They started walking back, quietly, because they no longer had anything to talk about. The journey from the house was also quiet, with occasional warnings, but not this silent. They had seen a destroyed Dome and wondered if any other members from Max's family were alive.
David: Max...I don't want you to get your Hope's up..but...
Max turned, his eyes gleaming with hope. David sighed.
David: I don't think anyone from our family were in that Dome. It was just us...
Max was confused on why he would think that.
Max: Why do you say?
David: I think...that the Dome specifically carried people based on region, and only nearby couple of humans were loaded on to it.
Sachika nodded in agreement, but then noticed that Max was still confused.
Sachika: You see...David was in my home, with my grandpa and me, when we were frozen. And we woke up alongside each other in the Dome. And you did say Alicia's pod was beside yours, right..
Max: Yeah...so..?
David: We used to take turns looking after you at the hospital. It was Alicia who was with you then...
Max: Oh...
Max slowly started piecing together all the information he had. According to his brother and his wife, the people were segregated in the Dome based on where they were. Since David was somewhere far off, he was in a different Dome. That made Max wonder where the others were.
Chuck: Wait, Mr. David....
David: Just call me Dave...it's okay..
Chuck: Umm...Dave...do you all remember how you were frozen? Since so many old worlders are frozen in our Dome too...
Max nodded too. It was a question he wanted to ask for a long time, but the shock and happiness from seeing his brother had made him forget asking such queries.
David: Ah...right...we are sorry though...
Sachika nodded as David looked at her nervously.
Sachika: We don't know anything about why we were frozen too. All we did was have lunch together in our house, when we heard a huge boom sound.
David: And I went to the window and saw something falling down. It was shining, white, and that's all I remember...I do remember feeling cold though.
Sachika: And the next moment, I woke up here...that's it..
All of them lowered their heads. It seemed like even oldworlders who were conscious during the great freezing, had no clue on why it happened. A lot of it were mysteries that Max didn't have the patience to solve. The Towers, were one of them.
Lin: You guys couldn't find any information in your Dome?
As they continued walking, Lin asked an important question. David turned to his wife, who had an answer ready.
Sachika: Yaa...we tried to..but the computers were non existent and beyond recovery. So no data was found. No paperworks too. All of them were gone.
Melissa: Oh...so no Hershel too..?
Max: I guess he wasn't in their Dome...atleast not alive.
Sachika: Who is Hershel?
Chuck: He is the non living thing that moves and talks you know...something called...a robot, I believe..
Max nodded and turned to his sibling.
Max: Yeah..a synthezoid robot, who happens to be a butler and super computer, completely sentient, that repairs and flies the Dome- Hershel..!
David: Wait! You mean to tell me, that there is actually a living robot??
Max was shocked at his brother being shocked.
Max: Why are you so shocked.
Even Sachika appeared to be confused. Max had always assumed that they developed A.I. when he was in a coma, to the point of sentience.
David: Humans actually made sentient robots?? Woahh!
Max: What do you mean whoa?? You didn't know that??
Sachika looked excited.
Sachika: Do you still have him? Can I see him??
She grabbed Max's arms, smiling from ear to ear, her eyes filled with curiosity.
Max: Okay okay...damn...why do you want it that much..?
Sachika: Seeing a sentient Robo is an engineer's dream after all!!
Sachika winked at all of them, happy for her dream that came true.
[Maximus Augilleris Steefan: 66 Days Till Erasure]