It has been a week since I woke up, and met my new friends. I found out that I do need to sleep, but it's only once every three days instead of every night.
Apparently things I learn are patched in, and sleeping makes them hard coded into my memory. I don't know how much I can store, I can't find anything that resembles a hard drive, or any type of memory chips I remember. I did manage to find a piece of armor on one of the frames to protect my generator. So now, my 'heart' is safe.
I have taken to calling them frames, I don't like the idea I am canablizing someone, somehow changing what I called them made me feel less guilt about taking their parts.
I let Jody, Angela's father, rewire my gyroscopes, so that I didn't have bare wires sticking out. He placed small plugs on the wires, so that I could later change parts out with less work. With both gyros working, I was able to walk with more ease.
I was also constantly dripping oil onto the bearings on my little generator. It got annoying, but it wasn't happening as often as it was the first couple of days.
"Ayla, it's time for us to go, our permit only let us be in the city for one month." Jody said to me.
"Well I'm not attached here, and we already decided I would help you, and Angela still owes me that armor." I said with a bit of a chuckle.
Andy, the man who named me turned me to look at him. "Ayla, if you leave the city with us, there will be a lot of people who will react the way we did. Modern robots don't look like you do. Also, we have told our children horror stories of your kind, enough so, that even I was afraid when we first saw you."
I nodded that I understood. "I'm still comming. I can't learn anything more by looking at deactivated frames, and I want to see this world of yours. Even if I have to claim to be property, I'm leaving this dead city. I would rather do so with you, than on my own.
I looked at each face in turn, they all appeard to be pleased with my response. Angela tapped me on my shoulder, which was the same height as hers.
"If that's the case Ayla, I will help you; but instead of you being property, would you claim me?"
I cocked my head at her request, and then Jody told me what she was doing.
"Since the Andronic war, no being of flesh has been allowed to own a sentient robot. It has been the long standing law, and a well known one, that if a sentient Andronis was found, the person who found them must offer themselves as property to it. She is the one who discovered you were sentient."
"I don't want a slave." I said simply. Angela and Jody shared an honest laugh.
"It wouldnt change anything, other than the fact that I would now have to ask you permission instead of papa. Think of it more as being a guardian, than a slave owner."
I nodded, "Then, I Ayla of the Andronis, claim you."
A message appeard: 'You have officially claimed a human as your own, you are now responsible for her well being. Unlike you, she requires food every four to six hours. Downloading all known information from surrounding networks; information will be accessible after next update.'
When I finished reading, I looked toward her again, she looked like she was about to cry. She grabbed her head, and fell to the ground, letting out a loud groan of agony. After a few minutes she started to cry, when she regained control of he muscles, she grabbed me into an embrace. And started repeating over and over again 'I'm sorry', 'I didn't know', and finally, 'I will never tell anyone'.
About the time the sun was at its peak, we started walking east, we came across another fountain, so I refilled my jug, and continued to follow the party ahead of me. Angela still in tears, but she started to whisper. But I could hear her plainly.
"Nod if you can hear me." She said and I complied.
"The claim you made was an official one. And something you should know, and for some reason I know that it's knowledge lost to you. Andronis isn't what you are. It's who you are. An official claim can only happen if you truthfully speak your given name, your real name."
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
She looked at me quickly, and the. Back forward. "You didn't remember your first name, because you never had one," I knew in my old life I had a name, but I must not have had one here. "So when we named you Ayla, the world system recognized it as your name. But the last name, that can only be given by family. Not only are you a member of the Andronis race, you ARE Andronis, as in the family, as in the Andronis Royal Family. I'm sorry, but that will have to be revealed at the gate. The rest of what happened in that house will wait until we are alone." I nodded to her. And then what she said finally clicked for me.
"Angela please tell me that doesn't mean what I think it means." I said in a normal voice, she replied in kind.
"I'm afraid so, Ayla. Although you are my size, and your frame is as old as it is, you are only a week old." She said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. To me her eyes were screaming 'say nothing else'.
I shook my head, and took her nonverbal warning; someone with us, she didn't trust.
It was about three hours after we started that we came to an area that had lush, well kept grass, that stretched for about 100 feet, and abruptly ended into a three story tall concrete wall, and at its base was an obvious guard house.
As we approached thee guards came out carrying rifles, a series of messages scrolled through my right camera, telling me I had learned various parts creation masteries, combat styles and even marksmanship. In my left eye, arrows and a targeting reticle appeared in yellow surrounding each of the guards.
Angela seemed like she was getting a headache again, then she stood wide eyed for a second, looked at me and then back. Then all traces disappeared of her pain. She took in a deep breath, and then spoke loudly, on the verge of a shout.
"I, Angela Grey, Discovered, and have been claimed by Ayla Andronis. As per the Andronic Treaty, I make this announcement of my own free will."
As soon as she said it, all the reticle a turned green, and then disappeared. A tall man exited the wall toward us. He looked at Angela, seeming to be furious.
"Do not Jest about such things child. If what you say is true, than this relic next to you is the heir to a throne that is currently being used as a bargaining chip to these very grounds. Do you know what you just said child?" He said trying to get her to recant her statement.
Angela glared at him, pulled out a round piece of glass, and handed it to the man. "These can't be faked. Look at her through this, and don't drop it."
When he looked at me through it, he nearly did drop it. He approached me and kneeled.
"Princess Andronis, I apologize for my rude behavior toward your Envoy." He took off his hat and revealed his pointed ears. He was an elf.
I looked back and forth between Angela and him, in complete surprise. Angela walked between us.
"This slight was expected, and no offense has been taken. You mentioned her throne being used in a bargain of some kind?"
"Yes, Envoy, the fairies have held ownership, and thus revenue, from the permits to enter and take items from this place, for the last fifty years. They are currently in negotiations with the human nation you hail from."
I was curious, so, I asked, "Where are these negotiations being held?" The elf bowed deeper and then replied.
"The north gate Princess, that's the technical main entrance."
"How can I get there?" Instead of getting a response, he stood and flashed a series of hand signals. Two vehicles pulled up, he motioned for me to get on one, then Angela. He got on the other one, and the vehicles sped North, leaving the rest of of Angela's party at the east gate.