[Mac Sirloin]

The trooper unloaded three rounds into Saunter. He didn't react. The Robot started shouting, or turning up its volume or whatever and the Trooper put down the gun. The perforated husk tumbled forward.
"Holy shit." Was all I could say.
It was Saunter's body, but it was empty. Nothing inside but air. There were odd chunks of plastic missing from his face where his skeleton had been removed and the glow from his eye came from a bundle of LED's crammed into it. They were plugged into an ancient alkaline battery.
'That is what I was telling you.' The waste bot explained. 'This was found outside of the control center. It had been tied with pegs to keep it standing. We don't know who did it.'
Small trails of recent welding could be seen.
"Look at his arms." Grace said. "There's no way..."
"What?" The trooper snapped.
"It looks like he cut himself open." She answered despondently.
"That doesn't make any sense. He can't damage himself, he can't even understand the concept of self-inflicted wounds. He's programmed to shut down when the idea even presents itself!" I said, more to myself than anyone.

Understand that beyond being made of steel, Saunter was of an incredibly fragile build. His 'skeleton' didn't even properly contain his various 'organs'. His chest Chamber revealed that some of the Circuit mounts had been torn out. , meaning that unless he'd made some kind of containment for them, he was either carrying around a pile of Vital circuity or dead .

Then there was this air. The Waste-Bot had a denser construct, but Saunter's body was fragile and would oxidize in open air if left too long. There was no way that he wasn't just another crumbling husk down here.
"Were there footste-" I began, but Grace and the Trooper were looking around, surprised.
The Waste Robot was gone. His mushy footsteps led away into the dark.
"Ah, shit." The trooper said. "Shit, shit, SHIT."
"We have to find him." Grace said.
"No, we need to get on the Radio and call for help." The Trooper grumbled.
"With what?" Grace said. "This place doesn't have a fucking radio. That 'bot is the radio.
"Let's just leave. We can come back with more people later." I suggested.
"The ship's only got enough fuel to carry us back halfway. The goddamn robot was supposed to refuel it before this shit showed up. He pointed at Saunter.
"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Grace said, filled with some new found courage. She walked out of the shack with a Lamp.
"Grace! Come on, let's figure this out!" I desperately yelled.
"We don't have any choice." The Trooper growled.
I was left alone.
I waited a beat, then followed after them.