Written by: G.K.

Artwork by: Visqi

Ashen watched as industrial-sized cylinders compressed molten alloys into templates of robotic shells. It was hypnotizing for him to see sequential patterns of construction on such a grand scale for the first time. Escorted by his uncle Eren, they ventured across an archway encased in protective glass, exposing the inner workings of the facility. They proceeded upward, transitioning from the forge to the top floor, overlooking the plant’s production zone. Ashen leaned forward, his snout pressed against the thick glass as he tried to get a better view. Below them, dozens of robots scurried among sparse numbers of workers, welding, assembling and transporting goods.

“That down there is the heart of the operation,” Eren said, taking a step closer to Ashen. “When I was your age, that production floor would be filled with three times the work force.”

“What happened to everyone?” Ashen asked.

“Robotics happened. Times are changing and we had tough choices to make. So I guess you could say, technology took their place.”

“And, what about you?”

“Me? Oh, they haven’t found a bot smart enough replace me yet,” Eren smirked. “But to tell you the truth, it was more luck than anything. I was stubborn enough to stick around and eventually I ended up running this place.” There was a brief pause as the two of them watched the production below. “So, you wanna check out my office before you go?” he said, nodding away from the action.

“Yeah let’s go,” Ashen said.

They passed through the dated facility, making their way toward the office area. It had become quite clear that despite persistent bouts of upkeep, the plant was in decline. “Here we are,” Eren said, as they stood in front of his office. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a metallic keycard. A deep voice bellowed out from across the hallway. He looked over to see one of the facility managers signalling him over. “Hold on, I’ll be right with you!” he shouted, before turning to Ashen. “Well, I gotta take a quick look at something, but you can hang out in my office in the meantime.”

“Okay,” Ashen nodded. Eren tapped his keycard on the stainless keypad mounted near the door. The automated door activated. The interior lights ramped up, revealing large piles of electronics and robotic parts mixed with the decor one would expect from an executive office. “Wow! Look at all this stuff,” Ashen said, peering into the large office.

“Yeah, that’s what happens when you try to do two jobs at once.” Ashen looked at him slightly puzzled.

“I thought you only had one job?”

“You know… that’s what my paycheck keeps telling me.” Ashen let out a laugh as his uncle cracked a smile. “Have a seat, and make sure you don’t touch anything. I’ll be right back,” Eren said, patting Ashen’s shoulder, before exiting the room.

Ashen took off his backpack, laying it on the table across from the chair. He settled into his uncle’s chair, casually surveying the room as he swivelled about. His keen interest in technology was suddenly challenged by the dated and unfamiliar hardware he found himself surrounded by. His excitement dwindled, that is, until a strange lock box caught his attention. Partially buried in junk, its shiny metallic casing piqued his interest. He got up from his seat, pushing aside piles of circuit boards just to get to it. He pried at the lid. The locking mechanism failed, popping the container open. Ashen was surprised to see it open. His paranoia set in briefly as he examined the room for any signs of surveillance, and with nothing in sight, he reached in, pulling out a droid. “No way,” he blurted out, he couldn’t believe what he had just found. The droid was circular in design, coated with a faded layer white paint and an aggressive looking optical lens, it was unlike any droid he’d seen on the market.

Ashen’s last droid had malfunctioned almost six months ago, and although he tried to replace it numerous times,he just couldn’t catch a break. It was a tough market for a primal on a budget. Multiple thoughts began to surface as he set the droid down on the table. He weighed his options and within a matter of seconds he reached for his bag, hastily unzipped it, and emptied out its contents. He then shoved the droid into it, covering it with his schoolwork. Eren wouldn’t miss something like that, it would just go to waste, he thought. Ashen hopped back onto the chair, attempting to distract himself with some framed artwork.

“I see you’ve gotten quite comfortable,” Eren said, as he re-entered the office. Ashen was reclined in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. “I thought I’d end the tour with a surprise.”

“Oh? What is it?” Ashen said, springing up from his position. Eren pulled out the hardware from behind his back.

“It’s a chipset from a V200 droid.” Eren passed the hardware to Ashen, who graciously accepted it.

“Cool! Thanks Uncle,” Ashen replied, attempting to suppress the rising guilt inside of him.

“I know you’ve been looking to build another droid, so I managed to scrounge this from an old friend of mine.

“Yeah, this is great.” He stood there, holding it in his hands, too afraid to open up his bag.

“It’s not much now, but my friend says he’ll look into getting some other parts for me. And that pretty much concludes the tour. Any questions?”

“Naw, it was a pretty cool tour though, I liked the forge the most.”

“Yeah the forge is pretty cool, but now I have to get back to work, you think you can find your way back?”

“Yeah, I’ll be okay.”

“Alright, just remember to stay on the walkway, and I’ll give you a call if I get those other parts.”

“Okay, thanks again Uncle.”

Ashen exited the building. He hopped onto his cherry red hoverboard, stamped with custom trim and numerous decals. The city was light on traffic. He cruised down the sidewalk, weaving past the slower moving primalz on foot. When he reached the open streets he was met with a cool autumn breeze, it instilled a sudden sense of relief as the industrial setting faded from sight. Approaching his turnoff he decided to change course, he leaned hard to the right, cutting across the street, and juking in-between two hovers in the process. He glanced down, dialling in to his wrist device.

“What’s up?” the voice said, coming from his wrist. Ashen raised the device near his face.

“Hey Russ, is it cool if I stop by?”

“Yeah sure, my parents are out and I’m just watchin the vidscreen.”

“Alright, I’ll see you in a bit.”

Ashen entered the Tovu district; it was one of the premier neighbourhoods of Delkin. In the centre was a bustling plaza, surrounded by four equally impressive towers that housed many primalz, including Russ and his family. Ashen hopped off his hoverboard, entering the complex with the board under his arm. He whizzed up almost forty stories, making his way to suite 393A. He buzzed the door, waiting momentarily before pressing it again. The door latch unlocked, and Ashen stepped into the flat, wiping his high-top sneakers on the welcome mat. Russ was seated on the couch, sifting through a bag of salted snacks.

“Hey, how was the tour?” Russ said, with his eyes glued to the flickering vidscreen.

“Pretty cool actually.” Ashen took a seat beside Russ, laying his bag beside him. They turned their attention to the vidscreen, which was displaying a combat match between two primalz in alpha-suits.

“Is this a rerun?” Ashen said.

“Yep,” Russ replied, taking his time to munch on his snacks. He passed the bag to Ashen who took a handful for himself.

“Which one is this?” Ashen said

“Twenty-first,” Russ replied, with a mouth full of chips.

“Hey is this the one where Kohan makes a comeback?”

“Yeah, he makes it all the way to the finals with a broken arm,” Russ said, gesturing with one arm.

“It’s too bad he loses at the end.”

“But he sure put up a good fight.”

“You know, watching these old matches really gets me pumped up for the upcoming tournament. I mean, how cool would it be to see Trizan the Destroyer in real life! If those summer jobs pan out maybe we can go. It’s either that or the Rodo races for us,” Ashen grinned.

“No way. I ain’t doing that again. But you’re right, that would be pretty cool.”

“You think that’s cool?” Ashen said, barely able to contain himself. “Wait until you get a load of this.” Ashen smugly dumped out the contents of his bag, pulling the droid from the pile. “Check it out,” he said, holding it up in the air.

“Whoa, where’d you find that?”

“Got it from my uncle.”

“Wow, let me take a look,” Russ said. Ashen passed the bot to him, watching as he inspected it. They were both heavy into tech, but it was Russ who was more knowledgeable on the history of droids. Ashen was more practical, and better at building them. Russ honed in on the faded markings.

“So where’d you say you got this from again? Your uncle?” Russ said, suddenly suspicious.

“Yeah, why? What’s wrong?”

“Dude, this looks like Nomen tech. Is this for real?” he said, pointing to a tiny etched logo.

“Nomen tech? Are you sure?”

“Yeah I’m pretty sure. These haven’t been around since before the war. Is this thing even legal?

“I dunno, my uncle had it,” Ashen said, snatching it away from Russ. “He used to travel a lot, maybe it’s just a collectible.”

“Maybe,” Russ said, with cautious optimism. “Or maybe, this droid is the real deal.

“There’s only one way to find out. You wanna take it to the lab?”

“Yeah, let’s hook it up.”

They entered Russ’s makeshift computer lab, built in the back of his parents hover stall. It was one of the few dwellings designed to have its own stall. The lab itself wasn’t as fancy as the academy’s, or even the school’s, but what it lacked in looks it made up for in innovation. “Now, how do we turn this thing on?” Russ said, examining the droid’s every detail. He felt a small switch under the rear backplate. He peered into the opening, confirming what he had found. “Here we go,” Russ said. “Well shall we?”

“Do it,” Ashen said, giving Russ the go-ahead. He flicked the switch. The lens powered up, emitting a teal coloured light. It pulsed a few times, eventually reaching a solid glow. The droid pulled away from Russ’s grasp. It hovered at eye level for a few seconds before the light began flashing.

“The lights flashing, what’s it doing?” Ashen said.

“Looks like it’s trying to communicate with some kind of binary sequence, either that or it’s low on power,” Russ replied. The light began to dim, turning off completely as the droid landed softly on the floor.

“That answers that question,” Ashen said. “Can we charge it?”

“It’s got a power port, but I don’t know if I’ve got an adapter that’ll fit. Can you pass me those power adaptors on the middle shelf?”

“Sure,” Ashen said. He went and grabbed an assortment of cords and adaptors. Russ tried out the different combinations to no avail. The last adaptor almost fit, he tried to jiggle it in but it only went halfway.

“So much for that,” Russ said, with a sigh.

“I got an idea,” Ashen said, motioning Russ to step aside. He sliced open the adapter with a knife from their tool box.

“Hey, those adaptors aren’t cheap.”

“C’mon prime, it’s worth it. Just look at this thing!” Ashen said, admiring the droid.

“Alright, fine.”

Ashen took the stripped ends, carefully placing them into the port as to avoid a short circuit. There was a surge of power, the droid beeped, and soon began to show a charge. Ashen and Russ high-fived to its success.

“Good work Ashen. Now let’s see if we can find out what’s inside this thing.”

They spent the next little while trying to access the droid’s database. All the software they tried failed to recognize the hardware. Russ then decided to try a bootleg copy of an obsolete system. It worked, they managed to boot up. “Looks like we’re in. But check this out, the interface is all glitched,” Ashen said.

“Well, it’s settled then, this is definitely Nomen tech if it’s running on this system,” Russ said, as they scrolled through the system files, one empty folder after another.

“Looks like everything got wiped,” Ashen said.

“Maybe it happened when it ran low on power?”

“Could be, but what if it’s something else?”

“Hidden Encryption?”

“Exactly. You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Let’s do it.” They plugged in a custom device, a hack built for “information retrieval,” as they so innocently branded it. Upon activating the device they soon found a hidden cache to the root folder.

“Hey look at that, there’s a hidden algorithm.” Ashen pointed out, as they navigated the secret directory.

“Let’s find out what this thing can do.” Russ pressed the key to activate it. The droid emitted buzzing sounds with mechanical clicks as internal gears expanded its frame.

“Whoa, check it out!” Russ said as the round bot began to expand and grow out of it’s compact state.

“Look how heavy this thing is on resources,” Russ said, noticing its saturated diagnostic chart. They watched as the computer’s cooling system began to peak into the red. “We might have to shut it off, it’s gonna fry my computer, and I already lost an adaptor!” Russ yelled.

“We shouldn’t take that risk, is there any way to just pause it?” Ashen asked.

“We can’t. Not with that software, it would be just as bad as trying to turn it off, I bet.”

“Well then, if we don’t cool this thing quick it’s gonna blow.” They scrambled to assemble a homemade cooling system by slapping together parts off of old hardware nearby. They managed to temporarily rig it into the existing system by gluing it in with some thermal paste and a tight strap.

“There we go. Looks like its starting to level off,” said Ashen, with Russ nodding in agreement. “Now let’s wait and see how long it’s gonna take to reconfigure.” The computer eventually clocked in an estimate for the completion date. “Damn, this looks like it’s going to take an entire day almost.”

“That sucks,” Russ said.

The hover stall’s buzzer sounded. The warning lights strobed as a protective barricade separated them from the main door, which slowly began to open. A hover in the distance began to align with the opening. “Looks like your parents are back,” Ashen said. “What do you think we should we do with the droid?”

“Let’s just leave it. I think It’ll be fine overnight. But let’s cover it up, just in case. I don’t want my parents asking any questions,” Russ said.

“Good idea,” Ashen replied, as he retrieved a white sheet which was draped over one of Russ’s older projects. He quickly placed it over the droid, catching a whiff of dust that almost made him sneeze. The hover gracefully pulled into the stall as its automated landing dropped it on top of heavy rubber stops. Russ’s parents emerged from the vehicle. Russ had a face like his father’s, mixed with a lanky frame from his mother’s side.

“Hey, what are you kids up to? You at least trying to learn something while you’re hiding up here? Russ’s dad said, standing over the two of them.

“Oh relax Kharn,” His mother spoke up. “They’re just working on robots. It’s not like they’re out vandalizing the complex.”

“You know, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. You’ve been spending an awful lot of time in here lately Russ.”

“Ha ha, funny Dad,” Russ sarcastically responded. His parents looked past their project, making their way into their home. Ashen and Russ had then decided to call it a day.

Ashen lay in bed that night, thinking of the Nomen droid he took from his uncle. He didn’t know what to think of it. All he knew was that it existed long before he did and before he could formulate another thought, he drifted off into sleep. His next day consisted of the usual boredom that school entailed. It was the first day of the week, which usually meant it went by pretty quick, but today was a little different, as there was only one thing on Ashen’s mind. It wasn’t until lunchtime that he could meet with Russ and discuss how things were going. The cafeteria was noisy and packed, though Russ had found them a somewhat quiet spot in the back. Ashen joined him, wading through a slew of other primalz.

“So how’s it looking?” Ashen asked.

“It was still loading when I left,” Russ shrugged, stabbing a fork into his pasta. “It was close to ninety-three percent”

“So you just left it on?”

“Yeah, remember you said we shouldn’t shut it off.”

“That’s true. I bet that droid finished loading about an hour ago. I’m almost tempted to cut class so we can go check on it.”

“I would, but I got a test I really can’t skip. Besides, I’m sure it’s fine.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Ashen said. Their friend Beurin closed in on them, catching the end of their conversation. “Hey, what are you nerds up to?” Beurin said, as he joined them at the table.

“Nothing,” Ashen responded.

“Didn’t sound like nothin,” Beurin said, glaring at the two of them. “You plan on pranking our science class again Ashen?”

“No way Beurin, did you see how Mr.Resich reacted last time? I’m pretty sure I would get expelled if I tried that again.”

“Good point. So what are you talking about?” Beurin said, trying to pry further into their conversation.

“We’re just talking about a droid we’re building at my place,” Russ interjected.

“Oh? I was wondering when you guys would finally get around to doing that.”

“I finally found a good deal on one,” Ashen said.

“Sounds like you hit the junkyard jackpot huh?” Beurin said.

“Not exactly, this one’s an original build, used,” Ashen said.

“No kiddin. Remember when I was tellin ya that that was the only way to go, can’t trust those junker deals,” Beurin said, moving from the conversation to the food on his plate.

“Yeah, you were right,” Ashen replied, picking at his food. They finished up lunch and it was back to class. It was all a distraction as far as Ashen was concerned. He waited for the final bell to sound so he could get back to his project, and when it finally did, he met up with Russ in the schoolyard. Behind them scores of students scurried along as massive busses loaded up to take them home.

Ashen and Russ returned to Russ’s place in anticipation of the possibilities that awaited. Russ stepped to the entrance first, he could smell something burning. The door opened to a plume of smoke and a fountain of sparks. “Oh shit!” Russ shouted, running for the fire extinguisher.

“Did it explode?” Ashen blurted, covering his face with his shirt. Russ unloaded the extinguisher on the droid, dissipating the flames. They began to cough from the fumes, but eventually the smoke cleared. The Droid turned to face them. It seemed much larger than before, but there was more. They saw it now had a set of arms and a torso, propped up by an older style thruster.

“What the heck,” Russ muttered.

“Its got arms, and a body!” Ashen exclaimed. The bot calmly analyzed them, its eye colour had shifted to an ominous red. The kids continued to stare in disbelief.

“How did this happen?” Russ said. They looked around the room. Russ noticed a small trail of metal scraps leading to his father’s replacement grav motor. It had been picked clean, along with other items, including one of his computers.

“The motor! My dad’s gonna kill me,” Russ said, turning to Ashen. “This is all your fault!”

“My fault? You’re the one that left it running!” They continued to argue as the droid seemed to lose interest in them, it returned to fabricating. Sparks flew as it attacked the metal shelf.

“We gotta stop this, it’s gonna destroy this place!” said Russ

“Let’s disconnect it,” Ashen shot back.

“It is disconnected!” Russ shouted, pointing to the power cable lying on the floor.

“What about the shut-off switch? I’ll turn it off right now.” Ashen cautiously stepped up to the droid, reaching for the power switch with his hand. He felt a solid metal plate where the switch once was. The droid immediately turned around after Ashen touched it, shoving him back with its momentum. A series of flashes emitted from its eye as it computed the situation.

“Did you get it?” Russ asked nervously, watching the series of flashes from its robotic eye.

“I can’t. You can’t get to the switch anymore.” The droid slowly advanced on them, causing them to step back at the same pace.

“This is not good,” Russ said. Its thrusters fired, and it came at them, full speed. “Run!” Russ shouted, as they ran toward the exit. The droids arms reached out to grab a hold of Ashen, but he was too quick. They passed through the door, powering the locking mechanism as it closed. There was a loud crack as the droid rammed the door with force. The two of them leaned into the door with all their mass to reinforce it. The door continued to rumble and shake. Small chunks of the wall cracked off around the door frame with the droid’s repeated battering.

“It’s gonna break through!” Russ cried out. Moments later the bot burst through, slamming the dislodged door into the ground. The primalz ran to the kitchen, splitting up as the slow moving droid tried to keep pace.

The droid turned its attention to Russ, who was now the closer target, he had managed to make it to his room, trapped, as the droid entered behind him. He panicked, unsure what to do next. The droid’s makeshift arms latched onto him and reached around his throat. He thought he was finished until he heard his friend’s thudding footsteps draw near. Ashen charged into the room, smashing his hoverboard into the distracted droid, he attacked it relentlessly, giving Russ a chance to escape. The board took too much damage, snapping in two as Ashen slammed it with a powerful final blow. The impact caused the droid malfunction, its glowing eye stuttered uncontrollably. Russ used this opportunity to grab a homemade plasma lamp off his shelf—and without hesitation—hurled it at the droid. The lamp exploded in spectacular fashion, frying the droid’s circuitry. They stood over the bot, in complete disbelief of what had just happened. “I don’t know what to do… that’s it for me Ashen, I’m finished.”

“It’s okay Russ, we’ll find a way out of this,” Ashen said. Russ ignored Ashen’s attempt to console him.

“I gotta start cleaning this mess up, my mom’s gonna be home any minute!” he cried out, pacing back and forth in the room.

Ashen was speechless. His wrist lit up as a call came in. “It’s my uncle,” he said looking at the device, unsure what to do.

“You think he knows?” Russ said.

“I dunno.”

“Don’t take the call.”

“No, I should take it, or he might think something is up.”

“Something is up!” Russ yelled, as he stormed out of the room. Ashen took a seat on the edge of Russ’s bed, activating the call from his wrist device. He could hear faint sounds of an industrial plant in the background.

“Hey Ashen, how’s it goin?” Eren said

“Good,” he said, with a worried tone.

“That’s good. I’m just calling to let you know I found the other parts you need.”

“I… yeah, that’s great,” said Ashen, briefly stammering.

“Something wrong?” Eren could hear the worry in his voice.

“No. I’ve just been so excited about this project that I didn’t get much sleep.”

“Oh, I see. Well try get some sleep tonight, I’ll be by tomorrow to drop off the rest of the stuff for you.”

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See ya then.” The call ended.

Ashen stood up from the bed, feeling a sudden chill from a light breeze. He turned around to see the window was open. His attention turned to the droid. He carefully approached it, poking at its motionless body. With no apparent threat, he made his way toward the window. Taking a look outside he half expected to see some sort of horror, but there nothing was there. Nothing to see but distant hovers on their daily commute. It was business as usual. His hand pressed the close button on the window, and as it closed, he noticed a slight wobble on the protective mesh on the bottom. It looked like the mesh was broken, or had somehow come loose. His imagination took over, but he battled those thoughts, trying rationalize the situation. This was nothing to be worried about, just a coincidence he thought. But maybe it would be better if he didn’t mention it to anyone.