Rae sulked. Violet stood motionless in the night, able in her mechanical way to wait patiently for her point to be made. From within she detected humming, a melody so ancient her immediate data banks didn’t contain the reference.

With a melancholy tone, Rae sang, “…here to stay. It’s better to burn out than to fade away, my, my…”

“Rae, I…I didn’t,” the mech fumbled for words, “I don’t really want to…”

“Yeah, yeah, not what the song probably meant either,” Rae offered with a lopsided shrug as she was released from the technological innards of her own creation.

Sheepishly, scooter Violet reverted to her vehicle form, and the two sat in silence for a moment. They considered the night. They considered the stillness. Perhaps they considered one another.

“So, what did the song mean?” Violet asked.

“People took it different ways. I think it means…” Rae stopped, her eyes steeling with resolve, then resumed, “Let’s go get my friend. We’ll take it from there, provided we make it that far.”