On the flat, gravel roof of a gray high-rise building, two androids lay. One was sprawled out by the fence, and the other lay against the wall near the door that led downstairs. It was not raining--merely cloudy--but they both lay in puddles, soaking themselves.

Dented and scratched, multicolored sparks flew out of their torn artificial limbs and exposed circuits erratically. Iota and Upsilon were damaged beyond repair. They just hadn’t been moved to the scrapyard yet.

Iota lolled her head so she could look at her companion. “We’re ruined, aren’t we,” she whispered. “Defunct hardware.”

Upsilon did not answer. He never would, for he was already “dead.” He had stopped moving hours ago, and now lay slumped over against the mesh fence across the yard, his eyes dark and lifeless.

She watched him for a moment. She did not care that he no longer heard her, because they were still friends.

“They don’t want us anymore,” she continued at length, turning her dimming gaze up at the gray sky. “But they could at least have done us the favor of shutting us off before leaving us out here.”

More silence. No one disturbed them, and there were no sounds below. No one was here to pick them up yet.

A cold wind was blew in, carrying the smell of empty exhaust and winter over the gray building.

“…I wonder how long it’ll be.”

A snowflake fell. Iota’s systems were not overheated, but the snowflake melted anyway, and it slid down into one of her loose sockets, touching an exposed wire.

She deactivated.