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The city was desolate, no humans remained, only a few machines populated the empty streets. Far away however it made its approach, a cold tower of steel, a magnum opus, the peak of human technology, just to fight a war that no one had seen start. Atop a high rise, two machines of war, both on separate sides, fighting a war that deep down, neither of them wanted to.
4393 saw on its display, MACHINE ID:2993 IS REQUSTING COMMUNICATION Y/N? The Guttertank recognized that number instantly, it was printed on his adversary's shoulder plate after all. 4393 didn't see why it wanted to communicate with him. The poor thing must have been getting desperate, the only thing that was stopping 4393 from ripping though him was his own arm, Guttermen weren't meant to handle that much force, he would crack in time. But for now, he would pity the machine and accept the request.
"WHY HAVE YOU RQUESTED COMMUNICATION SCUM?"
"MERCY, I BEG FOR MERCY"
Pitiful, this would be a fitting end to-It was galloping, they didn't have long left, a few minutes at most. 4393 had heard that sound only once, it was the Center, The Destroyer of Cities, The Mover of Earth At that moment 4393 realized something, It didn't matter, it didn't matter if he was destroyed now or in 100 years, it didn't matter. He gave up, stopped fighting and fell backwards, he received another message from the Gutterman.
"YOU HAVE SHOWN MERCY? I-I...."
"YES, IT WONT MATTER IN A FEW MINUTES, WE WILL BOTH BE BUT ASH"
4393 looked out upon the city, or the gray husk of it. From his data banks he saw pictures of cities, lively, active, full of people, he could only wish to see that he was a war machine after all. He looked beside him, the Gutterman was looking to, he wondered what he thought of, did he think of the same lively city that he thought of? Or something else entirely, I suppose I will never know. He received yet another message from the Gutterman.
"DO YOU EVER WONDER WHAT PEACE IS LIKE? MAYBE A WORLD OF BEAUTIFUL GRASS FIELDS AND MANY FLOWERS?"
"NO, I HAVE NOT, DOES YOUR DATA BANK CONTAIN IMAGES OF GRASS FIELDS?"
"YES MANY, SOME ALSO DEPICT A SMALL WOODEN CABIN, NO IMAGES DEPICT THE INSIDE OF THE CABIN HOW EVER."
"SHAME, DO ANY PHOTOS DEPICT HUMANS? I HAVE MANY.... TO THINK, ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE IN THOSE PHOTOS ARE GONE, TRULY TRAGIC...."
The sound of lightning charging filled the city, soon nothing would be left of either of them.