Once we were safe, I fell to the ground, huffing from the strain. The whole ordeal was incredibly draining, but finishing with pulling a giant of a man covered in armor away from a cliff was my limit. It didn't seem to faze my dad; he chuckled momentarily while I caught my breath and glared incredulously.

"Damn," he said, "that was a pretty gnarly situation, huh?"

"Gnarly?" was the only response I could get out.

"Yeah, gnarly. You know, crazy, scary, and awesome all rolled into one." He waited for my acknowledgment, but when none came, he just shrugged his shoulders. "It's an old slang term. Maybe you can make it popular again."

I slowly shook my head. I didn't want his words to distract me from the bigger picture. This whole situation was so far beyond my scope of understanding that it was difficult to get my head around it. Not to mention how weird it was that my usually stoic father was suddenly all chatty and talking about trending words.

"What happened?" I blurted out, no longer able to contain my questions. "What's going on?"

"What are you talking about, son? We're here to get you a robot just like you wanted."

"Jonas," I stated flatly. I wanted him to know how serious I was. "What was that guard talking about with you and mom?

"So, it's back to Jonas, huh?" my father sighed. "Listen, it's a long story. I'll tell you everything after you get your robot and we get out of here." He was quiet for a moment as he was contemplating something. I was still lost in a long list of questions I felt needed answers. "I don't think we'll be able to go home either, so we'll have lots of time to talk."

I thought about what he said. I could handle waiting until I received a robot to talk about some things. However, I needed a little information before I could manage to move. I felt paralyzed with questions weighing my soul down.

"How were you able to fight those guards so easily?" I asked. "I thought you just had a Labor Class and were a farmer. But…you killed those guards. It doesn't even bother you-"

"Hey!" my father barked, interrupting me. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about now, so I suggest you stop." He rose from the ground and dusted himself off. "I understand that you have a lot of questions, and I will answer them, just not here and not now. Those answers take time, and I don't want to be here for long; other guards might already be on their way, and I want to put some distance between us."

He held out his hand to help me up, so I took it. If he wasn't willing to answer those questions because they took too long to answer, then perhaps I could get an answer on something else.

"What was it that the guard yelled?" I asked while walking over to the Orb. "Overdrive?"

"Yep."

"What was that? I've never heard of it. That jump he made was amazing."

"That book you're always reading doesn't tell you everything. There are actually three modes with your robot. You'll learn all about it soon enough." I didn't let the question stay with that, and I turned to him with raised eyebrows in anticipation. Thankfully, he responded when he noticed my look. "After Companion and Symbiotic Modes, the third is called Overdrive.

"What about your lesser and greater modes?"

"That's a special ability I received a while ago."

"Okay, then. What's Overdrive?"

"Overdrive varies slightly based on the user, but it gives the user about two minutes of extra power while in symbiotic mode. It's dangerous, though, and it's more of a last resort. It'll often result in the destruction of the robot and possibly the user."

"So the guard expected to die?" I asked unbelievingly.

"If you cancel the mode quickly enough, the side effects won't be too great. But based on his attack, he was planning on collapsing this whole area into the cavern, himself included."

I stopped as we reached the base of the Orb.

"Is it safe to go get a robot then?"

My father looked around the ground observing the numerous cracks created by the guard's attack.

"It shouldn't be a problem." He started pointing to the fissures. "You can see that it didn't really spread to the Orb. It should be fine. You walk up, the Orb spits out your robot, then we get out of here. It'll be quick."

I nodded at his explanation and agreed with his assumption. I dusted myself off, took one deep breath to steel my nerves, and stepped forward. It was finally going to happen.

It was six months later than it should have been and a couple of days after my initial attempt, but I was finally going to get my own robot. I no longer even cared what type I would get or what I would do after. The former was because I was tired, and the latter because I had no idea.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

I stood on the rotting tree that we had previously placed down so I could reach the correct place on the Orb. In areas where the orbs frequented, daises or stairs were made so there was space to receive the robot or so others could witness the event, but we didn't have that luxury in that situation. I didn't mind as long as I got my robot.

I tried to be as confident as I could as I stood there, but I noticed my hand shaking as I reached out to touch the Orb. I gently placed my hand on the smooth black surface. It was warmer than expected, but I supposed the sun was shining on it. A spike of fear shot through me as nothing happened, and I feared the worst.

Then, a blue light lit up around my hand and pulsed. Five times the light brightened and dimmed; my book hadn't prepared me for how long the process seemed to be, but I solidified my patience and waited.

The blue light stopped pulsing and stayed lit. Words appeared on the Orb's surface, the same color as the light.

-Please be still and wait for scanning.

I did as instructed. A red light popped into existence just above the words. Then a light the same color raked down my body. The light moved up and down my body a few more times. What it was looking for while scanning, I didn't know. I held as still as possible, so I wouldn't mess it up. The words changed on the Orb.

-Scanning complete.

-Robotic companion selected.

A square panel about half my size slid open just below my eye level and where the words were displayed. I peered into the recess, wondering what the inside of the Orb could look like. Unfortunately, I couldn't see anything beyond the pervasive black void. I started to move back to make room for my new robot to emerge. Before I could move, the words changed once more.

Please be still and wait for installation.

"Installation?" I mumbled.

A large metal bar shot out from the Orb's recess. At the end of the rod was a four-pronged claw that latched around my chest to hold me in place. I grunted from the force. Another bar extended below the first and grabbed and pinned my waist and legs in place.

Just as quick, a third bar, this one above the other two, emerged from the Orb. It was different than the first two because it was smaller and had an odd-shaped end. I quickly learned what the tip was for as it wrapped around my neck and covered my chin to stop my head from moving.

I knew something wasn't right since I had never heard about what was being done to me. I was doubly sure when I heard my father cry out my name in alarm. I tried to struggle, but the Orb's control over me was complete. Before I could even hope that my father would be able to do anything to help, I heard a loud rumble that echoed out of the cavern. The Orb tilted backward, and I began to rise in the air.

"Shit!" I absently heard my father yell.

I didn't have the ability to give his exclamation much thought. I couldn't even spare much thought for the fact that I was dangling high above the Orb as it appeared to slip in the maw of the cavern it was resting in. My stomach did a double lurch as I was lifted speedily up, and another bar emerged from the recess of the Orb.

The Orb didn't seem to care that it would fall into a cavern and definitely didn't care that I would. The last arm of the Orb, which contained a shiny, curved piece of metal, slammed over my face and eyes. I was sure that my head would have rocked back if it wasn't being held in place by another arm.

My vision went black as the piece of metal was placed on me. I started to hear a sizzling sound moving closer from the direction of the arm. Another sound, like a drill powered by De, also entered my sphere of sound.

"Overdrive," screamed my father, but that was all I was able to make out before the pain started.

The pain I was subjected to for an eternity was an amalgamation of burning, stabbing, and pinching. It felt like the metal plate the Orb placed on my face was being burned and screwed onto my head. The loudness of the tools made it hard to hear my own screams or know if I was still screaming.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I could hear my father yelling, but I was wholly unable to understand what he was saying. I begged internally to pass out from the pain, but I couldn't reach a state of unconscious bliss.

All the pain seemed heightened due to my inability to see what was happening. I could hear the sound of sparks as my skin was seared, and I felt the crunch of bone as the drill pierced my head. When I thought I couldn't take anymore, the pain subsided, and I felt myself falling.

I fell and didn't even care if my final destination was the dark chasm on which the Orb had rested. I was just glad that the pain had subsided a little. It was still present from whatever had been done to me, but it was infinitely better with my release.

It didn't matter if I fell into darkness because I was already unable to see. I didn't even care if I fell on my head right next to the cavern. My only hope was that I would no longer suffer.

I was struck in the back by a large object that changed the trajectory of my fall. A moment later, I slammed into the ground in a lump of useless human, and darkness finally closed around me. Unfortunately, the bliss of unconsciousness didn't last long. A familiar voice pulled me from the darkness.

"Matty," the voice called to me. "Matt!" I woke enough to feel the burning and throbbing pain on my face. I groaned and tried to get up, but the best I could do was to flail my arm about uselessly.

"Matt!" my father yelled with urgency in his voice.

"Yeah," was all I managed to croak out as a response.

"You have to listen to me, Matty." My father sounded as if he was struggling and in distress. I had never heard that tone in his voice before.

"Dad! Where are you? I can't see anything," I howled.

"I'm sorry, but you have to listen. I can't hold on much longer."

"What's going on? Tell me where you are. I can help."

"Damn it! Just listen," he ordered. "In my bag. There's a key. Take it to the bank in Colony City. It will help you find your mother."

"My mom?"

"She's alive. She has a special class. They tried to kill her, and that's why she left, to protect us. To protect you!"

"Why are you telling me this?" I cried. "What's going on?"

"I love you, Matty!"

I could hear the crumbling of rock and the scrambling of hands. Then I listened to the echoing scream of my father falling.

"Dad!" I sobbed. I tried to move, but my body still wouldn't listen to my commands. I screamed and yelled repeatedly, but I heard no other sounds.

I continued to scream for a long time, regardless. I screamed until my voice gave out, and I screamed until I lost consciousness once more.