The Wild Robot Escapes

Disguised with weeds, Roz creeps through a backyard and disturbs a short, fat dog named Pookie. Pookie barks incessantly until Roz speaks to him in his language and apologizes for upsetting him. However, Pookie keeps barking, and the dog next door named Felix also begins to bark. Roz moves away quickly as all the dogs in the neighborhood begin sounding the alarm. When Roz sees other robots walking on the street, she decides it would be safer to forego the camouflage and hide in plain sight. Her plan works, and she walks easily down the street with Brightbill soaring above until she hears an airship. Luckily, it is black and not the white ones belonging to the RECOs; Roz begins to think about how quickly she and Brightbill could get home on an airship.

Roz and Brightbill observe humans and robots boarding a train for the city, and Brightbill has an idea: His pigeon friend, Graybeak, lives in the city and can help them. Roz will board the train like the other robots, and Brightbill will find a hiding place. Roz is not comfortable with the plan, but they have few options to get through the city. Brightbill leads her to the train, but just as Roz boards, the doors close before he can fly inside.

The train leaves the station, and Roz must remain calm despite her panic over losing Brightbill. All the robots sit silently as the train speeds down the track. There are no windows on the robot train car, and Roz wishes she could see outside, but she trusts that Brightbill is resourceful enough to find his way. The train stops at Center City Station, and Roz files out with the other robots.

Center City Station is huge and full of people and robots moving about briskly. Roz thinks, “a normal robot would never loiter there for long (206), and she knows she must make a move. Roz exits the station into the vast city and is overwhelmed by the tall buildings and noisy traffic. A white airship buzzes overhead, and Roz thinks again about how easily she could get home by air. Falling in line with a crew of robots, Roz moves through the crowded streets but soon finds herself alone. She remembers that Brightbill always leads her north and moves in that direction. The city is full of beautiful art and architecture, but Roz cannot stop to admire it, lest she be discovered. She thinks about all the work the robots do to keep the city running and how much humans depend on them. Roz walks all through the night and into the next morning but still has not found Brightbill.

Roz observes all the workings of the city and its inhabitants in the beauty of the sunlight.

Roz passes a group of police robots and worries they are watching her. They look frightening, but they keep chanting, “Have a nice day! Have a nice day! Have a nice day!” (211) to everyone going by. Roz is not having a nice day, but the police bots leave her alone as she continues walking.

In the center of the city is a lush park where all the city’s pigeons reside. Roz approaches the group and introduces herself as Brightbill’s mother. The pigeons are astounded to meet the robot they have heard so much about from Graybeak. Sadly, Graybeak died, but all the pigeons still want to help Roz find Brightbill. The lead pigeon named Strutter tells Roz to stay hidden in the park while the pigeons band together to search for her son. Strutter warns Roz to stay clear of the park ranger robot.

Roz spends the entire night avoiding the ranger robot, worried that he has reported her to the RECOs. The next morning, she hears Brightbill calling her name above the trees, but when she looks up, she does not see her son; instead, she sees a white airship.

RECO 4, RECO 5, and RECO 6 drop from the airship on cables, and RECO 4 asks Roz to come with them. Brightbill still hovers above and tells Roz to run into the woods. The RECOs follow but without Roz’s Transmitter, they cannot detect her signal. 

Roz emerges from the park into the city and tries to blend in with a robot work crew, but the crew immediately stops and turns around to look at her. Roz bumps into a lady, who shouts that a rogue robot is on the loose. The white airship floats above, but Brightbill and Strutter appear and tell Roz to follow them. The birds fly past a pack of hungry alley cats and lead Roz to a manhole. Strutter tells her to descend below the city, where someone is waiting to help her.

The sewers under the city are dark and smelly, but when Roz turns on her headlamps, a rat appears and offers to guide her through the passageways. Roz carries the rat while he navigates, and Roz is surprised to see robot crews underground. The rat leads her to a ladder and wishes Roz good luck back aboveground before they say goodbye.

Roz emerges onto the street but does not see Brightbill or Strutter. Suddenly, an airship appears, and RECOs 10, 11, and 12, who have rifles, begin chasing Roz into an alley, where they block both exits. Roz scales the buildings to the top as the RECOs continue their chase. Just as Roz thinks she will be captured, flocks of pigeons fill the air and block the airship. The ships shoot the birds with lasers; Roz gasps as singed pigeons fall from the sky, but the pigeons do not stop their assault. Brightbill flies near Roz, and she tells him he must leave immediately though he begs her to keep fighting. Roz stops running and says goodbye to her son before tossing him into the air. The RECOs shoot Roz in the leg and as it melts, she falls from the building, her vision going dark.

Roz awakens in a workshop with all her parts scattered on the floor and her head attached to a power source. An older woman approaches and introduces herself as Dr. Molovo from TechLab Industries. Dr. Molovo says she is impressed with how Roz fought back against the RECOs, but she is most intrigued by her goose son. Dr. Molovo knows Roz is different from all the other robots because she invented her, and she brings Roz online so she can talk with Roz and learn more about her. 

Dr. Molovo sits with Roz for hours and listens to her tell the island’s story and explain how she learned to survive and speak to the animals. Roz explains that the key to her survival was adopting Brightbill and that once she began caring for the gosling, the other animals began to trust and respect her. Roz asks, “Am I the only wild robot?” (240), and Dr. Molovo explains that there are instances of defective robots, but Roz is a special case because she has frightened people. When Dr. Molovo asks Roz about Hilltop Farm and the children, she refuses to answer. Roz asks her maker many questions about her design, but Dr. Molovo says she does not have all the answers and that her only consideration when making a robot is its purpose. Roz explains that she feels her purpose is to help people. The doctor does not understand Roz’s devotion to her family because she never sees her family and spends all her time in the lab. Roz counters that the doctor is her mother, but Dr. Molovo says she is not. Roz says that is what she said to Brightbill at first, but her feelings changed. Her last words to Brightbill were that she loves him, but Dr. Molovo asks how Roz knows her feelings are real, and Roz counters by asking her the same question. Roz begs her maker not to destroy her and to allow her to return to her family on the island. Dr. Molovo declares that Roz’s brain is fascinating, but with a tear in her eye, she ignores the robot’s pleas and clicks off her power button.

Everyone in the city receives a video of ROZZUM 7134 melting into a puddle with a message stating that the defective robot has been destroyed.

Inside Dr. Molovo’s luxurious apartment, which is connected to the factory, the robot butler brings in a deactivated robot and places it on the couch. Dr. Molovo looks at the results of her secret project and says, “Wake up, Roz” (247).

Roz awakens in a new body but with the same mind. Dr. Molovo said she destroyed the body of ROZZUM 7134 but kept Roz’s mind—attached to a new and improved—to evade the RECOs. The robot no longer has a power button or a unit number, and as Roz stares at her new body in the mirror, she worries no one will recognize her. Dr. Molovo says there is someone there to see Roz.

After Brightbill witnessed his mother’s capture and her fall from the building, he followed the airship to the robot factory and waited on the roof. Strutter told him to go home, but Brightbill would not leave. Now, a window opens, and Brightbill follows the sound of music inside to an apartment where he sees an old woman and a robot. He does not recognize Roz and is frightened of her appearance. Roz tells the goose she is his mother, but Brightbill does not believe her. Roz explains that her body looks different, but her memory is intact. She begins recounting all their memories from the island, including the day Brightbill learned to fly. When Roz tells Brightbill that she had him while he was still inside the egg, Brightbill knows it is indeed his mother. They embrace, and Dr. Molovo cries even though she does not understand what they are saying to each other. 

Roz asks Dr. Molovo to fly her and Brightbill to their island home on the airship. Dr. Molovo agrees but insists they stay in her apartment for a few days to rest. Brightbill enjoys floating in a pool in the living room and feasting on salads made by the butler while Roz scours the library shelves. Dr. Molovo works long hours in the robot factory, and Roz and Brightbill spend most days staring out the window in wonder at the big city. They love all the tall buildings but miss the wildness of the island. 

They board the white airship, the craft Roz had feared for so long, and fly across the ocean. Roz can see what looks like buried buildings under the water. After several hours, Roz sees the mountain and the waterfall and knows they are home.

Roz exits the airship and announces her return, but no one responds, and Roz knows they are afraid of her appearance. She covers herself in mud and flowers, so she looks more like the Roz they remember, and soon all the animals creep from their hiding places and gather around Roz. It is a happy homecoming, but Roz is sad to discover that the raccoons, Broadfoot the moose, and Digdown the groundhog died. However, she knows this is the way of nature. Chitchat the squirrel greets Roz excitedly and tells her she has gained weight. Dr. Molovo watches from the airship as all the island animals welcome Roz and Brightbill home. 

Roz introduces Dr. Molovo as the woman who created her, and all the animals are in awe that such a small, old lady could create a powerful robot. Roz translates as the doctor speaks to the animals. Dr. Molovo thanks them for saving Roz and commends them for their loyalty and bravery. She says she will leave and vows to protect the safety of the island and its inhabitants; she will never forget Roz’s miraculous life. All the animals bow to the doctor in a show of respect and honor. Dr. Molovo tearfully embraces Roz, and “[…] they both felt something like love” (267). She commands Roz to go and enjoy her wild life.

Dr. Molovo’s ship ascends into the sky and flies away, fading into the distance.

Brightbill and Roz climb the mountain to watch the sunset, and Roz feels at peace now that she is home. She still has many questions about her future, but for now, she is fulfilling her purpose of living freely in the wild.

It is autumn at Hilltop Farm, and Mr. Shareef has a new robot that TechLab Industries promises will not run away. Jad and Jaya help care for the cows and the machines, and the farm is thriving. One day, a flock of geese arrives on the pond, and when Jad and Jaya go to see them, the lead goose steps forward and presents them with a feather. The children are happy to know Roz is back where she belongs.