Chapter 3b: All Work and No Play

Again, they searched for Eli within the city, and this time found themselves in a great big theme park. A fun-looking robot told the group if they played enough games, they could win the grand prize, and then he’d tell them where Ephraim went. So they played and played and played, until they had enough tickets to draw for a prize.   …but it wasn’t the grand prize. So they played and tried again. And again, and again.   Eventually, they got bored and tried to leave the park.   But they couldn’t! A big mean-looking robot with a demolition crew blocked the gate. And Eli was with him!   “Please! Please! I can pay the bill next month!” pleaded the fun-looking robot to the demolition crew chief. “I’ll even build you a new ride!”   “Well…” paused the demolition chief.   But the fun-looking robot couldn’t pay. He hadn’t for months. He’d procrastinated too long playing his games, and the park had fallen into disrepair, and robots stopped coming.   “Do it. You know he deserves it. It doesn’t matter what his intentions are. Isn’t that right, Ephraim?” Eli said.   “He’s…actually correct…” Ephraim admitted.   So the demolition team demolished the park, trapping the fun-looking robot under a pile of rubble, crushing his legs.   Eli glared at Ephraim. “Justice is cruel, Ephraim. It always takes more than it deserves.” And then, before Ephraim had time to reply, Eli left.   Ephraim turned to look at the fun-looking robot. “Do you think he knows where Eli would have gone?” Ephraim asked.   Jerrod shrugged. “I can find out.” He sat down next to Bentley and attached his laptop to the robot's mind, then began scanning.   Blizz looked at the bent, crippled pile of junk that used to be his legs and grimaced. “Do you think we could fix him?”   By this time, Jerrod had collected more scrap, and didn’t want to give it up. He just wanted to fix his ship, escape, and start over again…  

Repair Bentley?