Tobias is the first of the second iteration of Caretakers, beings tasked with gathering spark to care for the city and its inhabitant, both human and machine alike. He does his best, managing to acquire the necessary skills and companions. But, when...
The spark stayed! Hovering just above my palm, it began to swirl, just as it was meant to, feeling more and more stable as the moments passed. I was so shocked I stared at it for nearly a full minute, mesmerized.
I scooped up more and added it to the slowly churning collection I held. The crackling ball expanded and swirled faster but showed no inclination to disperse. I jumped up and hooted a laugh but cut it short to steady my hand when the blob jiggled wildly.
I walked with a smooth heel-toe stride as I made my way to the input station of the core. Here was the final test. Would the core accept what I'd gathered? I held the ball in front of the port and pressed the button. The side chamber's little door opened, and I was startled when it greedily sucked the spark from me. The opening snapped shut after it gobbled what I offered, and I saw the inner port open to deposit the spark in the main tank.
While I knew, intellectually, I'd not see the spark level gauge move, I was still disappointed when it didn't. I wondered how long it would take to replenish the core. In the end, it didn't matter how long; it had to be done.
So, I began.
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One hundred and two days. That's how long it had taken me to refill the spark for the city working around the clock, pausing only to refill my own batteries as I did. I would need to spend a day about once a week feeding the core to keep it brimming. That left plenty of time to turn to my other task: making more of me, or, rather, beings like me. I had to learn to wake up other robots and androids as Adrianna had woken me.
When my morning alarm chimed, I eagerly swung my feet off the platform onto the plush rug I had chosen. It was an intense green color that reminded me of the grass of summer and was very soft. As I ran my feet over the fibers of the run, I contemplated my upcoming work. Today, I was going to run my first experiment at giving a robot awareness.
I was nervous. I supposed my insides would've quivered if I'd been human. As it was, the pumping of my mechanical heart was a little faster than usual, and I had the urge to do everything just a little more quickly. I knew that wouldn't help me in the long run, so I went through the motions of my morning routine to help me feel calmer and more collected.
The park bench had long become a daily destination. I sat, enjoying the crisp fall weather. The leaves had turned incredible shades of reds, oranges, and golds, followed quickly by crumbling brown. I marveled at how I'd never seen the seasons before. I hadn't experienced, not in any meaningful way, the world around me... until Adrianna changed me.
As usual, Rex and Brownie came to fetch balls, but Cinder had passed away some weeks ago. I missed her; she had been a friendly cat, and I had enjoyed petting her. I laughed at the dogs' antics; the sweet Labrador almost always got to the ball first, beating the much older Shepard. But Rex, as the younger, more spry dog, would fetch the ball to the older and drop it at Brownie's feet. Brownie would then bring it back to me as proudly as if he had gathered it himself. It was both comical and charming. With a small laugh, I accepted the returned ball from the Shepard, and, at that moment, I realized that I'd come to understand the Caretaker's propensity for pets. Maybe I'd look for a way to breed just a few more. Another calico cat would be nice.
