CHAPTER 79

THE DESIGNER

Roz awoke slowly. She was surprised to be waking up at all. The fall from that building should have destroyed her, and yet here she was.

But where was she?

Everything was dark and silent.

Was this where robots go when they die?

No, as her systems activated, the real world came into focus. She saw white walls and floors, and she heard the hum of machinery in the background. Roz was somewhere inside the robot factory where she had been made.

A pile of robot parts lay on the floor. The parts were smashed and mangled. It took a moment for Roz to realize she was looking down at her own broken body. It took another moment for her to realize she was now nothing more than a robotic head.

Her head was sitting atop an electronic box that powered her computer brain. Roz still had her thoughts and her voice, but without a body she couldn’t move, so she sat there, completely helpless, and waited for the Makers to appear.

The Makers did not appear. Instead, Roz heard soft footsteps, and an old woman appeared. She was elegant, with white hair and red lipstick and black clothes. Flowery perfume wafted behind her. Every detail about the woman was neat and precise, except for her fingers, which were smudged with dark grease.

“Welcome back, Roz,” said the woman, wiping her hands on a rag. “I wasn’t sure I’d get your computer brain working again. You took quite a spill out there. How do you feel?”

Roz just stared.

“You don’t have to pretend anymore,” said the woman. “I know you’re not a normal robot. Everyone knows. You made that perfectly clear when you led the RECOs on that wild chase through the city.”

Roz remained silent.

“I watched the video of the chase. I don’t know how you got those pigeons to attack our airships, but I’m more interested in the goose. You seemed to be speaking with it. Can you explain this to me?”

“The goose is my son,” said Roz at last.

“Is that so?” The woman arched an eyebrow. “Roz, I repaired your computer brain so I could talk with you. I want to know how you came to be this way. So let’s talk. I’ll begin by introducing myself. My name is Dr. Molovo. A long time ago, I fell in love with computers and robots, and I created a company called TechLab Industries. Since then, millions of robots have been produced right here in this factory. And I’ve designed every last one of them.” Dr. Molovo leaned forward. “Roz, I designed you.”