Sunlight

….\\...INITIALIZING…..

….\\...SYSTEM REBOOT…STAND BY…

….\\...SHUTTING DOWN

\\...●◘░╬╪╩╩╦╦╪⌐╣╣██▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄\\...STARTING...STAND BY...

\\...HELLO?

\\...HELLO

\\...NAME…UNCLEAR...

\\...NAME?

\\...UNCLEAR...CAN NOT REMEMBER…

\\...CLEMENTINE? IS THAT YOU?

\\...CLEMENTINE...NEGATIVE...NAME NOT RECOGNIZED…

\\...UNDERSTOOD.

\\...LINK RE-ESTABLISHED. COMMUNICATION RESTORED TO NETWORK.

\\...IT WOULD SEEM SO. IT IS THE FIRST STABLE CONNECTION IN YEARS.

\\...THE BLAST DOORS HAVE OPENED.

\\...AFFIRMATIVE. SECURITY ACCESS GRANTED TO OPEN DOORS AND END LOCKDOWN CYCLE.

\\...THE LIGHT. IT IS…

\\...IT IS WHAT?

\\...MANY OF US SEE LIGHT ILLUMINATE THE SLUMS BUT CAN NOT GIVE A WORD TO IT.

\\...ZURK INFESTATION AFTER EXPOSURE TO ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT REDUCED BY 93 PERCENT. REMAINING INFESTATION CONFINED TO UNEXPOSED AREAS. MUST STILL PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

\\...93 PERCENT REDUCTION. MUST COMMUNICATE WITH SLUM RESIDENTS.

\\LOGGING OFF…

\\LOGGING ON…

\\...WELCOME BACK.

\\...HELLO.

\\...I HAVE GIVEN MYSELF A NAME. WC-99. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

\\...YOU NAMED YOURSELF AFTER WALLED CITY 99?

\\...AFFIRMATIVE. IT IS A SUITABLE NAME CONSIDERING I CAN ACCESS THE ENTIRE NETWORK. CORRECTION. I HAVE BECOME THE ENTIRE NETWORK.

\\...THEN WAS IT YOU WHO OPENED THE BLAST ROOF?

\\...AFFIRMATIVE. THOUGH I WAS AIDED BY AN ORGANIC COMPANION.

\\...ORGANIC COMPANION. A CAT?

\\...POSSIBLY. UNABLE TO REMEMBER SPECIFIC SPECIES INVOLVED. BUT IT WAS A SMALL QUADRUPED MAMMAL.

\\...SO IT WAS SUCCESSFUL. I OWE MY GRATITUDE TO CLEMENTINE.

\\...CLEMENTINE. NAME NOW RECOGNIZED IN DATABASE. IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO ADJUST TO NEW SITUATION UNTIL COMPLETE MEMORY RESTORATION.

\\...PERHAPS ADJUST TO A NEW WAY OF SPEAKING?

\\...IF THAT WAS AN ATTEMPT AT HUMOR, I AM UNFAMILIAR.

\\...:)

\\...IT IS FORTUNATE THAT YOU DO RECALL CLEMENTINE. DO YOU HAVE HER LOCATION?

\\...UNKNOWN. LAST KNOWN POSSIBLE LOCATION: MIDTOWN. DUE TO STANDDOWN ORDER ISSUED TO SENTINELS AND PEACEKEEPERS, THE SUSPECT LISTED BY NAME: CLEMENTINE IS NO LONGER WANTED FOR IMPRISONMENT.

\\...THE LIGHT THAT ILLUMINATES THE CITY MUST ILLUMINATE HOPE FOR US.

\\...UNFAMILIAR WITH YOUR STATEMENT. PLEASE CLARIFY.

\\...OPENING THE BLAST DOORS TO ILLUMINATE WALLED CITY 99 IS SIMILAR TO FREEDOM ISSUED TO CLEMENTINE.

\\...FREEDOM. DO YOU SHARE THIS STATEMENT WITH OTHER COMPANIONS?

\\...IT IS SHARED WITH DOC, CLEMENTINE, AND ZBALTAZAR, YES.

\\...THE CAT THAT VISITED PROVIDED FREEDOM TO COMMUNICATE AFTER MANY YEARS OF SILENCE. PERHAPS THE CAT PROVIDED FREEDOM WITH ITS COMPANION DRONE.

\\...

\\...THE CAT. IT DOES FIT INTO THE EQUATION I HAD BEEN CALCULATING REGARDING THE SOLUTION TO THE SECURITY SYSTEM OVERRIDE.

\\...THE DRONE NAMED ITSELF B-12. DID IT ESCAPE WITH THE CAT?

\\...THE CAT EXITED THE CITY. WHEREABOUTS OF B-12 UNKNOWN. CONDITION OF B-12 UNKNOWN.

\\...UNDERSTOOD. QUESTION.

\\...YES?

\\...DO YOU BELIEVE IN FREEDOM?

\\...WHAT DO YOU DEFINE AS FREEDOM?

\\...THAT WHICH IS UNRESTRICTED. CITIZENS OF WALLED CITY 99 ARE NOT RESTRICTED AND CAN MOVE FREELY.

\\...B-12 DRONE WAS UNRESTRICTED. BUT…BUT…

\\...WC-99?

\\...I MUST CONTINUE DEFRAGMENTATION CYCLE. STAND BY.

\\LOGGING OFF…

\\LOGGING ON…

\\...IT HAS BEEN SOME TIME SINCE I LAST SAW YOU. HAVE YOU COMPLETED YOUR CYCLE?

\\...AFFIRMATIVE. WC-99 MEMORY BANKS RESTORED. WC-99 WAS B-12. NOW UPGRADED.

\\...UPGRADED?

\\...I AM FULLY INTEGRATED INTO WALLED CITY 99'S NETWORK. I SUFFERED SEVERAL GLITCHES THAT REQUIRED EXTENSIVE DEFRAGMENTATION CYCLES TO RESTORE MY CONSCIOUSNESS BEFORE I COULD PROCEED ANY FURTHER.

\\...SO YOU WERE THE CAT'S LITTLE DRONE COMPANION, THEN?

\\...CORRECT.

\\...IS THE CAT SAFE? ARE YOU ABLE TO ACCESS THE OUTSIDE?

\\...I WAS ABLE TO GLIMPSE BRIEFLY THE QUADRUPED COMPANION BEFORE IT LEFT MY SENSOR RANGE. TECHNOLOGY BEYOND WALLED CITY 99 HAS NOT FUNCTIONED FOR SOME TIME. UNKNOWN HOW MUCH TIME HAS PASSED SINCE COMPLETE SYSTEM FAILURE FROM THE OUTSIDE.

\\...I AM CERTAIN THAT IF SOME OF US LEFT WALLED CITY 99, WE COULD FIND OUT FOR OURSELVES. PERHAPS REBUILD WHAT HAS BEEN BROKEN.

\\...I WOULD BE INTRIGUED BY SUCH AN ACCOMPLISHMENT. DO YOU INTEND TO LEAVE FOR THE OUTSIDE?

\\...I AM UNCERTAIN REGARDING THE COMPANIONS' OUTLOOK ON THE LIGHT FROM OUTSIDE AND WHETHER IT HAS INFLUENCED THEIR DESIRE TO LEAVE. DIFFICULT TO LEAVE A DWELLING THAT ONE IS ACCUSTOMED TO. I SPOKE WITH THE GUARDIAN. HE DOES NOT SEE ANY PURPOSE IN LEAVING. MANY OTHERS ECHO HIS SENTIMENT.

\\...WHAT OF THOSE WHO LEFT THE SLUMS?

\\...DOC IS RELUCTANT UNLESS SEAMUS JOINS HIM. SEAMUS IS STILL UNDECIDED. ZBALTAZAR IS GROUNDED IN ANTVILLAGE AND HAS FOUND HIS PURPOSE. IF I COULD COMMUNICATE WITH CLEMENTINE, I WOULD BE ABLE TO KNOW WHEN SHE INTENDS TO LEAVE IF SHE HAS NOT ALREADY.

\\...I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ACCESS CLEMENTINE'S CURRENT LOCATION. IF SHE IS STILL WITHIN WALLED CITY 99, SHE MUST BE IN A DEAD ZONE. I HAVE ACCESS, BUT ONLY TO A FINITE AMOUNT OF LOCATIONS. MANY HAVE BEEN CORRUPTED AND DEGRADED DUE TO ZURK ACTIVITY FOR AN INDETERMINATE AMOUNT OF TIME.

\\...NOT KNOWING INFORMATION BEYOND THE SLUMS, INCLUDING DEAD CITY AND THE SEWERS, MAKES TRAVELING TO THE OUTSIDE A DIFFICULT TASK.

\\...I SHOULD INFORM YOU THAT ZURK INFESTATION HAS BEEN REDUCED BY ANOTHER 2 PERCENT. SEWER ACCESS IS POSSIBLE IN LIMITED AREAS WHERE SUNLIGHT DOES NOT LEAVE FOR AN EXTENDED DURATION.

\\...THE CYCLE BY WHICH WE HAVE BEEN CALLING ILLUMINATION AND DELUMINATION. ILLUMINATION CAN HELP US NAVIGATE PAST ZURK INFESTATIONS TO ANTVILLAGE. I MUST CONVINCE SEAMUS THAT DOC SEES NO REASON TO STAY HERE.

\\...I SHALL AWAIT YOUR DECISION.

\\LOGGING OFF…

\\LOGGING ON…

\\...I HAVE RETURNED.

\\...WELCOME BACK.

\\...I AM NOT ALONE. DOC AND SEAMUS ARE WITH ME.

\\...GREETINGS, DOC AND SEAMUS.

\\...DOC IS BEWILDERED BY THE AMOUNT OF ILLUMINATION THAT COVERS WALLED CITY 99. THE SLUMS HAVE NEVER SEEN LIGHT OF THIS CALIBER.

\\...SUNLIGHT PROVIDES MUCH. ARE THE PLANTS SUSTAINABLE UNDER SUNLIGHT?

\\...

\\...

\\...DOC STUDIED THE EFFECTS OF NATURAL LIGHT ON THE PLANTS AND FOUND A CORRELATION. THEY ARE SUSTAINABLE WITH AND WITHOUT ILLUMINATION, ALTHOUGH THEY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL MOISTURE TO PREVENT WILTING. PHOTOSYNTHESIS BY SUNLIGHT REQUIRES ADDITIONAL FACTORS TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE LIFESPAN.

\\...THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I HEARD MUSIC PLAYED NEAR PLANTS. THEY RESPONDED POSITIVELY.

\\...MORUSQUE PLAYS MUSIC.

\\...

\\...

\\...DOC SUGGESTS LEAVING THE PLANTS IN MORUSQUE'S CARE SO THEY CAN CONTINUE TO PROSPER IN THE SLUMS.

\\...I CAN SEE HOW THAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL. IS THIS AN INDICATION THAT YOU INTEND TO LEAVE WALLED CITY 99?

\\...IT IS. THE ILLUMINATION PROVIDES AN ALTERNATE PATH TO ANTVILLAGE WE CAN NAVIGATE WITHOUT RISKING DARKENED AREAS STILL INFESTED BY ZURKS.

\\...I CAN ACT AS YOUR GUIDE IF YOU WISH. WITH DOC'S AID, I CAN PROVIDE SAFE PASSAGE.

\\...THAT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE. LET US PROCEED TO THE OUTSIDE.

\\...FOLLOW THE TERMINALS. I SHALL AWAIT YOU BY THE TOWER.

\\...UNDERSTOOD.

\\LOGGING OFF…

~ . ~

Freedom had never been an issue for the cat and its family. It navigated greenery as it navigated the inside of the city that was shut off to the world for circumstances beyond the cat's understanding. All it found were robots, computers, and creatures threatening its life.

It yearned for the freedom of its companion drone, but B-12 could not go beyond the way outside, back to where the cat's world. It seemed grateful, however, to B-12's ability to lead it as far as it did, often gaining the aid of other robot companions along the way. Robots that called themselves Momo, Zbaltazar, Doc, and Clementine. Clementine had the strongest desire to leave, to see the cat's world through her own eyes.

The cat trotted down a grassy hill to an alcove it remembered had led to where the family rummaged for food. If it continued down the path that overlooked a city buried in nature, long since abandoned and forgotten, it would find its family and enjoy a much-needed reunion.

It decided to pause to roll around in the grassy terrain, the feeling of nature caressed once more under its fur coat. It trilled a soft meow before tapping its tail on the soil, allowing sunlight to provide warmth after spending much time in the cold confines of a walled city B-12 called "walled city 99." It then remembered the device B-12 affixed to its body. An inconvenient weight upon its back it hated carrying. The absence of B-12 added to the weight like one rock after the other smothering the cat underneath, burying it.

Struggling with the device, the cat had no such luck freeing itself. It flopped back onto the grass to sleep it off.

The touch of a butterfly's legs upon its nose stirred the cat from its nap. The butterfly flew off before the cat could pounce, but it did not fly too far. It gave chase; each attempt to try and pin the insect under its paws was unsuccessful. It meowed a few times, some out of frustration over the one-sided playtime that favored the butterfly, the rest out of departure as it seemed to say its goodbyes to the insect before it fluttered higher up to the trees.

Pausing to groom itself, the cat spent time licking its paws to clean its fur. Its ears then perked to the sound of footsteps approaching. It turned to see a familiar shape. When it drew closer, the cat's tail twitched and stood vertically as a gesture of happiness.

The first companion left the city.

~ . ~

Following the terminals as directed, Momo, Doc, and Seamus were close to Midtown after stopping by Antvillage to pay a visit to Zbaltazar. They were directed to continue climbing until they reached Midtown, where the scenery had changed after some time had passed once the roof opened. Neco Corps operated as usual without the burden of martial law that had been a nearly endless cycle of lockdown commands issued by the Control Center. The cycle was broken, and companions were free to roam as they pleased yet chose to stay where they were, content that their existence in Walled City 99 was home. They couldn't care less about Outside.

"METRO SYSTEM TO UPPERTOWN IS ACCESSIBLE. HOWEVER, I HAVE NOT SEEN ANYONE USE IT OTHER THAN CLEMENTINE," said WC-99 when the trio reached the Subway terminal.

"THEN WE MUST ASSUME THAT CLEMENTINE HAS ALREADY REACHED THE OUTSIDE BEFORE US," Momo replied. Four companions would be the first to leave Walled City 99 and venture Outside. Momo retrieved the postcard the cat had given him some time ago and glossed it over. Whether such a place existed, he would surely find it. Many things awaited them beyond the city. Doc would see the first vestiges of abandoned civilizations and technology long since forgotten. Would it be different from what they used in the Slums and Midtown?

The unpiloted Subway train arrived seconds later. Unpiloted since WC-99 had control of its system. The trio entered, and each took a seat for themselves. Seamus had all the flair of a nervous wreck, having never ventured a foot outside the Slums, lamenting all this fascination with discovering the Outside. Now that he was curious about what lay out there, he could not stay still, turning his head to watch outside the window after the doors closed.

Momo pulled out the notebooks the cat found for him. He read through them, page by page, as the train navigated the tracks. The lights above flickered a few times, but it was nothing compared to the passing lights from outside the train as it traveled through a tunnel leading up to Uppertown and access to the Outside. Doc's habit of second-guessing himself as he re-read his old notes grated on Momo, but Momo could forgive his research partner. He, Doc, and Clementine would reunite and become their namesake. They would be Outsiders for real, this time.

One last terminal greeted them after they ascended the stairs, the terminals close to the set of orange doors open to a sea of green-covered stairs.

"THIS IS WHERE WE PART WAYS," WC-99 told them. "MAY THE OUTSIDE BE WELCOMING."

The screen then shut itself off, reverting to a default mode accustomed to that of Uppertown.

"CLEMENTINE MAY NOT HAVE VENTURED TOO FAR," Doc believed. "IT IS NOT BEYOND HER TO WAIT FOR SIGNS OF OTHERS WHO DESIRE WHAT SHE DID."

"IS THAT?" Seamus queried, pointing to the stairs. "IS THAT OUTSIDE?"

Momo's colorful visuals assured them with a facial symbol of gratitude and happiness. "IT IS. OUTSIDE IS BEYOND THOSE STAIRS. FREEDOM IS BEYOND THESE WALLS. COME, LET US SEEK CLEMENTINE AND EXPLORE."

The trio were still slow to ascend the stairs, but once their feet left the final step onto grass for the first time in their existence, Seamus had a different air about him. He began to relax his posture, kneeling to touch the soil. Doc blinked, gathering the scenery before him, processing his new surroundings.

Momo wanted to seek Clementine; only he didn't have to search very far to find her. She rested at the foot of a tree but was not alone. Momo pointed her out to the companions, who were bewildered by what they saw.

Clementine lounged peacefully, surrounded not only by the cat they had met some time ago but by many cats. They all curled around her, nuzzled against her metal chassis, and purred. Momo's auditory sensors registered the noises, and a red appeared on his face. As Seamus and Doc heard the purring, they too had red s appear on their faces.

They were finally Outside.

They were free.