The men stood outside. The men, and the horrid android.

  Gilbert and Crosby were close to freezing, shivering like ice cubes in a cold drink. Gary returned to the group, who stood outside. Something is… off. But they don't quite know what yet.

  “I don't know what you expected, asshole. They're in the hangar over there.”

  Ridley pointed towards the neighboring hangar, a couple minutes walk away over the tarmac. Gary looked him up-and-down for a second. His skinny build, his luxurious overcoat, his neck-beard and neon-glowing fedora. He looks at Crosby. “Son, what was that insult from before?”

  “Eat a dick?” Crosby be asked.

  “Eat a dick.” Gary replies, looking at Ridley. His android wife, Sera, takes a step forward between him and Gary. It puts her arm in front of him, looking threateningly at Gary.

  “Do not insult him. Only he is allowed to do that.”

  “Oh don't worry Hun, it's alright.” He tells it.

  The gesture makes Gary's skin crawl. John doesn't pay much attention to whatever they're talking about. He finds himself looking around, trying to see what's so… off.

  He looks around at the airfield, its tattered ruins making the runway unusable. The buildings, like swiss cheese. The sky… oddly bright for what he is used to. It is almost glowing, he thinks. And the rain? My God, the rain has almost stopped.

  “Hey everyone!” He yells to shut them up about whatever they're talking about. “Everyone, look up. Does something seem off with the sky?”

  The group all look up, even Sera. Looking like a group of meerkats.

  “Yeah…” Gilbert is the first to answer as he then points out. “There's fuck all rain right now. And actually, I haven't heard any lightning for ages. This is weird…”

  John thinks to himself and, yeah, there hasn't been any lightning.

  Yet he hasn't noticed. It is almost like it is unnatural to hear some at least once every minute.

  Ridley is the first to break the look, unfazed by the changes in the environment. “Oh yeah, look at the sky like a bunch of assholes. Can we just get to that stupid hangar so you can let me the fuck go?”

  “Can you not curse so much?” Crosby asked. “Curse? What the fuck do you mean curse?!” Ridley asked back, short and mad. Crosby shakes his head and yells at Gary who has already started moving.

  “Boss, I've got to head back to the cars. It's too damn cold.”

  “Alright. Warm up in the SUV, we'll come back to get you.” Gary tells him, waving to the others to follow. Gilbert follows Crosby.

  On the way there, John gets closer to Sera in order to ask it a few questions; noting the sky is slowly, yet surely, growing ever-so-slightly brighter. A mix of black and a low pink intertwining.

  “Your name is Sera?” He asked quietly.

  “Hmmm?” It replies, processing his question.

  “Why yes, my name is Sera.”

  John gets a little closer, coming to notice that the feminine parody is taller than him. “I know you're an android but do you know what firmware you run on?”

  “Rude.” It replies, then answers his questions.

  “I run on an instance of SERaMACs. A specific general language model templated upon the guides of the Pleasure Commission. Why, what's the occasion?” It asked him.

  John holds his question for a second, seeing that the embryonic glow is coming from the east.

  “Uhh… well I don't know. But I can assume. What exactly did he purchase you for? Like, for use?” Sera, the bot, considers his question for a second before a screen on its shoulder reads as. “Memory Updated.”

  “Ridley would prefer I not answer that question.” It tells him.

  “Yeah, stop snooping around my babe. She's mine.”

  Ridley warns, moving to grab her arm and snatch her away. His possessiveness towards the object doesn't much faze John. In fact, it makes him think of Gary and why he seemed so grossed by it.

  The hanger has grown much bigger in their view and looks far better than the previous. Ridley moves to the front of the group with his wife.

  They stop in front of a regular foe-white door.

  “In here is what you're looking for. I hate all of you. Can I leave now?”

  “Not yet sunshine. Show us the goods.” Gary replies, skeptical of this weirdo. Jimbo keeps his eyes welded on the android. John approaches Gary and talks into his ear, growing more uneasy each second.

  “Gary, I don't think it's a good idea to bring these people into a weapons warehouse.”

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  “She’ll be ‘right.” Gary tells John, less quietly. The rain begins picking up slightly more. “Just keep your eyes glued to them and a bullet handy.”

  Gary continues with, heading for the door and kicking it open.

  Ridley and Sera follow soon after, then so does Jimbo. Though just before he enters, he turns back to John who still looks at the sky.

  “Are you coming?” He asked.

  With the rain getting worse and the prospect of weapons alluring, John snaps out of it. He looks to the door and jogs to it, tapping Jimbo on the shoulder as he passes.

  As he enters he sees an anomaly— running lights. Cargo crates, loose weapon caches, vehicles. All old, sure, but in an almost pristine condition.

  It looked like someone had polished them all, it was so clean.

  “Your little base of operations, Ridley?” Gary asked the man.

  He falls behind him to ensure no fast movements.

  Ridley replies as social as ever. “We're not friends. Stop talking to me like that. I just need my fucking arm fixed.

  “Man.” Gary tells him, stopping in place followed shortly by the rest.

  “We are giving you some decent hospitality. We don't mean any harm. We'll get you patched up as soon as we can.”

  “Eat my arse. I’ll show you some fucking weapons…” Ridley replies, continuing to talk, followed by his wife. They approach a big mount of crates filled to the brim with… something. Whatever it is, it is military.

  Gary’s eyes meet with John, both sharing a look of apprehension. Gary resumes following as does Jimbo, but Jimbo for some reason looks to be sweating. His forehead is dripping with it. John notes the details and carries on. The door must've now been a minute’s walk away. The sound of rain pierces through the roof once more.

  Ridley climbs up some of the crates with his arms and legs. Even the one he just claimed is broken. John's grip on his pistols tighten as he watches Sera begin circling the huge pile.

  The rain has really picked up by this point. Gary moves to inspect some of the lower crates. He moves the lid of one out the way, revealing dozens and doesn't of grenades.

  “Woah, shit.” He says, looking at Jimbo. “Come look at this man. Never realized Alicorp got so much finding…”

  Jimbo joins him, looking into the box.

  “Oh yeah… wow… who could've known that?” He comments.

  The rain gets louder. John stood closest to the door. He watches, convinced he might be the only one. Sera catches his eye. It's sterile, loveless face gives him a wink. He stops paying it attention as he looks up now to Ridley, at the summit of the crates.

  “Hey. I thought you had a broken arm. Maybe get SERaMACs to look at it?”

  Ridley’s eyes dark to him as his hands scurry around his body. It almost looked like he pocketed something.

  “Her name is Sera, you fucking dick!” He yells down, following his yell with a decent of a steady pace.

  Gary’s ears hone it like an antenna, and he stops Ridley just before the bottom. “There was no offense in that comment man. Chill out. Look, ya shit at playing games. We all know your arm is fine. Why do you have that lady over there?”

  Gary points at Sera, Ridley's eyes following his finger.

  “Lady? Oh yeah, Sera. You know… it's funny you say that. Me and her could use a ride to a place not far from here…”

  Gary smiles at Ridley opening up. John doesn't believe it for a second.

  “Gary, wait. That bot runs on SERaMACs. It could track our every movement. Hell, it's probably tracking us right now.”

  “That is mislea—” The bot was about to say, but it was cut off by its owner. “HER NAME IS FUCKING SERA AND SHE IS MY WIFE!”

  Ridley says, pushing Gary aside and storming towards John. Sera approaches slightly closer, and John raises his pistols on Ridley who stops at the sight. Gary intervenes immediately.

  “Woah! Boys! There is no fawkin 'need for this.”

  He walks up to Ridley from behind, who is seething and teary-eyed.

  “Listen man. We've all been lonely before. A lot of us are still lonely now. We know how it feels to have no company. It's… it's alright. Even if it's a bit fawkin weird to own a robot like that.”

  Ridley's nose is running as he forms a reply, staring at John who keeps his pistols on him. Although, his left one starts slightly veering towards the side. But Ridley doesn't notice.

  “I… I… fuck man. Why the fuck did you people have to come out of nowhere?! I just wanted to be alone.”

  “Obviously you don't with Mrs Titties over there.” John replies.

  Ridley slowly turns to Gary on his left. A face of anger. A face of seething. Of a lack of self control. “Get you f— fucking crew together and leave.”

  “We could really use your hel—”

  “LEAVE!” Ridley screams at Gary who couldn't finish his sentence.

  Gary shakes his head as he beckons Jimbo and heads towards John with his guns still drawn. The three group up, and Gary turns back to Ridley, his wife not far from his side.

  “Look son. That isn't going to happen. We don't need your company. But we do need some weapons from here.”

  “Oh… no you don't.” Ridley tells them, steadfast like a jug about to explode. “Boss!” A voice from outside yells out. The tree turned to look to see Gilbert followed by Crosby.

  “There's a big, fuck-off massive thing in the sky! It's coming up! It looks like the Sun, but, like, fucked up!” Gilbert says, almost bumping into John as he slows. The five are all together again, their attention ripped onto a new subject.

  John's weariness reaches an apex. Too much shit changing right now, he looks back to Ridley. Sera has pulled out a gun.

  “FUCK IT!” John yells, the others turning back around. Ridley has an explosive tube that looks like the one Proteus had. “OH SHIT!” Yells Gary. “FUCK!” Yells Crosby.

  The rest of them draw their firearms on the pair. But they're too close together. One wrong move and it's over. “Give me… give me one more fucking reason to pull this trigger…” Ridley tells the lot.

  “You don't wanna do this, son.” Gary replies.

  Ridley makes his wants very clear.

  “Oh yeah… yes I fucking do.”

  https://a.co/d/96yXYXk