It was obvious that Tidewatch did not have the manpower to put a stop to the Rampants’ plan.

  Waterway as a whole was seemingly constructed on a selfish foundation, that the regular residents could offload their problems to a select few so they could live happily in peace. That presumption was being challenged. Without dispatching Tidewatch to constantly guard the artery cable, there was a consistent risk that this would happen.

  “They’ve gone too far. If this becomes a new precedent, then the other forces in the Big Under are going to have no qualms about doing similar acts in future,” Dubai murmured.

  Nova leaned back against the wall; “It’s too late for that now. It was already set when they refused to help us stop them. When enforcement becomes lax, the worst of us will always try to exploit it. It’ll be a new weapon in their arsenal, and these desperate times mean that they’re all hoping to be the ones left standing when it all comes apart.”

  “I never thought it’d come to this. It’s the worst-case scenario, and not just for Waterway, I don’t understand why they can’t see that.”

  “I already said – they all believe they’re in a position to benefit. Nobody makes risky choices expecting to lose.”

  All of those concerned about Oxford’s declaration of war had gathered together for a public meeting. The room was almost packed from end to end, however in truth a vast number of residents neglected to show up and make their opinions known. Seven members of Tidewatch had come with Nova Lima to make their case to the citizens about the urgency of action.

  A discussion started to rumble through the chamber. Robots whispered and muttered, some concerned, others eager to see Tidewatch rip the Rampants a new exhaust hole. But that kind of talk was only making Yantai angrier. The tension built and built until she finally cracked and shouted out, silencing them and getting all eyes on her.

  “Shut up! The lot of you! Didn’t you listen to anything that Nova just said? Tidewatch isn’t going to be enough to solve this problem. There’s only ten of us, and hundreds of Rampants waiting in the wings.”

  She was challenged by an unlikely foe. Paris pushed through the front of the crowd and made her presence known.

  “It’s typical that we would hear that kind of violent speech from a reprobate like you, Yantai. The only consideration in your mind is how to drag more of us kicking and screaming into your needless bloodbaths.”

  “Oh? Is that so? Since you seem so ungrateful about what we’ve done, maybe you can pick up a weapon and do our job for us instead! Or we could simply banish you from Waterway. It’s been a while since we’ve had a good-old public flogging.”

  “You’re submitting to the ‘human’ half of your mind. Doesn’t liberation from what binds us appeal to you in the least?”

  “Your rhetoric is worse than useless. You try spouting this to the Rampants and they’ll parade your head up and down on the end of a pike. How many of you are willing to pick up a weapon and defend yourselves?”

  An uneasy wave travelled through the audience. I lifted my arm into the air and quickly found that I was one of a mere handful of robots who saw the importance of what Yantai was saying. Waterway was going to be done for if this didn’t change, and fast. Paris was happy that so many others were refusing, if only so she could pretend to be the one influencing their behaviour.

  “They reject your creed of violence, and the history that the humans have left to us.”

  “Good. That means they won’t stop me if I decide to pick you off before the Rampants get here.”

  Nova finally moved to get in the way before she smashed Paris to pieces.

  “Yantai, cool your jets.”

  Yantai got into Nova’s face and sneered, “I only joined because you asked, and because you threatened to kick me out if I didn’t. I’m starting to think that this place isn’t worth protecting in the first place. A bunch of parasites leeching off our goodwill and hard work!”

  “Yantai.”

  “Don’t start using that kind of tone either. You’re not my mother. It’s going to have to be a damn good reason, not more browbeating and disapproving comments. I’ve done more than my share, the least these bots can do is protect themselves for once when the situation demands it!”

  The air of unease in the meeting room only grew heavier thanks to the confrontational nature of their argument. Yantai was one of the most infamous Tidewatch members, and from what I understood she was chosen thanks to her willingness to engage in combat simply for the sake of it. They were afraid of her and what she was capable of.

  >> In their infinite wisdom, they sent her to the one place where she could install dangerous, high-grade components. How short-sighted of them.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  >> Out of sight, out of mind.

  The entire thing descended into farce soon after that. Paris and Yantai continued to bicker, pulling others into the debate via their emotional pull. What started as an ideological debate transformed into one that was more personal in nature, with both sides digging up past scars and using them to try and undermine the other. All of this history went clean over my head. The bots living in Waterway never liked to talk about the past all that much.

  Berlin stood with me at the side and despaired in silence at what was happening in front of him. His cynicism was unfortunately being proven correct in many ways, and he was not in the mood to celebrate his gift of foresight. This was an issue that threatened to destroy the entire city and force a thousand bots to scatter to each end of the facility to find a new home.

  “I knew this was going to happen. When the chips are down, nobody wants to take responsibility.”

  I volunteered only because I had no other place to go. In truth, I had no particular attachment to Waterway beyond the assumption that they were trying their best to create order out of the chaos. I didn’t understand what it meant to devote myself to something beyond the orders I was programmed with. What value did Waterway have beyond my belief it would maintain the crumbling bones of this old, abandoned place?

  The Rampants, Leeds’ Boys, and the other farther afield groups were not concerned with that. They destroyed and ruined, taking what they pleased and burning through resources without a second thought. It was a race between their impulses and the other groups’ ingenuity in trying to find ways to produce more replacement parts. The sad reality was that tearing metal from the walls was easier than building a sophisticated production line.

  “Every second that we waste means that they’re going to edge closer and closer to doing the deed, although I don’t even think that they’ll stop if we agree to let them ransack the place anyway. What’s stopping them from robbing us blind and then following through to kick us while we’re down?” Berlin murmured.

  “Why haven’t they done that before?”

  “They didn’t have the means, and there was a serious risk of every other group coming down on top of them to keep the status quo going. This is the problem with them turning down our request for help. The Rampants don’t think that a coalition will come along and make them pay for it.”

  That was a knife that could cut both ways. It was safest to assume that the Rampants would execute similar schemes across the facility to gather resources and territory. The failure of those groups to come together had led Waterway into an unwinnable situation. It could stand and try to defend itself, or take a chance on the Rampants keeping their word and leaving the cable untouched in exchange for everything it possessed.

  >> It would have been best to resolve this problem beforehand.

  My decision-making process was struggling to choose a good answer. Berlin kept a close eye on the argument unfolding, no doubt wondering how and why a community as divided as this got together in the first place.

  “It might be best for everyone to evacuate.”

  “Evacuate? Is that a possibility?” I asked.

  “It’s happened a bunch of times. Settlements crop up, get knocked over, and the bots living there scatter to the four corners of the facility to find somewhere new. It won’t be a choice if they disconnect the power to this entire sector. We’ll be forced out.”

  I pondered the dilemma for a minute, before he spoke up again without my prompting.

  “Nothing to say? No apologies? I like that about you. You’re not concerned with offering false sympathy or condolences. We were screwed the second our ‘allies’ decided to leave us to the wolves. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

  Berlin was the only bot I knew who was so averse to displays of pity, or emotion in general, he didn’t like it when others used their feelings as an excuse.

  “I doubt that my words will be of any value to you, Berlin. You have been here for far longer than I.”

  There was something bothering me. It was rare that such a feeling emerged from the cold recesses of my artificial mind. It was not a rational thought, nor was it one worthy of any real consideration. Oxford was leading their charge. My old working partner, the solid rock I could attach myself to in a world that was different to the one I left. Was it my fault that things had turned out like this? How different would they have been if I was there to help her when she awoke for the first time?

  She was the only one who could answer my questions, as unwilling as she was to do so before. But what if she didn’t have a choice in the matter? I wanted to get to the core of the problem and find out what she had seen and experienced. Surely with that information I could piece together the sequence of events that led us here.

  >> You’re not going to fix this. Stop being so egotistical.

  I’d heard enough. I pushed my way through the crowd and left via the back door, stepping out onto the avenue and wrestling with my own thoughts. I didn’t even notice Berlin following me on the way out.

  “Where are you going, London? You think you can play the hero and solve this yourself? Yantai’s right about one thing – the bots around here won’t appreciate the effort.”

  “It’s not about them, or Waterway, it’s about Oxford. I want to know why she changed.”

  “You already know why she changed, it’s the same reason all of us changed. She got disconnected from the Braincloud and her brain went haywire.”

  “But there’s still a reason behind all of this, behind our fixations and desires. It is not random.”

  Berlin sighed, his stance slackening; “You’re right. It’s not random. It’s based on the data in our heads – and the incidents that happen to us before the spiral comes around. Even so, it doesn’t justify making life harder for every other bot in the facility.”

  “I understand. I’m not seeking forgiveness for Oxford. I want answers, nothing more.”

  Her words echoed in my ears still. What she said when she destroyed Sheffield back then, that what she was doing to us was some kind of mercy. I was not so interested in protecting my own ‘life,’ but I was interested in understanding my lighthouse in stormy seas. Through Oxford I could see how the world had changed since I went offline.

  I gave myself a million reasons. They were all deeply selfish. None of them were for the sake of helping Waterway or the robots who called it home. I was only closely acquainted with Saint Sauveur and Berlin anyway. They could rest assured that I had no intention of dragging Tidewatch along with me for the ride. This was my whim, and I would be the one to see it through to completion…