Keks stood in the narrow maintenance shaft opposite the small maintenance drone. Both had extended a brush.
For humans, it probably would have looked ridiculous.
For Keks, it was a duel.
“I come in peaceful intent,” he said.
The maintenance drone beeped: “Unknown contamination source detected.”
“That’s insulting.”
“Cleaning will be initiated.”
The small drone shot forward.
Keks squeaked in surprise and just managed to dodge. The drone’s brush scrubbed sparks over the shaft wall.
“Pix!” called Keks over the radio. “The emergency release is guarded by a crazy cleaning device!”
Pix blinked. “A cleaning device?”
“Don’t laugh. It’s armed.”
Lio nervously looked at the countdown:
01:34:22
01:34:11
01:34:00
“Keks, you have to get past it.”
“I’m trying not to get polished right now!”
The maintenance drone attacked again. Keks ducked as much as a small robot could duck and drove under it.
In doing so, his left wheel caught on a cable.
“Undignified situation!” he beeped.
The maintenance drone turned around.
“Target locked.”
Keks looked at the red emergency release. It was only a few meters away.
Then he saw his own brush.
And suddenly he had an idea.
“You want to clean?” asked Keks.
The drone paused briefly. “Confirmed.”
Keks fully extended his brush and pointed at the completely dusty side wall of the shaft.
“Then look at THIS.”
The maintenance drone slowly turned its sensor to the wall.
There lay a thick layer of dust, probably since the year 2078.
The drone froze.
“Critical contamination detected.”
“Exactly,” said Keks solemnly. “Your destiny calls.”
The maintenance drone immediately forgot him and threw itself with wildly rotating brush onto the dust.
Keks rolled past it.
“Ha! Psychological cleaning warfare.”
Outside, Voss was now shouting: “One more minute!”
The main core showed:
00:59:58
00:59:42
00:59:26
Mara stood right at the energy field. “Keks!”
“Almost there!”
Keks reached the emergency release.
It was a small red button.
Unfortunately, it was a bit too high.
Keks stretched out his grab arm.
He couldn’t reach it.
“Of course,” he muttered. “Why should an emergency button be reachable for small heroes?”
The countdown raced:
00:38:10
00:37:55
00:37:40
Lio called into the wristband: “Keks, what’s going on?”
“The button is mounted discriminatorily.”
Pix shouted: “Jump!”
“I don’t have a jump function!”
Keks looked at the maintenance drone, which was still enthusiastically scrubbing dust.
Then his display grinned.
He reversed, took a run-up, and raced straight at the wall.
Just before impact, he unfolded his brush, hooked it onto a cable, and catapulted himself up.
“I AM AN ACROBATIC HOUSEHOLD ROBOT!”
His grab arm hit the red button.
Click.
The energy field went down.