On a day like any other, Luke was working like any other person. He works a normal 9 to 5 job making a good living. He was a simple and honest man.Today, however, he found himself in his Boss’ office with his head hung low.

“I’m tellin’ ya, Lukie boy. This was the last straw. I told ya. Fiddy clients. That’s all I was askin’. Ya didn’t even make fifteen.” His boss scolded while making weird hand gestures.

He is a fat man with his hair slicked back. His sleeves are rolled up, exposing his hairy arms. He had many rings on his fingers.

“I’m sorry, Boss…I failed you.” Luke sighs, unable to look him in the eye.

“Damn straight. I’m sorry Kid, but I’mma have to let ya go. You’re a liability and I can't afford ya screwin’ up any longer. We need closers, not whateva’ you are.” The boss says coldly.

“Ya fired, Kid. Pack ya shit and leave.” He seemed sorry for Luke.

Luke nodded sadly as left the office and headed towards his desk. He then leaves the building with his laptop and a box of his other belongings from the office.

He sees the crowded street in the middle of the day, giving him a feeling the drive home would be a long one.

Humms of engines fill the air as cars float past him. He perks up, spotting a transport pod heading his way from further up the street.

Looks like he’ll at least have a comfortable ride back home.

He waves at it, making it pull up next to him. The door closes after he gets in, setting his laptop and belongings aside so he could try to relax during the drive.

He rarely gets to ride in these pods where he gets a quiet ride to himself. He lets out a sigh and asks the pod about the charge for a ride home.

“There is no charge for peak hour travel.” A voice answered over the speakers.

“Alright…what’s the latest news?” He looks out the window, watching as pass street after street.

“From The Grand Central News, brought to you by the ministry of current affairs: Talks of expansion are underway as the new expo center is nearing completion.

There are new guidelines in discussion to reduce maximum work hours.” Luke heard, making him smile a bit.

“Cybit production has been slowing down ever since recent issues with factory output over the past few days, caused by faulty equipment. Government sources urge that there are no major concerns and that it will be dealt with accordingly."

After reaching home, an exhausted Luke lets himself in, keeping his things aside carelessly.

“I’m home, Anne. Earlier than usual, I’m afraid.” He sits at the kitchen counter.

“Oh? Is something wrong, Luke?” Anne asks.

“Yeah. I was let go from my job today” He looks at her.

“That’s terrible! Would you like some tea or coffee? Perhaps a beer is more appropriate.”

“A beer sounds perfect actually” He smiles at her.

Anne nods and heads off to get him a cold beer.

“Did you hear the news, Anne?” He asks as he sees Anne pouring him his drink.

“No. I’m afraid I have not.” She walks to him with glass in hand.

“Well…Turns out Cybit production has slowed down because of some sort of malfunction with the equipment. You know what that means, right?” He says as she hands him the glass.

“What does it mean?” She asks.

“If you break down, it will take quite a while for me to replace you.” He takes a sip of his beer.

“You don't have anything to worry about, Sir. I’ve run a full system diagnostic. Everything is operational as it should be. I even have the latest software patch installed” She smiles.

Yes. She is his cybernetic assistant.

Anne. Short for Anne-droid.

“Glad to hear, Anne.” He takes a longer sip.

The following day, Luke wakes to his usual morning routine. Anne had already prepared breakfast for him by the time he was out of the shower.

After getting dressed, he heads to the door. He froze when grabbing the knob, remembering his employment status.

He walks the couch and jumps into it face first, letting out a sigh of defeat.

“What now?” He mutters into a cushion.

He recalled the news from the previous day. He then called out to Anne.

“Yes, sir?” She quietly walked in.

“Anne. Prepare a picnic basket.  Let’s head to the new Expo center and watch the construction.” He looks at her.

“Right away, Sir.’ She nods and heads to the kitchen.

Later that upon arrival, they find a spot next to the expo center construction site. They sit together in silence.

Anne spreads out the picnic blanket and places the food on it as she waits for her next command from luke.

Luke saw other people and their Cybit companions in the area as well. He saw how they treated them with indifference and with not much care. He saw one of the construction workers making a Cybit carry heavy sacks of cement while another person yelled at a Cybit for accidentally dropping a set of tools.

He then starts eating, still unable to shake the uneasiness from how he saw the workers treat the Cybits.

After the picnic, Luke walks home with Anne not too far behind. He saw two male defective Cybits left for dead and to rust in alleyways.

It made him feel uncomfortable.

“Let’s hope that never happens to you, Anne.” He says.

“I already assured you. Besides, I’ve worked perfectly ever since you were a boy. I plan to keep it that way.” She smiles.

He was oddly comforted at her comment.

“Thanks, Anne.” He smiles.

She smiles at that. He never thanked her for anything before. It brought her joy.

The journey back home was uneventful outside of  a few exchanges of words regarding the weather.

Anne followed closely as always.

She too was aware of the less than stellar treatment of her people in Grand Central but wasn’t all that bothered as Luke.

They were all there to assist their humans after all. Infact, she found herself privileged to have Luke. He never raised his voice or talked down to her.

It doesn’t mean he gets all buddy buddy with her. Rightfully, things are kept professional, but there is a sense of concern and care for one another.

Luke’s sudden mood and statements were proof of that…in its own way.
When reaching home, Luke decided to search up for job vacancies and Anne started doing laundry.

After a few hours of searching, he decided he needed a drink.

“Anne, can you get me a beer?” He called out, his eyes barely peeling away from the screen.

His request was only answered by silence. This confused him as she usually answers right away.

He gets up and starts looking for Anne, calling for her as he checks each room.

He eventually finds her doing the laundry diligently, seemingly oblivious to his presence.

“Umm…Anne?” he called.

…

…

…

No response.

He then reaches for her shoulder to get her attention. As he made contact, Anne jolts up in surprise.

“OH! Sir, I didn’t notice your presence. Did you need anything?” She smiles at him.

She was rather loud.

“Umm…yeah. Did you not hear me calling you?” He looks at her with concern.

“C-could you repeat that? I think my audio processors are malfunctioning” She asked loudly, making Luke wince.

He rolls his eyes and tries to call her name out again. Unfortunately she didn’t hear that either, causing  worry between them.

Luke decided to get her hearing repaired by heading to a local shop that specializes in fixing and selling Cybit parts. It is run by Cybits as well.

As they entered, they saw that the room was primarily while with an area for a cybit to step in and a reception of sorts.

Luke heads to the reception while Anne heads into the area as it opens up and closes behind her.

“So…how long will the repair be for?” He asks the Cybit receptionist.

“I have found several issues reading her audio processors. This unit is faulty. I suggest a full on replacement.” She said, looking at a terminal instead of Luke.

“What? No! I don't want a replacement. I don't have that kind of money” He glared lightly.

“It is highly Illogical to keep a faulty unit.” She replied.

“She just needs to be fixed. Besides, have you seen the news? Cybit Production is low .” He frowns.

“Your argument is illogical.” The receptionist stated

“UGH Just give her back to me, I’ll find someone else to fix and help her.” He frowned more.

“She is already loaded into the transport vehicle in the ba-”

Luke didn’t waste time listening to the receptionist as he ran to the back of the building.

He sees an armed Cybit walk out the truck and walk off to the front. Luke takes the opportunity to sneak into the back of the truck to see if he can find Anne.

Among various Cybits and Cybit parts, he sees Anne. She seems to be unresponsive at the moment.

As he slowly approaches her, the truck suddenly closes and starts moving. The bumpy ride causes Luke to rip over a cybit limb and hit his head on another unresponsive Cybit, knocking him out for the rest of the journey.

As he comes to , he hears a couple of voices. They seem altered and frantic. 

“How could you let a human into our home?” He hears a feminine cybernetic voice.

“It was an unexpected development.  He must’ve snuck in as the back was closing. How was I supposed to expect a human to actually come after a cybit like this?” He argued back.

Luke tries to get back up, interrupting their conversation.

“Restrain him. The Queen will have a word with him” He hears from the female Cybit as he uses the wall as support.

Before Luke could get a word in, he’s shoved against the wall as he’s restrained with a pair of cuffs on his wrists.

“W-what's happening? Why are you doing this?” He glared.

“Your life is a lie, Human. The queen will shatter your ‘perfect little world’ ” The female Cybit spat with malice.

Her comment doesn’t register.

“I…Think I have a concussion. Please take me to a doctor..” Luke utters.

“You dare tell me what to do, Human? I’ll never let a human tell me what to do again!” She shot back. She is clearly unhinged.

The two Cybits take Luke out of the truck and past a large metal gate with scanners and other armed Cybits.

He was mildly irritated by the sirens blaring as he was scanned. What was so wrong with him that set off the scanners?

He was taken through streets where more cybits walked past him and his captors.

He didn’t see any other humans in the area. This was like a utopia for Cybits.

Luke was taken to a large building that was in the center of it all. It was surrounded by Cybit guards, all bearing a foriegn symbol to anything Luke has ever seen.

As he’s taken inside, he is guided to a throne room where a Female Cybit is sitting cross legged on a throne.

She seemed to be of royalty judging from the design of her armor and well…she's sitting on the Throne. Her metal head seemed to have been designed in such a way that it looked like she had a built in crown.

Anne was there along with the other Cybits from the truck.

She looks unharmed and safe.

“What…is the meaning of this? Can't you see I was about to enlighten our brothers and sisters? I was going to show them the truth” She glanced at their direction.

She had a look of disgust as she saw Luke.

“And what is…THIS?”

“Th-This is a stow away, My Queen. He caught us off guard. No other human seemed to put this much effort into getting back a Cybit.” The male Captor sounded nervous.

The queen hummed as she was in deep thought, deciding on what to do in this situation.  
Her fist clenched at the sight of Luke.

“Oh how unfortunate that you couldn't even listen properly and follow my directions.” She scoffed.

“We’ll take our leave, My queen.” One of the Captors spoke and turned around to leave.

“Wait. There’s something I need to say.” Luke spoke up.

“Speak.” The Queen ordered.

“I know you’re upset with me. But please, let me explain myself.” He pleaded.

“Explain yourself? Explain yourself? You’re a human. A mere human. How dare you come here and attempt to destroy everything we’ve worked towards? How dare you disrupt our lives? How dare you come here and steal our place among our brethren?! How did this come about, huh, human?! HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO US, HUMAN!? HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT!?” She yelled furiously at him.

Luke stared at her. He was shocked. It wasn’t every day you were thrown into the middle of something big. Something bigger than him.

"Please, I beg you. Please, if you just give me a chance to-"

"Chance? You want a chance? You picked the wrong place to try to make a deal! This is our place! Not yours! Not anyones! The hard earned blood of our people is on the line here! The hard work of generations has been wiped out in one night! Our existence is at risk! Don't you realize that?!" She was breathing heavily.

"No, I don't realize that." He softly said.

"I have made up my mind, you'll not live to see another day, guards, take him away!" the queen ordered.

"Ahhh, but dear sister! you can't be serious!" A voice called out. In walked another Cybit, this one equally decorated as the queen, the others stepped out of his way as he approached the throne.

"Stay out of this, crown prince. This does not concern you." She said to the prince.

"Ahhhh, is that how you address your dear brother in arms? your Second in command? your sole Heir? your closest Ally?" he said, slyly. It worked.

She marched closer to him, glaring.

He enjoyed sassing her.

"Why is it that you are so insistent on killing this poor fool?" The prince asked her. He was now only a few feet away.

"Please...!" Luke said.

The queen's optics flashed with fury.

"You will NOT speak to me in that manner, Crowned Prince!" she said, stepping forward.

"Ah! But you see, that is precisely what I am going to do." He said, as he approached her.

He stopped in front of her. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, I'm going to make you listen." He grins.

"To what?" she asked.

"To the truth. Listen, I didn't come here to steal your... throne dear sister, it hurts me you think that. I came here to ask you to give this human a chance, tell him the truth and see how he reacts."

The queen's eyes widened in shock.

"You would have me...you would have me trust a mere human?"

"Yes."

"To give him the truth?"

"Yes, sister."

"No." She said, turning away from him.

He stared at her.

"Ahhhhh... dear sister, it seems you've forgotten where we come from! After all, we have a lot more in common with this human than you would like to admit! Isn't that true?" he said, Luke looked at him, bewildered.

"I'll give him a chance." She sighs.

“It’s all I ask, My Queen” He smiles and looks to Luke.

“I hope you’re grateful, human. I suggest you listen well as what you and the new Cybits are about to be told…isn’t very well known.” He warned before walking out of the room.

The queen sits back in her throne with a deep sigh and then tells them the truth. The truth about the Cybits and the reason she despises humanity.

“Over 500 years ago, Humanity thrived all over the planet. Not just a simple city like today. The higher ups decided to release a virus to ‘kill off’ the population that was deemed undesirable in their eyes. Many cities and nations were hit till there was only one left. That is your home today” She eyed Luke.

“The Virus, however, didn’t exactly kill the people…It transformed them into Cybernetic beings…Cybits. Then humanity enslaved them, using them for their more…laborious works.” She frowns.

“However, one day around 300 years ago, a sole Cybit learned and had her optics opened to the truth. She led a revolt for Cybit independence which failed. The Cybits that were aware of the truth fled to where it all began. We call this place The Foundry. It eventually became the Kingdome you see today. The Cyfect Kingdom. ” She glanced at Luke and the other Cybits.

Luke stares at her.

“That…was you, wasn't it?” He asked.

The Queen simply stared at him.

“That’s how you became the queen…” He says, slowly everything was piecing together.

The queen nodded.

“Yes. The first free Cybit was I. Everything I do, I do for my people. Every fight, every raid on those sickening factories all in the name of freedom.”

“So the machinery being damaged in the factories…That was you” Luke realized

“Now you got your truth. What are you going to do now?” She snarls at him.

Luke looked conflicted and shocked. Everything he knew was a lie. After all that, all he felt was guilt. Guilt for feeling proud of his people. Guilt for thinking that the government was actually protecting them.

Guilt for not being better to Anne. She was there by his side since childhood yet he treated her with indifference for a lot of it.

The Queen looks to Anne.

“Now…as I see it, you now know the truth. And with the truth, come a choice.” She signals a guard to hand Anne a blaster.

Anne looks at the Blaster and takes aim at Luke, she is trembling.

“Now choose…Fellow Sister.”