After begging the functional bot not to ruin his home, getting what he hoped was a beep of affirmation and a sassy eye roll with its arms crossed, Barry hurried out of the apartment and to the train station. The streets were crowded, as usual, with people rushing to work and vendors hawking their wares to early Candlenights shoppers. Usually, Barry would find time to stop in Magnus's shop, which was close to the train station, but he was pressed for time, having woken up late.
He barely made it to the platform in time, only being able to get on the train because he summoned mage hand to keep the doors open (and getting reprimanded by the PA system). A woman in a blue and white suit, wearing a blue cloak and holding a white oak staff, slipped on next to him, giving him a thankful smile as the train doors closed and the train lurched forward.
"You're Mr. Hallwinter, aren't you?" the woman whispered to him a few minutes into the ride, causing him to startle. "The one who fixes bots for the Undercity?"
Barry gave the woman a once over, frowning. She was definitely from the Skycity, the part of the Capital that still had natural greenery and housed the richest of the rich. He pegged her to be at least in her 50s; though prematurely white, she wore it well. She had kind brown eyes, but betrayed a hardness underneath.
"I might know of the guy," he muttered. He was a shit liar.
She smiled gently. "My name is Lucretia McDonald. If you happen to… see him—" She hid a grin behind her hand, "I have come into possession of a bot who suffered damage during the jailbreaking process. He can get out sentences with great difficulty, but usually all he can say is his own name. I was hoping your friend could repair him. I'd be willing to pay handsomely, and, should he perform to my expectations, he may see my continued patronage."
"It sounds like his hard drive might have knocked around during the process," Barry muttered to himself, hand on his chin. "It's easy to do; the blocks are very close to the hard drive, and any amateur can knock it loose. If he's saying just his name, it probably got knocked around bad, or even damaged, but it sounds salvageable. Shouldn't take more than five hours to repair, at minimum."
"So you'll do it?"
"I- I mean, I'll pass on the, uh, information— aw, fuck it, you seem trustworthy. Fine, I'll do it. But I'm working on two bots right now. Just come in any time next week, I should have time off on Wednesday."
Lucretia grinned at him and shook his hand, then exchanged information with him. "Thank you, Mr. Hallwinter. You're doing me a great service. Oh! This seems to be my stop. I'll see you soon."
Barry watched her exit the train and walk away, a sense of dread settling in his stomach.
He hated dealing with the rich.
"Cutting it close there, Mr. Hallwinter," muttered the security guard, Boyland, as Barry checked in.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," he grumbled, holding up his arms so he could be scanned for any dangerous magical items. "I had a late start."
"I won't tell, don't worry. Anyways, Killian and I are going to meet up for drinks at Collins' place, with her fiance and Magnus. You in?"
"Uh, no thank you. The last time I went out with you guys I almost got arrested. I don't Tom has forgiven me, either. Besides, I've got a, um, project at home that I still need to work on."
"Your loss, my dude. Anyways, you're clean. Head on through."
Miller Labs, founded by the late Maureen Miller, was the first and foremost in android technology, priding itself in "pushing the boundaries every day." Located in the Midcity, it outshined the other corporations that surrounded it with sleek chrome both inside and out. When Barry had first come to the lab, he'd been awed by how it looked, but, as the years wore on, he found himself growing disillusioned with the beauty. He was stuck on the bottom rungs, the assembly line, putting blocks in the heads of bots, despite the fact he was more than qualified to move up into another, more dignified, department.
As he made his way to the elevator, a halfling woman holding a box rushed in his direction, colliding into him with a yelp. They both fell on their asses, the box falling open and expelling its contents. "No, no, no!" she cried, desperately trying to scoop up whatever it was that had fallen out. "Mr. Lucas is gonna kill me if these are damaged!"
Eyeballs. They were eyeballs, Barry realized, picking one up off the ground. The one he held was a cat-like yellow, almost disgustingly realistic.
And perfect for the bot in his workshop.
When the halfling woman wasn't looking, he slipped the eyeball into his pants pocket and set on helping her gather the rest into the box, both of them offering apologies for not watching where they were going. The woman then hurried off, slipping easily through the crowd.
Barry touched the eyeball in his pocket, thanking the gods for his luck. It might not be the exact same color as the bot's other eye, but it was better than trying to salvage the one it already had. He may have had a rough start to the day, but things were finally starting to look up, bit by bit.