“USER: KAZER GLENN.”

The machine’s voice filled Kazer with joy as his weary eyes failed to stay open. The morning sun peeked over the dust-covered wasteland, reminding Kazer that he needed to get some rest. During the night, Kazer reprogrammed the broken-down machine and modified the existing parts on it, as well as adding his own improvements. He had replaced the broken arm and gave a new one that was brown and had a small knife attached to the underside acting as a hidden blade. There was a thin metal plate that covered all the joints of the machine and the bullet-proof vest was reinforced with a thick place of steel that was ripped straight off the tank. The original arm cannon was left untouched, as Kazer had no experience working with firearms.

“Salvage 001,” Kazer yawned, “Defend the area.”

“AFFIRMATIVE.” The robot brought its newly fixed arm to its head and gave Kazer a salute. Kazer then walked over towards the now ever more destroyed tank and walked inside. He sat on the ground and lean on the wall. He held his gun close as he slowly closed his eyes.

“To think… that Earth’s technology would be… so easy to modify…” He then slowly drifted asleep.

——“H…” A faint voice called to him in the darkness. “He… HEY!” A sharp pain pinched his cheeks. His eyes jolted open in the pain as an old man stood before him. The man removed his hands and breathed a breath of relief. He had a rectangular face with wrinkles that made him seem like he was a hundred years old. His left eye was covered with a dark blue eye patch and he had short white hair devoid of color due to stress. A thick, bushy beard that complemented his hair, rested just below his lips and connected to his sideburns. He wore a skin-tight, blue suit that displayed his muscular build with a large two-handed blade on his back. The blade had spiked teeth connected by a chain on the edges of the blade. “Boy, are you awake?” Kazer was unable to speak, but he nodded. He looked around and found himself bathing in a soft blue light with no clothes. A few tubes carrying a translucent liquid stuck out of his skin. His skin was covered in flakes of ice that melted quicker by the second. “Good, I… I’m sorry that you have to go through this every time, but just know that your work is necessary. So please, do not give up.” The man’s tone betrayed his appearance. His voice was shaky, as if he felt a pang of terrible guilt while looking at the man before him. “If this project is to succeed, then the seeds of redemption must be sown.” He rested his right hand on his shoulder, “We will bring change to the human society, a change that is long overdue.”

“What do you mean?” Kazer spoke in a confused, hushed tone.

“It is up to you to decide their fate. Whether you cultivate them is up to you. However, just remember this: we will not judge the path you take. After all, in this Hell, you are-”——

*Click… Click* *BOOM*

“Wha!?” A metal clanking sound followed by a loud explosion woke Kazer up from his sleep. He rushed out of the tank with his gun in hand and searched for his little robot companion. Near the tank was an abnormal amount of dirt and dust drifting throughout the air. It was hard to see and breathe inside it, but that did not stop Kazer from searching within it. Once he found his only companion, he fell to his knee. “No…” The robot companion he had spent all night had been found in pieces. He reached out to grab its left arm and felt a burning sensation, causing him to quickly pull back. As the dust had settled. A small crater revealed itself to Kazer. Small bits of shrapnel were embedded into the surrounding areas. In the middle of the crater were the remains of an anti-tank mine. Kazer's right eye twitched a little as he stared at its fragmented remains. He then gave a soft sigh as he packed his things up. Once he was finished, he resumed his journey down the barren path. “Back on the road… alone.” He sulked along the way.

*Creak Clank Creak*

The muffled sound of metal scraping and clashing against metal set Kazer’s heart racing, causing him to forget about his fallen companion. In front of him stood a large hill decorated with sandbags and weathered, stationary artillery whose barrels were either warped in an unusable manner or completely exploded. There was a thick gravel path that led up. However, inside the gravel were large sections of destroyed trucks that seemed to have sunken inside. Kazer looked above the large hill and noticed a pillar of black smoke coming from behind. A strong wind blew the smoke downwards towards Kazer’s direction, causing him to inhale the toxic smell of burning oil and flesh. On alert, Kazer stayed low to the ground as he climbed the hill. The ground was weak and unbalanced, as there were no plants to keep the ground stable. Kazer carefully walked on the gravel path, hoping to not cause too much noise. After reaching the top, he pulled out his gun and army crawled in the smoke’s direction.

*Clank Creak Clank*

“Human flesh… tasty,” A strange distorted voice spoke as Kazer was still trying to get a good view over the hilltop.

*Creak Clank Creak*

“Weapon…too…sharp…” Another voice spoke in broken words, “Can’t…enjoy…kill…”

*Creak Creak Creak*

Kazer looked over the hilltop and found three humanoid machines, dressed in a long black cloak with the only thing sticking out is a large metal head, standing near the framing of a military transport plane. The plane had three engines still attached, while a fourth one sat in pieces as its metal was used to create a large bonfire area. Kazer surveyed the blood-soaked campsite that was littered with human bones. Small mounds of human hands rested near what appeared to be a metal drying rack that suspended its victims by their hands. The center of the rack held a couple of lifeless bodies. Resting on the outer ends of the rack were decayed human hands that gave off the impression that the bodies were just ripped off when it was their time. On the ground next to the rack were the bones of the hands that were fully decayed. The machines stood next to the bonfire with two male and one female human corpse skewered over the flame, each with their limbs stacked neatly with the only thing missing being their hands. Their faces were charred, but they still displayed how they felt in their final moments. The machines stood near the flame, each doing their own thing. One machine was scraping a rusty sword against a metal wall that was riddled with bullet holes; another sat next to the human skewers, gently brushing a black liquid on them; while the final one walked towards a petite and malnourished woman on the drying rack.

*Creak clank clank clank Creak* The machine’s scraping noise grew louder.

“Looks like today was a good hunt.” The one next to the dry rack said perfectly in a soulless tone. The woman scoffed at him.

“Indeed…good…haul…” The machine stopped scraping its weapon and walked up to the drying rack. “Beta…2991…wants….that…brain…”

“After we finish eating, we will implant that human brain into you. So do be patient.”

“Thanks…Beta…0990” 2991 faced the lone machine cooking the food. “Is…meal…ready…Beta…5421…?”

“Yes, the food…just finished.” 5421 grabbed the large skewers and brought them towards the others.

They sat in a circle, gently stabbing the skewers into the ground. They each reached for a random limb from their skewers and ripped it off the stick. Their face plates opened up, reviling a series of small metal gears that spun aggressively as they grind the limbs into nothingness. The sound of grinding flesh and bones made Kazer a bit queasy, but he continued to watch, clutching his pistol, waiting for a chance. Above the gears were a pair of human eyes that were bedded in a mushed clump of brain matter. These eyes appeared to be how the machines see as their head was devoid of anything close to mechanical or electrical apart from the gears and framing.

“Organic machines,” Kazer said in a low tone as he aimed the pistol at the one sitting across from his position. “Machines created as an early prototype of a special self-replicating machine type. A machine whose only purpose was to control the population and give the people a reason to exist. Huh?” Kazer startled himself. One robot glanced in his direction. He quickly crawled out of their field of view and into a large artillery barrel that sat on the ground. He then spoke to himself in a hushed tone. “Why did I know that?” His head began to hurt as the sound of an explosion followed by metallic footsteps came closer. Fearing the worse, Kazer banded his pistol and held his breath.

“Beta 2991, it was nothing.” A faraway voice shouted.

“Under…stood…Beta…0990…” 2991’s voice sounded like it was just inches away from him.

Kazer waited a few minutes before peaking over the hill again. The three machines sat in the same spots, enjoying their meal as the horrid sound of grinding bones made Kazer’s skin crawl. Kazer once again aim his pistol at the machine sitting across from his position and took aim at the exposed brain. Held his breath and pulled the trigger.

*Phizt* The soft humming of the laser-like projectile buzzed through the air. The light blue flash hit the wooden skewer, causing it to fall over.

“Danger…hostile…nearby…!?” As 2991 stared at his ruined dinner, another bullet whiz through the air, penetrating the center of its exposed brain clump. The machine fell over instantly and the other two closed their faceplates and turned towards the hill.

“Beta 2991…neutralized by human…using an unknown weapon.” 5421 pulled out a large blunt blade that 2991 had been working with. Orange rust flew off of the blade as it moved throughout the air.

“Beta 2991, may mother give your soul mercy for failing our mission.” 0990 pulled out a blade that was the complete opposite of 5421’s. Its blade was sharp with brown sunlight beaming its edge. The base of the blade had a unique shape that had a large tip with small, claw-like thorns that curved downwards, allowing the blade to shred anything that it managed to impale on the way out. The machine’s cloak fluttered in the wind as it stared up at Kazer who tried to hide his fear. “Human detected. Emotional state: feared. Beta 5421, let us avenge Beta 2991.”

5421 nodded, and they both ran up the hill. Kazer shot a volley of bullets that all ricochet off the center of the faceplates, leaving no dents. 5421 then launched itself high into the air and a small shock wave emitted from behind it. 5421 then hurled itself towards Kazer and brought out its blade and bashed into Kazer. Kazer was not fast enough to move out of the way and used his left arm to block the attack. A loud bash reverberated through his body as his suit withstood the attack. Another shortwave burst out from under 5421’s cloak and it flipped over Kazer, reviling 0990 rushing towards him in a piercing stance, aimed at his head. The attack grazed his cheek.

As blood dripped down his face, the machines reposition themselves in front of Kazer. Up close, they towered over Kazer in size. Their cloaks fluttered in the wind, revealing a metal exoskeleton with organic organs embedded into the frame. The organs were pink in color and periodically moved as if blood was being pumped to them. The sight caused Kazer to gag, which allowed 5421 to rush at him. Its blunt blade collided with his suit, causing minimum damage. Kazer got pushed back by the attack and stood on the edge of the steep hill.

“Is this human…a human?” 5421 asked as it tilted its head.

“Yes, this is a human.” 0990 pointed at him. “He possesses the crimson syrup we need to survive.”

“But…its flesh is hard…harder than steel…”

“Then aim for the head while I focus on piercing his armor. After all, he is a human. Their armor cannot be too hard or they could not move. So one good pierce will render him incapacitated.”

“Thanks for announcing your strategy.” Kazer taunted in a shaky voice, “Are all machines on this planet dumb asses?”

“No…we just are the superior life form.” 5421 dashed in front of Kazer, catching him off guard. “And you…failed to…detect a bluff.” It then slashed at him, sending him tumbling down the hill.

After reaching the bottom, Kazer rolled in front of the hanging girl on the drying rack. She wore tattered and faded clothing. She had messy black hair that swayed in the wind. Her brown eyes mocked him as her lips parted with a smile. “Looks like I have a friend to enjoy my final days with.” Her voice was dry, as if she hadn't received a drop of water for a few days.

Kazer winced in pain as he struggled to get back on his feet. He looked at the hillside and found the two machines causally taking their time to transverse down. “Sorry…but I’m not in the mood for jokes.” His tone was serious, yet nervous sounding. He branded his pistol towards the machines.

“In that case, I’ll help you out.” She smiled, “I give you information on how to kill them, and you release me. How is that?”

“…” Kazer looked away with a pained face.

“So you and I are the same.” She chuckled softly, “This should make things more interesting.” She licked her lips as she glanced at the machines walking down the hill. “The hinges of their faceplates are located on the inside of their faces. Due to this, they are the tiniest part of their armor. Use that gun of yours and try to break the hinges.”

“I didn't agree with your terms.” Kazer barked back as he took aim and fired at the right side of 5421’s face. The bullet bounced off the faceplate, however, this time and made a small dent and the plate opened slightly.

“But you trusted me.” She smiled once more. “That could have easily been a self-destruct button on a war machine with a nuclear core you know.” The machines then launched themselves into the air. “Focus on their faceplates and then shoot the brain as you did with that other one. One bullet should be enough to finish them.” 5421 flew towards Kazer and slashed at him again.

Kazer sidestepped and shot at the damaged plate at point-blank range. After shooting a few bullets, the face place swung open as one henge no longer could hold it. His pistol then glowed a crimson hue. “Tch.” Kazer holstered his gun and pulled out his shock baton. 5421 relentlessly bombarded him with attacks, all of which made no scratch on his suit. However, Kazer was gasping for air as each blow with 5421’s blunt blade affected his physical body. “Damn…it….” Its attacks continued. Kazer struggled to move as he was stuck on the defensive.

“One dozen eggs are consumed by the second from a group of twelve dozen.” The girl casually said.

“Wha-!?” Kazer tried to respond to the girl, however, a blow to the gut knocked the wind out of him.

Kazer lasted twelve more seconds before 5421’s relentless bombardment stopped. Its body stood motionless as smoke fumed out of its arms. Using this as an opportunity, Kazer stabbed his shock baton into the exposed brain of 5421. A soft sizzle was followed by the repugnant smell released by the burning brain. The machine fell over and Kazer pulled out his baton. Pieces of brain matter were burnt onto it. He then weakly turned to face 0990, who stood before him with its blade pointed towards him.

“Mother, a strong adversary stands before us here and now.” It spoke, “This wretched beast of a human has slain my bothers.” Kazer put his baton away and picked up 5421’s blade. It was unwieldy. However, he was not in a position to complain. “Now the beast uses the armament of my brethren to attack me.”

“I would be careful. Their armor is very tough, and as you should know, that blade isn't sharp. All you would be doing is bashing a stick against a tree.” The girl bore an amused smile as she watched the one-sided battle begin. 0990 ran up towards Kazer and slashed at his head. He lowered his back to evade the attack and bashed his blade on 0990’s face. A small dent appeared as it jumped back in surprise.

“Warning: Human emotional state has changed from fear to determined. Reason for change is due to an abnormal amount of adrenaline rushing through the human’s system.” 0990 charged at Kazer, preventing him from getting a break. Its blade bounced off of Kazer’s, destroying one of the metal claws near the bottom. Sparks then flew as Kazer blocked another one of its attacks.

“HEH!” Kazer pushed 0990 off of him and followed up with a heavy swing to the faceplate. 0990 was pushed back towards the bonfire. Kazer fell to his knees as he struggled to move. “Even…a stick…can dent a tree…if bashed hard enough.” Kazer got back on his feet and walked towards 0990, whose brain was exposed.

“Mother…forgive my failure…” Kazer walked up and raised his blade over his head. “You…human…fight…for…nothing-” 0990’s brain spattered everywhere as 5421’s blade was brought down. Kazer lost his balance and fell unconscious.