VITAL SPARK BY KONDORU

Standard disclaimers

Thanks to TJ for Betaing.

Part One

In The Tomb of Death

The guard stood silently by the heavy steel door. He was a heavy class robot warrior, and was good at things like standing by heavy steel doors.

His horned head cocked; two smaller, thinner figures came though the outer door to his chamber. Light class robot warriors.

"Orders sixonesix" Zako said cheerily.

The guard (whose name was Dorro) would have smiled if his simple featureless face allowed.

You could hear it in his voice though. "Someone's in for a treat!" he laughed. He stepped forwards and plugged his massive hand into the electronics locks interface by the door. There was a clunk, and massive bolts drew back. He shouldered open the door, which was over a foot thick, and an effort for even his massive body to open.

The two smaller robots followed him though. "Let's disturb their happy mediations on death!"

Inside the small room were three trapdoors set into the floor. All were of a construction of a weight that evidently only a heavy class robot stood a chance of lifting.

Dorro paused. "Whose it to be? Red, White or Blue?"

Zako laughed nastily; "You know Braiking Boss...He's a great guy, only the best for those who oppose him."

"White!" laughed Nage.

The big robot shook his helmeted head. He brought his fist down upon his barrel chest with a clang. "Seems a bit heavy going for human bandits."

The second little robot laughed. "Oh, it's as renegade robot lord."

"That's fine." The big robot stepped to the middle trapdoor; he unlocked no less than six different locks, and pulled it open. Even with his massive servomotors, it took an effort.

"Down you go." The trapdoor was of a size only a light class warrior could enter.

The two smaller ones, (both standing nearly two and a half metres tall) looked down it with trepidation.

Dorro gave a massive belly laugh. In that small chamber he sounded like thunder. "Are you scaredy humans?"

"He might not like being disturbed." said Zako, who was having second thoughts.

"He might be sleeping!" said Nage. Nage was new to this job.

The big robot gave Nage a cuff, which left a nasty dent in his back. "Don't be wimps! He will be delighted at the chance of a bit of fresh air!" Dorros laugh changed to a snigger, "and a kill."

The smaller robots decided to continue doing as per orders, after all, it was a great honour to serve Braiking Boss in this way.

Even if you ended up in bits.

People had ended up in bits…

Under the trapdoor was a shaft with a ladder going down.

And down.

And down.

The shaft went down into solid granite for nearly a hundred metres.

When at the bottom the two robots paused, they looked up the shaft to see Dorros horned head in the distance, looking very small. Both gulped.

"Let's turn the light on." It was pitch dark.

The light switch was found and turned on, to a dim red light. After all the inhabitant would be very angry if blinded. He wasn't used to light.

The chamber was about the size of the one above. Roughly hewn out of the rock. Mica crystals glittered in the dim light.

At the other side was yet another metal door.

"We might as well ring the bell." Zako said pressing the buzzer before his companion could object. "Let him know we are here."

He unlocked the door then drew back the three bars that held it shut.

Nage took a step backwards. His companion had done this before. All in all, as an immortal machine, he did not wish to gaze upon the face of Death...

In the cell it was the darkness of a deep sea trench. A rectangle of floor was lit by the opening door.

There was the clink of chains.

The first robot stepped though. "Good morning!"

Nage followed. Suddenly he felt very brave.

"What is it?" Came a voice, not the rough electronic voice of a warrior class robot, but the less synthesised tones of one of the common General Purpose robots who occupied the city in place of humans...Indeed they looked to all intents and purposes, just like a human. Nage was proud of his tall armoured body...He could never understand why a robot would choose to be made in the form of the long defeated...And mostly eradicated humans.

Wasn't it enough to be Self Aware?

Blue eyes blinked in the unaccustomed light.

The occupant was `indeed` a General Purpose robot, he sat chained to the wall on the far side of the cell.

Zako bent down to regard this entity. "Orders sixonesix, Casshern."