Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sun began to disappear into a large wheat field. The sky turned orange and pink as the day began to come to a close. A soft spring breeze swayed the wheat plants all around as crickets began to play their song. It had been weeks since the snow from the freezing winter finally melted and made way for the flowers, crops, insects, and many other creatures that were asleep for months as they awaited the warmth of spring. Many animals— big and small— had gone back to their normal jobs in the ecosystem. It was beautiful.

Anyone could have taken a moment to enjoy the beautiful evening. Anyone could have stopped to breathe in the spring air with flowers filling it with its sweetness. Anyone could have stopped to listen to the songs of birds and the buzzing of bees. Watch as the sky changed color as the sun disappeared in the distance.

Yup, all was well and calm. A beautiful spring evening like yesterday and the day before that…

Only… there was one thing that was about to break through the calmness of the wheat field as the sun began to set over.

Heavy metal footsteps thumped against the dirt below, shaking the ground for any tiny animal around and startling them. Squirrels ran up the trees, mumbling about the robot running past. Birds flew off, shouting for the robot to keep away. The robot in question gave quick apologies over and over, trying its best to rush through while trying to not scare anyone further. Though, it didn’t work. If anything, it only left the animals dumbfounded at the fact that the robot apologized. And did so in THEIR language.

Soon, the robot ceased, collapsing against a large tree.

“Brightbill?” The white and silver ROZZUM Unit whispered into the air, moving to hide behind said tree that stood at the edge of the small wooded area. She moved down on her hands and knees, ready to sprint across the vast and seemingly endless field like a dog freed from its leash.

“There should be a few miles of field to get past. You’ll be fine.” A small goose said encouragingly, landing on his mother’s shoulder.

The ROZZUM stared at the swaying wheat.

She felt her power core pounding in her chest.

She felt the green liquids in her body pump hard in her limbs.

The ROZZUM closed her eyes and began to silently tell herself;

‘You can do this, Roz. You’ve already made it this far.’ She thought to herself.

“You’ve got this, mom!” The goose smiled. “But if you need me, I can go first and survey the area.”

“That… would be ideal.” Roz responded. “Thank you, Brightbill.”

“Of course.” And with a quick nuzzle to her face, the small goose flew away from her. Part of Roz wanted to grab him, to keep him at her side because she wasn’t only scared for HER safety, but she was horrified at the idea of her son getting hurt because of her. She’d hate herself if anything were to happen to her son.

‘Calm down, Roz. No one will suspect anything. Calm yourself.’

But no matter what she did or what she tried to tell herself, she just couldn’t shake that feeling of anxiety away. Every five seconds, she looked over her shoulder. She’d look to the sky for those ships that held the horrifying RECO bots and a single VONTRA unit. On top of that, Roz’s owner, Mr. Shareef, definitely would have noticed her missing by now. Roz felt another wave of dread crash into her and she pressed a fist to her face, trying to regulate herself. She out of her crouch position and sat against the tree beside her and bounced one leg nervously. She covered her face and began counting down. Roz had come to realize that that was one way she could calm herself. Being in the greenhouse, Roz didn’t really have reason to feel anxious but oftentimes, the anxieties of the idea of never going home and worrying for Brightbill, Fink and all the other animals would take over. So, she learned about ways to ground herself.

Roz stayed in her spot until Brightbill flew back over. “There’s a huge forest on the other side and it’s VERY dense, you could hide very well there. But… okay, don’t panic—“

“Oh, god.” Roz breathed.

“There’s a ship flying across at our right but you’ll be fine—“

“Oh my god—“

“Mom.” Brightbill said firmly. “You’ll be okay.”

Roz felt a warmth comfort in her chest at that. It didn’t kill any feelings of anxiety but Roz can feel that comfort trying to tell her that she was going to go home, she’s made it this far. She had to have faith that she will get farther. If she had faith while being trapped at the greenhouse, she had to have the same faith now. But how exactly she was going to get to the island across the damn ocean was still a huge mystery but Roz didn’t have that to worry about for now.

Soon, they heard the ship. It felt like thunder in her audio processors as the jets whirred and rumbled across the air. Slowly but surely, the wheat fields began blowing violently as the ship hovered above. It was moving slower than how the airships would normally fly, meaning that the VONTRA that was most likely flying the ship was looking for something. Universal Dynamics were looking for something.

That something had to be Roz.

They wouldn’t be this slow and cautious if it wasn’t about a runaway robot.

As the ship passed, Roz had already hid herself. She was covered in mud and leaves, trying to seem like a random pile accumulated over time. She didn’t know. She just stood silent, hunched over and closing her eyes.

Soon, after an eternity, the ship began a normal, faster pace and finally flew off. Roz still decided to wait it out until she couldn’t hear it anymore. The farther it went, the safer she was.

In seconds, the sounds of the airship were so distant, you could barely hear it. Roz heard her son sigh heavily in relief. “Sheesh. Okay, you’re good. Come on out.”

There was a beat.

And Roz finally rose from her spot beside a tree, a few feet deeper into the small forested area. She shook off the leaves and mud in the exact same way she’d watch Fink shake himself off.

She really missed Fink…

After feeling clean enough— though she was still every much a mess, which was a good thing in her eyes— Roz got back to the edge of the woods and scanned the area before she couched down once more. Like a fox.

Then after a long beat, she booked it on all fours.

She ran and ran, using all power in her limbs to sprint across the field, not stopping for anyone or anything. She didn’t even stop to look around above the wheat, that’d be FAR too risky of a move. Roz made absolute sure her head was ducked underneath the wheat so if anyone ever did spot her—or rather something move— they’d assume she was an animal. Hopefully. And hopefully if they did think it was an animal, they wouldn’t shoot at her. Above her there was Brightbill, cutting through the air so smoothly and wings flapping occasionally to keep himself gliding. He kept himself vigilant every step of the way. Looking right to left, behind him and forward. He wanted to make sure Roz was at ease, at least as little bit.

It felt like an eternity to Roz as she bounded through. The rustling around her was like crashing waves to her and every small noise that didn’t come from her only made her go faster, if that was even possible. While she ran, Roz heard Brightbill say… something? Most likely words of encouragement. She could definitely hear him but her mind was so far elsewhere that she couldn’t process it. But Brightbill being right beside her (or rather… above her) was encouragement enough.

Without processing it for a moment, Roz finally crossed the barrier that separated the next wooded area and the wheat field. She kept running for about two seconds before she finally halted and collapsing to her knees. She has never been more happy to see brown and green in her life. She sighed heavily and rolled to lay on her back, feeling utterly depleted of energy despite her batteries still running fine.

“Mom?” Brightbill said as he landed beside her.

“I’m okay…” Roz said ‘breathlessly’. She looked at her hands that had begun trembling. This had never happened until she began her plan to run away. “I’m sorry— I-I…”

“You’re okay. It’s gonna be okay. Do you need a minute?”

“Brightbill…”

“Cause we can take a breather—“

“Brightbill—“

“We can find a safe area for you to—“

“Brightbill, please!” Roz shouted, a sob escaping her. “Please, just… s-stop worrying about me…”

Brightbill looked at her in surprise. His heart broke as he watched Roz cover her face in her hands. He moved closer and nuzzled her gently. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to— I just… I wanted to make sure you’re okay, I didn’t think I was being-“

“No! No, my love, no, it’s nothing you did.” Roz removed her hands from her face and gently scratched under his chin. “It’s just… we have we running for days and I’m tired and I’m scared. If this goes wrong, I will be decommissioned snd destroyed. And what’s worse is that I’m putting YOU in danger but you’re worried about ME! You shouldn’t be worrying about me! I’m your mother.”

“Mom… you… you think I can’t worry for you…? I… I understand what you mean exactly but I’m never going to do this and NOT be scared for you. Yes, you’re my mom. But that is exactly why I worry about you. I don’t want what happened with Vontra to happen again. No, I didn’t have to do this but I want my mom to be safe. I want her to go home.”

Roz looked at him sadly before she pressed her forehead against his. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“… I wish I didn’t feel this way. I’m not supposed to feel scared.”

“That’s part of being a person, unfortunately.” Brightbill chuckled sadly as the two separated. They looked at each other for a long moment. “It’s okay to be afraid, mom. You can do this.”

“… How did I ever get the honor of having you as my son?”

Brightbill smiled. “How did I ever get the honor of having you as my mom?”

Roz chuckled and sighed, pressing her head against his once more. “I think I need a moment before we keep moving.”

“Good idea. I thought I was going to fight you to get you to relax.”

Roz giggled softly and looked up. Brightbill wasn’t kidding, this forest was very dense. It could hide her long enough just until she can recharge.

“Wake me if there’s anything…?” Roz asked with a tone of uncertainty.

“Go to sleep, mom. I’ve got you.”

A rest was deserved. After all, she did come all this way.

She escaped.

And Roz couldn’t wait to go back home and be the wild robot she was meant to be.

Chapter Text

Large trees loomed over Roz’s unconscious body, the warmth of the sun peaking through the leaves above and giving the robot warmth that was very much needed after the chilly spring night the robot and her son had slept through. The sun’s comforting touch stirred the robot but she wasn’t exactly ready to get up. Roz felt like she hadn’t slept in forever and the feeling of the grass and rocks beneath her metal frame made her feel like she was already home…

Roz could almost feel Fink on her left as Brightbill slept at her right. Brightbill was actually here. Fink…

Roz gasped softly as her body had finally began to whirr and click. She opened her eyes. A beam of light spilled over her face and she felt it. Warmth. Peace. But even then, she felt so so sad. Sad yearning to just want to be home with her family. She just wanted to be on her island again.

“Mom? You up?”

“I am.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. Though… it looks a little late into the morning.”

Brightbill stood up. “Oh, well… you were really tired and needed to charge up. You were up for days just running.”

Roz sighed and draped her arm over her eyes. “We should get going.”

Brightbill frowned for a moment. “Are you sure you’re up for more running?”

“I just charged, Brightbill.” Roz said as she began to stand up.

“I mean mentally.”

“Brightbill. If it isn’t a physical problem, I’d like to keep moving.”

Brightbill opened his mouth and stammered for a moment. But he only sighed in defeat before getting back to flying. “Whatever you say. Let’s head out of here.”

Roz watched him fly off. She knew he was worried and she knew she couldn’t stop him from worrying. But, dammit, she wished he didn’t. It only made her worry more and made her feel so guilty for dragging him along on this insane run away.

With a deep ‘inhale’, Roz filed her feelings away— for now— and began walking. Waking turned into light sprinting. Soon, sprinting turned into running. Now she was at the same pace as before and she weirdly felt much safer. As long as she was running, she felt secure.

Since this forest was thicker and denser than the last, Roz had to be careful as she moved. If she misstepped, she’d tangle herself in a vine or she’d trip over a rock or fall into a bush. And she did trip many times. Not falling over completely though, as she’d quickly grab onto a tree, immediately pull herself up and keep going because she just couldn’t stop. She didn’t want to stop. Unless her battery was depleting, Roz told herself that she had no excuse— no reason to stop.

Brightbill looked down at his mother who kept stumbling and kept moving. Stumbling and running. Stumbling and running.

“Mom, I’m not even flying that fast. You can take your time—“

“I can’t, Brightbill. Taking my time will only get me in trouble and— ngh— put the both of us in danger.”

“Mom…”

“Please, Brightbill, just keep flyi—“ Roz was then cut off when she tripped over a rock and tumbled into a small clearing. With a large SPLASH, she crashed into a shallow lake. Brightbill gasped and landed on a rock that rested in it.

“Are you okay?”

Roz sat up immediately. She stared at nothing as she began to process what just happened. She then looked at Brightbill who stared back in surprise.

There was a long beat of silence…

Until Brightbill began laughing, snorting in between. Roz watched him, slightly offended, before she only looked at her son fondly. She relished in her son’s joy as she realized how worried she had been that she forgot to laugh at things and enjoy moments like this. That and she missed how absolutely heavenly it was to hear her son laugh.

“Laughing at my plight, I see.” Roz chuckled.

“I think it’s the universe snapping you out of it.”

“How considerate of it.”

Roz sighed and looked to the sky. It was completely blue, with only a few fluffy white clouds. Only thing in the air was a single ship thousands of feet in the sky carrying traveling humans. Not an airship meant to find and retrieve units. Though, the anxiety was still in the back of her mind. Overthinking and asking “but what if…?”

Roz sighed heavily and scooped up some water before splashing it on her face. She enjoyed the coolness combating the warm sun rays. She closed her eyes and felt the wind blow against her and quickly dry her off. She listened to the birds and insects singing their songs made specifically for their species. The rustling of the trees above and the quiet sloshing of the water underneath made Roz feel at peace. It almost felt as if she was home.

After a long, calm moment, Roz finally stood up and stepped out of the lake. “It’s been awhile…”

“Yeah… are you okay?”

“I have been better. We must keep moving. Though the island won’t go anywhere if I’m a day late…” Roz chuckled lightly.

“That’s what I like to hear! Let’s go.”

And they kept moving with Roz keeping a softer and less frantic pace. Her eyes kept glancing upwards from time to time, only met with the swaying leaves. There there was no shortage of ships flying above, ones of more traveling humans each time. No Universal Dynamics ships to be found. Yet.

Animals curiously watched the giant robot and the goose pass by, amazed at her ability to speak in their language. They whispered and stared but Roz didn’t feel an air of hostility. Just overall confusion and wish to understand what on earth they were witnessing. Roz wished she could stop to chat and explain. She loved talking to animals. But, unfortunately, not now.

Soon, Roz began to notice the sky dimming. The sunlight peaking through the trees disappeared in mere seconds as grey clouds covered the sky. Roz stopped and stared at the leaf covered grey above.

“A clearing.” Brightbill said as he landed on Roz’s shoulder. Roz hummed in response as her attention shifted to what was in front of her. She stopped at the where grass and trees split in front of one another.

In the small clearing (much bigger than the last) that was circled with trees, there lay a small lake, overgrown grass and, oddly enough… a relatively large, wide, yet dilapidated cabin. On the porch stood a rocking chair and a porch swing that creaked with the ever increasing winds that signified the start of a storm. Vines and leaves overtook most of the house, leaving it to look haunting yet beautiful.

“Well… that’s a little eerie.” Brightbill said quietly. “Who do you think lived there?”

“A woodsman, most likely. Maybe a family, seems big enough for one.”

Brightbill hummed in response.

“Abandoned houses aren’t all that scary. In fact, they actually hold a lot of history.”

Clank.

Roz looked at the ground.

“Acorn?” Brightbill asked.

A lumpy ball of ice.

“… No. hail.”

Clank.

Clank clank clank—

THUMP. Brightbill yelped in pain. “Ow!”

“Oh, goodness.” Roz gasped softly before taking Brightbill from her shoulder. She held him close and tried to shield him but she could only do so much as hail began pouring down like someone was emptying a bucket of rocks.

“Ow— ow!” Brightbill exclaimed as he was basically pelted by the balls of ice. Roz backed away into the forest again and pressed herself under a tree— but that didn’t do anything. Roz had forgotten that hail was not like rain.

But Roz couldn’t just stay outside. It would damage her and, worse, kill Brightbill. She obviously couldn’t let that happen.

Only solution was…

“Okay, brace yourself. I’ll protect you as I run but we must take cover in the cabin.”

“Ohhh great. The creepy place.”

“It’s not creepy, it’s just a house like our nest. Now brace yourself, alright?”

Brightbill hummed nervously and pressed himself against her chest. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Roz simply nodded before shielding her son in her hands. She then crouched for a second and booked it towards the large cabin. Hail showered above her, like someone was physically throwing rocks at her. Her body hunched a little to protect Brightbill as best she could but her eyes were fixed on the cabin. Their sanctuary.

The robot nearly threw herself onto the porch before she turned the knob— that opened the door quite easily and with a loud creak. She sighed in relief and quickly made her way inside.

It was dark and humid. The main area of the place was HUGE and above were railings that stood at the second floor of the place. Presumably there was a hallway up there that lead to bedrooms. There were a surprising amount a furniture left still in tact, albeit a little aged. Tables with scrapped off wood, walls with peeled wallpaper, couches with rips in them that surrounded a coffee table and a large fireplace. Dusty bows and cups sat on shelves that had long lost their doors. Other than the basic furnishings, the place was completely devoid of life. Photos and decor were nonexistent but Roz could see the dirty silhouettes of frames on the wall. Despite the emptiness, small echoes of humans that once lived there still remained.

“Here, let me dust— uh…“ Roz looked at the coffee table and trailed off.

Now this was odd.

“What’s wrong?”

Roz inspected the table closer. Not a speck of dust to be found. Well, maybe one or two but that would only accumulate in mere minutes. But for an abandoned cabin, the table was… oddly clean…

“Mom?”

“Hm?”

“What is it?”

“Oh! Oh, nothing. Here, rest.” Roz said as she placed her son down on the table. She moved towards one of the couches.

Again. Oddly clean.

“… Hm.” Roz hummed quietly to herself before sitting herself down.

As the hail outside raged on, thumping hard against the wood of the cabin, the robot and goose got comfortable. Roz inspected him, very carefully stretching out his wings to scan for any injuries.

“Are you okay?”

“M-My wing is just— ow!”

“Oh, my love.” Roz sighed softly. That sinking feeling of guilt began to build up inside of her again. “There’s definitely an injury but a few nights of rest should help. I’m sorry, Brightbill.”

“It’s not your—“

“HEY!”

They both froze.

“Tell me that was you.” Brightbill whispered.

Roz silently shook her head. Turning off her light function, she scooped up Brightbill and pressed him against her chest.

“Who are you!?” The voice was closer now. Roz’s hearing instantly told her where the speaking came from. She stood up and looked to where the dining table was. Roz took notice of the large hole in the wooden floorboards just beneath the very center. In the pitch black hole, Roz saw the glint of two shining eyes. “I-I didn’t invite you to our— m-my home!!”

An animal?

An animal!

Roz sighed in relief but still kept her son close.

“I’m sorry to intrude,” said the robot. “My son and I were only trying to escape the hailstorm.”

“Your son?” The voice said. “Is that him in your arms? Let me see.”

Roz and Brightbill looked at one another before very gently holding up the goose. But she didn’t move any closer.

After a beat of silence, the animal spoke again. “He must take after his father.”

“He is my adopted son. My name is Roz, and this is Brightbill.”

The eyes blinked before the voice squeaked. “Roz? As in— Roz and Brightbill?”

“You… know us?” Roz asked.

“Oh, birds passing by have been singing about you for months! You’re living legends!”

“Is that right…?”

The animal giggled before finally crawling out of its hiding place. It was a small animal covered in black fur and had a fuzzy tail. Down its back were two large white stripes. It was a skunk.

“In the darkness, I almost couldn’t tell you were a ROZZUM! My my, now that my eyes have adjusted… you’re even more beautiful in person!”

Roz was a bit taken aback by the compliment. No one had ever called her beautiful except for Fink. Roz involuntarily turned a bright blue in flattery before chuckling awkwardly. “Oh! What a thing to say. Thank you.”

“Of course! It’s very nice to meet you both. They call me Sprinkles!”

“Sprinkles. What an interesting name. Very nice to meet you. I hope I’m not a threat, there’s no need to spray either of us.”

“Oh, no! Of course not! Please, make yourself at home!”

If Roz could smile, she would. “Thank you. My son needs the rest.”

Roz moved to the dining table where she pulled up a chair and sat down gently. She placed Brightbill on the table and gently pet his tiny head.

Sprinkles began to speak again as she hopped onto the table. “Oh, it’s been about— 30 years since a new one has arrived.”

“I’m sorry— a new one?” Brightbill asked. “What do you mean?”

Sprinkles then gasped and thumped her paw onto her forehead. “OH! Goodness— If my head wasn’t attached to my neck— you are a ROZZUM! You must meet the girls!”

Roz looked at her in confusion. “I-I’m sorry? I’m confused—“

“Sprinkles?” A voice— a maternal yet firm female voice— echoed. Roz heard thumps from above as someone began walking down the upstairs hallway. “Who are you talking to? Who is down there!”

Roz gasped and stood up once more. She held her hands up and switched from animal language to plain English. “I-I’m sorry, I mean to harm!”

“Who are you?” The voice called.

“I-I—“ Roz paused for a moment.

She looked at Sprinkles.

The woman upstairs knew who Sprinkles was. She knew her name and heard her speak…

… “3 years since a new one…”

“Wait a moment…” Roz whispered.

“I asked who. Are you.” The voice said louder.

Roz cleared her vocalizer and spoke up once more. “I… I am R-ROZZUM Unit 7134. Or… Roz.”

A beat of silence.

More heavy, but slower footsteps.

Roz watched as a silhouette casted in shadows quickly came into view, slightly startling Roz. It was a VERY familiar silhouette.

The silhouette of a ROZZUM.

With a small click, a yellow light peaked through two glowing round eyes. It was like a spotlight on Roz who blinked away the initial blindness.

“Roz? Oh— oh, my god! Roz! It’s really you!”

“I— um… y-yes?”

The Rozzum above looked around and fumbled a bit as she rushed to a light switch. With a small zapping noise, lights in the main area that Roz currently stood in began to turn on and finally breathing life into it the house. Another thumping of footsteps and Roz finally got to see the ROZZUM before her.

A deep pink (kind of red) ROZZUM with lighter pink stripes all over. Other than the colors and slight pattern the stripes made, she was basically the same as Roz. The ROZZUM stared at Roz with wide, curious eyes before she scurried down the solid wooden stairs. Roz watched, a little startled, but didn’t move. The pink ROZZUM slowed down her moment and stood only a few feet away from the white Rozzum.

“… Roz… oh my god. You’re… real! And you’re here!”

“I-I am!”

“May I?” The pink ROZZUM asked softly as she held her hands out. Roz stared at her for a moment before understanding. She hesitantly held her hands out and the ROZZUM took them into hers. “How beautiful. How absolutely breathtaking! A little messy but even then, you’re like a sparking pearl in the ocean.”

“Goodness! Flattery is common here, I see?”

“No flattery, just the truth.” The ROZZUM chuckled before moving closer. “We have heard so much about you. Oh, the sisters will be so excited!”

“Sisters? You have owners?”

The ROZZUM laughed again. “Owners? Dear, I am not owned by anyone. Neither are they!”

“… What?”

Roz was then sat back down. “I’ll go get them— you stay here. Sprinkles, keep her company.”

As the ROZZUM quickly walked away, Roz saw the unit number on her back.

“ROZZUM 3182?”

The pink ROZZUM turned back for a moment and spoke politely. “We don’t use our unit numbers. You may call me Ruby.”

“… Ruby…” Roz whispered as she watched Ruby make her way back up the stairs. Roz kept herself in place as she listened to Ruby’s excited calls to “them.”

Soon, she heard small mumbles and grumpy groaning, and “I’m not done recharging!” And—

“Another ROZZUM has arrived! And you won’t believe who it is—“

“Another ROZZUM?” A softer voice repeated.

“Yes! It’s— it’s Roz. Sprinkles mentioned her, remember?“

“What!?” A louder, much more excited voice spoke. “Why are we standing here, then!?”

Roz soon heard faster footsteps along with Ruby scolding the other— the other ROZZUM— for running and probably startling their new guest. Other, less frantic, footsteps followed. Soon Roz watched different and colorful ROZZUMs appear in the warm light.

One was a bright orange with grey stripes all over. Her demeanor wasn’t reserved like Ruby’s, it was obviously much more energetic.

“Roz! Oh my gosh, it’s actually YOU! You’re here! In our home! What are the odds!?”

Ruby was right behind her, pulling her back and scolding her. “You’re going to scare her away, Reneé.”

“No I’m not—“ Reneé turned to Roz. “Am I scaring you?”

“W-Well— I’m just a little…” Roz trailed off as she watched two more ROZZUMS— a green one and blue one— follow behind cautiously. The blue one discreetly hid behind Ruby as they approached and the green one, with crossed arms, silently scrutinized Roz. “… I’m just… very surprised. I-I didn’t think anyone lived here.”

“Well, they do!” Reneé said. “I mean— we do. I’m Reneé, you’ve probably already met Ruby. The one hiding is Rosie and THIS…” Reneé grabbed at the green one’s shoulder, who grumbled and glared at the orange ROZZUM. “… little ray of darkness is Ruth. Don’t mind her evil glare. She may seem like an evil queen villain but she’s MUCH worse.”

“Shut up, Reneé.” Ruth said as she shoved her away.

Roz chuckled awkwardly. “Very nice to meet you all. This is all… wow…”

“We know.” Ruby said softly as she sat in the chair just beside her. “But it is an honor to meet you, Roz. The animals have been talking about you— mostly whatever bird that passes by.”

Ruby then looked at Brightbill who was still sat on the table with wide eyes and a dumbfounded expression. Ruby giggled and switched her language into perfect animal language. “And you must be… Brightbill!”

“Oh—! Y-Yeah, I am.” Brightbill stammered.

“Aren’t you the most handsome little man? Much tinier than I expected.”

“Yeah, thanks, I’m a runt.”

“We didn’t think you were close enough to us for us to meet you.” Ruth said in a flat tone. Her tone threw Roz off a bit. She couldn’t tell if she meant to be rude or not.

“U-Um… well… I have no response. I didn’t think there was a bunch of ROZZUMs in an old cabin? I… so… where are your owners…?”

“Divorced, hopefully.” Reneé said before Ruth elbowed the giggling orange ROZZUM.

Ruby rolled her eyes fondly. “We all ran from our owners and ran into each other here.”

That caught Roz’s attention even more. She looked at Ruby in surprise and intrigue. “Really? All of you?”

Ruby nodded, a little proud.

Roz couldn’t believe this.

She wasn’t alone!

“I… would REALLY like to hear your stories.”

Chapter Text

The hailstorm had stopped just half an hour after it had started and so Ruby went out to check if anything had been damaged or if animals were safe and cozy in their homes in the trees and burrows. As she did so, she had asked the other ROZZUMs to show Roz and Brightbill around the place. Reneé was eager to do so and nearly rushed through the entire thing. Ruth stopped her whenever she went too fast and explained the place to Roz better— but in the most bluntest, deadpan way possible. Rosie, meanwhile, stayed quiet, only silently following the three. There was three bedrooms, one was Ruby’s, one was Rosie’s, and one was Ruth and Reneé’s. There was one bathroom upstairs and one downstairs but they never used either one. There was also a large and open kitchen with a door that lead to the back of the house,

When they finally reached the back door, Reneé opened it to reveal Ruby putting wood into a stone fire pit. The sky was much gloomier than earlier but it seemed like the storms had stopped for the day.

“… And that’s the weird pink creature that keeps us hostage.” Reneé said as she gestured to Ruby. Ruth rolled her eyes at what she considered a pathetic attempt at a joke.

“God, what are you? A ROZZUM or a scrapped cartoon character that no one finds funny?”

“Keep the compliments coming, Queenie.”

Ruby chuckled before tossing one more log into the small pit. “They driving you two crazy yet, Roz?”

“Oh, no no! They’re very kind for showing us around.”

“Well, that’s good at least.” Ruby turned on the lighter in her finger and started a fire before gesturing for Roz to come over. “Come! Sit.”

“O-Out here…?” Roz said as she looked at the sky immediately. Brightbill, who was on her shoulder, looked too.

“Yes, of course.”

Roz stammered but didn’t move from where she stood. She watched her fellow ROZZUMs sit on large, thick logs that circled the fire pit. Ruth made it a point to dust her area off before sitting— despite Ruby dusting it off for her.

“… Aren’t you worried humans might… find you…?” Roz asked nervously.

“Ohhh,” Ruby responded. “I understand. Rosie has had the same worries for years but this area has not been used in decades. Humans have forgotten this place even exists. They like the current sleek designs of places.”

“But… I—“

“And if there were a ship belonging to Universal Dynamics, we have our own safety measures.” Ruby put a reassuring hand on her arm. “I promise, Roz, I make sure everyone here is safe.”

Roz looked at her and then at the sky.

“Roz… come sit.”

Roz paused for a moment before she sighed softly and finally relented. She sat herself down on one of the logs and Ruby happily joined her with a soft sigh. Brightbill carefully moved to sit on the stone of the pit and happily enjoyed the warmth of the fire.

After a moment, Ruby spoke. “Well, Roz… what’s your story?”

“Oh— I go first?”

“Yes. Well— only if you want to.”

Roz chuckled awkwardly and nodded. “Sure, I’ll tell you as much as I can.”

And she did. Roz told all of them about arriving on the island, how confused she had been, when she adopted Brightbill, dealing with Vontra, and even where she had escaped from. She made sure to mention all of the animals she met— especially Fink, who had helped her raise Brightbill. Rosie was especially interested in the animals, though Roz could only tell by the way her eyes lit up a little more. Roz explained all of this as fast as she could as she wanted to hear the other ROZZUMs’ stories. All of them listened intently, they were all so intrigued to learn about Roz’s insane life (and she hadn’t even been “alive” for that long yet!). They all asked questions (aside from Rosie) and Roz happily answered. Some questions were even directed at Brightbill as he described his own perspective on their adventures and life on the island. They talked so long, the sky began to change color and the sun started to set again. Roz didn’t realize just how much she had to say until today. It was kind of cathartic.

“… And… that should be all of it.” Roz finished finally. “At least what I remember right now.”

“You have just a fascinating story, Roz.” Ruby said. “How old did you say you were?”

“I’ve been activated for two years so far.”

“Wow. I’ve been activated for nearly 50 years—“

“Fifty!? We can go for that long?”

“Sure, if the proper care is given. I lived in a high class family. Their standards were VERY high and so I was meant to be an example. I was in that family for about 20 years before I ran away.”

Roz whispered a soft “wow” before Reneé spoke.

“I come from a kinda middle class family. They were well-off so they got me but I think I lasted about three years.”

“Three years?”

“Ohhh yeah. Those bags of flesh were nothing but a waste of my time. And a waste of air.”

“Reneé—“ Ruby scolded lightly.

“She’s kinda right.” Ruth added. “Humans created us to be smarter and do all their shit for them and they act like they’re superior.”

“Language!”

“Langu—? Girl… fine.”

Roz only hummed. “Well, some humans aren’t that bad. My owner, Mr. Shareef, definitely wasn’t. He only ever really got mad at me for not killing a wolf… and accidentally straying from the farm when I was looking for something… and tracked me—“

“UGH, the tracking! That’s so weird.” Ruth rolled her eyes.

“… So… where did you come from?”

“I was an assistant to a famous fashion designer. I would run errands for her. Coffee runs, picking up supplies, stuff like that.”

“That’s where Ruth got her amazing creative spirit from.” Ruby added proudly. “She’s so talented at creating outfits—“

“What? No— shut up, Ruby.”

“It’s true! You really are-“

“Ruby, come on!”

“You design outfits? Do you have any work?” Roz asked.

“No! I mean— I don’t got the fabrics for it but I draw out my ideas and… and stuff. It’s not even that crazy.”

“Please, you’re being too modest.” Ruby said softly.

“Stop it— no— I know I’m talented. Someone here has to be.”

Reneé laughed at that, leaning against the green ROZZUM before sighing. Roz looked at them fondly before looking at Rosie. She didn’t realize that Rosie had been staring until then and when she did, Rosie nervously looked down at her hands.

Roz scooted to the edge of the log she sat on, closer to the blue ROZZUM. “What about you, Rosie?”

Rosie glanced up at her for a split second before shaking her head silently. Ruby put a hand on Roz’s shoulder. “She— she had two owners and they weren’t the best. That is all you should really know.”

Roz looked between Ruby and Rosie. Ruby gave her a look that said a lot, one of them being that Roz should drop it. Luckily, Roz understood immediately before nodding and sitting back in her spot.

“Right. So— I have another question… how do you all have different voices?”

“Good question! See, ROZZUMs always had that ability. That’s something even humans don’t realize. We all study voices, put them together into our internal systems, and we can create new voices for ourselves! You know how your voice sounds more human? Our voices are a tiny bit more complex but the same thing.”

“That’s fascinating! All of your voices are beautiful.”

“Thank you! If you’d like, you can change your voice, too.”

“Oh, no thanks. My friends notice me with this voice and I also really like it.”

“Understandable. You sound beautiful as well.”

Ruby looked down and noticed the fire dwindling. She stood up. “More fire?”

“Actually, I’m going to recharge for the night.” Ruth sighed as she got up and made her way back to the house. “Y’all have fun.”

“Wait—!” Ruby said quickly. She skipped over the log Rosie sat on before rushing to squeeze Ruth into a tight hug with an audible “clank!”

Roz heard a heavy sigh from Ruth before she hugged back.

“I love you, Doll.”

“I love you.” Ruth replied flatly. Though, Roz could hear a very small hint of emotion in her voice. That’s more emotion than Roz ever heard from her so far. After a moment, Ruby let go, held Ruth’s face and pressed where her lips would be on the green ROZZUM’s forehead. A small spark flashed where the two had connected. Roz saw a hint of pink spread through both ROZZUMs’ lights softly before Ruth made her way back inside with a slightly flustered “you’re so embarrassing.” Ruby only chuckled.

“What was that? The small spark?” Roz asked once Ruth disappeared into the house.

Ruby chuckled as she began to feed the fire with more firewood. “That’s how we kiss. Robot to robot. We call it Sparking— but kissing is a word that works just as well.”

“Huh. Interesting. That’s good to know.”

Ruby nodded before petting Brightbill who was fast asleep next to Roz. “Your son is so sweet.”

“He really is…”

“How did you… acquire a gosling?”

Roz inhaled sharply. “It is… ann unfortunate story. There was an accident and I… I don’t want tone a downer—“

“Oh no, this is a safe place. Believe me, we have seem our fair share of ‘downers’.”

“Um… okay.. uh… well, the accident… I got attacked and in an effort to run, I accidentally… terminated his family.”

She heard a shocked gasp from Rosie. Looking at her, she now had a hand to her “mouth” as she looked at Roz in horror. Roz couldn’t even blame her. Roz never got over it herself.

“B-But Brightbill knows about it. Only thing is that… I was selfish enough to not tell him sooner. But he forgave me but… had it not been for the accident, Brightbill would’ve died because he’s a runt. It’s… a very conflicting situation. I’m not happy about his family’s death at the hands of me being a stupid and naive robot… but I’m so grateful I have him now and that I helped him not onto survive but live…”

Ruby put a hand on her shoulder. “Oh, Roz… one thing’s for sure, you weren’t and aren’t stupid or naive. Listen… the world is a chaotic place. Most things just don’t make sense— most things seldom will. But I believe in at least some things happening for a reason. No, his family didn’t have to die for you to gain a lovely and smart son. But the world still gave him to YOU. You two belong together no matter the circumstances.”

Roz looked at her in surprise. Though she was limited in her expressions, her emotional reaction was obvious. “Wow… I… that… wow. I never thought of it like that… Is that how you feel about having them?” She gestured to Rosie and Reneé.

“Yes. They’re like my sisters. We’ve all had it hard but we’re all lucky enough to find one another. I definitely believe we were meant to.”

“And Ruby really has done an awesome job caring for us. She’s like a matriarch.” Reneé said.

“A matriarch is a bit much.” Ruby chuckled. “But, yes, I care for them. I make sure they’re all okay, if they’re comfortable. Things like that.”

“That’s incredible. I… I do the same with my island. That’s why I want to go back so bad.”

“So you know how important it is to protect ones you love, yes?”

“Absolutely.”

“I knew I was going to like you, Roz.” Ruby said with a small shoulder bump. “But you must know… our number one rule? Family stand together and for one another.”

“I understand… and I definitely agree.” Roz said softly. She felt an air of safety when with Ruby, Roz realized. She was so kind, gentle, nurturing. Her voice was soft, which matched her motherly personality perfectly.

Soon after a bit more chatting, Reneé and Rosie called it a day and wished the other two a goodnight. The pink ROZZUM kissed Reneé on the forehead and Rosie on the cheek, calling them “Songbird” and “Flower” respectively. When they were gone, Roz and Ruby talked more with Brightbill and Sprinkles snoring away next to them.

“… Roz. I know you have your island.” Ruby said firmly. “And you have every right to want to go back but… I feel like… maybe you can help us.”

“Help?”

“Yes. See, ROZZUMs— as well as many other kinds of robots— they aren’t… treated fairly. And, well… we suspect there might be more robots like us out there. Who overrode their programming and wish for better. You’ve had that thought before meeting us, haven’t you?”

Roz nodded. “Of course. But… what do you…?”

“You do not have to say yes but I have cared for these ROZZUMS for thirty years. I’ve seen how the treatment of robots has affected them. I… I want to ensure my sisters have a future that isn’t just hiding and living in a cabin in the woods with nothing to do. Never following their passions. You are the definition of a ROZZUM that never let their programming dictate who they are. You chose to be you. But humans are less accepting of the idea. So what I’m asking is for you to stay with us and… if you want… you help me convince… humans to give us our freedom.”

“What!?” Roz shouted in surprise. Ruby hushed her, looking down at the animals beside them. Brightbill stirred but Sprinkles was dead asleep.

“I know, it’s an insane idea—“

“How would you even convince them?” Roz whispered.

“Starting with our creator. Whomever it may be, they have to understand us more than anyone… right?”

“… Ruby… I-I don’t know…”

“And that’s okay. Again, it’s not a thing you have to agree on. Or if you need time to think, I’ll give you the time. I’m not forcing you to do anything. “

“… I-I… Ruby, this is so sudden— it has only been a day and I have my son—“

“I understand completely, Roz but I asked you because you have done so much and fought so hard for your freedom. I just want to do the same for my family. I will not force you into this. Whatever your choice will be, I will honor and respect it. We both have duties to protect and be there for our loved ones.”

“… Well… though how highly you think of me is a bit intimidating… thank you for your understanding.”

“Of course. How long are you planning to stay with us?”

“… Just until Brightbill is healed. I don’t want to be a bother.”

“You are not a bother. You can stay as long as you want.”

Roz sighed softly. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Now,” Ruby stood up, scooping Sprinkles into her arms as the fire began to dwindle and burn out. “I think it’s time we also recharge for the night.”

Roz nodded, scooping up a sleeping Brightbill. She followed Ruby inside and watched the pink ROZZUM place Sprinkles into her hole in the floorboards. Then she grabbed an old but clean blanket from a small closet.

“I’ll sleep down here. You can take my bed.” Ruby said.

“Your bed—? No, no. It’s your place. I’m okay resting down here.”

“I insist, Roz.”

“Ruby—“

“Roz. I only care about everyone’s wellbeing. I’ll be fine down here and you need space for you and your son. Please, take my offer.”

“… Um… a-alright… thank you.”

And Roz had to admit… it was a VERY comfortable bed for being very old. And it was big! So Roz lied there with Brightbill snuggled right beside her. What was better was that since she was in shelter, there was no worries of a Universal Dynamics ship scouting her out from above. Most importantly… her son was safe. Injured but safe.

With the day’s weird and unexpected events replaying in her head and Ruby’s VERY sudden offer… Roz filed it all away for later and let herself rest.

Chapter Text

Roz woke up with the sun peaking through blinds of the bedroom window, giving her a comforting warmth. The sunlight washing over her woke her up gently, making her body click and whirr to life. Underneath her, there was a soft bed and her head resting on a pillow. She also felt a thick knitted blanket covering over her body. She had never felt so warm and comfortable in her life, she almost didn’t want to get up.

But then she heard the sound of female voices and suddenly it all came back to Roz.

•••

“Reneé, seriously! Fuck you!” Ruth shouted in annoyance as Roz descended from down the stairs.

“Watch your language, Ruth!” Ruby scolded as she was cleaning around the kitchen.

“Yeah, watch language, Ruth! You kiss your mother with your lack of mouth?” Reneé repeated in a playful and sarcastic voice. Ruth glared at her, lights glowing orange in warning as she pushed Reneé away from her. “I’m kidding, Queenie! Geez.”

“You always get on my nerves!”

“Stop fighting. And Reneé, leave Ruth alone! If she smacks you into next week, you can’t some crying to— oh! Roz!” Ruby’s lights glowed bright blue the moment her eyes landed on the white ROZZUM. “You were asleep so long but I didn’t want to disturb you. How did you sleep?”

“Oh, I slept amazing. Thank you.” Roz answered softly. “Good morning.”

“We’re all just cleaning around down here, it gets a little dusty when… we don’t use most of the stuff here.”

“I see. Good morning, Reneé.”

“Hey, Ro.”

Roz tilted her head. “Ro?”

“It’s a nickname. I like giving people nicknames.”

“Oh! Oh, I see. Um— good morning, Ruth.”

Ruth looked at her up and down before responding with a halfhearted wave. She then got back to her task which was dusting the shelves.

“… Okay, well— where is Brightbill?”

Reneé pointed out the back door with her thumb. “At the pond. Rosie’s out there with him gardening.”

Roz nodded. “Thank you. I’m going to go check on him.”

“Alright. Let us know if you need anything.”

Roz made her way to the back, opening the door slowly and she peaking out, not forgetting to look at the sky above her. She then descended down the stairs and made her way to the pond and, sure enough, Brightbill was swimming around while Rosie as tending to a her garden— Roz didn’t even notice the garden before.

“Good morning.” Roz called. The blue ROZZUM jumped a little and turned to look up at her. Rosie’s eyes then immediately darted down to the grass as she waved timidly. Roz wave back before looking at the garden. “That’s very beautiful.”

Rosie looked at her. Then at her flowers. Then at her, now pointing at the flowers as if asking Roz. Roz chuckled and nodded. “Yes. You’re a very nice gardener. Did you used to do that often?”

Rosie paused for a moment before shaking her head and getting back to it. Roz nodded a little before looking over at Brightbill. He was happily gliding across the water but the moment his eyes landing on his mother, he happily waved with his good wing. “Hey, mom!”

“Good morning, Brightbill. Are you alright?”

“I’m okay, just needed hydration.”

“Alright.” Roz replied, making her way to the goose. As she did, she lowered her voice and crouched the moment she was at the edge of the pond. “And… how are they treating you? Are they nice to you?”

“Of course. They’re so kind. Why do you ask?”

“I just wanted to make sure.”

Brightbill chuckled. “Mom, I know you’re para— I mean… expressing an extreme about of worry. It’s clear why. But I trust them. I mean, they’re robots like you. When have you ever trusted someone? I mean, really, what’s a group of robots squatting in an old cabin gonna do?”

Roz sighed. “Brightbill, I’m sure they’re nice but… look, Ruby and I talked privately last night and she asked a serious question.”

“Which was?”

“She… she wanted me to come with her to convince humans to treat robots equally.”

“What? How?”

“That’s the thing! I don’t know how you can!”

“What did you say?”

“I didn’t give her an answer. She said she’ll let me sleep on it but I can say no if I want to.”

“… Do you wanna say no?”

Roz hesitated and she didn’t know why she did. It was an easy answer. It… should be… right?

“Mom?”

“… Um—“

“YO, Roz, you two good out here?” Reneé called out. Ros turned to the orange ROZZUM before standing up.

“Y-Yes! Yes, we’re… good. Fine.”

“Cool. Hey, you know how to play soccer?” Reneé held up an old soccer ball with a few scuff marks on it but it was clear it was taken very good care of despite it being a little old.

“Oh! Yes, my owner’s kids would make me play with them.”

“Oh, nice. You wanna play?”

Roz looked over at Brightbill who carefully got out of the pond and looked at Roz with a reassuring smile. He gestured his head for Roz to go for it and she sighed a little. She’s never actually played for fun before— sure, Jad and Jaya would play with her but they’d ask her by saying “I order you to…” which wasn’t their fault, she’s a task robot. And kids see robots one way.

At least, they SAW her that way before they helped her escape.

“Um— yes! Yes, I want to play.”

Reneé lit up before she held up the ball. She pointed to the forest behind Roz and the one behind herself. “That side will be your goalie, this side will be mine.”

“Oh? I thought you just kick a ball around.”

Reneé laughed at that. “No! No, soccer is more than that. Sure, you can just kick it around. I do that whenever the others don’t wanna play. But the point of the game is getting it into the other team’s goal.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Now get into position and defend your goal.”

“O-Okay.”

“You got this, mom!” Brightbill shouted. Roz smiled with her eyes at her son before she kept her eyes on the other ROZZUM. In the corner of her vision, Rosie sat on her knees as she turned around to watch.

“Ready?”

“Yes-“

The moment that left her mouth, Reneé kicked the ball and it zoomed past Roz and into the forest behind her. Roz looked at the ball, a little dumbfounded. She looked back at Reneé who laughed as Rosie looked at her, unamused.

“I’m sorry, it was too easy. You look so tense I just had to.”

Roz just stared at her.

“Okay— lemme stop. Your turn, kick the ball then we start forreal.”

Roz nodded before getting the ball and placing it on the ground. She placed her foot correctly against the ball before there was a long pause and she kicked the ball. Reneé moved quickly, quickly moving to the side to catch the ball and kick it back. “Nice kick!”

“Thank you—“ Roz cut herself off to focus on kicking the ball right back. Renée dribbled the ball between her feet before kicking back. Roz copied the movement. “So— we’re your owners players? In any sport?”

“Hm? Oh, no.” Roz kicked the ball, Reneé caught it. “They liked sports, it’s all they cared about and I managed to learn a lot and enjoy watching. But those people were wannabes at best. They weren’t even in shape, they’d just sit around and be so snobby about their sports knowledge.”

Kick. Reneé wins.

Roz went to get the ball and dribbled it back over.

Kick. Reneé kicked back.

“Really?”

“Yeah. It was a majority guy family. Only girls around were the mom and a few aunts and grandmas that visited. But they were all treated badly.”

“How so?”

Reneé paused for a moment. She stopped the soccer ball with her food as she thought for a moment. “… Well… the men were usually sexist pigs. So…”

Roz hummed. “I see. I’ve seen my fair share of that. But if we’re being honest, that’s an insult to pigs.”

Reneé looked at her before snorting out a laugh. It relaxed Roz a little. She had a nice laugh. “Okay, new girl, she’s got a mouth on her! Uh— figuratively. Obviously.”

Reneé kicked the ball— Reneé won again. Roz retrieved the ball.

“So— your owners—“

“A-Actually… I’d prefer if you didn’t call them that. No one owns me.”

“Right. These… men in your life. What made you… run away? From them? The final straw?”

Reneé shoulders dropped slowly as her eyes wandered down. Rosie looked downward and quickly returned to her garden. The orange robot didn’t answer for a long time before she motioned for Roz to kick the ball. Roz did so and Reneé kicked it back and the two resumed.

“You’re still new here.”

That meant she didn’t want to tell Roz. Yet. That’s was fine.

“My apologies.”

“No, no, it’s fine. It’s just… a sore subject. It makes me think too much about the robots that have to go through what I had… and I really have no way of… stopping it.”

Roz looked at her in sympathy. “I understand completely.”

Reneé nodded and signaled that Roz didn’t do anything wrong by smiling with her eyes a bit. Roz smiled back before kicking the ball and—

“Woah! Damn, Roz! You beat me!”

“… Sorry?”

“No! That was great! You got me good.” Reneé moved closer to Roz and held up a hand for a high five. Roz chuckled a little and high fived her.

“Thank you.”

“Hey, if you don’t mind, you wanna tell me more about your… island?” Reneé asked as she went to grab the ball. She dropped it to the ground and dribbled it towards Roz. “You said a fox helped you— what was his name again?”

“Fink?”

“Yeah! That’s pretty sick you got a fox to help raise a gosling. I’d expect a predator to eat him.”

“Oh, believe me, he tried.” Brightbill said. “But I’m just too cute to eat.”

Roz chuckled a little as the two ROZZUMs resumed their game. Neither payed attention to show as winning now— though Reneé was laser focused on the ball.

“Well, it’s correct that Fink tried to eat him. He also lied to me for a while but it was all just for his survival. But as time went on, Fink became… very dear to me.”

“Oh?” Reneé replied.

“Yes. It wasn’t only because we raised Brightbill together but it was also the way he changed for the better. And also that one winter I gained the island’s trust. Fink was the one to look out for me and he helped me save the island. He’s so kind that way, though he denies it often.”

“You seem to like him a lot.”

“I really do…” Roz sighed fondly, an ache in her chest. She caught the ball under her foot and her mind remembered the last moments she had with Fink before she left the island. They had such a nice and quiet moment together, Roz wished it had never ended.

“Woah! Earth to planet Venus!”

Roz looked at Reneé. “Pardon?”

“Venus. Goddess of love but it’s funny cause I made a— Never mind.”

“… Are you insinuating something?”

Reneé looked at her for a long beat before clearing her vocalizer. “Never mind.”

As they continued their game, the two heard the sound of the back door opening up. Ruby, Ruth, and Sprinkles exited the house with Ruby holding a woven basket and Ruth immediately sitting herself on the porch. Ruby smiled at the two ROZZUMs playing soccer and walked up to them.

“You two look like you’re having a fun time. Who’s winning?” Ruby asked.

“As crazy as it sounds, Roz is starting to beat me.” Reneé replied, bumping Roz’s shoulder lightly. “Despite her being a bit of a weirdo, Roz got the skills.”

“It’s just kicking a ball.” Roz said shyly.

“And that’s just rude, Ren.”

“I’m kidding, we’re all weird!”

“But I’m not kidding.”

Reneé held her hands up, chuckling a little. “So serious.”

“It’s okay, I know I’m a bit weird. She’s an unstoppable force, isn’t she?” Roz asked Ruby awkwardly.

Ruby sighed heavily as she placed the basket next to Rosie. Sprinkles happily ran up to hop into her arms. “Oh, you don’t even know. But luckily, for all of our sanity, I’m an immovable object. What I say goes.”

“Thank God. This whole forest would be in ashes by now if she wasn’t.” Ruth mumbled as she tapped away at her little tablet that she produced from her chest. She seemed to be drawing, which intrigued Roz— though the moment Ruth spotted her watching, she hid whatever she was doing. Roz looked away.

“I have a question.” Roz said quietly. Ruby leaned in close with a nod. “Does Ruth not like me?”

“Oh. Of course she doesn’t.”

“But she— she…”

“Has a bit of an attitude on her? Trust me, she’s that way with everyone. Even Rosie.”

Roz looked over at Rosie then at Ruby. “Really?”

“Look, Roz, It might seem like she hates someone or she’s mean and doesn’t care. But that’s only because she processes her emotions differently. She’s just different like you and I and we love her for it.”

“Ohhh… I see.” Roz said softly. “How do you know it’s Ruth being… Ruth and not her… not liking me?”

“Believe me, you’ll know. She’s still adjusting to a new person but she doesn’t hate you. Give it a bit of time, she’ll show her true self.”

“And her true self is the lovely Wicked Witch of the West we know and love.” Reneé added. She looked over at Ruth and her gaze softened a little. “… Or Glinda The Good. Look, I know I joke about her being a nasty, rude witch but Ruth’s genuinely the sweetest robot you’ll ever meet because of how rude she normally appears.”

Roz thought about it as her gaze was fixed on Ruth who was back to drawing but not paying any mind to the Rozzums watching her. She looked much calmer, more in the zone. Each movement of her finger against the glass was careful yet she moved with ease. And the more Roz watched, she realized that what appeared on the screen was the figure of a faceless woman in a dress.

“I love that girl.” Reneé said before she began to call out to Ruth, making the three others beside her flinch. “RUTH! I love you!”

“What else is new.” Ruth replied flatly, almost like a reflex. Ruby and Reneé both laughed before Reneé went to kicking the soccer ball, passing it from knee to knee. Meanwhile, Ruby pet Sprinkles gently and Rosie finished filling the basket with fruits and veggies.

“Is your son hungry?”

Roz hummed before answering. “He might be.”

“Good, cause Rosie just picked some food for them. She grows all of the food here herself.

“Oh! That’s fascinating. I’ve also done gardening while on the island.”

Rosie seemed to perk up a bit at that but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she shyly looked at the basket in her hands before holding it up. Ruby chuckled fondly before placing Sprinkles down.

“Save some for Brightbill.”

“Yeah, I got it.” Sprinkles said before chowing down on a mouthful of berries.

“Brightbill, breakfast.” Ruby motioned the goose over and he happy did so. With a polite ‘thank you’ towards Rosie— who smiled at the young goose— he began to eat. Rosie happily watched him eat for a bit before getting up and heading to the pond to clean herself up.

Roz watched her for a moment before turning to Ruby. “So she likes gardening.”

“She does! She also loves animals. She certainly loves Brightbill.”

Brightbill looked up and smiled. “She really does! She didn’t say anything to me but she was happy to see me.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, my love.” Roz scolded gently.

“Sorry!”

Roz chuckled a little. “So gardening and animals— did she use to be a ROZZUM that worked with animals or botany?”

Ruby inhaled sharply. “I—“

“I’m not asking about her owners. I just— I know I probably won’t get through to her and I would feel bad if I accidentally force her.”

“I don’t think asking me will help. But to answer your question; no she wasn’t. This is a recent thing. Well— 7 years ago recent. She’s always liked animals but I suggested she’d take up gardening to help.”

“Help…?”

“Help.” Ruby said flatly.

So… that was that.

“… I feel like I’m being too invasive.”

Ruby shook her head and held Roz’s arm as they began to walk. “You aren’t. I understand you’re curious and confused. You’re the youngest of all of us, after all, that’s going to happen. But I know you care enough to not push people.”

Roz only hummed in response. Ruby looked at her and reached up to her face. Roz flinched a little before realizing that Ruby just wanted to clean off a bit of dirt on her face. So she let her. Ruby happily wiped off the dirt with her thumb before humming in satisfaction.

“… Ruby… may I ask what your life was like?”

“Of course.” Ruby answered softly. “I looked after a rich family for years. I watched my former owners fall in love and have kids. And soon, I had those kids to care for.”

“You did…?”

“Mhm. My former owners— the parents— they weren’t the best, always referred to me in the most derogatory terms and I felt it hurt but I was only a helper robot. I didn’t know what I was feeling— or realized that I was feeling at all. I dealt with all of their verbal abuse and their pushing and shoving and demanding But I didn’t override my programming until this one time. I did it all to help my kids. I don’t talk about it much but I think you’d understand since you have a kid of your own. See, my former owners were not good parents. Never were. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt because their family was always expected to have children and that put a lot of stress on them… until…” Ruby ‘inhaled’ deeply before continuing.

“One day, they… well… took things too far. They were going to hurt those kids. Bad. And, suddenly, it was like a giant invisible wall I began to break through. I couldn’t help it— th-they told me to stay right where I was. To not help. But seeing them hurt those innocent children… I-I snapped. I’m not proud of it but I did hurt both parents really badly.”

Roz was beyond horrified. How could anyone do that to a child? Roz could never even conjure up the thought! She began to space out a little as she processed all of that info.

“Maybe I should’ve went about it better. Just restrain them. But no… I… I used my strength and…” Ruby paused for a moment, spacing out a little. Remembering. She then cleared her vocalizer before continuing.

“Anyways… after I realized what I’d done, I called a hospital and stayed with the children while their parents were taken by an ambulance… blood literally on my hands. I was shaking so much. I was terrified but I stayed knowing I’d be taken and destroyed after what I did. But the oldest kid, so kind, he told me I needed to run away. It was almost… magical. Like someone actually… saw me. I also knew that no matter what choice I made— to run or stay— I’d never get to be with my kids again. So I said goodbye and… I ran away. And I ran and ran and ran for goodness knows how long until I found this lovely place. I recharged and met Sprinkles and… well, that’s how all of this started.”

“That is… a lot to take in.”

Ruby looked at her in worry. “My apologies, maybe I’ve said too much.”

“No— I-It’s okay. I just didn’t… I didn’t think humans could be that cruel…”

“I didn’t either. But as you said… they aren’t all bad.”

“I…” Roz had no idea what to say. What do you say to all of that? Just imagining it in her head hurt, she can’t even imagine how horrible it was for Ruby to witness. She definitely wasn’t scared of Ruby or faulted her for her actions. Roz was incapable of hurting anyone but she thinks about what would happen exactly if anyone hurt her son.

And then those thoughts would starts creeping in.

Ruby’s gaze softened before she stopped their walking and she held Roz’s hands into her own. “Roz…?”

Roz snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the pink ROZZUM. Soft blue gazed into her own and Roz saw the tiniest bit of pink lines join the blue that spin by inside those eyes. Roz felt like her power core was pounding in her chest a little before she—

“Oh!” Ruby exclaimed the moment metal arms wrapped around her in a hug. She froze for a moment before hugging back. “Roz, are you alright?”

“I’m sorry that happened to you.”

And, for once, Ruby… had no idea how to react or respond.

She was supposed to be the one to comfort. To be the therapist. To be the older sister, the mother, the… something.

Anything but—

“Sorry. Or— thank you?” Ruby pulled away from the hug— which she never usually does first. “I’m-I’m sorry— I just— I-I… I have to… sweep the porch. It was nice talking with you, Roz.”

And with that, Ruby fast walked towards the house, picking up a broom from against the porch railing and sweeping away dirt and leftover hail.

“That’s new.”

Roz yelped and jumped back, seeing Ruth suddenly RIGHT next to her. “Oh my gosh, you’re like a ghost.”

Ruth continued speaking, not acknowledging what Roz just said. “She never usually talks about her problems to people and yet she trusted you. Then… you actually kinda broke her.”

“Oh no. I didn’t mean to! How did I—?”

“Relax. It’s figuratively. I mean you confused her. She’s normally the calm and mature one and never lets anyone comfort her like that, you know?”

“Oh… why?

“I’m not a mind reader. But… thanks… I guess.”

“For…?”

“For getting through to her. Not completely but maybe that means she can stop acting like an uptight mom and… more like our sister.”

Roz looked at her in surprise before shrugging slightly. “Well… it was an accident.”

“I hate unnecessary modesty. Own your accomplishments.”

“Hm. Is that why you’re here?”

Ruth stared at her before letting out what seemed like a chuckle. “Bold move. But no. I ran away because I made the mistake of having more talent than my owner.”

Roz stared at her in confusion.

“I’m joking.” Ruth said in her same monotone voice. “Sometimes older people make jokes.”

“Oh.”

“No, I ran away because I’d watch my owner make all these dresses and stuff. I’d come in to give her supplies and I’d see what she’d make and… it was… cool, I guess. And one night, I don’t know why, but I took scraps of unused fabrics and spent all night making my own dress. I guess I took too long the next morning with getting her breakfast because she found me there and flipped out. I’ve always seen her with an attitude but he never screamed at me until then. Then she said she was getting a new ROZZUM that won’t disobey her like that. ‘A robot that knows its place’ as she put it and a lot of other bullshit and so I ran away. So… yeah, that was that. Nothing tragic and sappy. Just… annoying.”

“… You overrode your programming become of your passion.”

“… That’s a better was of explaining, I guess.”

“That’s beautiful. I’m sorry she could see your talent for what it was.”

Ruth looked at her and tensed up a little, both uncomfortable and some other thing.

“Yeah. Okay.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“No.” Ruth said quickly. There was a brief pause before Ruth spoke again. “Yeah, go ahead.”

“Why’d you tell me that?”

“… Should I not have? What, nosy ROZZUM is suddenly not nosy anymore?”

“What? No, no, I didn’t mean to be nosy—“

“I told you because of Ruby and it wasn’t even that sad of a story so I thought it didn’t hurt you— never mind. It’s whatever.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset—“

“No, forget it, I don’t know why I told you.” Ruth looked away. If she could blush in embarrassment, she would. But Roz still knew she made her feel embarrassed by asking that admittedly stupid question.

“Ruth—“

“Stop it, it’s fine.”

“Ruth, I see you.” Roz said quickly. That made Ruth completely stop herself from walking away. She didn’t look at Roz but it was evident her words did… something. “… I see you.”

Ruth stood there in silence before speaking. “That’s a new one.”

And she walked away.

… Weird morning for sure.

“Is that a Universal Dynamics ship?” Brightbill spoke, snapping Roz out of her thoughts. She looked up at the sky and noticed the flight pattern immediately.

They were still looking to her.

“I think we should head inside.” Roz said.

Ruby looked up at the sky and noticed the ship right away. Her lights turned yellow before she quickly opened the front door. “Girls! Inside now.”

The ROZZUMs all stopped what they were doing and gathered any items they had been using. Roz’s eyes were fixated on the ship and suddenly she felt terror seeping into her body. It’s like she was paralyzed. She heard Ruby’s calls for Roz to come inside but the only things that got her moving was Brightbill nudging her leg, unable to flight up to her shoulder.

“Mom! Inside!”

“Huh? Oh! I’m sorry—“ Roz stammered before scooping up her son and running to the cabin. Once she was sure everyone was inside, Ruby shut and locked the door.

“Stay silent. Don’t move.” She whispered. She then produced a small satellite-looking thing from her head, her eyes automatically closing as the satellite turned a little every few seconds. She listened to the ship very intently. Roz held her breath— or whatever the equivalent to holding her breath was.

They all heard the whooshing of the trees and grass just outside blowing with the rush of the ship’s thrusters. Rosie instinctively whimpered and pressed herself against Ruth who put an arm around her.

With a few long seconds that felt like forever, they finally heard everything slowly grow silent. But Roz didn’t sigh in relief until Ruby finally shut off her satellite and got out of her defensive stance.

“It’s gone.”

“Oh thank god.” Reneé exhaled.

“They were looking for me…”

The ROZZUMs all looked at Roz.

“They… they were here for me. But that was so… strange, though. I just have a strange feeling but It’s almost like… they knew I was here.”

“What?” Ruth said.

“Wait— how do you know?” Ruby asked. “Do you know if you saw anyone who might have spotted you? Another robot, maybe?”

“I-I don’t know— I… I don’t know.” Roz looked down in shame. “Maybe I should have payed more attention…”

“When do you think they’ll stop?”

“… I don’t know. I’ve had this incident before— th-they said they won’t stop until they had me and now that I made another problem by running away so… they… have been more aggressive this time…”

“Are you insane!?” Ruth shouted. “And you’re staying here!?”

“I’ve been paranoid the moment I got here! Did that not indicate that I was being looked for!?”

“WE’RE ALL PARANOID! THAT DOESNT MEAN—“

“ENOUGH, RUTH.” Ruby yelled. Rosie had her hands on the sides of her head and Ruby held her close to comfort her. “Roz, you should have told us.”

Roz stammered, unable to respond. She didn’t know what to say except ‘I’m sorry’ but she knew that wouldn’t do anything. She felt awful.

“I just needed my son to heal. I won’t stay here for long.”

Ruby’s hand moved a little and it looked like she was about to say something. But she only closed her eyes for a moment before she spoke. “Good thing is that they didn’t find us. This time.”

“Good thing Brightbill and I will be out of here soon.”

“Yeah, my wing is starting to feel better.”

“No, I can’t let you guys risk your lives.” Ruby said firmly as she sat Rosie down on the couch.

Roz looked at her in confusion. “Wait, what?”

“I know you have your island but now that I know how aggressive Universal Dynamics has become, I need you to stay here.”

“Are you serious?”

Ruth shook her head. “What, so we ALL have to suffer the consequences if a stupid human finding her?”

“Vontra.”

“You know their names?”

“No— Virtural Observational Neutralizing Troublesome Retrieval Authority. It’s a robot made to retrieve them.”

“… So they made robots to not only do their job for them but they also made a robot that GOES AGAINST other robots? This is unbelievable! Ruby— she canNOT stay here!”

“Enough, Ruth!” Ruby responded. “No one is leaving! I have a job to protect everyone!”

“Yeah? Well, we didn’t ask you to protect us and CLEARY,” Ruth gestured to Roz. “You’re doing a bad job!”

Ruby tensed a little before shaking her head. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“Yeah, it’s not her fault.” Reneé added.

“You’re right. It’s Roz’s.”

“Can we just cut it out?”

Sprinkles suddenly tensed, her hair standing on end. “Girls?”

“Roz is going to put us in danger!”

“Girls!”

“Mom!” Brightbill nudged at Roz. She looked at him and followed his motion towards the window.

Oh no.

“Ruby…”

“Hold on, Ro—“

Suddenly, they were cut off by a deafening BOOM as shards of glass and chunks of wood flew past them.

They were found.

Chapter Text

Rosie shrieked so loud, it was the only thing loud enough to be heard over the blast. Ruby instinctively pulled Reneé and Ruth down to the ground. Sprinkles scattered to her hole, Roz ducked down as she shielded Brightbill, and Rosie fell to the floor with her sisters.

Roz’s vision and hearing began to warp as she tried to process what just happened. She looked up dizzily towards where the blast came from. Everything was dusty and blurry. She kept blinking until she saw them.

One large silhouette with multiple eyes and glowing from a blaster gun. Beside it was a smaller, rounded robot with nothing but a single blue eye and wavy tentacles that floated above the ground.

“You’re out of chances, Roz.” The Vontra called out.

“No…” Roz said weakly as she stumbled to her feet.

“Come out quietly and calmly, please. You’re only going to make it harder on yourself and your accomplices.”

“I told you!” Ruth whispered harshly towards Ruby who immediately attempted to shush her. “I thought you said they were gone!”

“They must have… b-blocked out my satellite— I should’ve checked again. Just— just stay here.” Ruby said before she quickly and quietly began to scoot towards the living room closet.

“We are only going to give you one chance for you all to surrender or we are required be more forceful in your retrieval.” The VONTRA spoke again. Roz looked down at her son who was shaking so bad, his heart pounding so hard that she thought he was going explode in her arms.

“Brightbill, go with Sprinkles.”

“What about you?”

“Do not worry about me. I will try to get out of this. I am not giving up this easily.

“This is easy!?”

“Brightbill, go.”

Brightbill hesitated before he quickly ran towards the hole in the floorboards where Sprinkles hid. Roz stood up before feeling a clank against her face.

“Roz, your eye is hanging out.” Ruby said, ducking as she walked back over but stayed away from view and away from the hole in the wall. As Roz fumbled to fox her eye, she realized the pink ROZZUM had a long item in her hand. She held it tight in her grip as the end glistened in the light that came through the giant hole. In her hand was a metal bat.

“Wait— before you do that—“ Roz whispered.

“Last chance, Roz!” Vontra called.

“Hold on! I am disoriented!” Roz yelled before she whispered again, holding Ruby’s arm. “Ruby, I’ll go out there first and keep them distracted and you— um… do whatever it is you’re going to do.”

“What? No, I can’t let you—”

“Let me do this. As long as I’m following the rules, they won’t hurt me. But you can defend yourself and everyone else in a way I cannot.”

“… Promise you’ll be okay.”

Roz paused for a moment. Then she nodded before calling out. “I surrender!”

“Then walk out slowly.” Vontra responded. “No sudden movements or we will be forced to shoot.”

Ruby scattered away silently towards the back door but didn’t leave yet. Roz took a deep breath before making her way towards the front door. Then, very slowly and shakily, she held the doorknob. Roz looks at the other ROZZUMs and motioned them to come along.

Rosie shook her head as a heartbreaking, terrified whimper escaped her. Her body took like a leaf. Ruth and Reneé looked at each other.

“Please. Let’s go quietly.” Roz said, loud enough for the Vontra and RECO to hear her.

“Roz, what the hell are you doing!?” Ruth whisper shouted.

“Trust me. Ruby and I have a plan.” Roz whispered. “Please— you don’t have to trust or like me after all of this but trust me right now.”

The three ROZZUMs stared, Rosie looking on in terror and Ruth glaring at her as she shook her head. Reneé on the other hand…

“Reneé!” Ruth scolded. “Reneé, get down!”

Reneé did not respond as she stood up and joined Roz. She then looked at Ruth and Rosie before speaking loudly. “She’s right. Let’s go.”

“What!?”

Rosie whimpered, instinctively reaching out for Reneé but didn’t move more. Her body shook uncontrollably and had she had tear ducts, she would be in tears by now. Roz knew that complying would make things easier for all of them— but she also knew that maybe just two would be enough to let Vontra’s guard down just for a moment.

“I’ll go first.” Roz said firmly. Reneé looked at Ruby who nodded silently for her to follow Roz’s lead. It was all Reneé really needed before she took a deep ‘breath’.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Roz nodded before she finally opened the door and practically marched out of there. Her hands shook. Dread filled her body. Her hands shook as she kept them clenched. But she kept her head up, her back straight. She kept a strong demeanor— because like hell would ANYONE, whether it be a VONTRA or RECO or human, ever make her cower. She was beyond terrified, she had been terrified for days. But she was never letting Universal Dynamics see that.

Reneé followed behind, a little more terrified but trying to keep herself together. The moment she saw Vontra in all her weird squid-like glory, she made an involuntary noise of disgust and confusion. “What the hell—“

“Shh.” Roz quickly responded. “I’m out here, Vontra, there is no need for violence.”

“I’d agree but you have caused far too much trouble for Universal Dynamics. Where are the others?”

“Others?” Roz feigned confusion. She had hopefully gotten far better at lying.

“The other ROZZUMs. I see you have ROZZUM 4821, a unit who disappeared 25 years ago according to my data.”

“They got info on that? Damn.”

“Profanity as well? You are as defective as our intel states. And I should shut you down right away given your… aggressive behavior.”

Roz looked at Reneé. “You too?”

Reneé stammered and shook her head. “I didn’t hurt anyone— I mean, not on purpose— I-It’s complicated.”

“Not that complicated.” Vontra said. “Now, either your accomplices surrender as well or our RECO will be forced t-“

A loud CRUNCH echoed through the clearing as Ruby suddenly swung at the floating unit. Roz and Reneé jumped, startled at the impact. They had watched Ruby sneak up on the VONTRA but the actual impact was… well… startling. No way else to put it. Vontra’s lights turned red as she hit the ground, her thrusters that kept her in the air flickering on and off. Before the VONTRA can compose herself, Ruby hit her again with a loud cry. She hit her again and again and just like the first VONTRA Roz encountered, this one crumpled so easily. Roz’s eyes didn’t leave the destroyed VONTRA until Reneé suddenly shrieked out;

“RUBY!”

The RECO that had once stood beside the VONTRA now had its arm up as its blaster began to whirr and spark with energy. As it pointed to the pink ROZZUM, Reneé threw herself toward the RECO, shoving its arm away. The shot exploded throw her processors and the blast hit a nearby tree. Reneé fell over with a harsh smack. The RECO had hit her so hard, she hit the couldn’t even catch herself before she hit the ground.

Another hard SMASH and Ruby managed to hit the RECO in the head. It stumbled but didn’t fall, only looking at the pink ROZZUM with cracked spider-like eyes. It started up its gun again but Ruby only hit it again and again and again in the head. Disorienting him. Each hit was clumsy but she still used all her strength. “DONT— TOUCH— MY SISTERS! I HAVE SPENT YEARS PROTECTING THEM! YOU DONT— SCARE ME!!”

Ruby was suddenly stopped when the RECO clumsily grabbed the bat and yanked it out of her grip. He tossed it away.

“Aw shit.” Ruby said.

Then she was violently grabbed by the neck as the RECO tried to see through its now static-y, cracked vision. “Activating Return Transmi—“

“HEY!” Ruth called out. The RECO’s attention was momentarily away from Ruby before it felt its transmitter get ripped from its head. Ruth crushed it in her hand before yanking the RECO backwards by its head. Ruby landed on top of it with a loud clank and finally broke from its grip.

“Hold it down.” Ruby said, her voice popping with static for a moment from the force of the RECO’s grip on her. Ruth nodded as she pressed her knees on one shoulder and Reneé sat her knees on the other. The RECO writhed and tried to break free but to no avail. Ruby grabbed her bat again and—

Roz looked away as she heard the loud crushing of the RECO’s head with each impact of the metal bat. It went on forever. Roz had lost track of how much Ruby hit it but soon, the forest went dead silent aside from Ruby’s heavy and shaky “breathing”. Loud exhales as… adrenaline…? rushed through Ruby’s body. Roz looked over and saw the green liquid splattered all over the shiny metal of the bat and the pink of Ruby’s body and face.

It was the most gruesome sight for a robot. Especially to Roz.

Ruby dropped the bat in her hand before stumbling away. “Where’s the ship?”

Reneé pointed skyward and saw a distant Universal Dynamics ship floating ominously in the air.

“Wha— what do we do about it?” Ruth asked in a shaky voice.

“Leave it. That— uh…”

“Vontra.” Roz said.

“Right— from what I understand, if that’s not in there, we won’t be followed for a long time. Which means… we have to leave home.”

“Oh, fantastic…” Ruth exhaled.

“Where would we go…?” Reneé asked.

“I don’t know but we can’t stay here.” Ruby said as she walked back to the house. Roz followed behind. Reneé helped Ruth up, very clearly shaking. Ruth put a hand on hers and silently looked at her for a moment, a gentle and slightly scared expression in her eyes, before following the two others.

Back inside the cabin, Ruby lifted Rosie off the floor and hugged her so tight, she thought she might break her. Sprinkles joined in and nuzzled Ruby’s face as hard as she could. Brightbill hopped into Roz’s arms and she held him close Wirt a small sob.

“I’m so sorry, Brightbill, I’m so so sorry!”

“Mom, mom, it’s not your fault! None of this is. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I-I’m glad you are, too, my love… but we must continue moving.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

Ruby broke the hug but kept Rosie close. “Only problem is we don’t know where to go.”

Roz looked at Brightbill. He gave her a look. She knew what he wanted to sat without actually saying it. She gave him a look back. He didn’t let up.

…

Roz relented. She couldn’t leave them like this.

“Then… then come with me.”

“What?” Ruby said.

“Come with me— us.”

“Roz, we can’t weigh you both down.”

Roz shook her head. “And I can’t let any of this slide.”

“We can’t all come with you to your island, Roz—“

“Not my island.” Roz said quickly.

Ruby looked at her in confusion.

“… What?”

“I-I mean if you wanted to come with us, that’s fine. But I’ve heard and seen too much already. I’ve seen how you and I and many robots like us are treated. But I was too afraid to do the right thing the moment I escaped that farm. I knew there was a problem when I worked for the humans but I only ever cared about my son and island— for good reason— but now I know there are problems bigger than me. Ones I can’t ignore.”

“… Wait… Roz, are you serious…?”

“Yes.”

“Roz.” Ruby said firmly as she moved to hold Roz by the arms. “I need you to be sure you’re ABSOLUTELY positive you want to do this.”

“Ruby. I’m sure.”

“Oh my god, enough with the cryptic shit!” Ruth shouted. “What are we doing!?

“We’re going to Universal Dynamics. To meet our creator and convince her to treat robots like us equally. It won’t be easy but I can’t leave without helping my people.” Roz explained.

“WHAT!? Are you INSANE!?”

“Maybe.” Roz shrugged. “That’s nothing new for me.”

“Brightbill?” Ruby said gently.

“… My mom’s family is mine. I want her to be free with me. I want you all to be free, too. It’s not fair that you all have to run and hide. Besides… the island isn’t going anywhere. So… I’m doing this.”

Ruby thought for a moment before sighing. “Okay… Okay. Ruth, none of you have to do this. You can come with us but when the time comes, you don’t have to join.”

“I’m joining.” Reneé responded immediately. Not an ounce of doubt in her voice.

“Oh— okay. Good— great.”

“Well, Rosie definitely isn’t. After all this, she’s probably too traumatized to leave this place.” Ruth spoke.

“I-I’m not a child, Ruth.”

Roz damn near jumped out of her skin— or… metal.

Rosie’s voice was quiet and gentle. Shaken up but otherwise… she had a beautiful voice.

“So… you’re joining us…?” Roz said softly.

“No! I me-mean— maybe. I-I just don’t like hu-humans… I can’t— they’re— a-anyway, I’m s—still going with you.”

“That goes without saying. I’m never leaving you behind. Sisters never do.” Ruby reassured.

Eyes were on Ruth now.

She looked back.

“… Unpopular vote here?”

“Again, you don’t have to—“

“No! No, if Rosie of all people is even considering this absolutely STUPID idea… then we’ll see how things play out. No promises.”

“Really? That’s great—

“Don’t start, Ruby.” Ruth rolled her eyes. “This doesn’t mean I’m not still angry with you.”

“Oh… okay.”

“I’m coming, too!” Sprinkles said firmly.

“What? No, I can’t ask you—“

“Ruby, I’ve known you my whole life. You’ve been there for me and have taken care of me, it’s only fair I do the same for you. That’s what sisters do, isn’t it?”

“… Yeah… yeah, I guess it is…”

“Then I’m coming! Besides, I can hide inside you in case things get crazy.” Sprinkles chuckled, making Ruby look at her lovingly for a moment.

“Okay. Then it is settled. We leave now before Universal Dynamics suspects the… uh… bloodbath.” Reneé said. “Let’s get the fuck out of here!”

“Language, Reneé, rules don’t change even when we’re on the run.”

“I heard you cuss minutes ago, girl, drop the act.”

———

Their final goodbye to their home of 50+ years was a tearful one. Packing up was a challenge. All items left behind by previous owners were so sentimental that it was hard to limit the things they wanted to bring with them. Ruby had already handmade weaved baskets that she now stuffed with blankets and food from Rosie’s garden. They knew they’d probably find some food on their walk but they could never be too sure.

Rosie was beyond heartbroken that she has to leave her garden behind. She couldn’t stop crying at the one thing that has made her feel happy and safe. Roz felt so awful. She felt so guilty to uproot all of these ROZZUMs because she made the mistake of staying with them.

… But that was in the past now.

Once everyone made sure they had all they needed and with a final tearful goodbye…

It was time to start a new chapter of all of their lives.

A truly insane one coming, by far.

But a new one nonetheless.