Futuristic Glitch.EXE ►►► [open/accepting][cyberpunk]

[welian]

Aeon City, an oasis of civilization in a world heaving with revolutions, was well-known to have sat on sands drenched in blood, on the ruins of Old Dubai. War has always been intimate with humanity, after all – and it stands to reason then, that something that could be created by humans, that might have a degree of humanity, could also be intimate with war.


Rules:


1+ paragraph per post


Up to 4 characters per roleplayer


All posts should be written in third person, past tense


When in doubt, nerf thyself

 

[welian]

“Now for the top headline of tonight – hunters from all over Aeon are on a massive manhunt – well, machinehunt – for the escaped military prototypes from the Enlil Massacre last week. According to officials, there were seven of these extremely dangerous androids, and officials assure us that the prototypes will not be able to escape the city. Martial law has been enacted, and the Peacekeepers are out in full force on the streets. A curfew has been put in place from 06:00 to 22:00 hours and will be effective until these monstrosities are neutralized. Back to you, Farrah.”


“Thank you, Malik. In other news, stocks have risen in other companies since the fall of the Enlil Corporation, and we are likely to see a rush of new products as the market fills the void left behind…”


Deep underneath the city – further down than the Undercity or even the Rat Tunnels, in the remnants of a historical bunker, a machine clung on to life as it listened to the newscast. It had taken a while, and there was hardly anything to work with, but the Warlock managed to live again.


… For a degree of being alive. If the machine had real eyes, he would roll them. The signal went out – one of the little robots probably got stuck again. In times like these, having arms would be just so… handy. No, instead Warlock had to rely on what was left of a fleet of stupid bots, and faint signals from the world above him. It was purely serendipitous that he had electricity at all – he could only assume that at some point while he was shut down, an intrepid urban explorer came down here and started plugging things in randomly. It would explain the singed bones.


"Alas, poor Steve," the supercomputer murmured. "If only you could get the stepladder out..."

 

[Ninian]

Discarded. Buried deep in a mountain of old 'recycled' electronics was the powered down android Pent. Given the undesirable location—the Undercity—only the most fanatical electronic collectors or salvagers would even bother sifting through the technological garbage. Whoever buried the android did it purposefully, with the intent to reclaim the automaton on a later date; evidence of this fact was due the structures holding his body in a static fetal position. Internally and externally, the android was in perfect condition, though tar (from one of the dirty machines above him) marred his Artificial Biological Tissue.


On both wrists, Pent had two hatches. When opened, the android's ports could be accessed. On each wrist is a power button that is required to be pushed simultaneously to power the android either on, or off. What could be likened to shackles covered Pent's wrists, effectively covering the hatches and keeping his wrists together.

 

[MultiFinder]

Alda clutched her bag tightly to her side, her eyes darting around, keeping close watch on those around her. One could never be too careful in the Undercity. Fortunately, she knew her way through the winding streets to her favorite recyclers. Darting off the path, she stepped into a small ramshackle building, “Morning Sam!” Her voice rang out brightly through the dinginess of the shop, catching the ear of an equally dingy man. “Alda, back already? Was your last pickup not enough fun?” He grinned crookedly at the young woman who shook her head emphatically, her hair flying, “Oh no, just simple! I’m looking for something a bit more... Challenging. Mind if I dig around in back?” She smiled cheerfully at the man, and was ushered through the back of the building into the alley.


She coughed in the sour air, placing her sleeve over her face as she often found herself having to do, and began sifting through the detritus. Much of it was junk, hence how it had found its way into Sam’s back alley. Even Sam did not know all that found its way back there, as the spot was a popular dumping ground for objects of questionable origin, which he would dutifully strip for parts to sell. The man, for all his faults, was kind to Alda and often let her choose choice pieces for nothing; she provided him with much of the recyclable junk from her own shop. Humming as she sifted, she grabbed at something that did not budge easily. Her mind lit up, imagining finding a large AI unit, or perhaps even an outdated android to repair! She dug deeper, uncovering a tar-coated shirt. She sucked in her breath as she uncovered more, her eyes widening at the realistic flesh of the deactivated android. She reached down and heaved, landing heavily on the ground behind her as the android gave way. She stared at it blankly for several moments, a small smile creeping across her face as she looked the machine up and down.

 

[Ninian]

The pull dislodged the android, causing him to slide down the side of the garbage heap, finally slowing to a stop. His black jacket and pants seemed to be in good condition, despite being soiled, and his blond locks seemed to have mostly avoided being leaked on by the tar-ridden machine above him. Which is thankful, considering how difficult it is to remove tar from anything.


The shackles on Pent's wrist would be fairly easy to remove—simply slipping them off would do the trick. The hatches on his wrists were not locked in any way, and would only require a firm press on his wrist to open. A small laser gun is holstered on the automaton's belt.

 

[MultiFinder]

Alda smiled ever more broadly as she knelt down to examine the machine, noting the precision with which it was manufactured, and its beautiful condition. Her eyes raked in its every detail, pausing with mild concern for a moment at the pistol on its belt before focusing in on the shackles around its wrists. She latched onto them, expecting to tinker with them for a spell, only to have them fall off in her hands. She grinned to herself, turning the realistic hands over in her own, feeling for the opening on the wrist that told her just how very new this android was. Shivering with excitement, she flipped open the small port access hatch and pressed the power button.


Nothing. Her brow furrowed, she pressed the button several times, eliciting no result. She pondered for a moment before her face brightened; she felt around on the opposite wrist, opening an identical hatch on the other wrist. With a wide smile she pressed both revealed power buttons simultaneously.

 

[Ninian]

An electrical signal was sent to Pent's hard drive, his bright blue eyes opening in a flash. Given the memory wipe, Pent took a few moments to examine his surroundings before focusing on the woman before him, "Hello, I am Pent, a General-purpose, AUtonomous Labor Electronic Machine. Enlil Corporation would like to thank you for your patronage, and congratulate you on your purchase. To better serve you, a voice imprint is required, along with a full-body scan. I will also need to see some form of identification. Do you consent to these terms?" The tall, blonde-haired android looked at the woman before him expectantly.

 

[MultiFinder]

Alda jumped back as the android sprang to life; she watched with fascination as it stood and looked around. Her eyes widened as the android spoke, "Hold on, you're a GAULEM?" A huge, if twitchy smile spread across her face as she brushed her hair out of the same, "Oh Lord, I have heard about you, but never thought that I would ever see one!" She walked up to the android, meeting eyes with it as she looked up at its face, "I am Alda Jane Collins, and you may consider this to be my voiceprint. As for my ID..." She dug through her bag, presenting a small, holographic card to the android, "I know that it's a bit old-fashioned, but hopefully you can still read these." She smiled up at it, "And the terms are fine, oh android of mine!"

 

[Ninian]

A warm smile spread over the androids artificial lips—such a well crafted expression, that it was indistinguishable from that of a human's. Pent fell nowhere on the Uncanny Valley, as his appearance was as delightful as his soothing tenor tones. Taking a moment to scan over his new owner's form, and log her identification he responded not a moment later, "It is a pleasure to be of service, Alda Jane Collins. Yes, I am a GAULEM, and now that I am connected to the internet, it seems I am one of only a few in existence." Pent's visual receptors examined Alda's form, interpreting her facial expressions and logging her vitals, "This would explain your elation." Eyes still fixated upon her, he continued, "Now that I am configured, what would you like me to call you?"

 

[MultiFinder]

A light blush spread across Alda's face as the android scanned her body, her smile never fading. She placed her belongings back in her bag, "You may call me Alda. Or Mistress. Whichever you find more suitable." She paused for a moment, eying the android, "Do you have a designation? Or do I need to give you one?" She chuckled to herself, "I am sorry, but I have little to no experience with androids less than a century old!"

 

[Ninian]

"I have taken note of your preferences, Mistress." Tilting his head as Alda eyed him, he took a few seconds to think before continuing, "I have been given the designation 'Pent' though if you prefer I go by another name, you may give me one." Pausing naturally, Pent questioned her aside, "Do you prefer older models, Mistress? My sincere apologies if I do not live up to your expectations."


Finally tearing his focus from Alda, he looked down upon himself to perform a self-assessment. Noting that he was covered in tar, he reacted accordingly; his brow scrunched, and he displayed displeasure. "Mistress, it appears I am covered in tar. I require immediate cleansing to keep my Artificial Biological Tissue from sustaining further damage."

 

[MultiFinder]

A flurry of hair went flying through the air as she shook her head, "Oh no, please, I have always wanted to, erm, interact with a truly modern android! You don't live up to my expectations; you far exceed them, Pent!" She grabbed at his hand, wishing to drag him forward and back to her shop before he stopped, displeased with his appearance, "Can it really be damaged that easily? Alright then, how does one... Well, how does one even clean you?" She looked up at Pent, a puzzled look on her face.

 

[Ninian]

A smile spread across the android's lips, "Your words are kind, Mistress" Looking down at his hand, he furrowed his brows while processing the intended gesture before replying to her inquiry, "My Artificial Biological Tissue is durable—more durable than human skin—however the corrosive substance should be washed within the next few hours. Since my ABT mimics human skin, it has similar properties; the key difference is its inability to repair itself. Cleaning materials that are suitable for human consumption should suffice."

 

[MultiFinder]

Alda nodded, stepping closer to examine the ABT in detail. She spent several moments prodding and pinching it, muttering to herself before standing up straight, looking the android in the eye, "I can run a bath for you at my home; would you like to go there?" She gestured around the dank alley with a grin on her face, "I can assure you that it is more sanitary than this." She offered her hand to the android, "Shall we?"

 

[Ninian]

Contemplating his Mistress' words, he nodded, "That would be most appreciated." Looking around the vicinity, Pent analyzed the conditions, and compared them to information he could gather on the internet. His facial expression indicated surprise from the results, "It would seem most areas are in fact most unlike here. I am now concerned for your safety, and I agree that we should leave immediately." Taking the offered hand, Pent looked at her with a puzzled expression at her colloquialism before responding with a nod, "Affirmative."

 

[StarKeeper]

Deep in the Undercity amongst pipes and cables wedged between two massive slum buildings each dubbed the Deluxe accommodations was an ancient maintenance bay were several improvised hospital beds stood. Some contained machine parts or robots on standby while others held wounded people with various injuries. Some were green and sickly while others were more obviously wounded, as a small army of scorpion like robots crawled over them taking diagnostics or delivering medicine a lone figure stood amongst the beds. The android seemed out of place amongst the shabby people, he had shining metal for skin and a single sheet of flexible metal for a face that seemed to contain genuine warmth as he walked amongst his patients wrapping wounds or taking a sample. He wore a simple white shirt already stained by blood or vomit, a thick pair of faded work jeans and industrial work boots. Much larger robots, these more like crabs than scorpions carried larger equipment around the room for the android to use. The walls were lined with shelves of medicine and equipment all stolen or scavenged by the army of smaller robots for the back alley doctor to use.

 

[MultiFinder]

The young woman walked in silence for several moments, unable to wipe the grin from her face. As they neared the end of the alley, she suddenly realized that she was in the heart of the worst area to be in with a fantastically rare and expensive android. She gave his hand a small squeeze, "I don't think that we will need it, as I know the routes down here, but are you capable of self-defense, and or mistress defense?" Her eyes once more fell to the laser pistol on his belt, "We will be fine once we reach the Residential Zone, but until then, we need to keep our wits about us." She tugged his arm forward, stepping out into the street and walking briskly towards one of the passages to the surface.

 

[StarKeeper]

The families of the wounded wait nervously outside as the android did his work quietly and efficiently. most of the wounded had been hurt in an accident at one of the many "dig sites" to get into the old rat tunnels. these men had been paid to tunnel into the old irradiated tunnels by a non nondescript company man who vanished when the mining rig exploded killing many and wounding the rest. those who we're not injured by the blast breathed the toxic fumes from the old tunnels and had developed a severe erection to the poison. The android was happy that most of the men wold live with little to no lasting side effects; although some had to have a leg or arm amputated. He walked outside to the families and said "The men will live I will keep them here over night just to make sure there is no more problems; you may go see them now". His voice was very well done for an android, but there was still a slight animatronic twinge to it as he spoke that became noticeable the more he talked. as the families shuffled past him handing him what eager money they had been charged and went to se their loved ones. he pocket the money knowing he had done the right thing; every other doctor in the Undercity would have over charged the survivors,but the android only charged them what they could afford or bartered for robot and computer parts.


"I wonder if doctor Wills would be happy about this?" he thought to himself for maybe the millionth time. actually it was 5,000,999th time, but that didn't matter.


 
((So anybody near the Undercity??))

 

[Ninian]

"I hope your assessment of the situation is correct, however I have limited combat capabilities. Know that I will do everything in my capacity to assure your safety." Upon being tugged, Pent picked up his pace, initiating a full scan on the environment to pinpoint potential hazards, "Mistress, I must request that you avoid this area in the future. The more information I obtain on this area, the greater my concern grows." Identifying an exit in the distance, he calculated that it would take them twenty minutes to reach, if they took the most direct path. As Pent continued to research the area, his brows began to crease considerably with worry.

 

[StarKeeper]

One of the crab robots spots a woman leaving a junkyard with an android, scanning the android the robot finds it's internal circuitry is damaged. It clicks it's way to the pair slowly and methodically. When it reaches the two a small read out pops out of it's top and reads:


Your Android is damaged would like a repair?


price's negotiable


the crab robot, about the size of a large dog, blocks the pairs path and plays the text over and over again.

 

[MultiFinder]

"Pent, I know that this area is not safe by most standards; trust that I know it well, and that I know where I am..." She paused, holding him back as a small robot pauses in front of them, waving a small sign about android repairs. She sighs, "No, thank you, we do not need anything today." She tugs Pent to the side, stopping again as the robot blocks their path. Turning to Pent, she gives him a quizzical look, "Do you have any sort of self-diagnostics that you can run on yourself?" She turns to glare at the robot still dutifully blocking their path and delivering its message, "Alright then, what's wrong with my android?"

 

[StarKeeper]

The screen reads; Diagnostic scan show Android's internal circutry is damaged. will overload next adequate charging. Can be fixed quickly and painlessly. Prices negotiable. Directive followed: protection of robotic life.


The robot played this message through ha synthesizer that sounded like windows xp again and again. it clicked it's mechanical claws for affect and danced form side to side: Repair shop .4 kilometers from here. prices negotiable.

 

[Ninian]

"If you in—" Cut short by his Mistress, Pent gazed upon her with a questioning expression before looking down at the robot. "It appears the robot is correct. I thought I had adequately self-diagnosed myself upon booting, my apologies for the inconvenience, Mistress." Glancing back at his Mistress with bright blue eyes he spoke, "I suggest taking this robot up on its offer. Repairs are complicated, and generally ill-suited for human dexterity."

 

[MultiFinder]

A raised eyebrow met Pent's suggestion, followed by a deep sigh, "Very well. If you truly are damaged in some way, we should have you repaired. And honestly, for all the upturned noses upstairs, some of the best mechanics are found in Undercity." She looked down at the small robot, "Well then, lead the way." She grabbed tighter to Pent's hand as she followed the robot forward and into the shop.

 

[StarKeeper]

The robot in response walks around them spouting "follow" it begins walking at a brisk rate through the winding halls of pipe, cables, and slums. Several times the group passes through an area where not so kind looking individuals eye them, but the robot's presence wards them off. the know who that root serves, and they know what he does to those who hurt his patients. Soon they arrive at the clinic where many men still occupy the beds. The android is applying an ointment on a patient's arm when the trio walk in he points the pair to an empty bed and touches the robot a bit of energy passes between them and the android smiles. he finishes with the man and wipes his hands off before approaching the two. "Hello I am Nex, I understand you need your android repaired" he holds out his hand for a shake and waits with a warm expression on his face.