They eventually gathered around Varryance, standing alongside the soldiers as they observed the overrun base.

  "What's the plan?" Mercy asked, breaking the silence that lingered between Varryance and the soldiers. SAM finally spoke up, cutting through the quiet.

  "These look like regular zombies. They're most active during the day, which you can see now. At night, they hibernate. So we attack at night."

  "They hibernate?" Varryance asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Yupsies," SAM replied.

  "But how do we deal with them? There are way too many!" Varryance exclaimed, his concern palpable. One of the soldiers spoke up, his voice steady.

  "That's a Gutter base, right? So there's a pit, and a tunnel leading underground. What if we blow up the tunnel and block it off with debris?"

  "Smart idea," Varryance said. SAM began: "But it'll take a while until night falls, so you four soldiers gather supplies. Me and these two cuties will stay here and wait. We'll come up with a more solid plan."

  The soldiers agreed, though one of them muttered, "Wish I got called 'cutie' by her..."

  "Let's back off a little, so we don't echo through the crater," Varryance said, leading the group away. They made their way back to where the trucks were parked closer to the crater during the regroup, SAM and Mercy following closely behind.

  Mercy leaned against one of the rocks, while Varryance took off his gear and leaned on one of the trucks. SAM sat down, her posture formal as she made herself comfortable in the sand. The trio stayed there for the rest of the day, waiting for the night to arrive.

  "I just thought about it— for a robot, you're pretty conscious. How's that work?" Mercy asked, her curiosity piqued.

  "Well, dear, I don't really know how it works. I just... am what I am. But your lover over there seems to know everything, so why not ask him?" SAM replied, giving Mercy a teasing look.

  Mercy rolled her eyes and glanced at Varryance, her look questioning. Varryance sighed and began to explain.

  "Well, the whole AR robot idea started in Germany, but the U.S. perfected it. Same with nuclear weapons— the U.S. made the first one, but Russia mastered it during the Cold War."

  "That was a while ago... Anyway, the idea behind the robots was to make them deadly killing machines. But then we thought, if we make them conscious with emotions, they could learn and adapt better. And so, they became our war partners."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "The appearance was just a 'because we can' thing. They made them... sex-able, which is ridiculous. Some of them are designed to help soldiers with stress, but I think it's all bullshit."

  Both girls looked at Varryance with confusion. He continued.

  "SAM, for example, isn't made for that, but she can still develop feelings for that kind of thing. Back in my day, I had a robot with that... capability. I mostly worked alone, so it was easier than dealing with an annoying prick."

  "Strategically, it makes sense, but the thought behind it is so weird..." Mercy muttered.

  SAM added, "Humans are so blinded by emotions and feelings. It's bizarre. Those soldiers giving me looks... I want to blast them."

  Mercy chuckled, "Can't blame you."

  Varryance said nothing, content in the silence. He leaned his head on the rubber wheel of one of the trucks and closed his eyes, eventually falling asleep.

  "Girl talk," Mercy said, breaking the quiet. "But, even as a robot, you look stunning. That kind of body... I'd kill for it."

  SAM tilted her head, seemingly amused. "Well, thank you, dear. But don't get too jealous. It's just a distraction."

  "What do you think about Varryance?" Mercy asked, intrigued.

  SAM looked at him for a moment, her expression thoughtful. "Honestly, he seems like the perfect type for someone like me."

  "Really? Weren't you the one saying we are blinded by emotions?" Mercy asked, surprised.

  "Well, when I said humans are blinded by emotions and feelings, I guess... I'm not so different after all."

  "You're serious?"

  "I..." SAM paused, her gaze turning distant for a moment before she continued. "I recently discovered this when I was rebooting. My skin turned so soft, I could almost feel everything. I don't know why or how this happened, but it did."

  Mercy, clearly intrigued, reached out to touch SAM's material. It felt strange— smooth, almost like skin, but metallic.

  "Look, robot or not, you're still a girl. And if you feel those sensations, then feel them! Nothing wrong with feeling alive, SAM!" Mercy said, her tone soft but supportive.

  SAM chuckled, "If I had a face, I'd be smiling right now."

  The night quickly crept in, and soon, the soldiers returned to the camp where the trio was resting. Mercy and Varryance were asleep by a small fire, which SAM had started effortlessly with her capabilities as an Assault Robot.

  "Alright, they're probably hungry. Let's wait a little longer before we move in," one of the soldiers said, nodding toward the fire. The second soldier went over to wake Mercy.

  "Yo, wake up," he said gently. Mercy groggily stirred, blinking up at him.

  "Wake up, dude!" The soldier slapped Varryance across the face to wake him.

  Varryance groaned. "You're here now? Should've been here hours ago!"

  "Had a problem with the truck on the way here. Had to swap it out, but we're good now. Eat up and let's talk the plan. The mayor knows we'll be back by tomorrow."

  "What have you brought?" Mercy asked, sitting up.

  The third soldier came over, holding a box filled with cans— tuna, tomato soup, and more.

  "Nice, dibs on the tuna," Mercy said, reaching for it.

  SAM observed, silently unable to grasp the concept of eating.

  "So what's the plan? What's that place?" Varryance asked as he set a can of soup on the fire to heat up.

  "That's a Gutter base. Supposedly, it's the biggest one they had, considering the size," the second soldier explained, his voice steady as he laid out the strategy.

  "We think the reason they keep forming up here is because the Gutters drive here, 'gut' people as offerings to their so-called god. They make noise, which attracts other hordes. It's why they keep showing up here, especially since our village is the most active. We run around here a lot, and it draws them in."

  Varryance furrowed his brow. "But why do the Gutters do that?"

  "Like I said, nothing but offerings to their messiah. It's stupid." The soldier shrugged.

  The wind kicked up, sending small sand tornadoes swirling around them.

  "So, here's the plan," the soldier continued. "We'll bomb the tunnel to collapse it and block the hole. The problem is, there are zombies crawling all around the entrance, but that's part of the plan."

  "What we need is a fast runner to distract them while the rest of us go in and blow it up. Once the tunnel is sealed, we kill the remaining zombies. Simple."

  "I'm a fast runner, no problem," SAM said, confident. Varryance chuckled.

  "Oh, I won't worry. You're a goddamn destruction robot!"

  The soldiers nodded in agreement. "Alright, we'll handle the explosives, SAM's got the Nuclear Infantry Rifle, and Varryance's got plenty of explosives. This'll go smoothly."

  "Alright, let's turn them into cooked ribs!" Varryance grinned, and the others laughed. He popped open his soup can.

  SAM's body was hardened metal, but her attention was fixed on Varryance. Mercy noticed SAM's grin as she watched him, her body subtly shifting in response.