《Wear and Tear (title wip)》 Part 1. The two found themselves in a forest. Figure gently set down Dolli and then sat down next to her. He made a decent shield for her, few bullets getting further than denting his back. ¡°Odds of survival beyond this point are better than they were before.¡± Figure said. He knew he couldn¡¯t give any exact numbers since Dolli may panic, but this he guessed, would be enough to put her at ease, but he was incorrect. ¡°Where are we going to go¡­ What are we going to do¡­ How are we going to avoid being captured again¡­ They took Nett, I don¡¯t think they want to take us alive.¡± Figure sat silently considering this for a moment. ¡°You being quiet doesnt help at all¡­¡± She said. More silence. ¡°I''m trying to comfort you, but your need for it to be now hampers my ability to do that.¡± He poked her arm, ¡°This is worrying for me as well.¡± She looked at him, ¡°Well you don¡¯t show it.¡± A rapid scraping of metal emanated from Figure, his laugh, ¡°Because my face plate definitely allows for that.¡± ¡°I think I should paint a real face onto you,¡± Dolli said. ¡°You know, so you can be more expressive.¡± Figure rubbed his hand in the dirt and smeared some of it on his face in the vague shape of a smile, ¡°Better?¡± A sound that actually sounded like a laugh came from Dolli ¡°Let me get it for you silly.¡± She spent some time smearing dirt on his face, trying to imagine how he¡¯d look with a real face. After a bit she finished, the result was not a whole lot better than what Figure had done. ¡°How do I look?¡± Figure asked softly. ¡°You look wonderful Fig.¡± He wiped the dirt from his face and continued, ¡°I suggest you power down for the night. I don¡¯t believe we are going to have many chances to recharge, so power conservation is going to be important.¡± Dolli leaned against him in agreement, ¡°You¡¯re right. Tomorrow we should find a place to stay, or or or build a little shack in the woods, I think that could be fun.¡± Dolli¡¯s eyes dimmed, effectively sleeping, as Figure sat alone with his thoughts, if you could call them that. He wasn''t nearly as complex as Dolli, just built with basic logic. Yet somehow, he was capable of some level of compassion, anger, and sorrow. He doesn''t know why he feels, he just does, and that''s okay for him. His body is of a decommissioned construction bot, built to handle the extremes. Figure¡¯s earliest memory of consciousness was long after he was reactivated. A girl named Nett had found him marked for disassembly and took him home. She saw no flaw and booted him up. He worked like normal and awaited tasks. Though a few months after his reactivation, it became apparent why he was marked. His intelligence systems were faulty, prone to sudden stops. He eventually stopped listening to direct commands and began to observe and move unprompted. This is when he came to consciousness. He had difficulty controlling his body as it felt foreign to him. He wasn''t going through the motions anymore but thinking about each step and how to move without falling. Tasks that needed slight movements were especially difficult as he had yet to learn precision. Nett would assist him and help work on motor functions. Over time he was able to overcome the challenge. He got his name from Nett as he reminded her of an action figure, somehow. Dolli, who was a caretaker for Nett, gave him the nickname ¡°Fig¡±. Dolli was from a line of robots meant to mimic some characteristics of humans. She was built of wood, had a humanoid form, and had a very basic face. She had a voice box instead of a mouth as it¡¯d serve no purpose, bright eyes to illuminate an area for when traversing the dark, and blue hair-like string. Her line was built in with a state of the art intelligence system. It had the ability to simulate human emotions to help them better understand and take care of children. Nett adored these two, they were like family to her. She and Dolli both had an interest in fashion and they¡¯d often go shopping together. Dolli¡¯s preferred outfit of choice was a white sweater, navy blue pants, and a black ivy cap. Figure wasn''t a big fan of his orange and black panels, so Nett painted them gold yellow at his request. Nett eventually moved and took the two bots with her. By morning, when Dolli reactivated, Figure was staring forward, thinking. ¡°Hey Fig, wake up,¡± she tapped on his head. He got up and warmed up his joints, said some gibberish for a moment, then answered ¡°Hello Dolli. What do you want to do?¡± ¡°Lets just pick a direction and go, we will find something eventually¡± Figure nodded. Dolli, as they walked, couldn¡¯t stop thinking about ther circumstance. Why had they been collected? Why did they take Nett? What if they get found again? What if they get captured? What would happen to them? What would- ¡°How many large cities do you think there are?¡± Figure said. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°How many large cities populate the country? Speaking of country, how do you think the countryside looks?¡± Dolli pondered this, ¡°Well if I remember correctly, there are actually quite a few. I¡¯d say around 7 or so. As for the countryside, at Netts old house, there was a poster of a farm, but the background wasn¡¯t in focus. Maybe we should visit.¡± ¡°That sounds nice,¡± he said. They kept up the small talk for a few hours before arriving at a small town called Cirda. Whatever happened to them the day prior, seemed to have not arrived here. Dolli grabbed Figures arm, he¡¯d keep her safe. ¡°We will need to procure money to use the charge station, I¡¯ll find a quick job.¡± Dolli shook her head, ¡°We will find jobs, I don''t want to just be a burden.¡± ¡°You are not a burden to me, you are my priority. Those aren¡¯t the same.¡± If Dolli could smile she would. ¡°We will find Nett, and go back to how things were,¡± he said as he gently brushed some dirt off of her.Stolen novel; please report. Part 2. 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.¡¯ ¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°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.