D.A.V.I.D.

A loud beeping sound echoed on the metal walls as David booted up. The orange lights on his reactor cast odd shadows behind the simple wooden table and chairs in the center of the room. Pipes full of steam and water shot along the walls and the roof at right angles, making the room more rectangular than it was. A dim yellow light spread around the table as a lamp swayed back and forth, propelled by the occasional steam leak from the pipes. The grate floor covered with a homely brown rug, and a maroon tapestry covered the only window. Light seeped through the tapestry, causing it to glow slightly.

David’s eyes began to illuminate, but quickly the backup lights turned off. Slowly, he regained control over his animatronic arms. He fumbled at first with his fastenings, having only just woken up. Contrary to popular belief, David and other automatons were actually as clumsy as humans. His dexterity increased as he went, and soon his chest was loosed from his station. He began to work on his feet, which stood planted to the base of the machine. The machine had the letters “D.A.V.I.D” linked on the bottom. His mind was hazy, but he soon remembered what it stood for. Dualcore Automated Virtual Intelligence Droid, or for short, android.

He hated the machine, but he only needed to use it biannually. It cleaned his core and restructured his circuits, fixing any wear and tear he had suffered over the past few months. Oscar equated it to a “physical checkup,” or whatever humans did to make sure they ran correctly. It never really interested David. All he needed to know was that he was an Automaton, he needed crystal to recharge himself every now and again, and he needed a way to sneak past the guards on the north stairs.

It didn't take him long to become fully operational, especially since he didn't need to eat like Oscar. He did have to clothe himself, but that was trivial. He wore a grey tunic, with beige pants and a simple leather belt. Shoes were unnecessary since his feet were designed to like metal boots, and he didn't need a hat in the blinding light of the city. His body had a built in hood, similar to the knight helmets the guards wore. He looked in the mirror, seeing his grey eyes stare back at him. He didn’t look at all animatronic, but instead looked human; he was well built, with strong arms and thick legs. He was tall, but not enormous.

As soon as David was ready, he went outside in hopes to find something new. It was his passion to search around, find new places, meet new people, innovate new ways to get around the guards. He had never actually tried to sneak past them. He was planning on doing it the second he was recharged by the machine. He never did like to rush things, but today felt to be the day. 

They guarded the way up the north stairs, into the upper city. It was said to be beautiful, white and clean, where automatons and humans of high status went to loiter and spend their time. Sometimes he imagined that the lower city was that. Sometimes his dreams were smashed into tiny metallic shards. Ironically they happened at the same time.

To say that the lower city was a bunch of filthy slums stuck together to make a maze would be a compliment. It was little more than a bunch of dirty metal alleyways and streets of brown metal grating, held above thousands of pipes, porting everything from steam to napalm around the city. Steel and bronze buildings were stacked all around, making the already depressing paths full of shadows. Where there wasn't shadow there was blinding light, so bright even Automatons had problems seeing without eye-wear. The light came from the center of the city, Uthethar's Star. It was a power source to everything in the metropolis, and supposedly Uthethar lived there.

David dreamed of seeing Uthethar, but didn't know what to expect. He only knew a little about Uthethar. One, he lived in the giant, extremely annoying but useful star in the center of the city. Two, he was the source of the cities laws and justice. Also some stuff about being multiple personages, but that was unimportant. All that mattered was that he was cool, and David wanted to meet him. But to do that, he had to make it past the guards.

There were four guards, all dressed in metallic armor and wielding electrified spears. They stood around the clean, white stairs. From a distance, it looked like marble, but David knew better. It was merely the same type of metal he stood on, but it was clean over there. In front of the stairs was a large plaza. It was open and spacious, with a large fountain in the middle. The size and sheer roundness of the fountain was perfect for hiding behind. It seemed almost too easy for David to sneak behind the fountain. The guards didn't even notice.

He was a bit nervous. David had never tried to sneak past the guards, but he had seen it done several times in the movies. It was easy, throw a rock to make a noise and the guards will walk over there. Everyone knew they were blatantly unobservant. David couldn't wait to brag to Oscar about how he made it to the Upper City and met Uthethar. Everything was just perfect. Now to just throw the rock he had found on the way and… Bang! Sadly, David greatly underestimated his strength, and his aim. It wasn't long before he was surrounded by the surprisingly fast and observant guards.

“What do ye think ye are doing kid? That bloody well hurt!” yelled one of the four. His helmet was slightly dented on where the rock hit.

“I was just trying to get up the stairs to see the Upper City,” David stammered, terrified on what was going to happen to him. All of the guards except the one hit looked amused.

“What, did you think it would happen like in the movies? We aren't that stupid,” one of the guards chuckled. “Well, sorry kid, but we gotta do our job. Ye threw and hit one of us. Don’t worry, we won’t have ye for long, just gotta register ye, so my brother here doesn't throw another o’ his tantrums.” One of the guards took some chains from his armor pocket and bound David’s hands. Holding an end of the chain, the guard guided David up the stairs. “Well, at least I still get to see the upper city” he thought as he marched upward.