Despite feeling like they had escaped whatever fate they avoided, only a few hours after arriving in Cirda, murmurs were already going around of the recall. All sentient robots are to be wiped. No one was excited about this. The robots were more than machines, they were people, being able to think for themselves, even if only imitation, they still have desire for life.
Dolli was very worried at this point, clinging onto Figure far much tighter than she usually did. He stayed in an alley with her, trying to stay away from the streets. It’d be safer to be out of them if a struggle started.
“We cannot stay here, too much is at stake for these people for them not to fight back.”
“But where are we going to go, Fig?” Dolli’s eyes were dim, “If the recall is real, then no matter where we go, we will be at risk.”
“You could always leave,” An unfamiliar voice said from behind them. Figure stepped in front of Dolli to shield her as he looked in the voice’s direction.
What stood before them was a very strange robot. From the visible parts that weren't covered by a cloak, they saw mixed bits and it looked as if a pile of junk got up. On its head, was a small CRT monitor.
“Who are you?” He asked, “What are you?”
“I am sawdust,” It said, “A robot, just as you two are.”
“Make and Model.” Figure demanded, his voice deep.
“DD 2, ZB 7, and a bit of a Chum, the model alludes to me though.”
“Those are three different ones, pick one.” Figure began to walk towards Sawdust.
“Fig, calm down!” Dolli said.
Figure stopped about a foot before Sawdust and put and tapped his own head with his hand.
“My apologies, I know not what came over me.”
“It’s the beginning of the end, it happens.” Sawdust said as he took off the CRT monitor. It seemed to serve as a mask to hide what he looked like. Underneath the monitor, was a mannequin head.
“You’re creepy looking.” Dolli mumbled.
“Long story short, I’m a mixmatch of parts strewn together and given high intelligence systems. The head,” He pointed at it, and was going to continue before Figure interrupted
“Going back to what you said before, elaborate what you meant by ‘We could just leave.’ ”
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“Me and some others don't think things will go well for us mechanical folk, so we are leaving country.”
“That seems a bit extreme, don’t you think?” Dolli questioned.
“No, I don't think so. At first they are going to be firm, then they’ll get violent”
“They already got violent.” Figure said before turning around showing his back, which still had the bullet holes from the day prior.
“Well then. Are you willing to join me and the caravan?”
“Dolli?” Figure asked her for confirmation.
“I-I don't know…”
They stood silent for a moment, “This is a one time offer, when we leave, we leave, I don’t think we’ll all find eachother again.” Sawdust said, putting the CRT back on. Figure turned to Dolli,
“I do think this is the best option as of right now. With them, we will be on the move and have others with us.”
Dolli nodded, “Okay Fig, let's go.”
“Awesome, we are going to need to travel a bit to get to the rest of the caravan, but it isn't far.”
Sawdust, despite being an amalgamation of parts, was surprisingly nimble.
When they arrived at their destination, which was a truck depot, Sawdust stopped. “I’ll give you two a quick rundown of the team. We have me, Gear and Starter, who are decommissioned Search and Rescue bots, and Meld, some passion project given a V8 engine.”
“V8 huh. What does that do for them?” Dolli asked.
“Extra power or something.”
Sawdust led them to the back of a semi truck. He pulled the door open and inside was the rest of the caravan. Immediately noticeable was Meld. He looked like Figure, but bulkier. His arms were painted in a vibrant red, on his back was an exposed engine, and the construction faceplate was replaced with a sleek helmet similar to a motorcyclists.
“I'm back guys, and I brought two more.” Sawdust said.
Meld and Gear looked over and immediately eyed up Figure. Starter, who was in the back of the truck, waved. Starter had a slim build, very smooth on all surfaces. Beside her, was a hunk of metal, and a Helmet.
“Think we need another breaker?” Gear asked Sawdust, “You got me and Meld, but a basic construction bot? Is that necessary?”
Gear had a much more rough build than the others. His body was covered in dents and scratches, but it all seemed to be superficial. On his head, was another helmet, why they all had the, was unknown, but his had a scanner adorned on the forehead.
Meld walked over to Figure, “So, what can you do?”
Figure stood there for a moment, “I can do relatively basic movements, my programming containing prior motor functions was corrupted.”
Meld looked disappointed, “Well if you're going to join us, I may as well teach you some new tricks.”
Dolli walked over to Starter, “Is he always like this?” she asked.
“Kind of. He and Gear fight pretty often. Only once has a punch been actually thrown.”
“Do you think Fig will be fine?”
“I don’t really know. He is just a basic construction bot, he doesn't have the high intelligence system, but he still seems aware, and if his programming is corrupted, it could affect more than just his personality, or even cause whatever personality he does have to deteriorate.”
Dolli was worried, to the point where she had difficulty coming up with words.
“But I’m just guessing, I have very little idea how that stuff works. Sawdust is much smarter than the rest of us.” This did put Dolli slightly at ease, but now the thought of Figure being lost was in her head.
“Prepare to leave everyone!” Sawdust called out from the driver's seat of the truck. From the inside of the truck, Gear and Meld pulled the truck door closed while Starter pulled out a lantern.
“So what's your deal, why are you here, what even is your name?” Meld asked Dolli.
“I’m Dolli,” she said sharply, “Me and Fig are together.”
“So you’re dead weight. Fantastic.”
Starter threw her helmet at Meld, “Shut up Meld, no point in pissing eachother off, especially right now.” Dolli sat against Figure, not particularly in the best mood. She’d have to ask Sawdust about Figure later.
