Ale clutched the mud ball in his hand, feeling a mix of tension and uncertainty.
He understood he shouldn't disobey the team leader's orders, but a strong intuition inside him suggested this might be the only way to resolve the current crisis.
The mud ball, with a flame burning at its core, hid a metal match inside. Ale had received this little gadget unexpectedly during a gift exchange at the academy, initially just considering it a fun item. Little did he expect it to come in handy in such a crucial moment today. He hoped the GenShell would be enticed enough by the old metal smell and the dancing flames to release the robot. Relying on his childhood memories, he recalled that dark shells were easily attracted to the scent of old metal and flickering lights. Silently, he prayed the GenShell would share similar traits.
He cautiously approached the GenShell from the side, measuring each step and gauging its reaction. The flame in his hand swayed left and right with his movements, as if dancing to the rhythm of his heartbeat. He bolstered his courage: just try it. If it doesn't work... He quickly shook his head, trying not to think about the consequences. Taking a deep breath, he started to count down: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5...
"Nana nana... nana nana...
"Nana nana nana... wada wada...
A piercing electronic noise suddenly sliced through Ale's nerves via the communicator, sending chills down his spine. He forced himself to calm down and looked around the enclosure, searching for the source of the sound. Soon, he realized the disjointed, fragmented electronic noise was coming from the One-Eye robot firmly gripped in the GenShell's jaws.
"Nana... nana... wada... wada...
"My... my... my... my head...
"My head... my head... where's my head...
"My... my... where is it..."
The robot's main components and control board were obviously damaged, causing it to mistakenly output voice through its own communicator. Energy liquid dribbled from its ruptured body, pooling into a small, light blue puddle on the sand. Suddenly, a mass of bubbles started spewing from the cracks, and a flurry of blue bubbles gently floated in mid-air, landing in front of Ale.
His concern grew; if he didn't act soon, the robot might be beyond saving.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Ale fixed his gaze on the GenShell's mouth and walked straight towards it.
The GenShell's branch-like appendages began to extend towards Ale, occasionally brushing past the two One-Eye robots still holding their disinfectant cotton balls, causing them to tremble warily. Ale didn't wait for the appendages to touch him and instead proactively lifted the burning mud ball towards the GenShell's massive mouth. Standing on tiptoes, he stretched his arms as high as he could, silently chanting in his mind, "Blessed by the ancestors, blessed by the ancestors..."
The mud ball grew increasingly heavy, his breathing quickened, and his Adam's apple bobbed nervously as the sound of his racing heartbeat echoed in his chest.
The GenShell's whiskers were the first to react to the flame. They seemed drawn to the light, cautiously exploring and flapping against the mud ball, gradually converging towards the flame. When one of the whiskers touched the metal match inside the mud ball, it instantly piqued their interest. One by one, the whiskers released the robot and began circling around the match, as if mesmerized by this new oddity.
Ale sneakily looked up to see the GenShell's mouth, resembling a crack, slowly opening. Layers of fleshy spikes inside undulated back and forth, some still bearing clear burn marks. Then, a clump of sticky substance fell from its mouth, and the mud ball was sucked in.
"Head... head... head..."
On the sandy ground, the sticky robot uttered muffled sounds. It appeared to be severely damaged, its top structure a wreck, with only a few modules flickering weakly. Losing control, it began to spin incessantly, then wandered aimlessly in the enclosure, until other robots appeared and took full control, retrieving the collection tubes and briskly removing it from the area.
It wasn't long before a new team of One-Eye robots replaced the original members, each holding a collection tube and re-entering the enclosure.
Anmu followed close behind them, his face dark and brooding.
·
"Crunch, munch, crunch, munch..." Crisp chewing sounds echoed within the jelly-like barrier.
The GenShell gently swayed its head, seemingly savoring the taste of the metal match and the aftertaste of the extinguished flame. Its movements hinted at an almost imperceptible pleasure.
Ale watched the scene unfold, barely containing his excitement. He eagerly pressed the communicator button, pride filling his voice:
"Captain, Captain, look! I was right, this guy really is like the ones from my hometown—"
"Splurt, splurt, splat! Splat! Splurt—spit!!"
Before he could finish, a barrage of thick mud suddenly ejected from the GenShell's mouth, raining down like a storm nearby.
"That was close... Lucky I'm wearing the protective suit." Ale said, brushing off the mud specks on his helmet, completely oblivious to the dark figure approaching from behind.
·
After all the commotion, the GenShell seemed to have expended a lot of energy.
It half-squatted on the sand, breathing more evenly, each breath accompanied by a faint gurgling sound. Its appendages lost their earlier vigor, wilting and slowly retracting into its body, appearing somewhat powerless. The three One-Eye robots nearby huddled together, warily observing its movements and cautiously touching the GenShell's left limb with disinfectant cotton balls, slowly moving towards the designated collection site. The GenShell remained indifferent to these continuous gentle touches, staying quietly in its half-squatting pose.
"Captain!" Ale suddenly noticed Captain Anmu standing beside him, his face lighting up with surprise.
Anmu remained silent, vigorously shaking his helmet to rid it of the lingering mud specks. His gaze fell on the GenShell's large eye on its forehead, the pupil still marked with the same vine-like purple patterns, thankfully not further spread or worsened by the chaos.
Then his eyes shifted to the GenShell's left limb, where two collection tubes were deeply embedded. As the GenShell's bodily fluids mixed with the internal solutions, the tubes' original green coating gradually turned dark purple, finally marking the completion of this step of the task.
Anmu internally sighed in relief but kept his face expressionless. He could feel Ale's expectant gaze on him, his eyes sparkling, as if waiting for his approval.
"Don't just stand there, take the samples to the sealed cabin for comparison," Anmu instructed calmly.
"Yes!" Ale responded joyfully, bouncing towards the robot team.
After this internship, it's time for him to go back to school.
Anmu thought to himself.