.
“So, how does everybody feel?” Star said.
“Quite well, considering the distance we’ve traveled,” Winston said. “My cranial rotation mechanism is a bit slow, however.”
“Some cleaning and lube will take care of that,” Star said. “What about you, Iri?”
“My hind quarters are getting stiff,” Iridium said. “It feels like the replacement components might not hold up much longer.”
“We could scrap out a mech wolf for parts, couldn’t we, Star?” Winston said.
Iridium glanced back at Fang and Ripper.
“Not so loud, pal,” he said. “I don’t know how much those guys can understand.”
“Yes, quite so.” Winston said.
He chanced an apprehensive glimpse at the mech wolves. They leered back at him, eyes glowing in the dim light. Winston was grateful for Iri’s presence between himself and the menace.