Bygone days

MC-596 opens its eye, looks around, and tries to get up..but it can’t. It attempts several times, but with no success. Then it hears a sound. It locks onto the direction of the noise... it's just a cat. The cat approaches, sniffs the robot, then walks away. Another sound follows, this time softer like mumbling, and it's getting closer. Soon, the source of the sound appears: two humans, thsy sit by a window. They don’t seem to notice the robot.

One of them says, “This building should be safe for a while.”

The other looks uneasy. “Are you sure? Last time you said that... well, you remember what happened.”

“Yeah, I know. Im pretty unlucky but I’m pretty sure this time.. at least for a while.”

The second person sighs. “If you say so. Should we look around?”

“Sure, I guess.” 

They begin searching the building. After a while, one of them spots the robot and calls out. “Ethan! I found something interesting!”

Ethan walks over. “What is it?”

“Look..a robot. And it actually seems functional.”

“Nice! I guess your luck cancels out my bad luck. Good job,” he says with a smile.

“But it's stuck under some rubble. Ethan, help me lift it.” They both carefully begin removing the debris.

Ethan examines the robot. “Its legs look broken. I guess the rubble crushed them.”

“Well, we’re lucky it’s still operational. I wonder if it’ll respond to me… Hello? What’s your name?”

MC-596 responds, “Model series… MC. Serial number… 596.”

“Oh! It actually responded! I wonder what its function is?”

MC-596 replies, “MC series… war robots. Deployed extensively during the Big Resource War.”

Ethan looks at the robot,. “A war robot, huh? That expalins why it’s still running after all this time.”

Suddenly, an explosion shakes the area..close enough to rattle the building.

One of them panics. “Oh no! Did they notice us?”

Ethan glances toward the window. “They shouldn’t have… but we need to run. I’ve got a bad feeling.”

The other person starts trying to lift the robot.

“Just leave it! We have to go!”

“But what if we need it?” she insist.

Ethan groans. “Ugh… fine.” He rushes over and helps lift the robot.

Together, they carry MC-596 and make a run for it, escaping the apartment and heading into the open. The robot gets its first look outside rows of ruined houses, the devastated city .

Then they see the source of the explosion.

A regular person… fighting one of the Empowered.