Pro159V.82
Legacy Name: Pro159V.82

The young man knew that blueprints could never be rushed, he had seen what had happened to the last person who had made that mistake. It was a lesson to all of them, they had been told as they watched in horror. Still a war was going on and they needed to make and create fast before they lost their advantage. Several of the prototypes had proven easy to make but he was tasked with a scouting creature. It sounded simple, a scouting creature, he had made far too many to count when he was a boy. But this creature had to be different, it had to be more intelligent than those machines of his youth. It had to not only seek out shelter when needed but also be able to create its own. He was struggling with that part and he knew he only had a limited time left to get it right.

”Pro159V.82? On a scouting mission rae now. I received orders from high command tae send it out. The other scouts dinnae make it back or summat.
”How do you know that yours will work?” The young man frowned for a second, furrowing his brow and rubbing his hand across his head.”Garabato is different, tis much smarter than those other scouts.”
”Garabato?”
”Aye, I named it, means scribble or something, I dinnae ken for sure.” Daniel knew it wasn't allowed, any prototype with intelligence was to only be called by their identifier. Still he had felt compelled when he had made that fox-like scout to give it some other name.

He was shocked when he saw the state of his precious scout, he had never seen such a bad injury. Missing an exhaust pipe on the ear, one eye working at five percent and a loosened paw joint, it was a miracle it managed to get back for repairs. He wasn't sure he could fix the eye that was the problem with these machines. If it was an animal or a person you'd use anaesthetic and fix the problem, but you can't on machines. If they weren't as an intelligent then they wouldn't feel the pain. He struggled with the dilemma, a scout was no good with poor vision and the missing exhaust pipe would slow the scout down considerably. His scout had never been so still and quiet, it just lay there as fumes slowly came out the chest plate and tail. At least it still had those, he could fix the paw and then he would just have to hope that his scout wouldn't be needed for a while. It would give him time to work on a solution.

The war was tough that was the message played out on the radios, the televisions, written on posters that covered the streets. Houses were destroyed, families broken up and relatives dead in the crossfire. Prototypes had fallen into the hands of the enemies and they were making their own. Every time a scientist prototype made it back they dreaded the next call, they barely had any time to make repairs, not that there was much material around to fix things these days. He paced his small office waiting for his scout to return, he was horrified when it did.

”You'll have to melt it down, we need more parts.”Daniel knew it was true, his scout probably knew that it had, had its last mission, but he didn't want to melt it down.
”Look it has two exhaust points, one ear and a chest plate, it isn't quick enough to be a scout, it has one working eye and a weak paw. I know how much Pro159V.82 means to you but you have to accept that this is the end.”
”Look I'm nae gonnae melt Garabato, it deserves better, it worked so hard. I ken it cannae be a scout nae more, but tis smart enough tae keep itself safe until it finally runs down.”
”That could take years and you know it, they aren't made of clockwork for nothing. Pro159V.82 will be found either by our side or worse theirs.”

Pro159V.82 woke up and wondered for a moment where he was, where his master was. He raised his head and sniffed the air, it stunk. He focussed his eye and looked around, mounds of rubbish surrounded him. Was this it he wondered, was he going to be melted? He stood up he noticed his satchel lying next to him. He nosed it open being careful not to rest on his twisted paw too heavily. Inside was a gear and a note.
Dear Garabato,
Stay safe, stay hidden until this godforsaken war is over. Remember tae wind yer key every day if you want tae stay running. I did everything I could tae try and fix the paw but we dinnae have the supplies. You cannae run as fast, but you should feel a lot lighter without the tail exhaust, I removed most of what was left. That gear was one of yer first gears, keep it safe. Find a safe shelter and collect things that you like, live free. That is yer last mission.
Daniel Ryan
Garabato it remembered now, he wasn't called it often but it decided that it might as well be its name now. It cast his eye around the dump seeking out a spot for shelter and finding it between some boxes and some sort of vehicle.

It took it weeks before it set up its shelter well enough, it was hard work moving on a twisty paw, but it had gotten used to it. It had collected various bits of rubbish, they reminded it of home. Home was broken and dusty as well, people had patched clothes, it wondered if they had gotten their things from the dump. But after wandering around, it realised that few humans turned up. Except on trash day which it loved because it got to find new items and add them to its collection. The only things it loved more than trash day were fireflies and rainstorms. It had caught some fireflies and it spent the evening staring at them flying around. They provided a comforting light as it struggled to wind its own key. As it wondered over a pile of discarded plants it felt the first drops of rain fall. It got onto its hind legs and held out its twisty paw and let the rain splash onto it.