Pati hated the sun. It scorched down on blasted plains, baking the concrete and ruined soil into a hellish waste. She had pulled up her hood and put her back to it, but the heat still seeped through as the Land Train rumbled on beneath her.

  And the light- oh the terrible light- it blasted her eyes, searing them every time she tried looking around. What little she could see was sand and the jutting remains of concrete buildings.. She’d heard the stories about it of course, the ruin the world had been reduced to under the rule of the bots.

  But watching the billowing mountains of dust whiped up by the rushing winds was something entirely beyond what she had imagined. The Land Train continued, the enormous wheels rolling over the sand and piled debris like they were nothing.

  She covered her mouth as one of the wheels spun a moment, kicking up a cloud of sand that whipped around her. It was impossible to avoid though. She was secured to the top of the caravan in an impromptu cage, the metal having been welded on and bent around her by the golden bot a few minutes before they had left.

  The display of strength had been downright terrifying. Although the bot had at least taken off the wires keeping her tied off. Her fingers had felt terrifyingly the cold in those last few minutes.

  Now she was stuck. Shaking back and forth as the world rattled by around her. She had checked the metal sides of the cage, and she might have been able to saw through it. But her tools were miles away, back with her pack deep beneath the old capitol.

  So she watched. Waited. A chance would come, she knew… thought… hoped…

  She shook her head. Crying wouldn’t set a broken arm, as the Nana’s would say. She just had to wait. Her chance would come. It would…

  It was just hard. Waiting for whatever terrible thing the bots would do next. And knowing with terrible certainty that she was the only one left.

  It had all happened so quickly. They had taken a quick trip up to the surface to figure out where they were- but then the green bot had attacked. Pati had been separated from the group almost immediately, fleeing back towards the sewers as the burning lasers fired around them.

  She had been ecstatic when the bot didn’t follow. Only to realize with growing horror that it was because none of the others had made it down. She had waited for them, praying constantly that she might hear the whisper of breath or faintest hint of words through the tunnels. But with each hour that passed, the terrible certainty had grown that no one was coming.

  But she still waited. And waited. And still no one came. Just metal monsters screaming out commands to surrender. She remembered what Nana Fujikawa always said, that not all bots were bad. But those words seemed distant now, clawed away by the grasping hands of her hunters

  Something clunked behind her, and she jerked up. Her head whipped to the side, finding a bot climbing up through a hatch on the roof. It seemed to be made entire of gold, a blank mask staring back at her as it got to its feet. The rattling of the Land Train barely seemed to bother it as it walked over to stand her.

  There was something in its hand, a metal flask, she noticed. And raising it up the bot dropped it down into the cage with her.

  She probably should have checked it, but it had been a long time since the broken water pipe the night before. Her hands snatched it from the air, and the sloshing sensation within made her breath a sigh of relief.

  The cap came loose with a squeal, and she quickly tried a sip. Her brow raised when it tasted fine, completely clear without the tang of metals or medicine.

  Her eyes found the golden bot. The sun gleaming off its mask hurt her eyes, but she narrowed them to examine it better. The faceplate looked like a mans. Bearded, with closed eyes and a circlet covering its brow.

  It wasn’t completely golden, she noticed. The circlet had a series of black dots running across it. And checking the rest of the body, the tips of the fingers were different as well. An off white, ceramic color.

  Then her eyes flickered back to the hatch it had come through. No other bots had followed. So taking another sip from the flask, she whet her lips and spoke.

  “I order you to release me,” the words were a hoarse whisper.

  The bot didn’t response. In fact it didn’t move, just staring at her for a few more moments.

  “I’m in danger, shouldn’t you help me?” She asked again.

  “Be assured, you are not in danger,” the bot finally replied, its voice a metallic hum, “as long as you comply, you will live a long life.”

  “I’m trapped in the sun though. Can’t you let me out?”

  The bot moved at that, tilting its head to the side. Pati couldn’t help but feel there was something sardonic in the movement, as if the bot found something funny.

  “You would much rather be here than inside,” the bot’s voice was lighter now, almost definitely mocking.

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  “There are rogue bots in the area,” she tried, “I-”

  She froze as the bot’s head snapped forward, losing its easy motions. Leaning in, it spoke in a low growl.

  “You are not as important as you think you are. Be thankful your existence has purpose, otherwise you would not be tolerated.”

  Turning, it walked away towards the back end of the train. She watched it go with wide eyes. The flask shook in her hands, and she had to close the cap to keep it from spilling.

  Had she… struck a nerve or something?

  Her eyes stayed on it, watching it reach the end of the train and stop there. That was the only reason she saw the bot in the distance.

  It was barely a speck, but it was becoming bigger as it slowly began to draw closer. It took a moment before she was able to recognize it. Then she grimaced.

  It was the copper bot again. The one that had been chasing her through the tunnels the entire past day. It seemed to want her for itself, having sabotaged or made deals with the other bots that had attacked her.

  She shivered when she spotted the swords at its side. Was she wrong, was it the one that had caught her then? No, she shook her head, that one hadn’t shown the crazy determination of the first one. It must have given its swords to the copper bot as part of the deal they had made.

  The details of it had escaped her- the mess of adrenaline pounding through her had dulled the words to nothing. She had only realized what was happening thanks to their mouths moving. But the copper bot had traded something for a chance at her.

  And now it was back. Damn.

  The copper bot was close enough to see easily now. Its arms were windmilling, barely pushing it fast enough to keep up with the Land Train. A desperate leap took it behind the train and out of her view, but the clang of metal on metal said it had caught on. A few more clangs echoed as it pulled itself up, and the golden bot reached down to help it up the last few feet.

  “Hello. You are Oji, correct?” It asked in a voice was all easy going tones.

  “That is correct,” the copper bot replied, “this Unit is requesting to join the Mechapolis.”

  “Left Virgil behind, then?”

  Pati couldn’t believe how agreeable the robot sounded right now, the tinny voice somehow imitating warmth.

  “Yes,” the copper bot replied, shaking its head, “disagreements were had on proper teaching methods.”

  The golden bot nodded its head at that.

  “It dropped you in front of a Crawler, didn’t it?” It finally said.

  “That is… also correct? The copper bot’s head tilted to the side.

  The golden bot just waved it off.

  “Virgil takes students infrequently. It’s no coincidence that most of them have left for other paths.”

  The copper bot just nodded, while Pati took everything in carefully. Virgil was the bot that had captured her, the one that looked just like ‘Oji’. It seemed to have an equal standing to the golden bot. It may have acted friendly to the bots around it, but Virgil was the only one it had hadn’t just bulldozed in conversation.

  It had watched, listened to it. There might be an opportunity there. But then the golden bot was speaking again.

  “But do not worry,” it said, “all are welcome within Mechapolis.”

  “Thank you,” Oji replied.

  “Now come,” the golden bot continued, waving Oji along after it. “Would you like to join the others inside?”

  Oji nodded to that, but then as it moved to follow after the golden bot it finally looked down the train and saw Pati. It froze then, face locked in place as it stared at her.

  “Actually…” it said slowly, “this unit needs to gather power.”

  “Of course,” the golden bot waved it off, “as long as the human remains undisturbed.”

  “It will not be a problem,” Oji nodded.

  The golden bot turned at that, vanishing down between the cars. A thunk echoed a moment later, leaving them both alone atop the shaking train. Oji was three cars back at the end of the train, but as the train rattled along it slowly made its way towards her.

  Hopping the cars one at a time, it neared her with slowing steps. Reaching the last car, it stopped, just watching her. She met its gaze a moment.

  “I order you to set me free,” she said, the words empty of any real hope.

  “This Unit must apologize, but it cannot,” the bot replied.

  “Of course,” she muttered.

  That finally seemed to make the bot move again. It stepped forward, walking up to the cage to stare down at her. She held its gaze the entire time- then blinked as it turned around. Its back met the side of the metal bars, and stared there despite the swaying of the train.

  She could only blink as she stared up at it.

  “Wait, is that it?”

  The robot finally turned at that, head tilting just enough for it to see her. It was between her and the sun now, the light framing its head like a halo.

  “What is ‘it’?”

  “You’ve been hunting me the entire day!” She burst out, “none of the other bots found me more than once, but you found me three times! And now you just… sit here?”

  “It was mostly luck,” the bot shrugged, “bad luck, actually, on the third time.”

  “What, when you made the deal with that other Rogue?” She raised an eyebrow at that.

  The bot didn’t respond for a moment after that. Then it turned fully, leaning in towards her.

  “A warning,” the voice was quiet, but not threatening like before, “the servo’s here will take umbrage with the use of these terms. “

  She opened her mouth with a retort ready, only to freeze. “Wha- thats what it was mad about?”

  “A robot is a slave, a Rogue a monster. The sting remains despite the centuries, it seems.”

  “…It seems?”

  “This Unit is new to these times,” the rogue replied, finally turning away again.

  She was openly staring at the back of its head now. A newly awoken bot, that made sense. Sometimes back in the Halls someone would bump into a piece of old machinery and accidentally wake up a bot- Servo. She should probably stick with that.

  Sometimes the Servo would go crazy, attacking any human it saw. But other times the Servo would act confused. They would ask questions, wander around. But inevitably the light on their neck would light up. Then the tragedy would repeat all over again. But…

  Her eyes flickered down, examining the Servo’s neck. The metal there was a mess, the nodule there resembling more a jagged line than actual plating.

  “Interesting,” she murmured.

  Her mind flashed back over the course of the day before her capture. How the Rogue had twisted to meet her shot. How she had rushed back into the room, ready to grab her crossbow and fight. Only to stumble to a halt as she saw it stood up against the wall, the string intact and perfectly operable. The bed had been made as well, and the fire carefully stoked so the water didn’t boil over. It had been frightening at the time, and she had packed up and fled the room immediately after. But now…

  Her head tilted to the side, and she blinked as its shadow fell over her… the shadow? She looked down, then her head whipped back towards the Servo. It was still standing there, between her and the sun- perfectly positioned to cast as large a shadow as possible over the cage.

  A slight smile crossed her lips. A sympathetic Servo, a broken light…

  Maybe there was a chance after all…