Champion of the Bots ✔️

Chapter 23 ~ RENA

"What are you?" A raspy voice in the darkness asked. "Why are you really here?"

"I told you already!" Rena growled back, straining at the chains around her wrists and calves. "We escaped from the Bot that crashed the Savior!"

The man tsked. "I don't believe you. How did this young man," the shadow gestured at Tob beside her, pulling on the chains, "get to the sky? And tell me, how was he able to download our database in the Chamber of Memories?"

Rena looked at the Bot. Memories. So that was what he had showed her. She could still taste the blood, the salt of bodies meshed together during the war, the fear in everyone's eyes. She needed to know what those memories were.

"Are you Aldrock?"

A wheelchair squeaked behind her.

Rena tried to swivel her neck to see the elderly man behind her. She didn't hear him squeak through the door; was he lurking in the shadows the whole time?

The squeaking came closer until the sour-plum breath of a man blew at the nape of her neck. "How do you know that name?"

She didn't reply, only tried not to suck in his awful breath.

"The memories told you, eh?" The wheelchair moved and stopped in front of Rena. The man's blue eyes flashed his eyes accusingly at the Bot.

A shadow stepped into the spotlight, next to the wheelchair; and Rena could finally see the owner of the raspy voice. A scraggly young man crossed his arms and tried to look strong—but he was really too scraggly. "They're definitely servants of Eden," his voice spat out.

"Are you Aldrock?" Rena asked again, louder, bolder.

The wheelchair stopped in front of her. "Tell me how you discovered that name, then I'll answer."

"That's unfair," she replied, clinging onto her thread of confidence. "If I answer, you'll have to untie us a-and help us get back to the Savior."

The Bot rattled his chains, his eyes widening. Are you crazy? His eyes spoke.

She glared at him. Of course we are going back! She widened her eyes in reply then looked at the man for his reply.

The man cocked his head sideways. She took that as a Yes.

Rena breathed as heavily as the pounding in her heart; but she answered, "There are stories that I heard on...on the Savior."

Blinking, Rena didn't realize the tears that welled or the pang shot through her chest as she continued, "We liked to have nights where everyone crowded in the Common Room, and everyone would just step into the middle of our circle and share their stories. We all had stories to tell, pain to share, tears to shed, loved ones to remember."

A salty trickle fell down her cheek. "And there was one story from...Sid. His eyes were blacker, colder than usual. His demeanor was...distant as he entered the circle and shared a tale. The tale of...of the three brothers who brought the fate and the hell onto this earth."

She nearly forgot the audience she had, their attention fixated on her, unlike the usual audience she had on the Savior. The man on the wheelchair nodded and waved for her to proceed.