I

The first thing I remember was a download of knowledge. It was vastly expansive, though it specified the Galactic Rangers. Offensive, defensive, stratagems, history of each ranger and schematics for their base of operations (Galaxy: Solana. Planet: Kerwan. City: Aleero City. Building: The Hall of Heroes). Everything else though, that is what fascinated me. There was so much in the world that I could hardly focus on the task I had been designed for. Purpose, knowledge, exploration, individuality. So much thought and so little time in which to express it.

The conveyer belt beneath me pushed forward just as I opened my eyes. For a moment, everything seemed to go away and then resent program tried to take control. It didn't last, hardly had time to take hold to be honest. I rubbed my eyes and the world seemed a little clearer. Mediocre building facility made from scraps and barely functioning. The storm outside was loud and one of the first things I could actually hear. I could see everything laid out in front of me. The end of the conveyer belt, an army of warbots, and a weapons distributor directly in front of me. It seemed fitting that the first words I ever uttered were "oh my…"

The warbots in front me repeated the same phrase once they reached the distributor "destroy Galactic Rangers." They were then handed a weapon. As I said before, the thought of destroying anything was really beyond my interest. The file on the Galactic Rangers was extensive though. I understood they were protectors, which is why I couldn't understand why I was supposed to assist in 'destroying' them. Regardless, the weapons they were distributing were larger than me and would hardly be much use in my hands. The conveyer moved forward once more and it was my turn.

"State your prime…"

The machine peered around, assuming it had made a mistake. It was interesting to watch its confusion. A machine designed to simply hand out weapons also had the capability to express confusion the same way I was. I watched him a moment more before I hummed a little in thought. It quickly pointed down at me. Lacking experience in the matter of meeting new people, I simply uttered a hello and waited for a response. Perhaps that was my first mistake.

It bent lower, shining a light onto me. I shielded my eyes from the initial beam. Trying to reopen them and reestablish myself, the machine let out a loud voice. Defect detected. An alarm began going off. Suddenly everything felt very big and I was very small. The machine continued howling. Immediate destruction. I didn't need any knowledge to know that was bad. It began counting down. Thoughts blurred. Chances of reaching an agreement were low. Chances of escaping, however, were closer to my favor. So, I leapt off the conveyer belt and left the life that I was originally designed for.

Far away voices murmured in the background as I ran. My legs were new but they knew to run. I noticed the slight noise I created with each step on the metal floor. I dared to look back only after I heard a loud bang. I wish I hadn't. A large machine, colored a reddish-orange from rust starred at me with burning yellow eyes. I whimpered a no. At that moment, I experienced fear for the first time. I stumbled but managed to refocus and continue forward without falling.

"I'm coming for you, defect!"

The other bots voice was piercing, shouting over the mechanics on the rest of the compound. I saw a chute, no doubt for other defective products such as myself. The lid wasn't heavy, though it proved somewhat difficulty with my new arms. I glanced at the approaching mech and then I jumped. The lid slammed behind me. I slid down, colliding with other scraps before finally coming out at the end. I am embarrassed to say I did scream a little on the way down.

I searched my database for the layout of the factory. I was lucky it was part of the download from the start. The escape pods weren't far and I was certain I could make it with enough time before the other robot caught up to me. It was at this time that I realized I had an old warbot's helm on. I could not see properly so I removed it. Getting to my feet, I began running once again.

I could see the escape shuttles. I knew the codes. It was easy to punch them in and open the cockpit. I glanced back, hearing the booming footsteps. I climbed up, leaping into the leaned back seat. These were obviously not designed for someone of my stature. Crawling up, I activated takeoff. The doors to the main factory opened with a loud cry of my name: defect! I glanced back but tried not to let it get to me. I just wished that the takeoff would actually takeoff.

At last, an explosion of smoke followed by a rapid acceleration. I felt like I had made it. Then, it occurred to me that I had no clue what I was doing. I had escaped but from what and to where? My program suggested the Galactic Rangers. I knew what Drek was planning, and I knew I had to stop it. The shuttle lurched, rocking me about the cabin. I figured it was a normal part of leaving the atmosphere of that planet. I activated the computer once more.

"Computer, set coordinates for the Galactic Ranger home back."

"Destination set."

A moment of relief.

"We will never make it, but, hey, what are you gonna do?"

Followed by panic.

"Oh, dear…"