Synthetic

Chapter 02: A Bargain

I had somehow returned to my patrol route unscathed. My internal map enables me to find my way back from over nine hundred kilometers away, but it was the act I pulled back there that really put me in danger. Fortunately, I was laden with dumb luck that day. The others hadn't managed to track me down, now that most were thoroughly buried or had assumed I was trying to capture her. This'd be enough to warrant a sigh of relief from a human, but I decided I was over such animal urges.

...Until three minutes later.

I detected a faint scurrying noise somewhere above me. My sensors sprang to life in that moment, I was preparing to send distress signals, tracking the noises, finding accessible routes in case it was a threat...everything was going status quo until I felt something else. By now, I was anticipating the stranger's return. Why would she come back the same way? Why was I so eager to put myself in danger again? There had to be something I was missing. My memory flashed back to yesterday's incident, then to that stranger's familiar face.

I had to find out who she was.

I had to find out who I was.

Before my programming could intervene, I visualized the map within my processors. All terrestrial pathways, no vents. Apparently, the only way into the ventilation system was if I climbed in myself, with no guidance. If I were human, I would've cursed. Still, I proceeded with that notion, finding a sizable abandoned duct after a few minutes of scouring the abandoned channels. I was still too large to fit in, though. Only my head and torso could fit in the vent, before I had to pull myself out, dejectedly.

"It's no use. Go back before you get terminated." Something piped up in the back of my mind, reminding me of all the ways I could meet my end. Yet, I persevered.

"No," I thought to myself. "I have to find that human...There has to be something I know about her, whether I remember or not..." Hesitantly, I crept back into the decommissioned vent, attempting to fold my lean, shelled limbs inside. The effort was successful, but how was I supposed to move like this? A quick whirr went through my system as I figured out a solution. The scrambling noises were getting further away, as was my chance of finding the stranger again.

Not this time.

With twisted determination, I managed to awkwardly shuffle up the vent on my hands and knees, back pressed against the other side in a bid to balance myself. I grimaced, my default expression parting into a plastic snarl. "Not this time!" My thoughts called, frustrated. Eventually, I crawled up the passage, noticing the area the noises were coming from was completely empty. I lightly pounded the wall, an inevitable gesture of irritation. However, I realized there was something off about the vent. There were probably months, maybe years worth of dust of the walls, yet only the bottom wall was swept clear. I got onto my knees again and clambered along the dust-free path, knowing well that my fellow sentries would never be able to reach up here.

"So why could I...?" I questioned to myself, before shrugging it off. Something within me told that the mysterious woman would know about it; maybe I would, if I could recall what my memory was trying to hide from me.

Soon, I reached the end of the vent, finding a broken grate and a wide, seemingly endless room full of boxes at its end. "Someone had been here first." I mused. However, I still needed to free myself from the cramped tunnel, a delicate process which would certainly get me killed if I got caught this time. I twitched uselessly in an attempt to get my limbs free, nearly letting out a groan as I found myself more tangled than before. Another shot at moving resulted in my chassis scraping against the steel with a painful wail, causing me to recoil upon realizing I'd taken damage.

However, what startled me more was the fact she saw me.

A stray lump quickly rose from the sea of cardboard, becoming recognizable as the intruder from yesterday. She gasped and turned in my direction, her alarm becoming confusion as she saw a disgruntled sentry jammed in the vent before her. Those sky-blue, sceptical eyes gave her away, as well as my facial recognition activating in her presence. She seemed to mutter a curse before standing her ground. "You again? Must be that broken one-" She kept her voice low, probably to stop me from recording her.

"...and you must be the trespasser from yesterday." I blurted out.

She recoiled slightly, before narrowing her eyes in apprehension. "Why would you be up here, and not with your robot friends?" I knew the remark wasn't really directed at me, but I figured it would be worth replying to. However, she didn't seem to want to be friendly, tentatively reaching for her bag. I remembered its contents from last time. Though I would have been content with getting shot, I wondered if I could continue my endeavors...

"It's simple, Madam. There is something wrong with me." I said, unable to describe the error in my system, but unwilling to follow my programming. She froze, her hand pausing above her satchel. "After all, I was the one who saved you yesterday."

Her eyes widened in response. She no longer reached for the weapon.

"You may not want to shoot me." I remarked, "May I have some assistance in getting out of this vent?"

"Nope. You're staying in there for now, buddy." She retorted with a sigh. "Besides. I don't need another one of you on my trail." She turned around unhurriedly and picked up a few files from a box, before scoffing, tossing them aside and hunting for more.

Great. Now I was trapped in a vent, with that stranger about to shoot me again, or leave me here until my power source sputtered out. It seemed hopeless, but I was still determined to get free. She was searching for something vital, right?

"You know...I could help you find what you're looking for." I spoke despondently. That got her attention. I had already betrayed the other sentries, so another crime against the company wouldn't matter at this point, right?

"What makes you think that?" She asked me, whirling around to face me.

"I have a map of the facility. I could get you anywhere if you just tell me what you need to find."

A light sneer appeared on her face. "Anywhere?"

I gave a timid nod in reply.

A conflicted look appeared on her face, and she eyed me as though I were a cornered animal. Whatever she was looking for in this facility, it was gravely important. Would she save the devices that pursued her to get it?

After a minute or so, she huffed and crept up to my helpless form, reaching out to me with a quivering hand. I gladly held her hand, feeling her wince as my cold titanium plates met her flesh. She had a brief expression of disgust, squeezing her eyes shut before clutching my forearm in her other hand and hauling me out of the passageway.

I ended up face-first on the ground, a loud, steely clang announcing my escape. As I did, my rescuer made a rather uncharacteristic squeal; I assumed it was because of the noise, but it was really a response to feeling my hands clamp around her wrists. Grateful as I wanted to be, I was fighting the urge to arrest her.

"Thank you." I replied, reluctantly prying my hands open and assuming a less threatening pose. "Now, what were you looking for?"

"Monique Terran. One of your three hundred missing employees."

If I had proper lungs, I would have gasped.

The facility had been autonomous since my first day in service.