‘Thank you for your service here today,’ he said. ‘May I respectfully ask, where is the Imperial Guard?’
The human made an odd motion, and Wa-Ka-Mo-Do realized he wasn’t wearing a translation device.
‘Come on,’ he called, and stepped forward. The humans stood to one side, allowing him to pass, and Wa-Ka-Mo-Do headed into the city, his troops marching along behind him. Inside his gyros were spinning. What would he have done if the humans had tried to prevent him from entering Sangrel?
The Street of Becoming was littered with broken tiles and rubble. Bullet holes stitched the upper parts of the buildings. Dark cracks spread across their walls, and a fine sprinkling of dust fell on the robots.
There were four more humans guarding the top gates of the Street of Becoming, each of them holding the same strange new weapons as those at the bottom. Behind them, Wa-Ka-Mo-Do noted with some relief, were ten warriors of the Emperor’s Army. La-Ver-Di-Arussah stood at their head.
‘Honoured Commander,’ she said. There was a scratch on her brightly polished body.
‘La-Ver-Di-Arussah, there are humans guarding the entrance to the Emperor’s city of Sangrel. Did you not, perhaps, feel this to be an insult to his name?’
‘These are the Emperor’s orders, Honoured Commander,’ replied La-Ver-Di-Arussah coolly.
I don’t believe you! The words died in Wa-Ka-Mo-Do’s voicebox. It seemed that things had gone so wrong here in Sangrel she probably was telling the truth.
‘How badly damaged is the city?’ he asked.
‘The flying craft fired missiles that hit the Emperor’s Palace. Several humans died. Furthermore, they have destroyed some of the buildings that the humans erected by the lake.’
‘What about robots? How many citizens are dead?’
‘We haven’t yet had the time to find that out. The Emperor instructs us that the humans must be assisted first.’
‘Surely you questioned these orders?’
‘One does not question the Emperor, Wa-Ka-Mo-Do. We are to secure a passage way from Smithy Square to the Gate of Becoming to allow the humans to bring in new equipment.’
‘No! I don’t believe it! How do you know this is what the Emperor wishes?’
‘His orders were relayed here by radio not one hour ago.’
Did he believe her? He didn’t know.
Wa-Ka-Mo-Do looked down at his hands. His body was covered in grime, a thin patina of dust from the human crops. He felt dirty and disconnected from this city. Nothing seemed to be making sense.
‘La-Ver-Di-Arussah. Think on this: there was already tension in this city before the attack. Imagine the feelings of the citizens now! If we go out and are seen helping to rebuild some of the damage caused by the human craft we may calm things a little.’
‘It is not our job to calm things. The Emperor wishes any rebellion to be quashed in the most brutal manner possible, as an example to other cities.’
She was smiling as she spoke. The gar was actually smiling. ‘After all,’ she added, ‘the Emperor has many more robots. He doesn’t have that many humans.’
‘He has no humans! The humans have him!’
Seldom had the silence of robots been so deep. La-Ver-Di-Arussah’s troops stared forward blankly.
‘Surely, if you must speak treason, it would be better away from the troops?’
‘Where’s Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah?’ demanded Wa-Ka-Mo-Do.
‘Up in Smithy Square, helping the humans.’
‘I’m going up there.’
‘Take your squad with you, Wa-Ka-Mo-Do. You will need them to protect you from the robots of Sangrel. They’re angry.’
‘Was that a deliberate insult, La-Ver-Di-Arussah?’
Her smile widened.
‘No. Only advice.’
Wa-Ka-Mo-Do set off alone. He looked through the entrance to the Copper Market, and saw that the stalls in there were still open. The place was a lot emptier than usual, it was true, but there were still robots selling metal and oil and coal. It made sense, he supposed, robots would need materials with which to repair themselves.
He continued up the hill. Where was everyone else, he wondered? He feared he knew the answer. In houses and buildings, in the caves at the back of the Copper Market, stoking up the fire of their grievances.
There were two peasants up ahead, raking the rubble from the street.
‘What happened here?’ he demanded.
‘Silversmith’s house got hit, Honoured Commander.’
They looked at the ruptured wall of the nearby building. Melted silver droplets were spattered across the road and the rubble.
‘Was anyone hurt?’
‘Silversmith’s family were all killed. Melted.’
‘Melted?’
‘We don’t understand it, Honoured Commander. Whatever hit that building sent a jet of liquid metal into it. The family’s minds burned like flares. If you go in there you can see their bodies welded to each other, the whole family turned into one lump.’
Wa-Ka-Mo-Do examined the ground. Mixed among the rubble were droplets of iron and aluminium.
‘What are you doing now?’
‘Clearing a path for the humans. There is a transport craft coming. They will need to bring their own weapons up into the city if they are to defend themselves from further attacks.’
‘What about defending us?’ asked Wa-Ka-Mo-Do
‘Honoured Commander?’
They didn’t understand. Wa-Ka-Mo-Do was already gone, heading up the hill. If the humans wanted to inflame the robots of the city to rebellion, they couldn’t go a better way about it.
It wasn’t until later on it occurred to him that that may have been their plan.