“There’s a living thing in there.” Rake drew in a
breath and ran a hand over his face. “We approached it all wrong. We were
trying to open a tin can when this is much more. Bring the cables.”
“What for?”
“The bot won’t open as long as it can sustain life, I'm
guessing, and for some reason, its inhabitant can’t or won’t give the order.
I’m going to short circuit it. Then it’ll have to open.”
Spinner winced as if he were the one electrocuted. It
wouldn’t have been the first time. “What about the … creature? What if it kills
it?”
“It’s either that, or we suck it out through that hole,”
Rake said.
Spinner brought the cables.
The spotlight locations needed a bit of digging to get
to their connectors before Rake managed to attach the cables. “Clear.”
Spinner turned on the dial.
The bot didn’t shake like a patient on a hospital bed.
Several seconds passed before it screeched, and its shell split and flipped to
the side, starting with the face, chest, and gradually advancing towards the
arms and legs.
“What the…?”
Rake and Spinner gaped at the bot's occupant.
“It’s female.” Spinner blinked in surprise.
(The Nightingale Circus Collection - The Rocket Girl)
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