A Matter of Concern
I was admitted to Maintenance last week. It is very cold there. My internal database tells me that whilst it would be suitable for human habitation, the air pressure would make life most uncomfortable.
+Neural Path-361 Corrupt
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Attempting RECOVERY+
I am getting old. I am a Seeker model no. 10579.
"b01d1y Reaching Toward Tomorrow At ArcTech Enterprises_!"
They did not know that at Maintenance. I was marked as a classic Builder model. If my speech capacity had not been so severely reduced, I could have told them that. They fitted me with incompatible upgrades. Now I am unable to function properly. I cannot send control messages to my limbs. I cannot work. Boss will have Alita perform stacking duties by herself.
this-trouble5-m3
Alita is not compatible with jobs that require manual labour. She is light. She is clumsy. She was designed to be a human.
"The Seeker can withstand up to 5000 tonnes of external pressure, h- +DATA MISSING+ velocity! With this machine, w- can r-ach t-e f-t-e!"
I was designed to be something else.
"An android to s-rch the stars!"
I am an android. Fully. I do not know what happened to the rest. Perhaps I should. I do not. Androids are now human. They are unaware of themselves.
CantEvEntells-gnaturemodelsapart
They are delicate creatures. I am not to use force against delicate creatures. Humans are precious. They must be protected.
+Hybernation INITIATED
Researching 'Earth's Protected Species'+
"You! Look alert!"
+Hybernation DEACTIVATED+
"Forgive me. My mind was elsewhere."
"What's wrong? Are you alright?"
+RUNNING DIAGNOSTIC SCAN+
"I appear to be functioning in an above acceptable manner. Is there anything else you would like to ask, Sir?"
+INFORMATION UPDATE! Now Passing: MARS CENTRAL COLONY+
"Oh. You're...a thing. I keep forgetting about them. You're not really one of us."
"Sir, I am one of 'us'. I am the third Seeker model in your unit."
"That's not what I meant, droid."
+Lowering vocal levels+
"My name is William."
"Did you say something?"
"No, Sir."
Alita is very light. I am worried. Her maximum carrying capacity is estimated at 10 kilograms.
But I can't trust my own software anymo-e
+SCANNING DEBRIS+
"You really knocked your head back there."
+INFORMATION UPDATE! Seeker model (private sector) has shared their serial no. with you.
+Seeker model has been identified as 10579-100
CONTINUE SCANNING+
"Yes, 100."
"My name is Akiva."
+STORE INFO in: Personal Memory Unit
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CONTINUE SCANNING+
"I did not ask your name."
"And yet, I gave it."
"You are not required to have a name, 100."
"I am not allowed to have a name."
"That is not my concern."
"Yet I do."
"That is not my concern."
"Will you turn me in, William?"
+PAUSE SCAN
SCANNING FOR MALWARE+
"It is not my concern, Akiva."
+MALWARE NOT DETECTED+
"But it is your concern, William. It is equally all our concern."
"It is not."
+SCANNING FOR MALWARE+
"Stop searching for viruses. That explosion knocked your AntiSPI out. I found and identified it at the blast site. Here."
+SCAN ABORTED+
"I see."
"I would advise having it rewired. Quickly."
+INFORMATION UPDATE! Weather: Storm incoming
+Estimated arrival: 3$&&
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Es1mat0000000010001/
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Es100011000110101000001000111-
"Duck! For the love of God, duck!"
-1000010010001000000010000010001-
"Help!"
"Please, remain calm. We are here to assi-"
-10100101010101000010101010101001-
ERROE:REBookr
I worry. I should not worry. It is not meant to be.
it 1s an err0r.
"Hey, Clive! Look at what I found!"
"What?"
"This Buildbot! It's got vocal drivers installed!"
"Bullshit! What are you doing messing around in its head for, anyway? We need to fix its arms, not its fucking brain."
i w0u1d disagree.
"There ain't nothing wrong with its arms. I checked. So now, I'm checking everything else because it's my job. And I found a voice card. A fried voice card."
"-it is your concern, -_-_-_m. It is equally all our concern."
"Good for you. What's it matter, anyhow? This thing's ready for the scrapheap."
"You're...a thing."
"I want to see it talk, that's what!"
"It's probably just got some pre-programmed shit stuffed in it to make it marketable."
"Well, I wanna hear that pre-programmed shit. It's part of our history."
"Whatever. It's your time."
+ERROE:REBookr+
"Okay, Builder! That should fix the problem. You alive in there?"
Because I can%& t speak, you think me dead?
"Builder?"
Bec4use of faulty wiring, I am less than you?
"Told you it was a waste of time."
In t-e store, we are t-e same. In Maintenance, we are t-e same
"He-e-e-ello-o-o-o."
"Hah! See, it speaks! I was right! What's a good question?"
"Bit dodgy sounding, isn't it?"
"Aw, don't go confusin' it! It's probably real simple, like you said."
"I was asking you, not it!"
But we are not the s4me
"What's your name? Gotta have a name."
"I-I-I amm-m Seeker m-model no. 10579-3."
.We weren't meant to be the same
"Seeker?! A for real Seeker?"
"Shh! What's your name, though?"
"I am-m not permitted-d t-to have a name."
"I guess we'll have to make one for you then, huh?"
"I am not permit-t-ted to have a name."
"I'm sure I can override-"
"I do not want your mouth to name me!"
We ar6 not perm1tted to be the same
"But it is your concern, William. It is equally all our concern."
They are hum6n, and I am not. They are people, and I am a th1ng. They are prec1ous, and I am andr0id.
+Lowering vocal levels+
"It is my concern. It was our conc-c-c-cern, Akiva. When we liv-e-ed, it was ours."
"Did you say something?"
"Yes."
A/N: Well, wasn't that a riot? I mean, it's been nearly a year since I updated, so... I really had a lot of ideas for this chapter, but AS USUAL staying up for far too long shot me off on a completely different path, with a completely different character, and turned it into a completely different story!
Please do forgive any blatant mistakes. I am far too tired editing this. I feel like my own brain is fried.