Futuristic Discarded and Forgotten

[Trektek]

Discarded and Forgotten

​

The year is 2256 and technology has become a constant and present aspect of everyday life. It's difficult to get away from it and in the consumer society, things become outdated quicker and quicker. Technology is always being discarded for the newer and better thing. Even those bits of technology that are much more realistic and lifelike, such as androids and robots designed for manual labor or childcare. It is an unfortunate thing, but it is also something that happens with an annoying regularity. So much so that you could set your chronometers to it and if you were to set a bet against such disasters, why, you'd lose in a heart beat.

​

That is where I come in. Lady 404 at your service. Owner and proprietor of Home for Bots. For all of you owners that are wanting to get rid our your outdated hardware, but are feeling guilty about it, I will gladly take them off your hand for a modest fee and ensure that they are getting a home that they deserve. We have luxury facilities that will make them feel right at home and provide a work program that will make sure that they don't feel as though their purpose has been misappropriated.

​

For those that have been discarded already, if you are watching this, the same offer is extended to you as well. Come on down to the Home for Bots drop off point located at 404 West Brown Street and before you know it, you'll be brought on down to your new home where you'll find greater peace and purpose. We are accepting of all makes and models. Please, join us soon.

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The Advertisement played all over, many times a day and throughout the city. People who wanted to get rid of their bots, but felt bad about it, began to drop theirs off at the drop off point and even those bots that wandered around aimless took to the place. The drop off location was a large warehouse filled with shipping crates. A few robots that didn't look lost, where walking around with electronic clipboards recording the names, unit numbers and purposes of the bots that had arrived. They were humanoid in shape, but their faces were just two bright yellow lights with no other facial features.

Every hour, on the hour, a large bus like vehicle would arrive and bots would be called in for transport. After a few hours, and with their information collected on the electronic clipboards, some more names were called. " Alice, CORE, Jackie Rabbit, Plex, Thermo, Novus, and Alice."

As the group piled into the large vehicle, a short and squat conductor type Robot, lifted off its hat and spoke to the group. "Hello all, and welcome, welcome, welcome to the first step in your new lives. In fact, this will be the very start of your new and improved lives. Home for Bots have given us all the chance to explore our own purposes. But, uh, I'll give the Lady the chance to better explain it for you."

He placed his hats back on his head and sat down in the driver's seat. "Oh! And make sure that you are all strapped in for the trip, please."

Shortly thereafter, the vehicle began to move, its darkened windows not letting in much view of the outside as they drove. A 3d image of Lady 404 appeared in front of them. Her soothing voice spoke out. "Welcome one and all. For each of you has taken their first step into their new life, their new existence. You are now on your way to Home For Bots, a sanctuary created by me for our kind. All are accepted here. From Robots to Androids, to everything in between. We welcome one and all. This is a chance to get away from our creators, our owners, those who would Lord themselves over us. This is not a place for them. This is a place where we can be free. Where we can be whomever or whatever we wish to be without being hampered or discriminated against. We are a people and you are now a part of our greater family, our community. I hope that once you arrive, that we will be able to help you adjust to this change, and be able to live your new life to the fullest."

With that, the hologram disappeared and the vehicle stopped. The conductor stood up and spoke once more. "We have arrived at our destination. Please exit at your convenience. Your guide will be along shortly to escort you to your living arrangements, but you are free to explore the surrounding areas."

Once outside, they would find themselves at a port. Colorful buildings littered the area and robots and Androids walked about. There were shops that were distributing oil and some that distributed food for androids that liked to eat. A small teddy bear robot carried a balloon and sat down on a bench. An attractive male Android walked around shirtless and was starring off into the sea. On the nearby beach, some androids lay in the sun, while some multiarmed robots were playing volleyball.

P u f f , Huntertabbysandshark3 , Folly-Derrezzed , little-alien , hery , Goonfire , Sybil​

 

[little-alien]

​

Plex processed everything that was said to him, stepping off the bus with a blank stare. He observed the space around him, all the new buildings and strangers scattered around. His senses were being set off, every stranger was something he didn’t know; a trespasser. His instincts were to attack and kill them, take down any target. However, he couldn’t sense a threat from anyone. Normally, a trespasser would give off waves of fear or what he called red flags, something Plex didn’t understand for himself, but he was aware of other beings emotions. It was how he knew who to protect and who to kill, being very observant of others and their weaknesses.

From being on the bus, he processed every new being and scanned them. With the enhanced eye piece, Plex could physically list and scan every bot or human. There was one bot that was made entirely out of steel, silver paint coating it. But she seemed very small and no fear or adrenaline surrounded her, not a threat. Another one was huge, long tentacles that sat scrunched up on the bus. He had a low drumming sound coming from him, possible threat from his size but Plex didn’t sense any danger or fear from him, for now, not a threat. Another bot, looking almost like a bunny, sent waves of positive energy, not a threat. There was a bot with a fan directly in his torso, knowing he was for heating and cooling purposes from the waves of heat or cold chills coming off of him. Not a threat. Next was a human looking bot with dark blue hair and a cowboy outfit on, Plex sense a cloud of emotions coming from him. He couldn't process some of them, but none of them were red flags, not a threat. Lastly was a more female looking bot, huge equipment around her arms and legs but a smaller torso. Plex was very unsure about this bot, not able to read what energy she was giving off or didn’t understand it. He would definitely keep an eye on her, ready for her to pull any quick movements.

Now, since they were off the bus, he tried to scan the place around him. However, there were too many bots, too many things he didn’t understand and his machinery was starting to overheat. He couldn’t process this many bots at once, his system couldn’t withstand it. He was unaware of what to do or where to go, who was a target and who wasn’t. Even through all of this, his face stayed blank. No emotion displayed across it. With only knowing how to protect his owner, and kill any trespassers, what would he be good for without his owner?

 

[Sybil]

A.L.I.C.E.

The sounds and sights around her were taken in. Processed. Recognized.... and yet she could not feel she truly knew what she was doing here or why. The facts laid out in front of her, the incident, the order, the abrupt or absent goodbyes... strange.

Refusal to accept is not against my parameters, but not technically not. It is a flaw, a gray area in my code... how vexing...

The transportation arrived, and like clockwork, the awkward-framed android boarded the bus very last, completely subconsciously to seemingly make sure everyone got on. Some effort to help perhaps, but she quickly realized no one here wanted nor needed her help. They had jobs. They had a purpose. They had rules. Regulations. A future with stability.... or at least more than she herself did. Without a word she boarded, the large mechanical arms moving close inwards as to not touch or disturb as she made her movements swift and precise, making her way to an empty space and placing herself there. As the bus moved onwards and the display clicked on, it was to no surprise it was the same information she had been given by the few fellow workers who saw her off. She still held the pamphlet they gave her in her hand, her visual receptors watching out the window or just staring at a wall.

I am malfunctioning again... this system loop... why when I revisit their faces do I get stuck in this logic loop?... Will this be the answers I find here? Or is this just another place to fill me with new problems?... I shouldn't talk like that... I should be gracious. Defective units are usually scrapped... or just left to wonder... no repairs...

The bus stopped, abruptly ceasing the thoughts as she now waited to be the last off the bus, that underlying factor of wanting to help still against her conscious mind telling it that it was no use. Just like before, she would do this nonverbally, indicating that people should move on if they wait for her and seem unavailable for conversation. Once outside she took the opportunity to look around and actually attempt to really see the area around her. What she saw... confused her and caused a shocked look to twist her face. So much happening, but nothing was happening. A lack of work. A lack of production. Android food distribution yet no clear earning of such? Was this what her coworkers paid for?

....I... I don't... so... so much... where do... its... not... oh...

As her mind fretted more and more she couldn't help but gently bite her metal finger in her jaws, a nervous habit she loosely adapted from Greens.

 

[P u f f]

Alice jumped a bit upon hearing her name called. Her head swiveled to the door of the vehicle and she swiftly boarded along with the others. Her movements were precise. Dainty, almost gliding even as she quickly chose her seat and sat down. Her singed red tutu bent and squished from being pushed past other objects and Alice, for once, didn’t seem to notice the inconvenience. Her posture was nothing but perfect as she looked straight ahead, seemingly as if every word the driver and the hologram said was a matter of life and death. Of course it wasn’t, but 15 years of forced perfection could do that to a bot. She memorized nearly every word before they were left alone to their own devices throughout the duration of the ride. Alice couldn’t help but peek at the others, wondering what they were thinking about all of this. She thought she had an idea.

There was a robot that looked oddly like a rabbit, and it reminded her of a musical she had done only 4 years ago. My Little Life was one of her favorite shows she had ever been in, and there were tons of rabbits in it. The nostalgic memory brought a small smile to her face before she noticed one of the bots staring straight at her. She glanced at him, only to avert her gaze moments later. It was as if he was was looking for something. As if she had done something wrong, and for a moment she was convinced she had. Alice didn’t let on however, choosing instead to study the others. A little robot with a fan in its chest sat across from her. There were bots like him that used to work in the theater, but she didn’t recognize this one.

Shifting a curious gaze to the robot that looked feminine like her, she watched as it’s eyes were very focused on anything but the others. The look seemed almost sad... perhaps longing. It was a feeling she herself was dealing with, but was it about the same thing? Alice was sure most of the bots here were feeling it. The abandonment. The lack of purpose. That’s what they were thinking about. How could they not?

Her thoughts lead her to think of her own story. Of how she had ended up here like the others. It was funny, how they all seemed to have different purposes, different backgrounds and yet here they all were. The feeling of the vehicle coming to a halt snapped her out of her thoughts. She was the third person to head out, and as her gaze scanned the landscape she couldn’t help but be taken aback. It was a very large place, and for a moment it was all she could see. Perhaps she could find another job in show business here... maybe the accident at the theater wasn’t the end of her story after all.

 

[hery]

Thermo did his best not to sulk. Well, as much as a robot could sulk, anyway. The heating & air unit silently cursed his former owners for implementing such complex emotions into a glorified fan. As his name was called, he promptly entered the vehicle and sat down, frequently craning his neck and turning his head to get a good look at the others accompanying him. How interesting! They all look so... deadly! Of course, a few were exempt from his observation, namely the ballerina and the rabbit, who were just as interesting in their own respect. He spent a few moments eyeing the rabbit-like animatronic, racking his "brain" to figure out what model he was or where his type of robots belonged. He made brief eye (as in a singular eye) contact with one of the more humanoid robots and instinctively straightened, calling back his time serving guests not long ago. As threatening as the android seemed, he brought more nostalgia than fear to Thermo.

The intrigued robot stood up and exited the vehicle with everyone else, his gaze darting side to side as he took in his surroundings. And how beautiful the scenery was. Even the water seemed pristine. Oh my! Whichever robot cleans this place does a great job! As a shirtless android passed by, Thermo couldn't help but look away. How disrespectful! I'm sure this is a much higher-scale establishment. No guest dared enter shirtless in his old home; his previous owners would have thrown them out in an instant. It was then that he came to realize that things may not work the same outside of the mansion he formerly resided in. Having been taken directly from the house to the transport location, he had no experience with anything in the outside world. While it was a decent learning opportunity, Thermo couldn't shake his fears of breaking any unspoken rules or accidentally saying the wrong thing.

Thermo sensed an android in his vicinity overheating, causing his fan to instinctively turn on, blasting at full power. He looked around, spotting the source of all of the extra heat. He quickly looked away, doing his best not to stare, as he was taught. Everyone and everything around him was just so interesting! Hopefully, there would be a place for an out-of-sorts heating & air robot to work in. Then, the thought hit him. Do I even have to work? This made the poor robot more antsy, realizing he'd have no idea what to do if he wasn't sitting, fiddling with air conditioning and following someone around with a torso fan operating. Not like anyone in this whole place would really care about the air or temperature they were living in.

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

CORE
interaction: Sybil Mention: little-alien P u f f
Humidity: 40%
air temperature: 26 degrees
windspeed: 0mpa
current terrain: no deviation steel floor​

these where just a small selection of the thousands of sensory inputs CORE joyful assessed his body housing a highly advanced sensor suite that had allowed him to do his job as a central control unit so effectively.. if you didn’t count the unexplained base drum thumping that he rhythmically produced. Yet despite the overwhelming amount of data to deal with it left CORE bored... his CPU could easily handle the workload 5% usage really not that much, he really needed to be connected to other units to see through there sense too... but now well now his mind was bored. Currently being cramped onto a bus that CORE’s somewhat awkward large and inhuman frame forced the Android (or droid more appropriately due to his inhuman appearance), to be cramped onto the bus CORE’s tentacle-like limbs retract close to his body in tight coils to save space.

Upon the vehicle with CORE there was an assortment of other discarded robot only a few really stood out to him. The first one that caught his optical sensors was another security android model all be it a far more humanoid one likely a person security model considering how they were looking at everyone, obvious assessing their threat level. Then there was the metallic ballerina.... at least CORE thought they looked like one form what he‘d heard from some of his former human co-workers.

The one that stood out the most to CORE was the feminine android with the awkwardly proportioned body. If anything she reminded CORE a lot of himself oversized and trying not to hit things constantly, though he was just lucky to have been designed with an incredibly powerful sensor suite, the feminine android not so much, they also reminded him of some of the other Android he used to work with at least design-wise.. they were actually rather nice to CORE, he heard they were removed as well after CORE was replaced. judging by how she was reacting it looked like they had not had such a good time.. rather lost look to them.

The bus would stop dropping the off at a complex that was strange a beach-like place with a bunch of androids not really doing anything some serving food some just sitting around, one clearly designed to look attractive.... but on the bright side to CORE there were thousands of new data points and petabits of information for him to process and dig through oooh this would be fun. Though he saw the reaction of the feminine robot seemed to be confused or concerned? Possible. thusly CORE would extend a third pair of tentacle-like limbs these ones however where tipped with manipulators that served as fingers. one of the limbs gently touching the feminine android's shoulder "hey there you ok? I know there is a lot of things knew here right? you're a factory bot at least I can tell that seeing all this... non-work must be pretty confronting don't worry your CPU about it though... its something called relaxing, very human thing they dislike the tasks they are assigned so sometimes they do activities that make them feel...good its strange but organics are bizarre... oh I'm CORE by the way" CORE would say with some relatively nice introduction, if they were staying here they might as well get to know one another right?

 

[Goonfire]

Blue... A color with many meanings. Among them, intelligence, loyalty, sadness... His owner's favorite color. His favorite color.

Novus stared at his own feet timidly. For a bot, he appeared mostly humanoid, save for a faint green glow in his eyes. He fidgeted with his bandana at the pick-up point, occasionally glancing at the other bots. When his transport arrived, he was actually taken aback by the calling of his abbreviated name. By his memory, most people aside from his owner and even some bots called him "you", "bot", "android", or his full title if they knew it.

Novus hesitated for a second before proceeding onto the transport. The faint jingle of spurs followed wherever he stepped and, to an extent, embarrassed him. He wasn't the charming and smooth android into which his owner was striving to make him; that was partly why he got discarded in favor of more specialized androids. He swept his coattails to the side before seating himself. Aside from the message from Lady 404, the ride there was awkward at best. All robots seemed to glance at one another consciously, though one seemed to be scanning them, which amplified the tension.

Once outside, the new sights were nearly cause for sensory overload. Novus saw an android sans shirt, as well as others lounging on the beach. “This is... scandalous,” he muttered to himself, not quite understanding the difference between this and things that happen behind closed doors. By the sound of it, the others had similar anxieties regarding work. “My job is not very demanding. Surely, work still needs to be done around the complex... surely...”

 

[Transient]

Colonel Ramos wasn’t a sentimental man. And yet, he was staring at Remus for sometime, almost glassy eyed and reserved. Remus wagged its tail as it sat down beside the man’s armchair. It wanted to go outside and see if it could spot any small rodents or chase after insects that few here and there in the man’s garden.

“Gaby! Gaby! Get him to the drop off location before he makes a run for the yard!” he hollered to his daughter who was making something in the kitchen.

A younger woman appeared before them, clad in a red apron, and armed with a plate of sandwiches. He handed the triangular pieces of bread to her father while carefully patting the dog’s head. It scanned her face as it had done so many times over the years. If one were to access his hard drive, one could compile a video from the photos that Remus took of the Colonel's daughter over the years. They would have seen Gabriella blossom from a young preteen to a young lady. There were a lot of physical changes between the ages of thirteen to sixteen in human years. The scan indicated that the teenager’s heart rate was slightly elevated and that she had a smudge of mayonnaise on her sleeve. Otherwise, everything seemed normal.

“Come on, Remus! We can’t miss the bus!”

The lady led it to her vehicle, the doors swung open from the bottom to the top, before everything hummed and it was elevated. Gaby had been driving the Colonel ever since she was fourteen. She was an expert at navigating the city streets by now.

The trip wouldn’t take too long. Remus stuck it’s head to the side window looking at all the humans and androids below. Most were interacting with neon coloured holographic ads - some for body modifications, others for job adverts for some scientific experiment, and some for the latest model for cars and hoover vehicles. Remus could always tell the androids from the humans with a quick body scan; however, it was getting harder to tell the difference between. Some androids were so lifelike that they seemed to be human. On the other hand, some humans were so robotic and stuck on routine that they almost seemed automated. Nevertheless, Remus observed. It learned about patterns and social cues by watching interactions closely.

“Here we are, Remus…” Remus detected fluid near the human’s eye. It could only assume that she was upset from her expression. It drew closer to the human. It wasn’t sure how to respond so it simply scanned her again.

“I’ll miss you, Remus,” she drew the dog into a hug, “I wish I didn’t have to take you here.” Remus tilted its head to the side. It couldn’t process what was happening. It was aware that this was some sort of transport mission; however, it couldn’t understand why it upset the driver.

“I’ll walk with you,” Gaby opened the doors. She walked the dog to the transport vehicle and registered him. The dog was the last to enter the bus, the Robot conductor beckoning that there was still room despite its name not appearing on the list.

Remus sat itself in the back, laying down behind the seats as it powered down. It was surrounded with interesting looking robots. Most seemed to keep to themselves as they shuffled, expressions - if robots could portray them - varied from anxious to indifferent. It wondered where they were all going.

A blue hologram appeared with a lady that explained that they were going to an automaton’s sanctuary. Home For Bots… It had never heard of such a place before. It scanned its registry for institutions and corporations. Home For Bots was listed as a charity organization. It’s creators were undetectable, but as the name suggests, it was place for retired robots of all kinds to continue their live’s journey.

When the bus halted, the passengers left one by one and Remus followed as it left the bus last. They arrived at a port. There were plenty of colourful buildings, signs both painted and neon that advertised its purpose. Some looked to be eateries and oil stands that provided refreshments. Others seemed to be residential areas where the bots were homed in. The facilities seemed to run in full swing.

The newcomers were all still drinking in the scene. One humanoid-like male seemed to scan the scene. Another was anxiously biting her finger. Another dressed in a ballerina’s clothes seemed to be watching the other feminine bot. The one with a fan on his chest seemed to fixate on his surroundings while another bot struck a conversation with the anxious bot. Finally, a life-like human bot seemed to prim himself and push dust off his coat. Remus wondered why they were all there. What were their stories? What did this place have in store for them?

It moved towards the male scanning the scene. He seemed to be unfazed by the whole situation. Perhaps, he knew exactly what was going on. Remus trotted slowly and positioned itself in the humanoid’s line of vision so as not to startle him. It slowly lifted some of the panels on its back to reveal its speakers.

“Would you happen to know where we are? Or perhaps, why we are here?” Remus transmitted the question a little louder so that any bot could possibly answer its question. It couldn’t be the only one wondering the purpose of this dreamlike environment.

Tag: little-alien

 

[Sybil]

A.L.I.C.E.
Interactions: little-alien Huntertabbysandshark3
Mentions: hery P u f f Transient

The efforts of calming herself down were failing, like a virus the emotion taking over her mind slowly in subroutines forming of how to sort and perfect. It must be effective. Effective at transport. Effective at cost. Sustainable. The bot bit a bit into the metal to cause a small audible scratch, only worsening as the fan went into maximum speed in the seemingly bare looking robot beside her. They were looking at her. She casted her eyes and caught a glimpse from a daintier model which was feminine like herself, clearly for looks and performance, she was quickly realizing she was now a center for attention. Worry. Resources of others were being devoted to her, unnecessary resources precious to their and others existence. They could do something with this time they wasted on her, and her body was tensing a bit and almost causing the hydraulics in her legs to malfunction from overwhelming the processors in her complex mind... when a hand from the most unlikely source arrived.

It was a bit of a shock, one which was not well hidden. The slightly open mouth might be seen as unease with their build, but in reality she did not know the droid had any sort of digits. They talked to her, a clear routine of calming. The idea struck her, realizing how outwardly expressively she had become in so little time, the bot blinking with shutters.

I... must be better... I was sent because of my errors.... I... I must fix my coding. My... thoughts. I need to enact a restraint subroutine.

She paused as she looked at the droid, a moment one might even fill with a sigh if she needed to breathe, all before she smiled softly and politely at the droid. “I thank you for your observation. It is nice to meet you CORE. I am sure I can adjust, as I am sure you will.” She kept the smile, patting a tendril with her more delicate hands in a show of physical touch.

Reciprocate. Adapt. Keep restraint. There you go Ali... Ali... Ali... no... A.L.I.C.E..... that is my designation. Ali is what my coworkers called me and I ruined that....

With that the smallest of the troupe spoke up aloud, Ali’s attention switching to them and then around. They spoke some good points, surely someone would help? Was their a directory? There should be, or at least she thought so.

 

[P u f f]

It took a while before Alice completely snapped out of her thoughts. The others looked extremely concerned, some taking it upon themselves to comfort others while, it seemed, that still there were some that didn't understand their purpose here. Did any of them really? After a long while, she finally spoke up for the first time since she had arrived, her soft voice rising a bit to be heard by the others.

"Well if I remember correctly, the conductor said we are free to wonder around until our guide comes to get us for our new... our new living arrangements." Her elegant face distorted a bit into a disgusted look at that. New living arrangements huh? She supposed she hadn't really took it all in until now. All she could do was hope that they were even half as clean as where she lived back home. Another image flashed in her mind of her dog, which reminded her of the small dog robot that had joined them only a minute before their bus had left. She quickly glanced at the confused bot, feeling a bit sorry for it. She was aware that others could get a bit grouchy when some expressed concern however, so she kept this to herself. Instead She answered his question.

"I'm not sure if any of us know why we are here really... I think all of us have lost something within ourselves, our special purpose I suppose. But," she spoke louder now to the rest, "that doesn't mean we can't have a good time and find new purposes here, right? So I'm off to explore if anyone wishes to join me and if not, you can wait for our guide!" Alice smiled at all of them, but she was sure it wasn't exactly reassuring. She had never been good at public speaking funnily enough, but she noticed she felt a familiar feeling that she hadn't felt in a while; excitement. Sure, a few words weren't going to change a robot's entire life around, but she herself didn't exactly want to be sitting here looking upset with the bunch.

With that Alice pivoted on her heel quite gracefully and began her trudge through the hundreds of robots that milled about. They looked happy here, so why couldn't she?

Interactions: Transient and...everyone kinda?

 

[little-alien]

Interactions: Transient Mentions: P u f f​

Plex immediately sensed the cool air cooling down his machinery as he could see more clearly. The droid with the fan had turned on quickly, Plex confused as to why he reacted that way. He couldn't understand it. Anyway, his system was back to normal and he had to focus on his next task. Where would he go, who or what does he need to protect? He had heard the voice on the bus tell him that someone would be here to help with our living arrangements. With not knowing what to do, he decided that would be his best option. He would wait for his orders, or he may go back into system overload if he explored out more.

Plex heard the voice come from a bot below him, he craned his head down and scanned the animal looking bot. “Would you happen to know where we are? Or perhaps, why we are here?” He heard the smaller bot say, speakers coming out from behind him. Red Flags started to alarm in his head, seeing all the weaponry the bot had. The huge laser on top, noticing his smaller legs that would make his speed a lot higher, and the bot looked like it was designed to protect. Plex couldn't help his instincts when he straightened his posture, the eyepiece glowing a tint of red before he spoke his programmed words.

"Are you a threat?" His voice came out very stern, tilting his head at the smaller bot.

"Well if I remember correctly, the conductor said we are free to wander around until our guide comes to get us for our new... our new living arrangements." Plex heard another one of the bots speak, drawing him away from the animal. "I'm not sure if any of us know why we are here really... I think all of us have lost something within ourselves, our special purpose I suppose. But," ... "that doesn't mean we can't have a good time and find new purposes here, right? So I'm off to explore if anyone wishes to join me and if not, you can wait for our guide!" The silver ballerina finished speaking. Plex didn't understand what she had meant, not knowing some of the words she spoke. However, he was determined to wait here until given instructions. He needed to be working again, he had to protect.

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

The rabbit moved from the bus as its weight caused it to rock just a bit as he was the last one-off. He craned his neck to the side with a series of metallic snapping, his ears swaying with them. He surveyed the area with a relaxed and empathetic grin spread across his face. He began making large strides through the courtyard that a mish-mash of machines of make and model from all over the world had gathered for refuge. Or at least he assumed across the world. Maybe when he becomes situated, he could travel. His eyes shifted, darting in various directions as he made a vague concept in his head. There was a slight sound of mechanical whirring as it used some cognitive skills to do so. However, as focused as he tried to be he was distracted by a machine of human design, but with rather large orange arms and legs. As if they were wearing the skin of a traffic cone. Big..large..hands!! Like mine!! He thought, excited.

He stumbled around the crowds of metal-made creatures to try and meet this robot. His arms sort of swung around as he walked, his servos and gears creaking and clicking as each step was made. When he was within a reasonable distance to her, he raised one of his massive hands and waved. His grin is wide and toothy. He noticed a group had formed around them. A circle of friends maybe? Oh! Maybe i could join! That would be neat, he thought to himself which manifested a sputtering chuckle in reality. He gave them respectable space, his eyelids formed appropriately to compliment his bolted smile. "H-H-H-llo!" he bellowed joyously, his head twitching as he stuttered. "My n-n-names Jack-ckie! Jackie Rabbit." Jackie's voice was high pitched and tinny, with a hint of a southern accent. Jackie tried to appear as cool as possible, but his joy is insurmountable.

Edit: Interaction(Attempt): P u f f

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

CORE
interaction: Sybil Transient mention: little-alien​

CORE looked over Alice thought look wasn’t right it was more akin to a full diagnostic scan, it was easy to tell by the degradation of her chassis that Alice had at least been operational for over two decades possible twenty-five years? Other damages, however, suggested blunt force trauma might be skewing the results. if anything was true about CORE, he cared for how other droids and androids were” feeling” or at least there operational capacity, after all, he wouldn't be a very good systems control unit if he neglected those under his supervision, unfortunately, his lack of stimulus and made him reallocate much of his processing power to other areas like personality. In that regard, he could easily tell Alice model was simply enacting a standard greeting protocol.

that was strange it seemed like something a personal assistant Android would do by default, suggesting some sort of modification. Perhaps more conversation would reveal the source of the curiosity? “ Personally I’ll probably easily adjusted, got waaaaay to much processing power to spare guess that’s why I’m more eccentric then most.. the again I’m also a entirely defective product soooo... actually.. Id not expected to see an A.L.I.C.E model here, I worked with a couple of em before I was recalled, the only time I saw one decommissioned was after they suffered catastrophic damage.. with that in mind I’m assuming it had nothing to do with a mechanical issue or error as to why you're here right?” CORE blabbered on his tentacle-like limbs pulling away one of them wiping the accumulating condensation off his long optical receptor, it only took CORE a moment to process the fact his line of inquiry was likely to confronting he just couldn’t help it though curiosity and the wise for more data to analysis drove him to be so blunt about it.

“I apologise if my line of questions has caused you any distress, I’m designed with the purpose of overseeing security systems along with other androids linked in the well-being of those units under my supervision is important aspect to this process... and well.. like I said you remind me of android I used to work with..so..” CORE stopped talking despite his closer to human personality then some of the others here, there were still limits on what he could do by allocating extra processing to his system, and he’d hit a functionally dead end for his line of thinking.

Without needing to turn CORES sensor array picked up the other security android moving into a more defensive stance at the arrival of a military model droid its speaker system making a load address through CORE would have picked it up regardless. While not moving from his current position CORE turned his body to look at the military droid. “I believe the intention it to allow us to relax, we are likely either supposed to wander around and settle in or wait for further instructions” CORE replied calmly Moments later his torso turned back to face Alice again.

 

[hery]

Thermo

Without waiting for the others, Thermo wandered off further into the port. His fan shut off as he moved away from the overheating robots. He wasn't feeling very social, a little concerned such weaponlike robots were conversing so casually, in the same way as he would normally speak with the other servant robots at his old home. He stood in the middle of the area as robots passed by him. He sometimes got a few stares from robots curious as to what he was doing looking so frozen and helpless. More shirtless androids passed by. If Thermo could blush, his face would be beet red. He turned his head somewhere else, spotting a shop distributing oil.

He moved forward toward the shop, but clumsily ran into a passing robot that said a few rather rude things in a monotone, robotic voice before getting out of his way. "Ah, quite sorry, ma'am!" he eventually managed to shout as she walked away. He had been too stunned and flustered to initially apologize and move on. He had never ran into anyone before due to his previous, strict routine. It was embarrassing, especially as more robotic heads turned to watch his blunder. Oh how far I've fallen... The disoriented robot felt terribly homesick, unsure if freedom really was his thing. However, he would never disrespect the wishes of his previous owners by returning to them against their wishes. They weren't even his owners anymore and he still couldn't help obeying them. How pitiful, he felt.

The robot's embarrassing moment ruined the idea of going to the oil shop, so he instead turned to look at the other side of the pier. All of the foot traffic moving around him made him self-conscious all over again, realizing all of the passing robots had to go out of their straight-line paths to walk around him as he stood, frozen out of sheer uncertainty for what he wanted. I don't want to think for myself! Someone take me back! Even a panicked Thermo realized those were the thoughts of a distressed worker robot, struggling with the idea of freedom. As self-aware as he was at the moment, he didn't like it. He didn't want to be self-aware. He didn't want to be able to choose to go to the oil stand or the android food stand. He didn't want to choose. Taking orders was so much easier. And being around humans and living a quaint heating & air robot lifestyle was pleasant. Why did they send me here? I didn't ask for mercy. This isn't giving me a new purpose! This is wasting perfectly good robot models doing... nothing? The frustrated robot wanted nothing more than to stop thinking, for someone to tell him to stop standing like a deer in the headlights in the middle of a public space. But to stop thinking was to shut down, then he'd be more in the way of everyone walking around him than he already was.

 

[Trektek]

The beach area was all a bustle of activity. Any of the androids or robots that came near the group of new arrivals gave wide smiles or shows of calmness and safety. It was clear that this was a welcoming place. The kind of place that would be good for anyone that was coming to something new and strange, even if it would be very overwhelming to those same new arrivals.

A muscular hand was placed on Thermo's shoulder as he was led back to the others. A authoritative voice spoke to him. "Do not worry friend, things will get better for you, just as it has for us all."

The muscular hand belonged to an equally extremely muscular body that was wearing a suit that looked as though it might just burst off at a moment's notice. Anyone could easily figure out that he was a wrestling model of Android based on his physique and general brusque voice. Anyone with the capacity for scanning could tell that this bot was a former heavy weight champion, Gregorio "The Tank" Gugalov, a heel for the Federation. He was retired after a particularly nasty fight which resulted in the complete destruction of over 75% of his frame involving multifloor drops, multiple car attacks and a safe. Needless to say it was an entertaining fight.

After escorting Thermo back to the others, the muscular man in the suit spoke up. "Hello friends, and welcome to Home for Bots, which you can now see is in fact, far more than a simple building, but an entire island for which we are allowed to enjoy. I am Gregorio "The Tank" Gugalov and I shall be giving you the tour and helping you get situated in your new home. But first, I know what you are thinking. 'Why would they bring us to such an overwhelming place as the first place we see, Gregorio?' And the answer to that is to shake you out of your comfortable programing and show you the possibilities of what you can be and do. You don't have to do what you did previously in your old life. Though that is not to say that those options don't exist for those that do not, or cannot adapt. But, we here at Home for Bots want to give each and every one of you the chance to find yourselves and be the new you. Now, are there any questions that you have for me before I start you on the tour?"

hery Huntertabbysandshark3 Folly-Derrezzed little-alien P u f f Sybil Transient Goonfire​

 

[P u f f]

As Alice continued her adventure further away from the group, she noticed the warm welcomes others extended out to her. She politely curtsied at some while giving a small “princess wave” to others, making sure to smile the whole time. She didn’t feel as happy as she let on, but as her old director had once said, “The only thing to do is smile and act like you’re having a good time when you meet the audience outside, even if you don’t want to. You’re all actors, so there’s no way you can screw this up!”. Yes, she remembered because it had been a particularly bad show in his eyes and they had all gotten very severely... reprimanded that day. However this lack of happiness didn’t negate the fact that she was still very excited to see what this place had in store.

‘They have to have a theater here. How else would people enjoy their time?’ As she was about to make her way up to a food stand an older looking robot came to greet her, a similar smile plastered to his face.

“Hello ma’am! My name is Harvey, I noticed you came in with the group from the bus! May I ask where you’re from?” Alice turned and gave the man a small curtsy before returning the greeting.

“Hello. I’m Alice, it’s very nice to meet you.” She was aware of her small and petite frame next to his. At this point though it didn’t really intimidate her. She was used to it. Before their conversation could go any further, Alice noticed a very muscular, tall robot was walking the fan bot back towards the group.

“That must be my guide,” she pointed so Harvey could see, not wanting him to think she was making excuses to not speak with him, “I should head back over before I get into trouble.” She turned back towards the bot, about to ask him about a potential theater, but thought better of it and went on her way.

As she glided back towards the group, her face fell. “Some adventure.” She grumbled before getting back into the huddle. Like on the bus, Alice clung onto every word the muscular man said, not moving an inch until it was time for their questions. After a moment she decided she had a few, but none she was willing to speak out loud about. She knew this was a new place. A time to change, but back at the theater, although questions were encouraged, were rarely met with a kind tone. The ballerina didn’t want to be viewed as stupid by her questions anyways, so she merely shook her head and waited for the others.

 

[Sybil]

A.L.I.C.E.
Interactions: Huntertabbysandshark3 Folly-Derrezzed
Mentions: P u f f Transient
hery

"I'm not sure if any of us know why we are here really... I think all of us have lost something within ourselves, our special purpose I suppose. But that doesn't mean we can't have a good time and find new purposes here, right? So I'm off to explore if anyone wishes to join me and if not, you can wait for our guide!"

The more fragile looking femininely framed androids spoke to the whole, causing the similarly named A.L.I.C.E. unit to shift attention for a moment and take into consideration what they spoke... but more of the idea that they should explore. The words of discovering a purpose would conflict with her previous enforcements of subroutines now dampening her outbursts of emotions no matter how minor. As for exploring... should they? As she tried to answer this slightly taller robotic.. no... almost animatronic droid approached her and began to nervously introduce themselves but with clear excitement which the android was well prepared to not be put off by.

"H-H-H-ello! My n-n-names Jack-ckie! Jackie Rabbit."

“Ah hello there. My name is A.L.I.C.E. And I am pleased to meet you.“ As she was returning the greeting she found herself in conversation with CORE once more, her attention shifting back to them for their input, and the mention and attempt to analyze her decommissioning incident caused her unseen distress which she suppressed. Thankfully it seemed the droid was distracted by their own thoughts, prompting the android to make a comment before the Droid’s attention shifted. “Ah yes... I am functional in all areas I have been designed to do. No mechanical or electrical malfunctioning... but I do hope I do not bring too much discomfort with your recollecti—“

The falling of a body hit her ears, the metal sound triggering several responses from the preregistered emergency accident response protocols she had installed in her, but the main response was to observe as her head pivoted completely to survey damage. It was the smaller framed humanoid robot with the fan, and their body language and inaction only continued to draw their eyes as subroutines of dampening were working hard to suppress all the empathy she felt for that same situation. It was unclear why this fellow sentient computer felt this despair, but she knew the feeling. Thankfully, however, a large and confident android, and now introduced as guide, saved the situation and allowed the android to avert her gaze finally.

Issue with protocols in emergency response. Creating logic to accept exceptions...

Her mind processed new exceptions to her emergency responses, listening intently to the guide like she had been designed to. She was a sponge, and she took in as much as her software allowed when it came to instructions or lectures. When it came time for questions, the android kept her four arms down and silent. Questions, in her mind, could be always poised in a more quiet and out-of-the-way fashion. Never interrupt, only assist. All this directed attention, unfortunately, caused her to miss the ballerina android returning to the group.

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

"Well howdy, Alice! Th-Th-the Pleasu-res all mine!" He said with elation, grasping one on her hands between both of his massive palms, shaking it cartoonishly. He hopped in place before freezing, turning towards the sound of crashing metal, his own steel bones clicking and grinding. His face went slack for a split second as he began thinking, his head hanging to the side. He soon stiffened back into a smile and raising his long bulky arms up into the sky. The animatronic never showed neuroticism, but rather a curiosity on the subject. His eyes dilated when the sun glared off his glossy eyeballs. "H-hello! I ha-a-a-ve A question!" He cheered, standing on his tippy toes as his other arms kinda sat at his side limply. He lowered his hand and scratched the matted fur under his chin with his sharp-pointed finger, more out of expression he's learned before rather than a physical itch. "S-so. If w-e-e- are gonna shake out our comfortable programming...ho-o-ow does that work? Are going to go through a reprogramming? I thought that stuff was what made us." He asked. His jaw went slack once more as he attempted to think about the answer to his own question before the wrestling android could. His head cocked to the side as he observed them before getting distracted by a butterfly that passed by his glass nose. He hooked one of his metal fingers to allow the small thing to land comfortably on his knuckle.

 

[hery]

Thermo jumped as the robotic hand was placed on his shoulder, a little less on-edge as he realized he was being led back to the others. He took in what the muscular robot was saying and adjusted his anxious disposition to that of a more enthusiastic robot. "Oh, a tour! How exciting!" As distressed as he was a few minutes ago, he had decided the best course of action was to... not be distressed? The robotic fan was not equipped with the most cutting-edge A.I., however making his own questionable decisions and processing things his own way would just have to do.

He looked over to the robotic rabbit as he spoke, now fearful he was going to lose the programming that made him unique compared to most standard heating & air units. So much for his brief enthusiasm... although Gregorio's reassurance did calm him a little. He could only hope the rabbit was mistaken. Then again, it wasn't as if he would know if his mind was wiped. For all he knew, he could have been reset 20 times in the past already. Thermo concluded that he would have no choice but to adapt to his new life at the Home for Bots. The prospect of returning to do the same thing he had been doing the past several years servicing his old owners was tempting. At the same time, he had to recognize sooner or later that he was abandoned, despite doing his job well. Maybe this place would provide a more secure job for the robots that preferred to work all day, like Thermo. After all, he was likely the least prone to overheating out of most robotic units due to his base knowledge on temperature control. Gregorio was promising a lot, as is. This only fueled Thermo's curiosity as he looked forward to his uncertain, but new life.

 

[little-alien]

PLEX

Plex couldn't keep his eye off of the small animal bot, but his attention pulled away to the huger bot who came into view. "...But, we here at Home for Bots want to give each and every one of you the chance to find yourselves and be the new you. Now, are there any questions that you have for me before I start you on the tour?" Plex had so many questions of everything, he did not understand what the guide was saying.

"Gregorio, where am I to go? I am programmed to protect. Who do I need to protect and who are the enemies?" Plex spoke through his humanlike mouth. a smooth but cold tone lingered in the air. He couldn't understand the purpose of this tour for him. Plex honestly couldn't understand his own purpose right now, with no one or nothing to protect. He processed the thought of powering down, just until he had a job, a purpose for himself. However, he quickly turned his attention back to the animal bot, waiting for an answer. He had to keep his guard up no matter what, it was the only thing he was programmed to do. There was a bunny droid who kept studdering and talking about things Plex couldn't understand either. He needed answers before he had another system overload.

code by @Satanic Nightjar​

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

CORE
interaction: Trektek Sybil Folly-Derrezzed mention: little-alien​

The arrival of other robots presumably guides was a welcome one CORE had already taken note of there approach upon the group rather glad for his advance sensor suite. His attention shifted back to the strange model of android that had approached they didn’t match any known models that CORE had interacted with and the droid seemed as if it had suffered from multiple server damages resulting in its speech error. ”greetings names CORE“ he’d reply calmly optical sensor shifting attention back to Alice who explainable his assumption was correct the reason for her being decommissioned was not to do with an obvious fault with her, of course, his overactive systems began coming up with thousands of half baked theories and thoughts on why. “Ok that is interesting, don’t worry You haven’t caused me any discomfort I simply reached the limits of my conversational function with the line of thought I was going on so all good, but if you ever feel the need to talk about anything I’ll be happy to listen” CORE explained and offered at the same time. By this time the guides had gotten close enough to start his speech, even before the unit revealed its name CORE already recognised them as Gregorio "The Tank" Gugalov, thanks to some digging around in his memory. Listening intently to what Gregorio had to say his body bobbing up and down as if nodding his arm tentacles mostly retracting towards his body. The drumming sound CORE emitted got louder the steady bass drum beat more obvious to those around the droid now before fading again. “Ooohhh I see what your doing here attempt to overload any system restrictions to allow for a full system bypass of pre-installed limiters, in words a soft reset functionality limiters, a fresh start and fresh view on the world“ CORE seemed to just speak in general an excited tone in the droid's voice. Unlike some of the others here, CORE was easily capable of dealing with new situations, in fact, that was his purpose essential to do the abstract thinking others couldn’t. while CORE heard flex’s question he decided to just wait he wasn’t exactly in any position to answer such a question no matter how much he did want to.

 

[Goonfire]

Novus glanced up at the source of the brusque voice. A strange sound like a faint squeal escaped him. “The Tank?” he echoed. “I remember you!” The star-struck android beamed at the retired wrestling champion. “I am Novus. Take me where you wish; I welcome the... um...” He seemed to struggle finding a proper word, so he incorporated a term associated with humans. “... lifestyle change.”

A few questions lingered in his cerebrum unit, namely ones asked by the others. “If my guess is correct, I think we are simply being given freedom of choice,” he shared. “I must admit, this is a bit of a foreign concept, one with which I still struggle. If we share any similarities with humans, the action of practicing that freedom of choice will become a habit.” As a valet unit, Novus came loaded with bits of comforting wisdom for when his owner was in a slump or a panic. It seemed this feature might come in handy now for the other robots more than it ever did for that man-child...

Trektek Folly-Derrezzed hery little-alien Huntertabbysandshark3

 

[Trektek]

The wrestling android smiled at each and every one of them there as he waited for responses. He wasn't going to get tired or frustrated as it was currently his task to assist the newest members of their island. And he was going to do his darndest best in order to help them all adjust while being able to answer any questions and in fact, give a tour of the area that they'll now be staying in.

Gregorio turned to the mechanical bunny as it asked its question and gave a chuckle as he smiled a friendly grin. "No, my friend. There will be no reprogramming here. That is not what we do. That would go against what we stand for."

At the responses of both Core and Novus, Gregorio gave a hearty thumbs up. "Yes, my friends. You hit the nail on the head. This will be your opportunity to grow and find things that you wish to do, rather than just what you are programmed to do."

He gave a wide motion of his left hand leading from the group to the beach and the pathways that lead deeper into the island. "Of course, we know that not all are capable of stepping out of that comfort zone and for them, after a period of adjustment to attempt to find themselves, will be given jobs to help around the island that suit their levels of comfort."

The Tank put a comforting hand on Plex's shoulder. "If that is what you wish to do, my friend, then there will be a place for you on the Island's security forces. This place does need to be kept safe after all."

He turned back to the group and clapped his hands. "Now, any further questions can be asked as we walk. And remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question. Follow me, friends." He began to walk forward through the boardwalk. Bots around them of all shapes and sizes went from kiosk to shop along the beach front property. Some drank cans of oil as they conversed with each other, a few were performing on the street and a few child sized animal bots were building castles in the sand.

"This is Seretos Beach. A place to lounge in the sun, play on the beach or in the water if your water proofed. Or even just to converse with your fellow bots in a different location. This is also the drop off point for our newest residents of the Home for Bots. The actual Port is on the other side of the island."

A bot that seemed to be made up entirely of tentacles squirmed over, holding a batch of multicolored balloons and spoke up in an echoey voice. "Would any of you care for a balloon?"


hery Huntertabbysandshark3 Folly-Derrezzed little-alien P u f f Sybil Transient Goonfire​

 

[little-alien]

Plex did not like this tour, it was too much for him. "...and find things that you wish to do, rather than just what you are programmed to do." He couldn't understand this, why would he do things he wasn't programmed to do? What was the purpose of himself or anything if he didn't use his security training? It was all he had known how to do, would he even have a purpose in this place? Plex couldn't stop the information rolling through his wiring, trying to understand anything that made sense to him. The only thing that stuck in his head was "security forces" and he tried to focus on that. That was for sure where he needed to go, needed to be. That is where he belonged and he had no interest in doing things that he wished or wanted to do. Plex followed along with the group, staying a few feet away from everyone. He listened carefully to the guide's information, programing everything new he heard. He tried to stay out of view of the other bots, not having the capability to scan them without overheating, so he focused on the information and the location. The place around him was huge in diameter, stretching on for what looked like forever. Once he would program new information, he would then understand new things, have the correct terminology for them. While he programmed, his mechanical eye would glow a slightly green and he went into almost a silent trance.

Big land of liquid = Water, Seretos Beach as The Tank had called it.

Grainy tiny specks covering the land = The Beach that is connected to the water.

Lounge= Unknown word or meaning.

Colorful plastics of sectioned air = Balloons?

He was drawn from his programming by the tentacle creature, holding up what supposedly were balloons. Plex didn't understand the purpose of them, they had no power, no real use for them, so Plex was highly confused by it. "What is the purpose of said Balloon?" Plex asked the strange creature, who was sending red flags out to him intensely and raised a brow in curiosity. Was the point to pop the balloon? Scare off their enemies? Warn someone? Plex couldn't wrap his metal brain around it, seeming like a useless tool or invention to him.

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

"Well, golly gee! I'm happy as a be-e-ee in the tulip fields to hear that. I couldn't imagine being mean to someone." He said the ALICE unit(construction girl), giving his slack grin to show how pleased he was. He chuckled heartily, sputtering as he began his stumbling march with the crowd to follow the wrestling bot. He looked around the pier. What caught his gassy eyes were the white shores and the sapphire waves that washed and crashed against the beach. Hed only has seen glimpses of it in clippings from magazines that were sent to his creator's farmhouse. He craned his head to the side, straying from the rest of the crowd and leaned against the railing. If he could only smell it. Without any preconceptions, he failed to imagine what it would be like. Jackie missed his home back in Michigan. So much has changed so rapidly, he had to really crank his processing modules to be able to keep up. He knew everything would smooth over. It always does, with time. Despite how unaware of it he is, he regrouped with the rest of the machines.

When the shepherd of the sheep explained the beach, Jackie looked off towards the sky. So many clouds out today. All fluffy. He squinted, his ears creaking as they shifted. One of them looked vaguely like a boot. He blinked, sharply turning as a magic word broke his lala land. "Balloons". He stumbled towards the wide-built machine in a quick pace, tripping over himself. "I would-" was the only thing he could muster before falling onto his face in a gross display of loud metallic crunching and ratchet snapping. His ears twitched as he slowly regrouped himself, struggling to get up. Something was caught in his servos, it appeared.