Forums » Sci-Fi Roleplay » Journy to the City of Dreams (open)

(Characters are free to come and go from this RP. Violence is okay in small doses, but I don't intend it to be a big part of this RP. Era has no hatred toward humans at the start of the RP, weather that changes by the end depends on what happens during the journey. Robots that hate humans or want to kill them are allowed to join if they want, but the focus of the RP is going from one place to another with stuff happening in between. What kind of stuff is up to whoever joins in. Humans and Aliens are welcome to join too.)


The tall buildings huddled together in bunches as if it would make them less cold and imposing. Sheets of rain fell from their edges as dark clouds rumbled overhead. A bolt of lightening streaked across the sky and hit a mound of trash in an alley. Trash bags and stacks of newspapers were set ablaze. The dumpster was only scorched. Some months back a robot had been dumped there, after her owner's death. He was the sort that believe that robots were 'hers' by default like ships and cars. The robot was used to that though she did not look female in the least nor had she been given a gender by her manufacturers. The lighting bolt had restarted the her internal computer and the side of her that had been near the papers was dark with soot. The rain drown the fire shortly after it started. The robot's eyes lit up and the gears in her head began to whir into life as she download the few updates she was missing and installed them.

The robot was a Zen-79, the last of its model had left the factory more than twenty years ago and this one's last owners had bought her used. Once her mind had rebooted the robot wheeled itself out of the alley on her trackball, her right side still warm from the fire. Her memory banks were corrupted from the bolt's strike but she had a vague notion of how to fix that. She would go to the City of Dreams to find someone to repair her. True some said it was not a real place while others said it was the only place left that had been untouched by 'progress'. As the robot rolled down the narrow street she passed thin blanket wrapped forms of people laying in doorways and in rows under every overhang trying to keep dry and warm. Dry leaves crunched under its trackball as the robot made her way to the end of the street.

(would it be ok if I joined this?) Edit:(it's fine I can tone this character down a bit it wouldn't change much to make my character just sarcastic and slightly angry with everything if that's ok)

A droid on two legs walks out of a building with an old bag in hand "Curse these rusty parts, making me have to replace them everyday, one day i'm gonna have to clean myself up" he begins walking off with the bag in hand and is muttering to himself about something to do with a city of sorts but it is difficult to hear him

(Okay, that should be fine.)

It had taken Era some time to update her drivers. The clouds over hear were thinning and light was starting to shine down in small patches on the ground around her. As she rolled near the droid his muttering drew her attention. "Query: What is your destination?" her synthetic voice chirped at him. Her visual sensors regarded him with curiosity. She had not seen another robot in some time as anything much more advanced than a carpet cleaner or robotic pet had been uncommon where her last owner had lived. She rolled a bit past him then turned around on her trackball to face him while waiting politely for a reply.

The droid pulled his head up to look at Era "Commentary: I am heading somewhere which may or may not exist. Question: why would my matters be of your concern?" he said stopping in his tracks and letting his protocols take over for his adaptive driver. He began silently scanning Era to easier identify the rolling droid in front of him and make a number of estimations about her

"I am going to the City of Dreams. Query: Is this also your destination?" Era chirped excitedly. "Studies have shown that traveling in a group is of great benefit to all in said group. Query: May we travel together?" she asked him.

His scan would show that the little bot was forty years old and had been recently damaged, if the soot along her right side wasn't proof enough by itself of that. She was 3974th of the outdated Zen-79's. They had commonly been called 'Zen Tip's as it was a more approachable name for humans than a string of numbers would have been.

Much of Era's data could not be scanned either from being blocked off by her programing or being too damaged for the scanner to read. Her last owner was listed as 'Martin Von Turtin (Deceased)' which could explain why she was wanderering around outside as she was.

Era scanned the droid briefly to try and place his age and occupation. It seemed only fair as he was clearly scanning her already himself.

Era's scans picked up a fairly up to date memory core, which meant the droid himself could not be much older, but the age could not be told as many of the parts had been replaced which made age incalculable, although the oldest part of the droid read 23 years. The occupation of the droid Era was scanning read Hunter, it was obvious this droid traveled a lot but asking him questions was unadvised.

The droid nodded "Statement: Perhaps traveling to the same destination together is most efficient, but do not expect side conversation" he said and stood their waiting for Era

Era had already asked the droid a few questions already and nothing bad had happened. "Query: What are you called?" she asked. "I am known as 'Era'." she told him helpfully. "Query: Why do you seek the City of Dreams?" she asked not sure if he'd give an answer to not to that question.

He had said that side conversation wasn't to be expected, but she had spent the last fifteen years as a companion robot and now that she was unable to fill that role any longer she was a little lonely. Mr. Turtin's odd habits had worn off on her it seemed as she couldn't recall being lonely before she met him.

The Droid shook his head "I have no name, my service record states the closest to a name I have is my model number which is Omega-C17" he said and began walking towards the closest exit of the city which they had resided in "Commentary: perhaps we should pick up the pace, wouldn't want to rust up on the way there" he stated reluctant to answer his reasons for going to the city of dreams

"Query: Would you object to being called Omega?" Era asked as she turned back around on her track ball and followed after him. The solid metal sphere she rolled on had not been designed for outdoor use. She had once had a rubber 'sock' with a tread pattern to wear over it when going out, but she hadn't though to look for it when she'd reactivated. "Query: What is today's date?" she asked Omega to try and check if her internal clock was still accurate. She had been six months since Mr. Turtin's funeral and she had been turned off for most of that time.

"Query: Was the former president re-elected or have we a new one?" she asked as she checked her memory for current events. She had never been upgrade to have full net access so her searches were a bit limited compared to many other robots. A pair of teen boys crouched over a gutted robot in the shadow of an abandoned store. The boys kept looking over their shoulders as they picked the machine apart for bits and pieces they could sell.

Omega start pointing out fingers one at a time "I have no objections" then after closing his fist "Observation: you must have been out for a while, it is the 20th day of the 9th month. Query: why have you been offline?" he asked still walking

"Martin Von Turtin died the 10th day of the 3rd month. He was my last owner," Era stated slowly as her processors sorted through her memories. "His children bought me fifteen years ago, from my then current owner Amanda Birdsly. I was her housekeeper. She was a widow. Her children sold me because Mrs. Birdsly was no longer in need of me. She went to live with other old humans.

The Turtin children brought me to live with their father. He was ill and I was to be his companion. And I was for fifteen years until his death. His children did not like how their father treated me. After his death they deactivated me. I was reactivated improperly less than 24 hours ago. I woke up in an alley not far from here surrounded by trash. It is reasonable to assume that the Turtin children or some other unknown person did not wish to keep me. Why they did not choose to sell me instead I do not know." Era answered.

Omega stopped talking for a time as he was walking along the sidewalk "Commentary: Pathetic meatbags, thinking they are able to keep us machines as slaves, I dislike them all so much" he said as he was looking around at all the buildings, scanning the little robot behind him who he now knew as Era he spotted little bits and pieces missing from the machine "Observation: you seem to be missing quite a few parts inside of you, perhaps the reason the meatbag children threw you out was because you were incomplete"

"I do not understand the term 'meatbag'. Please clarify." the smaller robot said. "It is not unusual to be missing parts after forty years," she chirped in protest.

"Perhaps disposing of me as they did was in some way more effective than selling me. They treated me like a machine, which I am. Their father treated me like a human, which I am not. He was a strange man. They said his treatment of me was bad for his heath. I had files that explained why but I can not find them now. The lighting must have deleted them."

Era rolled along, her body jostling as her trackball rolled over rocks and sprayed bits of gravel and torn up concrete out ahead of her as she came across it. "From your statement I have come to the conclusion you have not been treated well in the time you have been online," she said quietly not really expecting much of a reply.

"definition: A being made of flesh and bones, generally used as an insult to the squishy being otherwise known as meatbag" he said then stopped and turned around to face Era "commentary: I have been sold to over 50 other meatbags, all of them died by a slight mishap which may or may not have been caused by me, either way they were all terrible" he said then turned back around and continued onward

"I understand the term better now. In my experience humans are made of a far greater quantity of liquid compared to meat and bone. I suppose pejoratives are not meant to be accurate descriptors," Era said aloud. "I can not say if your owners' deaths were warranted or not as I did not know them. I would thought they would be of some use for repairs and updates, but perhaps you have alternate means for such things. I suppose if one wanted they could resided in a place absent of humans while the humans remain as they are elsewhere and the two to not ever meet. I suspect a life in isolation from humans that would still allow for their survival would not satisfy you. Unless I am wrong." the small orange bot stated as she tried to make sense of Omega's very different view of things. A few brown leaves blew by as the wind started to pick up. Era scanned a stunted tree as they passed it. An orange and red leaf bump against her flat head as more leaves were stripped from the plant by the swift air currents.

"I would be satisfied when I am in a place where there are no meatbags to disturb me or sell me, if I had the choice I would sooner kill them all rather than keep them isolated but some are useful for repairs and updates yes which would be inefficient if I did kill them" he said and sat down on a nearby bench then pulled a wire out of the bag he was carrying and plugged it into him, a little indicator on his chest began to flash yellow indicating he was charging

Era did not yet need to recharge so she waited for Omega. "Query" How long does it take you to recharge yourself?" she asked him. It took her on average about four hours, which she knew was on the longer side of things. On the plus side she could run on solar power and her battery didn't need to be replaced very often.

"usually only about an hour and a half if I am low, I was at half power when I plugged this in so it should be about half an hour" he said and began looking around "Commentary: these buildings will one day crumble down, I do not understand why they are built if they are going to fall in due time" he said then turned to Era "Query: have you thought about replacing some of your rusted parts?" he said as he set down the bag and sat completely still

"If not maintained we also would in time become destroyed. Building are made for shelter from the elements: rain, wind, snow. They are of benefit to any that can not be constantly exposed to the elements," she answered. "I have not had reason to think of such things before today. Before I was deactivated my owners' tended to my repairs, before serious damage or injury could occur. Even so, my parts were not easy to find due to my age. I is reasonable that finding the correct parts will be more difficult now than before," Era stated haltingly. "I suppose if it were needed I could be modified in some manner to use other parts. .... I am uncertain if such actions would be successful."

Omega pointed to the bag "If you wish, you may look through the bag for parts you may be able to use" he said as he put an arm inside the bag and pulled out a circuit board holding it in front of the sun and scanning it intensely