The Battle for Sanctuary: The Titan's Legacy: Vol: 2 (Volume 2) (37 page)

Julia
seemed satisfied, and Justin was impressed yet again by the ancient
Titans scientific brilliance.

“
Anyone
else?” Borgen asked. Richard indicated that he had a question.

“
You
mentioned your wife. I was wondering, well, like Julia said, you
are
machines, so when it comes to relationships, um, I mean...”

Borgen
looked puzzled for a moment and then his face cleared.

“
Ah,
yes. You are asking a rather deep question, sir. Can machines love,
yes?”

Richard
reddened but nodded once.

“
Well,
we consider it love. But how can we know if it is or not? How do
humans define love, or Titans for that matter? All I can say is, I am
deeply attached to Dhalena. I would do anything for her, and she for
me.” He paused and murmured “When she isn't being cross
with me, that is.” And he grinned slyly. The teens laughed.

“
How
many servitors live in your town, Borgen?” Justin spoke up.

“
At
last count, only a handful of our original population, sir,”
the servitor replied sadly. “Less than one hundred now. Perhaps
you noticed how empty the streets were on your ride here? We were
many thousands strong, once.”

“
Wow,”
Justin marveled. “That's all of you? But what happened?”

Borgen
shrugged. “Machines break down. Accidents happen, even if a
machine is made of titanium. Nothing is eternal. We repair ourselves
and others as needed, but we ran out of parts many centuries ago and,
since then, a breakdown is usually fatal.” He sounded sad but
resigned to his people's fate.

“
But
can't you just make more?” Aaron asked in confusion. “You
must know how to construct replacement parts.”

“
Oh,
indeed we do, young sir. But you see, only a Titan can produce
titanium itself. Without that, we cannot create parts for repairs.”

“
I
am so sorry, Borgen. It's so sad,” Maria said. “You must
have seen many friends pass away over the years.”

“
Too
many, young lady. Far too many.” Borgen stood abruptly and
walked over to the wide window that overlooked the street. “Our
reduced numbers are the main reason that we are unable to help your
comrades up above. It pains us to sit here, useless, while Sanctuary
is corrupted by those foul traitors, but we are not fighters and our
numbers are too few.” His shoulders drooped. “Too few,”
he whispered.

To try
to cheer Borgen up a bit, Justin asked if they could have a tour of
the town. The servitor brightened up at once.

“
It
would be my very great pleasure, sir. Once you have rested a bit, I
would be happy to show you around personally. But now,” he
walked back to his chair and sat down, “could I ask you
something?”

“
Anything
you like, Borgen,” Justin answered. The rest of the teens
agreed and he could tell from their responses that they, like
himself, had already taken a liking to the old servitor.

“
Wonderful.
Well, if it is not too much trouble, could you tell me how you came
to be in Sanctuary in the first place? We get little news down here.”

“
It's
a long story, Borgen,” Aaron warned him.

“
We
seem to have time, young sir,” the servitor replied.

“
Okay
then. I guess Aaron and I will start,” Justin said. “You
see, I found out that my mother was in trouble and...”

Justin
told Borgen the story of how he and Aaron left Sanctuary secretly to
find Justin's mother and his friend, Mr. Wilson. With occasional
comments and clarifications from Aaron, they continued on until the
part where Aaron had released Maria and the others.

Then
Maria jumped in and told her and her group's part of the tale.

Finally,
Justin and Maria, with help from the others, told of their journey
through the complex. Partway through, Dhalena quietly walked in and
stood next to the doorway, listening intently. They stopped for a
moment but she just smiled and waved for them to continue.

Justin
finished the last part of the story. “And we came through the
door and found ourselves standing in the middle of your town. That's
about it, Borgen.”

“
Oh,
you poor dears!” Dhalena exclaimed. “What a horrible
journey you've experienced. And to lose a friend like that?
Heartbreaking.” She shook her head mournfully, then turned and
left the room.

“
She
misses many of her friends that we have lost as well,” Borgen
said softly. “Your story has, I think, brought those feelings
back.” He sat back and looked at the group one at a time. “As
for me, I am astounded at your perseverance. To have come so far,
even with the loss of your friend, is extraordinary.”

“
Thank
you, Borgen,” Justin said. Recounting the entire journey had
made him realize how long it had been since he'd had a good, long,
uninterrupted sleep and judging from the exhausted faces around him,
the others were as tired as he was.

“
I
wonder if we could impose on you a bit longer, Borgen? I could really
use some sleep.”

“
Of
course, of course!” Borgen sounded delighted. “Happy to
oblige, sir. Simply use the rooms upstairs any time you wish. This is
your home for as long as you stay in our town.”

Gratefully,
everyone made their way back upstairs to get some rest. Justin and
Aaron shared a room with two large, comfy beds and it didn't take
long before each had fallen into a deep and well-earned sleep.

The next
morning, as Aaron insisted on calling it although the light levels
never changed, everyone met downstairs in the dining room. All of
them had obviously had a chance to bathe and, while they were
sleeping, Dhalena had apparently washed, dried and mended their dirty
clothing, so they all were wearing sparkling clean clothes for the
first time in a long time.

After an
amazing breakfast of pancakes and fruit cups sprinkled with something
that tasted a lot like cinnamon, followed by deep glasses of chilled
juice, they all sat back in contented silence.

Justin
felt almost normal again and was trying to decide what to do next.
Glancing at the faces around him, he knew that the others were
feeling the same way, but it was Maria who began speaking first.

“
Well,
we're a lot better off than we were yesterday, guys. We're safe,
clean and fed. The question is, where to now?”

“
Yeah,
this is a nice place and Borgen and Dhalena are great,” Aaron
said. “But Sanctuary is still in the hands of the bad guys and
our friends are trapped up there with them. We have to keep going.”
He looked around. “Don't we?”

“
Of
course we do, bud,” Justin said firmly. “But before we
go, I'd like to know if Borgen or his people can help us. They may
know a faster way to the upper levels, or maybe they can offer some
advice.” He glanced at Maria who nodded encouragingly. “He
said that they aren't fighters, so obviously they won't help us that
way. But maybe there is some other aid they can give us.”

“
I
think there might be, young sir,” Borgen said as he entered the
room. The teens all jumped, startled by his sudden entrance.

“
Oh,
you heard that, Borgen?” Justin asked.

The
servitor sat down and tapped his ear. “Machine hearing is quite
sensitive, and I'm afraid that I could not help overhearing you.”

Justin
wondered. Had the servitor been eavesdropping?

Borgen
continued. “We are a peaceful people, as I have already
mentioned. But with the current state of, well, let us call it what
it is, war in Sanctuary, we have learned to be cautious. We wanted to
speak to you, to get to know you somewhat, to see if we could trust
you.” he sounded slightly embarrassed.

“
We
understand, Borgen,” Maria said hastily. “After what
we've seen and done recently, we aren't that trusting either.”

“
Yes,
of course. Well, I wanted to tell you that we are now quite sure that
you are who and what you say you are, and we mean to help.”

There
was a general cheer from the entire group. But Aaron was staring at
the servitor curiously.

“
How
could you tell if we were trustworthy, Borgen? Not that I mind,”
he added quickly.

The
servitor smiled broadly. “You cannot lie to a servitor, young
man. Our sensors can pick up, not just sounds, but changes in heart
rate, a rise in respiration. In other words, we can tell if you are
trying to deceive us. And none of you are telling anything but the
truth.”

“
Thanks,
Borgen.” Justin was relieved and felt a bit guilty in thinking
that the servitor had been spying on them.

“
My
pleasure. Now, I believe that when Mrs. Mallon spoke with you upon
your arrival, she informed you of the situation above, yes?”

“
She
sure did,” Aaron agreed. “It sounded horrible. The
Sentinels had been turned off somehow, the Destroyers were on the run
and Mr. Fitzgerald had disappeared.”

“
A
very succinct summary, young sir. Exactly right. That is essentially
what she relayed to us as well.”

“
Borgen,
I was wondering something, although I don't want to believe it even
now,” Justin said.

“
And
what is that, sir?” Borgen asked.

Justin
shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Is it possible that Mr.
Fitzgerald, well, that he ran away? I mean, he's not a Titan, so you
couldn't blame him for it. But I was just, you know, wondering.”

Borgen
shook his head emphatically. “Fitzgerald is a legend in
Sanctuary, even down here. Running is not in his nature.” He
looked at Justin curiously. “Do you have a plan of attack in
place for the moment that you reach the top of Sanctuary?”

“
A
plan?” Justin asked in surprise. “A plan. Well, I haven't
really thought that far ahead, to be honest. Just play it by ear, I
suppose.”

“
No,
no. That will not do at all,” Borgen said in a stern voice. At
Justin's look of surprise, the servitor said “Forgive me, but
you must not waste your gifts that way. A wise strategist plans
ahead, anticipates any and all eventualities, has a fallback plan,
and much more. Wars are won and lost in the planning, not the
execution.”

“
But
I'm not a strategist, Borgen. I think Maria would be better at that
sort of thing.” Justin looked over at her. She looked back in
surprise.

“
What
in earth makes you say that, Justin? I would be terrible at that!
You're much more likely to come up with a good plan of attack than I
am.”

Borgen
held up his hands. “Please, please. There is no need to argue.
We can work something out, I am sure.”

“
You
know, I bet Mr. Fitzgerald could have done it,” Aaron said
thoughtfully.

“
Done
it?” Justin was confused. “Done what?”

“
Made
a good plan of attack. C'mon Just, you saw how he was continually
juggling communications, taking notes, giving orders to five people
at once. He's a very organized person. That's who we should have
leading this whole thing.”

With a
sigh, Justin nodded. “You're so right, bud. Someone like that
would at least give us a chance.”

“
And
this is why we needed to be sure we could trust you,” Borgen
said solemnly.

“
What
is?” Justin asked.

“
We
have found Mr. Fitzgerald.”

“
What?
You found him?” Aaron stared at Borgen in amazement. “But
how? Where?”

The others were all speaking at once and the servitor
had to hold up his hands and wait until they had all calmed down.

“
One
of the servitors from the top level, an old friend of mine from long
ago, managed to smuggle Fitzgerald out of the battle.” He
looked directly at Justin. “He had not run away. He was gravely
injured defending the other young Titans. He also gave the Destroyers
their chance to retreat. I am told that he is quite fierce in
combat.”

Justin looked away, red-faced. How could he for a moment
have thought that the man would turn and run? Had he done that the
first time that Sanctuary was attacked? No, he had stood his ground.

Aaron seemed to sense that Justin was struggling for
something to say and he spoke up. “So, where is he, Borgen? Why
didn't he come to see us?”

“
Because,
young sir, I am afraid that Fitzgerald is still badly injured.”
He hesitated. “To be frank, he is near death.”

“
What?”
Justin was jolted out of his feelings of shame by Borgen's statement.
“But, surely you know how to treat him? I mean, some of your
people must be able to take care of humans.”

“
Yes,
they can. But he was very badly off when he arrived. We were quite
surprised that he had survived the journey here. That was several
weeks ago. He has not responded to our treatment. We have stabilized
him somewhat, but that is all we can do.” He adjusted his tie
and twisted his hands in obvious frustration. “Our medic seems
to think that Fitzgerald has given up. It is possible that he
believes that he has failed. That all of his young charges perished
in the attack. To be honest, except for you seven here, he may be
right, We have no way of knowing since all communications have been
cut off from above.”