Chapter 1

Of Flesh and Iron

Jinmay sat alone on the rock formation outside of Zero's room. It was a still night and the moon shone full on the entire city. It was a night like this that she had been born on. She touched the heart shaped construct on her chest. Born. Could she really use that word, given what she was?

"Jinmay?" a sleepy voice sounded behind her.

She didn't turn around. Only one person ever referred to her as Jinmay. To everyone else she was thing, scrap or weapon. She thanked God for Zero. God. Was it okay for her to believe in him? Did He answer a machine's prayers?

"Are you feeling okay?" Zero asked as he crawled out the window. He sat beside her and looked at her with deep concern in his eyes.

She smiled. She tended to overthink her existence too much, she knew that. If it was at all possible she would have gone into depression already. She had actually managed it once and her father had to reboot her.

"I'm fine," she replied and grinned at him.

Zero blushed.

Just like a human she giggled to herself. They become embarrassed so very easily. That was one of the things she loved about Zero: he was almost completely unlike her. Love. Could she love? Her smile melted away.

"Look at me," Zero ordered.

She turned her head slowly and was suddenly ambushed in a kiss. His soft, fleshy lips pressed out against her hard, metallic ones and it took her a while to evaluate the situation and soften them. When he pulled away, he glared deep into her optical receivers.

"I'm all you'll ever need," he assured her. "It doesn't matter that you're a robot. When you're with me, you're only Jinmay. You're my Jinmay."

If it were at all possible, she would have begun crying at that moment.

"How touching," a cold voice spat behind them.

They turned to be greeted by the mayor of Axton City as well as Dar, Zero's father and Jinmay's father. Dar had on his ever-present fearfulness while Castilla stood up as tall as her spine would allow her. Massive amounts of jewellery could be mined from her hair, not that she'd let you get close enough to 'Her Royal Worshipness' to try. She glared at the two children with utmost disdain.

Jinmay cowered away. She had long since learned to fear the mayor as a single word from her and Dar would shut her down without question. Zero, 0n the other hand, had no such qualms about standing up to her.

"Is there something you wanted?" he asked.

"You will bite your tongue until you are addressed!" Castilla screamed.

"Oh be quiet you sorry excuse for a leader," Zero snapped. "Everyone knows you're just a figure head."

Castilla's bronze-coloured hands drew a sword from her side and pointed it at Zero.

"You will learn your place, boy!" she threatened.

Instinctively, Jinmay stretched her hand out in front of Zero. Her other hand underwent a few changes leaving an empty barrel which she pointed at the mayor. Fear or not, no one was allowed to hurt Zero. That was her prime directive over all else.

"Calm down you two," Dar spoke up. "Madame, please put your sword away. Jinmay, retract your photon cannon."

For several moments, neither female refused to budge. Eventually, Castilla sheathed her sword and spoke.

"Self-control, it's what separates the human from the metal, am I right?"

Jinmay could do little more than sulk as her hand returned to normal. Dar sighed in relief.

"You still haven't told us why you're here," Zero spoke up.

"Oh yes," Castilla chimed in. "We have need of your monster."

"Jinmay is not a monster!" Zero asserted.

"Regardless of your personal views on the matter," Castilla continued. "The city is under attack by the Marrow Lord."

At the mention of the most evil being in ten galaxies, everyone in the room tensed up.

"We need you thing to help us," the mayor finished.

"Not with that level of disrespect," Zero was barely keeping in his anger.

To his surprise, Jinmay stood up. "I'll go," she said.

"Jinmay…"

"She's right," the gynoid said. "I was made to protect you. If this city dies then you die with it and then I'll be nothing more than a thing."

She turned but before she could jump off the ledge, Zero held her and kissed her. Castilla could be heard gagging in the room behind them.

"Be safe," he warned her.

"I will," Jinmay promised and launched herself outward on the rockets implanted in her feet.

"You know that the boy's relationship with that thing needs to end soon, right?" Castilla whispered to Dar. "If not for the fact that they are almost siblings but for the fact that a man and a machine can never truly coexist as anything but master and slave."

Dar sighed. "I know."

The attack on the city was not as serious as Jinmay was led to believe. Soldiers clad in a shadowy aura marched in through the front gate, trampling all in their way. Civillians who were spotted were gunned down but this was hardly anything new. These were basic Marrow Men.

The robot formed her photon cannon and aimed it at the horde. From the surrounding area, energy spiralled into the barrel and it began to glow bright pink. She took a deep breath and came to terms with the fact that she was about to incinerate unfortunate humans under the control of the Marrow Lord. She let loose a beam of concentrated photon energy and trailed it across the line of Marrow Men. In about ten seconds, all trace of the Men was replaced by a line of blackened ground.

Despite herself, she smiled. She'd succeeded in protecting Zero once more. One day she was going to kill the Marrow Lord himself and then she and Zero could live forever in peace. Her thoughts suddenly chipped out and everything around her went black. The last conscious thought she had as she was falling was that Zero would be so disappointed.