"Ugh! I don't get it!"

"Yeah~ Me either..."

Sam turned his back to the computer screen. "I've replaced all his parts, updated his firmware, I even gave him a solar-powered energy cell that recharges when he rests. Why can't I get him to start?"

"Didn't you say that he's been turning himself on and off at will?"

"I wouldn't say at will." He took his time walking up to the stationary robot. "I think his systems have been rebooting but he isn't aware." He brushed away his brown hair, "Maybe...?"

"Are any of us really aware?"

"Okay, what's up with you?" Sam looked annoyed as he observed his behemoth of a brother.

Nix was sitting against a window in the lab. Looking outward with wistful eyes at the many bandits rushing to and fro. From the way he was sitting, it seemed like he wanted to look natural. But with a bright orange shirt and long grey cargo shorts, he shined brighter than the white tiles within Sam's lab.

Sam joined him staring out the window to see what he was so enamored by. He wasn't surprised to see his buddy staring at the boss. She was currently running drills with a large group of bandits. Standard training exercises composing of laps around the cave, teambuilding tasks, and of course sparing matches.

He shook his head in amusement, "You're hopeless."

"Shut up." Nix returned to staring at the source of his adoration. "I just don't get it."

"Get what?" Sam said as he took a seat back at his computer.

"This feeling."

"What? Love?!"

Nix didn't look back; his dead tone gave visuals to his voice. "I know what love is. But this love... it's so much stronger." He rubbed his broad chest, "I've never felt like this for anyone. Not even my mother."

"I... I-I don't think anyone should love their mother that much," Sam stuttered.

"You know what I mean."

"Why don't you just ask her out?"

"It's not that simple."

"I'm pretty sure it is."

"Then why don't you-"

"Aww... is poor wittle Nixxy-Wixxy scared of getting rejected?" quickly deflected.

Nix could feel Sam approaching from behind. His footsteps echoing through the empty lab. "I swear if you smush my cheeks, I will obliterate you." When he turned around, he was met with a single fluorescent yellow eye. The black streak representing a pupil growing and shrinking sporadically.

Nix jumped away, causing his chair to clatter to the floor and startle Sam. "Rico? You're awake!"

The bot did not respond to its mechanic. Instead, it moved towards the window Nix was just gazing through. The two humans watched on silently as the bot seemed to analyze the bandits outside. They took notice of how his head snapped along the path that Shelly was traveling. Then in a choppy robotic voice, he spoke, "Name - Unknown. Alias - Boss. Gender - Female. Ethnicity - Hispanic. Height – 5' 4''. Weight – Roughly 115lbs."

Sam applauded as Rico stopped speaking. "Bravo. He analyzed Shelly's specs in seconds."

Rico made a sweet whirling noise, "Update! Name – Shelly."

"And he can adjust on the fly."

Nix was a bit apprehensive. The analysis was so sudden and seemed a little intrusive. Especially calling out her height and weight. Rico made another notification sound. "Update! Shelly, Bust – 36''."

Nix snatched Rico's chrome dome up in his massive palms. A dark expression across his face, "Where are you looking?"

Rico remained calm. He turned his eye towards Nix quickly spitting out information. "Name – Nixxy. Alias – Nixxy-Wixxy. Gender – Male. Race – African. Height – 6' 8''. Weight – 360lbs. Bust – 57''."

Sam pulled down on the angry giant. "Careful big man. He doesn't mean any disrespect. Just gathering data."

With a bit of reprieve, he placed Rico back on his feet. The bot taking his time to readjust himself before turning to Sam.

"Name – Sam. Alias – Unknown. Gender – Male. Race – Caucasian. Height – 5' 9''. Weight – 188lbs."

Sam chuckled at the conclusion. "That is so cool!" Nix wasn't as excited. He noticed that Rico still hadn't measured Sam's bust. "Nix. Go grab Shelly. She has to see this!"

Nix grumbled something under his breath but trudged out the door. Meanwhile, Sam quickly rushed Rico back to his computer. Pulling up a document and casting the information to the giant monitor. "Okay so clearly you are operational. Maybe not fully operational but... we'll see what happens later." Sam quickly grabbed a pen and pad. "Now tell me. How do you feel?"

Rico took a second to feel his new body. He took notice of the strange cylindrical drum that made up his torso. He could feel small balls rolling around inside him. "My body feels taller. Height – 5' 8''. And the orbs inside are hard to measure. Weight – Approximately 200lbs."

"Good, good." Sam's scribbling became frantic as another question popped up. "And what about your past?"

Rico stared past Sam. His eye twitching violently before an 'X' appeared in his yellow visor. "Data not found."

Sam mumbled, "Not found... or not accessible?" He paced Rico as he spoke openly, "The files I could access like your processer and conflict analysis date so far back. I honestly can't figure out what manufacturer made you."

The sound of the door slamming open stopped their conversation. Shelly stepped through the door with a queen's authority. Nix was following close behind, but his body seemed like it would blow away with a light breeze.

His eyes were currently focused on the wall in front of him, a single bead of sweat forming from his hairline and down his brow. But they took notice of how they would occasionally shoot towards Shelly. And it made sense. Shelly had ditched her usual baggy clothes for something a bit... tighter. A set of black compression shorts that hugged her lower half just right alongside a tight purple shirt. The amount of sweat she had produced while training caused her to shimmer in the artificial light. And draw more attention to her toned midriff. Along her right arm was the same yellow bandana Rico had seen her with around her neck.

Sam wasn't as crippled by her appearance, "Yo, Boss! You gotta see this."

Shelly walked up to the robot. "So, you're Rico. Name's-"

"Shelly. Also known as, The Boss."

"Quick learner." Shelly took her time observing the robot. She didn't have many questions for him. The only issue was his mysterious past. But Sam and Rico quickly explained their inability to access his memory.

"Eh... I guess it's fine. Long as you don't turn out to be some secret agent plotting to destroy us. Now," She turned to Sam. "Can he fight?"

Sam turned to the bot, "Can you?"

Rico's eye began to flash again, "Searching... Searching... Conclusion. Uncertain."

"Maybe I can help with that. Take a look inside that Combat Directive. You should see a program called, 'Bouncy Bullets'."

Rico's eye twitched, followed by a panel opening up on his right hand with a small gray cube extending from it. The cube transformed suddenly. Shifting and whirring as it turned into a large yellow toy gun. Equipped with a case atop the barrel that could house some goofy form of ammunition. Upon the gun's appearance, the balls in his stomach started to churn. A vacuum audible inside his chest sucked them into his arm. And from there, they were transported into the childish case atop the barrel.

Sam gave Shelly a giddy grin from his handy work. "Well... let's see if he can fight."

The group slowly made their way through the cave. Rico, being the observant newcomer, took his time scanning his surroundings. Noticing the massive underground structure that was the bandit's base. His visor was enamored by the soft purple light given off by the gemstones that sat overhead. And he couldn't help but marvel at how sturdy and well-kept the homes they stayed in were.

Their slow trek gave the bandits inside ample opportunities to ogle the oddity. Rico also took his time analyzing the varying bodies. There was no theme in the crowd. The people weren't predominantly white, black, tall, small, thick, or thin. They were a true melting pot of individuals. But maybe some of the flavors in this pot were too extravagant.

His mechanical pupil was currently focused on a very strange man. At least he must have been a man with his bone structure. He wore a pristine white tank-top with a generic-looking baseball cap covering his face. But with his enhanced vision he could see his bony face beneath the brim.

Rico made his in-depth analysis, "Name – Unknown. Age – Unknown. Gender – Male (Large Jawbone). Race/Ethnicity – Undeterminable. Height – 5' 0''. Weight – Accounting for a lack of muscles, 19lbs."

Almost as if he heard him, the skeleton sneaked a peek at Rico. Winking at him as he refocused on his guitar. The tune he was playing had captivated everyone within earshot. The only reason their group didn't stop walking to listen was because Shelly was pushing them onward.

"Alright, we're here." Rico refocused on Shelly's voice. He could hear a large group of people alongside clashing bodies, but he couldn't see anyone. It wasn't until he followed the eyes of the crowd that he saw them. A literal mosh-pit of bandits all battling wildly inside a giant hole in the floor. He could see wooden weapons in some of their hands while others were firing rubber bullets. It looked like they were at war with how passionately they were fighting.

Shelly waved for them to follow her. She moved to an open area where another prominent woman stood. This one had compression clothing much like Shelly. But her face was mostly concealed by a dark blue bandana. He remembered this woman, "Name – Ronnie. Alias – Unknown. Gender – Female. Ethnicity/Race – Unknown. Height – 5' 7''. Weight – 124lbs. Bust – 37.35''."

"Oh good. You already know her. That'll make this easy." Shelly motioned for Veronica to round up the bandits. Three claps of her hands and they froze like deer in headlights. She made a circular motion with her fingers and the battling bandits began to crawl out the pit. As the bodies moved out Rico was able to get a better look at its size.

The pit had a diameter well above one hundred feet. And the geography inside was comprised of random rocks, narrow passes, and the occasional mound to use as high ground.

In a matter of seconds, the pit was barren. All the bandits that were inside were now either standing around the edge or making their way back to the strange huts he assumed functioned as their homes.

Shelly took a position atop a small rock outside the pit. "Alright everyone shut up. I said shut up! Now I know you want to get back to fighting but I've got a treat for you. We've got a fresh recruit." Rico was startled by the roars of the bandits. "Hey. HEY! Let me finish. This new candidate is not just any recruit. We are having our first ever robot candidate."

Rico expected more cheers but instead, the crowd started to murmur. Sam whispered to Rico, "Don't worry. They'll warm up once they see you in action."

Rico didn't care about their opinion of him. He simply wanted to complete his objective. To have some fun. "Sam. What can I expect for this tryout? Target practice? Obstacle course?" Rico turned his back to Sam and observed the pit once more. With his guard down he felt several hands push him into the pit.

The fall was much farther than he expected. When he hit the floor, it felt like he had dented the plexiglass case he housed his orbs in. He quickly dust himself off, looking up to see what had pushed him. He could see the hundreds of eyes staring at him with glee. But for some reason, he didn't feel like they were laughing with him.

Shelly joined in the fun, "Now I think we all know the best way to test a bandit. A high-pressure situation." Now Rico understood why he felt nervous. It was because he had been programmed with knowledge of ancient lion dens. And he was the lamb.

"Since today's recruit is so special I think the bandits should decide. This is standard Triple S rules. Will it be trial by Strategy, Skill, or Strength?"

"STRENGTH, STRENGTH, STRENGTH!" they chanted. The crowd had made their decision.

With a subtle smile, Shelly waved the behemoth into the ring. He crashed into the floor like a small car falling off a building. When he stood back up Rico noticed something jarring. He seemed bigger than before.

"Well since Rico gets a gun. It's only fair you should have something too. Sam!"

"Ya hear that Nixxy. Shelly said you get a weapon this time."

"How generous." He snickered.

"So, what you want?" Sam was currently rummaging through his bag. His arm seeming to reach into infinity.

"The usual."

Sam snickered as he quickly pulled from his bag. "Yeah, I already knew."

Rico watched in slow motion, trying to gather what the weapon was. It seemed like a small silver cylinder. The cylinder was barely visible in his gargantuan hands. Rico could feel a pretentious protocol activating. His robotic voice gaining a new tone, "Do you think that rod will save you?"

Nixon cracked a smile, tapping a small button on the circumference of the rod. The stick extended out to half his height and a giant block shaped like a mallet formed at the end.

Rico reassessed his situation, "So your rod is a hammer? This does not change the result. You cannot win... Nixxy."

He chuckled at the blatant sarcasm. "You think you're smarter than us, don't you?" The bandits were still screaming for the fight to start. But the two combatants had long since forgotten about them. "You think I didn't notice. How you didn't measure Sam and Poco's bust. How you were so precise when measuring Veronica up close? I don't know whether it was Sammy or your original creator that made you like this but I've got a new program for you to install."

Nix dropped his hammer down with deadly force. The sheer power of the blow was enough to send a small shockwave through the ground, knocking Rico off his feet. From a seated position Rico looked forward. Nix's size caused him to cast a shadow over the mechanical creation. "Let's call it, Respect.exe. And the name's Nix. Call me Nixxy again and I'll rip those toys right out your stomach."

~--~

It had been a long week. Or has it been two? He couldn't remember. He couldn't care. He just knew he needed to do something, change something. After looking at himself, maybe it was someone that must change.

"Colton."

He turned to the call of his name. The chieftain of the village joined the silence. He expected the elder to add something to the medium. Instead, they stared outward watching the sand settle. Atop their little mound of grass and watching the green meadow give way to dying yellow blades. A stiff breeze passed over them and the sand kicked up a small cloud.

Colt had been standing alone in the sun for quite some time. And just then... he swore he saw his mother's face in the cloud.

"She's a beautiful woman."

Colt was stunned by his random comment. He looked out into the expansive desert and watched as the cloud disappeared. His shock turned back to Bo, "You saw her?"

Bo was looking backward but turned to face Colt, "Of course?"

"I thought I was hallucinating."

Bo gave a powerful chortle, "If you are hallucinating then so is the entire village."

Colt's previous confusion was now full-blown stupefaction. "I'm sorry... who are we talking about."

"Jessie. Your sister?"

Colt put his head in his hands, "That makes so much more sense." Colt just sat there with a defeated tone as he tried to get his mind together.

Bo's white eyes went sharp, carefully approaching the situation. "Your mind is clouded, Colton. Perhaps speaking from the heart will help release the tension."

He sat there contemplating his choices. On the one hand, he could vent his frustrations openly to this random man like a free counselor. On the other... "Ma always said it ain't healthy to bottle it up. I've been thinking bout what you said." Bo signaled for him to continue. "Something about Synchronous and walking away?"

"Synchrony and how the world is changing around you."

"Yeah... that. I remember you said I had a choice to make. And by change, I guess you mean more monsters?"

"I prefer enhanced spirits," Bo commented thinking of Nita.

"Whatever. The issue is... I don't want to quit. I don't want to just roll over and let the world pass me by." Colt's knuckles turned white, "I'm the sheriff of the dunes! I'm not scared of a challenge."

"Seems you have decided, but you still feel turmoil." When Colt first arrived in the village his hair was standing tall and very smooth. Since his tenor in the village, he had lost the ability to care for it. It hung low now, leaving an overcast on his eyes. He remembered the first day that Colton complained about his hair's fate. The village laughed like giddy children that night. But that lively expression seemed to die with time. Perhaps he felt he had lost something. So he hoped he could help Colt find a solution. "Please, Colton of the Dunes, speak."

"It's Jessie." Bo was silently waiting. "She wants to be this big-time cop. Take over where I left off and make these amazing gadgets to get it done."

"And you fear that she will be in danger?"

Colt scoffed, "Guess there's a reason you're the chief."

The two allowed Colt's information to marinate in the air. The fire behind them giving a soft smokey scent to their solemn situation. They both could hear some commotion behind them. Bo spoke up, "So, will you tell her to stop?"

"No way. I couldn't crush her dreams. Not anymore."

"Then perhaps the reason you can't walk away from this new world is because you fear she won't be safe within it. At least... not without you." Colt couldn't respond. Not verbally. But the way his shoulders sulked was enough information for Bo. "To think... you see her as so feeble."

"What? I never-"

Bo stood up suddenly staring into the desert. "It's normal to feel this way about the youth. But I'm sure we both know," He looked back towards the village. Colt followed his gaze watching as Nita rushed around the village with two giant pots in hand. They were twice her size, yet she balanced them like paperweights. "Children these days are stronger than before"

"She's an exception."

"Perhaps... or maybe she was raised in the right environment." Bo began to walk back to the village. "I don't think you arrived here by mistake. The Gods have willed it."

'The Gods?'

"As you've seen, this village houses extraordinary talent. Talents that have been groomed through a diverse lifestyle." Bo turned back to Colt with a patient grin. "Maybe we can train you as well."

Colt could feel it. Something odd about that proposition. Something... dangerous.

"Tomorrow is the hunt. You should join us. It can be a perfect training exercise. Oh and perhaps you should abandon your modern weaponry. Our tools may be 'primitive' but you will find that they are very effective."

Bo left him with that statement. The sheriff now alone with a crushing decision to make. Would he crush his sister's dreams once again, could he possibly keep up with these monsters, or should he let the next generation take over? He could sit here and ponder these questions for hours... but for now he needed relief. Listening to the villagers, he thought it would be good to join in the fun.

As he stood, he instinctively placed his hand on his holster. The steel of his gun was warm from the sunlight. He had just met him. The chieftain that spoke so proudly and seemed to draw you in with his every word. Colt didn't even notice it until his ammunition hit the ground. He had emptied both his revolvers instinctively. He shook his head, trying to clear his foggy mind.

He collected the bullets but paused from reloading. Looking back at the village, he could see Jessie dancing with Nita, her hair was loose and a little frayed at the ends. He took a second to think about how long they had been there. Time wasn't easy to measure since they had grown accustomed to the village's strange standards. But watching her goof off alleviated the tension in his shoulders.

He slowly dropped the ammo into his pockets. Maybe it would be a good idea to roll with the waves.