Betrayal

Nila and Hassin rushed to Sakura's aid the moment Bobby collared them. "I think you'll be fine," Nila said to Sakura with a smile on her face. "The bandage isn't too tight is it?"

Sakura shook her head. Her eyes fixated on the white bandage. "It's fine."

"It will need changing in about two days," Hassin explained. "If the bandage gets wet or dirty, then it will have to be even sooner."

Yuzuko pounced on the Indian nurses and hugged them in unison. "Thank you so much."

"No problem," Hassin said. "It's part of our job. I recommend you eat some more fruit and proteins to help your skin regenerate quicker."

Nila nodded. "I'm sure I saw some fruit trees up on Mt. Ivan. I'll go and get them."

"Wait!" Hassin cried out, yanking her arm towards him. "That's not a good idea."

"Trust me," Nila requested with a smile. She patted on her colleague's shoulder. "I'll be fine. Just trust me."

"We all trust you, Nila. I just don't trust those robots and I don't trust Sia and what she has in store for us."

"I know, but we're all friends here. We need to help each other."

"Then let me come with you."

Nila turned away. "No. I'll be fine on my own." She grabbed her bag and began her trek to the mountains. It couldn't have been far, the mountain was right ahead and she could see the silhouette of trees.

By the time she reached the top, she reckoned it was about noon. Her stomach was rumbling louder than her panting breaths. She stopped to have a rest under the apple tree. A mere few seconds after catching her breath, robots popped their head out of the bushes.

One robot jumped out and tiptoed towards Nila with a thunderous grin. "I spy with my little eye something beginning with H..."

Nila whipped her crowbar out and whacked the robot in the face. When it fell to the ground, the other robots from its group bounced out of the bushes. The ones closer to Nila ganged up on her. Ducking down, Nila headbutted one of them in the stomach to make way for an escape.

Rushing to the edge of the cliff, in theory, was a stupid idea. For someone as highly intelligent at Nila, it was a bad move, but she had a plan. A quick look at the glistening lake gave her hope. As the surviving robots catch up with her, she climbed into the large dent. The dent was like a little cave which as about her bedroom in the slums.

Nila held on the holes on the cliff and hugged the rocks right as one by one, the robots fell into a watery grave. Convinced they were all gone, Nila returned to the tree to pick up some apples. "Now I wish you did come with me, Hassin."

Once she filled her bags with apples, a man's voice called her from the top of the trees. The man had a Scottish accent, but she could only see his black shoes and slim trousers poking out. "Awright Nila !"

"Yes! Hello? Who's there?"

"I cannae tell ye." Nila struggled with the Scottish dialect and the rustling branches, but she could understand some of the words. "Ye see ah wirk fur Professor Denki. Yin o' his wee robots git kidnapped, bit that wee boot Sia Bucks."

"That's awful." Nila thought about all the robots that helped her at work: they were all made in Professor Denki's factories. "Not all robots are bad."

"As far as a'm concerned robots 'n' folk ur bonny similar. Ah mean a' o' us ur living creatures, even if some o' us wur manmade."

Nila became curious. "Were you manmade?"

"Ah wis a test tube bairn," the man said. "Oh 'n' by th' wey, kin ye tell me th' secret tae a guid Indian curry?"

The sudden change of topic alarmed Nila. Her jaw quivered. It took her longer to answer than it would have done if she wasn't in the game. "Fresh ingredients and great skill."

"Ta gey muckle." The man jumped down from the tree. His landing was graceful like a ballerina. His head was concealed in a black balaclava. "Twas crakin' talking tae ye. Bit noo ah think a've a' th' ingredients a'm needin'."

"Well..." Nila let out a deep sigh. "I'm glad I was able to help you. I have to go now."

The man clenched onto her fists. His hands felt cold and hard. Nila knew she had been deceived. The man had been a robot the whole time. "A'm sorry, mah loue." The balaklva was removed to reveal a menacing metallic face. "Ah dinnae pure wantae murdurr ye, bit that's pairt o' th' gam."

"NILA! WATCH OUT!" Aron's voice echoed. Nila glanced at Aron charging towards them full speed ahead. As he ran, he threw his axe over at them with all his might. What the hell was he doing? Nila wondered. She ducked down to dodge the swirling axe.

Before Nila could attack, the robot raised her body and used her as a shield. Aron's flying axe decapitated her in one swift movement. The robot caught Nila's head and let her body flail on the floor. "Haw!" The robot waved Nila's head in the air, spraying blood all over Aron's face. "Ye missed!"

"No!" Aron sobbed. "What have I done?"

"Noo it's your shot tae die!" The robot swapped Nila's head for Aron's axe.

"Oh no, it's not!" Rós appeared and used her shield to block all attacks. Aron wanted to help her, but he was too buried in his own guilt to help. Blood filled tears stained his cheeks and shirt as he watched his partner take the robot down.

"How did it all come to this?" Aron asked, his knees crumbling to the floor seeking shelter under the apple tree. He felt something hard to bang on his knee. He stood up to pick it up: it was Nila's crowbar.

No, I can't just stand here and let that thing take the girl I love.

Screeching, Aron raced towards them, squeezed the robot's neck and then dented its skull with the crowbar. The robot's final words burned Aron's soul in more ways then anyone could ever imagine. "Ye wid hae a' bin magic in mah curry."

"Aron..." Rós lifted him up from the floor and kissed him under the apple tree. Aron's anxieties made him too breathless and distracted to enjoy her kiss. Rós pulled away from him and slapped both his cheeks. "It's not your fault. None of this is your fault."

"NILA!"

It was Hassin's voice. It only got louder as they saw him run around each tree looking for her. Aron panicked, tripping over the apples as he dashed around in circles. "Rós..." he whispered his partner's name as he smeared his cheeks in blood. "What are we going to do?"

"We tell the truth."

"NO!"

"The robot killed Nila, not you."

"But he's going to see the head, and the axe. He'll know. He's coming we have to hide."

Aron pulled Rós behind the tree trunk as Hassin reached the top of the mountain. Aron didn't want to be caught, and yet he was already caught before he even committed the deed. It was easy to forget that the whole world was watching on their TV sets, tablets and phones.

"Guys!" Hassin called out to them. "What's going on?" His confusion turned to anger at the sight of Nila's mutilated body dying the grass red. Hassin growled, clutching onto Nila's hair as her head dangled beneath his fingers. With his right arm he raised his spade in the air, vowing to avenge Nila's soul. "YOU MONSTERS! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"

Rós nudged Aron's shoulder. "Quick grab your axe."

When the two men met eyes, they knew the hours of friendship they had were dead. "WHY?" Hassin roared until his voice broke.

"You don't understand!" Rós pleaded with her knees on the floor, cowering behind her shield. "It was an accident. The robot used Nila as a blocking shield."

"Then why hide from me?" Hassin sobbed.

"Because I'm ashamed of what I've done."

"So you should be. And now you will pay!" Hassin frantically whacked Aron with his spade, leaving Rós free to make her move.

"I'm sorry for this," Rós pinched Nila's old crowbar and whacked Hassin's head with it. His attacks on Aron ceased as he collapsed on top of him. Aron and Rós survived for now. They knew they had friends on the island, but at this moment on they could only trust each other.

Hassin & Nila - 975 points

Hassin & Nila dead

Rós & Aron - 225 points

262.01 points between all pairs

623 robots remaining