Fragment 007

I rummaged around my room.

“I’ve got to get going! Where is it?”

I knew I had put it somewhere. For someone with an organised mind, my room certainly didn’t reflect it. Electrical doodads and strange trinkets were scattered everywhere. Piles of scrap paper covered almost every surface, filled with hastily scribbled ideas and invention concepts.

I hurried over to my computer. Beside it, plugged into the desk, sat a spherical robot. I watched the monitor intently as a progress bar slowly crawled across the screen.

“This better work. I don’t have time for this not to work.”

As I impatiently waited, I finally spotted it.

My bag.

It must have been kicked underneath the desk at some point. Cleaning had never exactly been my strong suit, so losing things was a regular occurrence.

“Gotcha!”

I quickly snatched it up and rushed around the room, stuffing the last few belongings I needed inside.

“Ideally, I would’ve liked more time. I didn’t exactly plan on leaving so suddenly…” I sighed, glancing towards the robot. “Lola, it wasn’t meant to happen like this. This was supposed to be our time. A happy time. But at least I still get to take you with me.”

I gave the top of the robot a gentle pat.

Suddenly, loud banging erupted at my door.

“Open up, Obetoshi! We need to talk!”

I instantly recognised the voice.

My father.

This was happening too quickly. I had thought I would have more time.

“I have the local B.U.G enforcement team here with me. They have some concerning questions about you and Lola.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a notification flash across my monitor.

Complete.

“Just in time…” I whispered.

The pounding at the door intensified.

I ignored it as I quickly unplugged Lola and grabbed her.

The banging became slower, heavier.

They were trying to break the door down.

“No time to double-check anything. I’ve got to go.”

I pulled open a small concealed hatch built into the floorboards. My parents had always been too busy with work to notice I had constructed it.

Clutching my belongings tightly, I jumped down the chute leading into the back alley.

As I disappeared below, the hatch sealed shut above me. A moment later, I heard the sound of the door finally breaking open.

“Huh? He’s not here!”

“He had to have been here!”

“How’d he escape?”

“Don’t just stand there! Go get him!”

Their voices blended together as they argued amongst themselves.

I carefully moved through the alleyway behind the buildings. Up ahead, I spotted a few B.U.G officers patrolling the main street, but none of them were looking in my direction.

I just had to make it to the old garage.

It wasn’t far. This shouldn’t have been difficult.

I followed the narrow path behind my building until I reached a large rusted shack, half-collapsed and forgotten by time.

My parents no longer used the garage. They had long since moved into sleek new offices, courtesy of MatTek Systems.

Very little greenery remained in our city. Roads and towering buildings had swallowed nearly everything natural long ago.

But my garage was different.

Vines crawled across its walls in thick webs, while strange roots burst through the cracks in the metal framework. I was honestly surprised the city had allowed it to decay this badly.

Lucky for me, everyone had forgotten it existed.

I forced open the rusted door with a loud groan of metal.

Inside, waiting beneath layers of dust and shadow, was my grandfather’s spacecraft.

Lola and I had spent years restoring it together. We had only just managed to get it functional before… all of this happened.

I climbed into the small metallic sphere-shaped craft and began flipping switches across the control panel.

This thing was far from quiet. Once it powered up, it was guaranteed to attract attention.

I had to move quickly.

“Are you ready for this, Lola?” I asked, gripping the controls tightly. “The start of our adventure. Just like we always wanted.”

The ship violently trembled as it slowly began to rise.

Metal screamed around me as the craft tore straight through the roof of the old shed. Below, groups of B.U.G officers gathered in panic, pointing upwards as they shouted to one another.

“Ready, Lola?” I asked again, glancing down at her as she finished booting up.

A robotic voice answered back.

“Ready, Obe!”