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It was a dark and moonless night when you were driving down the roads of Nevada. You were heading back home from work, but the stars shining so brightly in the sky called for you to make a detour. So, you brought your rustic used car off road and you whistled to the car radio, the headlights illuminating your way as you reached the edge of a small wooded area, one you were familiar with.
Parking your car to the side, you pulled out the keys and pocketed them before heading to the ledge a few meters below. You slid down the little slope with ease and before you knew it, you were on top of a ledge, looking over a forest valley. The drop bellow your feet was at least 10 feet or so. You'd slipped before and it was a pretty harsh fall but you survived so you didn't have anything to worry about.
It had been a few years since you moved here and out of all the rocky mountain slopes and spotted wooded areas, you knew this place the best. You found it serene, calming, and a place for you to think. Strangely (but not really) enough, you always found yourself drifting to the events of your day, and then to your past.
So you did what you always do, you sat down at the ledge, swinging your feet down and staring at the sky full of stars. Only this time, your feet were met with a hard surface, and not the freedom you were usually used to. You leaped backwards, nearly tumbling to the side as the unfamiliar feeling startled you.
Pulling out your phone and turning on the flashlight function, you peered over the edge of the cliff. You were met with large metallic plates, the occasional pulsing of faint purple lines beginning to fill the night. How had you not noticed that before?
Your phone flashlight slowly trailed along the large metallic structure, and before you knew it, you recognized it as a metallic body. Chest, arms, legs... face..? The visor for a face was a little off putting, but you figured out eventually. It was a huge robot - honestly it looked dead. And then a thought crossed your mind.
'What if I fixed it?'
It was just a passing thought - an unrealistic one, but you were suddenly stirred with excitement about it. After college, you're life had been quite boring, just working and working, but now you could have a side project. You didn't know who built this thing - if it was a government project that was lost, or a couple genius scientists did this, or if a couple kids in a garage did - hell it could even be an alien! - but you were gonna fix it, and you were gonna claim that credit, no matter what. Because life was so boring, why not fill it with something exciting like this?
Without a second thought, you stood up straight, and gently placed your foot on what looked to be it's chest. You stepped on, hoping the grip on your shoes would hold on against the smooth metal below your feet, and then you began scouting out the damages. The amount of dents and scratches on this robot ( which you now deemed as "E.S.P." for Exciting Side Project) was insane. It was as if it was engaged in battle - holy crud what if it really was a government weapon and they found you messing with it? You would probably be arrested on the spot.
