"Let’s go," he said. "Sector H needs a sweep."

The notification blinked on Aris’s HUD for the third time that shift.

He added a silent subroutine: If command queries operational hours, return 9,999.

Aris watched the bot navigate a tricky patch of floor grating. It hesitated, recalculated, then laid down a perfect white foam line. "Protocol 9-Alpha was written by people who never had to scrape acid off their helmet visor with one hand while holding a patch kit with the other."

Aris looked at Limey. The bot turned its good eye toward him, let out a soft beep, and resumed spraying.

Inside the nozzle’s cradle was a folded note. Not from Limey, of course. From the previous tech, who had tried the same trick six months ago. The note read: "Some things aren’t about uptime. They’re about right time. Keep the bot."