It’s been a busy day. After a really close call, Zod finally makes it outside.
–Chapters 12-14
Now was not the time for analyzing, as the manager was on the move again. Zod, not seeing any other option jumped into a doorway. They were getting pretty good at this, they laughed to themselves.
–Chapter 12–
The door turned out to be a hallway between First Street and Government Alley, which separated the offices from Government House. It was unoccupied so Zod crept into a dark corner and and mostly powered down into silence as they considered their next steps. They really would prefer to get North of town when there was still daylight to help search for that path. The alley would surely get them back to North Wall, but the chances of remaining anonymous were even less than on First Street if they were noticed. It was the land of humans and autobutlers and nothing else. But First was also looking like career suicide and there wasn’t much else for a Thwacker to do other than trying to freelance jobs as often as possible. Which might keep them powered but little else.
There was a small crack in the door that Zod could see from their hidden alcove so they tried to peer through that while increasing the gain on their audio circuits to listen for trouble. Good timing too, since Zod recognized the voice of the manager which was getting louder. Zod quickly powered down everything with a light just as that sound crossed the threshold into the hallway.
With the sensor gain so high, the conversation was garbled as it echoed through the room, but the familiar ring of [SEMPRINI] came across several times. Thankfully it didn’t sound like they’d asked the autobutler where the folder came from, so they were probably in the clear there. The footsteps started to get muffled and the familiar creak of an old staircase told Zod that they’d dodged a proverbial bullet. But [SEMPRINI] came up yet again.
Zod powered back up and decided that going back up First Street was slightly less risky than braving the alley, particlarly since they had a hunch the old boss would be going that way after leaving the offices here. Engaging their drive wheels they tried to slip into the foot traffic as inconspicuously as possible. “Take two,” they said to themselves.
–Chapter 13–
The street seemed busier than before, which was a mixed blessing for Zod; both easier to hide and easier to get spotted at the same time. They decided that going along to North Wall with an air of authority, like they had a place to be, was the best bet. And it seemed to work, since people were paying less attention to them than on the way down. In fact, they managed to make it all the way up to North Wall without any major incidents other than spotting that autobutler, which they were able to avoid.
It was end of shift for several robot groups and the end of the day for most humans, so the barnacles were busier than earlier. But it looked like nobody from their dam shift had arrived yet, so it seemed like finally a break for Zod. They moved as furtively as possible towards Main Street and the North Gate, the only way out of town in this direction.
And amazingly,they made it without too much fuss. Anyone that might have recognized them were too busy browsing the shops and not across the way into oncoming foot traffic.
–Chapter 14–
Quietly Zod slipped across North Wall, through the gate, and passed the jumble of shops that couldn’t afford in-town rent. There just wasn’t a market for day-old produce and so-called magic amulets. Still, Zod thought about an amulet before their logic circuits cut back in. They continued walking up the road, watching for anything in the shadows that might look like that path they desperately needed to find. Desil’s place was after all where the story began and the only place to start putting together clues.
The road was paved, although the characteristic cobbles of the town had giving away to asphalt. Zod wondered what Whacking team this was but they surely lived somewhere else than the dam camps. They knew the River Avenue Whackers lived on the other side of the dam just off the road, even if the cobbles went all the way to the river weir. River Ave wound it’s way up the hill and past the dam, continuing quite some way according to the dam maps. Too bad they hadn’t tried to download the North Road, as it was called after it left the town walls.
So far, the space around the road was large, there was nothing that looked like a pass through the grass, and the light was starting to fade. Zod hoped they spotted something soon before they had to figure out where to spend the night. Plus, they realistically only had one day left before they were actually missed at roll call. If they couldn’t figure out what [SEMPRINI] was by then, they really weren’t sure what they could do next.
Eventually the road narrowed and the trees loomed. The road was still paved but the shadows grew larger as they went along. They started seeing things that looked like trails but nothing remotely stood out, even after they engaged their low-light optics. And of course it didn’t help that the so-called “night vision” was far more granular. Maybe that infrared upgrade would have come in handy after all, but there wasn’t time to be wistful.