The Hero of Numbani by Nicky Drayden

Author:Nicky Drayden [Drayden, Nicky]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2020-09-02T16:00:00+00:00

She’d made it. Barely. At least her little errand had made the time pass faster. The progress bar ticked up to 99 percent, and after one final tick, it turned green and played another merry tune.

The OR15 still stood there, slumped over. After a few more seconds, golden light flickered in her eyes, then went dark again. Two more flickers, and they lit up fully. The robot stood up straight, steadied her four legs underneath herself, and raised her arms up to her sides, ready for action.

“New personality module installed. System rebooting. OR15 online,” she said. And her voice was like magic, cut from the fabric of the women Efi looked up to the most.

Efi thrust a victorious fist into the air. Her heart was beating so fast, Efi thought it was about to leap out of her chest, and her smile stretched so wide it made her face hurt. She looked up at the robot with a chuckle. “But that name. No, that’s no good. Every great hero needs a real name.” This robot would be Numbani’s protector and savior; she needed a name that would carry with it great weight and honor. “What about … Orisa?” Efi said. The thought had come to her as naturally as breathing, named for the spirit gods of her people.

“My name is Orisa,” the robot said, settling back onto her haunches and nodding once, as if the name suited her. But in the next instant, she was back on high alert, golden eyes narrowed into slits and trained firmly on Efi. “I will keep you safe. That is my primary function.”

Efi itched all over with the desire to take the robot out into the world right this instant and to prove that it would be the perfect hero for Numbani. Her head danced with images of Orisa battling Talon agents and whipping them so badly that they’d never set foot in her city again. She imagined her robot defeating Doomfist once and for all, and how afterward the people would cheer her robot when they saw her on the streets, and maybe they would cheer a little for Efi, too, because, well, why not? They were a team, right? Efi could only spare a moment to bask in these imaginary victories, though, because she knew the real work was just beginning.

First there was testing to do. Efi guided Orisa through a series of logic exercises, and she passed them all beautifully. The dexterity test hadn’t gone so well. The robot had been tasked with handling various objects, each more fragile than the last. The first three, Orisa had handled just fine, but the fourth …

Efi looked down at the busted glass on the floor and frowned. Maybe she shouldn’t have used her mother’s favorite vase as a test object. “It’s okay, Orisa,” Efi said reassuringly. “I’ll make a few tweaks to your dexterity matrix, and you’ll be better than ever.”

“Your efforts are appreciated,” Orisa said, giving Efi a small bow. Efi liked the feeling.

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