Welcome to Gaia! ::

Humankind, always reaching to invent new things, but robots had always been in their sights. The countries worked quickly, racing against eachother to see who could build it. Japan created it first in the twenty-first century, and after that countries strived to create better. This is what distract the population of the earth. The race for artificial intelligence.

However money was being fueled into the creation for artificial intelligence. The people grew angry, taxes and interest rates soaring, gas becoming a prized commodity. It wa the younger generation that revolted, using social websites to their advantage. Revolutions started, countries fighting back their own people, fueling their own research. As decades passed the war would quell in some areas and start anew in others, television ignored these, focusing on the artificial intelligence race. Robots, now called Androids, could walk, move, stand and converse on their own, however they still followed programs, many of the programs self-teaching so that they may learn on their own.

On a revolution, people from another country flew in to help. This was no longer considered a revolution, it was considered a war. As unintentional as it was, countries were bringing out soldiers, battle tanks, guns, and as the first foreigners dead on soil not their own, the entire world flew into World War III. Years, years this war raged on, social media websites shut down to prevent communication, wireless radio signals being tracked. Finally, one country, wanting to end the war, created a missile simply called Helga. No abbreviations, no side names, simply, Helga.

Helga was launched once as its first and last test. A simple miscalculation in the math devastated impact, that land now dead and barren for hundreds of thousands of miles. One would think that the barren land would be awful to live in, where the missle hit, the opposite side of the planet however bears the weight of the consequences. Ash, radiation, dust in the air blot out the sun eternally. The land was quickly poisoned, any fruit it gave off being poisoned as well in various amounts. Water dried up, changed course or flooded.

The people dropped like flies. Half of the world population was gone, and within twenty years another fourth of it died of illness and sickness. Now, with little to no working technology, there is no known count of the human race. They are scarce, and their companions other humans they find and androids that had been sold on the market, each with varying levels of intelligence. Parts for them are scarce, and each are made for various purposes.

The year is now 5043, forty years after the impact. The world is rough. You are the son of a scientist, father recently dead, and are left alone with an android your father handmade himself. Your job is to survive first, look for civilization second.

Characters:

Clothed fingers scraped at the sand like dirt, moving it aside and listening, lips parted and giving a sound not heard by humans. Echo-location, he was looking for something beneath right here. He was close to it. His digging was becoming faster, already having gone one foot deep before he found the white plastic. After a quick analysis he finished unburying it, pulling out the gallon job and analyzing its contents. The blue wrapper had long since faded, only some splotches in the center holding pastels of the original color, and something inside sloshed, something clear. Uncapping it he pressed it to his lips, letting only a drop land on his tongue so the sensors and could analyze. Not the cleanest water, there were remnants of saliva and something sweet, but it was much cleaner than what they currently had. The gallon was only filled about an inch, but this would certainly be enough.

Hal stood, blue eyes scanning the dusty horizon, pausing to look up at the orange and brown sky. His internal database told him it was supposed to be blue, the filter over his own eyes changing and adjusting to try and find the shade, but nothing came up. Lips moved to exhale, pure oxygen being released from them before looking for a heat signature and quickly finding his human companion. "Solomon!" he called, volume on his voice speaker raised so he could hear him, quickly jogging to catch up. "Here. I've found water like you asked. Unfortunately I could not find an underground current as we were hoping." And offered the jug.

"It cannot be helped, Sir. The dust and radiation in the air have long since colored everything oranges and browns. My stored images show me that before this the world was a much move lovely place." He let the human take the jug, smiling back and tilting his head to the side. "I'd be more than happy to help. That is why I am with you." And firmly grasped the water bottle, watching and scanning the water as it was poured in. Trace chemicals, not harmful in the slightest. Solomon would be able to ingest this and remain in good health.

At the comment of being quite the best friend Hal gave a chuckle. "Thank you, sir. I do suggest taking a drink, a quick scan of your internal functions shows that it would cool you off. Secondly, referring to your previous comment on hope, where I dug this from the soil was starting to grow wet. If we travel along this route we may come across water." Though whether it would be fresh or poisoned he couldn't tell.

Almost as soon as Solomon swallowed it, Hal could see the internal organs starting to cool, not as much as the android would like, but enough to keep his human from dying of heat stroke obtaining heat sickness. At the offered drink he gave a small smile. "Sir, I require no use for water. I am a homemade android without the capabilities of converting water into energy. I am able to store it for you if you'd like." And placed it to his lips and tilted his head back, letting the lukewarm liquid trail down to his 'stomach before removing it and capping it back up.

"Question me all you'd like, Solomon. I am a database to be used at your disposal." he walked forward, placing the water bottle back in the bag and zipping it up, going back to his previous position and standing straight, listening to the questions. These sort of questions were common with Solomon, and in every which way Hal was a much better, improved humanoid, but he was artificial where Sol was natural.

"You ask questions that require a personal opinion, however all I can give you is my calculations and observations, sir. How does it feel to be an android, sir, is hard to tell. My senses, given to me by your father, show that I am in working condition. The sensors show me that my senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, are still in very good working order. I have no emotional capabilities, so I can easily recreate them. You question is confusing my processor. Please give me one moment to re-analyze your words."

And went silent, playing the questions over in his head. Did it feel good to be one of a kind? There were other androids, though how many of them survived he knew not. To be superior? Possessing skills that were not possible to possess? The most fit survivor?

"I, believe, the proper response would be that you require an opinion I am not capable of giving, being that I have no sentient thought. So I cannot answer if it feels 'good' to be one of a kind. Which is also an odd question being that many androids were on market, but if you mean being a 'one-of-a-kind homemade model' then I am unaware. I could direct the same question back at you. You, Solomon, are a one of a kind human with a one of a kind personality." he explained. "It is no doubt I am superior, but there is controversy that while I may be physically and intellectually stronger than humankind, I harbor no emotions, independent thought or soul, so in a sense I am much weaker."

"Being the most fit survivor, however, is true. I will outlive you and perhaps two more generations on my current battery, however to live such an extended period I will require upkeep and fixing, replacing spare parts. If we consider the pros and cons of you and me, it will balance out in the end." He silenced once more, thinking. "Judging by all of this information, I imagine such an existence would be deemed adequate or normal."

"We already kiss so I may flush out the contaminants in your lungs and replace them with oxygen." Hal pointed out, taking a step towards the direction they would be walking in and waiting for Solomon to start. "Ask away, sir, but I suggest we start walking now."

Not that Solomon listened, though a long speech followed the question so Hal waited, listening. "I have needs like you do, however they are different, Solomon. Please do not pity me and my non-human functions. I would not have been created this way if not for a reason. Correct?"

The teen took his hand gently, blue eyes not wavering from red. "Thank you, sir. It is very kind of you to want to give me a human range of emotional capabilities. It is quite generous. However we do not have the tools nor the materials for something so complicated, and while you can re-program from me it is difficult without a keyboard and you have to give specific orders. I am thankful for the thought. Please sir, let us walk so we may reach shelter before nightfall." and motioned towards the direction they should walk.

"A promise, now. Solomon you are truly a kind human being." Hal responded, recording the conversation as he did all of their conversations. "I do not want, Sol. It is not within my capabilities. It is up to you to decide what is best for me, all I can do is offer calculations and results which would improve my longevity." Solomon always had so much to say, it was nice hearing his voice instead of the wind. Silent walks grew dreary and everything was taken in to calculation, sort of like a hyper drive. "I never felt bad to begin with, Solomon. I do not feel. However my name is imprinted on my chassis, but it is your decision to rename me. I am a computer, whatever name you see fit I will appreciate." It sounded like a very exotic name, Xanxus, his mind began searching his database wondering what part of the world it reigned from.

"There is nothing to be envious of. I believe you are the superior species. It is your kind that created mine, after all."

But Hal stopped walking realizing that the white-haired mail was moving in a different direction. "Sol?" since he did not like to be called 'sir' it was erased and replaced with 'Sol' for future use. "That is a redundant offer, sir. Your father instructed me to watch and make sure you survive. However there is a conflict in interests. Shall I set water searching as priority two to your central nervous system pieces?" He stared for a moment, researching what love was.

Solomon had certainly showed signs of attraction but Hal could not return them. It wasn't in his programming. "I do not know sir. My sources tell me that is a painful feeling, and for that I deeply apologize."

The named looked rather odd.

"You wrote it very well, Sol." he said with a smile, following the footsteps. "Priority number three?" The android questioned, worry the response to this, though it was nothing more than programming. His mind worked, re-arranging their list of to-dos, adjusting the priorities. Calculations showed this was a bad idea, but who was he to go against a human? It certainly wasn't encoded anywhere in his being to do such a thing. "Priority sets have been changed, Sol. New name inserted."

"But I believe," his voice left the robotic update voice, returning back to what could be considered a normal human one. The robotic one was just to name changes, his current one was for conversation. "that selfishness is a necessity in a maturing, Sol. We would not grow very far if we did not consider ourselves every once in a while."

But Solomon was laughing. "I am sorry sir, I seem to have not made myself clear. What is painful is not love, but it is the feeling of love without being loved in return. That is the feeling you feel in your current situation, that is what the database suggests. Being that I am the cause of your pain, I am sorry. Your definition of love however corresponds with the ones in my database."

Blue eyes flicked back to the dusty sky, "Please do not talk so much, you will only ingest more sand and that is not good for your gastrointestinal system."