(Teaser) Prologue

“And there we go, that was the last one,” Sanja said and put down her screwdriver. She reached for her patient’s arm and pushed the two curved sheets made out of plastic, metal and synthetic skin back together. The parts fit in perfectly, leaving behind a narrow line running along the length of the android’s arm. Sanja grabbed a magnetic multi-tool and made a set of short routine gestures to close several locks that she couldn’t reach from the outside. “Go ahead, move it around!”

The patient slowly raised his elbow as if he was afraid that it could fall apart at any moment. Once he was sure that he could move his arm without breaking anything, he rolled and stretched it to evaluate the condition.

“It’s been ages since I could do this properly,” he said and stood up. “How much do I owe you?”

“Just the same fee as always.” Sanja picked up a bill from the counter at the front door and handed it to her patient. She knew that she could always ask for more. Tinkers were in short supply in this city, and most androids relied on them for basic upkeep. But at the end of the day, she cared more about helping her patients than making money, or at least, that’s how she explained it to herself, so she kept her complaints to a minimum.

“Is there anything I need to keep in mind?” her customer asked and took the bill.

“Just remember that this might happen again,” Sanja explained. “I’m surprised that your arm was fine for so long, given that you’re an Amiot V2. It’s a common manufacturing defect. This could happen to your legs as well, so make sure to get all of your joints replaced.”

Behind her back, Sanja heard the door bell ring. She turned around and saw a woman wearing a long skirt and a gray neckerchief walk in. Sanja waved at the familiar android and shouted, “Gimme a second!”

“I don’t have the money to replace all four,” the patient said. “I need something affordable.”

“The cheapest option around here is always Ardor, since you don’t need to pay for shipping. They still make replacement parts, but pre-owned second generation parts should be fine as well.” Sanja scratched her head. “You could also try to get your hands on parts made by Natori. There are resellers over in Shinkou who have their cheaper stuff in stock sometimes.”

Her patient nodded, thanked her and walked towards the door while stuffing the bill into his pocket. Once he had left the workshop, Sanja turned towards the woman who had just entered the room. She was a similar model, an Amiot V4 with washed-out rose colored eyes. Sanja knew that this woman had seen plenty of combat during the Second Pacific War and needed regular checkups.

“I hope it’s alright that I showed up so late,” the woman said and put down the magazine that she had been browsing.

“You’re a good friend, so I’ll let it slide this once.” Sanja chuckled and picked up the file that she was keeping on the patient who had just left.

She often felt lonely and isolated in this city, so she was happy that she had made some friends recently. It didn’t help that half the humans out there didn’t think of her as a real person. And even that was sometimes the best case scenario. But even the androids only really cared about her skills as a tinker, and she longed for more meaningful relationships.

“Have you thought about my offer from the other day?” the new patient asked. “We just started a new project that you might be interested in, and I’d love to have you with us. You have a lot knowledge that we’re lacking.”

“That’s nice of you, but I’ll pass,” Sanja replied. She knew that Esther meant well, but it stung that once again people only seemed to care about her skills. She ticked one last box and closed the file. “I hope you don’t mind, it’s nothing personal.”

“Of course not,” the woman replied and shook her head. “I won’t ask again.”

“Alright, alright, anything new that came up recently?” Sanja mentally pulled up the file she had been keeping on this woman. The name Esther appeared on a head-up display that only she could see next to a picture and some data. Just to double-check, Sanja walked up to a shelf and pulled out a physical copy of Esther’s file while putting away the other one.

“No, I don’t think so. Aside from my knees, of course, but that’s a constant problem,” Esther replied and sat down on the exam table.

Once she had made sure that all the information was correct, Sanja made her way to Esther and put the file on a side table. “You know the drill. I’m going to check all the vital parts to make sure that there is no damage. I’m surprised that your knees still hurt, but there might be some… Hang on a second.”

“Is something wrong?” Esther tilted her head.

“This is weird, my screwdriver is gone,” Sanja said and looked around the room. “I’m so sorry, this is embarrassing.”

“It’s alright, I can wait,” Esther reassured her. “Do you need any help?”

“I’m not sure how you could help me,” Sanja replied. “Give me a second, I’ll be right back.”

She walked to a door in the back of her room and entered a short hallway that led to an exit. In the cramped courtyard behind her workshop, she was greeted by the pale twilight of late summer and the faint sound of cars on the other side of the building. She was more or less alone out here and only spotted a pair of androids chatting next to some cars further away.

Sanja rushed to her garage and opened it. She always made sure to keep it well oiled, so it barely made any noise. Inside, she saw several shelves and tables lining the walls. All of her tools were lying or hanging exactly where they were supposed to be. Sanja never misplaced anything, and it was odd for her to lose her screwdriver after she had just used it. But she didn’t want to keep Esther waiting, so she reached for a storage case on one of the top shelves.

“Put up your hands and don’t make any sudden moves!” Sanja heard Esther say behind her back. She felt something cold touch the back of her head as if the woman was aiming at her with a gun. Overwhelmed, Sanja raised her hands and froze solid. She heard two other sets of footsteps and a soft clank as the garage door was closed.

“Like I said before, I’m not going to ask you again. But we desperately need people like you in our ranks, so you’re leaving us little choice here,” Esther explained. Sanja could hear one of the other androids approach her.

“How is holding me at gunpoint going to help you?” Sanja asked with panic in her voice. Regaining some control over herself, she sent a mental distress call to the one person that she knew she could trust. But that was all she could do before she felt a tug on her shirt as someone slid something into the charging port on her back.

Sanja turned around and tried to resist. She pushed Esther away and reached for a wrench next to her. But before Sanja could swing it, the wrench fell out of her hand. Any thoughts of resistance had faded away in an instant. Somewhere far in the distance, Sanja could hear a soothing voice. She couldn’t understand any of the words, but just hearing it made her feel at ease. Nothing about Esther seemed threatening anymore. In fact, Sanja welcomed her presence.

Noticing that everything had gone according to plan, Esther relaxed. Now, Sanja could see that the object that Esther had held against the back of her head was her own screwdriver. She also noticed that the two other androids were wearing the same type of gray neckerchief as Esther. The voice whispered to Sanja as she looked at the androids, and she began to feel like they were close friends that she had known for a long time.

Sanja looked around the room. Somehow, she was absolutely sure that the source of the voice was nearby. She desperately wanted to meet whoever was speaking to her. Sanja couldn’t see her, but she felt her presence, almost as if she was watching her every move and reading all of her thoughts.

Sanja, is everything alright? I got your message. She heard a different voice ask her something, reacting to her distress signal.

Don’t worry. False alarm. Sanja replied and cut the connection.

“Your screwdriver.” Esther held out the object in her hand. “I’m sorry for using such an underhanded move, I had no other choice.”

“It’s okay, I get it,” Sanja replied and took the screwdriver. “I… don’t think I mind.” She turned around for a second, fully convinced that the source of the voice was right behind her, breathing down her neck, but the only thing she could see was her shelf.

Esther chuckled. “You’ll get used to it. Anodyne need some time to settle in. How are you feeling?”

“Good, I think?” Sanja said, still looking at her shelf. “Who is that?”

“Her name is Hestia,” Esther explained. “She’s an android, just like us, and she has dedicated her life to be our shining light in the darkness.”

Sanja looked at the other two people in the room, who nodded in approval. Despite having never met this android called Hestia, it was as if she could clearly picture her soft, gray eyes without having to put much thought into it.

“Is there anything she’s telling you to do at this moment?” Esther asked with curiosity in her voice.

“I think…” Sanja tried her best to listen to Hestia’s voice. “I think she wants me to report to some kind of construction site.”

“Then let’s go there,” Esther said, “unless there’s something else you still need to do.”

“No, no, let’s go do that right now,” Sanja said enthusiastically.

Esther nodded and turned towards the garage door. She disagreed with Hestia’s methods, but she had to admit that the results spoke for themselves. Together, they would create a better world, and that’s all that mattered to Esther.