The engine stopped as she heard the front door open and shut. Sunlight flooded the back of the transport as he opened the doors. He climbed in, unlocking her restraints.

“Well, you want to know how different we are out here, just hop on out and feast your eyes.”

She followed him out, and caught sight of numerous green fields and scattered trees. She stared long at them until Scott grabbed her, turning her to face the forward. She stared in wonderment at what it was: A very long line of large trucks, larger than Scott’s transport, lined up all to pass through a massive wall. It stretched onwards for miles, curving around with whatever could be inside. Several weapons platforms were mounted atop of it, each larger than anything she had ever seen. If anything, the walls reminded her more of Axios.

“Is that giant wall customs?”

He smacked his hand on his forehead. “That’s a pretty fucking stupid name for a wall, ain’t it? No, customs is why we’re stuck in line. Do you know why walls are built?”

“For safety?”

“To keep things out. And there’s lots of things less than ethical people would like to bring in that the rest of us want out. That’s what customs is for: To make sure that shit stays out.”

Her eyes widened. “Like demons?”

“That’s a good example, yeah. Thank the gods you catch on quick.”

“I fought a demon before I met you, ya know. It paid super well too, so maybe we should look for those jobs once you’re done with this customs stuff.”

He laughed. “I’ve already decided against joining the Crusaders long ago. Demanding a lifetime of service isn’t very nice, you know? Maybe Gods would get more followers if they cut that crap out.”

He turned and met face to face with Ferra looking puzzled.

“You know about demons, but you don’t know about fucking Gods?”

She shook her head.

“You pledge your ‘faith’ to some being, they give you abilities or powers in turn as long as you follow their contracts. Easy enough to understand?”

“I guess. But what’s faith-”

“Good, you understand, no more details, all right?”

The line moved forward somewhat.

“Now hop back in, I gotta scoot us forward a bit.”

Re-igniting the engine, he moved forward the few inches of ground before turning it off once more. He hopped behind, throwing the back doors open, and sat across from her.

“Now there’s one thing that HAS been eating my mind a bit. You say you’re from Axios, right?”

She nodded.

“Why the hell did you want to leave that utopia you all created for yourself?”

She looked shocked. “Well, I was only active inside the city for a few minutes, but I was told something by well, my manufacturer. He said that our home, Axios, is needed to be liberated. Give me a second…”

She stared blankly for a few moments.

“Ah yes, it was about our leader, Tronus. Years ago, he constructed an overmind, a massive device that would direct all of our kind’s actions so we could work at maximum efficiency. He used it for control rather than efficiency however, using it to scan the populace’s mind for any dissenting thoughts, and mind-wiping any android they caught.”

He scoffed.

“Hey, don’t be rude! Anyways, because everything was scanned and regulated, my manufacturers constructed me from spare parts by getting into workplace accidents and using their own lost parts to construct me. Then they sent me and several other androids with a mission: Get help to liberate us from whoever you can find.”

He snorted. “For how crafty they were, didn’t seem like they were too specific with their instructions.”

“They’re likely mind-wiped for what they did though…”

“Serves them and your kind right, to be perfectly honest.”

She banged the wall. “What’s your problem, seriously! I just wanna help my people!”

“Well, your people weren’t so nice in turn to us!” He lowered his hands into his head. “You know, a long time ago, before we had these walls, all of humanity was nearly killed by an army of demons. And because your kind was sent to fight with millions of others of humans, they decided they had a right to abandon us. The Radi Desert used to be some lush forestland a long time ago too, you know.”

She stared, some anger brimming in her eyes.

“Since you’re still a bit slow to pick up things, you know who orchestrated that abandonment? None other than that Tronus. You all fell into his trap, and your kind is suffering the consequences.”

“But… There’s still time to repair relations, right?”

He snorted again. “Three hundred years of isolation, and you think you alone can break it? Besides, remember our deal?”

She looked down at the ground. “I should have searched elsewhere for help…”

“Well, at least working with me is going to be better than being stuck in that desert. Be happy with what you at least got now.”

He left the back and slammed the doors, climbing back into the driver’s seat. The sat silently between each other as Scott inched closer and closer to the wall’s gate.

“Scott, is all that hatred why you signed up to hunt androids?”

He let out an energetic laugh. “If that were the reason, every single person behind these walls would be signing up. Not like there’s any more androids to really deal with. Remember that whole three hundred years thing?”

“Well, then why did you sign up?”

He paused. “That’s enough for questions now, yeah? Put on those restraints, we’re finally in customs.”