After Lololoshka and Richard escaped, the island withered away like a forgotten flower without a drop of water. The funding ran out, and no one was watching the island anymore, which meant that no one cared about Dylan. He, once a student of Lucky Charms and the impeccable butler of Jody Arist, now lay leaning against the roots of a huge tree, his metal limbs, clad in a battered black vest and trousers, covered with rust, and his luminous dark blue eyes went out, flickering only occasionally, like dying stars. The leaves and petals of wildflowers stuck to his dark, disheveled hair emphasized his abandonment. His internal systems were giving out errors, the mechanisms were jammed, and he was too broken and weak to try to get up and collect the wires dangling from him.

In the silence of the abandoned grove, broken only by the singing of birds and the rustle of tree crowns, Abilka appeared. When she returned with the five kids, she found him unmistakably by his scent. One of her kittens, a smoky lump with white paws, snuggled in his open palm, purring a soft lullaby. Two of them were peacefully dozing on his feet, and the remaining ones were sitting next to him with caution and curiosity and watching. Abilka, clinging to his shoulder, warmed him with her warmth, as if trying to heal his wounds. Dylan was smiling faintly. He loved her and her kittens very much.

The automaton felt too damaged, too weak to even try to move. His legs stubbornly refused to obey. The mind, once sharp and logical, was drowning in a fog of errors and failures.

And suddenly... a voice. A friend.

Dylan opened his eyes a crack. Lololoshka stood in the gap between the branches, flooded with sunlight. He looked older, more exhausted, but his eyes, just as kind and full of sympathy, looked at Dylan with undisguised tenderness.

Dylan tried to say something, but his throat was dry. Inside, everything was squeezed with pain and hope. With the last of his strength, gathering the last of his energy, he whispered:

"Lo... you... You're back..."