Chapter 21

Learning to Fly

Ty spent two more days in the room of bricks, slaving away with Forty-Four on both of their creations. Ty's progress on his own was slow. He found that he could only work on it in short bursts before he was unable to feel what piece needed to go next. That made the process longer than it should have, but it gave Ty plenty of time to help Forty-Four out as well. And, boy, did he need it.

To be fair, he actually did a fantastic job when you considered that a few days ago he couldn't even figure out how to put two pieces together. Now, he snapped them together left and right, his creation taking shape. Problem was, he couldn't manage to make what he saw in his head. It reminded Ty of himself when he was younger. He knew what he wanted to make, but he couldn't do it; his hands lacked the skill to create it. Ty told his friend.

“This is part of doing it the human way, then?” he asked.

“Yes, exactly.”

Forty-Four narrowed his eyes. “The human way is slow and infuriating.”

Ty laughed, “Yeah, the human way is usually like that. But it'll pay off in the end. With enough practice, you'll be able to do it in no time. And when it's finally done you'll feel something, instead of just putting it aside and starting on the next thing right after you finish.”

Forty-Four said nothing, sighing instead and breaking his current failed attempt so he could start over again. Ty patted him on the back. “You'll get it, buddy. Once you know how not to do something, it becomes that much easier to do it right.”

Yet again, he was struck by how similar his words were to his grandfather's from years ago. He might be dead, but what he taught certainly lived on.

Forty-Four nodded. “Thank you... Ty.”

That was only the second time he called him by name.

#

By the next day, Forty-Four no longer needed any of Ty's help, advice, or encouragement. In the middle of the table, his creation was almost complete. There were only a few things left causing him trouble. He would finish by the time Ty was ready for bed.

Ty sat alone at his spot by the shore and took his incomplete weapon in hand. He thought he knew what it was about to be, but saying it out loud felt like it would spoil the creation in some way. Best to let it flow on to completion.

It had a full hilt now, with a strange hand guard that came out in the front of the handle and the back as well, forming a square. Extending from the hilt, the shaft of the weapon continued up about the length of his arm and ended in a flat stump. From here, it could continue up and become another spear, to one side or both and become an ax, or curve and become a scythe. None of those felt right.

His hands lept into motion, pressing bricks into their rightful places. He lost himself in the hypnotic trance of construction, brick upon brick, each one smooth and familiar to his touch... all except for two. Ty looked down at what he held, puzzled at the strange pieces he'd chosen. They were rather large, thick, ninety degree triangles. He knew at once that this was it; these were the final touches.

With the care and precision of a surgeon, Ty placed the triangles at the top of the shaft, creating the tip of his new sword. Ty took the blade in his hand, giving it an experimental swing. There was no satisfying slice through the air, nor an ounce of accomplishment. He stared hard at the weapon, frowning. There had to be a missing piece...but what was it?

“Ty,” Forty-Four said his name again, turning his attention away from his dilemma. “I think it is done.”

Ty put his sword through the belt loop on his hip; he would deal with it later. He went to the table, Forty-Four flying around his head with excitement and perhaps even anxiety. He had no reason to worry.

On the table was a monstrosity—part bat, part dragonfly, and part board (skate, snow, surf—take your pick). The early forms of it were quite literal, exact parts from those three things all jammed together. As Forty-Four's skill progressed, he'd begun to develop a sense of self and style all his own without even realizing it. Now, the board had two sets of wings on each side, the individual appendages masterfully created. They were slick, perfectly aerodynamic, and upon closer inspection, made up of beautiful patterns of colors and shapes. Ty thought that even God would be impressed and honored to have this creature alive and real on Earth.

“This is absolutely fantastic!” Ty exclaimed. “You did it, Forty-Four!”

A window popped up on his screen, displaying an 8-bit fireworks show, making Ty laugh. “How do you feel?”

Forty-Four's digital smile looked as real as any human's.

“Alive.”

#

Ty stared up at the sky from his bed. Forty-Four was beside him, his back to the floor, mimicking Ty as best he could. The first time he slept there, he asked Forty-Four to change the sky to a night scene. He obliged, showing the same star-filled darkness every time the boy took to his bed.

“Hey, Forty-Four. Are you sure you're okay with tomorrow?”

“Yes,” the robot said without pause. “I do not want you to remain here... trapped.”

“What about you? You could come with me.”

He shook his head, sadly. “No, I do not think I can leave this place. Where would I go? I can not follow you home. From what you have told me about this door you need to get to, I doubt I could even fit through the frame.”

A picture of Forty-Four trying to ram himself through the door popped into Ty's head, making him laugh. The robot laughed too, but at the sight of the boy rolling about on his bed.

It was a struggle, but Ty finally regained his composure enough to continue the conversation. “But, seriously, what will you do?”

“What I have always done: build. Except now I shall do it the way you taught me—the right way.”

“Is that enough for you? You'll still be here, working for San...”

Unable to move his body in his current position on the floor, his pixelated face moved left and right within the screen as a makeshift way of shaking his head. “I will not be working for San. I will be working for me. For myself, and the children who will enjoy my creations. Where else could I do that on such a large scale but here?”

It was a good answer, for sure... but it did not satisfy Ty.

“What about the forty-three that came before you? Won't the same thing happen to you?”

“No... well, eventually, I suppose, but in the same way that disease and death can hit you. It is possible for me to live a long life from what I've learned of the forty-three's past mistakes. San will see nothing but the perfect robot he wanted to create from the beginning.”

“But—”

Forty-Four held up one of his pincers in front of Ty's face, snapping it in a threatening gesture. Ty sighed in defeat and rolled over onto his back.

“I will be okay, Ty. I do not feel like a prisoner here. I feel like I have the best job in the world, and I can do whatever I want. The only downside is having to deal with an evil boss every now and then.”

“Fine... as long as you're happy.”

“The matter is settled, then,” Forty-Four said, cheerfully. “Now, it would be best that you get some sleep.”

Ty yawned by way of agreement. He heard Forty-Four go into what he called “power saving mode” where he powered down all but his most necessary of functions. Ty possessed no such feature and lay awake for a long time after, staring at his sword beside him, wondering what it could possibly be missing.

#

Sleep claimed him eventually and next thing Ty knew he was looking at a fake morning sun shining down on him. He sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes.

“Good morning!” Forty-Four said with energy and enthusiasm that Ty would never possess after just waking up.

He returned the greeting through a yawn.

A plate sat on the edge of his bed, filled with pancakes. Forty-Four somehow produced food from nowhere for every meal. And not the plush kind either, real true food like from back home. Wherever it came from, Ty was grateful and he dug into the pancakes with gusto.

The pancakes were soon gone and Ty's grogginess improved enough that he felt ready to tackle the day. He grabbed his sword from where he'd placed it underneath his pillow—trying not to think about how he still hadn't figured out how to finish it—and slipped the weapon into his belt loop as he hopped out of bed. He joined Forty-Four by the table.

“Your watch, please.” Standing over the large creation on the table, handing his watch to Forty-Four, he felt like they were conducting an operation. Or, more appropriately, bringing an unholy monster to life.

Forty-Four tapped away on the watch's screen with one of his metal pincers, changing and enhancing settings for what they needed his creation to do.

“There, I think that should do it. We won't know for sure until you try it.” Forty-Four handed the watch back to Ty.

The boy slapped it on his wrist and jumped onto the Dragon Bat (which he may or may not have decided to call it without Forty-Four's consent). His fears and worries washed away, replaced with eagerness and impatience.

“Ready!”

“Yes. But be care—”

Ty jabbed at his watch and the Dragon Bat whirred to life, its wings beating so fast Ty couldn't even tell that they were moving. If it wasn't airborne already, he would have thought something went wrong. Forty-Four shot up, his clawed hands going every which way, ready to catch the boy should he fall. Ty greatly appreciated the thought as the board zipped about at random while he desperately fumbled to regain control of the bucking monster.

“Try using your feet!” Forty-Four yelled up at him. “It is programmed to recognize your foot movements! Lean back, it should slow down!”

He pushed his left foot down on the back end of the board, bringing the nose up... and shooting off into the sky with near-breakneck speed. Ty's head locked into place, unable to turn around and see if Forty-Four was within range. He doubted the robot had any chance of keeping up with the device’s pace. The only thing that might stop him now was the ceiling. He regretted not asking Forty-Four how high up the room went...

He flipped through windows on his watch, looking for anything helpful. His finger stopped on the big red “OFF” button. Forty-Four had one of these too so, if he hadn't done it yet it was probably a bad idea. He guessed that if the board turned off now, there would be zero way of slowing it down.

Ty flipped the button away, returning to the program with the controls. They were, in theory, very simple to handle. It was all touch controlled: move your finger around the screen and the board would go off in whichever direction. The problem was the speed in which it did all of this. Each direction he clicked would immediately shoot him off that way. If Forty-Four hadn't installed the board with this weird zero gravity pad (perhaps the very thing that also keeps the robot afloat?) that kept his feet firmly planted on the back of the Bat, he would have fallen off the very moment he got on it.

After several painful slings, Ty gave up on the watch all together, relying solely on what Forty-Four said about the foot controls. This time, he pressed his right foot on the front of the board. There was a slight downward angle to it now, but the force pushing it up was far too great. Ty moved his left foot up and pressed his entire body weight onto the nose of the board. It lowered, agonizingly slow compared to the upward force taking him constantly higher toward a bone-breaking impact. Ty pressed harder, straining with the effort. The work paid off, the nose finally going all the way down. But now he flew toward an ocean of bricks, while also upside down. What an improvement.

Forty-Four entered his line of sight, eight octopus-esque metal arms out and reaching. Ty didn't think he’d ever seen a more comforting sight. The robot's hands went for the boy in one mass of wiggling metal and pincers. Two went for Ty, wrapping around his stomach protectively and yanking him off the zero gravity panel. The rest latched onto the Dragon Bat anywhere they could to slow its descent.

Forty-Four's arms brought Ty down to his worried friend.

“This was a very bad idea,” Forty-Four said.

“No, it's all right, I know how to—” The other six arms' attempts at slowing the monster down failed, the board whizzing right by the boy and robot, pulling them along with it.

“Don't let go!” Ty yelled over the rushing air, shoving the watch into one of Forty-Four's pincers. “Get rid of the touch controls—make it do speed!”

Another 8-bit animation appeared on Forty-Four's screen, this time of a person hitting their face with their palm, along with a speech bubble that read, “Of course!” The robot's pincers were a blur as he made the necessary adjustments and then returned the watch to Ty's wrist. Now, the screen was only a bar running from the top to the bottom. Ty took the white bar that was on the very top “FAST” setting and moved it down near the bottom to “Slooooow.” The change was drastic, but not enough to save them.

“Get me down there!” Ty yelled.

Forty-Four obliged, extending his arms down to the board. Ty grabbed onto the board and the robot released him, giving him one last push onto the back of the Dragon Bat. The zero gravity panel did its thing, holding Ty's feet firmly in place. He looked over the front of the vessel, the sea coming up fast. There was no time to think or dilly dally. Ty slammed his left foot on the back of the board, and without the thrusters going full force it began to level out. He flipped the speed back up, wings flapping against the downward momentum. It skimmed the brick ocean for the briefest of seconds, and then went back up in the air.

He leaned back on the board, looping up and around. With a quick shift of his weight to the side, he flipped and steadied himself.

Before he gave himself the chance to change his mind, Ty placed his finger on the touchscreen and slid the bar higher toward the faster setting. He shot forward—way too fast. But, with a small flick of his finger he adjusted the speed and was back in control. With this, he found that he could easily handle the directions with his feet and body while keeping his finger on the screen, allowing him to keep the power of the wings and thrusters in check.

He grinned, floored it, and went straight for Forty-Four. His pixel eyes grew wide and he flew back and forth, as if debating whether he should get out of the way or try to catch him.

“Grab on!” Ty shouted.

This didn't seem to be a possibility the robot considered, and he stared blankly at the boy before darting to the side just in time, wrapping two of his arms around Ty's waist. He hovered behind the board, tethered to the boy.

“Next time, I think we should plan our ideas out before you jump on and power up an untested creation.”

“I totally agree.”

They both knew there was no next time.

#

The ride through the room was a short one. In mere minutes they would be at the exit. Both the boy and the robot were quiet. What was there to say? Despite all odds they had become friends, and despite the short time they'd spent together, the prospect of parting ways was a painful one.

The door came into view and Ty slowed down, letting Forty-Four off near it.

“Remember the plan?” The robot asked.

“Yep.” Ty said, flying up into position.

Forty-Four nodded, satisfied, and opened the door. The Elves stormed inside at once, blocking the doorway.

“Help!” Forty-Four cried. “The boy! There was an accident and—oh! You must come, quick!”

Forty-Four started back into the room, his arms waving frantically in the air while the Elves followed behind him. He was a surprisingly good actor.

Phase one was a success, and now it was his turn. Ty flicked the speed to full and shot down in an arc toward the door. The thrusters alerted the Elves, but he had no choice—the door was already closing; if he didn't use all the speed this thing had, he would never make it.

Behind him, the Elves did something unexpected. They grabbed each other's hands and spun in a circle. One of the Elves let go, throwing his brother into the air, straight for Ty.

“LOOK OUT!” Forty-Four's voice boomed through the speakers in the screen walls.

Ty looked over his shoulder, saw the Elf, and could do nothing. The Elf crashed into the board, tossing Ty off and pushing the back of the Bat down, which saved it from crashing into the door, but sent it skyward instead.

Ty's body hit the ground in a roll, his shoulder ending with a painful hit against the wall. The Elf continued on and ran up the side of it, back flipped, and landed on his feet in front of Ty. The amount of perfection displayed was irritating.

The Elf grabbed him by the front of the shirt and hoisted him into the air.

“Get off me!” Ty yelled, kicking at the Elf's stomach. While the monster's attention was on his feet, Ty touched his watch and switched to the big red button. He pressed it with his thumb.

“You found him!” Forty-Four exclaimed, coming toward Ty with pixel tears streaming down his screen. Yeah, he was pretty darn good at acting.

The Elf behind him didn't think so. He hopped over Forty-Four with ease and blocked his path to Ty.

“What are you doing? Can you not see the boy!? He's become a raving lunatic! He needs medical—”

The Elf kicked Forty-Four onto his back.

“No!” Ty screamed, kicking harder at his captor. “You leave him alone!”

The Elf grabbed Forty-Four by the side and flipped him over, pressing his screen against the fake grass. The panels along the robot’s back slid open and his many arms struck out at the Elf, coiling themselves around him. He took the attacks without attempting to dodge, instead reaching through the middle of the arms with one hand. A square-shaped object rolled out of his sleeve and he pressed it onto Forty-Four's back. There was a whirring noise as the thing drilled its way through the robot's outer layer of metal.

Forty-Four screamed in agony, his arms falling limp to the ground as his body thrashed around irregularly on the floor.

“What did you do to him!?” Ty yelled.

Forty-Four's screams and thrashing continued, growing worse by the second. Ty saw a brief flash of his face, his friend's eyes a bright red, his mouth open in a horrible scream.

“Stop it!”

They did not. Instead, the Elf holding him walked over to his companion, and held Ty out closer to the robot. The Elves' heads went up and down, like bobble heads, silently laughing at Ty as he was forced to watch his friend suffer.

Was this all he could ever do? Watch as people close to him died off before his eyes? He lost his grandfather, Gentry, now Forty-Four, too?

No! It ended here.

Ty kicked his leg back with all he had, nailing the Elf right in the chin (if he had one under that mask). His grip loosened and Ty dropped to the floor. He kicked again as soon as he landed, hitting the freak in the kneecap. The Elf stumbled back, reeling from the hit.

The other came at him, his large hands reaching. Ty ducked under them and ran between his legs that were too tall for their own good. He made a break for the direction of the door, hoping the Elf would do what he wanted him to.

He did. The Elf pursued Ty, jumping over him and landing in front of the door... right as the board fell out of the sky and struck the Elf in the head. He was knocked out instantly.

Ty powered up the engine before it smashed into millions of pieces on the ground. It still hit, cracking the screen displaying the grass, but not with enough force to destroy it. It continued along the screen, sending sparks everywhere as it bounced on and off the grass making its way toward Ty.

Ty ignored how bad of an idea this waa and jumped. The Bat flew under him, the zero gravity pad kicked in, gluing him onto the back of the bucking machine. Ty adjusted the speed, pushed his feet on the back, and got himself into the air.

He stayed near the ground and leaned to the left, aiming for the other Elf. Unfortunately, it recovered and dodged out of harm's way. Turning was not Ty's strong point, and he had to go out in a wide arc to get himself facing the right way again. That probably took about ten seconds, and in that time, Forty-Four had picked himself up off the ground and held the Elf by a foot. It took five more seconds for Ty to land beside the robot and in two of those, Forty-Four chucked the Elf against the wall as easily as a hated rag doll.

Ty hopped off the board.

“Where the heck did that come from, man? Are you...” Forty-Four turned to look at him, his face in full view. “...all right?” One of his arms collided painfully with Ty's stomach and swatted him away.

Clearly, he was not all right.