Backing up the Back up
The robot got up and looked at the woman who just malfunctioned. She was notified by a nagging signal that this woman needed help and it was her duty to help all humans the best to her abilities.
The robot wondered where this signal was coming from within her central processor. She thought it odd; however, she was inclined to believe to the inner voice.
Nevertheless, she knew nothing about humans; and looked at her as foreign object. The robot tilted her head to one side in hopes to understand her more percieved from a diferent angle. She focused her eyes and noticed that the woman was little different from her. She had many buttons that stood out from a strange device that the woman took off. The robot realized something and felt very good about herself because of it. Perhaps the human removed the device prior to it completing it's function, resulting in a system shutdown.
The robot took the wire out of the port in the back of her neck and watched as it slithered back to it's hiding place within the device, shielding itself from the outside world. The robot watched and was highly ammused by this. It made her feel as though she was very light on the inside. But she knew she had to help the woman first; she could entertain herself wth the wire later. The robot propped the woman to a sitting position against the edge of the train car's wall and put the woman's headphones back on.
When she realized that the woman wasn't coming back online she felt very poorly about the situation. She then got another idea, if she were to link back up with the human woman it may unlock the key as to how to help her. However the robot shook her head and held her hands close to her body. She didn't want to risk hurting the woman again if she was wrong.
The robot felt as though she was small and insignifigant, but then realized that even though she may not be able to help; perhaps there is something or someone nearby that can. With renewed vigor she hopped back onto her feet and began going through the strange rectangular storage units and large soft shapeless skins that held various cloths and small items.
She came across a bag that had many individually wrapped items of various shapes and sizes. She read what the bag said after opening it, curious as to what these things were. It was labeled as candy; from Grom's Sweet Tooth Incorparated. She looked back at the woman, from a distance she couldn't help but appreciate how peaceful and collected she looked when she was resting.
The robot wished she could be a little bit like her, she would like to feel that sense of peace. She then noticed a small stick hanging from the edge of the woman's mouth. When she looked down at the pile of candy she noticed a kind of candy that had sticks with a solid orb substance at the end of it. It was called a sucker, according to the wrapping around the orb. She deduced that it must be the same as the woman's stick, so she unwrapped it and put the orb in her oral opening so the stick would potrude out. She felt an odd sense of accomplishment, as though she were one step closer to acceptance because of what she did.
She shook her head though, she realized she was not keeping her priorities straight. She concluded that there must not be any people here who can help here. She picked up a handful of candy and put it into her pant pockets before venturing out, figuring she can gift the candy to the kind person she finds who can help. The robot walked out of the cart and was greeted with a gust of wind, the train she was on was moving quickly. She wasn't aware of it a moment ago, but this did not change her resolve. Once inside the other car, the robot looked around and heard a sharp intake of breath as she was passing some of the obscurring objects.
Her curiosity piqed, she asked if anyone was there; which was followed by a period of silence. The robot was intruiged as to what was the cause of the noise and began moving the lightweight rectangular storage units. Soon after she began moving things, emerged a small boy in ragged clothes. Immediately after the robot saw him the boy asked her to not tell anyone that he was here. The boy averted his eyes from her, and when she tried to approach he backed up a bit outreaching his hands to act as a barrier between him and the robot.
She didn't like making the boy nervous and wanted to put him at ease. In a gesture of kindness, she automatically curved the edges of her mouth upwards and offered the boy the candy that she gathered from the other car. As soon as she pulled out the candy from her pockets and offered them to him; it was snatched from her and he began consuming it quickly. She was pleased that she was able to help the boy who apparently needed the energy source. The robot asked the child what he was doing in this car and why he was hiding.
He explained that he hopped on the train because he wanted to get away from a place called Greyman District and was hoping that if he snuck on this train that he may be able to go someplace else. He introduced himself as George and asked for the robot's name. The robot looked at him confused, she wasn't aware that humans used "names" to identify eachother. She assumed that humans had an identification number like she had. She didn't want to tell the child her identification number and appear unintelligent if it wasn't acceptable as a "name".
George asked if she had a name, to which she honestly shook her head side to side slowly to say no. "Would it... be all right if I gave you a name then?". She didn't know how to respond to that, was it acceptable to get a name that way? "Do you mind if I call you Irene?" After a period of silence George explained it was his elder sister's name; she was his only family for a long time. He told Irene about how she took care of him when he was a baby and that she "died" which was apparently the human term for being shut down permanently.
"I know it's selfish, but it would mean a lot to me." The robot thought on it for a moment before nodding her head once, she needed a name anyways if she was to understand humans. If accepting that name would help George deal with the loss of his sister a little better she saw no harm in accepting that identity. It made her feel an extremely happy when she saw how George's eyes lit up when she accepted her new name. Irene asked him if he would mind coming with her for a moment, she needed help.
George was unsure as to how he could help Irene but, he was just glad he met a new friend and was more than willing to encompany her. She carried George on her back as she hopped back over to the car where she had left the woman. When Irene returned she was happy to see that the woman came back online. She was looking around the train car frantically, as though she were looking for something. Irene called out to her and asked if she was all right. The woman looked behind her to face Irene, she appeared to be slightly suprised to see that the robot came back to the car.
George peered his head around the corner of Irene, whom he was hiding behind. The woman pushed a button on her headset and began talking to no one. This one sided conversation confused Irene and she was looking around the car to see who the woman was talking to. Irene wondered if the woman's programming got damaged when she was improperly shut down.
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