EVE blinked in the dim area, looking for something to focus on.

"Do you see anything?" the captain said through her communicator.

No... she beeped in Binary, I've been searching for awhile, but all I've found is more garbage. Captain McCrea had asked her to retrieve a lost robot in the caverns below ground, but not only was it hard to see, if she didn't have an internal map programmed into her display, she would have certainly been hopelessly lost. Only the whirring of her own processor was stopping her from going completely mad.

That, and her beloved's voice over the communicator.

"Evah?" WALL-E asked in concern. He had wanted to go with her into the scary caves, but there's no way they could've stayed together the whole time without distracting her, so he resolved to talk to her over the chip in her ear. It was quite soothing to her.

"Wall-E..." EVE sighed, turning around another corridor. WALL-E didn't understand Binary, so the computer was translating her beeps into English so he could understand. Nevertheless, EVE felt better really speaking to him, and she thought he did too.

"Don't worry, Wall-E." The captain reassured, "It's not Eve who's in danger, here." In response, WALL-E made a frustrated sound that made EVE giggle. He was always thinking about her. It was so sweet.

EVE turned yet another corner and hit a wall. She groaned in frustration.

"Whazza matter, Eve?" McCrea asked.

Another dead end. She beeped, bringing up the map on her HUD, It seems to go on forever. Are you sure he's lost in here?

"That's the fifth time you've asked!" McCrea laughed, "Don't worry, you'll find him someday."

Someday isn't good enough! EVE turned another corner, scanning the walls for anything relevant, I want out of here already! My eyes are getting tired!

"You'll figure it out." he reassured, "Unless of course you want to back out and let the other robot wander in these dim halls forever..."

Ugh... EVE shook her head as she passed another corner, No, of course not. She gasped suddenly.

"Eve?"

I thought I heard something... She heard WALL-E shiver, and so she said in English, "Wall-E...ok..."

EVE let her eyes drift around the room, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Something landed on her head and so she looked up, squinting in the intense darkness. Her eyes widened as a cry was heard and a little robot fell down. She caught him just in time.

"Evah!"

"M-O!" EVE cried out, rolling her eyes, How dare you run off and get lost! Is this a game to you!?

M-O cast his eyes downward in shame, "Sooorry..." I'm sorry, Eve...I didn't mean to wander so far...

"Ugh..."

"You found him?"

Yeah. It was M-O. He strayed too far from the encampment area.

"Ah. Well, it happens, you'd better get back before-!"

"Ack!" EVE had just enough time to dive over M-O to protect him before the ceiling collapsed on them, trapping them in the caverns.


REBOOT

EVE's bright blue eyes struggled to focus in the darkness. Something was trembling in her arms, and she felt scratches up her back. It took a moment for her anti-gravity systems to turn back on. She rose one arm to push giant rocks off her and M-O, who was still shaking in fear.

Eve? He beeped fearfully to her.

It's ok, we're ok. EVE gave him a reassuring pat on the head, Let's get out of here.

M-O nodded, jumping down onto the floor, Which way? I've been stuck here for hours.

EVE checked her HUD, noticing that her communicator had been destroyed and her navigation system was offline. However, her map was still active. Grabbing M-O by the brush, she carefully hovered through the corridors, taking extra care to avoid loose rocks and cracks. M-O was still afraid. He hadn't been programmed with navigational systems, so he was putting his full trust in EVE to lead him out. Sometimes he would roll over a crack in the ground or something and jump with fright, but EVE never let go of him.

She squinted when she was suddenly swarmed with light. Once she confirmed that it was the sun she was looking at, she was able to let go of M-O.

You head back to the Axiom. They've been looking for you. EVE beeped to him, I have to go find Wall-E. He's probably worried about me.

M-O gave a firm nod before speeding away.

"Wall-E?" EVE hovered into WALL-E's truck, looking for his box form and yellow color. He wasn't there, but something else caught her eye. The things inside had all been rearranged. He only did that when he was missing her. She scaned over all his things with her eyes, his treasures that he had collected over the years. Most jarring was his tape of Hello, Dolly! was on the floor, like it had been tossed aside. She scanned the ground frantically, trying to pick up a trace of him.

His tread marks were spread across the ground, heading off in a direction. EVE followed them, hoping to find him before something happened. He couldn't have wandered far, right?

"Waaall-EEE!" she called, "WALL-EEE!"

"Evah!?"

She gasped upon hearing him. He was down below on the path to a ruined New York City. He waved his hands, "Evah!"

"Wall-E!" she wrapped him up in an embrace, twirling around in the sky while shouting with glee. Oh how she had missed him!

"Eeevaaahhh..." WALL-E sighed.

EVE giggled as she set him back on the ground, "Home?"

He nodded.

EVE took his hand, and began to lead him steadily back home.