Finding Humanity

Conner

I frowned a little, locating a pair of pants for myself. Remember... I have to wonder if there was a chance of remembering. Seeing as things were how they were, I had to wonder if the thing that caused the fail safe to wake us was also responsible for our lack of completion of orders. In that case the second thing Sam had said would have to be what we would do. Figure it out.

Grabbing one of the bags as well, I handed it to Lydia. The look on her face as she held it and the clothes she'd found said she must have been thinking along the same lines. I could see her hands shaking where they held the items, relieved at the fact that perhaps all of us, not just a few were scared of what was going on.

"Figuring it out sounds like a plan..." I muttered as I slung a backpack for myself on. "Which is a better idea than just sticking around here."

Kent pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt. He was quiet while everyone else was talking, trying to figure things out. Everything that was happening just sat wrong inside of him. There was more to this than they thought.
Taking the last backpack, he swung it over his shoulder and made his way over to the door that led upstairs. He paused, looking over his shoulder. "There's one of two things behind this door," he said, making a face. "Let's just hope it's the better of the two." He grabbed the handle and began to pull at it, his muscles straining under his shirt. After a few tries he gave up and turned around. "Or, you know, we can just stay here."

Morgan pulled on a black tank top and a pair of shorts. The shorts were a liottle too big on her waist, but at least it was something. She couldn't keep her eyes away from the unfinished android, her heart breaking again and again.

Leon

"Is it locked?" I ask, approaching the door next to Kent. So...we were stuck here...? Just, not doing anything...?

Sam turned to a computer, typing away. "No electric lock or anything...Would have been too easy for the robotic force to detect."

"Just rust?" Unless...what was behind was blocking the door... So yeah, stuck here...

Conner --

"Maybe if we all push..." I began then trailed off awkwardly.

The idea sounded stupid when I began saying it out loud. Not all of us would fit in-front of the door most likely. But if it was rust... wait. Metal rusts, the creator surely kept something for rust somewhere.

"Do you think there's something for rust anywhere around here?" I questioned. "A bottle or something? It would make sense. Maybe we'd be able to get it in-between the door and the door frame..."

That sort of sounded stupid as well. At least I'd said something though.

Kent nodded in Conner's direction. "That's a good idea actually. I just hope that the Creator thought this far ahead...."
The last thing they needed was to be stopped by something as little and insignificant as rust. He walked back into the closet where they found the clothes and backpacks, his eyes staying away from the half way finished android. His hands ran along the dusty shelves, picking up dust and spiderwebs until he came across a cool black can, a long skinny tube coming out from the top of it.
"Think this will work?" he asked, holding it up as he came out of the room.

Conner --

I nodded, looking at the can with relief. It would have been horrible to just be stuck down here... hopefully it would work. Gesturing for him to follow I walked to the door and ran my finger down the crack between the doorframe and it.

"Try seeing if you can wedge the little pipe in there and run it down. Get it really good on the latch..."

Kent nodded and did what he was told. The pipe was a little tight when it was between the door and the frame, but it did the trick. He watched as the stuff in the can--oil?--ran down into the hinges. The liquid coated the metal, turing it a shade of black. After that was done, he took the can and coated the latch as well, hoping to God that this was going to work.
"Alrighty," he said, setting the can down and situating the bag on his back. "Here goes nothin'." With that, he pulled on the door again, his muscles straining, but this time, it opened slowly, giving a low moan as it did.
"Now this is where I'm expecting a big scary monster to jump out and eat us all," he muttered, staring up the stairs. He looked behind him at his friends, his eyebrows up. "Who wants to go first?"

Sam

I take a breath, looking at the space created. Taking off the backpack to be able to get through, I slide past to the darkness of the basement. It smelled of mold, of dampness, of...age... I can see in the darkness though. My eyes and mechanisms adjust perfectly. There were signs of disturbance. Things upended and spilled out, marks on the walls. "It's alright," I say. "Pass the backpacks through." I try the light, but electricity's been turned off to the main house.

Conner --

I slid my bag from my shoulders, stepping forwards to push it through the door. Turning around I take Lydia's as well, glad that the plan worked. What we would have done if we had ended up being stuck down here I have no clue, I can only be relieved that we aren't.

"What do you see?" I asked, curious about what lay beyond here. Perhaps there was a sign as to what happened to cause the creator not to wake us.

Sam
I place the backpackers on the floor, shouldering mine again. "Looks like a raid. People have probably come down to take whatever supplies..." Hopefully people, anyway. The robots being down here so close to us sleeping was...a creepy thought... "You can come on through..." Being alone out here made me feel funny.

Conner

I hesitated, not wanting to leave Sam alone but not wanting to leave the others alone either. Shaking my head I sighed, slipping through the small door opening and looking around. They were big kids, it wasn't like I had to watch everyone all the time.

"I think you're right..." I told Sam. "Hopefully it happened awhile back... that's most likely... right?"

As I spoke Lydia also slipped through, her eyes going wide as she looked around.

Leon
I followed through silently, glancing about. Lenses widened in our eyes, aperture set higher automatically so sensors could absorb more light. All of our mechanics seemed to be in order, thankfully. Nothing worn by rust in us, like some disease...
"Yeah, a while back..." Sam murmured. There was a thick layer of dust on everything, our steps stirring up small clouds at our feet. There were stairs along the far wall leading up to the first floor.

Conner

I kept an eye on the others the best I could as I moved forwards, taking in everything. There was so much to see... and this wasn't even the outside yet. Looking over at the stairs I frowned a little, considering it and comparing it to this scene.

"We might as well go up, but we'll have to be careful..."

I knew that I was stating the obvious, but well, its better safe than sorry...

Sam
I nod, starting forward quietly to be able to hear anything amiss. Leon stays beside me now, and I'm secretly thankful for the fact. One of us wasn't supposed to be a leader, he knew how anxious that must have felt like.

The stairs were concrete, right up against the wall. There wasn't much of a chance of crumbling so long as we stayed away from the edges. The railing beside it was metal, going up to a door left ajar. Above was very light, my eyes had to quickly adjust aperture so I wouldn't only see white. Birds cooed a little closer than outside... I guess from the raids of fifty years, windows and things would be broken in. Wildlife was coming to reclaim the building.

Lydia

I hung towards the back of the group, watching them with wide eyes. My mind was racing with what we might find when we went up those stairs, causing me to hesitate before following. Conner glanced back at me, a small smile reaching his lips as he offered a hand.

"Come on," he murmured. "We're better off knowing."

Nodding I allowed him to pull me up after him as we followed Sam and Leon up the stairs.

Sam
The house showed signs of similar ransacked nature of downstairs. They came out in the kitchen, cupboard doors left open or missing from their hinges. The wooden floor was in patchwork, weather and bugs getting to the house. Floorboards creaked as she took steps across it, determining everything of worth that had once been in the house gone except for what was present within their room downstairs. The backdoor was indeed gone, showing the midnight darkness beyond. They didn't need sleep, certainly - they had overslept fifty years - but venturing out now was dangerous. "...Should we stay here until morning...? Venture out then..."

Conner

I considered it for a moment, looking out the hole where the door should have been. It was obvious enough that something more than just our oversleeping was wrong... the state of the house made that much certain.
"That's a good idea," I said, nodding towards her.
"I agree," Lydia muttered, staring around us with wide eyes.

Leon
Sam nodded, and I go off to the left where the hallway continues. There's a living room, the couch torn up by raiders. Seemed like everything that could possibly be dismantled to hide possible supplies was destroyed. Even the bricks in the fireplace and the walls. The floor was more intact, however. It would be more stable here. With a sign, I lean against an solid section of wall and sink down, listening to the night. Crickets outside, the occasional owl, scratching in the attic - judging by the stains on the ceiling some rodent, possum, or raccoon...

Conner

I hesitated a little as Leon walked off, glancing towards the doorway. I couldn't help my slightly uneasy feeling, all of this proved to be quite unsettling. What if anything was hanging around? My brothers and sisters could be taken by surprise.
Nodding to myself I walked towards the door, deciding to sit just, where I could look out. This way nothing could sneak up on us and I had a nice view of what we would be walking out into.

Lydia

I glanced between everyone, tucking my hands behind my back. I wasn't quite sure what to do now that we were waiting.

Sam
As we had 'woken up' at midnight, it was six hours until the sun started to dye the sky brighter. From my spot - sitting upon the cracked counter - I carefully move to get down as my eyes open once again. Sleep was not needed, as our batteries charged a variety of ways. Kinetically with walking, or with solar power...

Once more, I pick up the backpack and sling the straps onto my shoulders, glancing around at the few others within the kitchen before going out to the hall. Conner was there, Leon nearby within the livingroom. "Are we ready?"

Conner

I glanced up, nodding as my answer. Pulling myself up to my feet I glanced back out where I had been staring for the amount of time we'd been waiting. No movement as far as I could tell.
"Let's go," I said, grabbing my bag and pulling it back on.
Lydia, I noticed, didn't say anything as she walked into the room, bag slung over her shoulder.

Leon
I stood as Sam walked by to head out the front door, hanging loosely upon only one of its hinges. I walk beside her, glancing over before taking lead. Because none of us were meant to lead, so she shouldn't have to go first all the time. We stayed a group. Things were done and decided upon together.

She helps as I go to move the door out of the way, rotten wood giving up the nails in the intact hinge easily to have the door completely free now. To avoid any loud noises I move outside and set the door against the house siding, peering back as Sam comes out next. She glances eastward at the rising sun, and I can feel my energy reserves filling from the measly amount the computers gave us before allowing us to wake up. Moving would help to quicken the process, but it would still take a while before our energy was full.

"Which direction shall we go?" I ask the group, glancing around the surrounding area. In fifty years, the large sprawling front yard of the house had been overgrown with tall grasses, a few small trees even invading the space. The houses of the suburb around us were in similar condition to the creator's, the street running down the middle was cracked with weeds popping up through the potholes. Very exposed...it made me uncomfortable. With the old maps I had in my memory, there were mountains to the northwest, having mostly been protected land it would be very wooded. To the northeast would be a city - Chicago, north of that Lake Superior. ...This would be easier if we had our purpose...

Conner

"To Chicago," I volunteered following them out as I mentally calculated our chances of what I wanted to happen, happening. "If we head in that direction we should come across someone and have the chance of this... strangeness being explained to us."

Sam
"A city also means more chance to encounter an enemy," I say quietly, my gaze staying busy to study our surroundings in case of any movement. "We are vulnerable with our energy low." We could travel, but I'd feel more comfortable in some sheltered space rather than on the roads. We didn't need to stick to the highways anyway with our mental maps. GPSes would have been too dangerous if satellites were corrupted. Chicago was a general direction for now, we could always change tactics if it was getting obviously dangerous. Investigation of the closer suburbs may be helpful. I step off of the porch and head over the cracked front walkway, to the blacktop and its faded paint. Away from possibly the last safe place available on the planet.