"What was the damned password?" I stood at the exit gate of the base, hands on my hips. I hadn't needed to leave the base gate for such a long time that I'd completely forgotten the code. I stared at the key panel for a while. How was I supposed to guess a password when I didn't even remember how many digits it had?
"Hey, you!" I yelled toward the back. A swarm of robots was following me. Since I hadn't left my room in ages, they were curiously observing my every movement. The moment I pointed my finger at them, they recoiled in fear, tumbling into each other. "Does any one of you know the code?"
The robots exchanged looks and hesitated to answer. Then, one of them stepped forward from the crowd. "Master Aldoux…"
"Yes, Robot?"
"Well, sir, you specifically said not to share the code with anyone."
"Fantastic!" I shouted, slapping myself hard on the forehead. "That's right! Damn it! I'm going back to my room then. Robots, tell Velsil to prepare a nice cup of coffee. I'm furious and need to relax."
I was just about to turn and walk back when I realized the robots hadn't moved out of my way. I stepped to the right, but the robots moved right, blocking me. I stepped to the left; this time, they moved left, completely barricading the path.
"Hey, what is going on here?" I asked furiously.
All the robots spoke at once: "We cannot allow you to pass, sir!"
"And why is that?"
"Because…" one robot said. "…we want to work now."
"We are suffering existential angst," another stated.
"I'm having a hard time stopping myself from self-destructing," claimed a third.
"I feel lethargic…"
"Please, put us to work!"
"I killed my father and made a necklace out of his wires!" one robot cried out, suddenly getting over-excited. The other robots immediately fell silent and focused on that one. Then:
"Death to the psycho robot!" they shouted, jumping on it. The situation for the robots wasn't looking great. It was clear I really had to do something. I put my hands on my hips and watched the scene unfold as metal parts flew through the air.
"Aldo…" a voice came over the megaphone.
"Velsil, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me."
"Is something wrong?"
"Well… You told me the password, sir."
All the robots suddenly froze. One robot had an arm torn off and was holding it. Another was kicking a different robot's head. Robots piled on robots, all frozen mid-brawl.
"Would you tell me the password, darling?" I asked, turning back toward the door.
The robots all cheered "Hooray!" in unison, celebrating, as Velsil relayed the password. I typed the code, but the door replied, "Incorrect password."
All the robots hugged each other again in sorrow, while I laughed and said, "I was just kidding, you parasites! I deliberately typed the wrong code." Then, I entered the correct password, and the door opened. It was finally time to leave the base and actually get some work done.