A/N: Sorry for the delayyyyyy. I'm terrible, I know. Still seeking a beta reader, btw. Comment responses in endnotes.

As it turns out, Mondays will forever be Mondays. Even after devastating 'terrorist' attacks.

"Hello?" Andromeda mumbled into her phone. She hadn't even bothered checking who it was before answering. It was too bright to bother opening her eyes.

"That you, Doe?" a masculine voice questioned. It was her manager, James.

"Yeah," she croaked before clearing her throat. "Yes, it's me."

"You sick?"

"No, I just woke up," she responded honestly. James was cool. Most of the time.

He hummed sympathetically. "I'd be sleeping too if I could. I'll get to the point, are you able to work?"

"I guess?" Andromeda replied, already sitting up on her bed. Glancing at the clock, she winced at the time. She'd slept the day away. "What's going on?"

"What's not going on? Molly's got the flu. Thomas, Sam, and Laura lost their homes. Peter's MIA," he rambled before letting out a heavy sigh. "The boss still wants us to open, though, so it's all hands on deck. I know you've got school and stuff, but if you could pick up a few shifts that'd be great."

Andromeda's breath caught. "Oh, God, wow. Uh, did I forget to tell you? I'm on break for the next three weeks, so I've got full availability if you need me. I prefer-"

"Nights, yeah. I've got you, Doe," James interjected. "Thanks for picking up the slack. I'm gonna put up the schedule today, but can you work tonight? Four to close. Short notice, I know."

"Sure, that's," she let out a tired sigh. "That's fine."

"Thanks. See you then."

"Bye."

Everything hurt. Her back, her feet, her arms. She'd obviously not recovered from whatever the hell happened to her. Neither had the city, it seemed, as Mission Bar and Grill was practically dead. It wasn't surprising, but that didn't make it any less crappy.

Sighing, Andromeda zipped up her coat and stepped out onto the darkened sidewalk. She glanced down at her phone. 12:25 am. She had a long walk ahead.

She began her trek with her hands tucked into her pockets to combat the cold. Shoulders back, chin up, she projected confidence to dissuade any weirdos. Still, pepper-spray was loosely held in one pocketed hand.

Cool night air stung her face. Darkness lurked around every corner. Andromeda Doe was content. Walking down the sidewalk at absurd times, tired as can be? That was life. Normal, everyday, crap-tastic life. She hummed a car commercial jingle under her breath and smiled the smallest of smiles.

A crash in the alleyway to her right made her trip.

Whipping her head around to face the noise, she squared her feet and pulled the pepper spray from her pocket.

The alley was dark, but a streetlamp illuminated enough so that she could see her own long shadow and a few garbage bins. Other than that, though?

She shook her head and turned to keep walking. It was just a cat. Or a rat. She had taken one step when a soft noise met her ears. It sounded… distressed.

"Hello?" she called. "Is someone there? Are you okay?"

The noise stopped, replaced by a sort of grinding sound.

Andromeda frowned. "Hello?" Against her better judgment, she took a step into the alley.

Something struck one of the bins, causing her to jump. She narrowed her eyes in an attempt to see better and could faintly make out something at the end of the alley. It was hard to see with the lack of light. She crept forward, pepper spray held up and at the ready.

"Hel-" she cut herself off with a huff. It was a vending machine. A, slightly battered, vending machine. Definitely not a person. Scanning the rest of the alley, she sighed. There was nothing else there. She rubbed her eye. "-lo. I'm an idiot."

While stuffing the spray into her pocket, she examined the machine. It still had snacks in it, which struck her as odd. Why wouldn't they clean it out before trashing it?

She shrugged and, out of habit, stuck her hand in the dispenser.

A small shock of something resembling static made her yelp and reel back. Her chest warmed and relief overcame her. Shaking her head, shook the injured hand out. It didn't hurt.

"Creator?" The voice was soft, boyish and oddly accented. There was something off about how the word sounded. Snapping her head up, Andromeda looked around for the speaker.

"Who said that?" she demanded, grabbing her pepper spray again and backing up so that she could see the entirety of the alley.

There was a sort of… sighing noise? Definitely an exhale. "I did? Can't you see me?"

There was definitely something wrong about the speaker's voice or, more specifically, their words. Their pronunciation was the last thing on her mind, however, as the vending machine was moving. Shifting. Changing.

And then, suddenly, it wasn't a vending machine anymore. It was a person-sized, blue and grey robot with bright blue eyes. Blue eyes which were staring straight at her.

Time stood still for a moment as Andromeda processed what she was seeing.

It was a robot.

A robot.

Robot!

She shouted in surprise. The robot cringed back. In an attempt to get away, she didn't notice a stray can on the ground until it was too late. Then she was on the ground with her back against a wall. Trapped.

The urge to fight was completely overwhelmed by terror as she closed her eyes and prepared to die.

What she wasn't prepared for, was a hug.

Pressed face to metal, Andromeda could hardly do anything as the robot began rambling. An overwhelming warmth and contentment overcame her as she listened.

"Oh, you are Creator! Thank Primus I found you. Ever since we woke up all I've seen are those strange flesh creatures and they scream so loud! So we hid here and you found me!" The robot was making a noise similar to the purr of an engine. "I knew you would."

Andromeda didn't how to respond to the affection and wasn't able to do much anyway. The robot's hug pressed her arms tight to her sides. What-who was this robot-man-creature-thing? Why did it sound alive? Why did it think she was it's-his (because for some reason, it sounded wrong) creator? Who was we? Instead of asking any of those reasonable questions, Andromeda was only able to get out a short, "Are you okay?"

Because she had an almost maternal concern for the bot. Though, it wasn't anything like the concern a mother had for her child. It was something entirely different. Something without a name. Regardless, having him close to her made her warm and sent happy signals to her brain.

"I'm fine!" the bot chirped as he released her. "Are you okay?"

Before Andromeda could even think of answering, a loud bang echoed through the alley. She spun around to face the sound, and couldn't help but gape.

It was another robot, nearly identical to the other. The main difference being that, while Robot #1 was all smiles, this one was anything but.

"Where the frag have you been?"

E/N: I told you the robots would come in soon, right? I never promised they'd be canon characters! ;)

Comment Responses:

Brecken RainCaller: Can I be honest and say that the first draft was exactly as you just described? Haha, I'm really glad I changed it. Also, thank you for the nickname idea. Totally stealing that. Thank you for the comment!

Jazabella: Thank you! And I'm sorry for the delay!

Nina Roux: Oh, thank you! I really appreciate your comment, and am glad you're enjoying the story! Sorry if this reads weird, am using google translate. Hugs to you too!

¡Oh gracias! ¡Realmente aprecio tu comentario, y me alegro de que estés disfrutando la historia! Lo siento si esto se lee raro, estoy usando el traductor de google. ¡Abrazos a ti también!

cupcakehearts: Aw, thank you! So sorry for the late chapter!