Invasion

What initially started as an idea on Tumblr (what if SPG met the Cybermen of Doctor Who) turned into a drabble, then a fully fledged oneshot. Incredible, right? Enjoy and thanks for reading.

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There was something strange about San Diego today, more specifically, Walter Manor.

The manor was strange as it was with its unusual architecture of towers poking out of one main foundation. Each tower was different than the last and it appeared to be something ripped out of an artist's dream. It stood tall as it always did, even in the sun, but today there was no sun. Clouds gathered overhead, dark and gloomy, as though foreboding a sudden twist of events to come. While The Spine and Hatchworth were for the sun, Rabbit found solace in these cloudy days because she knew that there would be better tomorrows to come.

The Spine was reading "The Old Man and the Sea" for possibly the billionth time, often finding it a good read on a day like this. Smirking softly at the baseball commentary in the book, a smile poked through. No one valued this book as much as he did, so much so that he carried it with him on every single tour. It became somewhat of a bed story for him from time to time even though he would delve into other pieces of literature, but he would always find himself drawn back to Hemingway. Sinking into the armchair of the third study he allowed the book's weight to hold him down, trapping him in words he had so fondly re-read. Hardwood floor clicked beneath his shoes whenever he pressed his heels into the ground, reminding himself that he wasn't on the sea alongside the main character. Though a life at sea wouldn't be so bad – some days would be filled with adventures of unexpected hauls and fighting off waves that could drown cities. It was a life that The Spine hadn't necessarily wanted, but it was sometimes fun to fantasize. He could be like Captain Albert Alexander if his imagination so desired. Yet he wouldn't have a warm fire blazing in a fireplace near him, much like he did now.

"The Spine! The Spine! There's new friends in the yard!"

The Spine found himself torn away from his beloved book to meet the gleeful voice of Hatchworth who ran through the third study and rushed to the window like a child witnessing snow for the first time. Arching an eyebrow, The Spine wondered what exactly the bot was talking about. He knew that the master wasn't (or hadn't) been working on anything recently. If so he would have introduced them to his new creation by now. Hatchworth's orange facial hair stood out against darkened walls and brought out the bronze tones of his build. Those bronze shades seemingly shone in his joyous state, eager to accept a new brethren or sister to the Steam Powered Giraffe family. Bookmarking his book, The Spine looked over at his friend who bounced on the balls of his mechanical feet causing little squeaks to be heard from his joints and the hardwood floor.

"What?" Confusion rumbled in The Spine's simple question as he removed the book from his person.

"The Spine, there's new friends on the lawn!" Hatchworth repeated, not once looking over at The Spine's emerald eyes filled with bewilderment

It was rare that they received any unexpected friends or trespassers – for their home was located in a distant valley of San Diego, California. From where they resided they could hear the ocean waves in the morning, singing a song it had done since the dawn of time long before they were ever invented. Sometimes the master would smile at the feel of the sea breeze that wafted alongside his petunias in the manor gardens. Here in this little valley the sun would shine rather perfectly on the gardens, the hedge maze, and yes, even the copper giraffes that rested before the manor.

Joining Hatchworth at the large window, The Spine noticed silver steel men dotting the Walter Manor lawns. The gates were untouched from what he could tell at such a great distance. Their heads were bowed in silence as though someone died and The Spine arched an eyebrow. It was though they were waiting for someone to trigger the switch to cause them to function. They appeared to be automatons – cyber ones at that, but automatons still. They were silver, much like The Spine and he found comfort in knowing that there were others like him who had a silver shaded build. He had seen and heard of other bots bearing that shade, but these bore the futurism style that he was initially designed in. Perhaps they were from the future and found some way to travel back in time. Perhaps they bore news that could foretell the automatons' fates and maybe, just maybe, they were friendly. Accessing his photoreceptive scanners, The Spine attempted to scan the forms to see if he could gather any information on them.