Heaven's Door

Breaking Down

ROBOTIC LICENSE CRITERIA:

* Is 15 years and six months, as shown on their personal identification (driver's license, passport, etc.)

* Has passed the Advanced Robotics Exam, as provided by their local technical college with an average score of 75% or better

* Does not currently hold any criminal record in robotics or other devious endeavors that may/has endangered fellow humans or robots

* Has proven to be capable of handling/building advanced technologies while under strict guidance/internship of either Cherry Dynamics or SANDA Technologies, or other verified Top 500 robotic companies for a minimum of 160 full hours or more

. . .

Ray had wandered too far away from the Colosseum today, and at the moment she didn't care.

Due to this, there were very little xels around. Perhaps a few robotic mail carriers, or a sentient stop light, but it was nothing that could give a permanent fill. It was at the local park where she was able to find some sense of fullness, but the supply became limited quickly. Ray knew her limits, never doubt it, and she knew how long it would take for her to get to a more bountiful supply of xels- she had more than enough time to make it back to the Colosseum before the desperate cravings could begin. Besides, when was the last time she simply took a walk about the city?

The upper crust developments were closer to the Colosseum, but after the Trinity disaster, they also became robot free zones. Xels were scarce, that didn't mean they were completely eradicated from the area though. Ray found her way into a park- a nice one with plenty of trees and well maintained gym sets for children. There was even a walking trail dotted with light posts, meant to be used to illuminate the path, but Ray saw it as a quick snack.

Eventually, Ray came to a clearing near the walking trail. No one was around, but she could detect a lone soul sitting on a park bench nearby. Coming in a little closer and Ray could see a human girl, not much older than 14 or so, work on something with a holographic laptop, displayed in front of her like a projection. The girl was dressed in a school uniform apparently, with near black hair held tightly at the top of her head and a pink headband keeping away stray pieces that could have gotten into her face. She was mumbling something, causing some sense of curiosity in the robot, so she lingered closer to hear.

"Magnus is requesting tweaks to his magma insulation. For some reason he thinks that he's formulating too slow- what he doesn't realize is that he needs that regulation to prevent overheating and implosion. Won't listen to me, even though he 'trusts my judgment in all matters' or whatever. Yeah right, that suck up... But still, he's a nice bot once you get him back down to earth again. Perhaps I could adjust his inner thermometer to read a bit differently, but would he notice? It would definitely be the safer option for him to think that, though... But what he overexerts the pressure gauge in tandem with the magma regulator...? Hmmm... wouldn't be the first time."

Ray sneered as she decided to pass by the human without being seen. The kid talked too much for someone who looked barely old enough to hold a robotics license. What a joke.

Suddenly, a spike of pain hit Ray like a bullet to the head.

"No!" she audibly cursed, "It isn't time! I... I had...!"

The pain in her side started to get worse, forcing Ray to hold onto it. Desperately, she looked around for xels. But in this area, she knew too well, there wouldn't be any. She wandered too far and now she was going to pay the price.

"Is someone there?" the girl inquired, still sitting on the park bench. Ray sneered- she thought she had gotten far enough away from the brat to be heard, even while in pain, but apparently her desperation acted like a siren to anyone in the vacancy. Limping and the pain growing, Ray stumbled as quickly as she could away from the park. There had to be xels around here somewhere, there had to be.

The girl was following her, Ray could sense her coming closer.

"Wait!" the girl called out, "I can help fix you!"

With all of her systems were shutting down at once from xel depletion, Ray paused for a moment. Desperation told her to do it, to listen to this child whose techno babble was nearly impressive; but common sense told her that she would have been better off dying. Besides, the only one that knew their salt when it came to Ray's body and her schematics was her creator. Right? So why let this brat do the honors?

"You can't fix me." Ray sneered as she started to push forward again. "Go away!"

The girl still trailed behind Ray with persistence. "Please, I really can help fix you!"

"I said-" Ray started to screech, whirling around to point her arm cannon at the human, but the pain was too much and the sudden turn had broken her equilibrium. The robot fell to the ground as her diagnostics began to read an 89% failure shutdown. Not much longer now and she would be as dead as a robot could get.

To Ray's annoyance, the girl had managed to catch up.

"Please," Ray could barely hear the girl request, "I'll fix you. I'll fix you as good as new."

Straining, trying as hard as she could to aim her buster at the girl with little luck, Ray let out one last defiant "No..." before shutting down for good.

. . .

5KY51R3N: Mitch I need help.

NullVoid00: shoot

5KY51R3N: I need parts.

NullVoid00: ???

5KY51R3N: CherryDyn, circa '97, SP build Omega

5KY51R3N: it's older than Troilus.

NullVoid00: I was gonna say...

NullVoid00: Imma have to check L

NullVoid00: why that late tho? what are you up to?

5KY51R3N: New project. Fresh body. You know how it is.

NullVoid00: but that late? who did you capture now?

5KY51R3N: Can't say yet. Maybe later.

NullVoid00: w cherrydyn tech? no way, tell me why and who

NullVoid00: or tell me ur kidding

NullVoid00: L?

NullVoid00: L tell me ur kidding?!

NullVoid00: L?!?!

5KY51R3N has signed out