Scout Unit 7342-B slowly sat up, and looked around. The first person he saw... Was Arity.
"Welcome to the world," Arity consulted her datapad for a serial number. "...Your current designation is Scout Unit 7342-B, and you're presently inside Iacon Protoform Assembly Factory Trigenus-5. Congratulations; you've just booted up for the first time."
"Huh," he replied, and scratched his aft. "Who're are you?"
Arity smiled at him. "I am floor manager Arity, handmaiden of Head Supervisor Central Avatar Apex Trigenus-5 - but, uh, you don't have to worry about that just yet. I'm available to answer any questions you have."
The Protoform seemed to think about this and, with a rather bemused expression, stared down at his own body. His armor was still grey, although a patch of yellow was beginning to spread across his right arm. He picked at the small splash of color. "What's this?"
"Those are chromatic nanites that live off your body heat. They'll colonize your dermal plating and protect it from scratches. I advise that you don't pick at them. In several megacycles, you'll be completely covered."
He seemed horrified. "Will I end up looking like you?"
Arity chortled. "No," she said, flatly.
The Protoform peered at her, then looked back at himself again. "Why are we different?"
"You were designed to be a Scout Unit. I was designed to be an Elite Guard candidate - although, um, I decided to become a floor manager instead, because engineering is a passion of mine." Arity's made a dismissive gesture. She doubted that the Protoform wanted to know her life history.
To her surprise, he suddenly seemed interested. "What's an Elite Guard?"
Arity replied, "It's the higher echelon of Cybetron's military, created to protect Vector Sigma and undertake high-risk missions for the sake of planetary security." Proforms were pre-loaded with a limited amount of information (ever since the Great War, making them tabula rasa just wasn't practical), so at least the Scout Unit already had a rough idea of what 'Cybertron' and 'Vector Sigma' were.
"So, they're like... The best, right?" the Protoform asked.
"I suppose so," Arity said, with a shrug.
The Protoform puffed out his chest. "I'm going to be an Elite Guard... thingy."
Arity adjusted her audio settings. "Pardon?"
"I said, I'm going to join the Elite Guard."
"Um. Well. The selection tests are kind of tough..."
"I don't care."
"Why do you want to join the Elite Guard, anyway?" Arity tried to hide her utter bafflement.
The Protoform stared at her, as if this was a stupid question. "Because you just said they were the best. And I want to be the best."
Arity looked down at the small, grinning face, and nervously smiled back at him. She glanced down at her datapad. "Alright. Stay where you are. I... need to sort a few things out. I'll be back in a few cycles."
She hurried off, before the Protoform could speak again.
Arity found Polynomial in the factory's mess room, taking a refuelling break; she sat down at the other femme's table, and gave her a level look. "I have a Scout Unit who thinks he's going to an Elite Guard candidate."
Polynomial laughed, but stopped when she saw Arity's expression.
"Don't be a pipewad," Arity said.
"Sorry. I just thought it was cute."
"It would be, if it wasn't so sad. What should I do?"
"Just continue as normal. It's not your job to worry about it."
"What if it's a programming error?"
"You can't dismiss a character quirk or personal choice as a programming error, Sis. Besides, it would be unethical to interfere with his programming at this stage, and you know how strict Trigenus is about that. Just leave the 'bot alone. It might be a phase, and he'll grow out of it."
"What if he doesn't?"
Polynomial groaned. "Arity, that's his problem, not yours."
Arity slid her datapad over to Polynomial, showing Scout Unit 7342-B's specs. "He's just not built for the Elite Guard. I've seen what happens to mechs who try to perform above their station. They end up disillusioned and miserable - or worse, they keep struggling, and drive themselves mad in the process. And everyone treats them like a joke, or a threat. It's not a happy life. And the Elite Guard is a dangerous. He's going to need some major upgrades to be on par with the majority of the other candidates. Scout Units are designed to be light infantry and, well... Scouts. Obviously."
"So, you're saying that people should stick to the job that they were created for?"
"No. It just... makes things a lot easier."
Polynomial shrugged. "You were created to be an Elite Guard candidate, but you decided to be a floor manager."
"Yeah, but that was more of a step sideways, rather than a promotion. And... To be fair, I'm not very good at it. I've been working here longer than you have, and you're still better at your job than I am - because you were designed for it, while I'm primarily a combat unit." Arity saw that Polynomial was about to speak, and quickly interrupted her. "...And I still have some aptitude for being a floor manager, while the chances of the Scout Unit ever becoming an Elite Guard candidate are infinitesimal. Besides, if one of our mechs tries to apply for the Elite Guard when he clearly isn't cut out for it, it'll reflect badly on the factory. Imagine it; the Academy will have mechs made by factories like Cobordant-6 and Tangent-10... and our factory will be represented by an economy-sized Scout Unit who's clearly out of his depth. We'll be a joke."
"I think you're over-thinking this." Polynomial frowned at her.
"And I think you're painfully naive, Poly."
That seemed to hit a nerve. Polynomial's antennae twitched, and she stood up from her chair. "Fine. Let's take this to the Boss."
Head Supervisor Central Avatar Apex Trigenus-5 sat in at her desk, idly monitoring the factory while she mused over the drafts for a new type of servo design. The internal cameras informed her that Polynomial and Arity were approaching.
She quickly tidied up the various cables that connected her to the factory's mainframe - one always had to look presentable while dealing with one's subordinates - and commanded her office door to open.
The two handmaidens stepped in, and saluted.
"At ease. What seems to be the problem?" Trigenus-5 focused on Arity, letting her speak first.
"Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but... Scout Unit 7342-B has just went online. And he says he wants to join the Elite Guard."
Trigenus-5 didn't even blink. "What do you intend to do about it?"
Arity looked shifty. "I would... dissuade him. Polynomial thinks I should leave him alone."
"And, what are his chances of ever joining the Elite Guard?" It was a redundant question. Trigenus-5 could calculate the probabilities for herself, in a matter of nanokliks.
"Infinitisimal, ma'am."
Trigenus-5 smiled. "When you say 'infinitisimal', do you mean that in the mathematical sense, or the figurative one?"
Arity focused on a tangle of cables just beyond Trigenus-5's left shoulder. "The figurative one, ma'am. I mean, his chances are very, very small."
"So, crudely speaking... The probability is still better than zero, correct? It's a positive number?"
"Yes," Arity said, grimacing.
"I leave the matter in your hands," Trigenus-5 said. "The mech is your responsibility."
"Thank you, ma'am," Arity said, without much enthusiasm.
"Permission to speak freely, ma'am?" Polynomial said, a bit too sharply.
"Permission denied." Trigenus-5 knew when an argument was brewing, and she was too busy to play ombudsbot whenever her subordinates started a crankshaft-waving contest. "You're both dismissed."
The Scout Unit was still where Arity had left him. He was watching a cleaning drone scoot back and forth across the floor. Protoforms were curious, but they were also very obedient. They had to be, for reasons of safety.
Arity hugged her datapad. "I had to go check on some of your tests. They're all fine."
"Okay." He seemed more interested in the cleaning drone.
"You'll have a few more induction sessions to go through, and then you're good to go." Arity paused, and considered things. "...Do you still want to join the Elite Guard?"
"Yep."
"It's not going to be easy for you."
"Well, duh. I don't want to do it because it's easy," the Scout Unit said, with an insolent grin.
Arity rolled her optics. "Alright." She turned to walk away.
In a few decacycles, a transport craft would arrive to pick the new Protoforms up, and - as usual - there was still a lot of work to be done. Perhaps she should talk to Scout Unit 7342-B about the Elite Guard after he had completed the induction sessions, although there was a risk that she wouldn't see him after that. Might as well get the matter over with.
Arity stopped, and looked over her shoulder. "Hey, 7342-B, before I go..."
"Yeah?"
"You're sure you want to join the Elite Guard? It's that..."
"What?"
"Well..."
Scout Unit 7342-B peered at her, a little impatiently.
Arity gave him a thin smile. "I want to wish you good luck."