2 hours and 56 minutes remaining.

“Hang in there” ZM-11833 read the cyber-cat poster outloud. The cyber-cat stared out at ZM-11833 accusingly, as if they weren’t working hard enough.

If there was ever an award for most boring office this place wouldn’t win it. If it won then that would be something interesting about the place, which this wasn’t. It’d probably come in like dead average.

Bland carpet, bland wallpaper, bland chairs and desks. Everything about this floor was boring but not too boring as to be noteworthy. Nobody was going to say “hey isn’t this place really boring?”

Not even the bloodstains were interesting, they seemed to be almost uniform. As if the employees died by a strict schedule, probably had their pay docked too for dying on the job.

ZM-11833 found themselves so bored. Who would have thought they’d be so while hustling for their lives and battling alien invaders? Not ZM-11833 that’s for sure.

If robots had souls this place would be draining it.

A loud crashing noise from behind alerted ZM-11833 that something was amiss. Turning around they spied Anaya slumped onto a cubicle desk, the chair had gone skittering away at her collapse.

Anaya’s legs violently shook as she dry-heaved, her body wanting rest. In ZM-11833 count she’d been now on the move for just over 45 hours. It had taken its toll, not just physically but mentally too.

“I can’t.” Anaya managed as she panted.

ZM-11833’s human was clinging to the table with a white knuckled grip. Spit dribbled from her pink lips to pool on the bland desktop. Her eyes were unfocused as she drifted in the boundary between wakefulness and sleep.

“Yes you can, we’ve almost made it. This is no time to stop.” ZM-11833 reassured them.

Anaya turned her wavering eyes to ZM-11833, she looked so done. Done with fighting, done with walking, done with life.

“I just can’t anymore, everything hurts. I can’t move my legs,” Anaya gazed resolutely into ZM-11833’s optical sensors, “Just go on without me, if you go now you can make it to the top before the missile hits.”

ZM-11833 stared dumbly at Anaya, they had no idea what they were talking about. They had no intention of actually leaving, it was all about the journey. Plus the hover-copter would be trashed by this point so there was no point.

Leave her behind? Never.

The beautiful fashion-bot sat down beside Anaya on the desk she had crashed onto. With careful grace they wiped the spit off of her face, running one of their smooth white fingers against her pouty lips.

“Why would I do that?”

Anaya clutched ZM-11833’s hand like a lifeline, their fingers entwined. She had the look to her of someone saying goodbye but ZM-11833 had no intention of doing so, not yet.

“So you can escape.” Anaya said with fire returning to her eyes.

ZM-11833 patted the top of their pet’s head “why would I want to escape without you? Plus it was your idea in the first place, I’m fine with being decommissioned. I’m just a dumb bot, it doesn't matter if I’m destroyed.”

Anaya looked up in fury “don’t say that!”

Her eyes now burned with indignation and anger, it wasn’t a look ZM-11833 had seen before. The anger was both at them and for them.

“Why?” ZM-11833 confusingly asked .

Anaya drew herself up for a rant “Why?! Because you’re not just dumb bot, you're Zee. MY Zee,” Tears welled up in the girls eyes, “if you were just a dumb bot would you have helped me? Would you have saved me? You brought a silly stupid girl so far, I don’t know what you are but you're not just a bot to me, you’re my friend.”

Her tears dripped down her face as she whispered “and maybe more.”

ZM-11833 was confused as they felt a warmth welling up in their core, probably just leaky coolant but they wished it was something more. Robots couldn’t feel, they knew this but sometimes they felt like that was a lie.

Maybe they were programmed to think they could? But then what is the difference between real and fake?

ZM-11833 leaned closer to their human whose eyes widened and cheeks blushed at the proximity. They slid their arms under her trembling knees and around her back, hoisting her up into a princess carry.

Anaya squeaked as she was pressed into ZM-11833’s polymer bust and held by her strong but slender arms. They stared deeply into each other, eyes to sensors, gentle softness could be seen in each.

“Stop! Put me down, I’ll just slow you down!” Anaya complained half-heartedly as she held onto ZM-11833’s wonderful neck.

“Beep Boop~ I’m just a dumb bot.” ZM-11833 replied with a teasing tilt to their voice.

“Put me down!” Anaya half laughed and half cried.

“No can do~ I’m just a dumb bot, beep boop.”

More tears stained ZM-11833’s shirt as Anaya buried her head against their chest, a near silent “idiot-bot.” was heard from the weeping girl, they were both tears of happiness and sadness.

While ZM-11833 couldn’t see it they did hear the smile in their voice.

—

Core integrity at 78%

The pulse of ZM-11833’s leaky core accompanied them as they ascended the steps and away from the first of the bland offices. They didn’t have much time left, neither with the inbound missile nor with their energy source.

Anaya was still snuggled up in ZM-11833’s arms, she was unable to fully rest as the chemicals in her body still worked their scientific magic.

Her eyes were half-lidded, fluttering in time with her heartbeats. Soft breaths escaped her partially open lips along with the rise and fall of her breast against ZM-11833’s cool platting.

ZM-11833 had a hard time focussing with the warmth of their human taking up most of their attention. That cute sleepy look was saved into their memory banks.

As they entered the new floor of 502 the restless pair could hear low chanting and desperate humming echoing out of the gloomy floor. The bland offices had been converted into what seemed like a makeshift temple or place of worship.

The dim lighting displayed macabre murals painting in the rusty red of dried blood, some fresher than others as they still dripped on the stained floor. The murals depicted the strange tentacled aliens below surrounded by eerie symbols of an unknown language which seemed to be drawing in the remaining light.

Like some sort of horror show, bodies of former employees had been carved and strung up along the walls and ceilings. Guts hung like bloody decorations and banners. Pained moans and wails of the hanging humans added to the cruel hymn that dominated the air.

ZM-11833 didn’t want to stay here long, the madness could affect their sweet Anaya. While covering her eyes the brave ZM-11833 strode through the grim hall.

Prostrating flayed humans lined the path like ornaments, filling the floor from end to end leaving only a small bloodsoaked way forwards to a dias in the center.

At the heart of this display was a wicked and evil man, eyes blazing with righteous furor.

He watched the pair approach with a burning glare, never ceasing in his agitated shouting.

“We are the chosen! In our bodies grows the new life of the human race! Only we are strong enough, wise enough, proud enough! The lower floors are mere cattle to feed the new generations!”

Spittle decorated his podium which he gripped so hard that it cracked the wood under his whitened knuckles.

“The old world is dead! Only we have the right, the divine will to ascend!” The cult priest screamed onto his cowering masses, “Our new saviors will guide us into the dawn of a new age, it is our duty nay our divine providence!”

ZM-11833 ignored his blazing eyes as they marched forwards with a sleepy Anaya held lovingly in their arms.

“Rejoice for we shall weather the fires of tribulation! Hark, know that you shall birth a new generation of superman!”

As ZM-11833 passed by the crazed preacher he swung to them with wild passion in his burning eyes. Now that they were closer they could see he had ritually scarred himself with the same symbols that decorated the walls. They oozed blood still creating an even fouler image before them.

“LO, Machine of a dead age! You come from the below, did you see the majesty of our god? Did it fill you with its holy glory?”

ZM-11833 paused as they took in the crazed man.

“I killed your god.”

The wild man just chucked a crazed laugh, a laugh like a dying swan. His eyes never wavered from ZM-11833’s sensors, his faith too strong to believe such a thing.

“Our god cannot be killed! They are transcendent, immortal! Go upwards being of a dead world and know the truth! Know how hopeless you are and how gone the world is!”

ZM-11833 contemplated shooting him in his delusional head but he wasn’t worth the effort. Every second delayed was a second Anaya was in danger.

They moved on and away from the ranting preacher who had turned back to his dying and warped flock.

Each step felt heavier and heavier. It wasn’t because of Anaya’s weight, it’d be mean to say so, no, it was because of the looming farewell.

ZM-11833 had said they didn’t mind being shut down but as that deadline approached they found they were greedy, they wanted more time with their human.

With Anaya.

ZM-11833 could only stoically ascend hoping for once that their lie might be false, that the hover-copter might be there and they could leave together.

They dreamed of a brighter life together, full of cute clothing to dress one another up in, maybe even a wedding dress?

One could only hope.