odd beings, stranger encounters (Zero vs Sairai )

In the middle of the night under the light of the bright moonlight cast upon the ocean a breeze blowing his flimsy drifter cloak the construct known as zero was levitating five inches off the ground looking up allowing coolant to through him.

<Where did I originate? Who built me? Why? What caused the shock wave that propelled me to this area? Is my current objective even possible and how will I know?> the construct had so many questions that have yet to be answered and he did not even know if this was his AI or another complex stand in.

<Where do I stand? What can I become? What do I have to possibly grow into a self?>

His thought process was disrupted by a sudden detection of another presence.

<What kind of human is awake at this time of night? Flight system engage.> The mechanical being rose further going into free flight mode and speeding off to the source of his sensor disruption.

To his surprise it was not a human at all... it was nothing in his database no entity like it native to earth. Zero to decide silent observation would be best as far as his data told even gifted organics cant identify nonliving entities presence thus he could observe until this entities motive and character could be noted hostile, friendly, or neutral. This would make it so he can decide to withdraw, cautiously converse, or openly.

As he approached he folded the flaps of his drifter attire to produce no sound and awaited this unique entity to act... strange this nonhuman organic seemed to show intelligence perhaps even self though it was reminiscent of a coldblooded reptile by appearance of its hairless tail that seemed to posses significant might and potential use for a practical and strong appendage

the evident lack of ears caused the mechanical entity made one error in the clothing keeping his hood up vulnerable to the breeze generating a noise .

<What is this creature?>

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Beaches... I bloody hate beaches... the Changeling commented within his own psyche. Even at night, there was something about the sands of the beach that drove him insane. As he levitated slightly above the ground to avoid getting the unpleasant material between his toes, he could feel the chill of the night air running through him. He had been measuring the extent of the destruction caused by his use of the Super Nova attack some time earlier, to see just how much land he would have to wish to have restored at a later time. So far it seemed that he’d be doing it in about a range of five miles.

Sighing, he began to turn back toward the city before he heard something in the distance. It sounded reminiscent of a flag flapping in the wind, or perhaps even closer to the sound King Cold’s cape made when he flew. Raising an eyebrow, the Changeling turned toward the source of the sound only to see a hooded man heading directly toward him.

He raised a single brow as he looked upon the being’s form. There was no face to be made out, but it didn’t seem likely that he’d be one of Sairai’s own race. He smiled slightly as he floated up into the sky and crossed his legs, one over the other. He normally wasn’t the one to throw the first punch, and this time it would also hold true. He despised conflict with all of his being, unless it was purely for the enjoyment of the sport of martial arts.

He knew many in his race found this to be a weakness on his behalf, but many of the more aggressive fools back on his home planet had tested his limits when it came to sparring, trying to push him to anger and try to kill them. He had not killed them, but the sudden jump in his power level and the sheer amount of force he could put behind his attacks had made them swear off trying to outright fight him ever again.

A chuckle escaped his lips as he thought back to those strange days. He had been made in the image of his race, but there was a part of him that despised being a monster, and would do everything in his power to fight that image. That is why he had come to Earth. That is why he had disobeyed his parents. That is why he stood here now, as one of the defenders of the planet.

WC: 424

The creature heard him approach and went to meet him.

With the moon at his back nearly no part of Zero was visible aside from the hood and humanoid form.

The mechanical entity took the image of the creature before him into his mind ran scans seven times in his mind for anything remotely close to the entity before him and nothing came up.

The mechanical entity looked at the biological creature with deep consideration but the lingering thinking caused him to activate the glowing eyes for night vision mode unintentionally showing himself to be an unnatural being,

“Pardon me if this question seems rude but what are you?” Asked the perpetually calm and pleasant monotone voiced youthfully modeled construct with a neutral face.

The construct figured this creature would be trustworthy for why would a nonhuman care that he is nonhuman.

The being knew so little of this creature but due to it not being human the construct felt more comfortable in the likelihood him not being hated for being a robotic entity.

The construct removed his hood allowing his metallic skull plate to shine with the light of the moon.

“I am a construct, A humanoid robot. I am a prototype more specificity I am an experimental super computer and artificial intelligence agent prototype. I have no real name however my status as a prototype has given way to the idea of calling myself Zero and when I am blending in with humans for self preservation and safety I use it as a nickname while hiding behind these garments and shades.”

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Sairai looked at the strange being as he approached, his cloak billowing in the wind. Sighing, the Changeling allowed the creature to address him. “What am I?” he repeated, as if he didn’t understand the being’s question. He then remembered he was no longer among people who knew what he was by basis of his own words. He looked at the creature, attempting to bypass the shadows covering his face, but he looked like nothing more than a normal human.

The odd monotone on the other hand was quite unnerving, though it seemed design to calm people more than anything. Sairai kept the cold look on his face, allowing nothing more than a small smile to creep up on his face. When the being showed itself to be a construct, the Changeling was not surprised. He could tell there was something off, considering he could not sense the being’s ki signature, a common trait held by most robotic beings.

He uncrossed his legs and stood up, still using his ki to balance himself in the air before bringing up his own race. “I’m what is known as a Changeling. At least that’s what our race is called,” he said, his eyes shining in the moonlight.

“There is a reason for it, too,” he said as he allowed his ki to grow out around him like blue-white fire. As it continued to grow, the Changeling had to nearly bit his tongue off to prevent himself from screaming. His power continued to climb as his body developed small cracks all over it that glowed with a blue energy. As the pieces of his body began to fall off, he finally released a scream so loud and powerful that it caused the very trees on the edge of the beach to bend over from the force.

A cloud of sand jumped up and surrounded the Changeling and he flared his ki once more to disperse it, revealing himself in his fourth form, the form he considered the height of Changeling power. Sighing, he dusted himself off lightly before standing in front of the construct with a light smile on his face. “We can force our bodies to spontaneously evolve to a higher realm of power.

His eyes were glowing with power as he allowed his body to be bathed in the moonlight. The armor that once covered his body was gone, and in the place of his normal skin tone there was nothing but pure white, save for the reflective portions of his body, which as always were a light blue in color.

WC: 430
TWC: 854

The construct watched the entity with spikes all around now given a race name allowing him to focus on the oddities of this being, the crystal like pieces? Organs? Growths? These strange almost glass like pieces made him seem like a construct in zero's eyes.

The entity talked confirming beyond doubt a human grade intellect with eloquent speech unlike the lower grade individualistic lifeforms, the animals, contrary to the appearance.

The transformation surprised the machine as such an ability did not exist in his data however on the outside no reaction was given.

“Understood. Do any curiosities of me exist within you that you wish to be informed about?”

the change in appearance was radical going to a reptilian humanoid with bone horns to an almost blank humanoid form with crystal bits in his flesh as well as a tail maintaining the inhuman feet his data has not made a good comparison for gator was as close as his data had.

“My lack of reaction is due to the underdevelopment of my self. I was just activated under 24hours ago my mind was made to grow not to be a tool.” The android said monotone in voice and face

“How would be best to interact with you or your kind? An example of what I am asking is my data suggest for humans to show a positive air with a smile and mild manner.”

237

Sairai pondered for a moment as he beheld the strange mechanical being before him. It seemed to be extremely intelligent, though limited in its emotional ability. Undeveloped, as he? said... the Changeling thought without a single emotion being shown upon his face. Though he was considered open and friendly by most people, it was nearly impossible to read his true intent, no matter what others thought. It was one of the chief skill taught to any Changeling. Guard your feelings, never let an opponent get the best of you. To them you must seem as emotionless as ice, and just as ruthless as the winter cold.

Sairai had learned his lessons well, perhaps a little too well. He had always been the best student in his class, but had never once been seen as being anything other than soft-hearted, merely because he disagreed with the ruling style of King Cold and his family.

”It’s such a shame, truly, that one so gifted must also be so soft,” he had heard one of his teachers comment to the illustrious commander of the PTO.

“Indeed,” the Changeling king had responded, his voice cold and commanding. “See to it that he’s broken of that habit, won’t you? He will be a powerful tool to use against my enemies, if only he loses that cursed conscience of his.”

Sairai had been pressed against a wall nearby, his power level confined to a mere hundredth of a percent of his full strength, a trick he had picked up in his abundant alone time. Without another word, the teacher and lord had parted, and the young Changeling too had disappeared without a word, for he knew King Cold could kill him with little more than an sideways glance, and he was not prepared to die, not like that.

“How to best interact with my race? Save for myself, it would probably be better that you didn’t. King Cold and the other Changelings are... less than concerned with the lives of races other than our own, and will crush anything that poses even the slightest threat to their power. If you absolutely had to interact with them, bow your head and do not question their authority, or they will crush you like so much aluminum in a compactor.”

Sairai hoped his message had sunk in to avoid the Changeling race by all means available. If it didn’t, he could only pray for the machine’s continued survival.

WC: 417
TWC: 1,271

The android's head left a slight buzz as he processed what he was being told.

He did not understand hatred for things that do not hold threats to them he did not understand hatred in general outside survival by increasing adrenalin and impulse to act on spur of the moment against an aggressor.

<I am not organic. I am mechanical. I may learn some of which I do not understand but it will require more time if subjectivity can purely exist in me at all.> thought the human formed robot with no expression and eyes unblinking.

The android had no past to recollect, no of experiences past to serve him better in this situation the android in fact was unaware he had a symbol “branded” to his neck all he was was a mystery to him.

The android looked Sairai in the eyes in the blink of an eye his cold lifeless white eyes tuned to an arctic light blue.

“I understand sir, I shall act with common social self preservation should an encounter be unavoidable I shall be a submissive machine to them” Zero gave a small bow “thank you for that advisory data” the androids tone was far lighter and almost what one may call angelically timid, the tone was more emotional but it seemed to be something intent to ease the mind of individuals and no emotion beyond the tone was really present

Zero then looked back up eyes returned to the cold blank white eyes illustrating the mentality has returned to its original robotic and emotionally empty tone.

“I am at an impasse in my existence. I was just activated today and through it all I have seen so much I cant find a path. I possess no desire yet I have a preference of not harming unless my existence is threatened. I was without doing anything bound knocked practically offline and tied to a stone carving as a display for a mass of people oppose to technology thus urging my self preservation to avoid contact with organics, however a previous threat to my existence, a massive blast blowing me into saltwater shorting me out when a kind young woman retrieved me from the waters and a young man with the woman aided me off the carving and took to a safe home and another repaired me and added to my human appearance by giving me a full head of skin and short hair, such kindness contradicts the previous data, I am a robot with no underlined objective warranting my existence thus I gather data to try and forge one but so much contradicting data I can not determine what the true nature of organics are or my place among them or how I should exist with them, outside of them, or over them.”

The machine spoke of his precarious position in his clean slate existence as basic as a human would make a delivery order

Zero looked into the organics eyes still yet to have blinked once since his eyes shifted back to white.

“What would you advise a robot like myself to do or be?”

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