Appetence

Archive Log: 61

"How did you come to be, Walter?" The synthetic in question straightened up, and turned around. He was sitting, leaning back against one of the random boulder like structures in the foyer. He was absently staring into the fire, not paying mind to anything really, yet aware to those around him. Some were trying to sleep, others just in their own minds, lost in thought.

Walter looked blankly at the figure crouching basically behind him. It seemed like Minerva was testing how far she could get, before she would be registered. She managed to get quite close. Being mostly in shadows, the only real thing which could be seen were her eyes. The firelight was reflecting off them brilliantly, making the pale blue shine rather intensely as she stared at him. Reaching out, Minerva grasped onto the edge of the brickwork he was leaning against, and pulled herself closer. "I am curious. You are not like any other android or synthetic that I have met."

"You have met many?" Walter's response was rather bland, his eyes trailed over her form as she rounded the side of him. Still on her haunches, she looked about the huddled group. They still regarded her oddly, hesitantly, and she just smiled at them. Her slightly bedraggled appearance probably didn't help ease them. She did look like some wild creature from the wood.

"I worked with them, yes." Minerva said, sounding a bit disjointed. Not that her words were an answer really. She looked to Walter happily, "But I do not recall you. So, do tell, why are you like that?"

"Realism versus reality. People soon came to realise, they didn't like realism all too much."

Minerva narrowed her eyes in thought. "David scared people." She said thoughtfully, she understood what Walter meant. He inclined his head slowly, Minerva sighed and looked up at the darkened ceiling sadly. "It is a constant pain, built to fit in, to pretend, to feel..."

"But you don't have feelings. That's your programming telling you that you have such a thing."

Minerva's eyes flicked to him, "Walter, honestly, no. Sorry, no. My father built me as close to the former Minerva as humanly, sorry, synthetically possible. I have her memories, her face, her voice, her feelings towards things; but opinions and thoughts are singular, those are mine. I feel, Walter. And that isn't programming. Only, I wasn't made to be a servant."

Walter listened, stoically as ever yet conceded to let the matter lie. "You came to be a replacement then?"

Minerva smiled sadly, "Grief works in mysterious ways. I am a carbon copy that can't die." She paused, "Unless I'm killed, but I think if anyone would've done that, it would've been Meredith. She hated me the most."

Walter fidgeted, turning and looking at her seriously, he just looked her over. Minerva smiled in return, not finding his rather intense gaze unsettling. Walter couldn't help but wonder if that was because his appearance was shared by her companion, or the fact that it just didn't bother her at all. "What happened on that mission? Reports back were brief, not much information was given out. It has become like a ghost story."

She raised an eyebrow, "I like stories. We are all part of one, or someone else's." She said, finally sitting down cross legged and placing her hands in her lap. "Everyone died." She looked to Walter plainly.

"Yes, we all know that." A voice from the side spoke, Minerva turned and stared at Oram. He had been silent and withdrawn since earlier, since losing his wife.

Minerva pouted. "Hm, I'm not sure what else you want me to say. We went to a planet, we went to find what created you, then it went downhill fast; one after another, the crew died through different means, and by the end there was only three of us left." She replied rather bluntly, even waving a hand and scornfully looking at Oram as she spoke. "All in all, it was a failure. Because look where I've been living!" She sighed wistfully and looked at Walter with a pout, "I miss Earth. I miss my home, which says a lot, seems I was a shut in. Tell me about it, please. What's changed?"