Servo 30:2

Servo 30:2
I burst into the hotel room with Suz right behind me. She managed to trip me and I fell flat on my face with a resounding whump.“Sorry,” she said, stepping over me on her way to our father. “Daddy! The bots are hurting people!” She fell into his arms, hugging him despite Dad’s lack of exoplates. “What?!” he replied, looking at me as I got up.I put the can of paint on the table. “We saw one hit and step on a man, accusing him of theft. The man had a receipt for his purchases. The bot drug him off and threw him in an enforcement vehicle...It broke the first law.”“Yes, yes it did. That’s not good.”“So we need to get you put together quick.” “Definitely.”I gazed around the hotel room at the wide debris pattern of exoplates. It seems that Rory and Otto had them everywhere. Some appeared to be sorted; others tossed about in a seemingly haphazard way. “What did you guys do?!”“Don’t worry, we can get your Dad put back together,” Otto said.“Are you sure?”“Yes, Jonah, we can. Despite what this mess looks like, we do have some organization,” Rory added.“Let’s get to work; I’m afraid our time is running out.” I grabbed Dad’s skull plates along with the can of paint and went to the door. “I’ll take these around the corner by the dumpster and see if I can get them painted.”“We’ll put Dad back together in the meantime,” Rory said. “Suz, can you help us?”“Me? What do I know about putting a robot together?”“You can hold the plates while I drill the holes. Otto can put them on.”She uttered a loud huff. “Oh, I suppose I can help.”“We ALL need to get out of here, and soon,”  Dad said, “This once wonderful world you knew and loved is going to be turned upside down if we don’t stop it.”“I see that now. Do you think it will ever be like it was?”“Can’t say for certain. But stopping the war will be a start.”“Why would the Inner States turn on its own citizens? I thought the Great Separation was fought between the haves and have not’s,” I said, my hand resting on the door knob.“It was. This war seems to be shaping up different. From what I can gather, the government wants to control everyone, not just those who speak out against them.”“But those living in the Inner States have always followed the rules,” Suz interjected. “Why would they want further control?”Dad tapped his finger against his exposed cheek framework. “That I am not certain of. Something sounds very sinister. I might be able to learn what’s going on when I hack into Servidyne’s system.”I was so afraid for my father. He might be going on a one-way mission. The thought of losing him had my stomach tied in knots. However, he was right, the war needed to be stopped. America couldn’t afford to be torn apart again. I tried to convince myself that there would be no nobler sacrifice if my father didn’t make it out alive. The lights in the hallway were dim as I headed to the back parking lot. On the way, a few of the wall sconces flickered. I wondered if it was the power plant failing. I paused at the back door a moment. Outside I could hear noise. I wasn’t sure what it was so I quietly opened the door a small bit to see. A garbage truck was emptying the dumpster. In the driver’s seat was an older looking service bot. It had golden “skin” and glowing amber eyes. My best guess was it had to be at least fifteen years old. Why was it still in service?With a loud bang, the truck replaced the dumpster against the hotel wall and left. I crept out, keeping a keen eye for battle bots. If they caught me with bot parts, it would be a difficult explanation. Only Servidyne was allowed to have parts; bot owners were required to take their units to the factory for repair. That way they could be scanned for malicious user uploads which couldn’t be caught on the standard wireless interfaces the bots used on a daily basis. I surveyed the area. It was surprisingly quiet now that the truck left. A few birds sitting in trees chirped a lively tune. How I missed the farm life. The multitude of distinct calls that prairie birds made along with the occasional crowing of Dagwood’s roosters; that seemed like heaven to me now. And I missed my friend, terribly. I longed to see his simple-minded face beaming at me in wonder of our next great adventure. Home, I needed to get home.Taking the rear skull plate, I decided to start with it first in case I made a mess. I propped it up against the curb and gave the can a thorough shaking. The marble rattling inside echoed in the small alcove surrounded by multi-story buildings. I hoped no battle bots had heard. When I was confident the paint was mixed, I squeezed the cap and gave it a pull. A few grunts and groans and it finally came off. Then I set to work; gently pressing the spray tip to deliver a light, even coat of paint. In a few minutes, the plate looked pretty good. No paint drips, and it seemed to be sticking to the shiny surface below. I knew I had to apply several coats to hopefully ensure it wouldn’t get scraped off. Next I took the faceplate. As I looked into the hollows where Dad’s eyes sat, I felt a sense of dread. Although he was technically dead, I loved my father with all my heart. I wanted nothing to happen to him. If there was some way I could be with him during his perilous mission, I would. But he had already warned me of the dangers, and I was told to stay with the others. My stomach knotted harder making me want to vomit. I don’t think it was the fumes from the paint, no, I was in panic mode over Dad. The phrase “you can’t lose him” kept repeating in my mind until I felt physically ill. There had to be some other way I could help. Another vehicle pulled into the back lot. I about jumped out of my skin. Luck would have it there was a man driving the van. He pulled into a parking space on the other side of the lot and went inside the building across from our hotel. I breathed a little sigh of relief. And then I noticed what was written on the side: Lansdowne Communication Systems. Yes, there might be a way…