The Start of the World

Regan leads CLive, Edith, and Madhavi into the side room, with the large window and metal bed. He opens a door beside the window and motions CLive in but has Edith and Madhavi wait outside. At his feet, Romeow follows them inside before Regan softly shuts the door behind them.

Edith watches through the window as CLive removes his coat and button-up shirt. He has various other tears in his skin all over his chest and sides, revealing the metal parts inside. He lies back on the table, carefully lowering his head onto the pillow. He winces as the back of his head touches the surface and he grits his teeth, forcing himself to not roll onto his side.

Regan tilts his head at him. "You said you were shot, correct? Exactly where was it?" he asks and pulls up a stool with wheels, taking a seat and examining the SRL. CLive lifts his bad arm.

"Shoulder. And the back of my head," he says.

Edith gasps. "What?! You didn't tell me that! Are you okay?" she exclaims.

CLive rolls his head to the side to look at her. "Sorry, doll. I knew you weren't yet used to how I function, so I didn't want to worry you any more than I already had," he says.

Edith looks to Regan through the glass as he picks up a scalpel and his tiny screwdriver. "How does that work? How can he be shot in the head and just be... fine?" she asks.

Regan smiles. "Oh! That's how all SRL work. Their creators wanted them to be less predictable than humans, so instead of giving them brains and hearts, they were given EPCs, which are located in their chest. So that way they can take quite a few hits to the noggin without too much neurological damage," he explains and begins examining CLive's shoulder closely.

Regan clears his throat. "Now, CLive. I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to have to temporarily remove your EPC from your endoskeleton while I reconstruct the damaged framework of your head, chest, and shoulder's shell, wiring, and circuitry," he says.

CLive sighs and closes his eyes in annoyance. "Fine... so long as you don't hook me up to the Roomba again," he says begrudgingly.

Regan grumbles and rolls his eyes. "Oh darn... fine then, you can stay in the terminal this time," he says.

CLive nods to him. "Much appreciated."

Regan rolls his stool over to a computer on the far wall. He quickly rolls back over and takes some kind of cream from the tray. He opens the bottle and begins rubbing it onto CLive's chest.

He lets it sit as he returns to the terminal and types something into it. He picks up a small microphone that's hooked onto the side of the terminal and holds it up to his mouth. "Begin process of EPC transfer for subject CL-3584," he says into the mic and puts it back on the terminal. On the screen appears a green bar, above it says 'Transfer initiating. Status: 1%.'

Regan rolls back over to CLive's side and presses in the center of his chest. "Is the numbing setting in yet?" he asks.

CLive nods. "Yeah, you can go ahead," he says. His voice sounds a bit off, a little more monotone than usual.

Regan nods as well and lifts the scalpel to the center of his chest. Edith looks away as he begins to slowly cut into CLive's skin, all while Madhavi is staring through the window excitedly. She smirks at Regan.

"Can I have a turn in the Roomba? I'll suck you all," she signs.

Edith laughs and covers her mouth. She shakes her head. "Madhavi, you're not an SRL," she signs.

Madhavi rolls her eyes. "I stand by what I said."

Regan puts the scalpel down. CLive now has a cross cut into his chest, and through it is a metal ribcage that's covering a glowing yellow canister.