March 20, 2852. The capitol city of Axiom's streets were filled with a collection of creatures all flowing toward the bay, each carrying a white paper lantern. People of every breed proceeded in a current of life pouring out to the side of the darkening blue water, settling onto piers and docks and grassy shores, anywhere a person could fit. It seemed that the entire population of the capitol had been dumped out of their homes to join in the twenty-second annual tradition known as 5,000 Lights, a ceremony established to honor all of the innocent humans and robots who lost their lives during the First War.
The crowds were made up of families, couples, and lone beings who had all been affected by the gruesome war, with many who had lost friends and loved ones. Some faces were tear stained, others stoic, and others wistful and remembering. Young children accompanying their parents looked about expectantly in anticipation of the moment when all of the lanterns would be lit and released into the cool night air.
Amongst the throng of beings stood a robotic family of three, hovering against the metal rail that marked the edge of a short cliff that dropped into the reflective water. Nos-4-a2, Two, and Fletcher were celebrating their first 5,000 Lights as a family.
"Look, Fletcher... the stars are coming out. Are you excited?" Two asked the small probe she was holding. Nos-4-a2 smiled at their son's wondering expression.
Fletcher nodded enthusiastically in response. The four-year-old's - or, as he preferred, four-and-three-quarters-year-old's mind was working full speed to process all of the information around him.
"Why's it called '5,000 Lights?' There's more than 5,000 people with lanterns here," he observed.
"Well, twenty-two years ago and exactly one year after the war ended, a big group of people wanted to get together and remember everyone they'd lost. They paid tribute to them by letting lanterns fly over the harbor to symbolize the souls leaving Earth, and also to give hope to those who no longer saw the beauty of the world. That first group was made up of just about 5,000 people," Two explained.
"Oh," Fletcher hummed.
Nos-4-a2, who was holding all three lanterns, started as a gust of wind swept up from the water and ruffled the biodegradable tubes, making it more difficult for him to keep them all within his grasp without crushing them.
"Eve, dear... do you think you could give me a hand?" he muttered.
"Oh! Fletcher, I'm going to have to put you down, okay?" the white probe giggled at the sight of the slightly disheveled android. She took one of the lanterns as Fletcher hovered a few feet off the ground so he could see over the railing. The waterside was becoming very crowded, and as far as the little hybrid could see there were people holding white lanterns huddled close together. He was happy that he was in a place right against the railing instead of being surrounded on every side by other creatures.
"Fletcher, do you want to hold yours?" Nos-4-a2 asked.
"Okay," he said as he took the light contraption. He'd spent the walk over observing how the pieces inside of it supported a small fuel source that, when lighted, would create the heat necessary to make the paper container rise. Fletcher still didn't understand the connection between the fragile paper lantern and an individual's life, but he could tell that being at this ceremony meant a lot to his mother, so he didn't say anything.
"Mom, who did you lose?" Fletcher queried innocently after a minute of thought. He didn't know for sure if she had, but it was the only reason he could think of to explain her behavior. All day, Two had been uncharacteristically quiet and didn't laugh as much as she usually would have.
Two was surprised by the question, and Nos looked down at her worriedly. She was very sensitive about her sisters and had recently been plagued by nightmares and hallucinations concerning them. They hadn't told Fletcher because they were worried that it was too early for the young robot, but since he asked, Two decided it was time to let him know.
"You know, Fletch, a lot of people died who shouldn't have. Three of my sisters were lost. I think you're old enough to understand that now."
Nos-4-a2 put his hand on Two's shoulder and she smiled up at him to let him know she was okay.
"I had three more aunts?" Fletcher looked back down at his lantern as if it might be one of his relatives' life forces.
"Before you were even in our wildest dreams," Nos-4-a2 confirmed with a half-hearted smile.
Fletcher thought for a moment, working things out in his mind. It was shocking to learn such information all at once, but no matter how much he wanted to be surprised, it just kept making sense. Each train of thought just ended up feeling bad for his mother. Part of him wanted to talk to her about it, but he knew that it would only make her more sad. Besides, he understood from seeing Two and One together that the other probes would look identical and have similar personalities.
A glimmering something across the water caught Fletcher's attention and brought him out of his thoughts. The sky was finally dark, turning the slow-moving water an inky black that reflected the lights coming on in the windows of nearby buildings. The crowd of people lining the shore directly across from the Energy Vampires had begun to glow with a warm light.
"They're starting," Two murmured, "Do you have the lighter?"
Nos-4-a2 reached into a his cloak and brought out a tiny silver cylinder from a concealed pocket. "Don't worry, I told you I wouldn't forget it."
Fletcher watched his father press a red button on the underside of the silver lighter and hold it to the fuel in the lantern. A second later, the dull white lantern was emanating a warm yellow light. The same luminescence came from all around as everyone lit their lanterns.
Nos passed the lighter to Two and she lit her lantern before turning to Fletcher, who extended his hand to receive the slim appliance.
"Sorry Fletcher, not this time. Just hold up the bottom and I'll light it for you," Two offered. "Make sure you hold onto it, but not too tight. You don't want to crush it."
Fletcher watched the end of the lighter turn red hot against the black fuel source before it caught fire, kindling an enchanting flame. He turned his lantern over the right way and looked around at the rest of the people. Across the bay, the flickering yellow dots rose up from the shore and began to disperse into the darkness, almost seeming to move in slow motion.
"Ready?" Nos-4-a2 grinned.
"Ready," Two and Fletcher replied in unison.
As the lanterns bubbled into the air around them, Two started the countdown: "Three..."
"...two..." Nos continued.
Fletcher picked up on the pattern and muttered, "...one," before they all released their lanterns. A gentle push from the tips of their fingers provided the paper contraptions enough lift to send them floating. Awed silence fell over the murmuring crowd, time slowed, the air shimmered with anticipation.
All it took was one breeze, and in less than half a minute, the flickering lanterns stretched across the entire sky.
"Wow..." Fletcher sighed, adding to the lifted chattering that had started amongst the mass of people around him. Smiles showed all around as whistles and cheers joined the lanterns up above.
The little Fledgling looked back at his parents with excitement, but the words he was about to say stuck in his speakers. Any exposed metal was peppered with reflections of the yellow lantern light, but Two's visor was so reflective that it was difficult to discern the shape of her blue eyeforms. She was leaning back against Nos-4-a2's chest while he held her hands, both of them gazing out at the field of lanterns. Fletcher looked back again, trying to see the same thing they saw. The lanterns against the sky, along with their reflections in the water, made the bay look as infinite as space. An instance passed through the young probe's consciousness where he understood the connection between the lanterns in their ethereal dance and the innocent souls leaving the Earth. It was as if he could imagine his mother's three lost sisters hovering amongst the light, and he wondered how many others were picturing the ones they'd lost. He felt warm, and all of the sadness and the joy and the mourning and the celebrating of the creatures around him was crystal clear. Fletcher understood for a moment how the material lanterns truly meant so much, and for the first time, he took in the electrical wavelengths of every robot around him and just treasured the instant.
Then Two put one of her hands on Fletcher's shoulder and he looked to see a smile in her eyeforms, despite the fact that it felt like she was crying. He knew it was alright so he hovered closer to her, and all three Energy Vampires watched the thousands of lanterns drift away into the endless night sky.
A/N: This story is a thank you to all of the wonderful people who have helped me reach 5,000 pageviews on deviantART! I thought I'd like to share some little Fletcher. If he seems mature for a four-and-three-quarters-year-old, that's because robots mature at a different rate than humans. Fletcher is also just amazing like that. 3
If you're confused, please refer to the timeline on my profile.