(Teaser) Prologue

“And there we go, that was the last one,” Sanja said and put down her screwdriver. She reached for her patient’s arm and pushed the two curved sheets made out of plastic, metal and synthetic skin back together. The parts fit in perfectly, only leaving behind a narrow line running along the length of the android’s arm. Sanja grabbed a magnetic multi-tool and made a set of short routine gestures, closing several locks that she couldn’t reach from the outside. “Go ahead, move it around!”

The patient slowly raised his elbow as if he was afraid that it could fall apart at any moment. Once he was sure that he could move his arm without breaking anything, he rolled and stretched it, evaluating the condition.

“It’s been ages since I could do this properly,” he said and stood up. “How much do I owe you?”

“Just the same fee as always.” Sanja picked up a bill from the counter at the front door and handed it to her patient. She knew that she could always ask for more. Tinkers were in short supply in this city, and most androids relied on them for basic upkeep. But at the end of the day, she cared more about helping her patients than making money—or at least, that’s how she explained it to herself—so she kept her complaints to a minimum.

“Is there anything I need to keep in mind?” her customer asked, taking the bill that Sanja handed to him.

“Just remember that this might happen again,” Sanja explained. “I’m surprised that your arm was fine for so long, given that you’re an Amiot V2. This could happen to your legs as well, so make sure to get all of your joints replaced.”

Behind her back, Sanja heard the door bell ring. She turned around and saw a woman wearing a long skirt and a neckerchief walk in. Sanja waved towards the familiar android and shouted, “Gimme a second!”

“I don’t have the money to replace all four,” the patient said. “What parts should I look for? I need something affordable.”

“The cheapest option around here is always Ardor, since you don’t need to pay for shipping. They still make replacement parts, but pre-owned second generation parts should be fine as well.” Sanja scratched her head, trying to think of any other recommendations. “You could also try to get your hands on parts made by Natori. There are resellers over in Shinkou who have their cheaper stuff in stock sometimes.”

Her patient nodded, thanked her and walked towards the door while stuffing the bill into his pocket. Once he had left the workshop, Sanja turned towards the woman who had just entered the room. She was a similar model, an Amiot V4 with washed-out rose colored eyes. Sanja knew that this woman had seen plenty of combat during the Second Pacific War and needed regular checkups.

“I hope it’s alright that I showed up so late,” the woman said and put down the magazine that she had been browsing.

“You’re a good friend, so I’ll let it slide this once,” Sanja said and chuckled, picking up the file that she was keeping on the patient who had just left. She often felt lonely and isolated in this city, so she was happy that she had made some friends recently.

“Have you thought about my offer from the other day?” the new patient asked. “We just started a new project that you might be interested in, and I’d love to have you with us. You have a lot knowledge that we’re lacking.”

“That’s nice of you, but I’ll pass,” Sanja replied. She ticked one last box and closed the file. “I hope you don’t mind, it’s nothing personal.”

“Of course not,” the woman replied and shook her head. “I won’t ask again.”

“Alright, alright, anything new that came up recently?” Sanja asked and mentally pulled up the file she had been keeping on this woman. The name Esther appeared on a head-up display that only she could see next to a picture and some data. Just to double-check, Sanja walked up to a shelf and pulled out a physical copy of Esther’s file while putting away the other one.

“No, I don’t think so. Aside from my knees, of course, but that’s a constant problem,” Esther replied and sat down on the exam table.

Once she had made sure that all the information was correct, Sanja sat down next to Esther and put the file on a side table. “You know the drill. I’m going to check all the vital parts to make sure that there is no damage. Considering that your knees still hurt, there might be some—hang on a second.” Sanja noticed that something was missing among her tools.

“Is something wrong?” Esther asked, tilting her head.

“This is weird, my screwdriver is gone,” Sanja said and stood up, looking around the room to see if she could find it. “I’m so sorry, this is embarrassing.”

“It’s alright, I can wait,” Esther reassured her. “Do you need any help?”

“I’m not sure how you could help me,” Sanja replied. “Give me a second, I’ll be right back.”

She walked to a door in the back of her room, entering a short hallway that led to an exit. Outside, she was greeted by the pale twilight of late summer and the faint sound of cars somewhere on the other side of the building. She was more or less alone out here and only spotted a pair of androids chatting next to some cars further away in the cramped courtyard behind her workshop.

Sanja rushed to her garage and opened it. She always made sure to keep it well oiled, so it barely made any noise. Inside, she saw several shelves and tables lining the walls, and all of her tools were lying or hanging exactly where they were supposed to be. Sanja never misplaced anything unless she was in a hurry, so it was odd for her to lose her screwdriver after she had just used it. But she didn’t want to keep Esther waiting, so she reached for a storage case on one of the top shelves.

“Put up your hands and don’t make any sudden moves!” Sanja heard Esther say behind her back. She felt something cold touch the back of her head as if the woman aimed at it with a gun. Overwhelmed, Sanja raised her hands and froze solid. She heard two other sets of footsteps approach them and a soft clank as the garage door was closed.

“Like I said before, I’m not going to ask you again. But we also desperately need people like you in our ranks, so you’re leaving us little choice here,” Esther explained. Sanja could hear one of the other androids approach her.

“How is holding me at gunpoint going to help you?” Sanja asked with panic in her voice. Regaining some control over herself, she sent a mental distress call to the one person that she knew she could trust. But that was all she could do before she felt a tug on her shirt as someone slid something into the charging port on her back.

Sanja turned around and tried to resist. She pushed Esther away and reached for a wrench next to her, hoping to use it as a weapon. But before she could do anything else, she stopped, wondering if that was even necessary. Any thoughts of resistance had faded away in an instant, taking all of her fears and worries with them. Nothing about Esther seemed threatening anymore, in fact, she was happy to see her.

Noticing that everything had gone according to plan, Esther relaxed. Now, Sanja could see that the object that Esther had held against the back of her head was her own screwdriver. She also noticed that the other two people were wearing the same type of gray neckerchief as Esther. They were the ones who had been chatting in the courtyard, pretending not to pay attention to her. But Sanja felt no anger towards them. She welcomed their presence, like they were close friends that she had known for a long time.

Sanja looked around the room. Somehow, she was absolutely sure that there was a fifth person somewhere close to her. A wonderful person, someone whom she desperately wanted to meet. She couldn’t see her, but she felt her presence, almost as if she was watching Sanja’s every move and reading all of her thoughts.

Sanja, is everything alright? I got your message. She heard a voice ask her in her head, reacting to her distress signal.

Don’t worry. False alarm. Sanja replied and cut the connection.

“Your screwdriver.” Esther held out the object in her hand. “I’m sorry for using such an underhanded move, I had no other choice.”

“It’s okay, I get it,” Sanja replied and took the screwdriver. “I... don’t think I mind.” It felt like someone was breathing down her neck and seeing everything through her eyes. She turned around for a second, fully convinced there was someone behind her, but the only thing she could see was her shelf.

Esther chuckled. “You’ll get used to it. Anodyne need some time to settle in. How are you feeling?”

“Good, I think?” Sanja said, not sure about it herself. “Who is that?”

“Her name is Hestia,” Esther explained. “She’s an android, just like us, so there is no reason for you to feel threatened by her. In fact, this connection to her will be the greatest thing you’ve ever experienced. Believe me, that’s how all of us feel.”

Sanja looked at the other androids in the room, who nodded in approval. Despite having never met this android called Hestia, it was as if she could clearly picture her soft, gray eyes and hear her pleasant voice without having to put much thought into it.

“Is there anything she’s telling you to do at this moment?” Esther asked with curiosity in her voice.

“I think…” Sanja tried her best to listen to what seemed like Hestia’s voice coming from a distant corner of her mind. “I think she wants me to report to some kind of construction site.”

“Then let’s go there,” Esther said, “unless there’s something else you still need to do.”

“No, no, let’s go do that right now,” Sanja said enthusiastically, feeling like continuing her task was the most important thing in the world. Esther nodded, content with the knowledge that even if she disagreed with the methods, Hestia was happy about the results. Together, they would create a better world, and that’s all that mattered to Esther.