Voices crowded over your senses, overwhelming you as moving figures bustled around you.
"Is it functioning?"
"Give it more power! We need to get this thing up and running."
"Where are the power cables?"
"Someone hand me that cloth over there!"
"It won't be long now, Y/n. Your creation will be revolutionary."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your eyes shot open and your chest heaved up and down. Your E/C eyes darted around the room in a frenzy, your brain trying desperately to register your surroundings and your location. Everything was so dark, you couldn't see a thing. What was happening? Where were you? Who were you? What is going on?
Once you had managed to collect yourself, you slowly pulled yourself into a seated position and looked around. Your eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness around you, and you could see the outlines of certain objects.
You threw your legs over the side of the cold hard bench you were previously lying on and pushed yourself into a standing position. You didn't stay like this for long however when your knees buckled, sending you tumbling onto the floor. You grunted at the impact with the cold hard floor and pushed yourself into a seated position. That did not go as planned.
You looked down at your bare body and clenched and unclenched your hands. 'What...is this...?' You thought to yourself as you watched your hand movements steadily. You were knocked out of your thoughts as something dropped in the distance, surprising you.
You looked up and squinted into the darkness around you. Suddenly, beams of light shot out of your eyes, illuminating the room. Your eyes widened at this newfound ability as well as what was inside of the room.
Lined along the walls and floors were hundreds of robots with no features added to them whatsoever. The majority of them were either worn or broken down while some others stood in perfectly good condition. You used the bench to pull yourself to your feet. A light metal tag clanged against your bare chest, drawing your attention to it.
You reached up and rested the metal tag against your palm as it hung from your neck on a thin silver chain. What was this thing? Had you always had it? You let the tag drop against your chest and you turned towards one of the fallen robots beside you.
The robot laid beside you, unmoving. You bent down and brought its broken head into your arms and straightened. You then looked down at its empty face. No emotion. It looked just like a doll, with its bare body and faceless head. No eyes, no mouth, no nose, nothing. You blinked down at the robot and looked around. A dark hole then caught your attention out of the corner of your eye, making you turn towards it.
The robot's head clanked against the ground as you released your grip on it. You looked up at the huge hole in the wall as well as the bars and wires sticking out of the sides of it. It was obvious that something had happened in this room, and you weren't as keen to find out what it was. You stared up at the hole for who knows how long before turning away from it.
"How do I get out of this room...?" You asked yourself and walked forwards whilst being careful to avoid stepping on any of the fallen robots. You had no idea who they were, but you felt as if you should pay your respects to them by not treading on them.
At the other side of the room, there were two large doors which looked to weigh a ton or so. You stared up at the doors with a childlike curiosity. Without a second thought, you stumbled towards the doors and rested your palms against the cold metal. You then breathed in and pushed against them with all your might.
The doors slowly creaked open with a lot of effort. You gritted your teeth and continued to push against the ground. Finally, the doors flew open with a sudden burst of strength, flinging you forwards.
"Woah!" You cried out and rolled against the ground. When your body came to a stop, you shook your head and looked up. Your eyes then widened and a large smile spread out across your face at what stood out before you.
The sun shone brightly over your body, and gave your surroundings vibrant colours. The grass blades shifted softly against each other along with the gentle breeze. Not much could be seen except for this empty field. You pushed yourself to your feet and felt the breeze brush against your metal skin as you admired the grassy fields. What is this place?
You were too busy admiring the scenery to notice the quiet movements from behind you. Someone reached their hand out towards you and rested it on your shoulder.
You jumped slightly and turned around to see an old man who barely had a set of white fluffy hair. In his hands was a walking cane and odd peculier goggles were over his eyes, matching his engineering outfit. The old man looked you up and down and stared up at you.
"Aren't you cold? Dressed like that." He mentioned as he pointed his cane towards your bare body. You blinked at him and cocked your head to the side.
"Who...are you?" The old man laughed at your question and turned his back to you.
"My bad, follow me. I'll provide you with some clothes." He offered and began to walk in the opposite direction of the laboratory. You looked back at the abandoned facility and decided to follow this man. You had no idea what he was talking about, but you might as well follow him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After ten minutes of walking, the two of you arrived at a small little shack. You looked up at the shack with a curious gaze. Behind you, the sun was only just beginning to set, casting the world in a blanket of twilight. The old man glanced back at you and gestured for you to follow him.
"Come on in, sonny. Or...lassy." He trailed off and stood to the side, giving you access to his home. You cocked your head to the side in confusion.
"Sonny? Lassy?" The old man waved you off.
"Ah, never mind those terms. I just wasn't too sure what gender you were, your body doesn't really give away much." He pointed out. You looked down at your body as you entered his home to see that he was right. Although your face held many features, your body was almost bare. There were almost little to no features on it.
The old man shut the door behind him and walked over to an old dusty chest. You watched as he rummaged around in it and mumbled to himself.
"I'm sure I had some clothes in here somewhere... Don't tell me I used it for blankets." You furrowed your brows in confusion.
"Blankets?" The old man nodded.
"Yeah, a fabric that keeps yourself warm. You know, they usually go on beds." He explained.
"Beds?" The old man glanced at you over his shoulder and furrowed his brows in concern. 'This kid isn't serious, are they?' With a heavy sigh, he gestured to the bed in the corner of the shack.
"See that block over there? That's called a bed. Now where did I put them...?" He muttered to himself. You walked over to the bed and looked down at it. You then reached forwards and pressed down on it. Your eyes widened at the springiness of the bed and you jumped onto it.
The old man cried out in happiness as he finally found what he was looking for.
"AHA! Finally! Okay, come on over here and I'll-" The old man froze as he watched you jump up and down on the bed in excitement. You saw that he was watching you intently and slowed to a stop. The old man sighed and walked over to you. "You can't do that, kiddo. You'll break the bed otherwise." Your eyes widened and you hurriedly jumped off it.
"Sorry." You apologised. The old man shook his head and smiled at you. He then held out a pile of clothes to you.
"Here, wear these. They're a bit dirty, but they should do for the time being." He offered. You looked down at the clothes and slowly took them from him. You then laid them out on the bed and saw that it was a simple white long sleeved shirt and white pants. Mind you, they had a few dirt stains here and there, so the pair of clothes were almost grey rather than white.
You pulled the shirt over your head and slipped the pants onto your body. The old man nodded in satisfaction and sat down on a wooden chair.
"There, that's much better." You looked over your clothes and twisted and turned your body around to get a better look. You then smiled in satisfaction and looked up at the old man.
"Thanks!" You exclaimed. The old man nodded. He then eyed you curiously.
"Tell me, what's your name, young one?" He inquired. You stared at him before your head drifted to the right in wonder.
"My...name?" The old man nodded.
"Yes, what do people call you?" Your gaze drifted to the side as your mouth hung open slightly. The old man could see the gears turning in your head as you took your time answering his question. A deflated look then appeared on your face and you slumped forwards.
"I... don't know. What do people call me?" You asked more yourself rather than the old man. The old man hummed in thought and stood up. He then approached you and held his hand out.
"That necklace around your neck, do you mind if I have a look at it?" He asked. You shook your head and handed the necklace to him. The old man took the necklace from you and looked down at the name tag. "Hmmm, on here it says Y/n L/n. Do you recognise that name?" You shook your head.
"Nope. Not at all. What does Y/n L/n mean?" You questioned. The old man stared down at the name tag and shrugged.
"Who knows. However, this could be your name. Why don't you take this back? And be sure to keep it close to you." He instructed and handed you the necklace. You placed the necklace over your neck and hid it inside of your shirt. You then sat down on the bed and turned towards the old man.
"Say, where am I?" You asked.
"You're in Japan. The nearest city to us would be Metro City." He explained. You blinked at him.
"Japan? Metro City? Are those places?" The old man nodded.
"Um, yes. How much do you know?" He inquired. You stared at him for a short moment before you looked down at your hands, and clenched them. Your mind buzzed as you struggled to recall any knowledge you might have known beforehand.
"Not a whole lot, I don't even know where I came from. Um, what am I exactly?" You asked. The old man eyed you for a short moment before walking over to the bed and sitting down beside you.
"From what your body is like, I'd say that you are a robot." You raised an eyebrow at his claim.
"What's a robot?"
"A robot is an automatic machine that resembles the human body and can also replicate a human's movements. However, a robot quite like yourself is rare. Not a lot of robots have uncanny appearances to humans." He explained. Your mouth hung open in awe and you stared ahead of you.
"So... I'm a robot?" The old man nodded. "What's a human?" You asked. The old man smiled at you and gestured to himself.
"Well, that's quite the question. The basic explanation is that humans are a living species. What defines us, well, nobody knows the true answer to that." He explained. "I myself am a human. The difference between the two of us is that I am living flesh and blood. You are made out of metal and other minerals." He explained. Your eyes widened and you looked down at your hands.
"Woah, is flesh....soft?" The old man nodded and held his hand out.
"Go on, feel them." He said. You looked down at his hands and slowly reached for them. You then prodded them with your finger and your eyes widened.
"T-they're soft! Unlike my hands." You exclaimed. The old man laughed out loud and ruffled your hair.
"Yes, I guess you could say that. Although, your cheeks do hold a bit of softness to them." He mentioned as he pinched your cheek. You smiled at him. The old man then stood up and looked down at you. "Why don't I get started on dinner? You just make yourself comfortable." He offered. You nodded and leaned back on the bed while the old man prepared the both of you a meal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You looked down at the plate of food with wide eyes as the old man set it down in front of you. It smelled so good! On the plate was a dish called F/F according to the old man. You reached forwards and grabbed at the plate with your bare hands. The old man gasped and used a wooden spoon to slap your hands away.
"Don't eat with your hands, use chopsticks you grubby little thing." He scolded. You furrowed your brows in confusion.
"What are those?" The old man mentally face-palmed. It was ridiculous how uneducated you were when it came to the world or even common sense. You were like a baby. He honestly felt like a father raising his own kid by himself.
The old man stood up from his seat and walked over to you.
"Here, this is how you hold chopsticks." He said and grabbed your hands. He then placed two wooden sticks in your hand and adjusted your hold on it. "You'll need to use your fingers to move them."
You pouted as you attempted to get used to your grip on the utensils whilst the old man sat back down in his seat.
"Now, watch and learn." He told. You looked up and watched him intently as he used his chopsticks to eat his food with almost little effort. You then looked down at your own food and your chopsticks. The old man glanced up at you to see you struggling to use the chopsticks with your food.
After five minutes of fiddling around, you finally managed to get a forkful of food into your mouth and smiled at the old man proudly with stuffed cheeks. Your eyes then widened at the taste and you looked down at the food in delight.
"Thish ish sho good!" You exclaimed. The old man sighed and shook his head.
"Don't talk with your mouth full. It's bad manners." He scolded. You swallowed your food and gave him a sheepish grin.
"Sorry." The old man eyed you for a brief moment before he bursted into a fit of laughter. You cocked your head to the side as you watched him curiously. Why was he laughing?
"You're a funny child, Y/n. Now eat up, then I'll get started with washing up." He said. You nodded and lifted your plate towards your face and began to consume the plate's contents. The old man shook his head and finished his own plate.
The next time he looked up at you, you were holding out your empty plate towards him while chewing on the last mouthful of food. The old man smiled and took the plate from you as he stood to his feet.
"I'll get started now."
"Mhm! Mph rmph hmph yph!" The old man raised an eyebrow at you. You swallowed your food and smiled at him. "I said I'll help you!" You exclaimed. The old man watched with wide eyes as you gathered all of the plates and ran over to the sink.
Without thinking of how fragile they might be, you threw them into the sink. The old man winced as they broke upon impact and sighed. You stared down at the broken plates with wide eyes. You then turned towards the old man and gave him a lopsided smile.
"Uh, whoops." The old man rested his hands on his hips as you fumbled to clean up the mess in the sink. You were hopeless. At least the dishes didn't need to be washed anymore. Or ever again.
The old man walked over to his bed and reached under it. He then pulled out a second mattress while you were throwing the plate shards into the potted plant. By the time you had finished cleaning up, the old man had your sleeping arrangements ready.
You looked back at the old man and looked down at your sleeping arrangements with furrowed brows.
"What is this?" You asked. The old man walked over to the single lantern that illuminated the small room and smiled at you.
"This is where you will be sleeping. Go on, it's time for bed." He prompted. You smiled at him and nodded.
"Okay!" The old man turned out the lights just as you crawled under the covers. He then made his way over to his own bed and pulled the blanket over himself.
"Goodnight, Y/n." He said.
"Goodnight, old man!" You exclaimed. The old man chuckled slightly before closing his eyes. It didn't take him long until light snores emitted from him. You stared up at the roof intently. A lot had happened for you in only one day. Who knew that you would encounter another person so early.
You glanced up at the old man and smiled to yourself. You then breathed in and closed your eyes. You would be sure to learn more about this world and help him in anyway you could. First off you would start with learning how to wash the dishes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Throughout the week of your stay with the old man, he had taught you many things. How to clean, how to cook, how to use chopsticks as well as a knife, fork and spoon, he even taught you about some aspects of life. However, although you were living in pure bliss, the old man found it harder and harder to teach you things, and to take care of you.
You were drying a plate when the old man approached you from behind. He then rested his hand on your shoulder, making you turn towards him.
"What's wrong?" You asked. The old man breathed in through his nose and sighed.
"Y/n, we need to talk. I...think it's time that you moved on." He admitted. You furrowed your brows in confusion and set the plate aside.
"What do you mean?" The old man bit his lip and looked down at his shoes.
"When someone says to move on, it means to look past things. In this case, it would be to forget..." You frowned at the old man and cocked your head to the side in confusion.
"Old man, are you asking me to forget about you...?" You whispered. The old man let out a heavy breath and gave you a tired smile.
"I've taught you about the basic fundamentals of society, but there would be no point in me teaching you these things if you can't even use them. Do you remember when I said there were only a few of your kind?" You nodded. "There are indeed very few of you. In fact, there is only one other robot just like you." Your eyes widened at his words.
"Wait, only one!? W-where are they!? What's their name!?" You pestered. The old man smiled at you.
"I don't know what his name is unfortunately, but he is pretty famous in the city. I'm sure that you will be given a name if you ask them about the hero who saved the city." He explained. You nodded in understanding and smiled at him.
"I can't wait to meet him! But, how will I get there?"
"Walk." You pressed your lips into a thin line as you gave the old man a look. "What? You're young. I'm sure you'll get there within a day. ...if you start at sunrise." He trailed off. Your eyes widened. That was so long! But...
You smiled to yourself in glee. You couldn't wait to explore the world around you. Yes, meeting this boy was your prime goal, but this wouldn't stop you from exploring your surroundings first. Your smile soon fell when a thought came to you.
"Old man, am I actually going to Metro City? By myself at that." You mentioned. The old man dropped his head and clenched his fists.
"Yes. I want you to go to Metro City and find the one who is just like you. When you do, show him that name tag around your neck and ask him, 'Do you know who I am?' It's highly unlikely that he will know, but there is still that chance. Do you understand, Y/n?" The old man instructed and looked you in the eye. You bit your lip and nodded in understanding. You then smiled up at him.
"I'll go there, and I'll find out more about this world. I... I'll miss you." You admitted. The old man's eyes widened as you ran forwards and hugged him around his waist tightly. Tears then slipped down his cheeks and he hugged you back just as tightly.
"Heh heh, I never did tell you my name, did I? It's..." You felt his muscles tense up before they relaxed. "I'll tell you some other time..." You looked up at the man in confusion as he pushed you back. "It's time that you got going. I know it's only been a week, but during these past seven days, it honestly feels like I've known you for a very long time."
You smiled at him and laughed.
"Well technically I have known you all life. I've only been alive for about a week." You pointed out. The old man couldn't help but laugh and nodded.
"It sure has! Now, you'd better get going while it's still daylight out." He mentioned. You nodded and turned towards the front door. You then gave him one last look before you ran out of the tiny shack with your necklace clutched in your hand tightly. The old man watched you leave with a sad smile and waved you off. He then turned his back to you and shut the door behind him.
You felt the wind whip your hair around your face as you ran across the field. The shack had ever only faced one direction, and that was...
"North East! That is where Metro City is." You exclaimed and increased your running speed. At this very moment, you could feel the excitement coursing through your circuits like a high running engine. You felt ecstatic. And so, your adventure to Metro City had begun, as well as your new life.