Chapter 3: With These Hands That Will Not Bleed ...

[nanocerancowboy]

[ACTION - A (In and Around 458 Stone Street, Late Afternoon/Evening, OPEN TO ALL)]

[Gat is coming home from his shift at the Mayfield Fire Station when he notices that there's mail in the household mailbox. Curious, Gat retrieves the envelope inside. It's addressed to him ...]

What's this?

[Opening it on the spot, Gat pulls out a photo of-

Comments

[Phone]

[vitalizes]

[Whoawhoawhoa that sounds kinda like Engineer ... but ... Spy never told Scout that he was here!]

Hey, Overalls! What's up? Didn't know y'were here!

Uh, what're you talking about, though?

[Phone]

[nanocerancowboy]

[Gat sounds a little disconcerted there.]

-Overalls? I ain't wearin' overalls. Hell, I wasn't wearin' any even when I was human.

[Phone]

[vitalizes]

[Blank stare into the receiver for a minute.]

Oh, thought y'were someone else! Hah!

[The tone of his voice picks up at 'was human', though.]

Was human? What are ya?

[Phone]

[nanocerancowboy]

In common parlance, I'm an android. Not like th' mechanical sort of robot, mind you. My body's designed to be more like a human's.

Back home, we're called CASTs.

ACTION - B

[doofenstrudel]

[Heinz is home from work, and is hauling things around in his garage, trying his best not to look suspicious in the least. But all of the stopping and glancing out into the street is actually very suspicious. At least no drones have stopped by to pester him. And no non-drones have cared to ask why he has so many shovels laid out.

...wait wait WAIT did a robot just come out of the house across the street?

YES. He WILL bother that burning RAcast!]

Hey! You!

[The lanky, big-nosed man darts down his driveway and stops at the end of it. He's wearing a lab coat, and he looks uncertainly surprised.]

...Oh, I have questions, but I have no way to decide what order to put them in. This is awkward.

[nanocerancowboy]

[You've succeeded in grabbing Gat's attention, Doof! The CAST stops mid-stride, looking over to the man flagging him down.]

Howdy there, stranger. How can I help you?

[doofenstrudel]

[There is... additional staring. Did the robot just speak with a Texan accent?

Okay, that's just nitpicking, focus, Heinz.]

I... am your neighbor, and I cannot help but notice that you are...

[He gestures upwards and downwards with both hands, indicating Gat in his entirety.]

...heavily armored! The mail came today, didn't it?

[Now he's sounding cheerful.]

[nanocerancowboy]

[Gat stares at Doof the entire time. This man certainly is an animated one. But when asked if he'd just gotten something in the mail, Gat gives a nod.]

That it did. I'll admit, after bein' in a human body for so long it's takin' me a lil' bit to get used to bein' a CAST again.

B. Hey there! =D

[prpl_assistant]

(Miss Pauling's about to head back home after a long day of researching the town and its people. She's tired, that's for certain. So tired that she accidentally trips on the curb. Is that a cut on her knee?)

Owch...

Heya!

[nanocerancowboy]

[Gat's on the other side of the street when he sees that happen. And as a Guardian, that's something he can't ignore! Glancing both ways to make sure the coast is clear, Gat sprints across the street intersection. He might weigh something like 256 pounds, but that's just because he's big-boned well armored.]

[Once he's on the other side he'll slow to a stop and stoop down, offering a hand to Pauling.]

You alright, ma'am?

[prpl_assistant]

Ye-yes...I'm fine, thank you. I just tripped, that's all.

(She takes his hand and gets up, brushing some of the dirt of her skirt.)

Thanks very much, sir. I'm just tired, I guess.

(Seeing another talking robot reminds her of Miss GLaDOS actually. She wonders whether he's from her world.)

Pardon me for asking, but would you happen to come from a world where there is a company known as Aperture Science?

[nanocerancowboy]

[Once Pauling's back on her feet, Gat considers her question. He's actually holding up a hand to his chin, propping the elbow up with another hand in thought.]

Can't say I'm familiar with that company. Is it a startup of some kind?

[dclassreyvateil]

[Aurica was having the phone in the living room stuck to her ear like usual as she was laying on the couch. She heard the front door open.]

[not!]Dad? [She was getting into the habit of doing this with Gat, too. She hung up the phone and got off the couch, walking towards the door. Expecting the human she had known for about a week though, she was instead met with what looked like a suit of silver armor, though about the same height.]

Who...who are you? [She takes a step back, before remembering what she was talking with her not!parents about before. Her eyebrows moved towards each other in recognition.] Wait..is that you?

[nanocerancowboy]

[Seeing Aurica's initial reaction, Gat tries to show he means no harm by holding up both of his hands at his sides.]

Whoa there, Aurica.

[He should have expected this. At least the former reyvateil can still tell that it's him. Hopefully.]

Yeah, it's me. I'm still Gat.

[Despite the new mechanical echo to it, Gat's voice still sounds as laid-back as ever, and he's still got that Texan-like twang. His tone is a bit more gentle at the moment, though, considering he doesn't want Aurica freaking out on him.]

[dclassreyvateil]

♪ BGM: Image Of Hero (Repeat)

Dad..?

[She steps closer, looking him over with a frown.] You got back your CAST form, then?

[nanocerancowboy]

[Gat lets Aurica examine him all she wants. Despite his now mecha-like appearance, he's still just as animated as a human, albeit with more fluid movements.]

That I did. Parts an' all.

B

[a_gentle_boy]

[Passing by Goldberg Street, Falk may spot a familiar looking kid having a conversation with himself.]

Please, you really have to try your best. The smell is just -- Of course I won't kick you out, but -- Well, it's just, I don't have the time to wash my sheets every day. You can sleep wherever you'd like, but if you keep spraying every time something scares y --

...What?

Robot? What do you mean ro -- No don't!

[Almost simultaneously, a cloud of brown gas and a shimmering green bubble pop up around Lucas. Coughing and choking ensues, after which he'll catch sight of the person walking up the street.]

Oh.

...Robot.

[nanocerancowboy]

[Yep, that's Lucas, alright. Gat clearly remembers that voice-and Lucas' hairstyle and clothes are hard to forget, too! Curious as to who or what Lucas is talking to, he decides to head over to where Lucas is.]

[Though hearing Lucas cry out in alarm makes him break into a dead run, prepared to assist the kid in case something's about to happen. ... That probably didn't help matters.]

[Gat slows down as he approaches Lucas. Despite his appearance, he's still got a sense of smell as keen as any human's. Which, in this case ... is unfortunate. He can't help but bring a hand up near where his nose would have been as a human.]

Lucas-? What jus' happened?

[That's definitely Gat's usual voice and accent, even if it has a mechanical echo to it now.]

[a_gentle_boy]

[Lucas has his own nose firmly gripped between his hands. Psychic shields didn't seem to stop diffusion of scent molecules, unfortunately, and his own voice is modified to a nasally sort of pitch.]

Stinkbugs, um. Stink.

[This is sort of self-explanatory. Falk may notice the insect running up and down Lucas's head and body frantically.]

.......You're...

[He's sure he's heard this voice before, but he's equally sure he's never seen this person.]

[nanocerancowboy]

That explains th' smell.

[Despite that visor over his faceplate, Gat can tell Lucas is having a hard time recognizing him. His head moves slightly as he watches that insect crawling all around Lucas' hair, almost as if he was tracking it.]

It's me, Falk Gatt. You helped Dakki out last month when that sorry Milkman was forcin' folks to drink his milk.