Maphira was no expert on solar energy, battery storage or anything like that, but she was pretty sure she never would have made the mistake Vai had. That girl had royally screwed things up, and now she was going to pay for it. Maphira almost felt sorry for her. Surely all it would have taken was reading one solar energy case study to know that powering Bender with a single solar system was a bad idea.
As the Mechanists fled the workshop, Maphira hid behind a stack of tyres and pressed down on her earpiece. A voice alerted her that broadcasting mode had been activated – Maphira figured this was some sort of radio hacking device. With it on the right setting, she spoke, sending a message to anybody listening to Mr Chowski’s secret radio station.
“To all members of the Resistance, listen carefully. This is Maphira, a prominent member of our organisation. I have spent the last several weeks captive to the Conclave of Mechanists, gathering information. They know the location of our secret base. Everybody there should immediately head to the bathroom, which hides the entrance to a hidden bunker that only opens when all the taps are turned on and set to the highest temperature.
“Do not, I repeat, do not go through the secret tunnel in the kitchen. This is a fake exit and a trap. I had the bunker installed in secret; no other members of the Resistance know about it. The Conclave is coming. You must all hide.”
Hoping that people would believe her, Maphira turned broadcasting mode off. Maybe it had been a mistake not to tell people about the secret bunker, but she hadn’t wanted it to get out. She’d first come up with the idea when looking up solar energy information on the Resistance’s fake recruiting site, and it had been too good not to implement.
The members of the Conclave had scattered now, having forgotten all about her. Maphira looked from behind the tyres, watching as Bender unsheathed a long blade from his arm, burst with electricity that washed over the area, then shot into the air.
He smashed through the glass ceiling, leaving the auto shop in complete, terrifying silence.