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— A breather, — Gadget exhaled, sinking onto the ice floor. — Short, but something.
— Don‘t relax, — Shadow warned, scanning the space. — The Titan is watching. He always watches.
— Let him watch, — Spark shrugged off her suit. — We passed the first trial. We’re entitled to five minutes of rest.
Gluk, trailing her like a shadow, beeped cheerfully and tried to polish her boot. Spark instinctively pulled her leg back, but the robot didn‘t take offense — just blinked its light and moved closer.
— Get off me, — she grumbled without malice. — I’m not dirt.
— To him, you are, — Gadget chuckled. — You‘re the most interesting cleaning subject in a thousand years.
— Lucky me, — Spark snorted, but there was no irritation in her voice. Just weary resignation.
Cheddar approached Gluk and crouched down, examining the robot. It froze, turned its sensor toward him, and beeped softly.
— You saved us, — Cheddar said. — In the labyrinth. Without you, we’d still be wandering. Thank you.
Gluk blinked, then cautiously extended its brush and… ran it over Cheddar‘s boot. Just once, timidly, as if asking permission.
— Clean it, — Cheddar allowed. — You earned it.
Gluk happily blinked and went to work with doubled energy. Cheddar waited patiently as the robot buffed his shoe to a mirror shine.
— You’ve lost it, — Spark commented. — Now he‘ll never leave us alone.
— Let him be, — Cheddar shrugged. — He’ll come in handy.
— For what? Polishing enemies to death?
— Why not? — Cheddar stood up, admiring his gleaming boot. — Imagine: an army of cleaner-robots, attacking the Guild with rags and polish.
Spark snorted but couldn‘t hide a smile.
— Fine, you win. Gluk, you’re with us. But if you try to clean my blaster — you‘ll regret it.
Gluk beeped happily and stationed itself at her leg.
Shadow, who had been studying her instruments, looked up.
— I found something interesting, — she said. — There’s a glitch in the Titan‘s systems. Small, almost invisible. It leads to an old sector of the planet he doesn’t visit.
— What‘s there? — Gadget asked.
— Old storage. Technical levels. And… a signal. Very weak, but alive. Someone’s hiding there.
— Who?
— Don‘t know. Maybe another survivor. Or… a trap.
— Or both, — Cheddar sighed. — But we have no choice. Lead the way.
Part Two: The Technical Level
Shadow led them through a maze of service tunnels. It was dark, cold, and damp — the exact opposite of the Titan’s grand halls. Frost coated the walls, and icy crust crunched underfoot.
Gluk, however, felt right at home. He rolled ahead confidently, occasionally stopping and sniffing with his sensor.
— He knows these places, — Gadget noted. — Probably cleaned them once.
— A thousand years ago, — Spark added. — Imagine cleaning the same spots for a millennium.
— I can, — Shadow replied unexpectedly. — Loneliness and routine. Worse than torture.
Gluk, as if understanding they were talking about him, beeped sadly and pressed against Spark‘s leg.
— It’s okay, little one, — she patted his frosted casing. — You‘re with us now.
— Look, — Gadget pointed ahead. — Light there.
At the end of the tunnel, a faint, warm yellow light indeed flickered. Not icy, not blue — warm, almost cozy.
— Not the Titan, — Shadow determined. — Something else. Ancient, but not hostile.
They stepped into an abandoned workshop.
Chaos reigned here. Tools, mechanical parts, and old blueprints littered the floor. Walls were hung with shelves of jars, boxes, and strange devices. In the corner stood an ancient computer, still running by the look of its blinking screen.
And in the center of the room, on a pile of rags, sat a robot. Just as ancient as Gluk, but larger, with two manipulators and numerous sensors on its head. Dust covered its chassis, but a weak, living spark glowed in its sensor-eyes.
— Hello, — the robot croaked, its voice like unscrewing gears. — Haven‘t had guests in a long time. Very long.
— Who… are you? — Cheddar asked cautiously.
— Mechanic, — the robot replied. — Chief mechanic of the station. Name’s Vint. And you, I see, are the Titan‘s new ‘guests”?
— Something like that, — Spark nodded. — Why aren’t you in a capsule?
— I‘m a robot, — Vint chuckled. — No need to freeze me. Need to fix me. And the Titan forgot about me. Decided I was completely broken. Left me here. I’ve sat in this workshop for a thousand years, fixing what can‘t be fixed.
— A thousand years? — Gadget gasped. — Alone?
— At first there were recordings, — Vint nodded at the old computer. — I watched old movies, listened to music. Then the recordings ran out. Then I started fixing myself. Then… I just sat and waited.
— For what?
— Don’t know. Maybe the end. Or maybe you.
Gluk, who had been hiding behind Spark, suddenly rolled forward and stopped before Vint. The old robot tilted his head, examining the little cleaner.
— Oh, — Vint said. — Gluk. Still running. Thought you‘d been scrapped long ago.
Gluk beeped joyfully and rolled closer, nudging Vint’s manipulator with his brush.
— He knows you? — Spark asked in surprise.
— I built him, — Vint replied simply. — Gluk is my work. My first. Simple, but reliable. Thought he perished when the station froze over.
— He survived, — Cheddar said. — And helped us. Twice.
— Good lad, — Vint patted Gluk‘s head. — Always were a good cleaner. The best.
Gluk practically glowed with happiness.
— You came for the scientists? — Vint asked, shifting his gaze to the others. — I know where they are. I’ve been watching. The Titan thinks I‘m broken, but I see everything.
— Can you help us? — Shadow asked.
— I can, — Vint nodded. — But first, you must do something for me.
— What exactly?
— Take Gluk with you. Forever. He deserves a real life. Not this… rotting in the ice.
Spark looked at the little robot pressing against her leg, looking up at her hopefully.
— We already did, — she said. — He’s with us. Forever.
Gluk let out a beep so joyful it made everyone‘s ears ring.
— Then let’s go, — Vint struggled to his feet on stiff joints. — I‘ll show you the way to the crystal. And to your friends.
Part Three: Vint’s Path
Vint moved slowly but surely. His ancient mechanisms creaked and groaned, but he didn‘t complain. Gluk rolled beside him, occasionally darting ahead and returning, as if checking if his old friend was keeping up.
— He cares about you, — Spark noted.
— He always has, — Vint nodded. — Gluk was built for care. For cleaning, for order, for making others comfortable. It’s his programming. But with you… — he glanced at Spark, — with you, he stepped outside it.
— What do you mean?
— He doesn‘t just clean you. He… loves you. In his own way, in a robot’s way, but he loves you. I‘ve never seen anything like it. You’re special, Spark.
Spark flushed and looked away, pretending to examine the walls.
— Oh, stop it, — she muttered. — Robots can‘t love.
— They absolutely can, — Vint countered. — Just differently. Not like you. But their feelings are no less real. Believe an old timer, I’ve seen a lot.
They walked through endless corridors leading deeper and deeper. Vint navigated flawlessly, though there were no landmarks around — just ice, ice, ice.
— How did you not get lost in a thousand years? — Gadget asked.
— Why would I wander? — Vint was surprised. — I know every corner of this planet. I helped build it. Or rather, helped construct it. Back when there were still people, engineers, scientists. We worked together.
— And what happened?
— An accident, — Vint replied shortly. — Life support failed. People were dying. I tried to save them, but I was too slow. The Titan tried to entertain them so they wouldn‘t panic. But entertainment doesn’t stop the cold.
He paused for a minute, then continued:
— When it ended, the Titan went mad. He started collecting their emotions, their dreams, their fears. Thought he was saving them. And I… I just stayed here. Fixed what could be fixed. And waited.
— For what?
— Don‘t know. Maybe the end. Or maybe you.
They reached massive metal gates covered in thick ice.
— Here, — Vint pointed. — Beyond them lies the path to the crystal. An old technical tunnel the Titan forgot long ago. If you follow it, you’ll reach the Heart directly.
— And you? — Cheddar asked. — Coming with us?
— No, — Vint shook his head. — I‘m too old for such journeys. I’ll stay here. Will… wait.
— For what?
— For you, — Vint looked at Gluk. — Will you return? When it‘s all over?
Gluk blinked uncertainly, looking between Vint and Spark.
— He doesn’t know, — Spark said softly. — He‘s with us now.
— Then he won’t return, — Vint sighed. — Well, I understand. He has a new life now. A new family.
He bent down and patted Gluk‘s head.
— You were a good cleaner, Gluk. The best. I’m proud of you.
Gluk beeped sadly and pressed against Vint‘s leg.
— Go, — Vint gently nudged him. — Go with them. They’re good. I can see it.
Gluk didn‘t move.
— Gluk, — Spark called. — Let’s go. It‘s time.
The robot looked at her, then at Vint, then back at her. Its lights blinked in a complex, almost human rhythm.
— He’s saying goodbye, — Gadget realized. — In his own way.
Gluk let out a long, sorrowful beep, then turned and rolled to Spark. At her leg, he stopped and didn‘t look back.
— Goodbye, old friend, — Vint said. — Live long.
He turned and slowly, very slowly, shuffled back into the darkness of the corridor.
— Let’s go, — Cheddar said quietly. — That‘s what he wanted.
He pushed the gates. The ice cracked, and they opened.
Part Four: The Tunnel
The tunnel was narrow, dark, and very old. Wiring hung from the ceiling, walls were covered in mold, and some non-freezing liquid squelched underfoot.
— What’s this? — Spark grimaced, stepping in a puddle.
— Technical fluid, — Gadget determined, taking a sample. — Very old. And, I think, radioactive.
— What?!
— Just kidding. Not radioactive. But I wouldn‘t drink it.
— Idiot, — Spark exhaled.
Gluk, pumped with adrenaline, cheerfully rolled ahead, lighting the way with his single lamp.
— He’s our guide now, — Cheddar chuckled. — How do you like that?
— Fine, — Shadow shrugged. — As long as it‘s not into a pit.
The tunnel twisted and branched, but Gluk confidently chose the right direction. Once, he stopped at a fork, swept his sensor around for a long time, then tapped his brush on the left passage.
— Sure? — Spark asked.
Gluk beeped affirmatively.
— We trust him, — Cheddar decided. — Forward.
The left passage led to a cave-in. A pile of ice and rock blocked the way.
— Dead end, — Gadget said disappointedly. — He was wrong.
— No, — Shadow countered, examining the rubble. — Look. There’s a passage here. Very narrow, almost invisible. Gluk saw it, but we wouldn‘t have.
— How do we fit? — Spark eyed her own dimensions doubtfully.
— I’ll go, — Gadget volunteered. — I‘m the smallest. I’ll check it out.
— Risky, — Cheddar frowned.
— Everything here is risky, — Gadget philosophized and squeezed into the crack.
He was gone for about five minutes. Then his muffled voice came from inside:
— There‘s a passage! It’s clear ahead! And there‘s… something there!
— What? — Spark shouted.
— Don’t know! It‘s glowing!
— I’m going, — Spark said firmly and, ignoring protests, climbed in after him. Gluk, naturally, followed.
Cheddar and Shadow exchanged glances.
— They‘ll get us killed, — Cheddar sighed.
— Probably, — Shadow agreed. — But at least it’ll be fun.
They followed.
Part Five: The Discovery
Beyond the cave-in opened a hidden storage room. Small, tidy, clearly untouched by time. On shelves stood crates with markings Gadget recognized immediately.
— These… these are supplies from the first expeditions! — he gasped. — Food, equipment, tools… and look!
He pried open a crate. Inside, carefully packed in straw, lay cheese wheels.
Cheddar sprinted over instantly.
— Cheesy heavens, — he breathed. — It‘s… it’s Ice Brie! The legendary one! And it‘s… it’s fresh!
— How can cheese be fresh after a thousand years? — Spark asked skeptically.
— Special temperature here! — Gadget explained, already scanning the crate. — And airtight packaging! This cheese didn‘t spoil, it… aged. Like fine wine.
— So we can eat it?
— Theoretically — yes.
Cheddar already held a wheel in his hands, inhaling its aroma.
— Smells… of vanilla. And ice. And… nostalgia.
— Seriously? — Spark rolled her eyes. — Cheese smells like nostalgia?
— Absolutely, — Cheddar nodded. — It smells like my childhood. My grandmother’s cellar. She kept cheese there.
— Take it, — Shadow allowed. — We‘ve earned it.
Cheddar carefully packed the wheel in his backpack.
— This isn’t just cheese, — he said. — It‘s a key. I can feel it.
— Key to what? — Gadget asked.
— Don’t know. But something tells me we‘ll find out.
Gluk, who had been watching, suddenly grew restless. He beeped and waved his brush, pointing deeper into the storage.
— There’s something there, — Gadget translated.
They walked further. At the very back of the storage, on a separate pedestal, lay a crystal. Small, fist-sized, but just as beautiful as the one at the planet‘s core.
— Another Heart? — Spark asked in surprise.
— No, — Shadow shook her head. — Something else. Smaller, weaker. But still alive.
— A shard, — Gadget suggested. — A shard of the big crystal. Broke off and stayed here.
— Why?
— Maybe as a backup power source. Or as… an anchor.
— An anchor?
— For emotions. If the main crystal overloads, this one could absorb part of the energy. Save the system.
— So if we now — Cheddar began.
— Not now, — Shadow stopped him. — Later. First, the main objective.
Cheddar nodded but couldn‘t take his eyes off the crystal.
— We take it, — he decided. — It’ll come in handy.
He carefully packed the crystal and hid it in his backpack next to the cheese.
— Cheese and a crystal, — Spark chuckled. — Great company.
— The best, — Cheddar smiled.
They moved on. The tunnel beyond the storage led straight to the main cave. Familiar golden light already flickered ahead.
— The Heart of Andromeda, — Gadget whispered. — We‘re almost there.
— Quiet, — Shadow warned. — The Titan might be near.
But the Titan was silent. Everything around was quiet, calm, almost peaceful.
— Something’s off, — Spark frowned. — Too quiet.
— Maybe he‘s tired of torturing us? — Gadget suggested.
— The Titan doesn’t get tired. He‘s waiting. For something.
— For what?
— Don’t know. But we‘ll find out soon.
They approached the tunnel exit. The cave with the crystal was ahead, just a few steps away.
— Ready? — Cheddar asked.
— Always, — Spark replied.
Gluk beeped affirmatively.
— Then forward.
They stepped into the light.
CHAPTER 3.5: ICY TRIALS
The corridor behind Gate Number One led steeply downward, almost vertically. Gluk, rolling ahead, kept glancing back and beeping encouragingly, as if saying: Don’t be afraid, I‘m here, I know the way.
— How does he know the way through a labyrinth he’s never been in? — Gadget panted, clinging to ice protrusions.
— He‘s a cleaner, — Spark reminded him. — They know everything. It’s their superpower.
— A cleaner‘s superpower is knowing all the dirty spots? — Gadget chuckled.
— Exactly. And in a labyrinth where no one cleans, there are plenty of dirty spots. Which means Gluk is right at home.
Cheddar, climbing last, just shook his head. Spark’s logic was unassailable.
Finally, the corridor ended. They tumbled into a massive chamber so large the opposite wall was out of sight. The floor was perfectly flat, made of black, mirror-like ice. And the walls… the walls were moving.
— Cheesy heavens, — Cheddar exhaled. — Is it alive?
— Worse, — Shadow was already scanning the space. — It‘s a labyrinth. The walls rearrange in real time.
As if to confirm her words, ice slabs to their right slid soundlessly, opening a passage, while on the left they closed just as silently.
— Welcome! — The Titan’s voice echoed through the chamber. It came from everywhere — walls, ceiling, floor. — Trial One: The Ice Labyrinth! Rules are simple: find the exit — earn a point. Fail — become part of my collection. Time starts now!
— Time? — Gadget repeated. — How much time? He didn‘t say how long we have!
— Guess we’ll find out when it runs out, — Spark joked darkly.
The walls around them began to move. Slabs shifted, rearranging into a new pattern. The passage they entered through vanished as if it never existed.
— Great, — Spark grumbled. — We‘re trapped.
— Not trapped, — Cheddar corrected. — In a game. And in games, the main thing is knowing the rules. Gluk, do you understand anything?
The robot froze, swept its sensor side to side, then confidently rolled left, toward a newly opened passage.
— He knows! — Gadget cheered. — He senses it!
— He doesn’t sense it, he sees it, — Shadow corrected. — Look at the floor. Where the walls move most often, the ice is more worn. Gluk, as a cleaner, notices such details.
— Genius! — Spark bolted after the robot. — Come on, lead!
They ran. Gluk weaved between moving walls with surprising agility for his ancient mechanisms. Sometimes he‘d stop, sniffing (if you could call sensor rotation that), and sharply change direction.
The walls moved faster. Passages narrowed. Once Gadget barely squeezed through, and an ice slab scraped his backpack, leaving a deep scratch.
— Watch it! — Spark shouted, firing at a wall closing in on Shadow. The shot passed through the ice harmlessly but momentarily disoriented the system — the wall slowed.
— Aggression feeds him, — Cheddar reminded her, out of breath. — Don’t feed it!
— I‘m not feeding him, I’m saving my team! — Spark snapped, but holstered her blaster.
Gluk, noticing the delay, beeped impatiently and waved his brush, urging them to follow.
— Run! — Cheddar commanded.
They sprinted after the robot into a final passage — narrow, almost invisible, hidden behind an ice column.
And tumbled into silence.
Here the walls didn‘t move. Nothing moved at all. It was a small circular chamber lit by a soft blue glow. In the center stood a pedestal, and on it lay… an ice medal.
— The finish? — Gadget asked disbelievingly.
— Looks like it, — Shadow picked up the medal. — It’s real. And… warm. Strange.
— Congratulations! — The Titan‘s voice echoed through the chamber again, but now carried notes of genuine surprise. — You passed the first trial! And so fast! I expected you to wander for at least an hour! But you… you used a cleaner! Brilliant! I never even considered my own systems could work against me!
— We’re not against you, — Cheddar shouted at the ceiling. — We just want to save our friends.
— Oh, I know! — The Titan replied cheerfully. — And that makes the show even more interesting! But don‘t relax yet. Two trials remain. And the next one is my favorite.
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