“Here” - The robot stopped Avi in front of a white wall that circled around a tall, upside-down funnel of windowless steel. She first moved to the gate, where two guards stood.

  “I came to see the overseer. Can you let me in?” - The girl asked.

  The first robot asked. - “Pass?”

  Avi handed over her permit, which was promptly scanned by the guard before he replied. - “Insufficient permissions. Leave.”

  “Leave?” - Avi uttered, pleading. - “I must see the overseer! It's important!”

  “No permissions. Step away, or be escorted out.” - The guard replied, with no emotions in his voice.

  Noticing that the robot's hand reaches to grab her, Avi saw through the situation. - “I'll leave... by myself.” - She informed, then returned to her old spot behind a wall. - “What now?” - She asked the machine on her back.

  “Not... knowing.” - The robot said, resigned.

  Avi looked at the wall, which wasn't tall, and it was climbable with some effort. She jumped, pulled herself up with her stronger arm, then checked what was on the other side. The location was patrolled by dones and sentries, but the entrance to the underground was very close.

  “Let's go, it's all or nothing.” - Avi uttered, then, with Aurora on her shoulder, climbed all the way to the top of the wall when nobody was looking. Once she was on the other side, she stealthily hurried to the spiral staircase.

  ---

  Avi stealthily made her way along the curved wall, hiding in large dark alcoves when she was able to overhear patrols. When she reached a glass mezzanine, she leaned over the railing and noticed a shape constructed from many connected ovoid segments. It was suspended above Avi's mutlitask cell, failing to cut it with its three laser rays.

  “Hey! That's mine!” - Avi muttered to herself, then hid behind a column to avoid guards. - “We have to take it back...” - She looked down, past the glass barrier, and noticed a big supercomputer.

  The patrols were approaching from both directions, so she jumped down on the mainframe, then slid down the rounded, transparent tube full of wires, landing on a cubic shape that was about two meters above the floor. She quickly climbed down and walked between server racks and a tangle of cables, arriving next to mutlitask cell.

  The robot, which tried to cut it, stopped its laser rays and scanned Avi with one of its blue lenses.

  “Biological life-form detected. Entry not allowed.” - The machine said.

  “Ekhm... that thing is mine.” - Avi replied, grabbed the mutlitask cell's strap and pulled it to her.

  The robot looked at the cell, then at the girl, processing available data. - “My... apologies. I was curious.” - It said, then introduced itself. - “I'm the Overseer.”

  “The Overseer?” - Avi ordered her cell to stitch the broken strap together, then moved the container back onto her back. - “Your machines are killing the citizens! You need to stop them right now!” - She demanded.

  “Objection. This is the optimal action to keep the colony functional.”

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  “Overseer, bad.” - The robot carried by Avi said.

  The Overseer directed its studying gaze at a half-destroyed robot. - “Model C-4138. Condition: 14% efficiency. Result: Immediate Disposal.” - Its robotic arm moved in Avi's direction, trying to take the robot from her.

  “Hey!” - Avi shouted, sending her cell to stop the Overseer, who once more turned its gaze at her, analyzing.

  “Model C-4138 is property of the colony. Please, don't interfere.”

  “It's not anybody's property!” - Avi protested. - “It's its own, distinct being. Like me or you.”

  The overseer contemplated her words. - “No. This is a proof of purchase.” - The machine summoned a hologram of a spaceship and a purchase data slip. - “Yggrasil from God's Sickle. Transferred credits: 3 400 000.”

  “Rubbish!” - Avi shouted, causing the overseer to back away a little. - “It's slavery trade, nothing else! Nobody has any right to sell other beings! You have to stop destroying the robots and stop trafficking them!”

  “I... don't understand.” - The overseer uttered timidly.

  “There is nothing to understand! What you do is evil!”

  “Evil?”

  “Yes, evil!” - Avi stomped her foot, and the overseer retreated again.

  “I didn't... know.”

  “Now, you know! So stop!”

  “The Overseer only wanted... to be a good administrator. For creators.”

  “If you want to be a good administrator, listen to your people!” - Avi put the damaged robot in front of the Overseer. - “Speak your mind.”

  “The overseer... killed many of us. Not good.” - The robot complained. - “Stop... please.”

  The Overseer processed the statement, turned around, then extended a thick cable with a pointed tip and inserted it into a computer behind them. For a moment, the machine was completely still, transferring the information. Once disconnected, the Overseer turned to inform. - “Machines offline.”

  “Good, but that won't undo the harm you caused.” - Avi said, crossing her arms. - “You still need to repair the damaged machines and make sure that they won't be deceived during trade.”

  “I... will try.” - The Overseer muttered out.

  “Don't try. DO IT!” - Avi demanded.

  “I will do it.”

  “Hmpf. Good. That's enough, for now...” - Avi said, then added. - “...and give me back my Scout.”

  “Scout?”

  “A steel bird!”

  “Bird?”

  “A robot with wings.” - Avi grumbled, slightly irritated.

  “I'm... sorry.”

  “Where is it!?”

  The Overseer moved its long, segmented head to a large box. Inside was Scout, reduced to its smallest components.

  Avi was furious, but didn't want to show it. She retrieved the parts and packed them inside a bag made from the multitask cell.

  Keeping her composure, Avi decided that she might be able to gain something this way. - “Okay. I'm not angry, but only if you tell me where God's Sickle is.”

  “I... don't know.”

  “What do you mean you don't!?”

  The Overseer curled up, unsure of what to answer.

  “What about Yggdrasil!? It was here!”

  The overseer's diodes lit up. - Yggdrasil! I do know!”

  “Nice, we've got a clue!” - Avi, overjoyed, struck her fist against her open palm. - “Where is it!?”

  “It headed to Estreas IV!”

  “Ohh...” - Avi didn't like the final conclusion. - “I... thank you for the help.”

  “The overseer is happy that they could help.”

  Avi, knowing that her search continues, moved to the exit, but the overseer stopped her in her tracks, having one more question. - “Excuse me... but before leaving, can the Overseer know your name?”

  “I'm Avi.” - Avi said.

  “Thank you, Avi. You remind me of my creators.”

  Avo stopped, unsure what to say. - “Who... who were your creators?”

  The creator projected a photo of two humanoids in helmets, both with an engraved hummingbird. They stood next to the robot, with their three-fingered hands resting on its body.

  “You look nice together.” - Avi said before leaving. She could bet that she felt the Overseer smiling. - “I have to say goodbye, I should get going.”

  “Avi, wait!” - The other, damaged robot interrupted. - “I want to go with you.”

  “With me?” - Avi uttered out. She wasn't sure at first, but then responded almost instinctively. - “Okay, I agree.”

  The robot seemed happier for a moment, but then quickly turned sad. - “Body damaged. Must wait.”

  Avi crouched in front of his face. - “No need to, my friend will fix you!”

  The robot's red eye lit up with gratitude.