Alexabot: Food and sleep. Tea for creativi-tea functions.
Cambria: How interesting. (Great JR) The fact he was able to create a robot as well-designed and person-like as you... I can't imagine how he accomplished that but I suppose he chose to keep you secret, for any number of reasons. It's unfortunate he's gone missing. I want to ask him so many things. I mean, I have experience creating my own children. But to artificially build one...
Alexabot: What?
Cambria: ...Never mind. ...Praytell. If Dr. Tef is missing then who are you staying with?
Alexabot: Ih! I'm staying with Miss Baskerville!
Cambria: ...What. And she didn't tell me about you?! The absolute nerve--! I bet she thinks I'd do something unseemly to you-- Who does she take me for? Roboto? Great JR, what does she expect to do if you need repairs? Call a mechanic? The sheer outrage--!
Chicago: Uhhh... Dad?
Cambria: Yes, Chicago? (hi son)
Chicago: Cels and I are going to @ Café with our friends. We'll take a bus home later... You want to come too, Alexabot?
Alexabot: Umm, sure? But does At Café cost money? I don't have any.
Cambria: Chicago, cover for Alexabot. I'll pay you back later. I'll let their guardian know where they are.
Cambria: Remember, tomorrow we start our actual lessons. Study your syllabus and be prepared. I'll see you tomorrow.
Cambria: You wish to talk about your father?
Alexabot: (Phew) Sort of... Do-- Do you know what happened to him...?
Cambria: He was my colleague. I respected his work, but to be honest, I never knew much about him. Take a seat, we can chat.
Alexabot: ...So you don't know where he may be?
Cambria: I'll tell you now, he was probably caught in the explosion. But in the days prior, he had been acting oddly. He was skittish, tense... If something was bothering him, I hadn't the chance to ask him. We were in different departments. My work is more chemical or theoretical. I study how our world-- magic or science-- works. The fact he build a robot as advanced as you... I didn't know he even knew robotics. Knowing he kept you a secret at that... Why, I wouldn't be surprised if he was nervous because someone found out.
Alexabot: Why...? Because I'm the first robot with my intelligence level?
Cambria: Precisely. You're also well-articulated, have good balance, and a decent vocabulary. What do you run on?
Cambria: As said, I'm Dr. Cambria. I was a scientist at the Multi-Dimensional Science Labs prior to the explosion, of course. I took this job so that my sons could continue attending Port R High School. Otherwise we would have had to move back to the Skeleton Universe. You may be aware how few Skeletons live in Port Rendezvous. So, yes, the two young Skeletons you may know of are my sons. Any questions? Halite?
Halite: Why was the smoke purple?
Cambria: Colored dyes. Andrion?
Andrion: Did you cause the MDSL explosion?
Cambria: There's a question I've gotten all day... To put it simply: No. The explosion started somewhere near the magical reactors. I was in a completely different part of the labs at the time. Alexabot?
Alexabot: Um... How are all the different universes connected to the Port?
Cambria: Brilliant question... Thus far, no one has been able to answer that question in full. Not all the universes entered the Port at the same time, and some had to be discovered. Shadows took longer to find the Port due to their need to develop ferry travel to access their entrance. Skeletons and Starmen only learned of the Port when explorers found our universes first. Our earliest records show that Flowers were the first to find the Port and that they determined all current universes were already connected. But then, just how are these universes connected to Port Rendezvous and how did this occur?
Cambria: My theory is that the universes are tied to this location by spatial threads that tie together metaphysical holes in the fabrics of each universe. If this is the case, we could learn how to tear holes into universes ourselves and we could discover new universes not yet connected to the Port or alternate versions of the universes we know already.
Student: Why would you want to?
Cambria: I try not to focus on the Whys but rather the Hows. We can always determine a reason for doing something after proving it's possible at all. For instance, if my theory is correct, then we could potentionally...
Once there was a person named Rof who had a child named All. Rof cared for All and wanted to make sure All would be safe. So Rof kept All locked in a tower where no one could hurt them. The tower had no windows and only one door to the outside that All was told never to open.
"But what is the world outside like? All asked Rof.
"It is dangerous and will hurt you," Rof said.
"But why do you go out there?" All asked.
"To make sure no one comes here," Rof said. "I do not want to lose you, and I cannot have anyone taking you away."
All thought about this, but they said nothing more. Rof was all they knew and what he said was the only truth they knew.
One day, Rof put All to bed and did not come back to wake them up. Instead, a lady named Bas found the tower and found All hidden inside. Bas was surprised to see All, and she explained that Rof had gone missing.
And so, Bas let All come with her and together they left the tower for the first time in All's life.
And All was amazed by the outside world. There were all sorts of people, colors, smiles, and sensations they never knew existed. It surprised All how much of the world was
Alexabot: Hmm.
Cambria: Breath-taking...
Alexabot's story:
breath-taking and almost magical. Bas showed them how All did not have to hide, how they could enjoy life outside the tower, how maybe the truth Rof had told them was not as true as he believed.
But people would stare at All wherever they would go. People would say things, and All would hear and pretend not to notice so Bas wouldn't worried.
[Bas would leave Alexabot at her home while she went to work, and Alexabot would worry if Bas would come back.
But Bas gave Alexabot opportunities their dad never did.
And Alexabot wondered if they would go back with Rof if her ever returned. They wondered what happened to him, but they worried they'd have to return to the tower. They didn't mind if people talked about them, if people stared or said rude things.
They would accept it if it meant they wouldn't be trapped again.]
[Text between brackets above repeats, but with Alexabot highlighted.]
Cambria: Now, I'm told this is where everyone should introduce themselves. So we'll do this alphabetically starting with... How is this pronounced? All-is... All-i?
Alexabot: Alexabot. That's me.
Cambria: ... A robot....
Alexabot: Yes, I'm a sapient-- Err... I'm a robot with sapient intelligence and a purpose to create...
Cambria: Which means you are a person and are programmed to be creative... Fascinating. I take it you're not one of Roboto's and I doubt even Futura would be careless enough to leave future robots in the past. Are you from one of the other universes or did someone from the Port construct you?
Alexabot: Um. Yes.
Cambria: ...Astute. I appreciate that. (Great JR) Well, you're in this class, so you must be adept in science in some way. I'll find out, I'm sure. Do you know who your creator is?
Alexabot: My dad... Rossum Tef.
Cambria: ...I see. Andrion, your turn.
Alexabot, thinking: maybe dad was right maybe it's dangerous for me out here maybe i should go back to the lab maybe i should wait for him to come back maybe i'm not meant to be--
SFX: Ring Ring Ring // BOOM // creek // clk clk // Beep-! // Whi-ir
Cambria: Nobody panic. Everything is under control. That smoke is non-toxic. Welcome to AP Science. I'm Dr. Cambria M. Dr. Cambria is fine. Mr. Cambria is not.
Student: Dr. Cambria, what exploded?
Cambria: Ah, good, curiosity. Wonderful to see in individuals your age. That was the result of a component durability test. Shan't get behind on work even with MDSL closed...
