Chapter 8
"No!"
The Zombiebot-whisperer was forced to watch her whistle disappear into the waterfall. She stood frozen as her most precious weapon was washed away. Glitch finally turned her loose. As soon as he did, she pushed past him and moved closer to the water. She looked it over in vain.
"Must've slipped!" Glitch wisecracked.
"You dummy!" The whisperer glared at him. "Do you have any idea how valuable that was?"
"Maybe we can talk about it after you do what I asked," Glitch firmly advised. "And maybe I'll let you go."
He switched to his Scatter Blaster and pressed the barrels against the side of her head. The Zombiebot-whisperer let out a long, annoyed sigh.
"I'll do it," he said. "Don't believe me?"
The whisperer gave him a sideways glance past the gun. "Do you even believe yourself?" she asked him.
Her testing tone was accompanied by a light grin. Glitch wasn't able to ignore it. He knew that was what she hoped for.
"You've got questions, don't you?" the Zombiebot-whisperer continued. "Like, oh, I dunno, why I look like you? You won't be able to find that out unless you let me live, right?"
Glitch didn't let down his weapon.
"Fine," the whisperer said. "I'll free your girl and tell you what you wanna know. If you help me get my whistle back."
"Last time I checked, you weren't in no position to make deals," Glitch reminded her.
"I need it to call off the attack on your friends," the Zombiebot-whisperer pointed out. "Unless you want them to get eaten alive by red-legged venomech spiders?"
Glitch paused. She was right; the whistle controlled the spiders. After thinking it all over, he withdrew his Scatter Blaster. "Remember, a deal's a deal," he told her. "I got plenty of rounds to spare."
The Zombiebot-whisperer walked over to Rev to untie her. She pulled out a knife and began cutting the ropes. Glitch saw the back of her purple head while she was turned. She had the Morbot symbol. Once she removed the ropes, she undid the cloth around Rev's mouth. Rev quietly frowned at her.
"He's such a gentleman!" the whisperer joked. "I can see why you fell for 'em!"
Rev disregarded her jibes and hurried into Glitch's arms. He was relieved to be able to hold her again.
"You okay?" he checked.
"I am now," Rev whispered against him. "Never thought I'd get botnapped."
Glitch consolingly hugged her for a while longer. He peered up at the Zombiebot-whisperer to make sure she wasn't preparing to escape. She stood in the same spot and eyed them silently. Judging from her demeanor, she preferred for them to wrap things up. Glitch faced her again once he and Rev were done. "Alright. Let's go get your whistle."
They returned to the path leading down the mountain the way they came. Glitch thought the route seemed quicker during the chase. He took in their surroundings during their journey to the bottom. The elevation made the jungle below appear much more different. Glitch's gaze migrated to the waterfall. He could still feel its warm mist and smell its earthy fragrance. It reminded him of the peaceful waterfalls of the central zone in the astral realm. Distant thunder clashed overhead. Glitch and Rev studied the sky out beyond. Storm clouds rapidly transformed the horizon.
"We might wanna hurry," Glitch muttered, partly to himself.
"I think she's way ahead of us," Rev said.
The Zombiebot-whisperer walked at their lead. She had picked up speed while their attention was on the scenery. Glitch rolled his eyes. "Ya mind slowin' down there, turbo?" he impatiently called to her.
The Zombiebot-whisperer stopped, but only for a moment to tauntingly address him. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Big, strong soldier can't keep up with a she-Droid?"
"We're supposed to be sticking together," Glitch emphasized. "Besides, do you even know where we're supposed to be going?"
"Relax, I know this island better than anyone," the Zombiebot-whisperer dismissed. "The whistle shouldn't have gone very far."
She eventually led them to the bottom of the mountain, where they circled around to the front of the waterfall. They carefully scoured the water moving downstream. Glitch tried to pinpoint an iridescent object floating in the current, or maybe even wedged between the rocks, but nothing stuck out. Rev and the Zombiebot-whisperer worked together to search for it, too. After another five minutes of skimming the water, they stopped and reunited.
"Maybe it's just further downstream," Rev suggested.
"Or maybe your boyfriend owes me a new whistle," the whisperer fussed.
"It's a whistle," Glitch argued. "You're not gonna die without it."
The Zombiebot-whisperer angrily folded her arms and turned her head. Glitch was done with her already. He understood it wasn't an ordinary whistle, but pouting wouldn't make it turn up faster.
They jumped off the rocks and continued farther along. The currents were still strong. The rushing water made it difficult to see the bottom of the stream. Nonetheless, the unlikely trio persevered in their search. Glitch's confidence had waned when something shiny finally appeared. A colorful object gleamed at them from between a set of rocks in the water just beyond.
"There it is!" Rev pointed to it.
They hurried up to the rocks. The currents had lodged the whistle into a particularly tight crevice. It was also going to be hard to reach. Glitch looked at the whisperer. "Ok, we helped you find it. We'll wait here while you get it."
"Seriously?" the Zombiebot-whisperer snapped.
"Yeah, seriously," Glitch shot back. "You captured someone from our group and launched an attack on us. We've already given you more help than you deserve."
"I'll help!" Rev offered.
All Glitch could do was stare at her. He thought he had misheard her. But contrary to what he assumed, Rev didn't look like she had any bumps on her head. He temporarily pulled her to the side to be certain.
"Rev, what are you saying?" he asked her.
She moved closer to tell him something in secret. He held his auditory sensor to her face.
"The whistle's made of Morbite," she whispered.
Glitch withdrew, surprised.
"She has an employer." Rev began to explain. "He knows about the Morbite, and the guardians. Which means he knows about the Morbots, too."
Glitch saw where she was going and smirked.
"Hello, Iron Star to the lovebots!" The whisperer impatiently spoke out from behind them. "What is taking you two so long? I thought you guys were done bein' all mushy!"
Glitch walked back over with Rev once they were done with their discussion. "We'll help," he said.
The Zombiebot-whisperer raised a brow. "Oh? And what made you change your mind?"
"We're gonna help you get it back," Glitch insisted. "That's all you need to know."
The Zombiebot-whisperer was immediately onto them. Glitch saw the suspicion in her calculating blue optics. She placed a hand on her hip and took her time sizing them up. Suddenly, her face changed. She slyly studied Glitch.
"What?" he demanded.
"You're the one who threw it," the whisperer curtly stated. "So you go get it."
Glitch started to argue, but Rev's subtly urgent face made him keep silent. He held in his protests and agreed, throwing a final cold glance at the whisperer before stepping onto the first rock leading to the whistle. He estimated the distance between himself and the next one, then jumped. The rocks were slippery from the water. His landing was less than perfect. He just barely managed to find his footing to keep from falling in. He felt two pairs of optics burning into him and carefully peered over his shoulder. Rev anxiously watched him make the journey, while the Zombiebot-whisperer spectated his fail with laughter. Glitch tuned her out and pressed forward.
Another tumultuous handful of skips and jumps placed him close enough to retrieve the whistle. By the time he reached the crevice it was stuck in, a splash from the current had altered its position. Now it barely hung on. Glitch took a deep breath and went for it. He remembered it was wet and used his pickaxe as a grabbing tool. Another splash of rushing water interrupted his attempt. He yanked his pickaxe away.
"What's the matter? Afraid of a little water?"
The Zombiebot-whisperer's snide taunt annoyed Glitch, but he didn't respond. He concentrated on the whistle. Unfortunately, the little instrument was only another good hit from getting washed away. Glitch didn't let that discourage him. He made one more attempt to snatch the whistle with his pickaxe. One of the ends caught on to the whistle's loop. He plucked it out of the crevice and held it up for the girls to see. Rev's green gaze lit up. The whisperer, however, appeared surprised, as if she hadn't expected him to succeed. Glitch fixed her with a daring mug as he eased his way back to land.
Rev hugged him. "Awesome! You did it!" she exclaimed.
Glitch held the whistle out for the Zombiebot-whisperer with his pickaxe. She rolled her eyes and snatched it from him with her handkerchief. He watched her begrudgingly wipe it dry.
"Alright, now keep your end of the deal," he told her. "Call off those spiders."
"Ugh, ok." The whisperer placed the whistle up to her mouth.
...
The other Droids were in the middle of their fight with the large arachnids. The battle hadn't been easy, but to their luck, they had cleared out a good portion of the swarm. The remaining spiders began withdrawing from the artillery.
Colonel Alloy glanced at his soldiers. "We almost got 'em beat!" he announced.
Suddenly, the spiders went stiff. The Droids held their fire and stared at them, puzzled. They stayed that way for a few moments. Once they were able to move, they began tearing down the web they built to barricade their prey. The Droids watched them flee afterwards, as if they never wanted to be there.
"Well that's strange!" Melvin said.
"It is," Alloy agreed, equally lost.
Dr. Axon was caring for Helix when he received a transmission. He quickly answered. "Hello? Is that you, Glitch?"
The Colonel and the others saw him speaking with someone. He signed off about a minute later and optimistically looked up at them.
"Who was that?" Colonel Alloy asked.
"It was Glitch!" Dr. Axon reported. "He's found Rev!"
A clap of thunder made them all look to the canopy. A small drop of rain came through.
"We'd better get some shelter up," the Colonel advised.
The party pushed forward. Alloy began to follow, but something appeared to stop him. He briefly turned to analyze the path behind them. Dr. Axon was about to leave with the rest of the bunch when he noticed. He grew aware of what the Colonel was experiencing. He went up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. The touch managed to pull Alloy's gaze away from the path. Axon met his optics with his own sympathetic blue pair. He coupled it with a smile.
"I am sure he will return, Colonel," he gently projected.
Alloy must have wanted to trust his judgement, but his uncertainty wouldn't allow him. He quietly lowered his head.
"Glitch is a fine soldier," Dr. Axon imparted. "And he is an even finer young man. You have done a terrific job with him."
His endearing words might have helped Alloy, but he wasn't completely sure. He answered Dr. Axon in his own way, with a simple, strict nod of affirmation. A call from one of his soldiers up ahead prompted him to catch up with his team. Dr. Axon watched him go for a few extra moments before following.
...
Glitch concentrated on the Zombiebot-whisperer from the other side of his headlight's glow. They found a cave to keep out of the rain. By the time they settled, it was already pouring. The cave fortunately drowned out most of the loud pelting from the droplets, allowing them to hear one another when they talked. The whisperer comfortably sat across from Glitch and Rev with her legs propped up. She seemed to think any spot she found made for a good couch.
"Fire away!" she invited.
"First things first." Glitch got comfortable and folded his arms. "Who are you, exactly?" he asked.
The Zombiebot-whisperer briefly looked down, twiddling with the whistle. She kept it around her neck now, likely so it wouldn't leave her side again. There was an absentminded cloud over her eyes. Glitch had a feeling why that might have been. She probably wasn't completely sure herself. Eventually, the whisperer looked up at him again. "Tera," she quietly answered. "That's my name." She continued fiddling with her whistle. "I work for a kingpin who's prolific in the underground world. He hired me to take care of the bots who crossed him wrong. They're criminals themselves mostly. Some of Iron Star's most wanted."
"Mostly?" Glitch repeated.
Tera kept her eyes down for a moment. She gave a tiny shrug when she met his gaze. "A small few are bots that just aren't so lucky," she told him. "Bots that get caught up, y'know? They borrow money they can't even begin to pay back."
"He's a loan shark?" Glitch speculated. "Your boss, I mean."
"Yep." Tera nodded.
Glitch analyzed her closely. She didn't appear to be entirely happy with the work she took part in. It made him wonder more about who she was at heart. It was hard to know for certain.
"But those aren't his only hustles," Tera went on. "When he's not running restaurants or bumping guys off, he's a collector. He bids on guardian Droids at auction houses."
Glitch exchanged a glance with Rev after hearing the information. He was able to tell that they were thinking some of the same things.
"Why hasn't he bought you?" he asked Tera.
"He did," she said.
Glitch and Rev waited for her to explain.
"I was found decommissioned on a smaller island a couple miles out from this one," Tera continued. "The local who dug me up happened to be a retired engineer. I wasn't too badly damaged, so he was able to fix me. He sold me to my boss. Then, he left his island to go live the high life after becoming rich, I guess. The money he made off me was more than he could've ever earned on his own. I never saw him again after that." Tera rolled her eyes. "Not that I wanted to," she muttered. "Anyway, there I was, thinking I was about to become part of some sick private collection. I almost did, 'til ol' Big Boss decided to strike a deal with me."
"He'd let you stay free if you worked for him," Glitch quietly guessed.
"That's right," Tera said.
A solemn silence befell Glitch and Rev for a moment. Tera didn't seem to mind any of it, though. She brushed off the discomforting undertones as if they were no big deal.
"We're really sorry," Rev sympathized.
"Pssh, don't be!" Tera dismissed. "It was that or get turned into a living doll. And I hate dolls."
She was trying to joke about it. It didn't take a genius to see that she used humor as a sort of coping mechanism. She wasn't the type to wear her heart on her sleeve. Glitch didn't blame her there. Although they showed it differently, a toughened exterior was one other thing they had in common.
Tera's gaze lowered. "I don't remember much," she said. "About my past and all that. My memory board was fried, so I needed a new one. Most of the information on my ID chip had been erased, too. I don't even have a creation date. So much for birthdays. The only thing that was still there was my name."
"Don't worry, you're not the only one," Glitch assured her.
"Do either of you have memories come back?" Tera asked.
Glitch and Rev looked at each other.
"Well, maybe not full memories." Tera corrected herself. "I still have…fragments. Details. Like, little pieces here and there."
Glitch sat up. "What kinds?" he inquired.
"Like how you're my brother," Tera told him. "And how you weren't always yellow."
Glitch stared at her, puzzled. "I wasn't?"
"Nah," Tera replied. "And I wasn't always this girly lavender color." She softly shook her head. "Eh, but that's pretty much it," she admitted. "I don't have much else to go by." She motioned to Rev with a hand. "I'm assuming you weren't always those colors, either."
Rev glanced down at her green and blue exterior. When she looked up at Glitch, he could tell they shared a mutual curiosity. Tera's broken recollections were like a gold mine for them. The details might not have seemed like much, but they were another step in their journey to discover their pasts. One thing made sense. The guardian Droids were ancient leftovers—inventory that had been thrown out. When the Morbots weren't able to go through with their plan to reclaim Iron Star, they no longer needed their soldiers. For whatever reason, rather than destroying them, the Morbots simply dumped them across the surface. It was as if they wanted the guardians to be found and repurposed, to live brand-new lives without a trace of who they once were. But from what they knew about the Morbots already, they didn't sound like friendly recycling types. They likely wouldn't have even cared if they knew some of their disposed creations were sold on the black market. The guardians were their trash. Trash that could very well become an unscrupulous surface Droid's treasure.
Tera's words interrupted Glitch's thoughts. "I dunno," she sighed. "I think it's weird that I can remember some stuff. I'm not sure how that's even possible after havin' a whole new system installed. I guess some can and some can't. Robot amnesia, am I right?"
She uttered a light chuckle. At the same time, the three of them could hear the storm outside calming down. The strong pelting from the raindrops softened more and more before stopping altogether. Tera suddenly rose to her feet. She readjusted her cloak and casually gathered her things.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Rev demanded.
"What's it look like I'm doin'?" Tera retorted. "The rain's stopped. I'm headin' out."
Glitch wasn't keen on letting her do that. He got up and firmly grabbed her by the arm before she could so much as turn her back. Tera flashed him an angry look.
"Hey! Let go of me!" She tried snatching loose.
"I don't think so," Glitch snapped. "How do we know you won't give us up to your boss?"
"I won't," Tera argued.
"And you expect us to believe you?" Glitch debated. "After you kidnap one of us?"
Tera let out an annoyed groan.
"You're not leaving," Glitch asserted.
"Uh, yes I am," Tera curtly shot back. "You have your little girlfriend and I called off the attack. I did what you wanted."
Glitch retained his grip on her arm. A cautious look from Rev, though, made him reconsider. He released Tera with a reluctant sigh. She was right. She really had done everything he'd asked. A deal was a deal. Glitch was aware of that, but there was still so much he wanted to know. Tera's boss evidently knew about the Morbots, possibly things that they were yet to find out themselves. Plus, it just felt wrong to part ways so soon after learning they were family. Tera must have realized this herself. Her expression softened a little. Glitch concentrated on the cave floor in thought before looking her way again. "We just wanna know what your boss knows," he admitted. "It could be useful."
Tera still wasn't fully onboard yet. She skeptically folded her arms.
"You can trust us," Glitch promised. "Just stick around a little longer. Ok?"
Tera kept her arms folded. "Pretty hard to trust someone after they manhandle ya. From experience, anyway." She smiled suddenly. "But alright," she relinquished. "I'll do what I can."
Glitch exchanged a glance of minor hope with Rev after the verdict. Tera's decision caught both of them off guard.
"What about your group?" she asked.
"We'll head back to meet them," Glitch proposed. "Then we'll go from there."
Tera gave a nod. She followed Glitch and Rev without another word. The smell of freshly past rain greeted them as they emerged from the cave. They all switched off their headlights once they were clear of the darkness. Rev moved closer to Glitch while they walked in front of Tera.
"Are you sure this is gonna be okay?" she quietly asked.
Glitch tossed her a sideways glance. "I thought this was your idea," he joked, remembering to keep his own voice down.
"Well, yeah…" Rev briefly turned away. "But I don't know anymore. How can we trust her?"
"It's cool," Glitch whispered. "I'm gonna keep tabs on 'er."
They peered at Tera over their shoulders. Her optics fell on them. "And just what are you two lovebots starin' at?" she impatiently questioned.
Glitch looked back at Rev, relieved. She hadn't heard them. She wasn't a fool; she was definitely aware that they were still on to her. It would have been silly for her to try anything, Glitch figured. He at least hoped she wouldn't.
He stepped a bit further away and contacted one of the others. "Hey, Dr. Axon. You there?"
For a while, he was only met by static. Glitch thought the signal was down until he finally heard Axon's voice. "Glitch, is that you?"
"Yeah," Glitch answered. "We're still on our way back. Are you guys in the same place?"
"The spiders retreated," Dr. Axon said. "We traveled slightly farther south to set up shelter from the storm."
Glitch nodded. "Gotcha. We'll be there."
"And the whisperer?" Dr. Axon asked.
Glitch hesitated to answer. He quickly thought of something to say. "It's…sorta complicated," he acknowledged.
"Complicated?" There was confusion in Dr. Axon's voice. "Is everything all right?"
"Oh, yeah, of course!" Glitch ensured. "I'm, uh, gonna have to explain when we meet up. That okay?" He glanced at Tera with a hint of uncertainty as he spoke.
"Absolutely, my boy!" Thankfully, Axon was approving. "We will see you and Rev when you arrive!"
Glitch told him goodbye for the time being and ended the transmission. Rev was expectantly waiting for him when he came back over. "What'd he say?" she piped up.
"I didn't tell him much," Glitch said. "Just that I'll explain when we see each other."
Tera suspiciously placed a hand on her hip. "Explain what?"
"What do you think?" Glitch tiredly huffed.
...
"Uhh, wait, no, guys, I can explain!"
The Droids ignored Glitch's request. He and Rev were forced to jump out of the way of the their guns as they aimed them forward. They aggressively trained every barrel on Tera the moment they saw her. Although she had her hood on, Glitch was still able to make out a surprisingly nonchalant blue glow from her optics. She calmly put her hands up.
"Just what the devil is that witch doin' back here?!" Feeble bellowed.
Tera smiled at Glitch. "Lovely family ya got here!" she remarked. "I'm glad to be part of it, really! Is he our great grandpa?"
Colonel Alloy threw Glitch a look that straddled outrage and confusion. His pair of eyes wasn't the only one angrily planted on him. Glitch shifted slightly under the weight of everyone's silent ridicule. He noticed Rev tensed up next to him. Neither of them expected positive reception after returning with the Zombiebot-whisperer. But they at least hoped the others would hear them out. Luckily, Dr. Axon came forward. Glitch relaxed a bit. If anyone would be reasonable, it was Axon. The rest of the group kept their weapons drawn as he went up to meet Glitch on his wheels. "I am not sure I understand. What is the meaning of this?"
"Look, I know this don't seem right," Glitch said. "But before I explain, there's something about her you all need to know."
He gave Tera a gentle nod. She understood the signal and reached up for her cloak's hood. Her gloved, three-digit hands carefully flipped it back. Everyone reacted the same way; shocked exclamations swept the entire group. Glitch expected that. He watched everyone's stunned gawks alter between him and Tera. Almost a full minute passed before Dr. Axon broke the intense silence. "Glitch!" He shook his head, flabbergasted. "I-I do not believe what I am seeing, she…"
"She's my sister," Glitch confessed.