Rosie bites into the juicy fruit, filling her filthy face red with a look of satisfaction exploding out of her, as she enjoys the sour taste exploding in her mouth. She then proceeds to ravishingly eat the rest of the fruit, bespattering the juices all over her already dirty face. Axel watches from the side with a look of slight disgust and empathy as he holds his hand out to her with a bottle of water.

Axel: "Here, you must be thirsty as well"

Rosie: "...Thank you, that food you gave me was... really good. I have never had anything like it before. Where did you get it?"

Axel: "It's a fruit, it grows on trees back home. There's a lot more if you want, I guess no trees grow in this rusted junkyard so of course, you wouldn't know of fruits. How long have you been here?"

Rosie: "For as long as I can remember, we were..."

Axel: "Come on, you can trust me. I want to help you, I want to save the others..."

Rosie: "We... we're a small group... 10 of us, captured by machines... Taken away from our protectors, two old droids... All who awoke from pods... separated and used as 'runners'. Other pods with those who hadn't woke yet were taken away elsewhere by shiny machines, different from the ones here. I haven't seen my friends since we were brought here, I just know they are used as runners too because I hear the screams from my cage"

Axel: "Pods?... You said those who awoke from their pods...?"

Rosie: "Yes, we were all inside pods... Carried by these old droids. They said they were our protectors... Taught us how to speak and fed us"

Axel: "Where are the droids now? What happened to them?"

Rosie: "The machines from this terrible place... They..."

Water begins to pour from Rosie's face, overflowing from her eyes as it streamed down her cheeks.

Rosie: "They were destroyed by the machines who took us, they tried their hardest to protect us"

Axel thinks to himself, she mentioned pods and old droids... Mom mentioned these things when she told me about where she found me as well, could they... Anyway, that's not important right now.

Axel: "Do you know where they kept you? Or the others?"

Rosie: "I... Know where my cage is... But I don't want to go back there... Please don't take me back there"

Axel: "Don't worry, I won't let them take you again... But to save the others, I need an idea of where they are"

Rosie: "Ok..."

Scrappy crawls inside of the vehicle and goes up close to Rosie, licking the tears from her face.

Axel: "She likes you, her name is Scrappy but you can call her Scrap"

Rosie: "Scrap..."

O'Ton-omi: "Another terrible name by the way. That name is literally a synonym for trash, and that is depressing"

Axel: "Alright O'To, that's enough from you. How much time left?"

O'Ton-omi: "Estimated time remaining is 45minutes and 36seconds"

Axel: "Alright, I think we can do it in that time!"

Axel hops out of the vehicle, as he shouts to Caesar and R3D.

Caesar: "Do what in that time?"

R3D: "Bree Ooop?"

Axel: "There are others, we can save them"

***

Back in The Iron City, two Ti1millions approach The Primordial as he inspects the device strapped to the destroyed machine he used to enter and travel the furthest into The Deadzone.

Ti1million: "All test subjects are prepared to commence on your order Prime Sir"

The Primordial: "Have the drills managed to dig into The Deadzone?"

Ti1million: "Affirmative, but once they begin to dig upward they immediately lose power and cease all operation permanently"

The Primordial: "Digging tunnels into The Deadzone is useless if we can't breach the surface. And the number of combinations this device can be rebuilt in order to find the perfect schematic to make it into The Deadzone is almost infinite. This all will take too long only to prove pointless..."

The Primordial lifts the device in his hand crushing it slowly as he steps away from the desk and walks towards one of the Ti1millions reporting to him.

The Primordial: "What number test would this be?"

Ti1million: "Test number 5 Prime Sir"

The Primordial: "And how many have failed, how much further have each test made it into The Deadzone?"

Ti1million: "For every 10 test machines, 1 machine has made it between an inch to 12 feet further into The Deadzone"

The Primordial smashes his hand into the wall aggressively beside the Ti1million, tearing a massive hole in the steel wall.

The Primordial: "That is nothing! We are merely crawling into this...Deadzone. As machines we should never have to do something so inept as to crawl or even take little steps, we are superior creations! We leap! And run from the time we are made because we are perfect, the perfection of the insolent and inferior human race who came before us. And I am losing my patience with all of this!"

The Primordial unclenches his fist, drizzling the pulverised dust of the device in his hand as he turns around.

The Primordial: "That is it... I do not need to have some device to allow my forces into The Deadzone... Not when the tunnels are working. Have all forces head into the tunnels, and all drills trajected to the centre of The Deadzone"

Ti1million: "The entire Deadzone is massive in size, Prime Sir. It will take our drills months to successfully make tunnels reaching the centre of its perimeter. And with how deep we are underneath to avoid the reach of the frequency, it is even harder to traverse through freely as we have hit many oil pockets, water and extremely tough rocks"

The Primordial: "Just get it done! Dig a tunnel to the centre, that's all I need"

Ti1million: "Alright, sending out the orders now. But may I ask, what purpose will these tunnels serve?"

The Primordial turns around and walks over to the desk, sitting beside the powerless shell of the destroyed Ti1million, and slouches over with his metallic fist pressed against his angered face.

The Primordial: "As I said before, I have become impatient with the efforts of getting into The Deadzone unfazed by its frequency. No more, I will have a massive tunnel network where I will place a nuclear bomb, in the centre of this... Deadzone and that will surely eradicate that annoying frequency as well as any humans hiding away in there"

Ti1million: "Understood, giving the order now to begin expanding tunnels into The Deadzone"

***

Caesar: "Save them?! How do plan on doing that? This is a city, as small as it may be, it's a city filled with savage machines. Just because you handled two of them doesn't mean you can take on the entire city filled with them. We should stay here and leave as soon as O'Ton-omi finishes charging"

Axel: "We can't just leave the others here to suffer Dad, look at her... They are torturing humans for entertainment. That could've been me, she said she too came from some pod and even mentioned old droids just like Mom said when she found me"

Caesar: "The old droids? Really? But we saw two of them be destroyed in an explosion, well we didn't see it but they had to of been... Well I guess they could have been more of them"

Axel: "We need to help them, we don't need to take on the entire city if we rescue them without being detected"

R3D: "Breeee Oooooop"

Caesar: "Yeah, how are we gonna do that?"

Axel: "Rosie said they take her back to some cage whenever they catch her. She's gonna show us where that cage is, we scan the area and take out any guards quietly while we search for the others. She said they were 10 of them, so 9 other humans should be kept somewhere separated from each other"

Caesar: "9?! There are 9 other humans and you want us to save all of them?! How will we escape this place with 9 other humans Axel? They can't all fit into O'Ton-omi"

O'Ton-omi: "Actually, if those creatures are all the size of the one inside of me right now. I can in fact accommodate 9 others. But I will not say anything because I don't want any more of those dirty creatures inside of me... Wait did I say that out loud?"

Axel: "We're saving them Dad, you wouldn't leave me behind here. They're just like me, we can't just leave them here without even trying to help when we can"

R3D: "Breee Ooooop"

Caesar: "You're on his side now?"

R3D: "Breee Ooop Oooooop Ooop"

Caesar: "Oh... For Zaine"

R3D: "Bree Oop"

Caesar: "Alright, let's be very careful about this. O'Ton-omi how long do we have now?"

O'Ton-omi: "Estimated time is 40 minutes 5 seconds"

Axel: "Ok let's get going, come on Rosie"

Rosie slowly steps out of O'Ton-omi, with her head tilted down to the ground and hands clasped together by her waist. And she begins walking, leading them in the direction where the machines keep her locked away. Axel reaches for her hand and stops her briefly.

Axel: "Don't be scared, you will be safe. Once you show us where to go, you can head back to the car ok? R3D here will guide you back safely"

Rosie: "...Ok"

She then holds her head up and relaxes her hands and shoulders as she continues to lead them along the completely rusted and hot environment. Dark and dreary thunder clouds brusquely gather in the sky above them, releasing deafening roars of thunder while it approaches. "BOOM!"

Rosie: "We should go back... Rain is coming, not good"

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Axel: "Why? It's just a little rain..."

Caesar: "I think she means... Acid rain..."

R3D: "Breeee OOOOP"

Caesar: "Yes we should go back, Axel"

Axel: "Acid rain?"

Caesar: "Yes it's very harmful to machines, it can aggressively cause our metals to corrode and I'm sure it's not very good for humans either. We should go, Axel..."

Axel: "You can go back, but I'm saving the others. Scrappy come with me... We can use the rain to our advantage because then the other machines will stay indoors as well"

Caesar: "I don't think they will care about the rain Axel, have you seen their bodies? They are used to it I'm sure"

R3D: "Bree Ooop Oooop"

Axel: "Yes R3, we need to make a decision now and that's what I'm doing. How close are we Rosie?"

Rosie: "It's... Just up ahead, there's a huge vat of boiling oil... And the cage is beneath it, in underground path"

Axel: "Ok, you guys head back now. I'll handle it from here..."

Caesar: "I'm coming with you, I can't let you take this on alone"

Axel: "But your new body... I can't let you get it damaged"

Caesar: "I'll be fine, I'll shield myself. But I promised I will make sure you are safe all the way and I can't do that back there"

Axel: "Alright let's go"

Axel, Caesar and Scrappy continue forward down the rotten path while the others turn around and make their way back to O'Ton-omi. The wind begins to intensify in force, lifting mountains of dust and rust into the air removing all visibility for Axel and Scrappy. Caesar still able to see through his geographical scan, points in the direction they have to go.

Caesar: "I believe it is just in front of us, we are here..."

Axel steps forward, with his arm held over his to shield him from the storm of dust clouds as he tries to see in front of him. Caesar reaches out and quickly grabs his shoulder,

Caesar: "Careful! There's a big descent right here... I believe the underground path starts here. The large vat of boiling oil is right in front of us"

Axel: "Oh yeah, I guess I can feel the heat now, it is hotter here. To think they lock them away under this thing, burning away in a cage... How could these machines be so cruel"

Caesar: "Some machines are just metal parts and complicated wiring, no... Human qualities, as I've come to discover from reading the history of your kind, and like Robin has been teaching me for so long"

"KAKRAACCKKK! BOOM!" The thunder rages on as extremely bright and unnerving lighting strikes just before it. Illuminating the entire area, giving Axel quick glimpses of visibility.

Axel: "Well, one day I want to change that... Anyway, did you see any guards just now in that flash of light?"

Caesar: "No, but my scan shows the area is clear of any moving metals. They are either not here or they are immobile"

Axel: "Ok, you go down to the left and scan for any cage-like confinements, that way you can possibly find where they are being kept. Scrap and I will go to the right, and she'll help me search by sniffing out any scents similar to Rosie"

Caesar: "Take this before you go, a transponder device. It will help us communicate while we are apart. Just place it in your audio receptive area"

Axel: "So... In my ear? Ok"

Caesar: "Can you hear me from the device when I speak now?"

Axel: "Yeah it's working, now to get a move on. The rain is beginning to fall"

Axel and Caesar begin to descend into the large hole in the ground under the massive vat of boiling oil. The heat surfacing from down below, causes the sweat to burst forth from under the metallic paint covering Axel's body. Drenching his cloak in wet stains, "KaKRRAAACCKK! BOOOOOM!" As the eerie weather worsens, droplets begin to shower the environment, visibly beginning to dissolve rocks on the surface of the floor. Axel shields himself and Scrappy as they descend down the below with his cloak and corroded metal from off the ground.

As they finally reach the bottom, Axel notices a dark and poorly lit pathway leading into a dungeon-like building. Scrappy begins to sniff the floor, searching for a scent to follow as she makes her way into the dark building. Axel slowly follows behind her, unwrapping his sword from his back.

Caesar: "Hello, Axel? I have reached the bottom on my end, my scan has shown multiple entrances to a wide structure under this vat of oil. With multiple layers of underground floors beneath it, going almost 200 feet below. I don't think we have time to search the entire structure underground"

Axel: "I have also reached the bottom, and Scrappy and I are entering the building now. Don't worry about how big it is, as long as we find the 9 other humans in here first. I don't think they are too deep down because Rosie said she could hear the screams of others when they are set on a chase so she must have been kept close to the surface"

Caesar: "Understood, entering the building now. Press your device and speak if you are in trouble I will come directly to you"

Axel: "Alright"

Scrappy adds haste to her steps as she picks up a scent, Axel trailing behind her in the gloomy space, only briefly lit through the cracks and holes in the walls from the flashes of light from the lightning outside.

Axel: "Do you have a scent of someone Scrap? Are we close?"

Scrappy swiftly runs around the corner and begins howling softly for Axel.

Axel: "Shhhh girl, don't make any noise you may alert machines in the area..."

He says as he follows the sound in the darkness. As Axel turns the corner, a flash of lightning illuminates the room and he sees Scrappy sitting in front of a large cage with a young boy inside, cradled into the corner.

Axel: "Hey little guy, we're going to get you out of here... Don't be afraid"

Axel tries to break away at the lock of the cage with his sword, the little boy jumps up and runs to the back of the cage screaming.

Axel: "Hey hey, there's no need to be afraid. I'm getting you out..."

The little boy shakes his head no as he points behind Axel, just then Axel hears Scrappy begin to growl aggressively. As he turns his head around, he sees in the darkness a little burning flame approaching them along with the sound of metal footsteps barely audible from the thunder and rain drowning out the sound. A flash of lightning reveals a quick glimpse of a huge machine in the distance, and as the darkness returns the flame becomes brighter and larger with smaller flames accompanying it from above.

Another flash of lightning reveals the machine again, with flames bursting from his mouth and eyes and a large flame concealed in its chest. Suddenly the machine sprints towards them with a large blade in hand, illuminated from the heat surging through it. "KaKraackk! Boom!" In a flash, the machine appears in front of them bombarding Axel and Scrappy with a flurry of barbarous strikes. Axel trembles from the immense force as he blocks some of the sporadic blows with his sword.

The heat from the savage machine's blade singes Axel's cloak and goggles as it comes close to his face. Scrappy tackles the machine, snapping ferociously at its head and clawing her sharp titanium claws across its body giving Axel time to escape the machine's barbaric onslaught. But the machine easily shoves Scrappy aside, brutally smashing her into the cage distorting the bars. "Ahhrruuuuu" Scrappy howls in pain as she drops to the floor.

Axel: "Scrap!"

Axel instinctively rushes over to strike the savage machine with his sword as it looms over Scrappy with its heated weapon raised to the air.

Axel: "Get away from her!"

Swinging his sword furiously into the machine's leg, but unable to fully pierce through the machine's molten and corroded metal, the sword gets lodged in leaving Axel unable to remove it. The strike to the leg however causes the savage machine to miss his impending blow on Scrappy, instead, tearing a hole in the wall behind her. The machine then turns its attention over to Axel, stomping over to him as he stands defenceless in the corner of the room.

Scrappy leaps from the floor and bites hold of the machine's hand causing it to drop its heated blade and pulls the machine away from Axel.

Axel: "It's a lot sooner than I wanted to use this but it's either now or never..."

Axel quickly reaches into his backpack, as the machine struggles with Scrappy. It grabs hold of Scrappy's snout with both its hands and begins to pry open her jaws, forcing them open, Scrappy begins to panic as she struggles to resist, kicking and howling frantically. "KaKRAAACCCKKK! BLAM! BOOM!" amidst the loud thunder, a gunshot rings out within the room, accompanied by a scream of pain.

Axel: "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Axel lays on the ground, screaming in pain as he holds his wrist with a gun, smoking from its barrel in front of him. Scrappy free from the machine runs over to Axel and stands over him as she growls towards the shadows of the room. "KaKraccckkk!" the brief flash of lightning reveals the machine now with a huge chunk of its head missing, still stomping towards them, dripping of coal and molten metal from the huge gaping hole in its head and Axel's sword still stuck inside of its leg.

The machine reaches down for its large blade on the floor, igniting it into a bright yellow flame as it advances towards them. "KaKracccckkk! Boom!" Suddenly, another machine appears from the darkness and ruthlessly punches the savage machine in its badly damaged head, knocking chunks of metals out from the blow, causing the machine to stagger and fall to the ground.

Axel: "Dad?!"

Caesar: "I told you to call for help if you ran into trouble"

Axel: "There was a lot going on at the moment ok?"

The savage machine now clearly aggravated, leaps from the ground and attacks Caesar in a berserk rage, swinging its sword senselessly. Caesar raises his fists, with his destructive titanium brass knuckles, blocking the strike from the machine's flaming sword and counters it with a powerful right punch. Breaking its head entirely as it shatters into pieces, what little was left hung loosely from its neck. The berserk machine still carried on with its sporadic attacks, Scrappy jumps in tackling its feet, knocking it to the ground.

Axel's sword shakes loose and drops to the floor, Caesar quickly grabs it and swiftly strikes the berserk machine in its chest. Burning hot coal pour out from the pierced hole, with drips of fire running down the sword. The machine flays its arms out of control, knocking Ceasar off his feet, and stands up towering over Caesar ominously, with the sword through its chest still running of burning coal and metal.

Axel: "Dad! Look!"

Shouts Axel as he uses his left hand and throws the gun at Caesar. Caesar catches it in the air and quickly aims towards the berserk machine looming over him with its impending attacks. "Blam!" Caesar fires the gun, blasting a hole in the berserk machine's chest, sending its insides flying out of the back of it. All of the fire burning within the machine slowly diminishes as it falls to the ground. The little boy in the cage, having seen the entire series of events unfold gets up from his crouched position and walks toward them. He stands at the front of the broken bars of the cage, thanking Axel with his hands clasp and his head bowed.

Axel stands up, still gripping his wrist in pain as he walks over to the cage. Taking his sword from the destroyed metal corpse laid out on the floor.

Axel: "Did you find any others Dad?"

Caesar: "No, I saw a few empty chambers among my scans so I investigated the room. They were similar to the description Robin gave of the pod she found you in, but these were far too large to contain a human child. They were much larger and seemed to have been empty for a very long time. Then I heard you scream when I tried to contact you via the transponder and made my way to your location"

Axel: "Larger pods... That's interesting. But maybe you can help us find the others... What do you say? Let's save the others, little guy"

The little boy nods his head in agreement,

Axel: "Good, Scrap tear down these bars please"

Scrappy rips away at the bars with her sharp and powerful jaws, freeing the little boy from his cage.

Axel: "So do you know where the others are being held?"

The little boy shakes his head and holds up one finger as he points in the direction leading further into the building. Caesar walks to the destroyed machine and picks up its sword, still ignited in flames.

Caesar: "This will come in handy..."

Axel: "We gotta find the others and get out of here fast. There's no way we can handle a group of machines of that one's calibre"

Caesar: "Finally we agree on something"

Axel: "Lead the way, little guy"

The little boy begins to lead them down the path. As they continue further into the building, Caesars notices more abandoned chambers, some still in the process of being built, covered in dust and insects. Caesar then scans the area as Axel, Scrappy and the little boy continue travelling further into the building.

Caesar: "Go ahead Axel, I think I picked up something on my scan that may lead to some other captives. The faster we find everyone, the better. Remember, if you run into another machine like before. Destroy its core, it seems to be in the centre of their chest as we saw earlier. Here do you want this back?"

Caesar holds the gun out to Axel,

Axel: "No you should keep it, for now, I will radio you if I need help right away"

And they journey down separate paths, "Krakraaackkk! Boom!" The storm outside rages on as they continue their mission to rescue the others. The boy then suddenly stops in front of Axel and Scrappy and points into an enclosed room.

Axel: "Here? This is it?"

The little boy shakes his head yes, and points to the window just above the door. Axel climbs onto Scrappy to take a peek through the window. Inside he sees a wall filled with screens and a machine observing them behind a desk.

Axel: "There's another one those machines in there... I don't think we can take on another if it's like that other one. I don't have the gun, and I broke my wrist firing it last time so I can't use my sword that well. Scrappy this might be all up to you... Wait a minute I've got a plan"

Axel slowly opens the door as he sneaks in with Scrappy behind him. He holds his cloak in his left hand, Scrappy silently crawls up behind the machine while Axel stands up from his crouched position and wraps his cloak over the machines head blocking its visibility. He then drops to the floor, holding onto his cloak as the machine stands up from its seated position, yanking the machine's head back causing its upper torso to bend over at a 90-degree angle.

Axel: "Crap, he was supposed to fall to the ground... Now Scrap!"

Scrappy jumps on top of the machine clawing and biting away at its chest. The machine burns Axel's cloak away with the flames from its skull and twists its torso in a 360-degree spin, knocking Scrappy off and sending Axel flying across the ground with his cloak's burnt remains. Axel takes his sword into his left hand and rushes towards the machine as it faces him, Scrappy bites onto its leg crushing its metal leg in her mouth, causing it to drop down onto its knees.

The machine aims its arm towards Axel and begins spewing a stream of fire at him. Axel takes his right arm and shields his face as he runs towards the machine, scorching his hand as he burst through the shower of flames. He thrust his left arm forward, striking the machine through the chest with his sword, piercing its core. Then fire begins to spray from its chest engulfing Axel's face.

Axel: "Ahhhh! Scrappy, get its head!"

Scrappy slams her jaws close onto the machine head, crushing its skull like a marshmallow while Axel twists his sword in its chest and begins to push it down, slicing the machine in half. "Pwwooof" A cloud of flames explode from the machine as it drops to the ground.

Axel panting heavily with multiple burns and drenched in sweat drops his sword and falls to the ground, sitting slouched back with his head tilted upwards as he exhales loudly.

Axel: "We did it... Now, what was so important about this room that he lead us here..."

He glances up at the screens where he sees two of the other human children locked away in cages, and the other 6 being carried away down a hallway by four of the savage machines.

Axel: "A security room... They must be moving the others since they know we are here. We gotta get to them fast! Wait but where is that... And is that... Dad?"

Caesar unknowingly approaches the four machines from the other side of the hallway, stepping into an imminent battle with the menacing machines leading six of the human prisoners towards him.