Groundbreakers

The following morning, a secure message arrived at Arkbound's system.

Barron Vrax:

"Materials have been delivered. Here's the location and scheduled time for your bots to begin construction."

Nyra glanced at the notification and scoffed. "Scheduled time? Why wait?"

She tapped her comm.

"Raen, sending you coordinates. Dispatch two NEAR units. Let them get started."

Raen's voice came through the comm, calm but focused.

"Got it. But ask him—what exactly does he want them to build? I'll need a blueprint."

Nyra turned to Vrax, who was still nearby.

"He says we need the blueprint."

Vrax raised a brow, then handed over a datachip. "Four-story apartment complex. Four units per floor. Fully modular."He smirked. "Think your bots can handle that?"

Raen received the specs, loaded the architectural data into the NEAR V2 interface, and inserted the command module.

"Alright, NEAR-03, NEAR-04—installing blueprint. Mark perimeter. Begin construction."

The two bots, stationed inside secure booths, lit up with glowing blue lines. Their systems booted in unison, joints rotating with precise clicks.

Then—they ran.

They moved fast but calculated, weaving through the outskirts of the expo crowd. People gasped, pulling out their holocams to film as the metallic forms zipped past without stumbling.

Barron blinked in disbelief.

"Are they avoiding people on their own?"

Nyra smirked. "Of course they are."

He grinned. "I'm bringing the news crew. If this gets views, I want every damn one of them."

By the time Barron's media team arrived at the construction site—an open, dusty plot just past the city's edge—everyone froze in awe.

The bots had already marked the perimeter, laid out the foundation grid, and started assembling the structural base. Rebar frames, support anchors, and floor outlines were being locked into position with inhuman precision.

But now... they were idle.

Standing there, almost in a meditative pose, tools retracted, systems humming low.

Vrax squinted. "Why'd they stop?"

Raen's voice came through Nyra's earpiece.

"They're waiting."

"Waiting for the concrete base to harden. No point in continuing until that's stable."

Vrax let out a low whistle.

"Holy hell… they're thinking."

The news drones hovered overhead, capturing every angle of the bots standing over the neatly-poured base—an image that would be looped a million times across newsfeeds by morning.

Raen, watching from the control panel, leaned back in his chair.

"This is just the beginning."