36 72, Again!

36 72, Again! JOSEPHINE, YOU DID IT!' shouted Rockwell. 'We did it,' she said, smiling. 'You are a very competent assistant, young man. If you ever want some work experience when you've finished school, come and see me.' Rockwell blushed. 'Aw, thanks.' Right, let's see what they remember, shall we?' She turned to the robot. ' RAZER 72, can you tell me who you work for?' 'I serve Mr White and the great city of Chroma,' they said in their distinctive metallic voice. 'I am sworn to protect Mr White at all costs, to uphold his values and vision, and to follow his directives. I will always act for the benefit of Chroma, its economy and the preservation of its military status, as dictated

by Mr White. I will help with the acquisition of territory when directed and will ensure that Chroma's citizens follow Mr White's law at all times. I am concerned only with Mr White and his interests. Rockwell frowned. 'They've had a factory reset, haven't they? They don't remember a thing about joining the Resistance.' Josephine nodded. Then turned back to the robot. RAZER 72, who is Millicent Markmaker?' Rockwell couldn't be 100 per cent sure, but he thought he saw 72's eyes flick from red to green for a millisecond. 'Millicent Markmaker: high-ranking Resistance operative. Enemy of the State.' They paused. 'My directive is to arrest her on sight. These are the orders of Mr White. 'Hmmm, let's try another one? said Josephine thoughtfully. ' RAZER 72 who is Agent X?' This time, Rockwell was sure of it. The robot's eyes definitely flicked from red to green and then back again. 'X... Agent X... X... Agent X... X... Agent X...' 72 seemed to be stuck in a loop. Rockwell decided this was a good time to jump in. '72, IT'S ME!' he blurted, unable to contain himself. 'Rockwell Riley! We met on Die Brücke. You pretended to capture us on the bridge, then took us to the Rainbow Lake and sacrificed yourself so that Peanut, Little-Bit, Doodle and

I could get into the Spire. That was your mission! You told us that you joined the Resistance when you realised how evil Mr White was. So, you decided to act against him. Second- generation RAZERs were given more autonomy, you said. This is Josephine Engelberger. She's the one who gave you that autonomy! You told us that Mrs Markmaker trusted you. She said that you were their most powerful weapon against Mr White. You said that it made you feel proud. You MUST remember! You are a Resistance hero, 72!'

The RAZER didn't say anything for a long while. Then their eye panel rotated slowly towards Rockwell and turned bright green. ' Yes, I remember,' they said softly. 'I remember falling into the lake. I remember looking back up at Peanut Jones. The memories are all there within my circuitry. Tell me, Rockwell Riley, did you get into the Spire? Was the mission a success?' 'IT WAS!' shouted an elated Rockwell. ' Well, eventually. Mr White has been captured and the city is free once more. Oh, 72, I'm SO pleased to see you and speak to you. We thought we'd lost you forever! Welcome back!' 'Thank you,' said the robot. 'It's good to be back.'