cape_kore | [Action] Arrival post

[Just waking up is an entirely new (and more than a little disorienting) experience for Daneel, let alone in a place so entirely unfamiliar, one that doesn't even fit with any place he has knowledge of. There's no grogginess for him to deal with; he's fully awake at once, but he can't account for how after leaving Giskard's body on Three Mile Island he's come to arrive here, lying on his back on the ground. There's no explanation for it. No good explanation, anyway.

He sits up, smooth and graceful, looking around himself. There's a device on his wrist -- he'll look later, he decides -- and he seems to be in some sort of city square, though again not like any place he's seen outside of a historical drama. More immediately concerning for him, and his reason for temporarily ignoring the wrist device, is the number of humans in the square, and none seem exactly pleased to be here. Daneel stands, looking anxiously around, and when he speaks it isn't to anyone in particular.]

Does anyone require my assistance?

[Lydia sits up slowly, eyes wide and full of panic as she smooths out her dress over her legs and tries to stay decent. Nothing about this makes sense, but screaming to the high heavens won't do her any good. It won't do any of them any good. She doesn't recognize any of the faces around her but now is not the time to panic.]

... I could use a hand.

[She looks up expectantly, holding her hand out. There is no graceful way to get up in heels when your dress is this short. Assistance is definitely required.]

Of course, miss.

[Daneel is at her side in an instant, and he takes her hand to help her to her feet. He's aware of her panic, in a way that's very new for him, and that's... unsettling. At any rate, it seems unlikely she knows what's going on any better than he does.]

Are you all right?

[She nods, adjusting her outfit once more now that she's standing, and frantically looks around.]

Yep. Fine. I'm standing in front of a fountain with a bunch of formerly unconscious strangers! Things really couldn't be better.

[That's sarcasm, Daneel. In case she wasn't obvious enough.]

You ... have no idea what this is, do you? This situation, this-- oh my god, what is this thing? It's hideous! [She looks at the device on her wrist with disgust.]

[Kobra is pretty used to waking up groggy and in a new place after dying. Usually, though, the place doesn't have trees. The first thing he notices is how fucking green everything is. The next thing he notices is that he's not in fucking Kansas anymore. Where the fuck is Poison? Where the fuck is Grace? Who are these suspiciously clean strangers?

He's on his feet in an an instant, hand going for him empty holster. Fuck!]

Where the fuck are we? Who are you?

[He can totally be threatening without his laser gun, right? Well, he can try, even if he is only 140 pounds soaking wet.]

[Hideous? Well, he hasn't considered it from that side of things. If she says so. He looks at his wrist.]

I seem to have one, too. I'm not sure what purpose it's meant to serve. It's not familiar to you, either?

[That's disappointing. He's been hoping for some sort of guidance. Daneel frowns very slightly, but anything else he might care to say is entirely interrupted by someone else coming into the conversation. He gives Kobra a small smile, hoping that being friendly might... calm him down a little. It might. All this anger and fear going around is distressing.]

I think we're trying to work out the answer to your first question. As far as your second question goes, I am R. Daneel Olivaw. I haven't been told the young lady's name yet.

[Oh my god, that 1980's punk revival look was so three years ago. Where did he even get a red leather jacket like that, Michael Jackson's estate sale?]

Lydia Martin. Charmed.

[A genuine sentiment for Daneel, completely sarcastic for the other guy.]

Well. I think it's obvious what's going on here. I'm dreaming. That's the only logical explanation that doesn't involve aliens or an eccentric billionaire with a sick sense of humour.

Name's Kobra.

[Yeah, he sees that she's not impressed. He just doesn't care. He doesn't need to impress anyone, least of all some spoiled City kid.]

I don't think any amount of money could buy this many trees. I haven't been anywhere this green since I was a kid.

[Of course, this place is way fancier than anywhere he ever lived, anyway.]

I don't think this is a dream. For one, I shouldn't be capable of dreaming, as I have no subconscious. Of course, I haven't ever woken up like I just did, either.

[Not that that rules much out, as far as he's concerned. He's not even positive of what planet he's on, now. Earth makes sense, but Earthmen won't be out under the sun like these two are. He doesn't recognise their accents, either. The sun is the wrong colour for Aurora. Some other Spacer planet? This is... disorienting.]

I'm glad to make your acquaintances, Mr. Kobra, Miss Martin. Miss Martin, are you familiar with the sort of flora native to this place? I'm not, and I suspect you're not either, Mr. Kobra. I would like to know what planet I'm on, as I'm no longer certain.

Okay, just-- just hang on here. First of all, what kind of a name is Kobra? Are you in a gang or something? Your parents couldn't dislike you that much. Secondly, what do you mean you have no subconscious? Freud must be spinning in his grave.

[Not... that she knows who Freud is. Dammit. Maybe they won't catch on. A well-placed hair flip will shake any suspicion, as will an easy smile and--

Oh, screw it. This is an emergency.]

Are you two from New Mexico? Yes, I'm familiar with flora, I--

[She looks around, spinning to get a glimpse of whatever was currently visible. There was the dampness and the smell of the ocean. A lighthouse. Birch trees, aspen? Maybe? ... An oak. Seemingly-empty buildings with no one poking their head out to see what was going on. Strange people... all crowded together.]

Uh... East? East coast. I'm hoping this is still America, because I don't have my passport. Or my--

[Oh thank god. Her purse. She bends down to pick it up, looking at the other two.]

... What?

Guess that depends on how you define a gang. Sort of. it's just Kobra. Kobra Kid. No "mister". It's not what my parents named me. It's just my name.

[Not even Poison uses the name their parents gave him anymore. It hasn't felt right in a long time.]

And I'm from Jersey, but I was in California last time I was awake. 'Least, what's left of California. We kinda figured the rest of the world was at least as fucked as we were, but look at all this.

[He grins.]

We're on Pluto, Dan. Can't you tell? Or is that still not a planet anymore? I was kinda confused about that, actually. Is Pluto a planet?

I'm from Aurora, but this is certainly not Aurora. It was on Earth the last I was aware, and it would seem reasonable that we are still here. And no, I don't believe Pluto is counted a planet.

[He looks up at the sky, frowning. Maybe after dark he might be able to compare stars with what he knows, but it's really the Auroran sky he knows in any detail. Nothing either of these two is saying makes sense with what he knows, either.

He smiles politely to Lydia. Obviously she's mistaken him for human. He needs to clear that up. He's used to a certain amount of fame, partly from being a prototype, and partly from his association with Partner Elijah, but he hardly expects everyone to know of him, either.]

I apologise, I should clarify. The "R" in my name designates me as a robot; specifically, I am a humaniform robot created by Dr. Han Fasolfe of Aurora. To my knowledge, the structure of the positronic brain doesn't allow for a subconscious, though I confess I wouldn't know if I did have one.

What's left of-- What do you mean 'what's left of California?'

[Lydia takes a step back, looking from Daneel, to Kobra, and back. What are they even saying? Other planets? Robots? End of the world?]

This stopped being funny the second I woke up. I want answers and I want an explanation, and I want to go home right now.

It was mostly destroyed during the Helium Wars.

[He rolls his eyes and says it offhandedly and now no one's getting anything coherent from him any time soon, because...]

Shut the fuck up. You're not a robot. Did you get a head injury or something?

[There is no way. No way. Because Kobra would know if there were real honest-to-God fucking robots, right?]

I'm not familiar with the Helium Wars, nor or any other war that decimated California.

[He's... confused, honestly confused, and being accused of lying about what he is to boot. Briefly, Daneel wonders if this is part of some sort terrible breakdown in his brain, if the abilities Giskard had conferred on him were damaging him severely enough to cause hallucinations. Could a robot ever hallucinate? He's never heard of such a thing.]

I would also like an explanation. I have suffered no injury, either. I am in truth what I say I am. Please don't be alarmed.

[He's rolling up his sleeve as he speaks, as this is the quickest and easiest way to show this. He opens up his wrist, peeling back the artificial skin, and holds his arm out for inspection.]

Oh my god-- oh my GOD. What--

[Yep. That is a robot. That is... an advanced, expertly crafted, highly adaptable and intelligent robot. Or a really mean, and elaborate prank.

Lydia dabs at the corners of her eyes, sucking in a deep breath. Nothing makes sense, no matter how hard she tries to put the pieces together. She needs time to think. She needs more information. She needs someone to just tell her what the hell is going on!]

What year do you two think it is?

2019.

[Kobra completely mumbles that out and it may or may not be entirely intelligible, because robot! Hello! Hi, there's a ROBOT!]

Holy shit.

[He leans in until his face is just a few inches from Daneel's arm.]

Dan, you're a robot.

Yes, I am a robot, as I said.

[This Miss Martin has a valuable point, it seems. Time travel should not be a thing that happens, but Kobra's answer... is slightly in defiance of that. The robots of 2019 were certainly very primitive models in comparison to... well, even in comparison to the very simple robots Earth had had two hundred years ago before they'd banned them from the Cities, let alone a Spacer robot, let alone himself. No wonder they're so startled by him. He regrets that, but... not much he can do about it now.]

I assume you mean 2019 C.E.? By that calendar it's 3740.

[He frowns.]

I don't understand how this can be.

[Lydia shakes her head. This can't be happening. No one is that good of an actor!]

It's 2012. For me, it was 2012 and I was in California and it was just fine before I woke up here like the rest of the world and the most advanced robot in existence was ASIMO by Honda and all it could do was shake hands, do simple math problems, recognize faces, and play soccer!

[There's a pause and Kobra just eyes her.]

Wow, Lyd, you're kind of a nerd, huh?

[It's kind of warm and fond, though, like he thinks it's absolutely a good a thing. Maybe he'd read her wrong. She knows things and it kind of makes sense that she's from right before everything went to shit.]

So... [He turns back to Daneel.] You're an awesome robot from the future who travels to other planets and she's from the past. Do you think there was some kinda time travel accident? Or a paradox. Those are cool unless they kill everyone.

Have there been in any forays into the invention of the postronic brain yet, or does ASIMO merely work on more traditional circuitry?

[This ASIMO sounds... well, very simplistic. If it's pre-positronics, it's hardly a robot at all by modern standards. He hadn't realised that's the sort of viewpoint they might have. Casually, he closes up his arm again; it's probably better to get that out of view, if it's potentially unsettling.]

I've never heard of time travel even being possible, except in the most tenous of theoretical senses, certainly not in any sort of practical manner. I'm afraid that theoretical temporal physics aren't something I've ever had to learn. I apologise, but I can't answer your question, Kobra.

[That causes her to snap back to herself and hastily wipe her eyes. Pull it together, Lydia. You're cracking under pressure! She practically seethes at Kobra, glaring and pointing at him.]

No, I am not. Say that again in front of anyone else and I will make it my personal mission to ruin your life.

[Time travel? Positronic brains? This is science fiction. She turns to Daneel, shaking her head.]

We-- We're nowhere close to that. Fully functioning AI's as a separate entity and simulated electronic brains? That's fantasy. It's just not possible right now with current technology. You'd be lucky to get an espresso machine that doesn't mess up a seasonal latte.

[Kobra laughs. Holy shit, what?]

How the fuck are you gonna ruin my life? The nicest place I've lived in the last few years is an abandoned gas station and I eat dog food on a regular basis.

[He's bent over a little with laughter before he straightens a little to regard Daneel.]

Not where I'm from, either. I do programming. There's nothing like that.

[Wait, what's just happened? Whatever it was, Daneel finds it alarming. He'd noticed, too, Kobra groping for a weapon that wasn't there, earlier -- he recognises the gesture as something Partner Elijah had done on occassion. He can only identify that as the gesture of someone used to carrying and using one, and frankly he doesn't know Kobra well enough to reassure himself about it.]

Please, calm yourselves. No one's life need be ruined. It seems to me that Kobra's comment was meant as a compliment, Miss Martin. Please, there's no need for threats over what I'm sure is a simple misunderstanding.

[He moves to come between them, a little. He's anxious; he even looks a little anxious.]

I believe we might have more serious matters at hand.

Gross. I could always substitute the dog food for cat food and hope the higher levels of protein ruin your kidneys.

[Shit. Stop. Turn of the smarts and go back to being a ditsy airhead. Delightfully shallow girls are more likely to be saved and taken home. She takes a deep breath.]

I am calm. I'm very calm and there has to be a logical explanation for all of this. When I find out what it is, this ragtag group of innocent victims will have a parade in my honor.

[She briefly peers at Daneel. Her curiosity is piqued, she would love to know more about him. He's fascinating... and he's right. There are more serious matters at hand.]

... What should we do?

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