The Pioneer

Did it dream of red sands and a barren land where nothing blooms?

The Pioneer knew it didn’t belong here. Not in this dusty, shallow grave that cradled its body of steel. Once, its purpose had driven it here, even if that purpose was now long forgotten. Something had woken it from its sleep. A call echoed somewhere deep within its mind—a wordless demand it couldn’t quite decipher. The Pioneer stretched its jointed fingers, ones that rough winds had barraged, eroding away the protective shell until only bare metal remained. Now, there was only calm. It didn’t have to stay here.

But the Pioneer’s body was heavy, its metallic heart beating ever slower and slower. It could let the sand and dust swallow it whole into its rough embrace. Yes, it could stay here, let its own weight create its tomb. And bit by bit, rust would devour, and atom by atom, the world would eat the Pioneer away. It would leave behind an orange frame, one of jutted broken steel. Wires and cords would blossom where its body lay. But the call came again, like a surging wave over the Pioneer, tugging at its feet and forcing it to move.

Mechanical eyes rolled in their pits, trying to find focus once more. With the whir and whine of its joints, the Pioneer stood up, casting off its dusty veil. It took a step and its feet dug into the sand. Its before so sure movements wavered, but it was still movement forward. One lurching step followed another, heavy feet leaving red clouds in its wake.

If the desolate landscape around the Pioneer changed, its eyes remained blind to it until its feet met moist ground. The Pioneer swayed, looking down at the water bubbling from underneath its feet. It had been sand before, it knew. Now it was all green. Dark, muted colors that matted the ground, and bright vibrant hues that rose high above, even higher than the Pioneer could reach.

A tiny white flower, a multitude of them, stared at the Pioneer from within the lush green. The Pioneer knew the plant, even if its name was long gone from its machine mind. It was sure it had once created one, watched it grow from its striped seed, watched the leaves unfurl and hunger for light and water. But it had never seen one bloom. How could it, in this barren world of stone and dust? Yet here it was, as if mocking the notion.

The Pioneer walked further into the green. Moisture condensed on the surface of its fractured shell, rolling droplets leaving stripes that revealed white underneath. Somewhere far, it could feel it. The call that had pulled it out of its sleep and forced its broken body to move. It was getting stronger now, each step bringing the Pioneer closer.

A gleaming light shone in the distance. As the Pioneer’s whirring eyes came to focus, they revealed a dome that rose above the green. Now closer, the Pioneer could see where the green had broken through, or perhaps broken out, leaving a jagged hole just big enough. Inside, it was steady ground that met its steps, white gleaming surfaces and straight lines all around.

Something rolled up to the Pioneer, its surface smooth silver and white, not a speck of dust to be seen. The Pioneer could sense its call, a reach that surged through its wires and chips.

“Unauthorized unit—rrzz—. This area is a restricted living area. You are advised to turn back immediately.”

Living—? The Pioneer lifted its heavy head and saw people. Their wide eyes and open mouths stared at the Pioneer, but its focus was already elsewhere. The small machine that whirred and swirled around the Pioneer’s feet wasn’t what it was looking for. The call, the one that pulled at the Pioneer, still pricked at the edges of its mind. It walked on through the place where white of the angular buildings shone against the deep lush. In the dome above, the Pioneer saw a prism of colors, scattering across the shiny surface.

“Whatareyou?” The Pioneer looked down. The words were a scrambled mess in its ears. It needed a signal, but living flesh couldn’t give one it would understand. The small person stared at the Pioneer, black eyes wide and intent, as if trying to unravel what the machine was.

“Getawayfromit!” Another came to drag the small person away. More fervent calls arose from around the Pioneer as it continued its walk, but those weren’t enough to stop the machine. It had finally found it.

The Pioneer stared at what once would have been its mirror image. The buildings made way to a wide opening where the figure stood, towering above the people. Its glossy white shell hid the metal underneath, joints shining steel. It hadn’t been ravaged by the coarse, unrelenting winds, or dirtied by the dust that found its way into every seam. It was whole. And it was gone.

The other Pioneer embraced the green that climbed its motionless form and rested on its open outstretched palms. Flowers bloomed on its shoulders and where its heavy feet were bolted to the ground. All this time, its call had been fading, until it was gone. Final goodbye of the lifeless machine as it now embraced the life it had once brought forth.

“Unauthorized unit—defensive measures will be—turn back immediately.” The scattered message reached the Pioneer, but whatever it meant, the Pioneer’s broken mind couldn’t grasp its meaning. It only remembered long journeys and the trailing red dust. It remembered when it had finally found water and damp ground. It remembered its purpose.

The Pioneer fell to its knees. Somewhere deep within its body, bits and pieces moved, wheels whirred now knowing what they had been made for. The Pioneer stretched its stiff fingers, and on its open palm, it saw green. The green that was more tenacious than the metal. It had a desire to live, hard coded into its very being. And it bloomed. It would continue to bloom, the Pioneer knew, long after it was gone. Now, it was ready for another dream.