Kane watched her pace. “I uh..” He wasn’t expecting that, so he didn’t have the answer to it. “Cerberus is also just a code name..it’s important to the mission that they do not know my real name.” Previously his voice seemed to carry a lot of emotion, even sound human, but that last part sounded almost forced, automatic, mechanical.
He paused. “Wait. Back in the day..?” That doesn’t sound right.
Brooke nodded and hummed a little, brushing off the mechanical voice for the time being, "Yeah, back in the day. When the war was on and they had all those robots and-" She paused, turning to Kane, "You're one of the robots aren't you? The ones that fought in the war centuries ago."
Kane froze up; or seemed to, anyway. He knew about the war, but something really seemed to stun him..
“..Centuries..ago?” He asks, very carefully. He fights in that war. There is no way the war lasted that long. Maybe she’s just talking about a different war? But he hasn’t heard of another war with robots..
Brooke nodded again, rocking back on her heels, "Yeah, like two centuries ago or something… have you been shut off for that long?" Her eyes widened a little.
“I don’t..” Kane realized another thing. His teammates, his very human teammates. Humans never lived for that long. Unless you were like Kane. But still, he seemed to refuse the fact that two centuries have passed.
“No..you must be lying. The war is still going on, right? I need to get back! I need to fight!” He took a step forwards.
Brooke took a step backwards, swallowing, "Why would I lie about something like that? There is no war, the place is at peace, or as close to peace as one can get, really. You don't have to fight anymore."
He seemed to move to take a step forward again, but stopped. He seemed to look down at Brooke, then up into the sky. His only orders right now were to defend his allies, his country. If the war was really over, what was Kane’s purpose?
“But..” His voice seemed to go quiet. “What if I still want to fight..?” Although he didn’t really want to fight. It was just the only thing he really knew, in this body. War robots like him were mass produced to serve their purpose in the war. When the war was over, they were intended to be used in other smaller conflicts, sold off to other countries, or deactivated. Things did not go the right way, it seemed.
“..have centuries really went by?” He lifted his arms, looking at his ‘hands.’
She nodded, shuffling her feet, "Yeah, two centuries or so," She replied, "And don't really know what to tell you, referring to the whole fighting thing. There isn't really… anyone to fight anymore, apart from the occasional aggressive raiders."
"Well, everyone on the planet are raiders, technically. Most of us are civil, but some attack other humans for there property and such." Brooke explained, shrugging a shoulder.
She scratched at the side of her head, flipping her hair to the other side, "I mean I guess? Not often but it is common in this area to find aggressive raiders."
Kane’s diagnostic continued to run. It was taking a bit longer, and he feared that might mean some of his system was damaged. But he’s know for sure once he began to move for real.
“Then I will fight for you, against possible threats. If it is okay for me to travel with you, of course.” Kane quickly added at the end.
Brooke blinked a couple of times, surprised at what Kane had said. She wasn't expecting the offer but it was one she couldn't decline, "Uh, sure, why not. I could use a little company I guess."
Brooke let out a nervous laugh, "Yeah, I was looking for something to fiddle with 'cause I was bored, and I kinda fell over you, like I didn't see you under all the… dirt and stuff and fell over."
She chuckled, grabbing onto the strap on her back, "Yeah, that's correct," She sighed, "Well, you ready to get moving? Who are your joints feeling from being immobile for so long?"
Kane seemed to peer at his hand again, testing its movement. He was stiff, if he had to describe it. But he couldn’t exactly feel things, so he’d be fine.
“I think I’m alright for..what, two centuries, of not doing anything at all? Yeah, I’m able to move around. A bit slow right now, but as soon as my gears start going I’ll be fine.”
Brooke nodded, starting to walk the way she as headed before she tripped and fell, "Cool. Well, come on then. The world is big and we have exploring to do." Her aim was to try and head towards the coast line, hopefully find a ship to take her… somewhere, anywhere.
He turned his head slightly in the direction she was heading, before moving the rest of himself into a walk towards that direction. “It is quite big for sure,” Kane spoke, almost as if he was thinking of something. And he was, that the world was rather large.
A flock of birds flew overhead, and his sensors detected the movement, following it until it was too far to be detected. At least his sensors were in good shape. That was good news for him.
Brooke looked over her shoulder at Kane before back to the path ahead, pushing a tree branch out of the way for them to safely walk without getting hit, "What is? The forest? The world?" She asked. Which ever he was referring to but he was right on both.
“All of it. I only ever saw a small portion of it, really only the battlefields either. That forest there was one of them, you’re bound to find at least a few more of my..kind in the forests there. Probably all in my state, though, not up and about.” His arms almost moved in front of him, as if he were holding something. He stopped though; he had nothing. It was just on reflex.
“Even before all that, the war. I only ever saw of some cities and tourist destinations.” He murmured.
Brooke hummed her agreement, "I've only seen a little of the world. Mainly this part, the forest and a little further west of here. I've been to… one? Two? Big cities? Maybe it was the same one but I can't really remember. I was only a kid when I saw it, all the broken buildings, the remains of what once was. I wonder what it was like in its prime."
He listened, interested in her experience. “Yeah. The world is truly big, and this is just our planet as well..”
At least he could access his memory. That was a good sign. His memories, being from when he was ‘human’ and ‘now.’ Right now he was speaking of his human memories - though he never said that he was either.
“Well, I remember seeing some of the big cities briefly. They were big. Tall buildings, bright lights. Lots of humans, a variety of them I’m sure. I sometimes wonder what it would be like, to experience that sort of thing. To live in it.”
"What was it like back then? Do you remember anything from before the war?" She asked, curious, "I mean if it's too personal you don't have to tell me, of course, I'll understand. Its just I've only ever heard stories and none of those will probably be correct now."
“Aside from the factory..I was made in a factory, and that was mostly what I got to see. I left the factory to be transported, and got to see a few cities. Didn’t go in them that much, we did one time for a parade though and it was..interesting. Lots of people. A variety, lots of animals, too. I did get to go on a plane as well and see the world from above. It is quite big.” Kane left his human experiences out, considering he wasn’t sure how he could explain that part.
She sighed a little, "I want to see it all. I know it might not be possible, boats don't go all that often anymore since there isn't much fuel around. And it's expensive if you come across it. Apparently back in the day there had these huge metal things called planes and you could go across the ocean but in the air… I dunno how that's even possible."
“Oh,” he seemed to laugh, but it was hard to tell. “Planes are real, for sure. There’s different types of them, though. I suppose you’re speaking of the bigger ones, though. Like you said, the ones going across the ocean.”
His head swivels, taking in each detail of their surroundings. “The planes I saw were only for a few seconds, when they were in the air. They were very fast planes. And powerful. I’m not sure what types of planes would be around today, however.”
"I haven't seen any plane. A lot of the old planes and machines got salvaged for parts. It happens a lot. No one knows how to use the original items so, in turn, they take it apart and make new things we can actually use. There might be planes near the coast but I doubt the old ones could make it across the oceans, they're too old," She sighed, "Boats might take longer, and they might not go very often but it's the only way we can travel across the world these days."
