Part 3

Where the Rebel Heart Saunters

Prologue

MilVolt Lab Industries - Axis City, Iron Star Inner Districts, 4:30 AM

Exavolt rubbed the sleep from his optics as he trudged into work that morning. Usually, the beginning of the day wasn't so difficult. But recent weeks hadn't been kind to him. He'd spent the entire month working around the clock. The relentless hours he was putting into his research proved fruitless. Calculation after calculation ended in failure. He had a feeling today would be no different, that the results would just be the same as yesterday and the day before.

But he didn't want to lose hope. He wasn't alone in his work. With help, he was sure this project would be successful. It just didn't seem like it at the moment. Yet as Exavolt sat at his desk and faced his monitors, he made up his mind that he wouldn't allow himself to stay discouraged. He turned on his equipment and prepared to begin his work. The screens in front of him were just booting up when something nearby caught their light. Exavolt looked over. A painting on the wall seemingly greeted him. He studied the bots making up the picture. Five other Droids happily surrounded him. Exavolt didn't expect it, but it put a smile on his face. The six of them were much younger there. As of the portrait's completion, they were all just starting out. The painting was meant to celebrate that new beginning.

That seemed like ages ago. But then Exavolt remembered that it was. He remembered that day, when he had it commissioned. The six of them posed together in the same spot for hours while the painter got their likenesses. Exavolt chuckled at the memory. How time flew.

Once his computer finished coming on, he pulled up the things he needed on the main monitor. He looked over his schedule for the week. It was Monday. A staff meeting at 9 o'clock, professional development at 11:30, a tour of the facility for a group of students at 1:15, a small summit at 6:45. Exavolt gave a tiny, relieved sigh. It wasn't awful. He would be able to squeeze in time to conduct further studies.

He minimized the schedule and brought up a group of documents. They were readings from the most recent trial. They just weren't the results Exavolt was looking for. He lightly rubbed his face. Perhaps the others would be able to help him figure it out.

A random sound plucked him out of his thoughts. He glanced around, startled. Aside from him, the main lab was empty. He usually arrived and got to work earlier than everyone else. Exavolt facepalmed himself with his three-digit hand. Intruders. Great. They recently had to beef up their security. Exavolt pulled up the surveillance. He looked over the feeds. There didn't appear to be anyone outside, or coming in.

The sound came again. Exavolt jerked his head in the direction it came from. Clanking. From the spare room on the far side of the lab. The door was shut. Exavolt got up from his chair and went to get protection. He carefully moved toward the door with his brother's latest invention. It had the build of a rifle and the firepower of a cannon, designed for military use. It was still in the prototype phase, but its capabilities already showed a great deal of promise. Exavolt cocked it as he inched toward the spare room.

The door automatically slid open. That wasn't a good sign, Exavolt told himself. It was supposed to be locked. The light was still off, though. Exavolt took a deep breath before switching it on.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BROTHER!"

"Uh, what is all this?" He lowered the gun.

Exavolt's siblings were in the spare room waiting for him. As soon as he turned on the light, the five of them jumped out from their hiding places to surprise him. A custom banner hung along the back wall in view. Exavolt read the shiny words: Happy Birthday, You Old Fool. He couldn't help but laugh. The "old fool" bit was an inside joke. Exavolt gratefully came forward to meet his siblings. They gathered around him, showering him with streamers and blowing party horns. One of them moved closer to place a party hat on his head. It was his younger sister Iris. Her optics danced while she gazed at him. Exavolt didn't know what to say.

"I was not expecting any of this," he finally told them. "Thank you all so much!"

"Oh, Exavolt," Iris murmured, "we simply could not forget!"

Another one of the siblings wheeled a table forward. Exavolt saw the metal cake neatly positioned on top.

"Well, now, what are we all waiting for?" Axon positioned the cake in the center of the group. "Let the festivities commence!" he exclaimed.

The six of them were enjoying themselves a few minutes later in the lab. Exavolt finished his wish before blowing out the number-shaped candles on the metal cake. 12,416. He gently extinguished all five digits. His four brothers and one sister looked on expectantly around the table. They were probably wondering what his wish was. Exavolt wouldn't have minded telling them if it didn't break the birthday rule. It involved something very special, something he hoped for them all to be part of.

They sliced into the cake. It was Exavolt's favorite: zirconium velvet with blue cobalt cream filling. He got the first piece, and the biggest. Iris made sure of it.

"For the old fool!" she teased.

"Oh, come now, Iris, you are not much further behind," Exavolt teased back.

"Ah, but I did not come first," Iris pointed out, giggling.

Exavolt chuckled at her comeback. He and Iris always joked that way. He relished their banter. It was a product of their friendly rivalry. They were all brilliant. The six of them were created with the most intelligent minds on the planet. But Iris often proved to be as smart as Exavolt. She loved challenging his calculations more than the others. They always competed to see who could solve an equation the fastest. Sometimes Exavolt won, and sometimes Iris did. It all just depended. Out of the five of his sibs, Exavolt saw her as his perfect equal. He wondered if Millivolt and the other predecessors made them that way intentionally. Either way, Exavolt reserved a special spot in his core for Iris's affections. Droids outside of their circle often misunderstood her. She carried herself with astuteness and elegance. She wore expensive jewelry that matched her sky-blue optics and exterior colors. Even now, her topaz earrings glimmered under the lab's lights as they dangled back and forth. Her presentation intimidated some bots. Underneath that put-together appearance, though, was a kind, colorful individual. And a nurturing one, too. When Iris wasn't working on projects, she was a schoolteacher. She loved to talk about the juvenile Droids she worked with.

Axon was the third oldest. He was next in line for the special place Exavolt saved when Iris wasn't there. Like her, there was flair under Axon's intellect. Except, maybe he was a bit more on the eccentric side than anything. He was possibly even the nerdiest out of them all. He was the inventor of the gun Exavolt brought into the room. It was just one of many military-grade firearms he thought of. Part of his job involved close work with the government in designing new weapons. Exavolt was fond of Axon's unique expertise. He conceived concepts that would've otherwise been years beyond the military's current limits. Axon was too humble to acknowledge the genius in his work. He was the altruist of the bunch. He loved helping less fortunate Droids. Most of them accepted his aid, while others thought he was just another self-righteous upperclassman. Exavolt knew Axon was genuine in everything he did. It was always evident in his caring, frost-blue eyes.

Radius was the first of the three youngest. He was a laid back, cool-acting individual—the teacher that didn't hand out a lot of homework and let the students watch movies. He taught business outside of the lab. Critics accused him of not taking his science work seriously, but Exavolt knew he did. Aside from his intellect, Radius had a knack for swooning women. Exavolt couldn't help but shake his head at his little brother every time he saw him with a group of female Droids at summits. They just couldn't resist those gray-blue eyes and witty charm. He was the face everyone saw on magazine covers. There was one thing Radius had in common with Exavolt: pride.

Tungsten was the second youngest, and the most reserved. He was a bot of few words, allowing his abilities to do the talking. He spent a lot of time contributing to Droid psychology as a therapist. Recently, he won a prize for a self-help book he published. It became a number-one bestseller in record time. The recognition made Tungsten anxious, and he would've rather spent his time in the library than attending big events. But Tungsten understood how important public appearances were for the scientists and made it to every one of them.

Kilo was the youngest. He was the "troublemaker" of the group, and Exavolt meant that in a good way. He loved pulling pranks and telling jokes. In his spare time, he was a comedian. He was just naturally funny. There was never a frown in the room when he did something silly to make them laugh. Exavolt believed Kilo's being the youngest explained why he was so childlike in spirit. He and Radius slacked off a bit during work hours, and sometimes Exavolt had to remind them to focus. But he was confident in Kilo's scientific abilities, nonetheless.

"Exavolt! Hello, Iron Star to Exavolt!"

Iris's call shook him out of his thoughts. Exavolt remembered the party.

"Are you going to sit there all morning?" Iris playfully asked. "Or are you going to actually take a bite of your cake? I thought zirconium velvet was your favorite."

"He's wishing he had my looks," Radius cracked. Iris rolled her eyes and nudged him.

"Maybe he wants me to eat it for him!" Kilo jokingly suggested.

"Oh, no, brother!" Exavolt objected. "You will not be getting extra! You have your own birthday party coming soon."

"Yes, yes, I know," Kilo sighed, laughing.

They were all built on the same day. But they agreed a long time ago that they'd celebrate their creations on different days. They felt that since they were all special in their own ways, it would be fitting for them to have their own separate parties. This turned their birthday into a birth month. Iris's would be at the end of the week, Axon and Radius's would be next week, and Tungsten and Kilo's would be the week after.

Even after the others brought him back to reality, Exavolt continued poking his slice of cake with his fork. He could tell they all sensed something was off. He didn't want to talk about it, though.

"Is something the matter, brother?" Tungsten asked him.

Exavolt quickly shook his head. "Ah, of course not, Tungsten."

None of them bought it, clearly. Exavolt looked down for a few seconds. His optics eventually lifted to the number candles that'd been taken off the cake. A pit formed in his chest. He didn't reveal much to his siblings, but he had worries. They plagued him all throughout the month, and they all stemmed from one thing.

"12,416." He spoke finally. "That is the number of years we have spent on this planet together."

The others quietly looked back at him from their seats around the table.

"That is a very long time," Exavolt went on. "Lifetimes. Thousands. Within that span, we have accomplished much together. Droid society has changed a great deal over the years. We have lived to see every last development with our own eyes. There have been ups and downs throughout. And we were there to experience them all."

Exavolt briefly looked away before saying more. He felt his siblings' stares burning into him.

"We will not be here forever." He looked up at them again. "We must make the most of every advancement."

"I believe I know where this is going."

Axon's testy voice made Exavolt glance in his direction.

"This regards the one project," Axon said. "Does it not?"

"We have not been getting proper results," Exavolt insisted. "We have not even reached the trial stage. Our efforts have been gravely unsuccessful."

"So what if they are, Exavolt?" Axon demanded. "It is not necessary."

"Not necessary?" Exavolt sharply repeated.

The anger in his tone seemed to deter Axon. He saw him shift uncomfortably from across the table. Exavolt tried to calm down, but he couldn't. The grueling weeks he'd spent on the research. The painful hours he dedicated. The overtime. The sleepless nights…

"Axon is right, Exavolt."

He gawked at Iris. She calmly returned his stare from her part of the table. Exavolt thought he had imagined her words. "What did you say, sister?"

"The project has gone nowhere," Iris gently broke to him. "You are exhausted. We all are."

"But there is a way," Exavolt persisted. "There is a way to see faster results, I am certain of it."

His siblings exchanged uncertain glances. Exavolt felt himself getting more fed up. Why couldn't they see it? Why couldn't they see what this project was worth?

He shook his head at them. "I knew it."

They blinked at him, confused.

"None of you care," he muttered. "None of you are concerned about the future."

"That is not true, brother," Kilo protested. "We care greatly!"

"That is rich of you to say," Exavolt retorted. "All you care about is the next bad joke you will make."

Hurt flashed across Kilo's face. The remaining four siblings glared at Exavolt.

"Brother!" Radius snapped.

Exavolt had enough. He angrily stood up and grabbed his slice of cake. He flipped the plate over on the table. Blue cobalt cream filling splattered across the surface. All the others could do was watch, speechless. Exavolt couldn't care less. He stormed away without another word.

...

The rest of the day dragged by. Exavolt did his work in silence. He refused to talk to the others. The two meetings came and went. Since the argument, Exavolt felt like he was operating on autopilot. The other MilVolt faculty sensed something off in the air, but they couldn't figure out what.

Exavolt secluded himself from the others throughout the day. Axon invited him to join the tour for the Droid students, but he declined. His brother's crestfallen frown stung a little, but he pretended it didn't. Exavolt couldn't ignore the guilt for long, though. He ended up watching his siblings give the tour of the laboratory from its observation deck. The students were from Iris's class; the tour was a field trip. Exavolt found himself smiling a bit the more he watched them. Iris clearly enjoyed treating the juvenile Droids to such an experience. The trip obviously excited them, too. Exavolt felt a bittersweet pang. The young Droids were the future of Iron Star. Their work at MilVolt Labs was vital to Droid development. The one project was supposed to help that happen sooner, more efficiently. But so far, it was a failure.

To Exavolt's delight, the summit had to be cancelled. The team of researchers coming from out of town couldn't make it. It didn't matter to Exavolt. All he wanted was a chance to get back to the project.

He spent the rest of his evening alone going over his research in the lounge. Most of the staff had gone home for the day, with the exception of a few janitors working late and security guards on the night shift. Exavolt sat at one of the kidney bean tables in deep concentration. He sipped a glass of mineral oil as he flipped his pages of calculations. They surprised him tonight. For once, it all seemed to be coming together. Exavolt put the pages down and sighed. That was what he said almost every night.

A pair of voices interrupted his focus. He glanced up from the work. They came from out in the corridor; he'd left the door cracked. Exavolt kicked himself for not remembering to close it. But it at least allowed him to hear what the bots were saying. Their words were more audible as they came up the hall. They stopped right outside the door.

"…I just wish he would let it go."

"I do, too. But that is how he is. We all have our hang-ups."

"Of course. I just…remember the last one. It promised nothing good."

"I will keep watch on him as much as I can. Ok?"

There was silence from the other bot.

"Do not worry, dear brother." The second bot gently reassured him. "This, too, shall pass. I promise. Try and get some rest."

"I will. Thank you, sister."

Iris came into the lounge after saying goodbye. She carried a book and a binder with her. Her optics locked with Exavolt's and she froze.

"Oh! Brother, I—"

"No need to justify yourself."

Exavolt returned to his work. Iris carefully continued into the room. She sat across from him at the table and put down her things. Exavolt looked up at the book and binder she opened. Iris noticed and smiled. "I am just grading papers," she said. "It was a busy day today. I didn't have time to earlier, with the children and all."

She clicked a pen and got started. Exavolt studied her for a few moments. When Iris saw his face, she knew he was still on to her. Her sky-blue optics dulled.

"Oh, Exavolt, I am terribly sorry," she guiltily began. "Axon and I were only—"

"I know, Iris," Exavolt softly assured her. "I understand."

"We are just worried about you," Iris admitted. "That is all. I hope we did not seem like we were gossiping."

Exavolt didn't answer. He went back to making calculations. Iris saw he preferred to drop it and resumed grading. The lounge filled with their silence. Iris had finished the first assignment and placed the score in the grade book by the time either of them said more. Exavolt went first.

"I am sorry, too," he whispered.

"Exavolt…" Iris formed a forgiving smile. It carried a hint of sadness.

"You must not worry about me," Exavolt urged. "Really, dear sister. I am fine."

"Why must you pursue this project so relentlessly?"

"It will make the world better," Exavolt persisted.

"But the world is fine," Iris softly protested.

Her words made Exavolt pause. Was she right? He denied it. She couldn't have been. Iron Star was stable, yes, but they'd seen what it once was. They've seen what it could be.

"It has all become so different," Exavolt said, lowering his eyes.

"Some things are not made to stay the same, brother," Iris told him. "They are made to change. On their own, with patience. With time."

Exavolt continued going over Iris's words. Despite how he felt, they carried wisdom. He thought about the painstaking amount of work he put into the project, only for it not to go anywhere. Maybe it wasn't worth that. Exavolt longed for the outcome to be different. He wanted the project to be successful. But the results said otherwise.

Iris was right. It was time to let it go.

Exavolt peeled himself away from the pages and gave her a smile. "My wonderful little sister." He reached forward and placed both hands over hers. Iris blinked at them, then up at her older brother. It surprised her. She apparently hadn't expected him to reach such a decision. But as Exavolt held her gaze, he saw her optics eventually soften. He had come to his senses, and she could see that now.

"This is splendid, Exavolt," she beamed. "I am so proud of you!"

"Thank you," Exavolt murmured. "I will apologize to the others, as well. I behaved erratically, I will admit."

"Good. You had better," Iris teased, winking. "Old fool."

"Old Fool Number 2," Exavolt teased back at her.

...

He waited for the others to go home. He heard them saying their goodbyes before heading out. Exavolt heard the door to the exit close. A smile stretched across his metal lips. He was alone in the facility. Finally.

The empty main lab greeted him as he came in. The lights had been turned off. Exavolt stood in the heart of the large, dark room with his arms outstretched and his chin raised. His blue optics glowed up at the ceiling. He basked in the silence. MilVolt was his tonight. It always was, being the head scientist and all. But tonight promised no interruptions. Nothing could stand in his way.

Exavolt flipped the lights back on and hurried to start his computer. He brought up his research for the fated project. He wanted to make a new scientist—one capable of improving itself. The creation would be a start, a stepping stone to even greater advancements. It would mark a new era of Droid evolution. All Exavolt had to do was succeed.

He went deeper into the facility, to a room he had only given himself access to. He unlocked the door with a key he always kept hidden and stepped inside. Even without light, he could tell time had caught up with the space. He coughed from the dust clouds. His optics scanned the area for the switch. He found it and flipped it up. When nothing happened, it didn't surprise him. The room was one of the oldest in the building.

Exavolt felt around with his hands. He undid the cobwebs in front of him with his fingers. They met the wall in front of him. His optics lit up a door to a vault. Exavolt's grin came back. He quickly put in the combination; every turn of the knob grew his hopes. The door unsealed after the last number, and Exavolt swung it open. He reached inside.

It was just how he left it: perfectly untouched inside of a glass case. Exavolt's grin widened. He opened the case and carefully pulled out the object. Around and around he turned it in his hand. A fragment. A magical shard. The material couldn't be found anywhere else. Its sparkling, color-changing glow practically hypnotized him. Exavolt thought he could hear it whispering to him, telling him what needed to be done. He thought he could see the future flash before his eyes—a version of the world achieved by his will. It was beautiful. Beyond current limits. And Exavolt had gotten it there.

He started to close the safe back to leave. Something else inside caught his attention right before he did. An old booklet sat beneath a thin layer of dust. Exavolt brushed it off and pulled it out. His optics skimmed over the title on the front page: PROJECT DOOMSDAY.

A small, astonished breath escaped Exavolt's lips. He hadn't seen those words in so long. His fingers eagerly flipped through each page, one by one. Everything from the project came flooding back to him, from preliminary concepts to final designs.

The guardian Droids.

Exavolt put them out of his mind for so many years. Ever since he completed his part in the Morbots' mission to take back their surface. It never happened. Exavolt never heard from them again afterwards.

His sights fell on one design in particular. A miner. They were made to oversee the production of Morbite. They were powerful. Their astral weapons—mattocks—were the only things capable of breaking down the material. But Exavolt knew a loophole. He smiled deviously to himself.

He was back at his computer a minute later, sifting through all the files. It took some time. There were thousands to look over. Exavolt found the right ones after digging.

Audio files.

They were saved under a folder he thought he deleted. He'd never been so grateful not to have gotten rid of something. Exavolt opened the first one.

"Uhh, alright, this is my project with the Morbots, Entry 1. The first day of my biggest, most top-secret assignment so far!"

The young robot's voice froze Exavolt for a moment. It was his. He didn't expect it to affect him how it did. A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed it down before it became too much. He felt his quivering lips form a teary smile.

"This project was not my idea, however, I will make that clear. I was visited a few days ago, when I was alone in the library. By a Morbot. I never thought I would get to meet one! They left the surface a hundred years ago, before the others and I were built, obviously. Dr. Millivolt left behind information about them in records. To preserve their history, of course.

"Well, anyway, the Morbot who came to me wanted me to help them with something. They are planning to return to the surface. To take it back. It sounds foreboding, I know. But Iron Star was originally all theirs. I put myself in their shoes. I imagined what it is like to be banished from your own world. It cannot be easy, surely. Some may disagree, but I understand them. I sympathize with them, in a way.

"The Morbots are forging a new kind of robot for their purposes. Guardians, they call them. They used to work alongside the Droid scientists. The Morbot who came to me believed that since I was the eldest of the successors, I was the most capable of helping them with their work. They must have believed I took after Millivolt. He was the altruist of his group. But...ha...I am no Millivolt. That characteristic would have to go to one of the others.

"I questioned their plans, of course. I wanted to know what I would get out of it. The Morbot promised something I never thought I would be offered: immortality. A chance to propel Iron Star into a new era. To stand on the shoulders of giants. To be the giant. All I have to do is help them. So that is what I am going to do. Dr. Exavolt signing out."

The audio file ended. Exavolt wiped the oil from his eyes. It felt surreal hearing his younger self speak to him from the past. It gave him the motivation he needed. One project had already failed. He wasn't going to fail another.

He got to work.

Exavolt worked for hours. Days. Weeks. He hid the project from the others as much as possible, working on it between his schedule and after shifts. It exhausted him, but he didn't care. It was all going to be worth it. Exavolt listened to his old audio files for reference. He'd moved on to the design phase when a thought crossed his mind. He remembered the design for the guardian Droid, the miner. The idea clicked in his head. Of course! He was creating another scientist. They needed to be smarter, stronger, not just a thinker, but a builder. A miner bot might have been unconventional, but Exavolt could tweak that design to his liking. He scrapped his original design for the scientist.

Another week passed, and the scientist's body was complete. Exavolt stood back to admire the accomplishment. It was similar to the design for the guardian miner but with a few adjustments. Exavolt left out the headlight and mining components. He made the hands and feet, different, too, as well as several changes to the body's overall shape. Its deep-red exterior glistened under the lab lights. Exavolt cleaned the grease from his forehead with a handkerchief. He'd gotten through the hardest part. Now for the most important.

Exavolt placed the Morbite fragment under his high-powered laser. It wouldn't be strong enough to break it, of course. He didn't need to.

He aimed the laser just right and turned it on. A threadlike, red-hot beam pierced the Morbite's tough exterior. The heat generated smoke. Exavolt crossed his fingers.

His idea worked. The beam melted a small portion. Exavolt cheered inside. He hurried around the table for a better look. With hopeful eyes, he watched the liquid Morbite trickle into a test tube. A little would be all he needed. Once it was done, he eagerly took it and held it up in the light. "Marvelous!" he exclaimed. "Marvelous, indeed!"

The scientist's body lay on the procedural table nearby. Exavolt hurried over, ready for the final phase. He inserted an IV into one of the arms. Less than a minute later, he watched the liquid Morbite enter.

He sat back in his seat once he was done. Nothing happened yet. Exavolt patiently waited. When another 20 minutes dragged by, his hopes ebbed. Had all of this been for nothing?

A violent jerk from the body made Exavolt jump. He watched as it shot upright on the table. Its optics lit up with life. They glowed a bright, flaming orange as they locked onto Exavolt. The sudden movements were enough to drive him out of his chair. He nervously withdrew.

The subject kept its searing eyes trained on its creator. It got down from the table and clunked straight toward Exavolt. He wanted to run, until he remembered he was the one in charge.

"Stop!" he ordered.

The bot did as he was told, halting directly in front of Exavolt. He curiously blinked at him. Exavolt smiled at his work. The bot was alive.

"Hello, friend." He pleasantly held the bot's gaze. "Do you know who I am? You do, hopefully. I programmed you to!"

His subject nodded. Exavolt's optics widened slightly. The robot understood him!

"Excellent." He gave an approving nod with his head. "And you know your name, correct?" he asked.

"Corrosive."

The bot's voice had a gruffness to it. Exavolt chuckled, amused. He placed his hands on his subject's shoulders with a smile from ear to ear. "Welcome, Dr. Corrosive," he said, "to MilVolt Lab Industries!"

...

Exavolt stood with his siblings on the lab's observation deck. They studied Corrosive alongside him. Several days had passed since Exavolt created their new fellow scientist. His time at the facility went swimmingly so far. He operated wonderfully, carrying out each task with optimal performance. Exavolt beamed at the others. "He is magnificent," he appraised. "Is he not?"

"Yes." Radius nodded. "Yes, he is, I am inclined to admit!"

"I agree!" Tungsten chimed in. "He has quite the bedside manner, too, if I may add."

An employee nearby almost dropped his things. Corrosive went over and helped him. The worker thanked him, and the compliment tickled Corrosive to the point of laughing and clapping.

"He is a jolly fellow, indeed!" Kilo chuckled. "My kind of bot!"

Only two out of the six of them hadn't given a verdict. Exavolt turned to Iris and Axon. They both exchanged an uncertain glance. Exavolt analyzed them. He thought he saw Axon softly shake his head at their sister. It irritated Exavolt deep down, but he didn't acknowledge it. He should've expected skepticism from these two.

"Well?" he prompted.

"Can I speak to you for a moment, Exavolt?" Axon asked. "In private?"

Exavolt bit down the frustration he felt. Axon. Of course.

The pair left the observation deck together. They slipped inside the room next door to it, standing away from the window looking out onto the platform. Axon's uncertain blue optics told Exavolt everything. He didn't need to hear his brother out, but he let him speak anyway.

"Iris told me you agreed to let the project go. Why didn't you?"

Exavolt didn't answer right away, resorting to eying him in silence.

"You lied, Exavolt!"

"So what if I did?" Exavolt snapped. "It doesn't matter now, does it? The younger three welcome him. Iris would, too, if not for you."

Axon stared at him in shock. "What on Iron Star do you mean, brother?" he asked.

"Oh, stop playing dumb, Axon," Exavolt scoffed. "You know what I mean. You influence Iris's decisions. Always in her ear, telling her what to believe!"

"That is completely unfounded, Exavolt," Axon argued. "That is not true, and you know it! Iris is free to believe what she likes. I would never try to govern anyone else's opinions."

Exavolt rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe Axon's self-righteousness. He would've been able to excuse it if not for how hard Axon pushed his skepticisms. He questioned Exavolt's idea for creating a new scientist from the beginning. Exavolt had a hunch that if not for Axon's oppositions, none of the other siblings would've followed along. It wasn't the first time he did it. The thought of him sabotaging his work in such a way—twice—made Exavolt more livid by the second. His scowl deepened. Axon noticed.

"What?" he asked. "What is it?"

"I see this clearly now," Exavolt said.

Axon tilted his head, confused.

"You are jealous of me," Exavolt muttered.

"I beg your pardon?" Axon's eyes widened again.

"And not just of my ideas," Exavolt added. "You envy my friendship with Iris."

Axon angrily shook his head. "I do not believe this!" he fumed. "How dare you accuse me of such…nonsense! I will have none of this, brother!"

"Then don't," Exavolt coldly shot at him. "Condemn my achievements if you wish. See if I care."

Axon had enough; he turned to storm out of the room. He stopped when he reached the door and glanced at Exavolt one last time. "Fine," he said. "Then I do not care, either."

Exavolt let him leave. Axon stepped back out onto the observation deck. He went past the others. Iris twisted around to see Axon starting down the stairs. Exavolt saw her lips move through the window, asking him what was wrong. Axon didn't stop to answer. By now, the other three siblings had also noticed him leaving. They all went after him, with the exception of Iris. She noticed Exavolt in the room beyond the glass and paused. Exavolt quickly averted his gaze. He couldn't bring himself to look back at her. When he turned to the window again, Iris had gone with the others.

...

A few nights later, Exavolt joined Corrosive in MilVolt's observatory. He spent the day showing his new scientist around the facility. Corrosive enjoyed the tour, and it preoccupied Exavolt from his argument with Axon earlier. He stood nearby while Corrosive eagerly peered through the telescope. His curiosity ticked Exavolt. Ever since he mentioned the stars and planets to Corrosive, they were all he wanted to see. Exavolt eventually went over.

"Tell me what you see, my friend!" he encouraged.

"Everything," Corrosive breathed. "The cosmos is beautiful!" His voice was full of awe.

"It is." Exavolt nodded, grinning. "It absolutely is."

Corrosive pulled away from the telescope a minute later. Exavolt studied his inquisitive orange optics. They burned with wonder. It was endearing, almost childlike, as was the rest of Corrosive's demeanor. Exavolt didn't expect that when he made him. Something about Corrosive's innocence, though, felt refreshing. Exavolt smiled at him. He wouldn't have such a hard time understanding his vision. Corrosive would fulfill his destiny well.

"That could all be ours someday, Doctor." Exavolt gently patted his hand. "The universe is constantly expanding. Changing. It is our job to revolutionize such a system, to update it, so to speak. As scientists, we were built to examine every facet of existence through a critical lens. To find what is broken and fix it."

"Ah." Corrosive nodded.

"We will accomplish that together," Exavolt told him. "We will reconstruct our reality. Starting with our own world, Iron Star."

Corrosive stayed quiet, absorbing the information.

"You understand this, Dr. Corrosive," Exavolt said, "do you not?"

Corrosive smiled and gave another nod. "Of course," he answered.

Exavolt's grin widened. "Marvelous," he whispered.

...

"No. No, stop! Stop it!"

The screams shook Exavolt awake. He didn't even realize he'd fallen asleep in the lounge. He went in there to study his work in silence like he did almost every night. Weeks of all work and little rest had finally gotten to him. Something was happening outside the room, but he had no idea what.

"STOP IT!"

Iris?

They were her screams. Exavolt dropped everything and bolted out of the lounge. He rushed to reach the main lab as fast as his three wheels could carry him. Emergency lights illuminated the facility in red. A few lab workers who hadn't left yet ran up the corridor in the opposite direction. Exavolt tried asking them what happened, but no one stopped. He made it into the lab. His oil ran cold from what he saw.

A worker's metal remains dangled from Corrosive's mouth.

"Corrosive!" Exavolt breathed. "What in the world has gotten into you?"

"Exavolt?!"

He found Iris cowering on the floor nearby and hurried over to help her up. Her optics brimmed with fear.

"What is going on, brother?" she asked. "Why is he acting this way?"

Exavolt opened his mouth to answer, but a powerful blast nearby cut him off. A beam repelled Corrosive away from a pair of employees, giving them time to escape. Exavolt spotted Axon a few feet away with his prototype gun. His mind raced. Corrosive was on a rampage, but…

The scientist retreated out of the laser beam's path. He leaped onto the observation deck overhead. Exavolt's optics shifted between him and Axon. His brother charged after Corrosive with his gun in hand. Exavolt shook his head. "Axon!" he shouted. "Axon, no!"

Axon ignored his cries. Exavolt broke away from Iris to pursue him. He chased him up the stairs and onto the observation deck. Corrosive sat perched on the rail on the other end. Axon placed him in his crosshairs and prepared to fire again.

Exavolt stopped him just in time. He tackled Axon onto the platform as hard as he could. The impact knocked the gun out of Axon's grasp, and it slid a few feet out of reach. Axon tried crawling after it, but Exavolt stopped him again. He forced Axon onto his back and held him there.

"Exavolt, what are you doing?!" Axon yelled.

"I cannot let you hurt him," Exavolt insisted.

"He will destroy us all!"

Exavolt didn't object further.

"He will destroy us all, brother!" Axon cried.

"I know." Exavolt looked at him as he spoke finally. "I am sorry."

"What?!" Axon yelped.

Corrosive dropped down onto the observation deck again. He writhed and screamed in agony. Exavolt couldn't understand what was happening to him. That was when it clicked. Corrosive's body was rejecting the Morbite. It couldn't handle the material. Exavolt thought he'd perfected Corrosive's guardian design, but he hadn't. He made a mistake in the calculations. And now, everyone around him was suffering for it.

But Exavolt didn't see it that way. He believed that this is what it took. Even in his corrupted form, in all his failure, Corrosive was built from his hands. He understood his creation's destiny now: to undo current existence. To renew. To start fresh. It was the only way for the Droids to truly evolve. This was Exavolt's belief. This was his vision.

His epiphany distracted him long enough for Axon to slip free. He managed to grab his gun off the platform and aim it toward Corrosive.

"No!" Exavolt cried.

Axon shot, but he missed. Corrosive jumped off the observation deck before the beam hit him. He returned to the floor below. The remaining three siblings had arrived in the lab and joined Iris. Corrosive spotted the group and lunged after them. They hid behind machinery in a corner. Something stopped Corrosive halfway. He fell on the floor and resumed writhing. His body began generating excessive amounts of heat. It was hot enough to be felt throughout the entire room. The ground shook, and the machinery the siblings hid behind fell over them, trapping them underneath. Exavolt realized what was happening. Corrosive was about to explode. He exchanged a glance with Axon. Fear radiated from his optics. Their siblings were doomed.

"There is nothing we can do for them."

Axon could only stare at Exavolt as he spoke.

"Do not be afraid, brother." Exavolt smirked at him. "This is only the beginning."

"You caused this," Axon condemned.

Corrosive was ready to blow. Neither of the brothers had much more time. Exavolt abandoned Axon on the observation deck. Part of him didn't want to—the same part that wished to stay behind with Axon and face the destruction together. The other part rivaled his morals. He needed to survive for what would come next.

He hurried into the room attached to the observation deck and took cover. The explosion would destroy MilVolt Lab Industries, possibly even the surrounding areas. Nothing would survive, maybe not even Exavolt. But he had to take that chance. He felt the force of the blast, but only for a split second. Something fell on his head and knocked him unconscious.

...

Dust stifled Exavolt's breathing as he came to. He sat up from underneath the rubble and coughed. There was no longer a room, or even a facility. The explosion reduced it all to ruin.

Exavolt staggered to his wheels and strained to see through the smoke. It threatened to suffocate him. He stumbled through the dark until he arrived in the heart of the destruction. He knew he was standing in the middle of what used to be the main lab. He took in the decimated machinery. A sickening realization knotted Exavolt's stomach. The workers…his siblings…

He forced the thought away.

His wheels led him deeper into the ruins. Sparks rained down from loose wiring. Burned documents littered what was left of the floor. The explosion destroyed everything, as Exavolt presumed. Nothing had been spared. He paused. If he was the sole survivor, then that would've meant…

Exavolt shook his head. No, he thought. He has to be alive!

He wished he could fool himself. Unless there were salvageable remains, he might as well have kissed his creation goodbye.

Loud clanking sounds stopped Exavolt in his tracks. He warily looked over the rubble. The clanks were strong enough to rattle the ground.

Footsteps.

Huge, powerful steps. From where? From who?

The shadow of a figure swallowed Exavolt in darkness. He dared not move. Whatever was standing behind him was 50 times his size at least. Another minute passed before he gathered the courage to turn around. A monstrous life form loomed over him. Exavolt didn't think he would recognize who it was. The burning orange eyes were all too familiar. Corrosive stared down at his creator, awaiting further command. Exavolt grinned.