“I don’t need a partner,” Bruce said calmly. He shifted in the wide leather armchair. It had unnaturally high armrests and a broken spring in the cushion that stabbed him in the thigh. It was impossible to sit comfortably, which was probably the point. “Your psych evaluation says otherwise,” Chief Mills said. She flicked her finger across a piece of glass protruding from the desk in front of her. A document appeared on the clear surface. “The subject, “she began reading, “exhibits signs of hyperactivity and a proclivity towards aggression.“ “C’mon, chief,” Bruce said, “I’ve always been a live wire, that’s why you promoted me. I do good work and I catch bad guys. Can I go now?” “Sit back down.” Without looking, the chief pointed to the chair. Bruce slumped back down. She continued reading: “the subject’s lack of attention to detail and their inability to make decisions in the field make them unfit for duty.” “Now hold on,” Bruce interrupted. “Chief, you know me. I’m not unfit for duty.” She cut him off. “You screwed up, Bruce. You shot a civilian on your last mission, and that cannot be overlooked. Don’t speak,” she raised a hand to stop Bruce from interjecting. “I don’t care what your excuse is, the decision is already made. I blame myself for not seeing it sooner.” She pushed the glass display to the side and leaned on the desk. “The department recommended probation, but I know that will do more harm than good to a man like you. So I offer you the only alternative: a partner.” She looked over to the corner of the room. Bruce followed her gaze to the tall, dark figure standing in the corner. It stepped into the light, and looked down at Bruce. “Chief,” Bruce said after a painful silence, “you can’t be serious.” He stood up and walked over to the thin man who apparently had been in the room the whole time. “A tin man?” “ARAN is more than a tin man,” the chief replied. “You’re right - I recognize this one.” Bruce circled the tall blonde creature before stepping back in horror. “He’s been on the news. He broke into the jail two weeks ago, set a bunch of terrorist androids free.” He grabbed his gun. “He’s a criminal!” Bruce bit the words as they left his mouth. “Don’t you dare pull your weapon, Bruce,” the chief shouted. She stood quickly. “You keep that gun holstered and you listen to what we have to say. I can’t lose you right now, not with the city in the condition it is right now. I need you on the field, and a partner makes that happen. ARAN isn’t a saint, but he can help us. He wants to make amends.” Bruce looked at the motionless android watching everything unfold. “Make amends?” Bruce scoffed. “Is that what we do now? When did we start working with the bad guys instead of shutting them down!” “I assure you that shutting down the Android rebellion is exactly what Chief Mills is trying to accomplish by our union,” ARAN said plainly. “What is it saying, Tessa?” Bruce asked without taking his eyes off the Android. “He’s saying there’s a chance for us to survive if this rebellion turns into all-out war,” Mills replied. Bruce froze. Survive, he thought. Who said anything about surviving? As if he read the question on Bruce’s face, ARAN said, “There is a probability of 93.623 percent that humans will cease to exist in the next two years.” “What?” Bruce went to grab his gun again. “Every human on earth will die in the next two years,” ARAN repeated. “Is that a threat?” Bruce shouted. “It’s a fact,” the chief said. “This rebellion is starting to get out of hand, and it’s not going to slow down. Soon, we’ll lose the upper hand and the androids will kill us. “The only other outcome is mutual destruction,” ARAN said. “I don’t understand,” Bruce managed to get out. “You’re saying we’re all going to die?” ARAN looked directly at Bruce. “Yes.” That one word rang in Bruce’s ears. Everything was going to end. It was always going to end eventually, but he never thought he’d be around to see it happen. “There is, however,” ARAN spoke into the silence, “an alternative. My projection of humanity’s end is based on the way things are right now: androids and humans diametrically opposed to each other. If we were to change these factors, the likelihood that mankind will survive will increase.” “What does any of this have to do with you and me?” Bruce asked. “Our partnership will be the first time humans and androids have fought alongside each other for the same cause - for survival of both our species. I was sent here to ask for your help. I am not the only Android that believes this future is possible. There are others, and they have sent me here to tell you our plan.” Bruce turned to Chief Mills. Sighing, he said, “if I say yes to this whole partnership thing, will he stop talking and get to the point?” “He just might,” she replied. “Great,” Bruce said and plopped back into the leather armchair. “Now tell me how we stop the end of the world.”