The light flickered once or twice, lessening its golden hue before stabilizing. It only made the green, concrete-like floor dimmer, as if it was coated in a thin layer of vomit. Electronic pads were embedded outside each cell, keeping the prisoner within its titanium, circular cages. The only other sources of light were the prisoners' own optics, appearing less bright every day as they awaited their fate – wherever it was. Sometimes, their bulbs faded away, never to return their glows.

The Cluster sure were going for the creep factor.

A beetle Cluster drone made his way with a trolley at hand, filled with several metal trays of only two products: tiny quadruple-A batteries that barely replenished energy stores and oil cans that could be mistaken for the burning taste of ethanol. No robot ever liked it, but it was readily available. Due to the nature of the prison's occupants, it was all hand-delivered to their cells.

The drone opened each cage briefly, carefully swapping each tray for a new one before repeating. Each prisoner spoke little words as they retrieved their tray, thankful that they at least had something to look forward to besides staring at their tight cages.

All except one – which the drone knew very well to give triple-As instead of the regular, horrible quadruple-As. He checked to make sure his blaster was functional, necessary for handling this girl.

He opened the cage, unphased by her unnerving behavior. It's like she never stopped looking at the walls. To anyone, it was impossible to read her neutral, blank expression with eyes as cracked as hers. The same, every day.

The drone swapped trays as usual, taking the untouched tray he had delivered hours prior; the third time in fact. Not his problem though. "Dumb robot," he mused as he closed the titanium cage.

Jenny glared at the drone for his tease. A brief flash of hatred coursed through her black eyes before contracting back into her neutral stare once she had no one to stare at. So badly, she wanted to break out of this prison just to give any Cluster drone a tight squeeze. She couldn't release those emotions. Any strong reactions would call the guards down to shut her up and not to disturb her "brethren," whatever load of garbage their words were.

She was persistent in lashing out, until they grew tired of it. After her third disturbance specifically. They had to call Krackus to modify specialized collar around her right arm, beeping ever-so-annoyingly in its yellow glory. As designed, any strong rages would be fixed with an electrical shock. It also made sure she never got the chance to use her deadliest of weapons.

Jenny slumped down on her metal back, staring at the uncomfortably low ceiling barely tall enough to fit her persona. She looked back at her hands, extending only a slim rod that was likely a nail polisher. Even with her strength curbed, she could bend it like a can of oil.

She had tried a few ideas to get out of here – brute force had been curbed by the collar, tricking the guards was no good. Not even being taking in for more analysis did the trick; some of Smytus's advanced guards occupied her for the roundtrip.

As each day passed by with each failed attempt, Jenny's eyes drooped lower, her lights fading at she tapped into her auxiliary power. She was so great at figuring out everything before. There was always some way to get out! I'm such an idiot, she tapped her foot. And what a wonder on how she got here. She could relive it, literally. Any photographic memory was etched into her hard drives permanently, unable to be altered even with cryptographic means.


It had been a tense day. The first round of college-acceptance, or in Jenny's case, rejection letters came in, crushing her spirits for ever moving out of Tremorton. She had promised Nora she would talk later, though in reality, she was dancing around the topic. But knowing her, it was inevitable she would face the music.

It was a surprise when the beetle and his companion swooped in through a portal, crashing down into their living room. Several months had passed since she last saw the two, presumably blown up on the crater. Yet here they were, all decked and posed to take her down. Only this time, they were not targeting Jenny. Instead, they targeted Nora, landing a kick squarely at her. The moment her mom became a priority for deadly assault, all hell broke loose. No other thoughts crawled through but a slow, simmering rage. Nothing else mattered but her mother's safety; no one messed with her friends and family. Not hers.

Smytus's new armor "made with the power of the Cluster" was neigh-impossible to penetrate as she was dealt blow after blow within the Wakeman's library. Jenny felt as a bolt was screwed off in her brain; like her thoughts were blurred. It flipped into rapid punches, enraged at how personal they've struck in their campaign against her, only cooling into desperation as she reminded herself to remain tactful.

She had scrambled into another panic as he closed in, ready to strike again. She made a last-ditch tactic: firing at a frenzy of objects to disorientate Smytus before breaking a part of the ceiling off. Nora was out of the way.

The collateral damage to the living room did the trick, forcing Smytus down under the heavy rubble. Relief did not set in though, as she still had to tend to her mom, who didn't look quite as well. With a quick round of first aid, she asked many questions while tending to her, not caring over pronunciation. But Nora stopped her, shouting to stop babying her.

She remembered stepping away before freezing up, aware she was doing too much at the same time. The hell was with her and her habits? She remembered Nora gripping her again, trying to reassure her. She wouldn't forget her grim, worried frown underneath her red glasses, nor her voice, "XJ-9, are you alright?" Jenny didn't get the chance to answer her as Krackus appeared from the back. He fired a blaster he had found, breaking off a massive, wooden support beam as it fell towards Nora. She had forgotten about Krackus.

"MOM!" her hands screeched outwards, attempting to pull her out of the way before it crashed on top of her.

Out of anything she could have done, everything that she could have controlled – it did not matter.


Jenny refocused back to reality, gasping as if she had been put in a deep trance. She knocked her head upon the metal walls, just to make sure she wasn't in Dreamland anymore. No sign of that.

She plopped her head on her hands, silently berating herself.

"I'm sorry mom," she coldly muttered. There was a lot she could apologize for, a lot she wished she could've changed.

"I wish I could've done better for you," it crushed her mechanical soul the most, knowing she may have sacrificed more than Jenny ever did. It wasn't pitiful sacrifices – Nora did indeed want to see her grow as a person. She was compassionate enough to see her as a daughter, caring for a being to unduly love.

Why couldn't she have done better? She always landed in trouble left and right outside of hero business, yet the burden of responsibility always fell on her mother's shoulders. All the times she wanted to shirk away from her, she wanted to undo. Everything, she wanted to do better, for her.

Jenny stared out of her cell, barely hearing the buzz drones of the Cluster beetles down the halls. She had recalled her mom making them her archenemy, the reason she turned her talents of science into inventions to protect the world. It was practically why she exists, to fend the Earth from them. Yet she thought she had driven them off after defeating Vexus.

If they were still active, someone had to crush them.

Her goodwill would not be in vain. Just… if only she did not have a mind as pathetic as hers.

A pathetic excuse for a failing hero if she can call herself that.

But she had to try. Just one more, final spell to put the Cluster out of business for good.

A drone emerged out of the hallways, equipped with standard cuffs for retrieval. It didn't look like they had come for her; they would've sent a full squadron otherwise.

Jenny glimpsed out of her cell, seeing a cupric alien being dragged out of his cell. She never heard of his story, only that he occasionally was a humorous chatter with the others. She never laughed in her current state, but it was the thought that counts. She shared an empathetic nod with him as he was hauled away, pained she was unable to do anything. After he was dragged off, she was left all alone in the room.

Perhaps now, she could try another escape. With no one to watch (and no one to guilt her), she could snake her way out of here. At the end of the bars, the control panel laid beeping, her ticket out of her cell. He had observed the drone chef's movements in previous days, easily figuring out the combination that unlocked. The only problem lied with her hands: they were too big to fit through the cell bars.

There was no easy method to fit them through. She possessed no way to shrink her hands down or go through another way. Yet again – defeated. Jenny slumped down, unamused. "Way to go Jenny. Now you're stuck nail-polishing until the end – wait," her eyes shrieked open with the realization. She still had some tools!

Jenny extended one of her fingers open, revealing her make-up polish tool inside. Remove some parts, and it's just a bendable piece of metal! She compared the lengths of it to the distance of the control panel. It matched up. Just enough length to reach it!

Her face brimmed open with a brief smile, "Why didn't I think of this before?" for the first time she got stuck here, she had to restrain herself from squealing too loudly. No way was she alerting anyone else. Reorientating back to the task, Jenny pressed her hand on one part of her tool. It bended a perfect 90 degrees, hanging on by a metallic thread. At a different spot, she repeated with a lesser angle. One jailbreak tool acquired!

Jenny carefully slid her finger through the cell locks, reaching as far as she could to the panel. It was all keypads, with a small prompt at the top. She began painfully typing each number slowly, one at a time. It was irritating for the girl used to being fast, but she could live for the moment.

"0418- " she froze, hearing stomping down the halls. To her luck and relief, it quickly echoed into blank static. She turned back to the panel and resumed typing.

"2004" At the last 4, the keypad turned yellow, with an audible ding. Jenny quickly retracted her hand before the sliding cage allowed her freedom. "Yes!" her energy levels spiked up with a raised fist. Only to be forced down as she felt the recognizable beep from her collar. Gotta keep herself in control here. "I'll cheer later."

Restraining her enthusiasm at least grounded her for her next actions to take figure her way out of this prison.

She didn't want to think beyond that for now.

Jenny began carefully strolling through the room, double-checking she wasn't being spied by any cameras before heading down the hall.


Its convoluted hallways, twists, and turns was starting to get Jenny annoyed. It was no problem keeping track of the halls for a machine unless you were on low power. But she was on low power. She jogged between the walls, keeping her optics peeled for any signs of guards or cameras spying. Occasionally, a floating eye poked in, forcing her to duck into an empty room.

She couldn't just so easily blast her way out of here before; not when her collar restricted all her combat abilities. It wasn't so simple to remove it unless she wanted to accidentally shock herself.

"C'mon, where's the exit out of here?" she whispered loudly, twisting left and right. She kept her eyes peeled for any plagues on the wall that could read information. Most common were storage rooms, filled with mostly empty boxes of would-be double A's. Jenny snatched an open pair, immediately consuming it to replenish much-needed power to her systems.

She kept going. One turn led to another prison cell, which she crossed once the coast was clear. Another close call was a pair of Cluster guards, which she ditched to another storage room. This group seemed to be chatty enough for her auditory system to pick up.

"I can't believe we've been given the disposal order!" one eager one squealed

"Squeeze it while you can, shiny. This may be the only honorable deed you ever done," an older unit, more robust hushed the other.

"Yes sir."

"Enough," the brown beetle at the front, presumably the leader, berated, "At least we won't have to stand next to that filthy, XJ abomination ever again," his voice rippled through the halls as the group marched on.

Jenny fumed at their disgusting words. An abomination? After all they did?! But – wait, they were going to execute her! Soon enough, they'll find no one in their cells.

With an internal clock now running, she picked up the pace, sprinting almost down the halls. Her eyes scouted again, left, and right, dodge incoming guards or spybots. She then slid to a stop, an interesting plaque catching her interesting and worries.

The Royal Chamber? Smytus was kidnapping royalty now? A few pieces were not adding up. So, he wanted her mother, then he took her in for analysis, and now he was kidnapping royal families? If her timer added up, this had all occurred within the span of a week, presuming she was first.

She quickly brushed off any ridiculous theories spawning and made a rationale thought. He was quickly accumulating power with the Cluster. Not good at all. But if he was grabbing royalty, who had he kidnapped so far?

Jenny's curiosity got the better of her, despite being pressed for time. She tiptoed her way into the darker hall once the coast was void of any guards. The yellow prison lights glazed off her fading colors.

The first thing she noticed was how empty it was. The first cells to her left and right were devoid of any prisoners; not one person inside. There was no room to relax at all, completely boxed into a standing position. Her cell felt like heaven compared to this. Her eyes automatically filling in gaps of people wasting away with no hope. This was what was at stake if she did nothing.

Just as she was beginning to turn around, a feminine voice broke through the air at the end, spooking the bot to her bolt's ends. "I told you already! I do not know what you're talking about, Smytus!" her voice was coarse, yet egregiously annoyed. It was somewhat familiar to her.

"Woah woah," Jenny immediately defended herself, standing still, "For the record, I am not that stupid Emperor. I'm-"

"Jenny?" the other cut the blue-haired robot off with a more somber tone. Her eyes poking out for Jenny to reflect on her own. It was light green, with hints of purple accent reflecting off her sides. She felt as if the world threw itself down at the emotional weight.

"VEG-a!" she muted her voice, almost ecstatic to see her long lost friend from Cluster Prime here! She gripped the handlebars, reaching forward, only to back off, frightened by the damage Vega endured.

Vega did not look as terrible as Jenny was. All that were damaged was pieces of her antenna coming off, scratches on her sides, and most striking of all her features, a fractured orb that was once the centerpiece of royalty of the Cluster. She possessed a collar of her own, this time attached to her leg. Same model as hers.

Despite it all, it was still her.

"O-oh oh my god, I can't believe you're here. Wait, you're here! In this prison, with Smy- " Jenny panicked over the implications before Vega cut her off.

"Hold on before we greet each other again, can you let me out?" Vega asked, gripping her hand on the cage.

Jenny took a second to calm her circuits, nodding to her request before turning to the control panel to the left of the cell. Vega recalled the code that she noted from spying on the drones that came. Did they not try vocally encoding it at all? Jenny pressed the code in. The panel chirped yellow, sliding the cell bars open.

The purple robot took her first, graceful steps out, feeling liberated of the extra walking room, only to be interrupted by the crushing hug from her friend – though, it seemed to lack the strength it had she was used to. Nonetheless, Vega reciprocated with a soft smile.

"I'm just so glad to see you again," Jenny teared up in the hug while feeling a little ashamed. She had promised to visit Vega again after overthrowing Vexus so many times, yet she never came. Even worse, this was how they saw one another again. Desperate convicts rising up against Smytus.

"Me too," Vega closed her eyes, embracing for another little while until Jenny pulled back, placing her hands on her shoulders.

"Why are you here?" Jenny asked first, looking at her eyes anxiously.

"Smytus happened," Vega retorted with a simple answer, "He just showed up out of nowhere one day with his forces, claiming my rule was not fit for Cluster Prime and threw me out!" her voice stiffened with anger, clutching her fingers closed.

"Golly, as if he wanted to crave rule himself," Jenny commented, crossing her arms.

"It doesn't make sense though! He and Vexus were powerless after we threw him out, yet he just managed to have an army and ships again, along with his new weapon someone, I forget who," Vega continued, offering new details that made Jenny ponder even more what Smytus's plan was. Her friend leaned back, sighing in annoyance.

"Krackus," Jenny answered sternly with an eyeroll.

Vega glanced back at her, "You seem to have a story to tell. How about you?"

A sense of dread overcame Jenny suddenly. Her eyesight scattered off into space, looking away from Vega. Her feet shifted together, never complicit on a single spot. She hadn't thought about explaining what happened till now. She couldn't. She didn't know how any of her friends reacted to her doomed fight, let alone Vega. How would they react when their strongest friend failed to save their mother?

Vega raised an eyebrow, becoming worrisome of Jenny's erratic state. The beeping of the collar did not help matters, "Everything good, Jen?"

"Well- "

Before an answer formed, her voice would be replaced by the indescribable screech of all hell breaking loose. The yellow lights in the prison began flashing rapidly. Distant yelling could be heard, with footsteps scattering for direction. She heard the activation of a motor near the door, about to seal them inside. They were out of time!

It's now or never.

"No time to explain!" Jenny grabbed Vega's arm and made a beeline to the door, barely sliding back into the halls. The door slammed shut behind them.

The two got back onto their legs and ran, ignoring the heavy poundings and flying cameras that gave chase once they were spotted. Vega, being less damaged than her, took the lead. She made the effort to reach for Jenny's hand, ensuring they never left one another behind.

At the next intersection of the halls, a group of green Cluster drones stood in the way with raised blasters. "Hey! Stop right there!" one of them scrammed before giving pursuit.

Jenny and Vega nodded at one another before leaping over the drones, catching them by surprise. "No fair!" one of the angered drones screeched. Jenny returned a sly smile before focusing up ahead.

They slid through another closing vault door, making quick progress through moving down the halls. In theory, enough turns through the prison would lead them to an exit point. The main problem was where?

The next turn led them straight into the largest room of the entire complex: a hex-shaped tower sitting in a circular room, overseeing operations of the entire prison system. Large monitors displayed all the latest visuals, cameras (including ones following her). Guards were positioned everywhere at the different halls it led.

"That way!" Vega pointed to a hall, closing her mouth the moment the other guards took notice.

"There they are!" one shouted.

"Get them!" another charged forward, getting the first pounce in. Jenny quickly pulled her hand backwards, sending a well-deserved punch to the drone's face. Not as powerful as she was used to, but it got the job done.

The drones' quick reactions prevented them from making fast progress, with Vega getting crunched behind by a confrontation. But she managed to get a grip on them, wrestling out of the way. Once Jenny was clear as well, they ducked back into the halls.

"Someone get the controller for their collars!" Jenny shivered, her advanced auditory systems picking up dialogue behind them. Her collar beeped once, sending a shiver through her frame.

"Come on!" a reminder from Vega woke Jenny up from her thoughts to pick up the pace. Another two drones stood in the way, armed with tasers. The stronger robot made quick work by flicking them on the faces, sending them flying backwards.

Another door closed behind them, closing off more guards while leaving them less paths to trace back to. "I believe if we turn this way, there should be an exit way!" Vega chanted, bringing up the optimism between the two. Just a little longer, then they would be out of here.

Their hopes were then dashed by a literal wall impending their path. A 18foot titanium wall, filled with even more inches that made it impossible to punch through with their limited strength. A dead end.

"What?" Jenny cried out in shock.

"Seriously? I thought this would be our way out," she groaned, annoyed by how grim their prospects were. The seconds were ticking, with options running out. She looked back to Jenny, "Come on Jen, we'll try another way."

"Alright," Jenny followed her, preparing her legs for another mad sprint across the facility. From the sounds of the rapid footsteps, they would surely face another wall of guards standing in their way. They needed to find a different way out.

Before she took off behind, her optics spotted a curious anomaly on the side of the wall. A grated plate, large enough to fit the two, yet the inside was hollow. A scan confirmed it. "Wait, Vega!" she called her. The robot turned around, confused at what she meant. "The vents! We can crawl through them and make our escape that way!" she explained, pointing at the shaft.

"Ventilation shafts? Oh, my goodness, I forget we had those!" Vega processed before realizing this was the way. Maybe her intuition was better than she anticipated, granted, she needed a little jolt. "You smart chip," she complimented, bending down to remove the plate.

Jenny awkwardly giggled at the compliment before her eyes stared downcast with a frown, "If only I was better at every other scenario."

She kept watch, feeling the footsteps getting closer and closer from the vibrations on the floor. Once Vega had crawled inside, she crouched down and followed behind. She sealed the vent back in place with her legs before following behind. Her optics shined the way in the dark metal caverns, with Vega as her guide out.

The last she heard of the prison was the frustrated dialogue of the guards as they arrived, terrified of how they were going to deliver the news to Emperor Smytus. Finally, some karma.


He wished the chair was more accommodating for his size.

Smytus had a hard time adjusting himself to a comfortable position. It was originally Vexus's, until she was overthrown by the hands of her own daughter and the loathsome XJ-9, but Vega never bothered switching to a more accommodating size. Meanwhile, he had to wait for a new to be produced for his likeness. He would have to get used to this for now.

He flicked a set of switches on the golden control panel, bringing him the latest series of reports from his units. Recent protests sparked by his new empire were being quelled by the police, the Excel fleet was being refurbished right on schedule, their spies on Earth reported back little, and Krackus would soon be complete with his analysis on XJ-9.

What Vexus could've dreamed of, he accomplished without her flawed, egotistical vision. Indeed, he claimed to be Destroyer of Worlds, but that's because his methods of the past worked, without any pandering. All qualities the first Queen he served under respected. She was what made Cluster Prime reality.

He only hoped to carry the planet forward.

A red light beeped from the console. An emergency on the planet! "Huh?" Then a Cluster drone burst from the doors without warning, much to Smytus's annoyance. "Ding me before you bust into my work!" Smytus raised his fist, turning to face the drone.

"Ap-apologies, mister – Emperor Smytus, but there's been a prison breakout at the Cluster Interdimensional Prison Complex!" the drone reported directly from his holographic clipboard.

"What?" Smytus's face widened in shock, "Where Vega and XJ-9 are held?"

"Well – about that… those two… were the ones that – " the drone didn't get to finish his sentence as his voice-box was locked grip tight by Smytus's hands.

"You mean to tell me- " the massive beetle grimaced with an irritated expression as he held him high up, "The prison couldn't execute XJ-9 within a WEEK, EVEN WITH MY AUTHORIZATION?!" his voice echoed in the throne room. The pillars briefly shook, with his voice reverberating down to the bottom.

"I'm – I'm just the messenger, please," the drone squeaked out desperately. To his luck, Smytus's strength faltered, releasing him. He recovered in a stilted stance before continuing, "They were working out the hijinks towards how to dismantle her fully," he explained with what he overheard.

"Time is the absolute essence towards our success!" Smytus roared in fury, this time more softly as to not rattle the palace, "We extracted all we needed from Nora Wakeman and XJ-9, rid of Earth from her, and all that was left to guarantee victory for us is destroying that abomination. If she's still out there, all our efforts could be wasted. She could be the undoing of our entire society! And it certainly doesn't help she has the Vexus-spawn-of-jobs princess with her," his fury tightened, recalling the queen that burned it all to the ground.

Eventually, Smytus calmed down. He walked back to his station, pressing a large intercom button in the center, "Give me Police Chief Snarus stationed at the C.I.P.C," he requested.

"Confirmed," an automated voice dinged. A projector activated in the center of the room, blasting an image of the Police Chief of the entire Cluster, Snarus. He looked just as pissed as he was.

"Emperor Smytus, sir!" he stood straight, facing the camera.

"Begin sending search parties for the escapees. When they are found, destroy the abomination, XJ-9, but bring Vega back to my palace at once," Smytus ordered. Before Snarus could responded, he added another bit, "Search in the Underdrives too if you must."

Snarus let an exasperated frown, "The Underdrives? The last time my forces searched there, we lost several officers!" he protested.

"Then I suppose you should get the right drones for the job then! Understood?" Smytus barked back. He knew the risks that that region of the planet posed. But he had seen XJ-9 survive so many impossible attempts at her life. Surely, they would likely fled down there too.

"Understood," Snarus complied with a nod after accepting. The feed cut soon after, leaving Smytus alone with the drone.

He turned back towards them, "Prepare my shuttle! I'm going to have a few words with Krackus about his progress."

"Yes, Emperor Smytus," the drone rushed out of the room, still skittish after his near-death-experience. Smytus marched out after them.


Jenny was never fond of tight spaces. It compressed on her frame like a metal rope, restraining her freedom to move. Her hair scraping at the top of the vents left her even more anxious. Now with the main chase behind them and Vega leading them home, all she could do was ponder where to go from there.

The main question popped in her head: the Cluster. No doubt she would need to stop them again. She could easily pound them with her fists and explosives until they were grinded down and dispersed the edges of the galaxy. But unlike the usual affair, her eyes glossed over the simple fight with wavering uncertainty.

A lot of the odds were stacked up against her, a lot she felt responsible for. She had no way to reach back home; Smytus likely got all the portals under tight security. No cell service either on the planet! She couldn't ring up Skyway Patrol, Sheldon, Mom! Even if she had Vega, how was she going to grab help if she was crippled as well? They couldn't request her friends for help either. Maybe if she weren't so self-reliant during that stupid battle, then maybe she wouldn't be stuck here in this death-trap!

Jenny grimaced her jaws shut-tight at the rapid thoughts. They didn't jolt her as much anymore, but it didn't excuse how much it hurt her mechanical heart. She paused, subtlety enough to not alert her friend. She needed a moment to recover the toll.

Even with all the odds against her, she had to keep persevering. Failure wasn't an option when Earth and Cluster Prime was at stake. She had to press on. For them. For her. She resumed on going.

A few minutes out, a thin shaft of pink light blinked through the vent, an indicator they had reached an endpoint. Vega took her sweet time inspecting, making sure the area was clear on the outside.

"Jenny, could you push the vent out?" she turned to her friend.

Jenny nodded quietly, "You're gonna have to squeeze by me though. I don't know how much my hands can extend with the collar on," she was fully aware of how awkward this was going to be side-by-side.

Vega backed up, pressing herself next to Jenny until their shoulders were touching one another. She was thankful Vega was a machine all by herself. Jobs forgive Sheldon ever be this close to her. The robot let out a small chuckle over the circumstance before reaching her hands to grasp the vent, shaking it violently loose. Within seconds, the vent fell off.

"Home free," Jenny said slowly as Vega crawled from their uncomfortable positions together, rolling overhead out of the vent. She soon followed out, the first view being a 50ft drop from the vent into the abyss. Momentarily forgetting where Vega went, she panicked, "Vega?"

"Up here, Jen," her optics rolled up, immediately eyeing the purple princess above her. She offered a hand for her to get up.

The vent extended a few feet off the ledge where they stood; with the bland, pink expanse going off for several miles. Several buildings were raised off the ground, antennas poking out into the light. Not far off, a dark-violet group of skyscrapers stood with organic shapes only human architects could dream of building. Jenny could pick off loud conversations about the latest romances or news from her position. Even in a world claimed by the Cluster once more, Cluster Prime stood all-mighty as a symbol for all machines.

She spread her arms out into a stretch, basking into the afternoon light. It was as gorgeous of a view as ever, and she didn't have to spend it alone, even in these bleak circumstances. Vega seemed to be spreading herself out too, relieved to not having to run again for a while.

Of course, the distance police sirens from the prison ruined that prospect.

Jenny slumped her head down, not looking forward to another adventure after barely escaping death. Vega placed a hand on her exhausted friend, "Hey, not much we can do about it?" she seemed to understand the swirls Jenny felt internally.

"Not really. I'm just tired," Jenny mumbled, feeling as if her circuits would melt onto her friend. Vega read the double-meaning.

"If we're lucky, we should reach my friend's place, Shell's, by nightfall," Vega explained before grimacing, "Although if we are to achieve that, we're going have to go through – the Underdrives," she briefly stiffened.

Jenny raised a confused eyebrow, "The Underdrives? What's that?" she looked off to the distance when Vega pointed it out. Off to the side of Cluster Prime, several dark trenches stretched out for miles, going down thousands of feet as well. So many residences were packed in those halls.

"That is the poorest, deepest section of the entire planet," she explained, the new knowledge being enough for Jenny to grimace, "Shell lives at the edge of it, but it is a crazy maze to get there. Once say they may even get lost at the core of the planet if you're not careful."

"But once we're at Shell's, he may be able to help get these collars off us," Vega added further. It would be worth it for venturing down that loathing, disgusting trench.

So, it was the equivalent of Earth's slums, only darker, deeper, and more metal like. What's more to that that she didn't know? "Well, given that we've escaped a prison controlled by Smytus, I wouldn't be too worried about some mud monster ruining our paint jobs," Jenny cracked a small smile.

Vega let out a snort, "Yeah, they wouldn't even ever find us down there!" she laughed out quietly, with her robot friend joining her as well, only to stifled down with a half-glazed, downcast stare into the distance with an unreadable smile.

"Should we get on going?" Jenny asked, her tired, damaged eyes looking back at Vega's.

As much as Vega wanted to ask what was going on in her friend's circuits, she knew they could not afford to waste any more time. "Yes," she nodded, turning around to lead the way for Jenny. "It'll be this way."

"Okay," Jenny answered, following behind.

As the two began walking, Vega could not but help wonder what was going through her mind. She had first noticed it over her hesitancy to explain the events that unfolded, then her quietness and lack of enthusiasm in the vents when she was a normal chatterbox. She feared something happened that resulted in how she ended up here. If Jenny wanted to talk about it, she would've said something by now.

But her friend couldn't keep it forever in her head, she knew. She wouldn't budge into it; especially if they were still on the run.

Maybe once they were safe, Vega rationalized, they could talk. Just a simple chat, asking what was up. Jenny wouldn't refuse at that point.


I finish writing this chapter at the dead of 12:47AM on a Sunday Night. This chapter changed so much from the first paragraph, so much so that its now locking in several plot strings that will run its course for the duration of this longfic.

Hope you all liked it.