The Shiny City

[Omni]

Dredd stepped through the portal first, followed by the Primes who’d chosen to follow him. He said nothing, merely stamping to one of the transports and pointing to it before climbing in himself. “Bring the perp,” he said to the stormtroopers carrying the Joker.

Through the windows, they could see the great city in all of its majesty. It stretched on for kilometre after kilometre, appearing to simply drop off somewhere far in the distance. It was night, but you could hardly tell – the upper tier was lit up and they could building after building, even the great metal towers beautiful in their architecture. Looking out of the sides of the transport, they couldn’t see where they were going until they arrived. Dredd was the first to step out.

“This,” he said, indicating with a chopping motion of his hand, “Is the Emperor’s tower.”

If they’d been in awe before at the size of the buildings, it was nothing compared to this. Just the ground level had to take up a square mile by itself. They had no time to stare up and try to figure out exactly how far up it went; Dredd was calling impatiently.

Waiting in front of the building were several human-sized droids, painted in different colours that seemed to match those of the Primes. They’d been quick to get them ready, apparently. The first one, plated in silvery orange, stepped forward.

“My name is CR-529. Welcome to Coruscant. As the Judge has prior duties to get to, we have been instructed to show you around the city and make you comfortable in your accommodations.” Each of the droids stepped forward to their respective prime, greeting them with their own synthesized tones of politeness.

“Keep out of trouble,” said Dredd before striding off, Joker in tow. It could have been his way of being welcoming.

[Proto Man]

In the end, the prototype Robot Master had opted to go with the group heading toward Corusant. While he didn’t trust the sleazy-looking man in the suit and the helmeted policeman, Proto Man knew he’d fit in even less if he traveled to a realm of knights, wizards, and peasants. Plus, Nanoha had left ahead of their contingent, which meant that he’d at least be able to locate her on the other side of the gate. She had said something about visiting their library, but if this city was half the size King Bradley made it out to be, then there had to be several dozen of them… right?

Then again, Proto Man knew he shouldn’t jump to any conclusions about where he was going with the group of storm troopers and the other ‘Primes.’ With a sigh, the robot retrieved his whistle and played a melody as the transport finished its journey. Dredd spoke some words near the front of the vessel, and everyone began to file out onto the landing pad. The android was one of the last ones out of the vehicle, and almost immediately, he knew he wasn’t anywhere near Monsteropolis any longer.

The buildings stretched up and out into infinity, and for all intents and purposes, it looked beautiful in a modern, urban kind of way. Near the far end of the platform, Proto Man spotted Dredd and a group of his troopers carting away the Joker, who still seemed to be amused by the whole situation.

“Hello there.”

Proto Man looked up to see a six-foot humanoid robot standing over him. Although it spoke through a voice box on the end of its strange, cylindrical head, its tone was pleasant enough. “Hi,” the preteen android remarked as he took note of similar robots assisting the other Primes gathered outside the transport.

“I am CR-216, and I am here to welcome you to Corusant.” The droid’s joints twitched occasionally as it spoke, giving it a rather awkward appearance. “Would you like to follow me to your quarters?”

The Robot Master nodded and watched as the droid performed an about-face and started toward one of the nearby structures. In silence, the two robots made their way through a network of stairwells, weaving hallways, and elevated platforms that dangled over busy streets full of hover cars. At the end of it all, Proto Man was certain they were still in the same place they’d started. If just one building was so enormous, what significance did he have in any of this?

“You should find your quarters sufficient for your needs.” CR-216 reached out a twitching hand and poked one of its ‘fingers’ against a pad near what seemed to be a locking mechanism. After a beat, a melodic hum issued from said pad, and the doorway slid into the opposing wall with a pneumatic hiss. “If you require anything, you should not hesitate to contact me using the intercom on the other side of this door.” With that, the jerky droid turned its ‘head’ to look down at Proto Man. “Do you need anything at this moment in time?”

“Yes,” Proto Man responded as he pressed a gloved hand against a scar on his other arm. “Do you guys have welding kits here? And maybe some sandpaper and spray-paint?”

The droid’s head jerked harshly to the left as a bunch of strange noises issued forth from its voice box. After a few moments, it returned to its normal glance and nodded its head. “We have appropriate equivalents of the devices you desire, but you are aware that you could summon these tools given your status as a Prime?”

Proto Man shrugged his shoulders. “I lived five years on borrowed time without snapping my fingers for supplies, so I’m pretty sure I don’t need to start now. Will you help me or not?”

“Of course, I am programmed to do so. I will return as soon as possible, kindly remain in your quarters in the interim.” With that, the droid executed another twitchy about-face and started off down the hallway.

Now left to his own devices, the Robot Master slipped into his room and pushed the pad on the other side. The door slid back into place with another pleasant hiss, and for the first time in weeks, Proto Man was alone. With a heavy sigh, the android reached up and removed his visored helmet. Setting the scorched piece of headgear onto the thin mattress, he turned and looked at his reflection in the mirror that hung in front of the bathroom door. His hair, normally somewhat embarrassing, was matted down and still clung to his scalp.

Fortunately, large, angular sunglasses he wore beneath his helmet were in perfect shape. At least some things remain the same.

[Samus Aran]

Coruscant. A city of incredible beauty. As Samus gazed from the window of the transport, she felt herself quiver a little bit. Who would design such an intricate, uniquely beautiful city merely to trick a captive? Who would go to such lengths, get all of these actors, or design these artificial intelligences, to play so many parts … Who would do it for her benefit alone? It was beyond unlikely. Whatever this was … Wherever she was … It was probably real.

The power suited woman sunk into her seat. She was in another world. Returning to her own world would be highly difficult; maybe even impossible. Samus was not a woman of many friends. She had no family. But she had friends nonetheless, and considered them to be important to her. Could she summon them here? Maybe. But if she could, and did, then it would mean doing to them what Omni egg had done to her. She knew she could not. She knew. She was alone.

She sat through the rest of the flight in silence, until they arrived at their destination. They disembarked. The tower ahead of them was truly gigantic; Samus had not been able to see it from the windows of the transport, but now she could clearly see that it was the epicentre of the city. Outwards from it, rows of great streets stretched like the web of a spider god.

A robot stepped towards her and introduced itself as CR-529, while the Judge showed himself off. Beside her, the samurai and the small, cyborg-looking boy were being greeted by their own robot retainers. Samus felt compelled to talk with them, to treasure that connection, no matter how brief or coincidental, that they’d had. Who knew, this might be the last time they ever saw each other. But before she could find the words and muster the strength to reach out of her shell, they were gone and she was alone.

Perhaps not quite. The robot called out to her. “Miss … ah … mister?”

“Miss, Aran.” Samus nodded, the ghost of a smile on her features. She looked up and down the robot. Orange-plated like her; they’d obviously made some effort. Its face had little room for expression, only a set of simple circular eyes and a mouth that only moved to indicate that it was speaking. Mass-produced, no doubt. “Are you fully sentient?” she asked.

“No,” buzzed CR-529. “I have a limited artificial intelligence, but I am not what you would call ‘life’.”

She took the machine’s word for it. “What’s your name again?”

“CR-529.”

“CR-529. Very well. I’d like to see the city, Five-Two-Nine. Just a little bit.”

“As you say, my lady.”

Samus flinched. “Don’t call me that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright!” Samus sighed. “I don’t suppose I can summon my own spaceship here, can I?”

The machine whirred for a second. “Yes. Within the verse of Coruscant, it is possible to summon flying vehicles. However, space flight is not a possibility. There is no ‘space’.”

Samus concentrated. She could feel the idea of her ship, the contours and the cockpit. She could feel the different components of the machine; its weapons systems, especially, costed far beyond the omnilium she had within her. She could summon it without those, but it would take time, and she was feeling impatient and ill-focused.

“Just call a cab,” she said.

“As you say, Miss Aran.”