The Homecoming

Chapter 7

Neither Leah nor Andrew understood why Eudepha picked just the two of them for this. But, no matter how many questions they had, the billowing thrill of the experience when they entered probably the broadest room in this space station, filled with the brand-new technological equipment they were yet to learn about, was enough to make them forget, stop and stare. Open-mouthed, Leah walked over to a tank filled with indiscernible kind of maroon-colored fluid and tried to catch a glimpse of an alien fish swimming too rapidly for a human eye to track its motion.

"It looks like an iguana with an eel's tail." Andrew spoke from behind her back. If she were asked, he was perhaps standing too close, because she could feel his breath on her hair. Not that she minded, though.

"It really does." She said and they continued their investigation of the room they didn't even know existed until this night. Eudepha was waiting patiently next to one of the tanks. "I've never encountered this room before, and I've spent five years here. It's marvelous." She added.

The species causing great wonder inhabited the tanks, artificial arms and legs of steel rested on the polished white work surfaces, tiny processors were scattered and disarranged on the desks, and dozens of canisters filled with mysterious chemical materials were laid idly on the wall mounted shelves. If the rest of those science laboratories were cities, this room was the capital. Since she first landed on Hiatune, Leah felt like she jumped forward to the future. But tonight, she felt like time never even existed. Seven wonders of the world, and a thousand wonders of the space, she thought, overwhelmed.

"These are for robots?" Asked Andrew as he fearlessly took one of the artificial arms and studied it with interest. The metal fingers clanked against one another. It was almost a pleasurable sound, the kind of sound people prone to ASMR would enjoy tremendously.

"That's right. But simple robots are not what I brought you here for." Said Eudepha and flashed on an enigmatic smile. He turned around and walked over to another door, that had been additionally secured. Leah and Andrew glanced at each other dubiously. Eudepha unbolted the door and an even more spacious room revealed its interior to them. The walls were a dark shade of gray and instead of the ceiling, there was an illusion of a circular staircase that made them look twice. The rest of the room looked like a one-room apartment, furnished in the way that meets the human standards. Someone lived here. Or, to be exact, something.

Before she could even form a proper question, Leah's eyes shifted to the part that seemed to be the kitchen. It had its back, with a set of commands installed in it, turned to them and was preparing food, all on its own. A robot. But, when it finally sensed their presence and turned, Leah gasped a little. It was a he. In a human way. But, not completely.

"Before I explain everything, let me introduce you to Orion. Orion, this is Leah and this is Andrew. As you can detect by yourself, they are humans. Just like you used to be." Eudepha said and Leah furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Andrew did the same. He used to be human?

"Orion is a humanoid robot. His story is interesting. Spectacular, indeed." Eudepha said as the creature blinked autonomously at the strangers in front of him. Suddenly, he smiled, without showing his teeth. It was a rather plastic smile, but it was probably the best he could manage with a metallic plate affixed to the left side of his face. The other side looked unquestionably human, instead of the right eye, the iris of which resembled blindness. But, Leah was not sure if Orion was really blind, or if his eye looked milky for some other reason. The rest of his body was covered in metal plates too, except for the right arm and hand. Leah glanced at Andrew, who didn't take his eyes off of the humanoid. He had a word FASCINATED painted across his face. She smiled a little, remembering this – robots – was his field of interest. But it seemed to be more of a passion than an interest.