Night Encounter

6 November 2038
Detroit
Nighttime

Rain pattered gently from the dark sky, soaking whatever buildings and vehicles were in sight, and then some. No humans or androids, the humanoid robot servants gone mainstream thanks to the corporation Cyberlife , were out to receive a dousing from the tears of heaven. Such was usually the case, but that night there was an exception. Having to leave a city bus due to it reaching the end of its line, a female android named Kara walked with Alice, a small girl she'd been tasked with taking care of. Despite having abandoned her other duties less than an hour before, Kara was resolved, in her artificial brain, to take care of Alice and look after here whatever happened. The two were alone, and so far their efforts to find a place to crash had proved fruitless.

"Kara...will we have to sleep on the street?" Alice sounded vulnerable. After what had happened, one could hardly blame her.

"No, we won't. We just have to keep looking. Big city, you know. Something has to come up." With that optimistic statement, Kara formed a smile on her artificial face. Androids were nothing if not rugged folk. But the search had dragged on for what felt like an uncomfortably long while. The places they'd found were either financially out of reach or physically inaccessible; the fact that they happened to be in one of Detroit's more run-down areas didn't help.

"I'm scared, Kara..."

"I know. Just stay with me...one step at a time." Kara checked her stride, letting Alice walk by her side as the pair wandered by a laundromat, a convenience store, and an alleyway. None seemed especially plausible as a place to stay. Despite the brave face she was putting on, Kara couldn't help but feel troubled; especially since she'd gone deviant, achieving independent will and emotion. But even that couldn't stop her from quitting; Alice needed her.

Minutes later they came within view of another convenience store, from whose lit interior emerged a tall young man in a long dark coat, grey cargo pants, and travel-stained hiking boots. The fingers of his dark gloves partially covered his flesh-and-bone hands, which he raised to his mouth and blew on to keep the cold night air at bay. His back was slightly to the pair as he jammed his hands into his pockets.

"Excuse me...we need a place to spend the night. Can you recommend one?" Kara approached him with care as she spoke.
He slowly turned, exposing a youthful visage where melancholy brown eyes rested above a fortnight's growth of facial hair. Sizing up Kara and Alice while rain patted into his blond hair, he took in a slow breath. "As it happens, I can. My place. Well, whether it's really mine is hard to pin down since I'm looking after it for someone else, but it's mine. At least for now." He'd always had a soft spot for people who needed help, one thing about him that hadn't changed.

A relived look spread across Kara's face. "Oh, thank you! Just lead us there!"

"Right this way." He turned and walked from the store, his long legs carrying him in long strides which he reduced after seeing the difficulty Alice and Kara had with keeping up. "So...what are your names?"

"My designation is Kara, and this is Alice. Who are you?"

"I've had an unfortunate number of names. But you can call me Arthur." He fell into step beside Kara. "Those names...Alice, Kara...they sound familiar."

"Oh?"

"Let's get to my place. I can explain over tea." Quickening his stride a little, he got ahead of them. It meant getting to his place sooner, and in minutes he was doing just that, leading his charges to a large and dark apartment building in one of Detroit's more well-off zones. After leading them up a staircase and verifying his identity with retinal and fingerprint scans at the door, he led them into the apartment's dark interior and began lighting up an array of candles, some of them scented. "Nothing against artificial light, but it gives me headaches sometimes." With that explanation he began heating water for tea, and minutes later he had two warm mugs of the stuff. Setting one in front Alice at the coffee table, he took a seat across from her while keeping the other mug. Kara, not needing tea because of her android nature, eased herself down next to Alice.