Page 57 of The Space Traveller's Lover
“Did you get that, General?” Sanders mutters into his microphone.
“Stand firm, Sanders. Keep your bearing.” Sanders hears General Stewart’s through his earpiece, but the general’s tense voice makes him feel even more uneasy.
“A limitless army of robots. What do you mean?” Professor Khan asks while looking at Shaillah in disconcert as she turns to face him.
“Professor, look!” Sam interrupts and points towards the wall-high windows at the back of the room.
Sanders, Sam, and Khan rush towards the windows, leaning against the glass panes, their jaws dropping, as they can hardly digest the spectacle developing in front of them.
As far as they can see, thousands of identical android robots are rising from the sea, marching on the sandy beach and heading towards the city. The androids’ sleek bodies glow in shiny, metallic skin, their shoulders adorned with silver and golden badges. They walk in a tight formation, their flaming row of forward-facing eyes focused ahead, on their relentless advance.
“Who the heck are they?” a stunned Sam shouts, turning his head towards Shaillah.
“They’re Rom-Ghenshar guardian robots, and they mean no harm. They are starting the reconstructions,” Shaillah responds impassively, walking towards the startled men.
“Reconstruction?” Sanders frowns.
“Yes, we are reconstructing. Building the new cities of the new world … and there is nothing that you can do about it—nothing!” Shaillah warns.
Bewildered, they slowly turn their heads to look through the glass windows, following the swarms of robots taking over the beaches and every path leading to the main streets. The ARA personnel run away in all directions trying to hide in any city buildings they can get into, sometimes stumbling against a robot, who ignores them as if they were not even there.
“Don’t shoot. Don’t shoot at the robots!” Sanders shouts on his microphone as he watches in dismay at some police units aiming theirweapons and firing at the unstoppable invaders. But all the ammunition instantly stops against their shiny bodies and falls to the ground.
The robots’ relentless advance and the guards’ inability to stop them are all plain to see. Eventually, everyone realises that they have no other alternative but to retreat—to run and hide as quickly as possible while the invading army occupies each and every street.
“Professor Khan, we must return to the command centre,” Sanders suggests, peering at Shaillah through the corner of his eye. “There’s nothing we can do here.”
“That is … if they let us go,” Khan sneers, glaring back at Shaillah.
“Of course!” Shaillah says while pointing at the way out.
Sam runs towards her in an impulsive move, but he stops dead before reaching her. He has remembered she is nothing more than a hologram.
“Erin, what have you done? Can you stop this invasion?” he pleads with her.
“Sam, there’s nothing I can do. It’s all been decided a long time ago,” she impassively says.
“What will happen next?” Sam’s worried expression deepens as he stares questioningly at her.
“Everything will be all right. We are only reconstructing. Making this planet a better place. And by the way, you can take off your protective gear. It’s perfectly safe for you here.” Shaillah explains in a reassuring tone, raising her voice to make sure everyone can hear her.
“What will happen to your parents? They’re still in a coma,” Sam poignantly says, as if letting her know that he would not feel safe in her presence.
“I’m so sorry,” she replies, looking away and avoiding Sam’s reproving stare.
“You and yournewfriends have caused enough destruction, Erin—”
“It’s time to go,” she announces as she brusquely walks away from him.
She stops dead in front of the revolving galaxy and turns around, looking at them with her strongest warning glare yet. “Remember, don’t attack the robots. You must follow their orders!” Shaillah restates.
Immediately, she and all the floating images disappear in a puff of bright sparkles in front of their stunned faces. Only the glass pyramid remains, faintly glowing while hauntingly standing on the planning table.
Sanders, Sam, and Khan dash out of the room, running as quickly as they can through the nearest fire exit.
“We are all okay. Everybody, please stay inside. Don’t attack the robots.” Sanders keeps saying into his microphone.
As they run out of the building, they see some security guards still trying to stop the army of robots from making their way into the city. But the robots push through the steel barriers as if the fences were made out of paper, throwing away the guards’ protective gear like hollow plastic junk. The unrelenting robots walk through the blocking army tanks, overturning them like small toys and sweeping away the heavily armed men like rag dolls.
