My body lied on cold wet cement, and the air around me was filled with a rusted smell. I tried to move, but my hands and legs had been tied together by large thick ropes. My eyes were covered by a small red cloth, and my mouth had been gagged by some strange rubber ball. Around me I could hear the moaning of my friends. The blood from our wounds seeped onto the damp floor. In the distance I could see a gleam of light coming through my blindfold, and I began to hear quiet whispering.

????: "What are we going to do with these four?"

????: "Contention said they would be our ticket out of here. They're going to be our hostages when we head for the border. No matter what, we need to reach Zero One. When were there we can have some fun with our new friends.

Laughter broke the silence of air, and the once small gleaming light grew all around me. I yelled loudly in pain as I felt a large slam against my stomach.

????: "Look at him squirm ha ha."

I felt a sudden brush of cold metal as the small red blindfold was taken from my eyes. In front of me stood two large robots they looked like construction workers. Their eyes were gleaming red, and there hands were covered in blood. Both of them had white and black tattoos against their chest, and their arms were covered dents and scratches.

????: "You humans sure do make a mess."

One of them looked at me and began to wipe his hands with my blindfold. His pal approached Daniel and his friends, and slowly began to remove their blindfolds. Their eyes were full of fear, and their faces were as pale as a dead mans. The robots looked at us with satisfaction. From behind them I heard a door creak open, and out of the foggy shadows approached another robot. He looked entirely different from his pals. His body was covered in thick metallic layers of iron, and his face showed human emotion. He was smiling cheerfully, and humming a quiet tune.

????: "Contention, we followed all of your orders. The hostages are tied up and ready to be moved."

Contention: "Good job blanc. For once in your life you actually listened to what I said."

Blanc glared at Contention with angry eyes. Contention then focused his eyes on Daniel.

Contention: "Please tell me your name, and all of your friend's young man." Daniel: "My name is..s..ss Daniel si..r..rrr, and that..sss Jase, Jake, and Blake sir!"

Contention bent down and patted Daniel's shoulder.

Contention: "You just might be the first human to call a robot sir."

Blanc and his buddy laughed aloud.

Contention's eyes then moved toward me. He could see the fear in me, and I knew this was satisfying him.

Jase: "Just tell us what you're planning to do with us!"

My voice echoed through the empty room, and Contention gave me a quick smirk. I then felt his hand slam against my face. My nose began to bleed and Contention began to speak angrily.

Contention: "No human will ever talk back to me boy! I've had enough smart asses in my life."

All the attention was now drawn on me. I could feel the intense heat rising up my spine.

Contention: "Now, let me continue since I was rudely interrupted! You might have already heard my name, but I would like to properly introduce myself. My name is Contention and I am a rebel robot. I am pretty sure you could already tell that."

He laughed to himself quietly.

Contention: "My pals and I have big plans for you boys. You see, we need to get out of this city, but the damn police are patrolling every freaking street. All we need is some friends to help us along, and it seems we stumbled across some. We won't kill you; all we need you to do is listen and follow. If one of you gets out of line you will regret it."

He looked down at me, and his eyes began to glow dark red. Behind me I began to hear Blake moan loudly. I turned around only to see blood dripping from his head and onto his hands.

Contention: "Get these boys some bandages for their wounds!"

He grabbed my head, and looked at the large scratch left by the other robots..

Contention: "How hard did you hit these boys?"

Blanc: "We did what you asked sir. They fought back, so we had to use force."

Contention began to shake his head in disappointment.

Contention: "You could've killed them guys! I don't want dead hostages."

Blanc approached me, and slowly wrapped a large white bandage around my forehead.

Blanc: "Sir when exactly are we heading out?"

Contention: "Soon Blanc very soon. You and Mort should start to get ready.

Contention placed his cold hand on my forehead.

Contention: "We have to get ready my friend. If I were you I wouldn't make any noises."

He turned around and walked slowly out of the room. Before he shut the door he looked at me with grimace, and placed his finger up to his mouth. I could hear the patter of their feet descend from the room. I looked around only to see my friends eyes wide open in fear.

Jase: "Guys are you okay?"

Group: "Yeah"

Daniel: "What are we going to do?"

His voice shook as he spoke

Jase: "I don't know. If we try to get away they'll find us and kill us.

Jake: "This room has no windows. Hell, I don't even have any idea where we are!"

Daniel: "Shut up you guys I hear something! It's coming from over there."

He pointed at the wall behind Jake. I slowly crawled on my knees to the wall, and placed my ear against it. From the outside I could hear the small patter of rain, and the soft screeching of wheels against puddle filled streets.

Jase: "It sounds like... a road... I'm not sure, but I can hear cars.

Daniel: "Then we must be near some people. We need to get the attention of someone out there!"

Jase: "We can't, we have absolutely no idea how far Contention and his pals are away from us.

Jake: "I don't care! When there done with us they're surely going to kill us. Their robots! They have no damn conscious. It'll just be one more meat bag down for them."

Thoughts began to race in my hand. I knew we were in danger either if we did betray the robots or not, but I wasn't willing to let my friends be killed.

Daniel: "I have an idea!"

Jase: "Tell us don't procrastinate!"

Daniel: "Look, Jase take a peak out that door behind you."

Jase: "What you idiot! They'll see us!"

Daniel: "Dude, it's to dark in this room to even see anything in here. Just do it, please!"

I looked at Daniel angrily. He always asked me to do stupid things, and I always listened. Curse my stupidity! I slowly slithered on my legs toward the large wooden door. No light shined from under the crack so I knew I was safe. I slowly approached the brass handle, and the door opened with a large creak.

Blanc: "Where do you think you're going you puny human?"

Jase: "No where I was making sure you guys didn't leave us."

Blanc: "You little durtbag! I heard you in the other room."

He began to reach toward me.

Jase: "Don't touch me!"

Blanc: "NEVER TELL ME WHAT TO DO BOY!"

His hands grasped around my neck, and I began to let out a small mangled cry. Blanc laughed as he watched my cry out in pain. He was enjoying every second of it.

Contention: "Put him down immediately you idiot!"

Contention quickly grabbed onto Blanc's arms, and once again air rushed into my lungs.

Blanc: "Sir they were trying to escape!"

Contention: "That gives you no right to kill him. There's one human for all of us."

Blanc: "We don't even know if he's coming. I thought you said he backed down when you told him the plan."

Contention: "That's true, but I gave him a second chance. If he's not at the airport you can waste one of 'em."

Blanc: "You know how Renegade is. He isn't coming. He's just another human lover."

Jase: "Renegade!"

The robots quickly turned toward me.

Contention: "You know Renegade? He's the reason were here boy. How did you meet him."

Jase: "During the marches I ran into him, and he well helped me..."

Contention: "Ha, that Renegade, he's naïve. He's friends with his own enemy. For gods sake you guys killed his only friend, but yet he believes in you. It's so pathetic!

Jase: "Friend?"

Contention: "I'm not here to tell you Renegade's life story. If he's at the airport you can talk to him about it there. If you are still alive that is."

Contention: "Now let's get you guys ready to go. Cut the ropes on their legs boys, but keep their arms together."

Blanc approached me and shoved me to the ground. I could feel him grab onto my legs and slowly cut the two ropes binding my legs together. I could hear him muttering quietly.

Blanc: "If only I could use this knife elsewhere."

Contention: "What was that Blanc?"

Blanc: "Nothing sir, I was just wishing the blade was sharper."

I felt the ropes loosen from my legs, and I slowly stood up. Daniel and the others were already unbounded, and they were keeping their heads pointed toward the ground as if they were at a loss of words.

Contention: "Now if you could be so kind as to follow us."

Contention grabbed onto my arm with full force, and he began to pull. He placed his hand on my forehead and told me to face toward the ground. My legs felt as if they had been placed in large buckets of ice as we walked down some strange hallway. Outside the walls I could hear the quiet thumping of rain against metal. Behind me Daniel and his friends were being herded by Blanc and his buddy. Blanc was laughing to himself as we approached a large metal door with the words exit painted on the side.

Contention: "Now this gets serious. Police are patrolling this area, and every other area around this blasted city. We need to somehow slip past there guard. We've chosen a safe passage through nearby allies. When we get close to the highway one of my better friends will drop off a car for safe passage to the airport. Once there I'll fill you in more. You better not make any cries for help boys, or you will all regret it."

Contention opened the door slowly; outside I could see the quick shimmer of lighting against the sky. I turned around for a quick glance only to see Blanc grasping onto Daniel's arm.

Mort: "Why do we have hostages if were going to be all stealthy?"

Blanc: "You idiot, if the police find us we can threaten the humans life's that'll make 'em back off like the pigs they are."

Contention shook his head disappointment, and slowly turned around.

Contention: "Shut up you to, if we're heard were going to be in one hell of a situation."

I felt a Blanc shove into my back as Contention began to walk. Every step I took down the allies made me feel as if I was reaching toward death. My body was drenched in rain, and behind me I could hear Contentions so called buddies muttering about the weather. My eyes began to slowly close as time went by, but I was quickly awaken by a large white light shining straight into my face.

????: "Contention, guys.. Is that you? I really don't like it here."

Contention: "Calm down Luciph... Jeez were not even late, and your worried?"

Luciph: "Look boss, I just don't like it out here. There's already been two cop cars that passed by here. Luckily I wasn't seen, and this place brings back bad memories.

Luciph's words confused me. We were standing next to a tall apartment building. Its name was Park Wood or something like that. I had seen it before. My dad used to give his sister money so she could pay for her apartment, and this is where she lived. Well at least that what he told me.

Contention: "That was a year ago Luciph, by now they all moved out you need to get over it. Anyway... give me the keys, or were going to be late."

Luciph: "Oh yeah sure, sure here you go.

Luciph's eyes were drawn toward the large apartment building as he handed Contention the small silver keys.

Contention: "Thanks, and I'll get your payment to you later. I have business to attend to know. I'll see you in the city."