Caretakers 2.0

Arrival

Hannah

Imani gathered the spark we needed to wake the android. I was nervous, as was Felicia, but everything went without a hitch. It wasn't long before we had another android awake.

"My name is Christopher," it said, looking at his hands.

We explained the process and what had happened. When we told him about the incoming portal visitors, he was alarmed. "We need to stop them!" he urged, fear evident on his face.

Imani taught him how to gather spark. He picked it up quickly, and soon, we were looking for the next to awaken. Over the course of the next day and a half, we woke a dozen more androids. We knew we needed to get back to Tobias, so we set up a meeting with everyone before we left.

"Your top priority is to get the communications working again so that we can contact each other without terminals. While that's happening, wake up what you can of the rollerballs and prepare them to fight," I instructed.

"What happens if they come here?" asked Christopher. I didn't need to ask who 'they' were.

"They've locked on to the portal in Sholand," Felicia stated. "I think if we keep a low profile, they're not likely to come here. There is much more activity in Sholand."

We chatted a little longer about potential plans: clearing the overgrowth from the city, keeping up with the spark needs of the area, and such. When we'd settled on something of a plan, Imani and I walked back through the portal.

I immediately opened a channel to Tobias. "Tobias! We have less than a week before they arrive! We need to meet."

"Let's gather in the park's amphitheater in two hours," he sent back. "It has room for everyone, I think."

The amphitheater was a sunken structure in the central park where the Caretakers often had live entertainment when the weather was nice. It was perfect for us since there was room for rollerball and android alike. I made my way to the front to find Tobias at the side of the flat stage.

I was surprised when he leaned to hug me, but I returned it with enthusiasm.

"It is good to see you, Hannah," he said. "We've done a lot while you were away."

I nodded. "We got a lot accomplished in Anceport," I explained. "We started the waking process with the androids, and they are working on communications. I hope to be able to talk to them before our visitors arrive."

"Speaking of... do we know anything more about them?" he asked, taking me to the side out of the way.

I sighed and shook my head. "No, nothing. Everything that Li Mei had is everything we know."

"So, we don't really know how they are going to react once they are here," he said, mostly to himself.

"We only know they are looking for violations dealing with the combination of spark and AI. They'll be looking for... us. And we're not good in their eyes. There's no reason to believe their reception will be positive," I said.

"There are too many of us to simply pretend that we aren't awake. Honestly, I don't think that some would," Tobias said, nodding in Gary's direction as the rollerball followed Li Mei to a seat. The amphitheater had ample enough room between tiers that they could sit together.

I nodded in agreement. "I can't imagine him pretending to be anything other than what he is."

"So, we must prepare to fight."

"I think so, yes."

"We need updates. Let me see what others have to say," he said, heading to the front and center of the stage. I made for my seat. The crowd quieted on its own when it saw Tobias waiting for a lull.