Chapter Text
Clumps of sand and dust rolled under the closed door to Lia’s workshop in waves.
When the wind picked up around camp the whole team hunkered down in the few buildings still standing within their border. The wind storms were not unusual. They could easily get strong enough to knock a grown man off his feet. Thankfully, no one had opted to take shelter in Lia’s workshop with her on this occasion.
Apparently there were still humans that found androids creepy, or even just their parts laying about. Lia was not above admitting to having been spooked in the dark by a limp limb dangling off a workbench. Humanity had gone through a phase of attempting to align the appearance of their robots with themselves, but the more they achieved in terms of likeness, the more it unnerved the general population. Some of the eerily human-like droids could still be found amongst the rubble and scrap heaps. Now that would be scary to see hanging in the dark.
Lia lost track of time during the wind storms, the thick dust that swirled around their camp made the daylight dim and foggy. All that could be done was to forge onwards with her never-ending pile of to-dos or to-fixes.
Today she worked silently on cleaning some parts scavenged by the team. Once they were free of grime they would be inserted into Artemis, the O-Corporation sexual services robot that had taken residence within the workshop in the last few weeks.
It had been slow-going adjusting Artemis to life in the workshop, but even slower for Katie to come to terms with having to share Lia with the new android on the block. The KT9 models were known for issues with deforming hinges - and that was something Lia could help with. Jealousy, on the other hand, was a little outside Lia’s expertise. Katie had no issue with Artemis when she was simply another bot needing servicing, but when Artemis showed zero interest in leaving the workshop to find a home of her own, either within or beyond the boundary of the scavenger camp, Katie had become more than a little disgruntled.
Lia attempted to broach the topic for what felt like the fiftieth time.
“I’m sure Artemis will really appreciate these fresh parts.” Her voice rattled through the room as she broke the hours’ long silence and fought to be heard over the storm.
Katie made a grumbling noise but said nothing in response. Her head was ducked low over the wires she was de-tangling.
“Perhaps you could help her get more involved around here. I get the feeling she wants to help but doesn’t know how.”
Katie kept her eyes down when she answered sulkily. “She could go offer her services in the bathrooms of the B building.”
The B building was one of the three structures that still stood within their camp. It was also the only one that housed semi-useable bathrooms, communal to the scavengers.
“Katie,” Lia snapped. She never raised her voice, except to be heard over the deafening dust storms, but her tone caused a jolt in Katie’s frame.
“It’s what she was built for.”
“You of all people know that you don’t need to be confined to your programming.”
“You don’t need to remind me of my great purpose,” Katie said bitterly.
The KT9 androids were built as meeting attendants.
Apparently, back before the bombs dropped, groups of people that worked under the same leader would meet together in rooms with long tables simply to talk. In those meeting rooms they would have tea and coffee and other refreshments. The KT9s would serve drinks or snacks, and distribute important papers. They also had built-in speakers for voice magnification during speeches by those leaders. None of those reasons seemed to Lia like a worthy cause to bring life to a robot, but she was glad for the KT9s being produced all the same, it had delivered to her a great friend. A great friend who was now behaving very badly.
“There is no judgement here,” Lia reminded her, her tone remaining stern. “She would not say anything about your background, so why do you think you have the right to make fun of her?”
Katie let the question hang between them for so long that Lia didn’t think she was going to get an answer besides the clattering of the wind on the corrugated front door of the workshop.
“I get it,” Katie said. “She’s shiny and fixable. I’m old and my parts are gonna run out eventually-”
“I’m pretty sure she’s older than you, but that’s-”
“So why is she better?!” Katie exclaimed, leaping up from her stool and letting the wire tumbleweed clatter from her lap. Lia fought a wince seeing those rare spares being dropped onto the cement. Getting hold of anything you needed in the wasteland was near-impossible, she had to keep everything she had in the best condition. Her little had to last a long way.
But now was not the time to scold over the material. Katie’s insecurity was finally being bared like an unsheathed cable.
“She’s not,” Lia reassured her with the softest tone she could manage, while still being heard over the wind. “No one is better than anyone else! You’re different models, built for different purposes but you both survived the wasteland and that’s what matters.”
“But you like spending time with her more! You do things with her that you don’t do with me!”
Lia flushed in realisation as to what Katie was referencing. “I do things with you that I don’t do with her,” she said carefully. “She doesn’t help out in the workshop because she doesn’t want to irritate you, so she spends all day by herself.”
“I spend all night by myself!” Katie snapped.
Lia faltered for a moment, unsure if Katie understood what her words were implying. Because it sounded like Katie wanted to share Lia’s bunk with the sex robot who was currently sneaking in every evening. She pretended not to notice and continued with her placation attempt, it really would make her life ten times easier if the two droids could get along.
“I can’t split myself in two, Katie. If the two of you can’t get along then I am forced to give you each half of my time. I don’t like it either. Instead of making this my fault, why don’t you try harder to be her friend?"
“I don’t need more friends.”
“Well, Artemis does. I would really appreciate it if you could put your ego aside to help her settle in with the rest of the team.”
“Robots don’t have egos.”
Lia hummed in a way that was neither agreeing or disagreeing, simply acknowledging the words. She was not going to get into an argument with an android about their manufactured settings versus their potential to develop personalities and emotional capabilities.
Nevertheless, Katie made a huffing sound and left. Hopefully she was loping off to see Artemis and not to sulk in her bunk.