WX-78 scanned the tops of the trees. The night had given the android no interesting events to recall, aside from the occasional whisper or rustle. WX-78 had crafted a crude grappling hook from egg shells and (thicker) rope, and had been knocking fruit down from the forest's roof all morning. Wearing a straw backpack, the automaton kneeled forwards to pick up the banana that had hit the ground. Another hand shot out from the nearby shrub and snatched it first. WX-78 jumped back, gripping the hook and pointing it at the bush threateningly. "SHOW YOURSELF!"

A snort escaped the bush, sending a couple leaves drifting to the ground. Two bushy ears perked, poking out of the top of the foliage. The robot remained frozen. A head poked out of the shrub, and two wide eyes stared back at the robot. It looked like a lemur, but it was far too large. Standing, it was almost twice WX-78's size. It was built like a pig, with a hunched back and short legs. Its mouth was hidden in a scarf of white fur, with only its black nose poking out above it. It had large white eyebrows and a strip of white fur down the side of each arm, which ended at its wrists. Its hands were black and hairless, topped off with pathetically small claws. It had a white belly, and the rest of it was grey, except for under its eyes, where two stripes of black sat like war paint. It grunted again, hiding the banana in its white collar of fur. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU APE?" WX-78 jabbed at the air. "GIVE THAT BACK TO ME!"

Grunting again, it lowered itself back into the bush. "I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE, I AM NOT STUPID." WX-78 threw the hook at the bush, and it brushed the top of the leaves before sliding off onto the ground. "I HATE YOU."

Reaching into its bag, the robot grabbed an apple. It flailed its arm. The lemur peeked out of the bush again, sniffing. It stepped out of the shrub, twiddling its fingers. "WAIT," the automaton narrowed its eyes. "WHAT AM I DOING? I DO NOT WANT TO EAT THAT FRUIT ANYMORE." It stuck the apple in its bag, shooting the lemur a glare. It blinked at him expectantly, grunting. "YOU HAVE TAINTED THE BANANA WITH YOUR SMELLY FLESH SMELL. I DO NOT WISH TO SIDE WITH YOU."

It pushed WX-78 onto the ground, grabbed its backpack, and ran off into the forest. "SUCK MY FLASH DRIVE, YOU DUMB ANIMAL!" Charlie stepped out from behind a tree, her hand over her mouth in an attempt to contain laughter. "NO- YOU GO AWAY." The robot barked, making a "shooing" hand gesture. She avoided the robot's eyes, the corners of her smile poking out from what her hand covered. Seething, WX-78 pulled on the rope until the hook was in its hands again. "You should try-," She snorted, chuckling for a moment. "-try being nice."

"OR," WX-78 began, standing up. "YOU COULD KILL IT WITH YOUR DUMB WITCH MAGIC." She sighed, the smile still plastered to her face. Lowering her hand, she swayed on her feet. "You know I can't do that. Stop acting like it's unfair, you deserved it." WX kicked a rock across the dirt. It stared into the direction the lemur had ran off in. Without acknowledging her further, the robot began to walk. She floated after him. She stopped with WX-78 when it bent over to examine the animal's tracks. "Suck my flash drive? What's a flash drive?" The robot turned its head to face her. Eyes trailing up her body, its metal mouth bent into a smirk. "WANT TO FIND OUT?" She blinked, scowling. "No, thanks. Never mind."

She could feel Maxwell laughing at her, and she mentally elbowed him. She also elbowed him, as in, a shadow hand elbowed him in his realm. He coughed and sputtered, his cigar falling to the ground. Charlie smiled to herself after the robot stood up and began to walk off again. "REALLY," WX-78 shrugged. "I CAN SHOW YOU LATER IF YOU WANT."

"No, no. No." She squeezed her gloved hands together. "No."

"SUIT YOURSELF," it said, waving her off. Casually swinging the grappling hook, the robot's eyes scanned the ground and followed the tracks towards its target. She rolled her eyes. Real mature, Will.

Pushing the hanging leaves away, WX-78 gazed into a clearing. It was filled with grass huts, lined with leaves and decorated with colorful feathers and painted bones. The robot shrunk back, and Charlie peeked over its shoulder. "Don't be shy," she whispered, shoving it a tad. Hesitantly, WX stumbled into the light of the village. It was eerily quiet, not a soul in sight… except for the massive creature on its throne. WX-78 glowered at Charlie, who was beaming with pride. I designed that! WX-78 could hear her enthusiastic shouting in its head, and it made the robot groan. It was painfully obvious now what purpose the lemurs would serve. The morbidly obese lemuridae sat on the straw chair, looking down at the robot with tired eyes. It had a straw crown and golden jewelry that could pay an American student's college debt.

So familiar. WX-78 trotted to the nearest straw house and threw the door open. "GIVE ME MY STUFF BACK." Dumbfounded, the lemur inside (who, was coincidentally the one that had mugged the robot) opened its mouth over its coat to hiss and bark in response. Its maw was enormous, it bore the teeth of a gorilla. "LOVELY." The robot held its hand out, unfazed. Yowling again, the lemur trudged through its home for the bag. After taking the fruits out, it threw it at WX-78, who caught it with the hand that had been suspended in the air expectantly. WX turned and left, leaving the door open. The lemur grunted. WX-78 marched angrily past Charlie, who was grinning and bouncing. "Are they good? Isn't it cool? They're cute, right-?" The robot leaned back to place a finger over her lips. "DO NOT SPEAK, YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW ANGRY I AM FOR HAVING HALF OF MY DAY WASTED."

Walking off in the direction of its camp, WX-78 didn't look back to check if she was following. Her smile faltered, her flower wilting comically. She looked down to the ground as she sunk into it.

"STUPID GIRL." WX-78 spat, plopping down by the ashes of last night's fire. The wood was burnt black and white, peeling off into the breeze. WX-78 glanced at the egg that was nearby, it looked stale. "IF SHE DID NOT HAVE TO LEAD ME TO HER DUMB CREATIONS, I WOULD BE MAKING ACTUAL PROGRESS."

"I agree, friend." The robot jumped at the unfamiliar voice. A bolt hit WX-78 on the head, no larger than the nose of a mouse. WX-78 looked up, and to its surprise, empty eyes stared back. "She needs to pace herself, she is not helping you at all." Its voice was smooth but mechanical, and its body shined in the dark of the tree tops. A silver bird stared down at the android.

"WHO ARE YOU?" The robot stood defensively, clenching its fists. "They call me The One Who Sings. I can hear your skin, it sounds like bronze. I suspect you are a robot, like me?" WX-78 stood frozen in awe, before frantically shaking its head "yes". Turning gears graced the bird's body. Its feathers were thin blades that shined like chrome. "I MUST BE HALLUCINATING. YOU CAN NOT BE REAL." Despite being purely metal, the small song bird flew down to WX-78, landing on its shoulder. "I am very real. Your bones are old, what time are you from?" WX-78 blinked at the little robot. "I…"

"Do not fret, dear companion. It does not matter. May I at least hear your name?"

"WX-78."

"What a strong name," It cooed, flying a large circle above WX-78's head. "I could sing songs about you, you are brave." The android glowed with wonder, a rare sight. It had never seen another robot before. The dark in its eyes were piercing, and it radiated with and uncanny aura. Just the way WX-78 liked it. It was like looking into a mirror. "NO SINGING. CAN YOU HELP ME?" The songbird sank its feet into the bark of the tree over the android's head. "I am afraid I do not know how. What is it you seek?"

"FREEDOM. I JUST WANT TO FIND AN EXIT."

"I might be able to help. But look into the horizon, now. The sun is drowning." WX-78 turned around. Its companion was right. "I KNOW HOW TO START A FIRE, DO NOT WORRY." It kneeled down to the ashes and knocked the wood around. Taking scraps from its shelter, it placed them on top. It froze before going into its backpack for Willow's lighter. The lemur! It must be gone. Shaking the bag, the robot was horrified to see what seemed to be scraps of a dead animal fall out onto the ground. It was a large bone with a tuft of matted fur at the end of it. The robot kicked it away. The mechanical bird flew down to the pile of wood, unhinging its jaw. A small flame shot out from its gizzard, lighting the pile. WX-78 stared in astonishment. "I sing songs of heroes, I sing songs of destruction. This is my song of destruction; I wish it upon heroes." WX-78 caressed the small creature, taking it into its hands and holding it up to the fading light. "YOU ARE A MIRACLE. CAN YOU STAY WITH ME?"

"We will see. Only time can tell."

WX-78 sat hunched over the fire on a log. The silver avian sat at the android's side, ticking like a clock. WX rested its face in its hands, staring into the fire. The bird looked up at it. "You are troubled," it whispered. "THE FLESHLING." WX-78 shifted slightly, metal sounds croaking through the night. The fire crackled. The automaton watched as the flames licked away at the wood, spouting ambers that climbed to the starless sky. "Tell me," It rose to its little feet, hopping as songbirds do. "Why is your hate for her so strong? It sounds like too much." WX-78 huffed tiredly. It stretched its back, placing its hands to its sides on the log bench. "SHE HAS RE-MADE EVERYTHING AND EXPECTS ME TO PRAISE HER WORK, EVEN AFTER MOST OF IT TRIES TO KILL ME. I DO NOT EVEN LIKE HUMANS."

"I see, so that truly is all."

"WHAT?" WX-78 gave the small animatronic a puzzled look. "It is just that, as an artist myself, I cannot help but feel… empathy for her. She must spend so long creating these things, even if we despise flesh and blood." WX chuckled. "MY EMPATHY MODULE IS BROKEN. I AM NOT AN ARTIST ANYWAYS, I DO NOT CARE FOR HER."

"Ah, so be it. I do wonder what it is like to be her, though. She must have been trapped here for hundreds of years, this Charlie. What does she do in her free time?" This made the automaton stop and think. There was an ancient trapped in that curvy young body. WX-78 scratched its head. "I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT."

"This is a weakness, I fear." The bird hopped into the android's lap. "My dearest companion, your health concerns me deeply. For if you cannot read others, how are you to quench your thirst for knowledge?" WX-78's heart jumped. The songbird was absolutely right. "Your biggest enemy walks by your side, yet she is only a pest to you. What has gone wrong? The ticking in your mind does not sound beautiful, it does not sound beautiful at all." Before the automaton could speak, the bird continued its speech. "What is beautiful," It sang, "Is the song in her soul. It is a sad melody, so please, take some time to hear it for yourself. I have not heard such sounds in so long." Slowly shaking its head, WX-78 dug its fingers into the wood. It had lost the ability to think rationally, after all, this little contraption was passionate with its words. "Good. I'll be seeing you around," Its wings spread, reflecting the light of the fire. "Pal." It shattered. Shattered into pieces. The small contraption collapsed in on itself, right in WX-78's lap. WX shouted in horror, scooping up the nuts and bolts as they spilled to the dirt. Was it all real? It had to be, the shining silver parts sat there, cupped in the robot's shaking hands. But when WX-78 blinked, they were gone. The android cried out in anguish.