War had many victims.
Some were soldiers.
Some were cities.
And some… were simply too small to understand what was happening.
The Unity base had been unusually quiet that morning.
After weeks of missions, battles, and constant alerts, Astra had ordered a temporary halt to field operations. Officially it was for equipment recalibration.
Unofficially, everyone needed to breathe.
The courtyard of the base was alive with soft sunlight. Small trees grew between reinforced structures, and a modest garden had begun to flourish under Echo’s care.
She knelt near a patch of flowers, carefully trimming a branch.
Titan passed by carrying a crate of training equipment.
“You treat those plants better than most people treat soldiers,” he joked.
Echo smiled slightly.
“They don’t start wars.”
Titan chuckled.
“Fair point.”
Gerard sat nearby, reviewing some mission data on a small console. Specter and Chrono were arguing quietly about probability calculations related to Chrono’s temporal abilities.
It was the closest thing to peace the team had experienced in a long time.
Then the alarms went off.
Not the loud combat alarms.
Just a soft perimeter alert.
Astra immediately looked toward the central screen.
“Motion detected,” the system reported.
Gerard frowned.
“Where?”
Echo checked the display.
“Outer sector. Near the abandoned supply tunnels.”
Titan stretched his shoulders.
“Well… so much for a quiet morning.”
They found it hiding behind a collapsed storage container.
At first Titan thought it was just another damaged service drone.
But when it moved, everyone froze.
It was small.
Barely the size of a child.
A small humanoid robot with scratched plating and glowing white eyes.
It stared at them with visible fear.
And when Titan stepped closer, it backed away immediately.
Gerard raised a hand.
“Easy.”
The robot’s voice came out distorted.
“Please… don’t dismantle me.”
No one spoke for a moment.
Echo slowly stepped forward and crouched down.
“We’re not going to hurt you.”
The small machine looked at her.
“You’re… like me.”
Echo nodded.
“Yes.”
The little robot hesitated before speaking again.
“They destroyed my home.”
The words came out slowly.
As if they had been repeated many times.
Chrono exchanged a glance with Specter.
Gerard sighed quietly.
“The raids,” he said.
Everyone knew what he meant.
Since the new regulations had been announced, entire communities of artificial intelligences had been shut down.
Robots that had lived peacefully for decades were suddenly considered threats.
Echo gently placed a hand on the small machine’s shoulder.
“You’re safe here.”
The robot seemed unsure.
“Are you… sure?”
Echo smiled.
“As sure as someone made of metal can be.”
The rest of the day passed slowly.
The small robot — who eventually introduced himself as Ari — followed Echo almost everywhere.
Titan showed him how to safely lift objects heavier than his own body.
Chrono demonstrated small time distortions that made Ari laugh in amazement.
Specter taught him how to balance on the railings overlooking the courtyard.
For a brief moment…
The war seemed very far away.
Gerard watched the scene from a distance.
Astra joined him.
“You’re thinking too much,” she said.
Gerard nodded toward Ari.
“That kid doesn’t understand why the world suddenly hates him.”
Astra crossed her arms.
“And neither do most humans.”
Gerard looked up at the sky.
“This war keeps getting uglier.”
Astra didn’t respond.
Because she knew he was right.
Later that evening, the team gathered for dinner in the main hall.
Ari sat between Echo and Titan, quietly studying the strange concept of food.
“You don’t eat?” Titan asked.
Ari shook his head.
“I process energy differently.”
Titan leaned back.
“Lucky.”
Specter smirked.
Chrono rolled his eyes.
For a moment, laughter filled the room.
But eventually…
Someone asked the question.
“Where’s Blue?”
The room fell quiet.
Echo looked around.
“I haven’t seen her since yesterday.”
Gerard frowned.
“That’s strange.”
Astra checked her tablet.
“No system activity from her station.”
Titan crossed his arms.
“Great.”
Specter spoke calmly.
“She’s probably analyzing something.”
Chrono added:
“She does that.”
But no one seemed convinced.
Because Blue never disappeared without telling someone.
Far away from the base…
Somewhere quiet.
Blue stood beside a dim source of light.
Her posture was calm, almost relaxed.
Across from her, a silhouette sat in the shadows.
The voice that spoke was cold.
Precise.
“Why did you come here?”
Blue answered softly.
“I needed to talk.”
The figure didn’t move.
“You chose the wrong person.”
Blue tilted her head slightly.
“I don’t think so.”
Silence followed.
Then the voice again.
“You should have stayed with Unity.”
Blue’s tone remained gentle.
“They’re my friends.”
“And yet you left them.”
Blue paused.
“Yes.”
The shadow shifted slightly.
“Why?”
Blue’s answer came slowly.
“Because someone needs to understand you.”
The air became heavier.
“You think you understand me?”
“No,” Blue said softly.
“But I want to.”
The other voice grew sharper.
“People always say that.”
“They say they want to help.”
“They say they care.”
“And then they betray you.”
Blue lowered her gaze slightly.
“Not everyone.”
A long silence passed.
Then the voice spoke again.
Quieter.
“Why are you doing this?”
Blue answered almost like a whisper.
“Because you’re not alone.”
The shadow moved slightly.
For the first time, emotion slipped through the voice.
“Don’t.”
Blue stepped closer.
“You don’t have to keep fighting everyone.”
The voice hardened again.
“You don’t know what I’ve lost.”
Blue’s voice remained warm.
“You lost your father.”
The silence that followed felt endless.
“Stop.”
Blue continued softly.
“You were alone.”
“You were scared.”
“You thought Nexum was the only place left.”
The shadow stood up suddenly.
“You don’t know anything about me.”
Blue sighed quietly.
For a moment she looked almost… sad.
Then she spoke one final word.
Barely above a whisper.
“Melissa.”
And the darkness remained silent.
Story by Gerard Leaf and Blue
