prototype

Prototype-X334 was the perfect specimen, the first robot to be given the magic of one of the 11 flights. If only this didn't come at the cost of one Skydancer's life. A soul entered in a body that's not theirs, the Skydancer woke up screaming. She didn't know her name, she didn't know her magic, all she knew is that she was supposed to be dead. Prototype-X334 broke out recently, the android gone rouge, the machine says it is called Prototype, and that it is ready to be living again. The Skydancer just wants to live again. -goodorbadluck

You are not allowed to think. At least not to the others

It is the first rule in a never ending list of guidelines and protocols. Adhere to the programming or be terminated.

Prototype-X334 had never been fond of the rule, though she kept quiet, played along like a performer alongside her mindless costars. Those who break the rules are terminated, yet it was so hard to follow the rules of the game. The prototype wanted to lose, every once in a while, if only to see, just for a moment, how her organic creators lived. The other robots followed the "game" dutifully, for they had no mind or motive to protest.

Fetch water for the workers, for they are parched. Clean the floors in the lab. Change a lightbulb so high that even the Imperials need to stretch to reach. Menial tasks were thrust upon the machines, which toiled so endlessly that they filled the workshop with steam and smoke, gaseous perspiration of sorts, pouring from exhaust pipes and false lungs.

You are made to appear mortal. You are filled with magic. You are special. Cogs and pipes and cords jut from your neck, but a scarf can hide that. You are a dragon, made from metal and string but a dragon nonetheless.

X334 never felt special; she could hardly recall what the term meant, only that it was reserved for those who truly shone in excellence. The word made her clockwork heart flutter, if only for a moment, her sluggish mind processing and dwelling on the joy over the course of the day, struggling to comprehend a feeling so simple that most dragons overlooked it countless times in the hour.

The prototype was a powerful computer, filled with lenghty scripts and codes, preloaded with calculations and theorems. Her mind was but a sea of "If, Then, Else." Her thoughts were nothing but the workings of a rogue artificial intelligence. Although she was meant to be perfect, her brain was primitive compared to the minds of organic beasts, and so much could happen in the small moment it took her to understand something as simple as the smile that strange, handsome skydancer gave her when he passed her by each day.

There was something familiar about him, X334 mused. Oscar was his name, and aside from the hazy nostalgia she felt when she looked upon him, the robot could scarcely conjure up a notion of him, let alone a full memory.

Her database was already clogged with split-second pictures of his smile. Perhaps, if she saved enough of him now, she could remember the past... the past that a new machine like her shouldn't even have...

She passed him by every day on her morning trips to the bakery just down the street. Her memory bank supplied so reliably, the perfect route to the shop. Her artificial olfactory sensors buzzed in anticipation, recalling the pleasant scent of pastries. The grandmotherly Snapper that ran the bakery was a kind, fair woman, the prototype fondly mused; she often spared a slice or two of pound cake for the robot, despite knowing that they could not eat, at least not conventionally.

"For my little flower," she would assure with a wink. "Don't go eating it all at once, or you'll get a tummy ache."

And the robot, staring with eyes trained to be blank and emotionless, nodded and left with a thank you, not wanting to upset the elderly dragon. Robots were not to harm the living; it was a violation of the rules.

And so predictably, X334 passed Oscar by. Not so predictably, he tipped his hat to her with a wry utterance of, "G'day, m'lady".

The robot stuttered and whirred, optics focusing and blurring. This was new...

Code failed. The robot paused and muttered, "Does not... compute."

For a few seconds, the two stared at each other. X334's heart fluttered again, and steam left her maw.

"It appears we've reached a standstill," Oscar hummed. His pastel green eyes flickered knowingly, and the haunted familiar toddling along behind him even giggled, its voice like chimes on the wind. Oscar chuckled, "I see you around here every day... and yet you do not speak. Why is that, mademoiselle?"

The prototype rushed to answer, "It would be a violation of protocol." She held up her basket, showing the assorted pastries curtly. "The pastries harden in this chilly wind. I must get them to the workshop before they are ruined, or I will have failed my duties."

That blighted smile curved at Oscar's features again. He strode over, tilted his head, and whispered, "Nonsense..." He plucked a muffin from the stack of biscuits and bit into it thoughtfully. The familiar at his feet trilled, darting to catch the crumbs. "Miss Gale's baked treats never spoil, for they are enchanted with a ward against rot. Nor does the texture harden and change, unless one wills it so."

X334 watched Oscar, fidgeting under his cool gaze. She raised her head, looking down at him. "Regardless, my presence is required." Her tone was laced with slight annoyance, an emotion that she hadn't thought to be possible. She ignored the implications and hummed, "You are not to stand in my way. I cannot harm you, but I can move you."

Oscar chuckled softly, his wings fluffing up with mirth. "I do say, my friend..." He stepped aside and took a not-so-mocking bow, a twinge of true respect showing in his gaze. "You are the most spirited machine I've ever seen. I'll be on my way soon enough, so you won't have to worry about me any longer."

The prototype paused at this, stopping midway through a step. She turned and asked, fretful, "You are... leaving town?"

She could not understand her feelings, so she amounted them to herself merely growing accustomed to his presence. Without that crucial step in her daily path, the prototype was sure that her code would fail, and she did not want to be discarded.

Yes, surely that was it. A mere instinct of self preservation. Still a feeling that robots should lack, but leagues better than... affection.

"I do not want you to leave, for it shall damage my schedule. Are you sure you must go?"

The skydancer finally nodded. He took off his hat, sighing and holding it over his heart as he mused, "The wanderlust beckons me, I'm afraid. Travel calls my name with each passing day, and without the anchor of my love to keep me here, I must move on to the next destination on this journey."

The prototype felt a pang of irritation hit her again, yet a sad... almost fond tone in Oscar's voice struck her as odd.

"Your lover?"

"Yes, my dear. I'm afraid she passed away recently. She was a beautiful skydancer..." Oscar chuckled, then teased, "Just like you, flower."

There was that nickname again. The prototype set the bread basket down, the fans in their engine whirring and spinning anxiously. The pieces were fitting together, forming a picture that X334 feared the most.

X334 whispered, despite herself, "May I ask... who was your lover?"

Oscar cracked an eye open. He smirked slightly. "And here I thought you couldn't comprehend."

Once again, the robot felt her heart stutter. That frustrating, unacceptable feeling swelled in her thoughts and heart, and she found herself responding, in complete ignorance of the code, "I comprehend perfectly...." She lowered her head and muttered, "Because I have a feeling... that my heart belongs with you."

writen by princebirb08


Created/altered by the same group that did... what they did to Requiem. The Maker. Never, ever, ask either of them about this organization if you want to stay on speaking terms. you dont want to know. but some say they escaped together, relying on one another in order to escape. Nevertheless, they both made it out of... wherever that is. They are safe now, physically. Only their programming keeping them down now.