John touched down on the ground.
He looked at the technologically inclined world around him. So. This was it.
A robot in a humanoid shape walked towards John. It had pistons in its legs that would periodically shoot out spurts of steam. It had a screen for its face that had a pixilated grin on it. It had hands that were constructed from gyroscopes and wires. And it had a spine that was about an inch in diameter. The spine was made from pure steel.
"S-s-s-s-s SIR! I mmmmmmmmmm must escort you!" The robot yelled
John looked at the robot with a deep sense of confusion.
"Why are you speaking like that?" John asked.
The robot did not respond. It just started walking away. John watched the robot walk for a few moments before following it.
After about three minutes of shuffle-walking, John began to wheeze. He was moving at twice the normal human walking pace. And the normal human walking pace was already like running for John. John couldn't keep up.
"Please. Could you just slow down?" John asked
Look at me. Talking to a robot. I'm so stupid.
The robot froze.
"Pro pro pro ppppppppppppp pu pat. Pat pat paddywak in the pat pat paddy caddy mat. Processing."
The robot turned to look at John.
"Speed decrease confirmed. Speed is now calibrated to fifty."
The robot began walking slowly. It was like he was some kind of old man shuffling along with his walker.
John shuffled behind the robot at about the same speed.
After about three hours of walking, the robot stopped. With only a few twitches and jumps, it raised its hand.
It pointed to a building that stuck out like a sore thumb. Nestled between all the many, many skyscrapers that filled the city, there was a small stiched-together building made from many, many sheets of metal.
"Government office. Fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu FIND BOSS!" The robot screamed.
John nodded.
"Thank you."
It spoke in completely clear, comprehensible English. And its accent charged from the normal robotic speech to a crisp British accent.
"Indeed."
The robot turned around. And walked away.....
John watched it go with a look of utter confusion on his face. This was John's first experience of this new world.
John shrugged.
He was being paid a fuck ton. So, if this was what he had to deal with daily. Then he was okay with it.
John looked at the stitched-together building in front of him. He would have to enter it.
John walked towards the building. And then he stood and stared at it.
He couldn't see a door.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEE
John turned his head to that sound. A piece of metal was being moved near the bottom of the building. It was held tight against the building and was cutting scratches into it.
"Are you the one?"
Someone's head was stuck out of the inside of the building. It was a woman with dark grey hair and wrinkles around her eyes. She had an angry face that was always scowling. John smiled at the woman.
"Ummmm. Are you the.... Are you the person the robot led me to?" John asked
The woman just looked at John.
"Are you the fat dude who's been paid an unrealistic amount of money to eat a heaping amount on the battlefield?" The woman asked
John paused for a few moments. He looked off into the distance.
"Yes. I suppose that would be an accurate description." John said
The woman smiled.
"Then that would be me. I have the telepathic teleportation ability." The woman said
John just looked at her.
Telepathic..... Teleportation?
"Well, come in! We need to get to work!" The woman yelled
John gave her a slight nod of his head. Then he followed her inside of the stitched-together building.
John examined the inside of the building. There was a polished marble table slotted into one corner. A bed slotted into another. And a crystal ball slotted into another. The last one had had a toilet.
Its ceiling was about twelve feet into the air, and the ground was just smooth, cold concrete.
"This is where I live and work." The woman said
"My name is Maria by the way." She stuck her hand out to shake.
John shook her hand quickly without any hesitation.
"So. Why did the robot lead me here?" John asked
The woman looked at John with a look of offence.
"Didn't I already tell you? I have a telepathic teleportation system. I can't grow stronger from it. But I get paid a ton." Maria said
John looked at her for a second.
"Okay. What's telepathic teleportation." John asked
Maria smiled.
"It's better to show than tell. Follow me."
Maria began walking to the corner of the room with the crystal ball. She sat down behind it and started to crasses it with her hands.
"Okay. Tell me what you're thinking. And don't lie." She said.
John paused for a moment. Which thought? The one in the front or the one in the back?
He would do the one in the front.
"I have been thinking about how strange this place is. And how if I wasn't paid enough, I would never be here willingly." John said
Maria looked at John with a slight bit of offence.
"Well——"
The ball began to light up.
"Goodbye!!!!!"
Maria waved goodbye to John with a grin on her face.
John just looked at her. And then she was gone.
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!
John was covered in gunfire. Is struck at his ears and grasped at his brain.
Some of it even struck him. But what struck him even harder than a bullet was something else.
His dragons had been following him this entire time. And he had been so distracted by the Mechanoid madness around him that he hadn't paid attention to him.
And now he was apart from them.
SHIT!