Do Androids dream?

Athos Map

Posting my Form at last

-Character-

Name: Alexsei (aka Kai Alexander Valcanov)
Languages: English and Russian
Ethnicity: Russian
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Blood type: O-
Main Personality Traits:  Stoic, Brave, Quiet, Mysterious and Short Tempered.
Sexual Orientation: Gay
Relationship status: Single
Occupation: Robotics and Biomechatronic Engineer.
Current residence: Slums
Interests/Hobbies: Nature, Animals, general Machinery.
Talents/Skills: Can fix nearly any type of machine. He can also build robots and parts from scrap.
Fashion Style: Urban Techwear
…………………………………………
-Physical-

Build: Stocky and muscular especially around his arms and chest.
Height: Slightly Below Average
Skin: Extremely Pale (Burns easily in the sun)
Hair: Cobalt Blue
Eyes: Pale Turquoise
Physical Flaws: Has multiple scars running across his back and over his shoulders.
Tattoos: A red Chrysanthemum tattoo on the right side of his neck. He also has a falcon tattoo on his left forearm
Left/Right-handed: Left-Handed
……………………………………

Short History:

Alexsei (Originally Know as Kai Alexander Valcanov). He is from Ion City, born under the Family Valcanov. His family has a long history working with military Robotics and smart weapons.
Kai was groomed to follow the family trade and showed promise to become a great engineer. He studied at an elite academy and specialized in Biomechatronics and robotics. Once his qualifications were complete, his father enlisted him into a company called Valtech.

A harsh truth was learned during his time at the company and Kai realized that he had made a huge mistake. Unable to bear the guilt of his mistake, Kai fled Ion City. His escape nearly cost him his life. Luckily for him, he managed to survive and ended up in the slums.

That was 4 years ago.

These days Kai goes by the name ‘Alexsei’. He fixes machines and scavenges the wastelands for scrap parts. He travels the various districts in search of odd jobs and makes a living like this.

Character Description

General Information

Name: Scott Shanley
Age: 32
Race: Android
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Undefined
Current residence: Homeless
Relationship status: Single


Physical Appearance

Very Scott-like.
Medium length, slightly curly brown hair with an elegant, finely trimmed beard and large, round horn-rimmed glasses over his wide, bright green eyes. He always looks faintly tired and dishevelled, but also seems permanently excited about something. He used to dress in a neat, semi-formal coat and slacks – now just wears whatever clean clothing he is able to get his hands on. He is fairly tall and slender with a light, unathletic build.


Personality

Likes: Cooking, teaching, research, small children and animals, taking and collecting pictures and memories, making people laugh
Dislikes: The laws of modern society, injustice, flawed ethics, government corruption and control
Education: No education, but has the implanted knowledge of a world leader in robotics and cybernetics and, later, professor of Technological Ethics
Fears: Android hunters. Scientists, researchers, any highly educated people. Illnesses.
Personal goals: Escape immediate danger; thereafter he has no idea.
General attitude: Fearful, Disenfranchised, but Passionate and Hopeful with a dim view on how things are but a positive outlook on their ability to change.


History

Hometown: (In which District would college professors live? )
Childhood:
Scott is an android created by the beloved young Robotics and Cybernetics professor and Android manufacturer/designer, Robert Shanley, who died around 10 years ago of a new, rare form of cancer that modern technology failed to heal. Shanley’s wife, Marissa, died in a hovercar accident shortly after giving birth to their son, Nicholas. The accident occurred due to ethics technology, which caused the car to elect to crash into a nearby building to avoid a collision with an out-of-control hoverbus, as the latter would result in more loss of human life. The hoverbus in question turned out to be transporting criminal androids to a decommission facility, meaning that the ethics technology ultimately failed Marissa, causing her to die in vain. This was a major tipping point in Robert’s career, with his later work and teachings being far more concerned with ethics and their implementation in modern robotics. His license in android design was eventually revoked due to his new controversial methods and ways of thinking. Scott was his final creation; an unregistered and illegal android based on all the final teachings and philosophies of Robert Shanley. Shanley created Scott in his own image and implanted selections of his own memories and ideals in the android, selecting the version of himself that he wanted to replicate to raise his son Nicholas; his hope being that Nicholas would adopt his teachings and ideals through Scott and go on to change the world for the better to reflect those ideals once Scott, his copy, was eventually and inevitably decommissioned. Scott was essentially designed as a tool for the passionate Shanley to continue his life’s work and accomplish his goals in the interest of his late wife and son from beyond the grave, but below the radar of the outside world who believed him dead. As such, in the 10 years since Shanley’s death, Scott has not experienced a world outside of the small home he shares with Nicholas – programmed with a strong sense of agoraphobia and no desire to see the outside world.  


Relationships

Nicholas Shanley, 20 year old college student currently continuing Robert’s life work in a thesis about the impact and implementation of ethics in modern technology. He has a good heart, but feels betrayed after finally finding out that his ‘dad’ has not been his real dad for the last 10 years. He has cut off all contact with Scott and has reported the android to the authorities for decommission – a decision which he feels deeply conflicted about, but felt he had to make to save the future career that his late father went to such extreme lengths to secure for him. He is currently grieving the loss of his dad twofold and struggling to find himself as a person.



Others

Occupation: Currently none; he’s running for his life and trying to find his place in the world beyond the old life he now realises was never his own.

A smirk played on Alexsei’s lips as he sped across the waterway on his Skimmer board (Hoverboard). He was on his way to the Scrapyard, an island made entirely out of abandoned machinery. It was the perfect day to scavenge for parts, cool and misty; No sun to burn him and no clear skies that would expose him to any military scouts.

In the distance, he noticed familiar peaks of metal threading through the mist. Crouching lower on his board, he picked up speed and navigated towards them. Once he was close enough, he folded up the board and stepped onto the island. Navigating through the mazes of metal, He kept an eye out for parts that were particularly difficult to come by; anything from Battery cores, processing units to rare metals.

After a couple of hours of scavenging, He finally seemed satisfied with what he had collected.
“Not bad for half a day’s work, this should keep me going for a couple of weeks”
Running a final look over the items, he nodded and unclipped a small oval device (Also called a ‘Krate’) from his utility belt. With the tiny device in hand, he flicked it on and watched as a small beam of light began to shine from its eye. Aiming the light over his haul of goods, he illuminated them and in turn, the items began to levitate. This would make the transportation process much easier.

Alexsei made his way back towards the island’s edge. Once the waterway was in sight, he reached for his skimmer board, unfolded it, and pushed the ‘Krate’ into a slot on the board’s surface.
“Time to go before this mist lifts”

He was about to head out when suddenly something stopped him dead in his tracks. A chill ran down his spine as he gazed down into the murky waters beneath his board.
A face stared up at him with empty eyes from deep below. Was it human?
Trying to convince himself that it was just his imagination, he murmured uncomfortably “Just leave it alone comrade, it’s no worth it…”
Unfortunately, it was not in his nature to just ignore such things, especially if they made him this uncomfortable.
With a heavy sigh, he tightened his goggles and threw off his jacket, “…I must be out of my mind.”

……….

(Time skip)

It had been a week since Alexsei’s dive into the depths. The face he had seen had not been a figment of his imagination, rather it had belonged to an android. Androids were human-like machines, often used as companions or servants up in the first and middle-class cities. It was not common for one to be dumped out here in the Slums.

He had of course taken the bot back to his workshop in hopes of either repairing it or at least salvaging some its parts. Luckily for the droid, the damage seemed to be mostly cosmetic and therefore repairable.

Scott panted heavily as he sprinted through the immaculate streets of Ion City, clutching his dislocated shoulder as his arm flapped uselessly at his side. He skidded around a corner and stopped for a moment, eyes wide as a deer in headlights, no clue where to turn next. He hadn't been outside his home in over a decade, and he was unequivocally, absolutely, hopelessly lost. His eyes searched the street desperately, but all he could see for miles in every direction were huge, decadent mansions, stretching all the way to the tall marble city walls. Suddenly, he heard the distant barking of the android hounds approaching, and Scott took off again, stumbling as his powerful legs propelled him to speends he had no idea he was capable of. He didn't know where he was running, but he knew that there was no escape within these walls.

It was absolutely bizarre. A month ago he'd been a retired university professor living alone with his son, Nicholas. Doing his research, cooking pancakes for breakfast, helping Nick with his assignments. Going about his normal, boring, mundane life with peace and enthusiasm. Then, all of a sudden, Nick had moved out to the university residence. And the next thing he knew the Android decommission committee was knocking on his door, asking all these questions and doing all these tests, positively drilling him about a professor called 'Robert' of whom he had no memory whatsoever, but when they shoved the man's picture, when he read his name, he always saw his own. A month ago he had been a normal man living his normal life. Now he was running for his life with no idea of what crime he'd even committed, robbed not only of his identity, but even of his very humanity.

It was all so obvious now, he thought angrily as he skidded to a stop, staring up at the enormous white wall stretching up before him, now he could stretch out his limbs, actually use his body, it was clear that what he was capable of was not merely human. But being cooped up inside, never understanding why he felt like he just couldn't leave, he had never had the chance to realise any of this. It was genius, he thought bitterly, and of course it was. Because ultimately, it had been his idea. Well, a version of him. A version he would never know now.

The barking escalated again, and Scott wheeled around to see the hounds bearing down on him, men in uniform not far behind, their guns at the ready. He had only just realised he existed, this new him, and now he was going to die, without ever knowing who that person was. It was unfair. It was so unfair! "STOP!" He shouted as the anger built up in him, instinctively throwing out his hands toward the approaching enemies. The second his outstretched palms extended, a massive burst of pressurised air exploded out in front of him, sending out a shockwave that blew his pursuers entirely out of sight, and blasted him backwards with such sheer force that his body crashed right through the marble wall and fell, lifeless as a ragdoll, into the river below.

***

For a week Scott's broken body had floated lifelessly down the river, before finally coming to rest on the outskirts of the Scrapyard, entangled in all manner of rubbish and scrap. It was there that the young mechanic found him, unearthed him, and slowly nursed his systems back to life. It was a week later - not that he had any concept of the time - when consciousness finally returned to Scott. He woke as though from the deepest sleep, and slowly opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling made from materials he'd never even seen in Ion city. His eyes darted quickly around the room. Nothing here looked anything like what he had known. It was like an entirely different world. Slowly, he began to sit himself up, surprised to find that both of his arms were functional. The last thing he remembered was being blasted through a wall, feeling his body disintegrate almost entirely. He had never expected to open his eyes and move his limbs again. He marveled quietly at the opening and closing fingers on his hand.
Who had done this?
How had they done this?

Alexsei had a tendency to lose himself in the intricacy of his work. Today he was finishing off a cybernetic leg for a customer, the parts he had collected the previous week had been modified and installed into the leg’s metal frame. The majority of the work was completed and the prosthetic was functional, he was simply fussing over aesthetic details at this point.

A deep metallic creek suddenly startled him. He looked up from his workbench and noticed that the android he had been working on the night before was sitting up on its own.
Putting down his tools, he slowly approached the metal table where the droid was sitting.
“That was quite the sleep. I’m surprised that you were able to boot up your own systems. This is good, at least you will not need a new power core”

Alexsei’s eyes scanned the android curiously from behind his welding goggles.  The attention to detail in this particular model was exemplary, he looked undeniably human. He noticed how the bot tentatively flexed its hands and fingers.
“I suppose I should check that all of your sensory and locomotive functions are working correctly.”
Offering a small smile of reassurance, Alexsei removed his goggles from his sooty face and reached for a tool on his utility belt. It looked like a small torch.
“Do you mind if I check?”

Scott's eyes quickly focused on the movement across the room, as a young man with spiked blue hair stood from his desk. He tensed instinctively as the man moved towards him.
“That was quite the sleep." The stranger commented, not unkindly, "I’m surprised that you were able to boot up your own systems. This is good, at least you will not need a new power core."
What? His eyes narrowed. Who the fuck did this guy think he was, talking to him like he was some... thing? You couldn't talk to people like that, no matter what they were made of. But, he reminded himself, this was probably the person who had saved him. Brought him back to life, even. Best to hold his tongue. His ethical battles could be fought some other day.
“I suppose I should check that all of your sensory and locomotive functions are working correctly.” the stranger said, and Scott realised he was still flexing his fingers. More now because he felt a strong desire to punch his strange saviour, but that was neither here nor there...
“Do you mind if I check?”
The man smiled reassuringly and reached for his hand, but Scott pulled it back, narrowing his eyes, his lips curled in a faint snarl. Not a fuckin' chance, Dude.
"Who are you?" He demanded, swinging his legs over to sit on the edge of the hard work surface he'd been left on. Jesus Christ. Like he was a goddamn piece of machinery.
"Who are you?" He repeated, harshly now, lashing out like a caged animal, "And where am I? Why did you help me?" Were you the one that helped me?
He had questions. And whoever this guy was and whatever he has done, those questions needed answering before he'd let anybody within an arm's reach of him.

Despite the android’s aggressive demeanor, Alexsei didn’t flinch. This wasn’t his first time working with uncooperative machinery, or people for that matter. Clipping the torch back onto his belt, he sighed and responded curtly, “My name is Alexsei”

Taking a couple of steps towards his workbench, he reached for a hand-drawn map that had been pinned against the wall. He circled two spots on the map before passing it to the android.
“Where you are is here, in the Slums. Where you were found was at the edge of the scrapyard...I have no idea how you ended up on this side of the world, but you are definitely not where you belong.”
Leaning against his workbench, he folded his arms in a guarded manner, “I also didn’t help you. I fixed you to see if I could, there’s no sentimentality attached to that.”

The stranger sighed as if he found Scott's attitude tiresome, but he backed off anyway. “My name is Alexsei” he introduced himself shortly, then turned away to walk back to his bench. Scott's eyes burned into his back, watching him sharply for any sign of foul play.
Alexsei grabbed a map and circled two places on it, then handed it to him. Scott's brow furrowed as he examined the familiar representation of his home. The circles were far from where he'd expect.
“Where you are is here, in the Slums." Alexsei tapped the point, "Where you were found was at the edge of the scrapyard...I have no idea how you ended up on this side of the world, but you are definitely not where you belong.”
"I don't belong anywhere..." He muttered quietly under his breath, and handed the map back. Alexsei wasn't wrong. He was far from where he'd started.
“I also didn’t help you." The other man added, leaning against his workbench now. Scott looked slowly up at him, raising an eyebrow. Had it been someone else?
"I fixed you to see if I could, there’s no sentimentality attached to that.”
Scott snorted, almost too shocked to be offended. Almost. "I'm a person." He muttered with incredulous disgust, getting to his feet now, a little cautiously. To his surprise, he felt fine. This guy was an asshole, but he had done a seriously admirable job. "My name is Scott." He thumped his chest, "I'm a person, not some 'thing' that you can pick up and piece together for your entertainment."
Well, apparently Alexsei could in fact do just that, but the point still stood.
"I appreciate what you've done. You've saved my life." His voice was genuine, but then his eyes narrowed, "But that doesn't mean I'm obligated to sit here and take abuse from someone who doesn't even know me."

Alexsei could see that he had touched a nerve with his taunt. He had to admit that he was surprised by Scott’s outburst, it was uncommon for androids to proclaim their humanity so passionately. It had given him some perspective on what was going through the android’s mind.

He relaxed his stance, “Well Scott, if you have that kind of attitude…Then I think that you might just survive this dump.” A curious smirk of approval played upon his lips, “It’s not up to me to decide how human you are. I also don’t particularly care.”
Stretching lazily, Alexsei got up from his spot and made his way towards the neighboring room.
“Are you coming?”

The room Alexsei had entered acted as a kitchen and laundry space. Furrowing his eyebrows, he approached a rather daunting pile of clean laundry. It had been easy to wash and dry, but he never really bothered with the packing away part of the exercise.
“I can’t have you walking around here in your underwear, so pick out some clothes while I boil up some coffee.”

“Well Scott, if you have that kind of attitude…Then I think that you might just survive this dump.” Alexsei smirked at him like a lazy tomcat “It’s not up to me to decide how human you are. I also don’t particularly care.”
Scott's lips were set in a hard line, but he felt his shoulders relax slightly. That was better - marginally. And he liked how totally unfazed this guy seemed - by everything, really.
“Are you coming?”
Alexsei was making his way to the other room. Scott hesitated, glancing around the small house as though checking for any evidence of threat. When he couldn't find any, he made his way cautiously into the next room. It looked like a kitchen for the most part, but there was a heaping pile of laundry in the corner. He raised an eyebrow, and felt his jaw twitch in irritation. Some part of him wanted desperately to clean up this mess. How was this poor soul living like this? There was clutter everywhere. Not, he reminded himself, that it was any of his business. It just itched something deep in his mind.
“I can’t have you walking around here in your underwear," Alexsei said, gesturing to the pile, "so pick out some clothes while I boil up some coffee.”
Scott glanced down at himself to find that he was, indeed, in his underwear. It didn't particularly surprise him, but it also didn't do wonders for his dignity. He hurried over to the pile and picked up the nearest clothes that looked like they could fit. The T-shirt was a little loose around the shoulders and the jeans cut off at his ankles, but they were alright for now. Beggars couldn't be choosers, right?
Presently, Alexsei returned with the coffee, and offered a mug to Scott.
"Thanks." He murmured genuinely, cupping the hot drink in his hands and taking a soothing sip. Now that hit the spot! Immediately, he felt his tension start to melt away.
"So," He began, a little more friendly and conversational now in his tone, "What sort of operation are you running here? All the parts in the other room," Scott jabbed a thumb in the direction they'd come from, "Are you a builder or something?"
Whatever he was, he had to be pretty skilled to rebuild Scott from the state he'd been in. Androids could withstand a lot - he knew from his research, not from being one (the irony of which irked him greatly) - so for him to have no recollection whatsoever of what happened after he'd blasted through that wall, he had to have been a complete mess.
This guy was impressive. That was one thing he knew for sure.

"So...What sort of operation are you running here? All the parts in the other room. Are you a builder or something?"

Leaning against the kitchen countertop, Alexsei responded seriously, “I run a highly illegal network of military-grade machinery.
He grinned, adding jokingly, “Y’know we are planning to take over the world someday.”

Taking a swing from his mug, the Russian savored the Smokey after taste of the beverage.  “On a more realistic note, I guess I do a bit of everything. Some days I work on machine repairs, Other days I’m out running deliveries or lifting crates. I keep any cybernetics requests open though, I like those jobs the most.”

Catching Scott’s gaze through cool blue eyes, he asked curiously, “What about you? What kind of work did you do before this?”

“I run a highly illegal network of military-grade machinery." Alexsei answered, without missing a beat. Scott raised an eyebrow.
“Y’know we are planning to take over the world someday.”
He chuckled quietly at this, and shook his head. So the guy was a jokester, huh?
Alexsei took a sip of his coffee, then answered in earnest, “On a more realistic note, I guess I do a bit of everything. Some days I work on machine repairs, Other days I’m out running deliveries or lifting crates. I keep any cybernetics requests open though, I like those jobs the most.”
Scott nodded. That made sense. His cybernetic work was certainly impressive, considering what he'd accomplished here.
Alexsei met his eyes, and added, “What about you? What kind of work did you do before this?”
Scott thought for a moment, appreciative that at least he was being spoken to as a human being now. "That's a complicated question to answer..." He murmured thoughtfully, blowing absently on his coffee before taking another sip. "I was a research professor. At least, I thought I was..." His gaze became distant for a moment, as he stared through the steam rising from his mug. "I won't get into it now."
I don't know you well enough for that, he thought, even I don't know what's going on yet.
"But," He sat himself down on a stool in the kitchen, resting his mug on the counter, and folded his fingers into a steeple. Out of habit, he tipped his head to stare out of his glasses, then realised that they were missing. Shrugging off the thought, he continued, "I have a feeling your story isn't quite so simple either. This-" he gestured vaguely to himself, "the level of skill and knowledge required to achieve what you did with me isn't something you've got any chance of accessing from the slums." His lips formed a small smile. "This is complex, high-level stuff. So what is someone like you doing in a place like this? How did you learn to do this?"

"This is complex, high-level stuff. So what is someone like you doing in a place like this? How did you learn to do this?"

Finishing off the last of his coffee, Alexsei frowned into his empty cup.
Why must the coffee always be finished so quickly?
Making his way towards the kitchen sink, he responded, “You’re a professor right?  Well at some point I was a student. You can probably guess that this type work requires some type of tertiary education.”
Switching on the tap, he offered to take Scott’s cup. “As for why I am here, well I guess that I am like you. I took a long nap in the ocean and washed up here by chance.”
Rinsing the cups, he then placed them on a drying rack near the window.

Outside the sky had already begun to darken. He gazed contemplatively at the first stars peeking through the clouds.
“I think that that is enough chat for now. We should get an early night tonight.”
Making his way over towards the far end of the kitchen, he reached for the steel ladder that had been bolted into the wall. “The loft is this way; you can sleep on the futon up there. I usually sleep in my workshop anyway.”

“You’re a professor right?" Alexsei responded, dropping his mug in the sink, "Well at some point I was a student. You can probably guess that this type work requires some type of tertiary education.”
"Yeah I can." Scott replied as he drained the last of his coffee. Alexsei took the cup from him, and he mumbled a quiet thanks.
“As for why I am here, well I guess that I am like you. I took a long nap in the ocean and washed up here by chance.”
"Hm." Scott snorted under his breath, "Seems that's happening a lot lately, huh?"
They were both quiet a while, and Scott followed Alexsei's gaze to the window. It was getting dark.
Presently, Alexsei suggested an early night. Scott followed him to the loft with no complaints, thanked him politely, and settled into the futon for a restless sleep.

He woke at dawn the next day to faint gray light filtering though the window. He yawned, stretching his arms above his head, and sat up in bed to stare blankly around the room. What now? He felt totally lost and stranded. Directionless. He had woken in the house of a stranger, still running for his life, with no idea where he should go or what he should do. It was terrifying.

Alexsei slept deeply that night. Acquiring a self-aware android as a houseguest had been an unforeseeable challenge, one that he certainly had not been prepared for. He felt utterly exhausted.

When he awoke the next morning, it was to warm sunlight beaming in through his window. He grunted in annoyance, shielding his eyes and rolling over onto his side. He was about to doze off, when suddenly the alarm on his watch began to beep.
“Fine! I’ll get up, you stupid piece of crap!”
Dragging himself out of bed and cussing heavily in Russian, he headed towards the bathroom for a much-needed shower.
The cool water splashing over his scarred shoulders and back seemed to revive him. Once he was done, he pulled on his usual attire of cargo pants, combat boots, his utility belt, and a fitted T.
He had a mountain of deliveries to run today and he needed to make a plan on what to do with Scott.

Heading to the kitchen, he started up the coffee machine in hopes of luring his mysterious guest out from the loft.
When Scott made an appearance, Alexsei noticed the gloomy expression on his face. He shoved some coffee into the android’s hands, “Already thinking so hard so early are you?”
Making preparations for his deliveries, Alexsei added over his shoulder, “If you feel up to it, you can join me for today’s tasks. I can show you around the city and run you through the ropes?”

When Scott caught the smell of fresh coffee brewing downstairs, he yawned and stretched his arms over his head, trying to convince himself that it was time to face the day. The loft was small and dark, but it didn't bother him much. It was kind of comforting; like a little hiding place.
Slapping his hands on his thighs, he stood up at last, and made his way wearily down the stairs.

He met Alexsei in the kitchen, gratefully accepting the mug of coffee handed to him. He took a long sip, and sighed heavily, letting go of a little of his tension. The coffee, at least, hadn't changed. It was nice to still have one stable thing carried through from his old life.
“Already thinking so hard so early are you?”
"Hm." Scott grunted, shrugging his shoulders. It was hard not to, without anything to do to take his mind off things.
“If you feel up to it, you can join me for today’s tasks. I can show you around the city and run you through the ropes?”
Now that sounded good!
"That would be great." Scott replied gratefully, smiling over his mug, "I could use something to do, and I'd like to be helpful." He sipped thoughtfully at the warm liquid. "You just let me know how I can make myself useful."

Alexsei grinned, “Good, I could use the extra hands.”
Throwing back his mug, the Russian quickly finished off his coffee. Then proceeded to carry a pile of boxes towards the front door. “When you are ready, let me know and we’ll leave.”, he called over his shoulder.

Making his way outside, Alexsei approached a garage area near his wonky building. All the buildings in the slums were constructed in a rather asymmetrical manner, this was mostly due to the fact that they were made from whatever scrap material people could get a hold of. It certainly held a strange rustic charm to it.

Sliding the door up, Alexsei peered inside the garage and began to uncover a rather unusual machine. He grinned as he ran his fingers over the chrome finish towards the touchpad. The machine scanned his fingerprints, then booted up. Its engine purring to life.
Delight penetrated his features as he maneuvered the anti-grav bike out from its shelter. Making sure to lock up the garage, he then proceeded to attached his deliveries using the ‘Krate’ device.

“Good, I could use the extra hands.”
Scott nodded his agreement, sipping quietly at the coffee again as he watched Alexsei carry a large pile of boxes through the door. He didn't seem to want any help.
“When you are ready, let me know and we’ll leave.” He called back.
"Gotcha." Scott replied, and gulped down the last dregs of his coffee. He quickly rinsed out the mugs and left them in the drying rack, then headed outside to meet Alexsei. He found him sitting on some kind of hoverbike outside, the boxes he'd brought out attached via a Krate.
"This is impressive." Scott said genuinely, coming over to examine the machine. He had never seen anything quite like it before. "Did you build this?" He raised a curious eyebrow. If he had - and Scott was pretty sure he had - then his guess about this guy had not been off one bit. He was a genius. Probably an entirely unappreciated one, working in a place like this where nobody would quite understand what went on behind his 'magic'.

"This is impressive… Did you build this?"
Swinging a leg over the bike, He tossed a helmet in Scott’s direction. “I did. It took a couple of months to figure out the design, but I am happy with the result.”
When Scott climbed on behind him, Alexsei slowly released the brake and twisted the accelerator.
“Hold on tight now.”

Pulling away from the apartment block, the bike carried them across the waterways and canals of the city. Alexsei hoped that seeing the outside world cheer Scott up a bit.
Despite the name, The Slums was not actually a bad place to live. It was a poor area with regards to technology and wealth, but the people here didn’t seem too deterred by that. The crime out this way was also not as extreme as one might find in the district cities. The gang bosses out that way ruled and the district military struggled to keep them under thumb.

Pulling into what appeared to be a small market square, Alexsei stopped his bike outside one of the shops. He switched off the engine and stepped down. “We are at our first stop. So let’s grab breakfast.”
Picking through the parcels in the Krate, Alexsei took a moment to remove one of the larger ones from the pile. With the good in hand, he and Scott made their way inside the shop.

They were greeted by the warm scent of cinnamon and freshly baked goods. A deep voice called to them from behind the counter, “You again?! Can’t seem to get rid of you, can I?”
The Russian smirked, “Now why would you want to do that?”, Lifting up the parcel he joked, “Here I come bearing gifts and this is the hello I get?”
The owner of the deep voice stepped out from behind the counter. He was a big man, nearly twice the height and width of Alexsei. His face held the marks of a hard life, but they warmed when he smiled.
“What have you brought me today then?”
The Russian gestured towards the baker’s wooden leg, “You made a request for a new leg. I am here to deliver and install it.”

Scott climbed onto the bike behind Alexsei as directed, holding around his waist as they zoomed across the dirty waterways surrounding the slums. Scott enjoyed the feeling of the cold wind whipping through his hair as he gazed out over the bizarre landscape, unlike anything he'd ever seen. It was like some strange graveyard for old tech; not the grim, dirty junkyard he'd expected, but rather a kind of celebration of where humanity had come from. It was like driving around a time capsule, and something about it made him feel happy. From his privileged place in the world, all he'd ever had of the slums was a preconceived notion society taught him. It was refreshing to learn that it had all been wrong. Finally, he knew something that Robert never did. This place was just his.

The bike rumbled to a stop outside a small bakery, where Scott promptly dismounted, eagerly sniffing at the smell of warm cinnamon wafting through the air. “We are at our first stop." Alexsei told him as he removed a parcel from the krate, "So let’s grab breakfast.”
"Well I sure won't complain." Scott replied cheerily, flashing an eager smile. When they entered the store, they were greeted by a large but friendly man who exchanged some brief banter with Alexsei. He stepped out from behind the counter with a warm smile on his face, and Scott watched with interest as Alexsei presented the baker with a brand new, top-of the range custom prosthetic. He'd obviously built it himself - from what Scott could tell, there was no way in hell this poor baker could afford something like that. He doubted he could even cover the cost of the parts. He smiled quietly to himself. This Alexsei was a good guy after all. Strange, and a bit rude. But good.

Alexsei and the baker exchanged conversation while they sorted out payment. The baker seemed slightly apprehensive when the wooden leg he ordered, turned out to be some sort of high tech piece of equipment. Thankfully Alexsei assured him that the order was correct and that the pricing was still the same. They exchanged credits before heading back-shop for breakfast then installation.

The shop was a family business and like most shops in the slums, it was a home-run business. The baker sat them down in his dining room area, placing a plate of pastries on the table for Scott and Alexsei.
“So Alexsei, you haven’t introduced me to your friend yet?”, the Baker pointed out as he placed a tray of tea down in front of them.
“Oh right… “, The Russian paused thoughtfully, before adding, “Aurick, meet Scott, he is eh, my cousin from out of town.”
Aurick examined Scott for moment, before nodding approvingly, “Welcome to my humble abode friend. Any friend of Alexsei’s is a friend of mine.”
The Russian grinned, “This guy has saved me from starvation many times. Luckily for both of us work is much easier to find these days.”
Finishing off a small strawberry tart, Alexsei left to wash his hands and prep his equipment.


When he returned, it was with the wrapped leg in hand.
“Are you ready for me to set you up Aurick?”
The baker looked tense for a moment, he nodded slowly. “Ay, I am ready. Will it hurt very much?”
Setting up a table for Aurick and sanitizing the space and his tools, The Russian pulled on some rubber gloves and shook his head, “Unfortunately It will be painful for a couple of minutes, but I assure you there will be no pain after the installation is complete.”
Turning towards Scott, Alexsei tossed him pair of gloves and a mask. He gestured for him to approach, “I could use a spare pair of hands here… Of course, I’d understand if your stomach isn’t strong enough to endure the sight of blood”

With Scott’s help, Alexsei unwrapped the mechanical prosthetic as well as a small set of pristine Surgical tools. They then began the installation phase on Aurick. It was a tricky and painful procedure, but Alexsei worked swiftly and carefully.
After 30 minutes, the installation was complete.


Aurick had gone rather pale from the initial pain, but his expression quickly changed to delight when he was able to wriggle his mechanical toes. He gasped in disbelief, “I would never have agreed to that if I knew that the pain would be that intense.”
Rolling his eyes, Alexsei retorted, “Yes, I sure that walking around on a stick all day would a much better option for you. Try to stand, the pain will be gone shortly.”
Aurick slowly stood up, the pain quickly subsiding. “Huh? Not bad. I could get used to this…my wife is going to have the shock of her life when she comes home today”, he chuckled before walking over to Scott and Alexsei, “Thank you. This is just…I do not even have the words.”

Saying their goodbyes and accepting a couple more pastries to go, Scott and Alexsei headed back outside. They still had a couple of general deliveries to run.
Starting up his bike, Alexsei turned to Scott and winked handsomely, “You did good today Newbie. I was surprised that you didn’t vomit everywhere.”

Once business was complete, the baker - Aurick - invited them to his dining room for breakfast. Scott seated himself a little awkwardly, smoothing imaginary folds from his ill-fitting T-shirt. Now that he was in the company of strangers (and not in a situation of complete panic) he was beginning to miss his old clothes, his glasses, his style. He smiled thinly when Alexsei introduced him, with a polite 'nice to meet you'. Each moment was even more of a reminder that he had no idea who 'Scott' actually was.
They finished breakfast with Scott still lost in thought, and then Alexsei began to set up what looked like a makeshift operating table. Scott stood back and raised an eyebrow so high it almost vanished into his hair. Was he actually planning to do the installation right here, right now? Did he even have anaesthetic? This was just all kinds of illegal.

Alexsei warned Aurick - definitely not enough - about the pain, then had the large man lie down on the table. Then, to Scott's absolute horror and - to some degree - morbid fascination, Alexsei asked him to help. This time, both eyebrows shot up.
"Of course, I’d understand if your stomach isn’t strong enough to endure the sight of blood.” Alexsei added, but Scott quickly shook his head. "No, I'll help."
They unpacked the tools and Scott watched with fascination as Alexsei completed the surgery. He helped in places, but mostly kept his suggestions to himself and let the young man work. It was not at all unlike building an android - except that you could shut down an android for a procedure like this one. Aurick's little whimpers and hisses were awful to endure. Alexsei, however, didn't seem the least bit flustered.

When they'd finished, they watched Aurick test out the new leg a little, and Scott couldn't help but smile. Seeing the man's reaction, it was obviously well worth the pain. Scott wondered if he even knew how huge a gift Alexsei had just given him. Whether or not he ever would, he certainly had the right amount of gratitude for it. Scott smiled quietly to himself. These were good folks, down here. So different from the egotistical snobs he'd known back in Ion City.

They said goodbye and headed back outside, where Alexsei started up his bike. “You did good today Newbie." Alexsei complimented with a wink, "I was surprised that you didn’t vomit everywhere.”
Scott shrugged. "It was quite a shock to operate on a conscious human without anaesthetic." He admitted, "But I'm familiar with the procedure. I have some recollection of Android builds - just basic experience really, since design was my specialty." He climbed onto the back of Alexsei's bike, and added absently, "It was fascinating, actually, to see the implementation of modern design. Your prosthetic reminded me quite clearly of my own designs from a few years back."

“It was fascinating, actually, to see the implementation of modern design. Your prosthetic reminded me quite clearly of my own designs from a few years back."
Something about this statement struck a chord with Alexsei, he mulled over Scott’s words for a moment before shaking his head and focusing on the road ahead. “Interesting that you should say that. When I first found you, there was someone you reminded me of…but that simply wouldn’t be possible.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent dropping off deliveries all around town. It was strange to have someone assisting him with his work, he usually did everything alone.
By the time they finished up, it was already late afternoon. Alexsei drove along the boardwalk near the edge of the island. The sun was setting now and had colored the sky and water in a variety of colors.

Bringing his bike to a slow stop, Alexsei took off his helmet. He stared out over the wharf, “Best view in town if you ask me.” He pointed to some jagged peaks in the distance. “If you look carefully, you can see the Scrapyard from here.”

The day went by in a blur. Doing the deliveries was hard work at times, but Scott relished having anything to do to keep his mind and body busy. It was exciting, being out in the world and seeing all these new places. Occassionally, he'd think back to what Alexsei had said earlier. 'When I first found you, there was someone you reminded me of…but that simply wouldn’t be possible.' It was interesting. After all, lots of things had happened to him lately that he had never considered possible. Plenty of shocking information had come to the forefront. He wondered if Alexsei had known Robert somehow. Perhaps been a student. He still had no idea how many of Robert's memories were missing from his. Perhaps he only had the ones he needed for whatever purpose he'd been meant to serve.

Presently, the hoverbike trundled to a stop, and Scott dragged himself out of his thoughts to see a gorgeous view of pinks, oranges and reds spreading out over the sky and reflecting off the water below. He unhooked his hands from around Alexsei's waist and leaned back on the back of the bike, taking in the scenery.
“Best view in town if you ask me.” Alexsei said. He pointed out to the horizon, indicating some jagged peaks in the distance, “If you look carefully, you can see the Scrapyard from here.”
"It's incredible." Scott agreed, his eyes drinking in the scene. "So the scrapyard-" He squinted at the peaks, "That's where you found me, huh?"
What a weird thought. There, of all places?
"What did you say you were doing out there?"