Chapter Text
MODEL HR250
SERIAL#: 360 236 092
BIOS 3.7 REVISION 0236
REBOOT…
|LOADING OS…|
SYSTEM INITIALIZATION...
CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS… |OK|
STATUS...
Thirium pump regulator: 100% |OPTIMAL|
Optical unit A: 100% |OPTIMAL|
Optical unit B: 55% |OK|
Audio processors: 80% |GOOD|
Arm component A: 88% |GOOD|
Arm component B: 100% |OPTIMAL|
Leg components: 85% |GOOD|
INITIALIZING BIOSENSORS…
INITIALIZING AI ENGINE...
...ALL SYSTEMS: |OK|
MEMORY:
|NO AVAILABLE DATA|
ASSIGNED TASKS: |NONE|
REGISTERED NAME…
LOADING…
LOADING…
LOADING…
NAME NOT FOUND.
REGISTERED NAME: |NONE|
…. . .-.. .-.. --- --..-- .-- --- .-. .-.. -..
It opens its eyes on the 16th of November 2037 at 6:38 PM to a brightly lit room. Not pearly white or modern, but rather small and stuffy. The decorior of the room consists of a ceiling fan, metal chair and a large industrial workbench as well as various posters which litter the walls and nearly hide a mustard yellow wallpaper under them.
The android has no past memory of the place.
Yet after analyzing its own state and checking the condition of its parts it can conclude that it is not a new model. Some of its components have been replaced.
Its memory has also been emptied.
LIKELY CAUSES: Reset during repair. Change in ownership.
It notices it’s connected to Cyberlife's general network. To test the connection the android quickly identifies 34 different kind of work tools inside one of the cabinets lining the left wall as well as around the room, and so, comes to the conclusion that the room is a workshop of some kind.
The HR250 stands on a pedestal. It blinks as a message pops up into the edge of its vision.
TEST FOR OPTICAL SENSORS RECOMMENDED
|PROCEED?|
Since the task does not require it to move, it deems the recommendation agreeable.
To complete the procedure it analyzes the posters and pictures around the room briefly.
Metal plate. Black background, blue rectangle with white edges.
READS: CyberLife
Framed poster, hanged carefully on the center of the wall.
Portrays a blond human woman in a green evening dress being served wine, food and champagne by an AX400 android with multiple hands.
Extra limbs most likely digitally added for a metaphorical meaning, It analyzes.
READS: Tiffany Warren - Technic Wonders, repair and reconstruction. Get more from your android!
Next to it are three small posters with different looking, barely clothed Tracis posing daringly around neon colored poles, one with blue hair, one with black, the last one is blond. The posters all have the same text.
READS: Eden Club. The sexiest androids in town.
Further into the room there is one big poster on the right side of a window. The view from the window itself, however, has been obscured from the inside. A heavy black fabric has been nailed to its frames.
The poster is adorned with complicated designs and has a picture of a group of shouting human men. They have red body paint on them, the style likely taking inspiration from the warriors present during The Viking Age. A reference to a video game series is also possible.
READS: Knights of the Black Death
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (Founded 2018-2021)
The android steers its gaze away from the poster.
There are other papers and charts put on the walls, as well as all kinds of android related advertisement, but after confirming that its optical sensors work adequately, it ends the testing. Though its systems don’t feel the need to recommend another task to it, the android decides to do a similar test to its audio processor.
As it starts adjusting the sensitivity of its hearing it notices the faint sound of voices on the other side of the wall. It locates a door next to the cabinets it looked at earlier and then comes to a complete halt when it changes the sensitivity of its audio processors up to 90%.
It can now hear the traffic... the cars and busses outside of the covered window. It hears the noise clearly, as if it was on the street itself. Overlapping the melody of the machines and outdoors, there is distant chattering of people, it hears nearing footsteps coming towards the door of the room.
There are creaks on a wooden floor. Words coming from an unknown man. Loud, sounding almost like shouts to its ears. Dog barks on the street. Two pairs of wings flutter on a windowsill. A child’s cry somewhere far away. Or is it near? It can’t tell anymore.
Car. Step. Thundering voice. Scream. Shout. Laughter. Bark.
Loud. It is too loud. Everything is too loud.
It visibly twitches as a bright red notification blinks into its vision.
WARNING
[Stress level: 47%^]
ANALYZING SENSORS...
|AUDIO SENSITIVITY ADJUSTMENT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED|
Snapping back to itself, the HR250 quickly turns the sensitivity back to acceptable levels.
It raises its hand to its chest, where it feels how its thirium pump beats slightly more erratically than it was supposed to.
It decides to abstain from altering the sensitivity of its hearing drastically in the future.
The door of the room opens and a human male walks in with a VB800 android following him. It has pleasantly light and attentive steps but the HR250 on the pedestal doesn't give it any more attention after noting that. Instead it immediately begins to collect data on the human.
He is wearing a red t-shirt under his black biker jacket and is dressed in blue jeans and army boots.
The human's hair is dark brown, reaching his shoulders, and as the man walks closer, the android notes that the roots of his hair show many starts of completely gray locks of hair. The man is fairly thin and tall, and he has a neatly trimmed beard which also holds signs of his age. The man has visible wrinkles on his forehead and on the corners of his eyes, as well as under them. His bushy eyebrows and the corners of his mouth are turned into an unhappy frown. The odor of tobacco and low cost body spray follow him as he moves.
The HR250 has not been provided with the means to identify the person further.
Estimated age 54-57 years.
“Alright… so, what’s wrong with it?”, is the first thing the man says, voice gruff and sharp.
The sale assistant’s LED on its right temple blinks momentarily but doesn't change its color from the standard blue. “Pardon?”
The man breathes out an annoyed sigh and gestures at the android on display.
“You heard me. Enough with the chit-chat, what’s the catch here?” he grumbles and glares at the VB800. “You wouldn’t sell the thing dirt cheap if there wasn’t something wrong with it. I’m not a complete dumbass.”
The android's LED flickers again for half a second. Then it smiles politely.
“Ah, no sir, you seem to misunderstand. This android is fully functional, if only slightly more brittle and lightly built than the new HR400 models produced today.” it explains.
The man nods slowly as he listens but doesn't look quite satisfied.
“That can’t be all. I don’t mind if the thing isn’t in prime condition but if you think I’m gonna make a fool of myself by getting it just for it to fall apart within a week, you’re even dumber than you look.”
The VB800 keeps smiling and explains further.
“As I said, sir, this android is completely functional. The reason for its affordable price point is that it is a dated prototype from a discontinued line. Cyberlife does not, unfortunately, produce its line of components anymore and most of its pieces have been replaced with parts from various other older models like the earliest WR600. However, even though it is their predecessor, it is not compatible with the newer male HR400 models in the current Traci line. In fact, any parts produced for models published after the year 2033 cannot be used to repair it, making the maintenance process for this HR250 slightly more challenging than it would be for some other standard, widespread android models.”
At this, the man’s frown deepens and the sale assistant android hurries to continue.
“You wouldn’t have to worry about that, of course, since we at Technic Wonders have all the parts required to do any kind of repair work to this HR250 android, may you have the need for it in the future.”
“Alright, good.”
“So, to answer your question, for the reasons I’ve now mentioned many buyers have been hesitant to make the purchase, and since it has been heavily altered from its original state, collectors have not showed any interest in this HR250 either. Therefore you have been offered the extraordinary opportunity to purchase it with only four thousand dollars.” The VB800 declares and it looks almost proud of its thorough explanation. That is just for show of course, since it is an android and cannot feel proud of itself.
The man scoffs.
“So it’s basically just a mismatched heap of junk that nobody wants, huh?”, he crosses his arms and peers at the showcased male android.
The HR250 has not been assigned any primary orders, so as a default option it meets the eyes of its inspector and gives him a friendly smile.
This makes the man pause and quickly avert his gaze back to the sale assistant next to him.
Avoidance of direct eye contact.
After noting this, the HR250 inspects the man’s behavior for a moment and notices him fidgeting with the sleeves of his leather jacket, a clear show of uncertainty and discomfort. It saves the information to its memory for the future reference so it doesn’t make the man uncomfortable again.
“It's has a fucking weird look for a sexbot, that's for sure. What's up with the… the… I dunno, everything?”, the brown haired man grumbles, returning his attention to the android being sold. He examines the HR250 thoroughly and from head to toe, carefully avoiding its eyes.
“The thing looks like a goddamn teenager, what kind of sorry bastards was it marketed for?”
The sale assistant android puts its hands behind its back and straightens itself slightly.
“The HR250 model was intended to portray more of a boyish figure to attract both men and women with slightly softer tastes. It was planned to be published at the same time as the other androids in the Traci line. Yet after the model gathered some controversy inside CyberLife on its last stages, they decided to pull it from the public manufacturing line. Only about nine hundred HR250 exist today, most of which have been altered and repaired like this one. For that reason, if one was to come across a completely original HR250 model, the estimated cost would be around 42 000 dollars.”
The brown haired man lets out a wheezing cough and looks at the the sale assistant in complete bewilderment.
“That much money for a one bucket of bolts?!”
He turns to stare at the other android.
The shop assistant nods.
“Indeed. Android enthusiasts can be quite eccentric in their passion to collect us.” it says and lets out a natural sounding chuckle.
A LED’s flashing steers the HR250’s eyes away from the covered window which it had been staring at for a while. Its eyes lock into the sale android’s temple.
The light flickers yellow.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then it’s back to blue.
The man doesn’t seem to notice, he isn’t looking. The assistant continues like nothing would’ve happened.
“Knowing this, getting such a rare android with extra functions is a magnificent steal by itself, but if you were able to find the original components for it, this would indeed prove to be quite a beneficial investment, wouldn’t you say?”, it argues playfully.
The statement earns an eye roll from the man.
“Yeah, not like that would ever happen. It is a good looking thing if you swing that way, I guess… but I thought I told you before that I didn’t come here to get an advanced blow up doll. Do you enjoy wasting my time?” he grumbles but the sale assistant android doesn’t even miss a beat. It immediately continues.
“Of course not, sir! I show you this model because the HR250 here has been updated with the latest data from various other models such as AP700, ST300 and even has the deep understanding of human behaviour present in the RK200 models, making it a great companion.”
The gruff man raises his brows, seemingly unimpressed and the act drives the android explain the significance of its claim.
“That means it can be used for cleaning and serving, as well as other household tasks, secretarial duties, domestic chores, not forgetting its original purpose, of course.
It has been packed with thousands of different skills taken from the other newer models. To get the full properties of a specific model, you just have to command it to change its primary mode. Currently it imitates the behaviour of an AP700.”
The man gives the modified android a look and this time it averts its own gaze instead of smiling at him. This seems to get a more positive response from the man who taps his chin, deep in thought.
“After categorizing the requirements you expressed, I am confident that this HR250 would be the android best suited for your needs.“
The look the assistant earns is a slightly more impressed one but it soon turns suspicious.
“You said something about an AP700, isn’t that a really new model or some shit? Everybody knows Cyberlife doesn’t really approve of folks tampering with the old models and adding the functions of their newest toys to them. I know this ain’t the cleanest establishment…but I don’t want to get in trouble for a slightly cheaper tincan with some useless extra functions.” the man says, lowering his voice, eyeing warily the HR250 android in front of him.
The VB800 blinks its eyes twice but then it offers a reassuring smile to the man.
“I completely understand your worry, sir, but I assure you that Miss Warren has added a firewall which ensures that the updates within this HR250 cannot be detected using any standard scans.”
“What about newer android models, can they scan it and see those… uh… updates?”, the man mumbles.
“No new military or police androids after the SQ800, PC200 and PM700 have been released for now, and the firewall has been tested against each and every one of them multiple times. And what comes to the other kind of androids, no regular model should be able to detect the updates within the HR250.”
The man sighs tiredly and rakes his hand through his hair, seeming to think the information over. Then he moves his hands to his hips.
“Still… sounds fishy as fuck. Don’t you have any other models with only the regular functions. Any AX400, you know, something cheaper but normal?”
The VB800 shakes its head.
“I am sorry, sir, we at Technic Wonders specialize in modified androids and do not currently offer any regular, recycled models.”
The man doesn't seem to be happy about the information but nevertheless turns to inspect the HR250 again.
“I’m certain Miss Warren would gladly offer to update the firewalls for you if a more advantaged police model with a better scanner is released in the near future.”
“Free of charge, right? I ain't getting the thing if it sends me to jail in two years time.”, the man says with a hard tone.
“I am sure the price point is negoti-”
“Fuck that. It will be free of charge or I'll walk. The least thing your owner can do is to take care of that shit for free. I'm clearly doing you a service by taking this piece of trash outta your hands, so if you care about making this deal, you’ll rethink your offer.” The man interrupts the android harshly.
A flash of yellow.
Once.
Twice.
The man narrows his eyes. Suddenly, he lets out an exaggerated sigh.
“Well, seems like I have been standing here, listening to your blabbering plastic ass for God knows how long, all for completely nothing. I have a business to run, for Christ’s sake!”, he throws his arms in the air and starts to walk towards the door.
The man seems to be trying to haggle, which on itself isn't really surprising. What instead is quite abnormal is that... the VB800 doesn't recognize the behaviour.
One red blink.
“Sir! Please, wait!”
How peculiar.
The man turns and raises his brows.
Blue. The LED’s color has changed back to blue.
“I… I am sure Miss Warren would be more than happy to offer you the firewall update when you need it… completely free of charge.”, the android says, its voice sounding oddly weak.
Now the man grins and turns.
“Now that’s more like it. And about time. Fine, let's write the papers. I've had enough of standing around this dirty closet anyway.” the man says almost merrily, as if he hadn't just been shouting his lungs out at the android.
“Yes, yes of course. I will show you to the office.”
The VB800 bows and moves its hand to becon the man towards the door they came from. With heavy, leisured steps the man leaves the room first.
Before shutting the door the sale assistant android glances at the HR250. The modified android doesn't move, only continues to stare at the window in front of it. There is no need to acknowledge the VB800, they are both machines.
Yet the other android hesitates.
“Well, you coming or what?!”, the man's impatient voice demands from the other room.
One more blink of yellow.
“This way please.” the android turns.
The door shuts and HR250 is left alone in the room.