Sand Storm

Friends, with Charles and the king's combined food and water supplies, went outside the city limits - to the south. This had actually been two days ago. Now, they had arrived in Metz - in northeastern France.

For now, there were no further indications, so they both leisurely explored the city. It was nice to finally enjoy something like Gothic-style buildings. The friends hadn't seen such structures since the German department. The houses nostalgically reminded them of homes in Árbolville.

They were no longer quite sure where to go, as the beautiful constructions had captivated them. They turned corners recklessly. The city became smaller and weaker until the only Gothic-style building stood before them. It turned out to be the Metz station.

A sign. - Charles thought simultaneously and also said.

Do you really think they'll let us on the train? We don't have any money, remember? - Herald wondered.

Who said we had to ride legally? - Charles whispered the last word quietly, as if he thought no one would hear or understand them.

In fact, we don't even know which train to take. - Herald further shot down Charles's idea.

Let's just go in; maybe something else will be said up front. - Charles said, grabbing Herald by the hand, and they both made their way to the station's front doors.

The doors creaked loudly as they opened, revealing the grand station foyer. Charles could discern materials like marble, jade, crystallized glass, and perhaps even gold. All these materials were so expensive. It surprised the friends how a city of such size and level of living could afford such things.

Well, both friends thought. The station's lavish appearance was not the reason they had come here. They were here to catch a train. They approached the only open ticket counter. The counter was adorned with marble columns, around which jade serpentine twisted.

Herald jumped up to the counter and was the first to ring the bell, which instantly summoned the cashier. It turned out she had just been rummaging under the table. And now she piled even more papers on the already cluttered desk.

Since Charles, after the raid, didn't know any language other than English, he had to just listen as Herald had a back-and-forth with the cashier. After a moment, Herald turned to Charles.

There's only one train leaving today; well, actually the only one operating this month, I think it's the right one, right? - Herald consulted Charles.

Yes, but we have no money to buy tickets, remember? - Charles reminded him of their poverty.

Hmm… - Herald grumbled and turned back to the cashier.

They exchanged all sorts of gestures and aggressive expressions.

It's not anything else but money to buy a ticket. - the cashier sounded dissatisfied.

The cashier prepared the tickets, and another conversation took place. In the end, it was agreed that the cashier would give the same tickets, as they were the only ones left for that day, until the end of the day, if Charles and Herald could come up with 10 French dollars together. The friends were ready to do anything.

They were practically ordered away from the station. They would only be let in once they had the required amount. The scientists stumbled and rushed towards the city center, knowing that they would have the best chance of earning quick cash there. There weren't many people in the center, but for a Sunday (they realized this from the tickets), it was quite enough.

Charles immediately found and stole a half-barrel. He held it in front of him to solicit donations. When that didn't help at all, he had his friend climb onto his shoulders and perform various tricks. Harold did just that, performing backward jumps, somersaults, and juggling various bits and bobs. This at least garnered some interest from the crowd.

After the brief performance, Charles counted the earnings—3 dollars, which was too little. He stuffed the money in his pocket and put the half-barrel back in its place. The friends decided to try something else, something more impressive.

Charles and Harold found a café around the corner, where half a dozen musicians were playing. The Sock darted ahead. Harold asked the musicians if they could borrow their instruments, and to their surprise, they said "yes." Now both friends started to play in their place.

Charles arranged with Harold to play the only song that would truly reach the hearts of the French audience and also the only one they both knew by heart—of course, it was the French national anthem. At first, the sounds were quite off-key and crooked. Passersby covered their ears. But as the duo got warmed up, the melody and lyrics flowed smoothly, and a crowd of admirers began to gather around them. They threw coins, cheered, and even sang along.

They liked it. — Charles realized.

Soon the crowd became uncontrollable, and the duo had to return the instruments. They tried to slip through the crowd, picking up dollars along the way. They occasionally lost sight of each other, but eventually, they made it out of the encirclement. Suddenly, the crowd started running after them, likely asking for autographs or something similar. The friends literally had to run to the station.

They slipped through the door and immediately barred it. They blocked the door with a chair, which practically worked as a lock. After that, both scientists, now more calmly, headed to the ticket counter, where the cashier was filing her nails. The friends handed over the money, slightly overpaying. The cashier immediately gave them the reserved tickets. They were for the "Metz-Dijon" route with two stops along the way.

The friends admired the fancy and modern tickets when, out of nowhere, they were all startled by loud noises. They came from the entrance and the front windows. Charles turned sharply, expecting to see raiders, but there was something else…

The crowd had now reached the station. People were banging on the doors, smashing windows, and shouting. Harold realized that they were asking for another performance and, of course, autographs.

Unexpectedly, the French cashier stood up, and in perfect English shouted—Enough! I've had it; I'm not being paid enough for this kind of stuff! The Frenchwoman tore off her cashier's uniform, underneath which was a scientist's outfit. It was crimson red, with golden cuffs. The scientist jumped over the counter and elegantly pulled out a silver stick from her sleeve. Charles managed to examine it and concluded that it was a CryoStick—specifically, a stick that converts water into ice, but it does so in such a manner that the water is shot out and only freezes when it has already hit the target.

The cashier pointed her stick towards the noise and, with the help of a gear, shot a solid wall of ice along the entire front wall. This created an impenetrable ice barrier that no ordinary person could ever bring down. You could hear the crowd being frightened away. Both wise men were now completely speechless from what had just happened.

What was that!? - Both friends exclaimed at the same time.

Oh, you speak English too? Then you understood everything. - The cashier turned to them.

Not at all. - Charles replied.

I'll explain on the way, let's go to the train, it leaves in 10 minutes! - The cashier, who had now turned into some sort of scientist, led them outside to the tracks.

Here it comes already! - Herald gasped.

The three of them quickly walked and boarded the train, showing their tickets. This time it was a very elegant train, the interior was completely matte red, and it looked quite classy. Apparently, the trains in France were much better than the trains in Germany. In any case, this was also one of the rare trains that had three seats in each row. This meant that all three had a free spot to sit together.

Catching her breath, the cashier-scientist spoke. - I'm sorry, guys, about that sudden incident. - Charles and Herald merely said it was nothing, and the scientist continued. - My name is Elizabeth Fritzgrande, and what are your names? - Charles and Herald introduced themselves. Elizabeth was surprised that her name was so short.

The train suddenly started moving and then began to speed up. The friends were the only ones in this compartment, despite having bought the last tickets. Perhaps others would board at the next stations.

You mentioned something about work. - Charles unexpectedly brought it up.

Yes, I did… I guess I'll have to tell my entire life story, only then will everything be clearer. - the scientist offered.

Both Herald and Charles made themselves more comfortable, taking a sandwich from their bags and also offering some to Elizabeth. Now they were ready to listen to her life story.

***

So, it all started, of course, with the fact that I was born… in Wales, and there I spent my entire childhood. Later in life, when I was about half young, my parents moved to London, of course, taking me with them. They wanted to give me the most opportunities, and they themselves wanted to get better-paying jobs. Later, when I could start working, it was difficult to find a job, and I was jumping from one place to another like a grasshopper.

In general, I didn't like London. My life wasn't the best until one day I received a good job offer in France in a letter. Just so you understand, I had studied not in London, but in Oxford, and, as you know, student names are recorded in a sort of honor roll so that various institutions can quickly find the smartest people. I had learned French as one of the subjects in Oxford, so I immediately accepted the offer.

So, where was I? Ah yes, right. When I arrived in France, in Metz, from where we had just left, I started working. This job turned out to be my dream job - a station cashier. At that time, the station was bustling with clients, all the train cars were full to the last seat. This, of course, also brought in profit. That's why the station was built with marble, gold, and so on.

But then... the station completely fell apart. I barely managed to keep my job. Profits declined. My dream job turned into one big, boring nightmare. I had to do all the employee tasks because I was the only remaining employee, but I wasn't paid extra for it.

And so we have arrived at the present day. I just left the job because I didn't have the willpower to protect the station from such a large crowd of people. I guess they were looking for you. Well, whatever, let them have the station; I was already tired of it.

***

The friends chatted about Elizabeth's interesting life story. Charles and Harold also shared something from their own lives. Time passed unnoticed, and they had already arrived at their destination - Dijon.

After getting off at the usual station, the friends remembered that they needed to head south, most likely towards Spain. Elizabeth was willing to go along because she no longer had a home or a job.

The elegant scientist, with her charm, managed to get free tickets. Without realizing it, after a while, the friends boarded the next train. Now their destination was Madrid.

Pretty good, right? - Charles smiled.

Yes, we can travel anywhere, for free! - Harold chimed in. Elizabeth only looked irritably in the other direction.

The friends, oblivious to everything, had once again plunged into another interesting and extensive conversation, which lasted for several hours. They only pulled away from the conversation when dry, clay-colored mountains appeared outside the train windows, scattered with occasional green patches.

Here, the temperature wasn't afraid to exceed thirty degrees, and even forty. These were true summer holidays. The trio enjoyed the warm evening sun shining through the window. Of course, they enjoyed the mountain scenery and each other's company as well. It seemed there was nothing else in the world but this beautiful, sunny, joyful moment, and mostly that was true.

For quite some time, this similar landscape was visible - dry sparse forests, behind which rose high clay-colored mountains. Charles began to doze off and was almost falling into a dream, but then out of nowhere, there was a crash, then another, and another, and another. And before he could fully comprehend what was happening, the train crashed somewhere, and all movement was halted. Sand and dust poured in through the windows, and somewhere closer to the front of the train, there was a fire!

It seems that an accident has occurred; we must get out immediately before the locomotive collapses completely! - Elizabeth urgently and also business-like instructed her friends.

Chaos reigned all around, and the passengers desperately flailed through the aisles. Soon, they began to attempt to devise escape plans. Charles, Harold, and Elizabeth were the first to escape from the burning, sandy, and shattered-glass-filled train. Once outside, they realized that the view wasn't very optimistic either – a desert and mountains, with no water, village, or city in sight.

What now? – Harold looked at Elizabeth.

You took the belongings, right? Then let's move forward, away from the train! – Elizabeth tried to drown out the screams of the people still inside the train and the roars of the fire. – Inside the train is a semi-nuclear electronic engine that powers all the equipment. It only takes one spark for the entire train and 100 meters around it to be engulfed in flames! So I suggest we hurry!

Elizabeth ran ahead of everyone. As the youngest of the group, she was able to run faster than the two older men. Charles ran behind her, and Harold followed Charles.

They made it just in time – not a second earlier, not a second later. They saw the train explode outward and how its wreckage flew in all directions.

Epic! – Elizabeth marveled at the horrific scene. – I hope the others made it out somehow; let's head in the direction the train was going before it… well, you know.

The friends now set their course southward. Their cool, grim, and survival-filled journey across the mountains had begun!

Did you hear what she said about that explosion and those people? – Harold whispered to Charles.

I don't know, but it seems to me that her work could have really thrown them into a bigger mess than we can even guess right now, – Charles thoughtfully concluded. – Either way, I think I saw a group of people ahead; surely, everyone will have gotten out.

Charles, Herald, and the eccentric scientist are currently wandering through the mountains. They had stumbled upon a kind of gravel road that was, in fact, just a lucky flat area in the vast mountainous landscape. We probably didn't have time to investigate, but what really happened with that train, and even more importantly, why? - Herald also approached Elizabeth, hoping she would join the conversation.

"Stop!" - Elizabeth shouted, ignoring her friend's words. "This is a good place where we could spend the upcoming night." She crouched down in a small half-flat area and once again, as usual, commanded both friends to bring wood. And since there were only a few dried bushes around, it would be difficult.

"Does she think she's hiding something?" - Herald whispered to Charles. Charles just shrugged. Zeke was tired, so he stayed at the makeshift camp. Meanwhile, Bridgton went off to find some meager firewood. While he was breaking a dried bush, the thought came to him that this journey was becoming increasingly harsh. First, the invasion of Luxembourg, then temporarily parting ways with his friend, and now - a train accident, which was also the first one Charles had experienced in his life.

Lost in thought, he didn't even notice how he already had his hands full of old, dry twigs. The darkness was beginning to creep over the horizon. Charles figured he should hurry back to the camp. As he started walking, he realized he didn't know where he was. He went one way, then another, and tried to call out to the others, but to no avail. It was already pretty dark outside, but instead of starting a fire and waiting for the day, as a normal person would have done, he began to run towards the direction he thought Herald's voice was coming from.

When he got there – nothing. The voice suddenly seemed to come from the other direction, and he followed it. Again, nothing. He ran back and forth, with each time growing more anxious and confused.

"Where is that voice coming from!?" - Charles sighed in confusion to himself.

Everything became so strange and intoxicating that he could say he entered a kind of trance. He just noticed he was following something, and perhaps something was following him, but he couldn't control himself.

But then, finally, there appeared a small campsite at the foot of the mountain. It was a campfire! Bridgton was a little stunned because there had been no campfire at their camp before, but upon noticing who was sitting by it, he regained his composure and ran over and collapsed by the fire.

"Where have you been!?" - Herald's eyes looked shocked like buttons (his eyes were also buttons).

"Yes, we were looking for you!" - Elizabeth chimed in.

"I brought branches, here, but while collecting them, I got a little lost... that's all I remember." - Charles spilled the words out like peas. After a few more words, Charles was already asleep. All that running had tired him out.

***

An unknown amount of time had passed, and now Charles was awake. The campfire had died out, and it was pitch black outside. He wanted to get up and stretch his legs, as is usual in such sleepless situations.

The thing is - he couldn't move. And even worse was that he felt shadowy figures lurking around him. They crept closer and then vanished. Charles immediately understood what was happening - sleep paralysis. This was the first time, in all his years, that he experienced sleep paralysis. It was uncomfortable because some of the shadowy figures crept so close that they almost climbed into his mouth. Once it was all over, he could fall asleep again. Charles felt that recently, something or someone was playing with his mind.

***

The morning was bright, radiant, and cheerful. There was no trace of the evening's chill. Charles, Harold, and Elizabeth all packed up quickly, as there wasn't much to pack. Then they continued their journey across the mountains, always heading south, so that the slide would be visible at least far on the horizon. The day was unbearably hot, even in the mountains. From time to time, it was only relieved by a feeble cold breeze.

***

They could hardly believe their eyes when they saw a settlement on the horizon.

Madrid? - Elizabeth asked the other two.

Unlikely, then along the way, there would have been a state border sign, and we've been traveling for too short a time to already be in Madrid, - Charles concluded.

I noticed a state border sign on the way, just can't remember which country it was, - Harold explained.

Yeah… was there perhaps another country before Spain… hmm, well, I guess I don't remember for now, - Bridgton admitted.

Let's just go, and we'll figure it out, - Elizabeth objected, as they had stopped without realizing it to chat.

They walked through hills and valleys until they reached a populated area. Surprisingly, there was no sign indicating the name of the settlement anywhere. Where they were remained a question mark.

It looked like they had wandered into a castle park, as royal flowers bloomed all around, and a magnificent castle with several towers loomed behind the garden. It rose more vertically than horizontally.

Strange town, - Elizabeth muttered to herself.

I'm sure there are other buildings around the corner, as this appears to be a castle complex, - Charles said uncertainly.

Brutal survival in the mountains had just transformed into a peaceful stroll in the castle park. This positively affected everyone. They all inhaled the fragrant scents of various flowers that were so enchanting they almost made them dizzy.

Everything was going smoothly until suddenly footsteps could be heard. The trio just turned their heads. Then it sounded like metal clanging. The friends turned their heads again. This time they saw the source of the noise. It was nothing that belonged in this castle park. It was, of course, a robot!

All three friends froze and fixed their gazes on the robot, as robots were a rare phenomenon due to their cost.

Intruders, intruders! You are trespassing on the master's land, and I will have to eliminate you now, - the robot said, starting to warm up its laser gun, which was in its left hand.

Charles, Harold, and Elizabeth dove behind the flowers, each going in their direction. They barely managed to avoid the plasma blast. The metal man began to approach their positions, but since each of them fled in their own direction, the robot had to choose one target.

The metallic object moved slowly, so there was plenty of time to craft the next move. Somewhere, someone had left a watering can next to a wonderfully fragrant garden. Elizabete took note of it. She picked it up; it turned out to be full of water. Then, running slowly enough not to spill the water, the scientist maneuvered between the garden until she reached behind the robot. It was already clear what she was going to do next. She tipped the watering can upside down right above the metallic head. The robot, as intended, emitted crackling sounds and collapsed to the ground. It no longer functioned.

"Hey, friends, I've neutralized it!" – Elizabete called to her friends, and they quickly flew over. "Look!" – Elizabete pointed to the back of the metal scrap, where it was labeled "Neo-Leo Corp." along with an intimidating large "R" letter.

"I think I understand what we are dealing with here," – Charles announced.

Everyone nodded in agreement. And so they continued on towards the castle. Hopefully, that was indeed the castle side.

It was hard to study the castle from afar because the sun was shining directly in their eyes. But as they got closer and looked up, they all turned pale. Flags were fluttering atop the castle towers. They were not ordinary flags, but rather flags that the friends did not wish and did not expect to see. They bore the cursed "R" letter.

"What is really going on here? First that mind-boggled robot, and now these flags!" – Herold stammered.

"Let's take a closer look; we can't jump to conclusions right away," – Charles reassured him.

Elizabete nodded in agreement, and they proceeded alongside the castle and through the gates. Finally, they emerged into the actual city, where two-story houses were symmetrically lined up. The streets were empty, and the trees were withered. A sense of discomfort overtook the friends that everything in this city was not as it should be.

The roads here were unlike anything they had ever seen before. They were dark, almost pitch gray. It looked like they might be made of stone, but perhaps they weren't. Next to the main roads were narrower paths, which they recognized.

"Why are there so many roads here!?" – Herold wondered.

An even more important question is the material they are made of. I've never seen anything like this in my life… I'll call it asphalt," – Charles declared.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the friends heard the rumble of wheels. They quickly scurried between two houses. After a few breaths, a carriage rushed past, and it was nothing out of the ordinary, except that it was driven by robots, and even the horses were robots! As the noise from the wheels subsided, Elizabete could not keep her mouth shut and exclaimed:

"Seriously, what is happening here!?" – Before anyone could respond, a firm hand suddenly pulled all three of them deeper into the alley.

"What are you doing? You could get caught!" – a shadowy voice announced.

"Who are you?" – Charles shot back and didn't hesitate to demand an answer.

"Alizandro from Andorra, and you would be?"

"I am Charles, that's Herold, and this is Elizabete."

"You are clearly outsiders; your names, the fact that you didn't say where you're from, and also that you are freely wandering around the sealed part of the city," – Alizandro said somewhat discontentedly.

"Excuse me, but did you mention something about the forbidden section?" Charles inquired.

"Eh… yes, since that scientist arrived here and took control of Andorra, he has forbidden anyone from going within a kilometer of his castle," Alizandro explained.

"Then what are you doing here?" Elizabeth joined the conversation.

"That's too confidential," he just mumbled.

After exchanging words, Alizandro helped them get to the part of the city that was permitted.

***

"So this is the real Andorra," Elizabeth exclaimed, pleasantly surprised.

Everywhere around them were houses scattered chaotically and beautifully decorated. The city streets were lively. There were blooming trees, lush bushes, and charming flowers in between, along with convenient benches. Of course, there were also plenty of various shops and overcrowded cafes and restaurants.

"I haven't seen so many people in one place since I left London!" Elizabeth remarked, while Charles and Harold both gaped at buildings they had never seen before.

"Well, I am probably the last English-speaking person you'll meet here, so I hope you know Catalan," Alizandro explained. "Okay, see you, oh and you should change your clothes so you don't stand out so much, otherwise the robots will catch you one, two!" Alizandro waved goodbye and left without looking back.

"Well then, Harold, do you know Catalan?" Charles asked his friend.

"No, I just know it's similar to Spanish," the sock replied.

"Hey, guys, you heard what that guy said about the clothing, right? That means we need to find a clothing store," Elizabeth suggested.

"Hmm, well that's interesting, how are we going to pay for all of this?" Harold said, seemingly in disbelief.

"Universal Bank!" Elizabeth replied, looking at a building.

"What's that?" Harold sounded puzzled.

You'll see!

Once Elizabeth had said what she had to say, she dragged both her friends to the unassuming building next to a clothing store. A bell rang as they entered. The bank space was filled with artificial plants, and local radio could be heard. By the terminal sat an old-looking uncle. When the friends approached, he asked them something. Elizabeth quickly began to communicate using sign language.

"Wait, how do you say United Kingdom?" Elizabeth whispered to her friends.

"At least in Spanish it's Reino Unido," Harold explained, and Elizabeth repeated that word at the terminal.

After a few small misunderstandings with the sign language, the old uncle finally handed them a heavy bundle of cash that was tied together.

"Wow, my thousand British pounds have turned into two thousand Andorran francs!" Elizabeth exclaimed excitedly.

"But wait, wait, wait, HOW did your money suddenly appear here?!" Charles wondered.

"Oh, it's something to do with radio signals and other crazy technologies; I don't even really know, but right now that's not the most important thing, let's go!" Elizabeth decided.

And they, having walked out of the cozy bank, headed straight towards the nearby clothing store. The shop turned out to be much bigger inside, with three full floors! They spent a long, long while there. Before going inside, they had split the money into three, we could say, equal parts. Upon entering, each had wandered off on their own. It took at least two hours for them to try on clothes, but then finally…

They hadn't seen each other's uniforms yet, so when they met outside the store, they were all surprised by one another. Elizabete was dressed like a real beauty. She wore a purple dress that stretched almost to the ground, and she had on a sort of jacket colored in the colors of the Andorran flag, and even on her chest, she had the Andorran coat of arms.

Herolds and Čārls were dressed more simply, but no less traditionally. Both of them wore dark jackets with white sleeves, as well as knee-length shorts. They both also had a hat on their heads, but not the kind you might imagine; it was flat and bright red. Herolds had somehow gotten his hands on a small Andorran flag on a little pole.

The friends complimented each other.

"Where did you get the flag?" Elizabete asked, pulling on her sleeve.

"Oh, while you were still shopping, I had nothing to do, so I quickly dashed to the souvenir shop around the corner," Herolds explained.

Now they truly blended in with the crowd, like water with sugar. It looked as though they had lived in Andorra all their lives, if not longer!

"We'll never get caught," Čārls thought as he turned a corner.

"So, what next?" Elizabete confidently asked; it seemed this new outfit had given her a new sense of confidence.

"I don't have a concrete answer, but we should probably try to get into that castle; I think that could be the source of all the city's troubles," Čārls expressed his idea.

"I agree, we should also collect those robots, so these people don't have to follow some robot orders and be afraid of them; that's not right," Herolds added.

The sun was halfway through the sky when they, having eaten at a simple restaurant, continued on their way, looking for ways to get into the castle. The city was no longer as dense further from the center, and walking became quicker. The temperature rose, yet the friends' energy was dwindling. They had been walking almost nonstop for at least two days.

Čārls had taken note of the castle's surroundings and was now urging the others to follow him through a weedy, overgrown alley of old houses. The friends couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Are you sure no one is going to kidnap us here?" Elizabete asked with a serious glance at Čārls's enthusiastic face.

"Absolutely sure. We will definitely be at the castle gates faster than you can say 'counterclockwise,'" Čārls reassured the others, and himself.

They then headed into the alley. There were no signs of life in the alley except for scurrying rats and sparkling flies. It was also quite quiet, not counting the rare chirping of birds. The path, with buildings on both sides, seemed to stretch on forever, and the strangest thing was that there were no usual side streets or exits in sight. Suddenly, out of the blue, something happened...

Roberto had fled from the robots, or at least that's what he thought. And now he had found the right path to the castle. It turned out that inside the castle was a laboratory, rather than some long hallways or elegant living rooms. He hoped that the reward promised by Alizandro would be worth it.

Roberto turned his head and, from his rocky hiding place on the cliff path, looked at the open doors. He couldn't hear anything from inside, so Roberto made his move. He clumsily emerged from his stony concealment and stealthily crept toward the open doors.

Once inside the castle, he realized that everything smelled of chemicals. There were tubes everywhere, flowing with some neon-colored solutions. That wasn't even the craziest part, as capsules lined the entire room.

Roberto approached one of the capsules and peered inside. He wasn't completely sure, as he couldn't see clearly, but he thought he saw...

A person. - something behind him completed the thought.

Roberto quickly turned around. It was some disheveled scientist. No, it must have been THAT scientist!

Neo Leo. - Roberto spat out challengingly.

Ha, ha, how did you recognize me like that? - Neo Leo chuckled in his frantically scientific voice.

What's going on here? - Roberto continued, ignoring the scientist's question.

Oh, nothing special, I'm just using human minds to power my outstanding robot army to control all of Andorra! - Leo blurted out, not realizing he was revealing too much.

What happened with the train accident? It was you, wasn't it? And what about the passengers? - Roberto asked as if in an interview.

What accident? Oh, ha ha! I was just joking, of course it was me! But don't worry, I didn't harm anyone, they're all alive... in my laboratory! - the scientist cackled like a raven infected with rabies.

Alright, clear, which door can I go through? - Roberto was about to leave, as his reconnaissance work was done.

Oh, oh, oh, you're not going anywhere! I've revealed too much to you. Robots! Capture him! - Neo Leo commanded, and Roberto immediately began a tactical retreat.

The unstable scientist laughed so much that he didn't even notice how Roberto managed to loop around and set a course directly towards him. Bam! Roberto knocked the crazy genius off his thin legs. The remote that Leo had tightly held in his hand was now lying on the ground—smashed into a million pieces.

The scientist got back on his feet and hurried to the front door with the robots. Roberto didn't even notice that, as his attention was drawn to the capsules, which had just begun to open. He already knew that there were people inside them, but it was only now that he discovered they were there...

Charles Bridgerton awoke in a capsule located in some kind of laboratory. He sat up. In the adjacent capsules were Harold and Elizabeth. Further along, there were more capsules with additional people.

Then his gaze met that of a Spaniard standing by the exit. He was calling out to him and gesturing. Charles understood nothing of it. However, it occurred to him that this was the same old goodorman who had once taken him and Harold to Luxembourg.

He wants us to follow. - Harold, who had just awakened, concluded.

The three friends scrambled out of their comfortable capsules and ran straight towards the Spaniard. Roberto immediately led them outside and helped them into the carriage that Alizandro had already brought beforehand, in case of evacuation.

The Spaniard urged the horse onward. With a neigh, it began galloping forward, pulling the carriage along with it. The others didn't quite understand where they were being taken until they noticed another carriage further ahead. That, of course, was Neo Leo's carriage.

In the mad scientist's carriage sat a group of robots. The other carriage was driven by a couple of robotic horses.

Then that's the villain! We will never catch up to him! Look how far ahead he already is! - Elizabeth lamented.

The distance between the two carriages was indeed significant, approximately 50 meters.

Roberto says that he knows a shorter way. - Harold exclaimed so that the others could hear through the clattering of the carriage.

After a moment, Roberto executed his previously mentioned secret maneuver for the shorter route. This surprised the others, who were unprepared. He veered off the dusty mountain road into a cave, or rather, a tunnel.

Upon entering the tunnel, pitch-black darkness enveloped them all. They couldn't see a thing. They could only hear the determined sound of the horse's hooves. The friends began to wonder if this was really the right way or if it was indeed a dead end. Several heavy falls onto the ground with the carriage only further unsettled and disoriented them. But finally, a magnificent daylight, rather evening glow emerged.

The outside world was epic and golden. A sunset was currently happening, enhanced by countless millions of small clouds. None of them had ever seen such a breathtaking view and sky before.

In any case, the mad Leo's carriage was only 10 meters away from the friends' carriage. The scientist glared at them menacingly. He began rummaging through his scientific bag. Then, apparently, he found what he was looking for - a rope!

He began to swing the rope above him like a cowboy. Then he dramatically threw it. As a good throw resulted, it ensnared both carriages together. Neo Leo immediately sent all four robots over the rope. In a flash, they were already climbing over the friends' carriage towards their own!

Roberto! Steer the cart! - Elizabete, as always, took the lead.

Roberto, of course, didn't understand, so Herolds quickly translated. Now the situation had drastically changed - Elizabete was battling against the grips of two strong robots, while both Charles and Herolds exchanged blows with the robots.

With great effort, Elizabete managed to heroically free herself from one metal man's grip. She immediately ruthlessly shoved him under the wheels of the cart, where he quickly turned into scrap metal. Next was the other robot, which she firmly grasped with both hands, not allowing it to come at her. Then Elizabete kicked it hard in the snout with all her strength. The robot's head literally exploded. The scientist then tossed its body over the edge, deep into a very steep gorge.

The androids were cornering both Charles and Herolds. Elizabete came to the rescue, as she could see her friends were in serious trouble. The brave scientist knocked both metal men away from her friends and closer to the edge of the cart, where Herolds and Charles tripped them right on time. The frightened robots toppled backward into the distant gorge.

Yes! - all three shouted at once.

We are a good team. - Elizabete concluded.

Then the friends turned toward the robotic cart and went pale. The path was coming to an end, but the start of the gorge was getting closer. And what's more, Leo had somehow summoned three more robotic companions. "Science," thought Elizabete.

Cut the rope! - quick-thinking Charles yelled.

And that's exactly what she did. She pulled out scissors from her tool belt (which only had an ice pick and scissors). Then she partially climbed up the rope to reach the thinner part. Then she cut it. In an instant, the wind threw her back, landing her tightly in the grips of Charles and Herolds.

Roberto quickly slowed the horse, just in time to let only a few pebbles roll down. The robotic cart had disappeared. Everyone looked down, but nothing significant was visible.

At least that's settled now. - Charles concluded.

Yes, Andora is finally free. - Herolds added.

As the ox driver was about to drive the horse backward, suddenly something LARGE emerged from the gorge. For a moment, no one believed it, but in the next moment - it was clear. Neo Leo gleefully chuckled from his enormous airship, which had a large, bright, and repulsive "R" letter on its "roof."

It seems Neo Leo is once again coming through unscathed! - the crazy scientist grinned hysterically.

Elizabete just rolled her eyes. The young scientist pulled out a previously unnoticed tool from her golden work belt. It was a golden sphere that opened when pressed. The ball slowly unfolded and transformed into a very scientific hoop and a very interesting arrow.

The scientist placed the arrow in the bowstring, pulled it back, and released. The arrow shot across the canyon at a supernatural speed and went straight into the dirigible's balloon. The arrow, which was actually a syringe, began to inject something inside the balloon.

"What's inside that arrow?" Charles asked casually.

"Fire gas," Elizabeth replied, inspecting her nails.

"Oh," Charles sighed before the dirigible turned into a fireball that raced down into the canyon at an astonishing speed.

When it reached the bottom of the canyon, it exploded into an even larger fireball. The sight was spectacular.

"We need to see if he's alive," Charles suggested.

"In my opinion, nothing could survive such an explosion, but fine. We need to make sure he doesn't escape," Elizabeth said grumpily.

Herald commanded the driver to take them to the burning wreckage of the dirigible. The Spaniard also drove them down some forbidden and remote mountain road. When they finally reached the canyon's bottom, the heroic and adventure-filled day was beginning to fade into twilight.

There was no one there, so they were already preparing to leave for the city, away from the massive bonfire. After examining the surroundings, the four of them concluded that Neo Leo had indeed been defeated, so they all got back into the carriage.

"Wait," Herald called, motioning for Roberto to stop, as he had noticed some movement in the fire.

Now the others had noticed it as well. And now, from the merciless inferno, the corporeal Neo Leo himself emerged.

"Neo Leo is too clever to die!" he shouted before a heavy, burning piece of the dirigible crashed down on him.

No one said anything further. Only Charles felt that at the last moment he had seen something like a glitch, which typically happens when, for example, a hologram disappears. But he kept that to himself. Then Herald mentioned that he wanted to sleep, and everyone else agreed. So, the fateful canyon was left behind.

They were all taken back to Andorra la Vella. They spent the night at Alizandro's place, who also, by the way, had partially helped with the entire operation — with the carriage. His house was located on a quiet side street.

None of them wanted to think about what they had done. Not everyone believed that Leo was really dead.

"Fons," Charles briefly thought, before drifting off to the land of dreams.