To say Emily was going mad was an understatement. She never had been so isolated (having moved from her old universe to Beyond City in 2018, two years before COVID-19 lockdowns). It felt wrong, not being able to contact her friends. If anything, she felt like she was in prison. Her mind raced with plans to see the Stand-in Queen. Maybe she could help. The question was how to get an audience with her. Just then, a robot maid came in. \u201cDame Williams, Lady Verdutha has requested an audience with you. Would you like to speak with her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, please!\u201d replied Emily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVery well,\u201d said the maid. \u201cI shall connect you to her.\u201d The robot then plugged into a computer console and Verdutha appeared on a screen. It seemed like the video was in an old red and blue effect for 3-d glasses. Emily blinked as she recognized what was going on. There was a coded communique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHello, Emily!\u201d said Verdutha. \u201cEnjoying the life of Peace?\u201d Emily had paid attention to Verdutha\u2019s mouth movements and gleaned the message. She knew the audio would be scrambled and respliced into a different sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on, Verdutha?\u201d she replied. \u201cWhen did this all start?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, I know,\u201d said Verdutha. \u201cThe poor planet. Auriella really has her work cut out for her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Man-made? For what reason?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, they saved the important stuff, but the fluidity of it all nearly killed the Adrexians.\u201d Emily rolled her eyes when she translated the mouth movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause, of course, my cousin\u2019s wife would want that! So, Umbra\u2019s had this universe in their grasp for 800,000 years, local timescale. That\u2019s only 20 years by Beyond City\u2019s timescale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd it gets better! Crime has dropped to only two percent since this new change!\u201d Emily translated Verdutha\u2019s mouth movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026The robots aren\u2019t THAT dumb, right?\u201d she asked. \u201cI mean, there\u2019s no way they can get stuck on paradoxes like we can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt really is the perfect society. The stand-in Queen, Lurazzi, has helped Auriella keep things in order.\u201d Emily goggled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAuriella\u2019s logs?\u201d She grinned. \u201cI know how to get them to Lurazzi. You take care of the robots, I\u2019ll deal with Lurazzi. The Adrexians will go home today!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou take care too, dear!\u201d Verdutha\u2019s call then ended. The robot maid was about to leave when Emily acted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cExcuse me! Something went screwy with the call between us!\u201d she called. \u201cIt looks like one of your top-secret reports meant for Stand-in Queen Lurazzi wormed its way to my end!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHas it?\u201d asked the maid. It checked the call files. \u201cOh my goodness, it has!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you think I can give this to her in person? You can watch me so I don\u2019t do anything suspicious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see any issue with that arrangement,\u201d said the robot maid. \u201cThis way, please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verdutha managed to call Bashoon, Fitri, Rouge, and Scorpainia. They were granted a group tour of the computer center where all the robots were linked up to a hive mind. Verdutha whispered the plan to her group members as they walked. They soon arrived at the main computer banks where the main robot in charge was coordinating the action. \u201cAs you can see, this perfect system is what keeps the Adrexians alive,\u201d said the robot in charge. \u201cIf need be, we can restrain those who would be imperfect. We are much stronger-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, WE\u2019RE stronger,\u201d challenged Verdutha. \u201cAnd I\u2019ll prove it to you.\u201d She leaned to the robot as if she were about to impart a great secret to it. \u201cCan you harm that which you\u2019re programmed to serve?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026No,\u201d answered the lead robot. Bashoon took the lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut you already HAVE, my dear,\u201d said the Goblin woman. \u201cWomankind cannot survive on bread alone, you poor, soulless creature, but on the nourishments of liberty! For what indeed IS a woman without freedom? Naught but a mechanism trapped in the cogwheels of eternity!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou offer us only well-being,\u201d said Fitri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFood and drink and happiness mean nothing to us,\u201d continued Rouge. \u201cWe must be about our jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSuffering and torment and pain, laboring without end\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDying and crying and lamenting over our burdens\u2026\u201d Rouge and Fitri then looked at each other and spoke in unison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnly this way can we be happy!\u201d The two women curtsied. The eyes of the robots were starting to flash as they were processing this new information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat is\u2026contradictory,\u201d said the lead robot. \u201cIt is not\u2026logical.\u201d It turned to Scorpainia. \u201cQueen Empress Scorpainia, explain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGo ahead,\u201d Verdutha urged the Tarlaxian ruler. Scorpainia then whispered in the robot\u2019s ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLogic is a little, tweeting bluebird chirping in a meadow of carnivorous plants. Logic is a wreath of beautiful flowers that smell rancid.\u201d Scorpainia then studied the robot intensely. \u201cAre you sure your circuits are registering correctly? Your ears are green.\u201d Rouge suddenly wailed in misery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI CAN\u2019T GO ON!\u201d she cried. \u201cI\u2019M TIRED OF HAPPINESS! I\u2019M TIRED OF COMFORT AND PLEASURE! I\u2019M READY! KILL ME! KILL ME!\u201d Her compatriots then made finger guns and\u2026fired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!\u201d they all said. With each bang, Rouge moved as if she were shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGoodbye, cruel multiverse!\u201d she said as she slowly fell to the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBANG! BANG!\u201d Rouge\u2019s eyes shut and she stopped moving. Fitri put two fingers to the bat\u2019s neck to check for a pulse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026She\u2019s dead, Jim,\u201d she said to Verdutha in a perfect Dr. McCoy impression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2026cannot have killed her,\u201d remarked the lead robot. \u201cYou have no weapons.\u201d Verdutha soon cradled Rouge in her arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLady Rouge!\u201d she whispered in mock horror. \u201cShe had too much happiness! Now she\u2019s happier she\u2019s dead! We shall miss her! Let us hear it for our poor, dead friend!\u201d They all started laughing, then Verdutha moved her hands for silence. \u201cWhat is a woman but that lofty spirit? That sense of\u2026endeavor?\u201d She winked at Bashoon. \u201cThat devotion to something that cannot be sensed, cannot be realized, but only\u2026DREAMED the highest reality?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBrilliant! Bravo!\u201d cheered Bashoon as the group, sans Rouge, clapped and shook Verdutha\u2019s hand. Verdutha then spoke to the lead robot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow did you like it?\u201d she asked. The robot wasn\u2019t very advanced, so it got stuck on one thing like a bit of bad code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat is\u2026irrational. Illogical. Dreams are not real.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur logic is to be illogical,\u201d replied Verdutha. \u201cThat is our advantage. Scorpainia, it is time. The explosive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVery well,\u201d replied Scorpainia. Her right claw then moved from behind her back as if she were holding a sphere of explosive material in it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
To say Emily was going mad was an understatement. She never had been so isolated (having moved from her old universe to Beyond City in 2018, two years before COVID-19 lockdowns). It felt wrong, not being able to contact her friends. If anything, she felt like she was in prison. Her mind raced with plans […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[754,880],"tags":[482,9,146,337],"class_list":["post-6579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-journey-through-wonder","category-story-journey-through-wonder","tag-fantasy","tag-kamen-rider","tag-sonic","tag-transformers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6579"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6580,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6579\/revisions\/6580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}