WALL-E waited patiently, tapping his fingers together in nervousness. He wondered if Hal misunderstood him, or if he couldn't find EVE, but he forced those doubts into the back of his mind. He knew Hal would deliver the message, and he knew that once EVE got it, she'd be here in a heartbeat. He just had to calm his crippling loneliness until she got here.

How had he lived like this for so long?

"Wall-E!"

His heart leaped. There she was. Sleek and white and beautiful. She was flawless in his innocent eyes.

"Evah!"

"Wall-E!" EVE hurried to his cage searching for something on the bars. She was accompanied by M-O and Hal, both happy to see WALL-E once again. EVE huffed in frustration, banging her head on the iron cage.

"Evah?"

EVE got an idea just then. She hurried to one side of the cage and reached her arm inside, pointing to the ground, "Wall-E!"

He got the hint, hurrying to that side. What was she going to do?

EVE quickly unsheathed her ion cannon and shot the opposite end of the cage. The bars blew open, so EVE jumped inside to retrieve her sweetheart, fleeing as soon as she had him.

He had her back-!


"Ugh..." WALL-E's cameras struggled to focus in the darkness. The room he was in was so familiar, but he couldn't place where he'd seen it before. Something loomed ominously in the shadows, but WALL-E sensed something there that sent shivers down his metal frame.

A single red light.

"Ow..."

WALL-E spun his head around, "Evah!?" she was lying on the ground, her head stuck to her body, both arms on either side of her, with her palms facing down. She almost looked defective.

"Evah!" WALL-E spun her in his direction. Her eyes were sad.

"Wall-E..." EVE's eyes widened in surprise, then anger at what she saw behind him.

You...

The shadow crept closer. EVE fearfully clung to WALL-E, seeing in her HUD that her laser cannon was offline. She had to get out of here, and there was no way in Oblivion she was leaving without WALL-E.

"Evah..." WALL-E took her hand...then he stood and grabbed her, filled with renewed purpose. He didn't care how heavy she was.

"Wall-E..." EVE held onto him for dear life, "Go! RUN!"

He bolted.

Several stasis beams popped out of walls and floors and ceilings. Lasers shot out of turrets, trying to trap them, but WALL-E didn't slow down. He wasn't intimidated by anything around him. He knew that if he choked and slipped up, EVE would be put in danger.

He wouldn't have that.

Finally, he found the elevator. WALL-E sprung to it, knowing it was a way out, but the doors slammed shut, cutting off all access.

"Enough."

WALL-E shivered, but he didn't let himself waver. He spun around to face the evil.

He hoped he looked braver than he felt...

There he was. The wheel that had caused all the heartache. All the damage in the past week was his fault.

It was the Autopilot of the Axiom.

AUTO.

WALL-E could feel himself shaking while he searched for a way out. The elevator was now locked, and that was the only exit. All he could do was hope AUTO didn't move too quickly, or think faster than him.

Finally, WALL-E looked right at the dreaded white wheel.

AUTO didn't say anything for a time, but once WALL-E looked at him, he stared with equal intensity.

"Here we are again." AUTO finally said, no emotion in his computerized voice, "My directive was violated."

WALL-E couldn't keep looking into that bright red camera, so instead, he kept trying to search for an exit.

"It was your fault."

AUTO brandished his taser, ready to advance forward and end it all-!

Suddenly, someone was between them.

EVE had seen what was going on and worked up enough strength to hover upward, raising her arms to either side. WALL-E didn't see this, but her eyes were narrowed angrily, glowing bright like AUTO's eye. She refused to move. Her laser cannon was offline, but that didn't mean she would sit back and watch WALL-E die to AUTO.

She could feel burning hatred slither back through her mind. It blinded her.

You won't get him this time...

"Evah!" WALL-E tugged on her arm, fear climbing up his neck, but she wouldn't budge.

AUTO moved forward, ready to kill.

EVE took the blow.