Emma wasn’t sure if she had made the right decision in choosing the ScoutBot over Peter, but something about Peter didn’t feel right to her. He seemed human, but…not. Yes, that was why she didn’t like him. Probably.

That was why she ran away from him when he first found her by the shopping cart.

But the robot, this ScoutBot, didn’t hide what it was behind false skin. It was nothing more than a garbage can on wheels, but as a child, she felt safer behind its simplistic, straightforward appearance – not disguises like Peter’s. She had seen a few animations on the channels – the only people in disguise were the bad guys.

So she was safe in her decision – at least in her own mind.

But she couldn’t shake the dark feeling she got when the ScoutBot wheeled her into a thick, dark room.