1.6
I'll admit, I never did get tired of that little spark of wonder that appeared in the eyes of those who saw Sanctuary for the first time. It was rare enough, these days, after so many years on this world, with the number of still-sane outsiders dropping ever lower.
Juliana stared with wide eyes, at everything in her surroundings. I'd wager she'd never seen anything like it.
On this world, there wasn't anything like it.
Sanctuary was a little spot of heaven. A massive underground complex, filled to the brim with beautiful, futuristic white, silver, and dark grey architecture. Light came from a series of massive bars at the top, glowing with gentle power. It was cleaner and clearer than the light of the outside, nourishing instead of sickening. Spots of green were integrated with the white, silver, and dark grey, parks and gardens that meshed with the architecture to enhance it, give a little bit more nature.
And of course, the people.
There were so many people down here. Thirty five million, the last time I checked. All... existing together, creating a hustle and bustle of life, easily visible all over. People walking together, talking together, fit and healthy, families with children and friends with friends. People living and enjoying life. The life-lights shone bright with joy, here.
I'd be surprised if Juliana had ever seen more than a few hundred people in her entire life. She looked around, all over the place, as we walked. One of her hands was gripped tightly around my pincer, one of the few signs of her nervousness around so many people.
Here, my presence stuck out. My bodies rarely entered Sanctuary proper, after all. People were glancing at me, children in the parks gathered at fences while they stared openly. I was used to the attention. Pretty much everybody here owed me their lives either directly or indirectly, after all.
None tried to stop us, though. Adrien lead us away from the main court, passing down a thinner side street. Tucked away in a nice little corner was a door, which he pushed open.
The door was fairly tall, but I did have to step sideways through it to fit.
The inside of the building was that of a restaurant. The style was quite a bit older, though, with nice wooden floors and solid, well-built chairs with cushioning.
Real wood, too. Nice. Didn't see this kind of aesthetic often.
Which made it contrast even more with the one who was inside.
They were immediately and obviously not Human. The body was a series of smooth white plates and parts, interlocking and connecting together to form the rough shape of a man. The body was mostly hollow, but the plates didn't hide the life-light within. The face was the exception to the colour scheme, with a black, shaped piece formed up of hexagons, a network of lights shining within them.
The head tipped upwards, the lights concentrating to give an impression of eyes focusing. That, however, was for the benefit of the two Humans present, not something true.
"You bring in the strangest of guests." The voice was smooth, calm and cultured. And despite the fact that its owner was mechanical, there was precious little indication of such a fact.
Juliana stared at it with open confusion, but Adrien just laughed. "Turing, you almost sound unhappy to see me."
"This is a restaurant, Adrien. It is not the registry area for new citizens, nor the manufacturing district." Turing replied. "Given your position, one might be excused for thinking you would have an idea of proper procedure."
Adrien shrugged, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "If I went through all of that, she'd starve, so I'd figure I'd get some actual food, first. Just a snack for me, though."
Turing released a sigh, but nevertheless complies, grabbing a series of knives, forks, and spoons. He handed all of them to Adrien. "The usual, then?"
Adrien nodded. "Some soup for her, too. Smaller portions, so her stomach can handle it. She needs to rebuild her mass."
"Shall I also go fetch a Vortex Device for your Shroud companion?" Turing manages to sound sarcastic.
"Oh, that one isn't here for food."
I mean, I wouldn't say no to it...
But, yeah, it's true.
Turing pauses, looking back at Juliana. "Of course. Your food will be ready shortly. Your table, as always, is ready for you." And with, he turns around, heading into another room. In the brief moment the door is open, I can see a clean and sterile kitchen.
Adrien heads off to the corner, where a fairly wide table awaits him. There is, at the moment, nobody else in the restaurant.
He takes a seat, and Juliana follows shortly after. I, meanwhile, just stand to her side.
The silence hangs for a few moments, before Juliana breaks it.
"Was..." Her voice trails off, and she clears her throat. "Was that... a Man of Iron?"
Adrien blinks. "Man of- Oh, no- no no no. Not Iron, dear. Turing back there is a Valiant-class Man of Stone." He stresses the word. "But, I'm surprised you've heard of such a thing."
From the kitchen, I can taste a sudden spike in heat.
Juliana shrugs, before looking away. "Grandpa... used to tell stories about life before the Collapse." There's a note of pain in her voice. A bit of hurt, in the soul.
"Ah." Adrien nods, slowly. "Yes, that would do it." He leans in, and with the air of someone telling a secret, speaks. "Turing is really old. He's been around for three thousand years."
Her eyes go wide.
"It's true." He nods, seeing the look, before leaning back. "The funny part is, he's not even the oldest one around. Ol' Singleton was one of the first generation of Valiants, and that guy is somewhere around ten thousand."
Her jaw drops.
He laughs.
Turing chooses that exact moment to emerge from the kitchen, balancing a plate, a bowl, and a glass of water on one arm. The plate has a relatively normal sandwich, but the bowl has a thick, orange broth full of meat and vegetables, steaming softly and well cooked despite the fact that it couldn't have been more than a minute since Turing had gone in.
Hmm. And it's well heated all the way through, consistent. That heat spike, from before... Probably a thermal ray, tuned low, then.
I suppose that a Man of Stone would have the precision that one would need to cook using a thermal ray.
...
If, indeed, he'd cooked, and not just had it nanoformed from feedstock.
Didn't matter in the end, I suppose.
One sniff of the food, and Juliana's attention is immediately captured. She picks up a spoon, dips it in, sips at it, and then promptly starts eating with great fervour.
Adrien smiles, before taking a bite of his own sandwich.
Several minutes pass in silence. Adrien eats slowly, content to enjoy the meal. Juliana, despite the much larger portion, still finished up around about the same time as he does. She licks her lips, looking up. Her face is a bit messy, so I grab a napkin and hand it to her.
As she cleans herself up, she looks back at Adrien. Her eyes dip to his chest, briefly focusing on the light. Again, a hint of confusion.
She opens her mouth, closes it, considering what to say. She spends a few moments thinking about it, and then clearly comes up with the only appropriate words. "Why are you wearing a glowstick?"