Chapter 1 - Cockroach

The screwdriver is slick in X2's hand. Blood, sweat, and grease make the tool slip in his grip and no matter how many times he wipes his hand on his dirty overalls, it's always the same story. At times, he feels like the machine is bleeding into his hands and only if he could twist the screws tight enough, he might be able to stop the bleeding. 

His earpiece crackles. 

"Is the suit ready, X2?" His superior officer has a tone dead voice. But he can sense the urgency in the clipped cadence of his voice. 

"Almost," he replies through gritted teeth. He is done. He is almost done. Another turn of the screwdriver and the nut is fixed in place. As tight as he could do it. He stabs it once with the screwdriver for good luck and hopes it will hold in the heat of the battle. 

"I am done, sir" he replies to the team leader. 

X2 stands back to admire his handiwork. The screw he tightened holds the shell plating in place to act as a shield against anything from enemy spears to plasma bolts that the team leaders might encounter in the heat of the battle. He lovingly strokes the shield plating, whispering a prayer to the gods of blood and oil to bring the machine back safely to the hanger. 

A rotating siren snatches him out of his reverie. The loading time is here. X2 scrambles to collect the rest of his toolset so he can get out of the way while the loading teams set up the machines for the next step. The siren gets more urgent and louder. He knows what's coming next. His tools are in his box. X2 picks up the box and makes a run for the lift doors that will start closing soon. He is still a few feet away from the lift doors that are showing signs of movement. He speeds up, but he knows he is not going to make it. The doors move closer to each other and in a fit of desperation, X2 slides his tool box towards the closing maw of the lift, hoping against hope it will not slide all the way in. 

The toolbox jams the lift doors and that extra second is all X2 needs to slide his way inside the lift and snatch the toolbox from the straining doors. The doors close down with a hiss. The pressure outside is equalized and inside the lift, his ears pop. He would have been in trouble if he had not made it to the lift. His superior officer would have his hide for delaying the loading process. The lift moves up towards the barracks and through the glass window, he sees the loading team float towards the assembly of humanoid machines that are ready to be joined with the neural network. Tired, he slumps down on his bottom, like a sweaty slug against the metal wall of the lift. 

X2 does not know the reason for the war. He does not know when the war started or when it will end. He does not know who is winning or who is losing. All he knows that he is a small cog in the colossal machine and it is his job to keep turning the screws. 

Chapter 2 - Gods Among Us