69 THE TRAIN

CHAPTER 69 THE TRAIN Our robot felt something like panic as the train pulled away from the station. She wanted to break down the door, leap from the train, and find her son! But what could Roz do? She had to act like a normal robot— she had to pretend that nothing was wrong. The train car's interior was a long, windowless room, filled with rows and rows of robots. The robots were all facing forward, all standing still. If not for their softly glowing eyes, you might think they were statues. Some of the robots were perfect and new, but most had scrapes and dents. None more than ROZZUM unit 7134. Roz walked down the aisle and stood in the last row, and the train started to accelerate. Faster and faster it went, until it reached its cruising speed. Then it hummed along the tracks, occasionally swinging left or right as it snaked around a curve. With no windows, Roz could only wonder how far she was

traveling, she could only wonder about the scenery outside. Mostly, she wondered about her son. Was Brightbill okay? How would she find him? Would they ever see each other again? Of course they would. Brightbill was smart and resourceful. The goose would simply follow the train tracks into the city. Then he would find his pigeon friend, Graybeak, and she would help them reunite. Roz just had to stay out of trouble. Time crawled by. The robots gently swayed with the motion of the train. Finally, there was an announcement from the loudspeaker. "Next and final stop, Center City Station." A whistle blew and the train braked and slowed and came to a smooth stop. The door slid open and the robots filed out.