We’d finally reached the underground cavern we’d been searching for.
The tunnel opened up before us. The dull metal scattered light across the ‘room’ as Mattie ran her flashlight over the shelves, then over the desk her father had been sitting at in my dream. Letting memory be my guide, I walked past the victory-struck others, squinting at the floor and walls, following the powerlines to near where I knew the light switch to be. Finding it, I braced myself for the incoming light and flicked them on.
After wandering around in the dark tunnel, the meager lights of this cave were blinding even behind my closed eyes. My hands smacked into my eyes.
A commotion arose from the others.
Cove was perhaps the most bitter, giving me a “Not again!”
“You couldn’t have warned us?!” Jack complained.
Mattie’s flashlight went clattering to the ground. “My eyes!”
“Sorry! I’ll just leave us blind next time.” One of them, or maybe all, cursed my name, and beneath my hands, I felt my lips twitch into a slight smirk.
I pried my fingers open slightly and slowly opened my eyes. When they’d adjusted enough, I removed my hands from my eyes entirely, blinking away the spots that remained as best I could. Mattie, Jack, and Cove stood with partially covered faces and hunched over backs.
Ignoring them, I took restock of the room. Bearard ‘mumbled’ into my ear, his tone awed. “I was here. I can feel it.”
An old computer screen behind Mattie caught my eye. “Found it.”
The monitor was on a tiny desk, with a desktop computer crammed behind the single monitor. I wiggled the mouse to no response. Unsurprised, I trailed my hand along the top of the desktop, searching for the power button. My fingers skimmed over the depressed button, and I powered the computer on.
The fans of the computer struggled to turn, and the monitor flicked onto a dim loading screen. The others crowded behind me as we waited and watched it cycle to the login screen.
“Shit,” said Jack. “Do we know the password?”
“Maybe it was mentioned in the novel?” Cove suggested hesitantly.
Ignoring them again, I powered off the computer and dug through my backpack. Nick and I had predicted this. When my fingers found the tiny plastic USB drive I’d been looking for, I slid it out, plugging it into a spare port on the computer. I then powered the computer back on, booting it to the USB drive.
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A second login screen popped up, but I knew this password. The others were stunned into silence as the desktop background popped up. My shoulders released stress I didn’t notice they’d been carrying, and I went straight to their desktop folder. The programmer was arrogant and kept things easy for himself. It was very likely that every file I could possibly dream of was saved right to the desktop.
Once again, I was proven right. Finding an executable helpfully labeled “summon,” I double-clicked it, watching closely as the code flashed across the screen and filling out the prompt that showed up. When it finished, it ran a “tracking” program, which opened a map showcasing the current locations of each robot. The dots all began converging.
Something fell to the floor behind us, and I turned, nearly straight into Mattie’s face, to see Ani and Ranch batting around an old piece of metal.
Mattie was leaning fully over my shoulder at that point. “How did you do that? What was the thing you plugged in?”
As revenge for earlier, I wiggled my fingers and said, “Magic.”
“I’m serious!”
“It’s a long story,” I lied. I appreciated the sense of mysticism that came with knowing a little about computers.
“But I want to–” she was cut off by a beam of light as it struck the wall next to us, lingering for milliseconds before vanishing with a click. Footsteps sounded from the hallway.
Someone had arrived.
We whirled around, Mattie and Jack readying their slingshots as Cove flexed his fingers, ready to use magic if needed. Bearard dropped from my shoulder into my arms, where it would be easier to keep track of him if I had to run. Ani and Ranch had vanished, going into hiding.
We waited with bated breath for them to step from the shadows. There was a flicker of movement from over by the door, then a low growl and a hiss.
Someone screamed. Mattie accidentally loosed her stone, sending it flying into the darkness. It skids across rock, a miss.
We heard the sound of a scuffle as a male voice screeched, “Get off!”
Ani went sailing through the doorway, landing heavily on his side. His claws were attached to blue fabric, torn off from his victim. I would have bolted to him if Cove hadn’t grabbed my arm.
“He’s fine.”
Ani got up slowly, detaching his claws and shaking the impact off before baring his teeth again. The shadows in the doorway parted to reveal Gale, pale-faced and limping. His pant legs were shredded where Ani had attached himself, blood dripping down in rivets from minor cuts.
“M-matilda? Wha-what are you d-doing here?” he stuttered, looking back over his shoulder fearfully.
Beside me, Mattie was burning with anger. “What am I doing here? What are you doing here?” She stomped forward with furrowed eyebrows and gritted teeth. Her eyes shone.
She wildly thrust a hand out to the side, gesturing toward all the mechanical equipment. “I thought technology was evil! I thought you just did secretary work for the Mayor. You lied to me, to Mom, to everyone!”
He looked like his world was collapsing down around him. His hands shook, and his breath came out in short bursts. His mouth moved, but nothing came out.
Mattie scoffed in disgust. “Don’t you have something to say for yourself?”
Gale clenched his fists. “I didn’t lie to your mom. She knew. Do you think I wanted this? I was your age and just as angry when I learned the truth. But the Mayor threatened me. First with your mother, then with you.” His eyes glittered. “You were sneaking into the city at risk of exposing everything.”
Mattie watched, her lips curled into a snarl on her face. “Mom always said you were a good man, but I think you are a coward. You should have exposed him ages ago. But you didn’t, so I will. I will tear every. Single. One. of his illusions down before his very eyes.”
Her words turned him to stone, and she brushed right past him without so much as a side glance. Jack hurried after her, bumping roughly into Gale’s shoulder and sending him sprawling to the ground. Ani let out another low growl, ready for round two.
A tear dripped down Gale’s face, splashing onto the damp floor below. Now my heart was the thing made of stone. “S-she can’t. He’ll kill her,” Gale sobbed, curling in on himself like a bug in the dirt.
“Then why are you still here?” Cove spoke. At that moment, he sounded like his more authoritative father than himself. His eyes narrowed. Gale recoiled, then spun around, disappearing back into the darkness.