The Bodies We Share

It is the year 4200 and robots and humans have just ended a five-year war that left the world in a chemical apocalypse. Regardless of the truce created between metal and flesh, neither side trusts each other in the aftermath of battle. Both species are on the brim of existence. Mechanical parts for the robots are hard to find while food becomes hard to grow, especially with the contaminated lands due to nuclear warfare. Constant threat of chemical storms of acid gas persist as a reminder of what happens when war meets toxic bombs. The majority of civilization is in hiding due to the constant threat of the destructive storms that threaten the existence of both humans and droids. The only two that are brave enough to face the journey for sanctuary are a robot named Thomas and a female soldier named 255A. They joined together to survive what is left of their now broken world.

Before the war, Thomas was created as a companion robot to help serve the elderly and disabled. He is able to speak any language and can perform medical aid if needed. When all robots were turned against the humans, Thomas just like other companion robots went into hiding since their software wasn’t supported by the virus used to go rogue. He discovered Soldier 255A on the battle ground with two gunshot wounds and a broken ankle. His rescuing services supplied the trust she needed to stay together.

Soldier 255A was a commanding officer in her rank. She is capable of handling any weapon and is a lethal threat with just her hands if need be. Any robot must be killed on spot regardless of their software status. It just so happens the day she met Thomas her gun jammed and was too weak to defend herself. The joke they share together to this day is how Soldier 255A identifies more like a robot than a human since she never speaks of her name. It was protocol during the war to never give your name. If a robot identified you, they could use your personal information against you.

Due to her knowledge of the area, Soldier 255A was able to find an abandoned bunker left by the military. It was a hidden gem that has yet to be discovered by anyone else. Thomas over-rode the electronic security and soon they were safe inside. A few guns were left behind with scrap meals. Not enough resources to stay there long but the right amount for rest and regrouping. The two survivors have been traveling for miles without perfect shelter. This is the first bunker that has yet to be found out by rogue robots. Regardless of the truce, some robots never went back to their original software programming. Rogue bots tend to kill anyone who chooses to stand in their way.

Since the area was secure, Thomas decided to shut down his software and charge his batteries for the night; leaving Soldier 255A to watch over the perimeter. But of course, the endless journey led Soldier 255A knocking out at her post. Thomas finishes his charging just before dawn and realizes that his friend was asleep in her chair. He wraps a blanket around her when all of a sudden, a gun is put to his head. Rogue robots got in while they were asleep through a vent in the ceiling. It was a complete shock to Thomas since he knew he had to act quickly.

The robots demanded Thomas to give up the fortress. The constant back and forth arguing between bots woke Soldier 255A. She takes off the blanket and aims her gun to the intruders. Outnumbered, they had no choice but to give up their new found sanctuary. The robots threatened Thomas that being partners with a human automatically makes him a trader and should watch himself in the meantime. As they were leaving, the Soldier noticed the security software had a self-destruction feature. This was put in place in case of situations like this. Thomas warned her not to do it since it would draw unwanted attention. She didn’t listen, and soon the self-destruction feature was set in motion. As they ran to a safe distance, the bunker exploded, collapsing deep into the ground.

As the smoke cleared; the Soldier had a big smile on her face. She thought to herself that if she can’t have sanctuary, no one can. Unfortunately, the explosion of any military bunker automatically sets off a location signal to a nearby troop. A hidden Marine base that was close by was notified about the intrusion and a squad unit was sent to their location. As the two friends continued on foot, a set of military trucks was tight on their trail.

The Marines finally catch up to both Soldier 255A and Thomas. The troops were shocked to see a former soldier partner with a robot. They tried to convince her to come to their newly built sanctuary for survivors. The only catch was Thomas could not come. It was a human only base and since there is no reassurance that bots can be completely trusted, it was best to leave him behind. She refused the offer and went on her way with Thomas. The Marines didn’t want her to be without any service so they gave her the address of the base in case she changed her mind. She thanked them for their help but her loyalty was to Thomas.

As the groups parted ways, Thomas questioned Soldier 255A’s sanity. She could have a normal life outside of the apocalypse. He wanted her to survive this new world comfortably rather than struggle constantly looking for sanctuary with him. She smiled and reassured him that her loyalty is only with Thomas because her troop abandoned her when she was shot down. Thomas never left her side and therefore she won’t either. He was prideful to have such a loyal friend but his constant concern for her survival is always lingering. As a robot, he does not need the necessities of food to live in the apocalypse. He grows tired of her getting sick from savaging through polluted farm lands.

The new world was never going to be an easy one to manage. They were able to survive without the comforts of the military and did well by sticking together this whole time. Why ruin a perfectly good formula? That was Soldier 255A’s rebuttal every time Thomas got worried for her well-being. In her mind they couldn’t make it apart, but together they had a fighting chance.

Back on their journey a chemical storm was on the horizon. Thomas grew short with Soldier 255A because she could have been safe if she went with the Marines. She ignores his rude banter and finds a shelter in the distance. It wasn’t much compared to the military bunker they had but it will keep them safe for now. It was an old garage unit used to store vintage cars. The inside was lined with metal for temperature control. A perfect new sanctuary that has survived multiple chemical storms due to it still standing. Thomas was relieved but threats of the apocalypse never end just because you find a new place to rest your head. The garage was equipped with a small live-in area complete with a kitchenette and sleeping cots. Inside the fridge were cans of beans and fruit. It wasn’t much, but its better than eating wild berries or tree leaves. Before any food was eaten, a knock came from the outside. The banging grew stronger, scaring Thomas to hide in his bed. The Soldier went to inspect and realized it was another human couple looking for sanctuary as well.

One thing about life after the war is you never want to be caught in a chemical storm. They have grown weaker over time but the rain can eat your flesh off and the smoke clouds can collapse your lungs in a heartbeat. If a robot is caught in the storm their metal becomes rusty and melts off very slowly. It is a death sentence to any who gets caught in the rain. The storms happen about once a week. Sometimes more; they are easy to predict because of how quickly the skies turn gray and murky.

Thomas warned his partner not to let the humans in. After the last debacle with the rogue bots, he didn’t want to take any chances. The couple outside began to scream to be let in, making the decision harder on the Soldier. She lets them in despite the warning because she two knows how it feels to be left to die and doesn’t want anyone to experience that. The two new humans thanked her while crying that they too have been traveling looking for sanctuary and barely made it to safety from the last chemical storm.

Once Thomas came up to greet the new guest, the mood began to shift. The new travelers did not understand why the Soldier had a robot as a companion and found the pairing completely off putting. Thomas explained the type of robot he was and how he never was created to harm. They of course didn’t believe him and decided it was best they share the space separately and would leave in the morning. Thomas and Soldier 255A agreed and decided to take the first watch of the night. The new humans started to act shady in cooperating but it is understandable considering the hell this war put everyone through.

That night before Soldier and Thomas went to sleep, they saw the other couple talking amongst themselves in the distance. It was their turn to take watch but something about their behavior kept Thomas on full alert. The next morning Soldier 255A woke up in her cot. When she tried to get up, she realized that she was tied down to her bed. She looked around the room to see the other travelers had left. What made her almost break out in tears is what she witnessed next.

Poor Thomas was dismembered-- his battery pack was removed and destroyed from his chest. His last position before they attacked was his arm reaching out for help. His bright yellow eyes were dark and dim; no life could be seen inside her robot friend. She didn’t want to surrender to such circumstances and wasn’t ready for Thomas to die. She managed to get herself free from her bed and took his parts and began to reassemble him. It took her all night to bolt together his limbs. The convenience of being inside a garage helped with power tools not being far behind. Once his limbs were reassembled, the last thing that needed to be done was replacing the battery pack.

The only place to find spare batteries is at the robot junkyard. It is where robots come to die when they are no longer able to survive with their damaged bodies. The junk yard is a high-risk location for humans since rogue bots tend to use it as a re-charging area. That didn’t stop Soldier 255A. She grabbed Thomas, threw him in a shopping cart, and began to push his body to the yard. It was at night time creating less of a chance of being spotted. Once she reached the yard, she took out her flashlight and began to inspect the leftover parts.

It was a sad sight regardless how one felt about the war. A lot of robots had gunshot wounds, melting metal, dismemberment, just a poor sight for what once was a cherished creation. After four hours of careful searching, Soldier 255A found Thomas a battery. It only had an inch of life left, but it was enough to get Thomas running again. Soon the sun came out and the morning was here. Before any celebration could come from her good work, the sky shifted quickly and another chemical storm was on its way.

Scared, the Soldier had limited time to get back to the garage. Their sanctuary was too far to hall Thomas back for him to reboot. In a quick decision, she ended up shoving his body inside an old refrigerator that was at the bottom of the junkyard. The thunder rolled in and Soldier 255A had to make a run for it. The storm was a small one and went by quickly. From outside the refrigerator, you can hear Thomas was fully rebooted. He only had two hours of battery left and waking up inside of a dark dingy metal contraption is never a good feeling.

Once he got out of the refrigerator, Thomas realized where he was. The scared robot screamed out for his friend but got no response. He began to panic and didn’t know what to do. He tried to go back to the garage but didn’t know what direction it was. On his way out of the junkyard, he came across two decrepitating robots that sadly got caught in the chemical storm. Thomas pleaded with them if they had any information on his Soldier but they were too far gone to help.

After Thomas ran out of the yard, he went to the only sanctuary he knew that was close by. It was the military base that tried to recruit Soldier 255A a while back. Since it is a human’s only base, he had to come up with a disguise. He found some old rags and pieces of clothing that were shoved in a trash can. The clothes smelled disgusting and were covered in filth but he didn’t care. Thomas could pass for a homeless man which was the look of the apocalypse since Gucci and Louis Vuitton were out of business.

Upon arriving at the military base, it can be seen that it was heavily guarded. The entryway is a metal detector to stop droids from coming in. Thomas had to think quickly because if he was discovered there would be no chance to find his friend. It was only a hunch but Thomas had hope. Near the entryway, a bunch of exposed wires laid on the ground. Thomas pretended to tie his shoes as he waited in line to get in. Near the exposed wires, he used his software to put a temporary pause on the metal detectors so he could pass. While taking on such a high-risk task a soldier approached him from behind.

A gun was drawn to Thomas' neck and was asked what he was doing. Thomas explained how he was only tying his shoes and he was then directed to go next. When he walked through the metal detectors, the siren remained off. He got in scot-free but the soldiers were skeptical because of how covered Thomas was. When entering the military base, you are handed a warm snack with a hot drink and new clothing. Then, you are shown to your bunker which was in this huge warehouse. Anyone who entered swallowed their food quickly since it’s the first hot meal a lot of humans have seen in a long time. Thomas just held onto the food and walked with his group inside the building.

There were a lot of humans looking for family and friends; it was a hard place to navigate. Plus, Soldier 255A was still wearing her uniform throughout the apocalypse so scoping her out from the other soldiers was more difficult. He got to his bunker and sat there scoping the area. His battery power was starting to reach its end point and Thomas needed to find a place to charge. The beeping from his chest was a dead giveaway he wasn’t human and got up to avoid anyone from finding out.

At this point everyone was in their new change of clothes and had eaten their first meal. Some of the soldiers grew suspicious of Thomas since he had done neither of those things. He was then approached by a military officer to come away with them. At that moment Thomas knew he was caught. He began to throw off the heavy clothing and ran to the exit screaming for Soldier 255A. The other soldiers began to draw their guns at Thomas but couldn’t open fire inside the warehouse.

Once Thomas got outside, the guarding soldiers were directed to take out the trespassing robot. The soldiers opened fire on Thomas as he tried to leave the military base. He kept screaming for Soldier 255A but no one responded. The beeping from his chest grew louder as a sign he was about to shut down. Just as he was about to reach the exit, Thomas got shot twice from behind; spilling his drink in front of him. He struggled to get up but soon felt the hand of a stranger lift his body off the ground.

It was his friend; Soldier 255A and she was there to save him the same way he saved her the first time they met. She grabbed Thomas by the arm, lifted him over her back, and began to leave the base. It is against military law to shoot another soldier so the other cadettes had to seize fire. The two individuals reached the outside of the base and began to recoup. They both collapsed on the ground once they were far enough. Thomas was so happy to be reunited with Soldier 255A. They both had the same idea of finding each other at the military sanctuary. Soldier 255A told Thomas what happened after the garage incident and how she had to take him to the junkyard to find a new battery.

He was thankful to have a friend like her through all of this chaos but something was off. Thomas kept repeating his words in a strange way--as if there was a shortage in his software. He wasn’t able to form full sentences. Soldier 255A inspected his gunshot wounds and realized one had hit his mother board. Thomas had a look of grief on his face because motherboards can’t be replaced since they hold his memories and thoughts. Soldier 255A began to cry because she knew this was the end for Thomas. He wiped her tears away as his chest kept beeping. His battery was at twelve percent which is ten minutes in regular time. During those ten minutes Soldier 255A told Thomas her real name was Jane Hart. Thomas took her name and began a search on her information in his database. He smiled at her realizing what a wonderful human she is. Thomas began to tell Jane how it is nice to finally know the true woman who has been by his side this whole time.

In the distance, the sky turned a murky gray and another chemical storm began to roll in. Jane thought it was her lucky day because this is how she wanted to go out. Thomas begged her to not give up on life just because he can’t make it. But at that point, she had her mind already made up and nothing Thomas could say could change that. This whole time they searched endlessly for sanctuary and it never occurred until this moment that sanctuary was only there if they were together. Thomas agreed and felt he would do the same thing if it was Jane who was on her deathbed.

They decided to let the storm fall over them while they shared the warm snack that Thomas was given at the military base. The sound of rain began to fall over the couple as the beeping of Thomas’s battery started to grow faint.

The End.