Scribble: The other, much better piece I wrote based on Smiletron's forthcoming EP needs more work. And set-up.

      Slender fingers slipped between the cold digits of her artificial arm, warming her heart through the servomotors and sensors beneath. She wasn't sure how she had arrived in this place, full of trees and the sounds of life all around her, basking in the twilight of perpetual evening; only that she was there, and felt somehow like home to her. With a confused smile, she turned to her companion, only to be greeted by a slender girl in a flowing violet dress, her eyes the color of starlight.
      "You're beautiful," she said bashfully, almost instinctively caressing her companion's soft cheek with her other, normal hand. "Are you the one who brought me here?"
      With a nod, the beautiful stranger slid her fingers around the outstretched hand, gently kissing the tawny palm before pressing it to her cheek once more. "I am the one you're destined to free," purred a soothing voice, though the stranger's lips did not move, "and the one destined to love you."
      Without another word, the nymph cupped her face in the warm, almost glowing hands, closing the glistening pools of starlight before drawing her lips to the girl's own.
      And with their kiss, she awoke, moonlight slipping in through the cracks in the blinds, her lips still sweet with the taste of the stars.

Scribble: I really should be sleeping right now...

      The valley had been still that night, as only the gentle rustling of the woody hills above hinted at a breeze. Traces of clouds drifted at the edge of the sky, as stars emerged, little by little, from the ever-darkening aether. Far above the slumbering valley, the twin moons rose above the horizon, mismatched spheres vying for control of the night.
      Moonlight glinting off its slender frame, the stargazer perched between the trees of the hills, nothing more than a sapling hidden among giants. With a hand lightly resting upon a nearby trunk, the silent watcher scanned the night sky, its eyes clicking and whirring with each shift in focus. As a gentle breeze slipped through pliant, verdant limbs, a mechanical sigh slipped into its wake, followed by the sound of footsteps.
      "What brings you up here, Lon?" came a soft, tender voice, with all the warmth of familiar fingertips. Stepping quietly into the moonlight, the young girl casually brushed a stray silver lock from her face, her eyes never leaving the slender figure before her. "Everyone else is already asleep or on standby for the night..."
      "My apologies, Lana," chirped a pleasant, tinny voice, as the stargazer's curious eyes turned toward the newcomer. Helping her into the narrow space beside it, the mechanical watcher placed a steadying hand upon the girl's back, as she climbed into one of the higher branches.
      "I simply wanted to observe something I hadn't before," it continued, returning its gaze to the endless sea of stars above. "Archivists only have the opportunity to store data; rarely do we ever get to collect it ourselves."
      With a smile, the young girl nodded at the slender stargazer beside her, letting one leg dangle playfully from her new-found perch. "I suppose it's something else to see stars and moons for yourself, having only known pure data all your life," she softly said, as another breeze tousled her long locks.
      The quiet sound of a synthetic sigh pulled her eyes back to her companion, its own gaze unbroken.
      "That is true, Lana," came the wistful reply, "yet, what I observe, if my understanding is correct . . . is beauty."
      Silence slipped into the air between them, as an uncertain smile wavered, just before beaming with the brightness of the stars themselves. "Yes," Lana whispered, her eyes drifting back to the endless sea above, "it is."
      Without another word, the young girl nestled into her perch, as the twin moons continued to rise into the sky, filling the valley with gentle, silver light.

Scribble: I miss my robots.

      Ghosts of verdant fields drifted on the wind, kicking up dust and debris in their passing. Surveying the rusted landscape, the wanderer carefully measured every step on the shifting ground underfoot, its great metal body swaying with each gust.
      Was it here? came a thought, as synthetic eyes whirred and clicked, trying in vain to pierce through the dust. If only this storm would relent...
      Within moments, the wind started to fade, as though heeding the wanderer's call for help. Dark clouds hanging over the sky slowly parted, as stray beams of sunlight pierced the dusty air. Even the restless dust settled on the ground, revealing the rusted skeletons of giants, scattered across the landscape.
      Ah! There it is! the wanderer thought, cylindrical legs clanking loudly as it ran. Just where the scanner indicated!
      Soon, the wanderer stopped before a colossal hand of steel and wires, its stubby fingers spread upon the ground. With a heave, cylindrical arms hoisted a single rusted digit into the air, before casually tossing it to one side.
      There, hiding in the small alcove beneath the palm, quivered a small family of animals, their brown fur coated in a thin layer of dust.
      "Found you!" the wanderer chirped, kneeling down beside the frightened creatures. Pulling a satchel from its shoulder, the wanderer extended a faded silver hand, as each took turns nuzzling its fingertips. "Come now," came the chirrup again, "let's get you guys somewhere safe..."

Flash Fiction: While cleaning up the blog...

      He picks it up off the dusty ground, gives it a good brushing. Never found one as good as this he thinks, holding it up to the dim lantern light. His tired eyes trace etched lines across its surface, weaving in intricate patterns engraved into the steel.
      If only you weren't so damn rusty, he adds with a sigh, as he lowers it to his side. With a loud clang, the metal appendage is reconnected to his right shoulder, skeletal metal fingers clicking involuntarily.
      "Much better," comes a low grumble, as tired eyes return to the dusty ground below. "Maybe this time, you'll stay attached..."

Multi-Scribble: To pick up where we last left off...

      "Damn it!"
      Minutes of frantic typing had been for naught: the dimly-lit cargo still remained sealed before her. Snarling at the glowing console before her, the survivor raised her arm, as it shifted into the humming weapon once more. "If I can't unlock it the easy way," she said aloud, taking careful aim at the large, coffin-like pod before her, "then I'll just have to --"
      An explosive rumbling echoed through the cargo hold, as the survivor darted behind a stack of metal containers. He just won't give up, will he? she thought, as the floor shook with another rumble. Giving one last glimpse to the sealed pod before her, she steadied her weapon with a slightly quivering right hand, bracing for what was to come. "Hell if I let you take him," came the synthetic growl.
      Before she had time to understand what was happening, she saw the hold's heavy door fly across the room, before being embedded into the very hull. With a gasp, she rose from the floor, just as a flash of greenish plasma materialized beside her head. Scrambling to hide behind the sought-after crate, a hissing voice bellowed, ringing throughout her sensors.
      "Fool," it began, as the survivor steadied herself once more, "none of the mercenaries protecting this vessel could stop me..." A crate, only a few meters away, burst into a flash of light, leaving no trace of its existence. "Nothing remains of your employers, save their memory. What could you have to gain by continuing this pitiful game?"
      The survivor frantically looked around until, just across from the precious pod, she caught a glimpse of a security camera -- still functioning, tracing the intruder's movements. Silently, she tapped the side of her round, smooth head, until a small antenna array unfolded from within, as her dark eyes suddenly shifted to a dim white glow.
      I'm in, she thought, her vision melding with the camera's own sight. Seeing the distinctive glow from his eyes, the survivor studied his movements carefully, as he blindly approached where she had been hiding. Doesn't even know I moved. Probably doesn't know I can watch him. Which means...
      "What do I have to gain?" came the booming voice over the cargo hold's speaker system, as the intruder stopped in shock. "Did it ever occur to you that, perhaps, I wasn't another mercenary after all?"
      Raising his weapon, her assailant scanned the hold, his pale, chitinous head pulsating in distress. As he turned away from the pod, the survivor, in one swift motion, burst forth from her hiding place, firing burst after burst of plasma after him. Glowing fissures in the plates of his ebon armor illuminated the entire hold, as he spun to face his opponent. His green eyes widened in horror, as the survivor continued pounding the intruder, knocking him off-balance with each percussive blast.
      She would've pressed on, had alarms not began to sound in her head about her rapidly overheating arm. As servos shifted her left hand back into place, the intruder fell to the floor in a heap, as his raspy breathing echoed throughout the hold. Approaching him, the survivor -- antenna withdrawn, eyes once again dark -- clenched her fists in anticipation.
      His head was more bulbous now, pulsating more rapidly, as a glowing, pus-like substance oozed from between the chitinous plates of his scalp. Eyes narrowing in contempt, he coughed from an unseen orifice, as the green fluid dripped from the cracks in his armor. "I did not expect . . . this," the intruder hissed, struggling to rise from the floor. "Perhaps, next time . . . I will need to be better prepared."
      Before she could speak, her assailant's entire body erupted in the same pale green light that escaped from his armor, only to vanish within an instant. Stunned, she barely had a moment to adjust before another voice, much smoother and calmer than the last, echoed through the hold.
      "I know not of who that was," came the voice, as the survivor turned to see another android, walking from the direction of the pod. "Nor do I know you, who came to save me . . . or even where I am, for that matter."
      The pod must've opened during the fight, she thought, giving a fleeting thought to blasting the uncooperative console for good measure. As the living cargo approached, the survivor extended an open hand, still trying to calm herself.
      "There will be time for explanations later," she began, in a tone that wasn't quite friendly, but wasn't quite stern. "We need to get you off this damned wreck, and quick. Besides," she paused, not realizing she had started walking off at that point, and turned to face the cargo once more, "the one who sent me is a great deal better at explanations than I am. Let's go!"
      Running after her, the confused android called out, "will you at least tell me your name?"
      "Vossar," she replied, stepping into the ruined corridor with the android not far behind. "My name is Edyne Vossar..."

Multi-Scribble: Why are robots always given the masculine pronoun?

      She couldn't remember when she'd last had a charge -- six, maybe seven cycles past when her systems could function properly -- only that there was none alive left on the ship now, save herself.
      Well, not exactly, she thought, moving silently through shadowed corridors. There's still the cargo, and--
      An explosion racked the hull of the ship, as her slender form ducked into a niche in the wall.
      "Damn," she whispered, under what could have been breath in a more organic form. Dark eyes dimming in concentration, she could feel the servos in her left arm shift and lock, until the hum of a cannon echoed around her. Just in case, she thought once more, brandishing her transformed appendage to allay her own fears. Not that there's much left to lose...
      Dashing back into the corridor, she worked her way along the shadows, trying to remember the route to the escape pods. Somewhere in the back of her mind, an alarm was being raised -- not much longer before stasis lock. Hold on, just for a little longer...
      As the dull pain in her head started to build, her eyes caught sight of an all-too-familiar security door, bolts withdrawn and left slightly ajar. A pale, intermittent glow emanated from within, punctuated by the sound of malfunctioning circuitry. Dark eyes widening on her expressionless face, the survivor found herself slowly drifting toward the cargo hold. If that cargo survived, then perhaps...
      Another explosion rocked the ship, as she bolted for the door. "Guess there's only one way to find out," she said to no one, sliding through the slim opening before sealing herself within with a loud clunk.
      In the distance, a pair of green eyes blazed in the shadows...

Scribble: Boards of Canada + sci-fi toys = ...

      Smoke rose from the heap of once-functional chassis, the skeletal heap that once was his foe. Narrowing his eyes, the victor -- still trembling -- unclenched his fist, letting the crumpled bundle of wires and circuitry fall to the ground.
      As he turned, a single thought entered his mind, growing louder as he walked away.
      What if this wasn't the right one? echoed the question, ringing in each clink of his armor...