(10 years ago)

  The sky was clearer than usual, the Robobirds were singing louder than usual, and the citizens of Robtopia were socializing, laughing, and having fun as usual.

  Even though society didn’t pay much attention, each of them had their own insecurities and flaws. Some had broken parts, others were low on oil, but each one was unique and had their own abilities.

  Until, on the giant screen located in Rob HQ (a massive building in the center of the city), a robot’s face appeared, looking strangely “perfect.”

  He seemed to have flawless physical condition and an appearance every robot wished to have.

  He began a speech to all of Robtopia’s citizens:

  “Are you tired of being useless? Are broken parts ruining your chips? Does your confidence vanish when your oil leaks?

  Don’t worry, I’m here to save you from your imperfections… I present to you my program: Garlon Chrome!

  This program will fix these problems and MUCH more! You only need to be like me… be perfect!”

  Garlon began raising his voice in excitement:

  “Don’t be mediocre!

  Change, NOW!”

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  The screen turned off, and people began looking at themselves with disgust, comparing themselves to others. Soon, they decided to join Garlon’s Chrome program, unaware of what they were about to lose…

  (Present day)

  In the depths of Robtopia, a region filled with loose cables, the stench of burnt oil, and trash everywhere, live the Strangers—those who refused to submit to the Chrome program.

  Triff, a small blue robot with springs for arms and legs, was walking through the depths when he noticed a strange device in the trash. Curiosity took over, and he decided to investigate.

  He discovered it was a small piece of a CPU and decided to take it home to examine it.

  Using his gadgets, he found that the CPU contained an encrypted message:

  “T***Y A*E **L G***A BE L***E M*!”

  “What?! I can’t understand this…”

  Triff went to the bar to see if a fresh drink could help him organize his thoughts.

  In the corner of the bar sat a robot that looked like a red bomb, with a menacing air, ready to explode at any moment.

  Other robots in the bar began mocking Triff.

  “Hey springy, be careful or I’ll step on you!”

  But their attention quickly shifted to the mysterious robot.

  “Hey redhead, what are you doing there?”

  Suddenly, the bomb-robot punched the other robot in the face.

  A big fight broke out in the bar, and Triff tried to escape the chaos with his springs.

  Another robot appeared, looking like a cat and wearing spiked gloves.

  “Hot Head! Let’s get out of here! It’s not worth fighting right now.”

  “SHUT THE H*** UP, KITTY.”

  The fight paused when they heard jet noises outside the bar.

  Triff, Hot Head, and Berto, the cat-robot, went outside to see what it was.

  “ATTENTION STRANGERS. DISTURBANCE OF PEACE DETECTED AND LANGUAGE NOT APPROVED BY THE GARLON PROTOCOL. PREPARE FOR DEACTIVATION.”

  “The Chrome robots found us!”—exclaimed Berto.

  “NO JOKE, IDIOT!”—shouted Hot Head.

  Triff looked at the drones, panicked, then at Hot Head ready to fight, and at Berto calculating escape routes.

  Berto and Hot Head took down the Chrome robots while Triff tried to escape, never quite succeeding.

  After defeating the Chrome robots, Triff realized that perhaps these two could help him in his quest.

  Triff began talking about the CPU and how he thought it might be connected to Garlon’s secrets.

  “I know a place where we might get more information about the CPU,” said Berto.

  “Then let’s go!”—exclaimed Triff, excitedly.

  Moments later, we see the three at the entrance of a tunnel with red neon lights reading:

  Warehouse 404