The fastest welder in the Amelia

“Aaaaaaand…It’s Mchunu!” Antoine called out. “Mchunu takes the first place. What a way to recover from that stumble at the hurdles! What a race!”

The public roared as the three competitors slowed down. They chanted “Mchunu!” as the robot raised its arms victoriously.

“Followed by the Amelia in second and the Kazuhara in third. They gave a great fight but Mchunu’s sprint power defined the result.” Alex added. “Come on Antoine get off the table…”

In the handling room, the teams cheered and applauded in recognition of everyone's effort. The track and field event was the biggest of the contest and only eight teams qualified to the next. And, yes, the team at eight was definitely more cheerful than the one at ninth but even those at last willingly shook hands with their rivals. The fact of putting your vessel's name on the Grid’s screens was worthy enough for any participant. Well, except for the guys of the Kazuhara or, more specifically, for Emil Bushida.

“What a piece of trash!!!” Emil screamed, throwing the handling loop across the room.

Emil proceeded to throw a nearby chair against the wall and stomp out of the room. Many in the room had impressions of shock after witnessing his real personality revealed.

Mel didn’t try to hide his disgusted face after that pathetic scene.

“You don’t seem so impressed,” Mel said when he and his team met with the guys of the Amelia.

“Well, let’s say we had the fortune of meeting him beforehand,” Mike responded, making the Mchunu team laugh.

“You gave a great fight!” Mel said shaking their hands one by one.

After exchanging flattering compliments, they left with a smile back to the workshop.

“Guys!” Nina squeaked. “We did it!”

Shouting and jumping, the team finally allowed themselves to let out the pressure from the first round, joyful about the satisfactory results from the first event.

The honk of a horn and a shower of serpentines hit Oliver in the back, making him jump.

“Congratulations!” Quenzie said entering the room waving little flags. “According to my database, this is the best performance the Amelia has ever had in the track and field event. Such an impressive feat! Now, as much as I like celebrating, as your assistant, I need to highlight the importance of staying focused. The greatest have failed for looking away from their targets.”

The three friends stood there watching the tiny robot waving its little flags with their faces printed on them. Quenzie was right, but they were going to ignore its advice just a couple of minutes more.

“Oh! Come here Quenzie!” Oliver said as they surrounded the robot and started throwing it in the air.

…

Dark clouds churned in the sky, as team Amelia sailed through the restless ocean, the gale hitting them off balance every now and then.

"So, you'll be benched for today's event?" Quenzie asked Oliver. Trying to divert the attention away from the climate.

"That's right Quenzie," Oliver replied. "Do you think they'll reschedule the event because of the storm?"

Oliver finally caught a glimpse of the floating pier, a mile away or so from the Ellipsis stadium.

"Unlikely, unless it turns into a hurricane," Quenzie said. "I'm worried."

"We'll be fine, it’s just a little breeze, We’ve done P.E. under worst conditions," Nina added. "I'm worried about Athena."

All looked back to the robot lying in the stern of the boat. Unfazed against the weather.

"Are you guys kidding me!? I'm more worried about us!" Mike said. "Why are you looking at me like that?! Athena will be safe and sound down there diving while we risk getting struck by lightning up in the platform!"

"We could also be washed away by a wave!" Quenzie added.

When the boat reached the pier, the team swiftly installed in their designated area.

Oliver looked at the transmissions team. They were trying to find a stable spot to set their cameras, and installing reflectors to lighten up the venue.

"A representative from each team come with me!" indicated the official.

The eight representatives walked carefully as the violent waves rocked the pier.

“So, you’re benched too, Greenwood?” Mel asked as he encountered Oliver.

"That’s right," Oliver responded.

They joined the circle around the official, who was holding a dark velvety pouch. She turned on her microphone.

"So. According to the track and field’s results ranking, you’re going to grab one ball from the pouch,” She continued. “The color you get will be the color of the chest you’ll need to find down there. The chest, as you know, contains the welder you all need to fix the leaks on each team’s pipe. After that, your robot must return to the surface to give the welder to me.”

The official approached Mel, he reached out for the pouch to take a small yellow ball out.

“Sweet!” He exclaimed.

Oliver followed.

“No way!” Oliver lamented as he took out a brown ball. He had to clench his teeth when Bushida started sniggering.

Emil looked mockingly at Oliver when he took out the red ball.

Once all teams had an associated color, the official dismissed them to their respective stations.

“Guys I'm so sorry,” Oliver said, showing them the ball.

“No way!” Mike replied.

“Brown?!?” Nina wailed.

Oliver felt down, the only task he had to accomplish in this event was getting an easy color to distinguish underwater and he rotundly failed.

“Competitors on your marks!” The official announced as all the robots lined up on the edge of the pier. “Set…Dive!”

When the signal hit all the robots plunged into the water. Mike put on the handling loop and Nina was wearing the suit. This trial was all about coordination.

“Ok, Nina I see a chest at four o'clock, descend two meters to check the color,” Mike ordered as Nina moved on the handling platform. “Let me see…the visibility is terrible, get a little closer…No! It’s purple.”

It started raining when they went for the second chest.

“Pink,” Mike informed. “But it seems like most of the robots are already trying to open their chest…”

“Then look for a lonely chest,” Nina ordered.

“At nine o’clock, Nina!” Mike urged. “Go for twenty-five meters with a positive inclination of seven degrees…Yes! Brown! This is it, Nina.”

“How do I open it!?” Nina demanded.

“Let me see…Could you get the head a little closer…Perfect!” Mike said as Oliver started hugging Quenzie to fight the anxiety that provoked him not being able to help. “There’s a number lock and there seems to be an inscription on the lid…I hold you close when day is done, where dreams unfold and rest’s begun.”

“A pillow?” Oliver guessed trying to be helpful.

“Maybe… but how do we unlock a three-digit number lock with “Pillow?” Mike wondered.

“Then the answer is bed! The code must be 254!” Nina said.

“Okay. Lower the right hand forty centimeters down, now ten to the left…There!” Mike indicated. “Now, start moving the thumb upwards…No! You’re doing it too softly.”

“Like this?” Nina asked.

“Keep going…Stop! Move a centimeter…start moving the thumb…Stop,” Mike ordered. “Now for the last one, you’ll have to do a precise movement, I’ll tell…”

“Done?” Nina questioned.

“Yes!” Mike said impressed. “You’re right in position, open the chest!”

Mike instructed Nina to take the welder. Then they agreed to fix the farthest leak first.

“You’ll have to go a hundred and twenty meters with a negative angle of thirty degrees,” Mike said.

“How does it look?” Nina asked. “How many are already welding?”

“Five or four! As far as I can see!” Mike said mortified.

“Only four qualify for the next event, they have to hurry,” Quenzie worriedly whispered to Oliver.

“You’re there!” Mike said. “The leak extends twenty centimeters to your left…Good, keep going…Perfect!”

“That was fast!” Quenzie whispered astonished.

“Next is forty meters away…” Mike urged. “You’re there! It’s five centimeters down…”

Mike gave the instructions to reach the next leak.

“You reached them, Nina! Ten centimeters, twenty-seven degree angle!” Mike indicated.

Nina’s battered hands began to tremble. She snorted, hating when this happened to her. “You can do it, Hsu!” She told herself. All those hours at the welding shop, the complaints from her mother telling her that wasn’t something proper of a refined girl, and her classmates gossiping about her worn hands.

“Let’s show them, Hsu,” Nina told herself as her trembling hands relaxed and the storm was raging.

“You’re done!” Mike exclaimed. “Emerge, forty-five degrees!”

“What’s going on!” Nina desperately shouted as she started to swirl uncontrollably on top of the platform.

“We’re trapped on a current, activate the propellers now!” Mike ordered.

Nina recovered stability but Athena resurfaced fifty meters away from the pier. Athena propelled over the violent waves, grabbing the welder tightly while trying to maintain the course against the strong winds. The Kazuhara’s resurfaced ten meters away. Both robots sprinted when they reached the pier.

Athena made a slide into the official’s zone.

“The winners of the second event are…” The official announced. “Team Kazuhara!”