The Brighton Sword

Every good legend needs a weapon.

In The Summer We Started a Robot War, that weapon isn’t just steel and circuitry — it’s history. The Brighton Sword was forged during the Corporate Wars, built not for ceremony but for precision. Designed by engineers loyal to Brighton Industries, it was rumored to be the only blade capable of cutting through Hawthorne’s armored drone cores. Where most weapons relied on brute force, the Brighton Sword was elegant — balanced, deliberate, almost surgical.

But like most things born from corporate ambition, it outlived its original purpose.

By the time Ember, Ollie, and Sully uncover the truth about the old war, the Brighton Sword has become more myth than metal. Some believe it was dismantled. Others say it was hidden inside the ruins of Iron Providence. What makes the sword dangerous isn’t just what it can cut — it’s what it represents. Control. Power. The idea that one side was always meant to win.

And here’s the twist: the Brighton Sword may not belong to the corporations at all. It may have been built for something else. Something bigger. Something that even the robots don’t fully understand yet.

This summer wasn’t supposed to be about ancient weapons. It was supposed to be about bike rides and staying out past dark. But when you dig up a robot buried in the sewer, you don’t get a normal summer.

You get a war.

And every war needs a sword.