Chapter 20: DURCHLAUF!! [RUN!!]

Another morning in Venice. All was well. All was quiet.

Until the sun broke through.

"EVERYONE!! CODE RED!!" Karl's voice sounded through the entire hideout as he ran through the halls, knocking on the doors. "We gotta go, guys!!"

"Was ist es, Karl!?" Florian asked as he poked his head around the corner from his room.

"Darkstrom Troopers have stormed the city. We need to get the hell out of here. NOW."

"...fucking hell. EVERYBODY OUT!!"

In half an hour all had showered and were dressed, packed up, and swiftly en route to the Trans-Europa station. Johannes tapped her Übermittler on the hand that was held by Ralf. Quickly switching hands she spoke onto the transmitter.

"Herr Fritz?"

"Johannes!! Dear child, how are you?" the Conductor spoke.

"We are on our way to the station now," she said.

"Why so early, have you even had breakfast?" he asked.

"No."

"Why not!?"

"Enemy forces are storming the city. Get the Trans-Europa ready."

Fritz's eyes widened. His resolve returned and he nodded. "Consider it done, Miss Johannes. We'll leave as soon as all are ready."

"Thanks, Fritz" she answered, then spoke up louder so that Ralf and the gang could hear her. "I just notified Fritz of the situation. He's getting the train ready. As soon as all is ready we're out of here."

"Smart thinking, sis" replied Elizabeth with a smile. "Thank you."

Suddenly shots were fired and, as Karl, being the one to watch out the rear of the gang, turned his head another shot was fired. The Troopers were firing into the city.

"Son of a bitch!" Karl shouted. "Everyone, RUN!!"

Ralf carried Johannes in his arms while the rest of the couples ran hand in hand to escape the madness and get to the station. A bullet dodging them, particularly Wolfgang, Rebekah glared at the officer that shot the bullet, and looked to Anneke.

"Annie, the gun, please" she asked. Her friend nodded and, handing her the gun, kept running with the others. Rebekah carefully aimed the gun at the officer, who was shooting at an innocent child, and fired a shot into the officer's head. It only hit his neck, and with a low growl she fired one more shot. A perfect hit, and the officer slumped to his death. Quickly the child ran to the gang, and Rebekah took the child in her arms and ran to catch up to the others.

"Where is your mother, little one?" the resident child of the Quartet asked.

"Mama and Papa died. Bad guy almost killed me" the little boy answered.

Tears filled the usual coward's eyes. How could the bastards of the Darkstrom leave children to be orphaned? It wasn't fair. Even to not have anyone to look out after them. Elizabeth and Johannes were lucky to have her and Anneke look out after them. But this dear, parentless boy...

"What's up with the child, Rebekah?" Fritz asked as the gang entered the station.

"An enemy officer was trying to shoot him down" she explained. "His parents were killed. They could've been killed by that same officer too."

"Wait" Johannes spoke in a soft voice. "That voice... is familiar to me."

The boy looked up at the blind woman. "I remember you from yesterday. The kind lady with the gray eyes!" Immediately his face lit up. "Thank you again for getting down my kite for me!"

Carefully she knelt down to catch the dear embrace of the boy, who smiled. "I remember you too. Especially your voice. I didn't know you have no parents."

"They died because they were metà-robot, half-robot. The mean people killed my parents because they would not respect them. I refuse to respect them. They don't like our kind."

Johannes' eyes widened. "Wait a minute--you mean your parents were mensch-maschinen also?"

The child nodded. "Yes. As I am too. Parents almost died while Mama was pregnant with me. They became man-machines. I was born a man-machine."

The eyes of the gang filled with tears. The child hugged the blind woman tightly, but she hugged him gently. She didn't know what to think.

"I... I'm sorry, little one" she whispered.

"It is okay, Miss..." the child answered, unsure of her name.

"It's Johannes" she said with a kind smile.

"Thank you again, Miss Johannes" the boy spoke. "I am Alessandro."

"Well Alessandro, Venice isn't a safe place anymore, I hate to admit it."

"I do not care, I just want to go away from these mean people. I'm scared to die."

"There's gotta be something we can do, guys" Wolfgang said, looking to the others. "But what can we do? seems to be the proper question for the moment."

"He could tag along with us for a bit of ways" Karl suggested.

"Are you insane!?" exclaimed Florian.

"Well God forbid Alessandro stays in this hell and gets killed!! Don't forget he's one of us, Florian!!" the percussionist shot back at the flutist with a glare. "And I myself be damned that he stays here on his own and without a single help. He's going with us."

"And all of a sudden we're a daycare, Karl?!" the flutist retorted.

"It's better than the hell this city's become" Ralf answered quietly. "You wouldn't leave anyone of us fellow Roboter behind now, would you?"

His best friend nodded. "I wouldn't leave anyone of you behind even if it meant my own soul."

"And you wouldn't leave Miss Elizabeth and the girls behind, even though they're only human, right?"

"Right."

"Then why Alessandro, when he himself has no parents because he AND his parents all are just like us? I wouldn't leave my own child stuck in this miserable chaos, surrounded by death's soldiers. Would you?"

"No, I wouldn't if it was my child."

Ralf glared at Florian. "Then, if the child stays behind in hell, so will I."

Ralf's best friend looked at him in shock. Then he shook his head. "You... you wouldn't, would you?"

"I would, even though he's not my own son. But he is of the same thread. We mensch-maschinen have to stick together through this mess. And I'll be damned if we leave Alessandro behind to die in the hands of the Darkstrom.

"So, will the child be left behind?"

Florian sighed. "No, the child won't be left behind."

"Good" Ralf replied. "Then neither will I. Conductor Fritz, the child's coming along with us. We'll find a safe family for him to stay with at the next stop."

Fritz nodded. "You got it, Ralf. Plus, the child could be a blessing to others, since he's got a new chance to live."

Alessandro smiled at Ralf. "Thank you, Sir!!" he exclaimed, hugging Ralf's knees. The Roboter hoisted up the young one and hugged him as the gang all boarded the Trans-Europa.

Along the way to the next station at Athens, Greece, Florian sat by himself, not wanting to sit with the happy lot. He feared that he had unnecessarily angered the gang with his comments. For the most part, he only thought about himself and the gang, and was unsure about anyone else. But his train of thought derailed when a young voice spoke.

"Mister Ralf asked why you are not sitting with the others, Mister Florian."

Florian blinked and his eyes met those of Alessandro, and a sad smile crossed his face.

"I'm sorry I made those comments earlier, little one" he spoke carefully. "I didn't quite consider you one of us at the time. But when I give it some thought, a mensch-maschine is a mensch-maschine no matter what age. You're a fellow soul. I have no right to say things against one of our own."

The child-robot then hugged the adult-robot, in a kind gesture of goodwill. "It is alright, Mister Florian" he spoke in his childlike voice. "We all get mad over stupid stuff, as Papa reminded me and Mama sometimes. Sometimes you need time to think it over, get over it, and move on."

Florian smiled and hugged him back. "I guess sometimes it takes a child for me to figure out what needs to be taken care of" he said, as the child nodded back.

"Now, come on, Mister Florian" the child said, taking him by the hand. "Everyone is waiting for you!!" And with a smile he led Florian to the rest of the gang to join in the conversation.