The Wild Robot Protects, page 5
BOOM!
A deafening sound blasted through the water. It wasn’t thunder; it was lightning hitting a wave. A lightning strike could easily destroy the robot, and her Survival Instincts flared. Roz increased her speed, marching north as fast as she could, but the current was working against her.
BOOM!
Another flash sizzled across the waves. Roz needed to get far away from there. So she kicked off from the ground and swam with the current, and soon she was moving at a blistering speed.
BOOM!
The robot pumped her arms and legs, pushing the limits of her body as she tried to escape from the storm. The seafloor passed beneath her, faster and faster, and then it suddenly dropped off. Roz glided over the edge of an undersea cliff, and with the storm still raging above, she dove straight down into the gloom. The thunder and lightning and rough water near the surface were replaced by the still, silent darkness of the deep ocean.
CHAPTER 31
THE DEEP
The robot swam down along the cliffside and into the deep. As she descended, the ocean grew darker, and the weight of the water above grew heavier. Roz was an amazingly durable machine, but if she went too deep, she’d be crushed by the immense water pressure. Before she reached a dangerous depth, however, she arrived at the bottom of the cliff.
Very little light was visible. Only a faint blue glow could be seen, high up at the surface. Roz switched on her headlights—click—and shafts of light beamed out from her eyes. Then she turned her head and took in the dim underwater world.
Behind her, the cliffs rose up and out of sight. In front of her, the flat ocean floor spread away into darkness. All around her, specks of debris drifted through the water.
Roz started marching, and plumes of silt billowed up from each footfall. In such still water, she was able to move easily, covering a lot of ground in a short time. On her way, she passed bizarre sea creatures, paddling, twirling, pulsing. Some creatures were transparent, some had spiky teeth jutting from their jaws, and some wriggled down into the muck. Eyes glinted in the shadows. Soft noises echoed from afar. This was an eerie, alien place.
The robot became aware of a gurgling sound, and then a cluster of towering rocks emerged. From the top of each tower spewed scalding-hot water that had bubbled up from deep underground. The warmth attracted a wide array of living things. Gardens of corals and sponges and flowery sea anemones clung to the rocks and danced in the whirling currents. Crawling throughout the gardens were shrimps and crabs. A giant sea star crept over a crowd of clams. Hungry fish floated nearby and eyed the assortment of tasty creatures.
Of particular interest to Roz was a sea slug. Sea slugs might seem disgusting to you, reader, but this one was beautiful. It was colored in shades of pink and orange and purple, like a sunset. On its back were feathery fins that shimmered in the light. The robot searched through her computer brain to identify the species. Her brain was filled with knowledge about every known animal in the world, but her search came up empty. And then Roz realized that this type of sea slug was unknown. She had discovered a new species.
“Hello, sea slug. My name is Roz.”
The slug fluttered its fins in a way that meant, “Please don’t eat me.”
“I do not eat anything, including sea slugs,” said the robot.
“Oh, that’s good to know,” said the slug. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
“I am only passing through on my journey to stop the poison tide.”
The slug’s body stiffened. “We’ve heard terrible stories about the poison tide. I can’t bear to think what would happen if it ever came down here.”
“I will do everything in my power to make sure that never happens,” said the robot.
While marching away, Roz wondered how many other animal species had yet to be discovered in the deep. She wondered how many of them were at risk of being wiped out by the poison tide.
CHAPTER 32
THE DARKNESS
A month had passed since Roz left the island. According to her calculations, she had traveled hundreds of miles, but she still had hundreds more to go. The tireless robot continued north, on and on, toward the waters where the Ancient Shark roamed.
If you travel far enough north, you’ll reach an area where the sun never sets in summer. And Roz had traveled far enough north. Up at the surface, there was constant daylight, all day, every day, until autumn. However, our robot was at a depth below the reach of the sun. And yet there were occasional glimmers.
Certain deep-sea fish had glowing fins, while others had glowing teeth, and still others had spindly glowing lures that dangled from their heads. Jellyfish came in every shape imaginable, and many of them gave off a ghostly light. Most gleaming creatures kept their distance. Roz would see a flicker, and as her headlights swept toward it, the creature vanished into the murky haze.
She was marching down a long slope that descended to the deepest trenches of the ocean when she felt her Survival Instincts tingling. The weight of all the water above was becoming too great. If she went much deeper, she’d be crushed from the pressure. So Roz stopped marching downhill and started swimming at a safer depth, and the ocean floor quickly faded from view.
The robot’s limbs paddled automatically, which left her mind free to wander. Specks of debris floated all around, like a gentle snowfall, and suddenly she was recalling the snowfalls she’d experienced on land. She thought of blizzards on the island and flurries on Hilltop Farm. She remembered Dr. Molovo and felt grateful to have a waterproof body. She thought of Brightbill and Glimmer and wondered if their eggs had already hatched. Thoughts continued drifting in and out of her mind as she swam on and on through the deep, dark ocean.
CHAPTER 33
THE HUNTER
Clickety click!
A strange sound was echoing from the deep.
Clickety clickety click!
Over the course of her life, Roz had communicated with many kinds of animals, but she had never heard an animal sound like this.
Clickety clickety clickety click!
Something darted past! It was a squid. No, it was ten squid. No, it was hundreds of squid, each one as long as the robot. Fins flapping, tentacles trailing behind them, their long bodies were flashing bright red in a way that meant, “Swim for your lives!” You see, the squid were being hunted.
Roz turned and joined the squid, desperate to escape whatever was hunting them. As they darted by, the squid released puffs of black ink to hide themselves, and Roz found herself lost in an inky cloud. When the ink cleared, the squid were gone, and the hunter was closing in.
Clickety clickety clickety clickety…
The clicking sound grew faster and stronger, becoming a continuous buzz. Then a giant toothy mouth surged out from the darkness and bit down on Roz! Teeth grinded against her body, and her pain sensors flared. But the mouth had expected to find a soft, slimy squid. Instead, it found a hard, tough robot, and before any real damage was done, the giant mouth spit Roz out. When the robot looked back, she saw that the clickety clickety creature was a sperm whale.
The whale’s low voice grumbled, “What kind of squid are you?”
“I am not a squid. I am a robot. My name is Roz.”
“Were you trying to fool me?” said the whale. “I don’t like being fooled!”
“I did not mean to fool you,” Roz explained. “I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Judging from the whale’s many scars, he knew what it was like to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“A friend of mine is a whale,” said Roz. “She saved my life. Do you know a whale named Coral?”
“No, I don’t know Coral. Do you think all whales know each other? There are thousands of whales in the ocean, and you think we all know each other! That’s ridiculous.”
“I apologize if I offended you,” said Roz. “This is my first time traveling through the ocean, and I still have a lot to learn.”
“It’s fine,” said the whale. “I’m angry because so many animals are heading south. They’re afraid of the poison tide. It’s getting harder to find food, and I was just about to catch a mouthful of squid, but I ended up catching you.”
“If it makes you feel any better,” said Roz, “I am on a mission to stop the poison tide.”
At this, the whale released a series of snorts and grunts, and Roz realized he was laughing. When the whale’s laughter subsided, he said, “You think you can stop the poison tide? You must be joking. The poison tide is vast, and it spreads farther every day! I’m a giant, and even I couldn’t stop the poison tide. A puny creature like you has no chance.” Then the whale started laughing again.
“I will not be alone,” said Roz. “I am searching for the Ancient Shark. Together, I know she and I will succeed.”
The whale stopped laughing. “Oh, well, that’s different. With the Ancient Shark’s help, you might actually have a chance. And if you succeed, the animals will return, and the hunting will be easier. You know, it’s a good thing I didn’t eat you, Roz.”
“I agree,” said the robot.
The whale’s belly groaned with hunger, and he said, “I’d better chase down those squid before they go south too.” He then swung his mighty tail and surged away, back into the dark.
Clickety clickety click!
CHAPTER 34
THE CLICKING ROBOT
Dolphins, porpoises, and certain types of whales use echolocation to navigate the ocean. They create bursts of sound, and by listening for the echo, they’re able to locate distant objects. It’s the perfect way to see in the dark, and Roz wanted to give it a try.
Using her voice, the robot let out a powerful clickety clickety click! Then she waited for the sounds to bounce off something, anything, and echo back to her. She waited and waited, but there was no echo. Was she doing it wrong?
While the robot swam through the deep, she let out bursts of clicks and hoped that eventually she’d hear them echoing back to her. And eventually, she did. It was quiet, barely a whisper, but Roz definitely heard her own echo. It seemed to be coming from her left, so she headed in that direction and let out another round of clicks. This time, the echo was a little stronger, and she knew she was getting closer. Roz continued clicking, and the echoes returned more quickly and loudly each time, until she came across a huge jellyfish. The robot had tracked down the only other creature in the area. Echolocation worked!
“Hello, jellyfish!” said the robot. “I am very happy to meet you!”
The jellyfish waved his tentacles in a way that meant… well, honestly, Roz wasn’t quite sure what it meant. No matter—she was just excited to have a new way to navigate. She switched off her headlights and continued swimming north in total darkness, clicking every few seconds and listening for echoes.
CHAPTER 35
THE HAZE
Clickety clickety click!
Roz kept clicking, but no echoes had bounced back in nearly a day. There must have been nothing else around. She swam on through the ocean in total darkness, in total emptiness. Our robot had never felt so alone.
But she wasn’t alone.
A gentle current started flowing upward as a glowing haze rose from the depths. The haze was made of countless specks of light, all traveling together. One of the specks passed by Roz’s face. She adjusted her vision and saw that it was a tiny glowing creature, no bigger than a grain of sand. A swarm of them was floating through the deep ocean.
The robot searched through her computer brain and found words like plankton and bioluminescence. Tiny plants and animals floated throughout the world’s oceans, and many of them glowed softly. Roz realized she was never really alone. Living things were everywhere. She simply had to look for them.
The robot continued on, swimming through those points of light like she was in the night sky, and the stars were all around.
CHAPTER 36
THE OCEAN
The robot swam and swam and swam, never stopping, never slowing, always moving north. It seemed like the ocean would never end.
CHAPTER 37
THE BATTERY
Inside Roz was a battery that could power her body for incredibly long periods. On land, her battery recharged whenever she was in sunlight. But Roz had spent weeks swimming far below the reach of the sun, and finally, her battery began running low. So she headed to the surface to recharge.
When human divers return from great depths, they rise slowly so their bodies can adjust to the changing pressure. Our robot, however, had no such concerns, and she rushed upward at full speed. The ocean around her faded from black to blue to bright aqua. The currents became stronger. The water became warmer. And as she swam into the sunny upper ocean, her battery began refilling with energy.
CHAPTER 38
THE POD
As her long ocean journey continued, Roz passed the time by sharpening her skills of echolocation. With practice, she identified an underwater mountain range, and a sleeping whale, and a piece of driftwood, long before she saw them. But our robot wasn’t the only creature using echolocation around there.
First she heard wild whistling. Then she heard rapid clicking. The whistles and clicks grew louder and faster, and a pod of dolphins surged into view. The dolphins crowded Roz, studying her and prodding her and chattering to themselves.
“Now, what do you think this is?”
“It’s got a hard shell.”
“And it swims funny.”
“Is it some sort of sea turtle?”
Roz said, “I am not a sea turtle. I am a robot. My name is Roz.”
“Did you hear that, everyone?”
“This creature is a robot!”
“A robot named Roz!”
“Hey, Roz the robot, can you do this?” One of the dolphins suddenly pumped his tail and leaped up out of the water, and a moment later, he came splashing back down, into the waves.
“Yes, I believe I can do that,” said Roz. The robot suddenly kicked her legs and launched herself up out of the water. For the first time in weeks, she felt the light touch of air against her body. And then gravity pulled her down, back into the waves.
The dolphins were impressed. They cheered and laughed and peppered Roz with questions. But the lively mood changed when she mentioned her mission. Then the dolphins started chattering again.
“We’ve stayed clear of the poison tide.”
“But we know about the damage it’s causing.”
“It must be stopped!”
“What can we do to help?”
Roz answered, “You can tell me where to find the Ancient Shark.”
“They say she lives deep in the northern ocean.”
“To get there you’ll have to swim west.”
“Around a very long stretch of land.”
Roz asked, “Could I get there faster by traveling over the land, rather than around it?”
“We don’t know much about land.”
“You should speak with the seabirds!”
“Yes, the seabirds will know the fastest way!”
“Okay, everyone, let’s find Roz some seabirds!”
The pod of dolphins surged into action. But instead of swimming upward, as you might expect, they swam downward, into the depths. You see, the dolphins knew exactly how to attract seabirds. They rounded up a school of fish, circling them, forcing them into a tight cluster. All at once, the dolphins blew air from their blowholes, and a dense layer of bubbles carried the fish up to the surface, where they thrashed through the waves, and soon flocks of hungry seabirds were flying toward the scene.
CHAPTER 39
THE SEABIRDS
Seabirds from all around were drawn to a frothy, fishy patch of ocean. Gulls and terns hovered above the water, picking fish from the waves. Only the puffins took the plunge. Their plump bodies plopped into the surf, and then they started to hunt. Flapping their short wings, the puffins seemed to fly through the water as they snatched fish with their sturdy beaks.
When one of the puffins popped back to the surface he slammed into something hard. A lifeless fish dangled from his beak as he squawked, “Ay! Om fithin hee!”
“I do not understand,” said the robot, who was treading water beside him.
The puffin grunted. Then he spit out the fish and secured it with his wing. “I said, ‘Hey! I’m fishing here!’”
“I am sorry for disturbing you,” said the robot. “But I need to speak with a seabird. I am on a mission to stop the poison tide and—”
The puffin cut in. “Oh, I know about the poison tide. It came to the coast where I used to live. The other birds were so excited to see dead fish piling up on the rocks. But old Kerplunk knew better. That’s my name—Kerplunk. Nice to meet you. Anyway, I said not to touch the fish. I said something didn’t smell right, but nobody would listen. They gobbled down as many fish as they could. And pretty soon, the rocks were piling up with dead birds. I moved my family to a safer spot, but so many fish are leaving the area that we may have to leave too.”
It was a troubling story. The robot didn’t know what to say. Neither did the puffin. They quietly bobbed on the waves together. Behind them, the feeding frenzy calmed down, and the other seabirds flew off.
At last Roz said, “I must find the Ancient Shark. I have heard that she lives in the northern ocean. Can you show me the fastest way there?”
