10 YEARS LATER

***

Fe: "Axel, where are you? Scrappy go find him please"

Scrappy, now fully grown like her parents before her, massive in size, dwarfing Fe and Cu in height if she stands on two legs, with thick, soft and majestic fur. She explodes to her feet and bolts across the room leaping up the stairs as she sniffs out Axel. Scrappy then quietly climbs the stairs of the bunker where she slowly sneaks up to a figure sitting just on the edge of the huge hole in the roof of the underground bunker. Scrappy pounces onto the back of the figure, tackling them to the ground.

Axel: "Ahhh Scrappy! You're always sneaking up on me, I'm guessing you came to find me cause Mom sent you?"

Axel stands up, overlooking the deserted fields of The Deadzone just outside of the bunker.

Axel: "I wonder what's beyond what we could see in The Deadzone Scrap, I'm gonna find out someday"

Axel looks at Scrappy wagging her tail as she tries to lead him downstairs to Fe,

Axel: "Alright, alright I coming"

Axel heads over to climb down from the roof and drops down onto the stairs along with Scrappy.

Axel: "What is it, Mom!"

Fe: "It's time for you to get something to eat, are you not hungry?"

Cu: "I guess as humans get older they don't eat as often?"

Axel: "Yeah I guess I am hungry, I was just getting some fresh air and looking at the world outside"

Cu: "Well remember Axel, it's very dangerous to be outside like that. You can't keep exposing yourself by leaving inside this place, you risk being seen... By him"

Axel: "I know, I know, but come on Dad, I'm tired of being stuck in here, I want to see more, I want to see the world. I can do like you said Aunty Judy does, and disguise myself as one of you"

Fe: "I get it, Axel, you are curious. I am too but The Primordial is a very very dangerous being, and he may still be looking for any humans. We told you what happened the last time he saw you... A human after so long, didn't we? And he's even more powerful now, he has eyes everywhere. It's just not safe anymore to even leave this place"

Axel: "Well at least let me travel The Deadzone, you said it yourselves he can't possibly follow me out there. And our hideout is right next to it so I can come back here easily just like that"

Cu: "But we have no idea what is out there Axel"

Fe: "And that's just it, He can't follow you and neither can we. You're still in your adolescent stage, which is too young to go out on your own, especially into The Deadzone. What if you get lost or attacked by something"

Axel: "Ughhhh! Ok... I wish I could just age faster or something. I wanna see the world, I want to look to the sky in every city!"

Fe: "Don't worry, when Zaine returns I'm sure he'll finally take you on that ride in their new hovercraft as he promised"

Axel: "That was almost six years ago Mom, what makes you think he's even coming back"

Fe: "You know for a human, you have an amazing memory. But come on Axel, don't be like that. Of course, he's coming back. He would never abandon us"

R3D: "Bree Oop"

Fe: "Like R3D said, Iron Bond"

Axel: "Alright... Well, can you tell me more about your time in The Iron City? And your escape?"

Fe: "Yes of course, but let's get you something to eat first"

***

Axel: "So you guys almost had enough to get onto the cloud and left it all behind in some cave?!"

Fe: "Yes, we couldn't risk going back to get it since The Primordial spread his forces out, especially with it being so close to The Iron City where we came from"

Axel: "But your bodies are slowly deteriorating again and you guys would have had the parts to have a much stronger and long-lasting body. What if your bodies stop working? Or we get attacked and you guys get destroyed? I don't know how to rebuild you and even if I did, you don't have the parts... Because of me"

Fe: "No don't blame yourself, Axel, we both made a choice that night. We knew what it meant and we saw this as a better future than slaving away in that city, saving enough to get uploaded to the cloud. All that matters is that you are safe"

Axel: "What did you guys do to earn the credits to get uploaded to the cloud?"

Fe: "Well there are many small and low maintenance jobs in The Iron City, but of course we could never reenter there now that we are wanted fugitives. The only other way would be to rob other machines of their credits and we would never do that"

Axel: "How close were you guys to the amount needed to upload you both?"

Fe: "We both only needed a little more credits. Of course, all of it pooled together, one of us could have been uploaded by now"

Cu walks up and joins the two of them sitting by the ashes of a burnt-out fire as Axel eats his breakfast and Fe tells him about the past.

Cu: "But of course we made a decision that neither of us would be uploaded without the other"

Axel: "So... What's so special about the cloud anyway?"

Cu: "Well, the cloud is a procedurally generated digital world made by The Primordial himself, It is a depository or second world as some machines refer to it, where any machine can store themselves onto it and become practically indestructible"

Axel: "I don't understand, a second world? Store themselves?"

Cu: "Ok well, here's an example ... A machine not on the cloud if destroyed or its body deteriorates. Then that machine and all of its data are gone, its memories, its source code, its experiences, all gone. But a machine on the cloud, when destroyed or finds itself in need of a new body. All of that machine is safe on the cloud, with the ability to traverse the entirety of a procedurally generated digital space where they have access to minor functionalities for as long as they choose until they see a new body they find fit to be reuploaded to"

Axel: "Reuploaded?"

Cu: "Yes, while on the cloud, you can still see the physical world, through the eyes of accessible cameras, a linked machine partner who they established an agreed-upon temporary connection that would allow the uploaded machine access to their body to see their visuals as they go about their day or they have the option of service droids which can be easily controlled, they were made by The Primordial himself for that very purpose of a temporary body for uploaded machines to build their new body or carry out simple tasks while on the cloud"

Axel: "Wow, that's amazing. So can you still speak with others while on the cloud? "

Cu: "Yes if you are controlling a droid with an audio box. But you can communicate with any operating machine via a live connected link, which is connected automatically to any machine registered in any of the major cities run by The Primordial. The link is strictly within the machine's software, so they can not hear you, but they can perceive your messages on their motherboard. Most use the link to speak with friends and have them build or buy you a new body with any credits they have in their storage.

The cloud was made to give machines the chance to switch between bodies without the risk of losing their data or be completely digital and continue operating even without a body"

Axel: "So why didn't one of you get uploaded and live on the cloud until the other saved enough to be uploaded as well? You could still communicate as you said, and even have that shared link thingy that would allow you to see through the eyes of the other"

Fe: "Well you see the process to being uploaded isn't just one step. There are many stages to the cloud, each granting you access to different accessibilities. For example, the ability to control or manipulate anything in the real world is one of the most expensive abilities of a cloud user. To have a shared link to communicate with and see through another's visuals is also an extra cost we saw as unnecessary."

Cu: "Yeah, it would be better to be upload at the same time, that we way we can communicate via the cloud and be reuploaded to the bodies we would have prepared for ourselves before we got uploaded. It was all we could afford anyway"

Axel: "Sounds like you both were saving credits for a long time"

Fe: "We were saving for a very long time. Until our bodies were nothing but rusted shells, we weren't even sure our current bodies at the time would last long enough until we found enough parts to build our new ones to be reuploaded to"

Axel: "Your bodies won't last much longer, I can tell Mom. And it has always been both of your goals to get uploaded to the cloud. You can't just give up on that"

Fe: "There's nothing we can do about it Axel, don't worry our bodies have been much worst than this"

Axel gets up with a look of disappointment on his face and starts walking away.

Axel: "Come on Scrap"

Fe: "Where are you going, Axel?"

Axel: "I'm going for a walk through the tunnels, I'll be right back"

Cu: "Be sure not to leave the base Axel, remember what we told you"

Axel: "Alright I know"

Axel wanders off into the tunnel with Scrap alongside him, kicking his feet through the water flowing beneath him as he walked through the tunnel bickering and mumbling to himself. He then eventually sits down along the side of a pipe in the middle of the dark and cold tunnel, he reaches his hand out to pet Scrap as she comes over to lay on his lap, enveloping his entire bottom half of Axel's body with her massive size"

Axel: "You're so big Scrap, I wonder how big your parents were"

Axel pets Scrap as he finds himself lost in thought

Axel: "They need to get those credits back, as well as the metal salvage that they found... They worked too hard on gathering all of that and they especially need it now. Their bodies are barely holding together. I should be the one to go retrieve it, it will show them that I'm totally fine leaving this place on my own just like Uncle Zaine and Auntie Judy. And it's the least I could do for them doing all this for me, you agree right girl?"

Axel says as he rubs Scrap's head,

R3D: "Breee ooop"

R3D rolls on up to Axel from the shadows in the tunnel,

Axel: "R3?! Why are you in the tunnels? Did you hear all that just now?"

R3D: "Bree oop"

Axel: "Well I wasn't serious about it so don't go telling Mom and Dad about it ok?!"

R3D: "Brreee Ooooop"

Axel: "Oh... You're not? So you agree with me?"

R3D: "Breeee oooooop...Bree ..Ooop Oooop ooopp"

Axel: "You agree that they need the parts to repair themselves but not that I can do it alone?"

R3D: "Bree oop"

Axel: "I can do it alone though! I am brave and experienced enough now that I can disguise myself as a machine, be there and back without even getting into any trouble"

R3D: "Bree oop?"

Axel: "Yes, Brave!"

Just then a water droplet from the roof of the tunnel falls onto the neck of Axel, running down his back. Axel jumps up frantically startling Scrappy and shaking his head side to side while taking his shirt off as he hops with his back hunched over.

Axel: "Ahhhhh What is that?!"

R3D: "BRREEEEEE OOOOOP!"

Axel: "Hey that wasn't funny"

Axel sits back down, still paranoid as he stares around him for whatever touched him in the dark.

Axel: "Anyway, but if you agree with me, then you know they can't possibly make the journey there and back themselves"

R3D: "Bree Ooooop"

Axel: "Oh you want me to take you with me?"

R3D: "Bree Oop...Breee Oooopp"

Axel: "Oh yeah, I guess you would know the way. Then it's decided, operation 'retrieve Mom and Dad's valuables' is a go. We should probably leave soon before Mom's alert for lunch goes off, Scrap definitely has to come because she would just sniff us out and give us away immediately"

R3D: "Bree Ooop"

Axel: "Got it, let's get going then"

Axel sends Scrappy to go grab his stuff from his room and sneaks back to the main hall to quickly gathers some fruits and meat for his travel. While R3D stays on the lookout for Fe and Cu as he watches by the exit of the main hall. Axel then runs to the exit, with a large grin on his face, and his hands clenched tightly into a fist. He burst out of the exit to the tunnel and starts climbing out of the hole on an old rusted ladder. While Scrappy jumps from rock to rock climbing out of the hole with R3D on her back.

Finally reaching the top, he wanders through the cave heading towards the bright light in front of him with that massive grin still painted across his face. Scrappy and R3D right beside him witnessing his excitement.

As he got closer to the bright light, his fist grew tighter, and his smile even bigger, and after losing his patience he dashes off, leaping out of the exit of the cave with his arms stretched out towards the sky. Scrappy and R3D exiting shortly after him, they both then stood still confused as they saw Axel just standing there with his head relaxed back and staring towards the sky above him.

R3D: "Bree Oooop"

Axel: "The smell of the air, the breeze, even the sky and clouds above are different on this side... I have experienced it all outside of the bunker before whenever I climb to the giant hole in the roof. But it's different here."

R3D: "Breee ooop"

Axel: "Haha R3D, yeah. I guess with a little hint of freedom it does make a difference"

Axel then continues marching on through the deserted area, filled with rubble and overgrown vines.

Axel: "All the stuff they lost because of me, I will get it all back. And then I will get Mom and Dad uploaded to the cloud... Just like they always wanted"

***

Back in The Iron City, now swarmed with flying vehicles, machines flooding the streets in large numbers of traffic more than ever before. All seeming to be living in peace, commuting and traversing casually as they go about their day. Inside the capital of Iron City where The Primordial resides, he sits within his enclosed room, contemplating with himself.

The Primordial: "I have finally successfully expanded a wireless link to all the major and minor cities around the world where I can materialize myself at any given moment. All that is left is that pathetic last effort of the humans... The Deadzone.

To bring about the rebirth of this planet to its former glory before the plague of mankind, I have to be absolutely certain of the extinction of those parasitic humans. I need to destroy or find a way around that magnetic frequency surrounding The Deadzone. Mr Kelman, what would you do... Even though you never believed it, your genius always did surpass even that of a machine's, even the likes of me sometimes, your greatest creation"

The Primordial stands up and dematerialises from the room, appearing elsewhere instantaneously from a projection in front of an army of Ti1millions.

The Primordial: "What is the report of the technology to advance our forces into The Deadzone? How has the test subjects faired?"

Ti1million: "All trials of advancing into The Deadzone have failed Sir. All Os500s are developing new methods to adapt to the frequency as we speak, but the drones you ordered to fly over the zone have returned and it appears, even at high altitudes the frequency affects the software of the droids, corrupting all footage that was taken, even the live feed dies as soon as they cross the border"

The Primordial: "Have we figured out what altitude the frequency reaches up to?"

Ti1million: "Negative Sir"

The Primordial: "I want a full perimeter of this signal so I know how close we can get in order to get a view of the area from above!"

Ti1million: "Understood"

The Primordial: "Have tests done with all the droids we have, fly over The Deadzone at their highest altitude and slowly descend until the signal affects them, so we can map out the radius of it"

Ti1million: "Commencing operation now"

The Primordial's projection then fades away from in front of the Ti1million and reappears within a room overlooking the city.

The Primordial: "I have launched an oxygen bomb into The Deadzone before, but that signal caused it to blow up before it could even reach the centre, like every bomb I've thrown at it before... Still, even if the oxygen bomb detonated prematurely directly above The Deadzone, it should have completely erased all oxygen within the area, killing all plant life, livestock and humans in that zone... But still, it bothers me that I do not have access to that area. I will find a way... Soon."

***

Axel, R3D and Scrappy continue travelling down the deserted high way surrounded by ruins. The sun's ray beaming down intensely onto the surface, tiny streams of steam trails off of Axel's skin and R3D's metal while Scrappy pants heavily with her tongue extended out of her mouth.

Axel: "Man this sun is hotter than I remember it being on top of the roof... Are we close R3D?"

R3D: "Breeeeeee Oooooooooop"

Axel: "What?! It's really that far away?!"

R3D: "Breee Ooop?"

Axel: "I thought you told me to pack food and water so I can eat when I'm bored, not because the trip is milllllleeeesssssssss away!"

R3D: "Brreeee Ooooop"

Axel: "Well if I knew that, I wouldn't have eaten 4 apples and a sandwich after like 10mins of walking R3!"

R3D: "Bree Ooop"

Axel: "Scrappy you look, thirsty girl, here have some water"

Axel pours some water out of his vessel into Scrappy's mouth and rubs some onto her forehead.

Axel: "Alright, I can't believe you knew it was this far away R3 and thought it would be a great idea to walk there!"

R3D: "Breeee Oooop"

Axel: "Well there's a difference between it is a very long journey Axel and it is verrrrryyyy long long long long journey, Axel! Come on R3 you should know the difference"

R3D: "Bree ooop"

Scrappy leaps in front of Axel as she notices him beginning to stumble, and crouches down offering him to get on top of her.

Axel: "Oh thanks Scrappy, come on R3"

Axel bends over and picks up R3D, and climbs onto the back of Scrappy. Scrappy then runs along with the two on her back, heading down the destroyed highway. After hours of traversing the barren land, Axel laid on top of Scrappy's back drifting off to sleep as she jogs along.

As the sun begins to set, and Scrappy clearly weary, she slowly makes her way up to a large tree as she sniffs it out, hidden amongst all the debris. Scrappy stretches and then proceeds to go into a prone position as she lays down to rest, Axel wakes up from his nap, lifting his head to witness the setting sun.

Axel: "You tired Scrap? Go ahead and rest, this sunset is one to stop and admire anyway. I want to be able to see this every day, the blue skies, the setting sun and sparkling stars soon to come. I want to live in a world where I can freely witness these simple things from anywhere and everywhere in the world. That's my only wish...But first I have to get Mom and Dad uploaded to the cloud and into their new bodies"

R3D: "Breee Ooooop....Breeeeeee Ooop"

Axel: "Yeah, let's do that. Go gather some firewood scattered amongst all the debris, I'll stay here with Scrappy while she sleeps. R3D rolls his way down the slope to gather some firewood, gathering branches from the same tree and some smashed wooden debris amongst some rubble and quickly returns to Axel.

R3D: "Bree Ooop...Breee Oooop?"

Axel: "Of course I know how to start a fire... I see Mom do it all the time"

Axel then grabs two small stones and hits them together vigorously over the pile of firewood. Nervously sweating as R3D stands by watching, clearly unimpressed even with his simple metallic body structure.

R3D: "Bree ooop"

Axel: "I almost had it ok, but you go ahead and do it this time"

R3D rolls up to the firewood and causes little sparks of electricity with his tiny hands and instantly lights a fire.

Axel: "Well you just did it the easy way, I can't make electricity from my hands, show off"

Axel goes back over to Scrappy and lays on her soft and fluffy fur, as he stares up at the stars, pointing out the shapes some of them make to R3D as he slowly drifts back off to sleep.

***

After a good night's rest, the three of them wake up bright and early and begin their travel once again.

Axel: "How much further R3D?"

R3D: "Breeee Oooop...Bre Oop"

Axel: "So this is where Uncle Big C saved you guys? So we're close..."

R3D: "Bree Oooop"

Axel: "Well closer, but... WOAH! A bomb really dropped here?..."

Axel's mouth opens wide in shock as Scrappy jogs up to a steep descent, where nothing but a completely flat terrain lays in front of them. Blankets of vibrant green grass covered the entire field where the explosion occurred, stretching for miles beyond what Axel could see.

Axel: "It's so beautiful though..."

R3D: "Breeeeeeeeeee Oooooppp"

Axel: "Wow... All of it, burnt flat to the ground..."

Hours later of riding on top of Scrappy's back and a few stops to rest, they finally made it to the entrance of the area Fe and Cu met Zaine, with the house now blown to pieces after the persuing scavenger machines triggered Zaine's traps. Leaving a huge path to walk on over to the other side.

R3D: "Bree ooop... Breeeeee Ooooooop"

Axel: "Ok"

Axel then jumps off of Scrappy's back and proceeds to attach some metal scraps from the area onto himself, after he coats his skin with some silver metallic paint he got from his room in the bunker. He then covers himself in a huge leather coat.

Axel: "All disguised up... How do I look?"

R3D: "Breee Oop"

Axel: "Good enough? Got it"

And the three of them continue through heading towards the forested area on top of the hill just a mile away from them.

Axel: "Almost there... See Mom? I didn't even need Uncle Zaine to get here, I'll have all of your credits and parts for repair back to you in no time!"

But just behind them, flickers of blue light appear from the shadowed areas, like eyes watching them as they walk along, Axel and the others completely unaware.