A Rover's Story

Fly prepares to take his first flight. Guardian orders Resilience to find a flat area, which annoys Resilience because he knows that already. Fly is excited and keeps asking questions about Courage, wanting to know if the rover is nice and friendly. Guardian orders Fly to take the mission seriously, and after a pause, Fly asks, “[S]eriously, can I fly yet?” (172).

Resilience roves to a safe place for Fly’s first flight. On the way, Fly is impatient, and Guardian explains that they need a flat area in case something goes wrong and Resilience needs to retrieve Fly. Fly hopes everything will be fine, and Guardian scoffs at hope because it is a human feeling. Resilience tells Guardian he understands hope and then wonders if doing so was a mistake, thinking, “Hopefully it was not” (175).

When they reach the spot, Resilience tells Fly to come out. Fly asks if he’s sure, and Guardian reprimands Fly for questioning his rover. Resilience argues that the three of them are a team, adding the phrase “zappedty zip,” which he feels very proud of inventing.