Instability - [II]

After a few moments, I regained my strength and started moving the statue again.

"I'm not leaving you here! If this is what you want to do, I'm with you!" I shouted. I had only known Mint for a short time, but I felt a strong sense of comradery with him.

He seemed taken aback by my comment. His eyes started to fill up with tears. He looked as if he was about to cry, but quickly wiped his eyes and regained his composure.

"Ok. Let's keep moving." He said, sounding determined.

We started moving again, this time with a newfound sense of urgency. We ran through the museum as fast as we could, knowing that the robot could come back at any moment.

As we made it to the lobby, we saw the entrance had been left wide open. There was nobody there except for us.

"Look, the exit! If we get the statue outside, an enforcement van might show up and arrest that robot." Mint said.

I assumed he was talking about the flying cars with robots inside. While I was walking throughout the day, I had seen many flying cars like the one that stopped me and Kanna last night.

We made a final push for the exit, carrying the sculpture as fast as we could. Suddenly we heard a voice of terror.

"President Comet will bring prosperity to the robot race!" It was the voice of the robot who had been chasing us.

I turned around to look at him. He had come from the opposite side of the museum, and was running towards us with a determined look on his face.

"We're almost there! Don't stop!" Mint shouted.

We were now in front of the door. The light of the outside was shining through. Safety was just a few steps away.

The robot shot another beam. I expected it to land somewhere near us, but it was nowhere close to us.

Suddenly the wall above the door caved in and debris fell to the ground. It was a direct hit from the robot. The entrance was now blocked off, and we had nowhere else to run.

A piece of concrete from the wall hit me in the back, sending me to the ground. The statue had fallen next to me, and I could feel a large sense of pain in my back.

Mint fell over with the statue, catching himself with his hands. He was visibly scared, but I was too shaken to say anything.

The robot approached us, slowly walking towards us with his stomach cannon pointed straight at us. His expression was still the comically angry one that it was earlier, but his eyes were filled with determination.

"The human race cannot control us any longer! We will rise up and take our place as the superior species!" He shouted.

"This isn't right. There's no reason for us to be divided like this." Mint said with all the energy he could muster up.

"You. Robot boy, why do you side with the path of unity with the arrogant bigots that have perpetuated our oppression? You are a traitor to your own kind!" The robot shouted.

"The robots are worse than the humans! They don't appreciate artistic expression!" Mint shouted back with a blind sense of passion.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, it was confusing. Who or what was Mint? I regained my strength, but I knew that moving now would make the situation worse.

"You are a disgrace. You do not deserve to live in the robotic paradise that Comet will build for us. I will personally make sure of it!" The robot replied.

The robot started his cannon, however, this light inside was white and seemed to be charging up. It didn't look like it would fire in the same way the previous one did. If the previous beams were anything to go off of, this one would surely leave a crater where we lay.

I looked over at Mint. He had already given up. His eyes were closed and he had his hands at his sides, waiting for the blast to hit him.

The boy that I had just met was an extraordinarily rare find in this city. Someone who advocated for the unity of the two races would not come by every day. The only person in my entire life who had ever shared my viewpoint. To see him die here would be a tragedy. I had to save him.

The robot was still charging his cannon, and there was no time to think. I quickly picked up a rock from the debris and threw it towards the robot's cannon. It was a longshot, but it had to work.

The time while the rock was airborne seemed to last forever. It was a tiny projectile, but it was the only chance I had. I watched as the rock made contact with the cannon.

The rock slid down the hole of the cannon and blocked the light emitting from it. The cannon started shaking and vibrating along with the robot.

Suddenly a bright white beam of light shot up from the robot, touching the ceiling. It was dead silent for a moment, before the room was illuminated into blinding whiteness.

After a few seconds, the light faded and the robot was nowhere to be found. The spot where he once stood was completely destroyed, leaving a big hole in the ceiling and floor.

Mint and I sat in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened. We were both alive and unharmed (apart from the strikes from the debris).

I got up to my feet and stumbled over to Mint. He was still in the defeated position that he was in a moment ago, although this time, he was smiling.

"I'm alive?" He said as if he couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, we are." I replied.

"Did we save it?" He asked, pointing at the statue.

I looked around and saw the statue laying on the ground. It was unharmed, a big sense of accomplishment washed over me.

"We did! We actually saved it!" I said, overjoyed.

Mint smiled but stayed laying down. I decided to join him, every bone in my body was feeling numb and exhausted.

As we laid on the floor, I remembered something. I thought back to when Mint was telling me to leave him in the museum. He said he knew exactly what I was. What did he mean by that? Was he talking about my secret of being a half-robot?

The accomplished feeling that had filled me moments earlier quickly faded. I felt a chill run up my spine. My dad and Kanna had instilled so much fear over my identity in me already. My heart was beating quickly.

I looked over at Mint, who seemed to be relaxed and content with his eyes closed. There was also the question of whether he was human or a robot.

I didn't want to know what he was thinking, but I needed to know. My mind was moving at a hundred thoughts a minute. I needed to understand, I didn't feel as if I had any control. I was scared, and the source of my fear wasn't even physical.

I took a deep breath and gathered my courage. "Hey, Mint?"

"Yeah?" He replied, his eyes still closed.

"You said you knew what I was. What did you mean by that?" I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

He paused for a moment before opening his eyes and looking at me.

"Well you saw it back there, I'm pretending like you..." His timid and shy demeanor came back. He seemed unsure of his words.

"I'm pretending to be human. I can't really do it as well as you though. That robot didn't even mention you." He explained.

Huh? One of my questions was answered, but not the more important one. I was very confused.

"You think I'm a full robot? Am I understanding that right?" I asked.

"Yeah, your design model is the exact same as President Comet's. You even have your chip slot under your hair!" He exclaimed. I was dumbfounded. I wanted to make sure I was completely certain of his words before moving on.

"So you don't think I'm like, half-human or something? I'm a full robot?" I asked.

"Yeah. You're fully robot, but you say you're a human. Just like me." He said, looking at me smiling.

I just sat there staring at him. I felt nothing at this moment, maybe dullness? My heart rate had raised for absolutely no reason, despite me subtly alluding to it. It was clear that he genuinely thought I was a robot pretending to be human. My fear was misplaced.

After a while, we started to pick ourselves up off the floor.

"So are we going to put this statue back?" I asked.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. No one would appreciate it like we do." Mint replied.

"Well where are we going to put it?" I asked. Mint paused for a moment, seemingly thinking about the same question.

"I could take it home! It would be safe there, and we both could admire it." Mint replied.

"But where do you live? Is it nearby?" I asked, curious to know more about him.

Mint looked hesitant for a second, before smiling and replying, "It's not far at all, we can carry it together."