Hunter HQ - Commissary

Once the most-used area on the Fort Sam Houston, this area sees a little less usage by the Maverick Hunters, but it is still an important part of the ship. The mundane tasks of the Maverick Hunter Base are carried out here, from clothes laundry and armor cleaning to basic repairs. Mail sent from Neo-Tokyo is sorted here and delivered, and there is a small commisary, primarily for the human residents of the base, though it gets more than its fair share of usage by the Reploids here, as well. The room is seldom busy, but without the functions performed here, life in the Hunter Base wouldn't be quite as easy.

Kalinka [Casual]

Down <D> leads to Hunter HQ - Science Area.

East <E> leads to Hunter HQ - Medical Area.

South <S> leads to Hunter HQ - Residential Level.

Kalinka is, at the moment, splayed across the couch, snoring lightly. A datapad is resting on her chest, and it rises and falls slowly with each breath she takes.

Bowie moseys in, bringing back some dirty dishes that have been collecting in his room. Kalinka isn't noticed at first, until he hears her faint snoring. He sets the dishes in the sink as quietly as he can, then moves over in the direction of the sofa. Sure enough, his girlfriend is catching 40 winks under one of the blankets. She works so hard, he thinks to himself, like she's trying to keep up with her dad. The gunslinger decides not to disturb her sleep just yet, simply watching her.

Kalinka looks very peaceful and relaxed, sprawled as she is on the couch. She sniffs, her arm flopping forward onto her chest where the datapad is. The moment she touches it, however, she awakens with a frightening start, sitting bolt upright, eyes wide with horror as if she just witnessed something terrifying.

Bowie doesn't jump, but he does blink at her sudden awakening. "Sunshine? Y'all right?" he asks with mild alarm.

Kalinka catches her breath, shivering reflexively, then taking a few deep breaths to calm herself once she sees where she is and who she's with. "Oh...y...yes, I am fine. Just some nightmare." She moves to sit up and stretch. "How long have you been here?"

Bowie eases into a reassuring smile. "Must a been some nightmare..." He reaches out to brush a lock of hair from her face. "Jus a few minutes. Ah didn't want t'wake ya up."

Kalinka sighs. "Always, it is the nightmares. They never end, so...what can I do." She suddenly smiles warmly, leaning over to give Bowie a sweet little kiss. "I want to show you my project, tonight."

Bowie returns the kiss. He's not quite as timid about it as he used to be, but it's as if he's afraid someone's going to storm in any time he tries. Of course, considering past experience around here, that's an understandable fear. "That's fine with me."

Kalinka stands up and stretches. "It is in Moscow," she says. "You have warm coat? You will need it."

Bowie smiles. "Mah duster should be warm enough - put the liner in it yesterday." As she stretches, he sneaks in a hug. "So all we need is t'get yer coat an fur hat."

Kalinka giggles, and hugs back warmly, lingering there for a 'dangerous' moment. She's accustomed to living every moment of her life on edge -- certain that her father can spy on every single activity she partakes in if he so chooses. Sometimes, she just throws caution to the wind and engages in 'reckless' behavior. After letting go, she nods and remarks... "I put them in the closet, over here..." Then, she heads over to the closet and gets them out.

For Bowie, the dangers found in relationships are entirely different from the ones to which he's normally accustomed. Being shot at is pretty cut and dry, as is trying to fly the Vorpal in a brutal crosswind. Having your girlfriend's father also being your medic has dangers he normally doesn't care to think about. While she puts on her coat, he buttons up his duster, then fishes gloves from his pockets and puts them on as well.

"I never did ask, but I am curious to know," Kalinka says, taking on an inquisitive tone, "As an older model, are you sensitive to temperature extremes?"

Bowie says "Not as much as yer average human, but yeah, Ah do notice the changes in temperature. If ya stuck me in the arctic without a coat, Ah'm pretty sure Ah'd freeze." A small, puzzled frown. "Seem t'remember, back before mah rebuild, the last two fingers on mah left hand would ache erry time it got real cold."

Kalinka seems a little bit surprised. Perhaps this is something she didn't know about Bowie's particular reploid line. She's fairly familiar with most types. "Well, how about that. Come on, handsome, it is not far from the teleporters. We will not have far to walk in the snow."

(And off they go.)

Moscow - Business District

Beautiful Moscow. In many years of history, through communisim, depression; monarchies and anarchy, it has remained the same. The architecture of old blends with the conveniencies of modern technology, especially in this district of *gasp* capitalism! Gone are the old food lines where one would have to wait hours for a single loaf of bread. No longer does one have to worry about street thugs and dealers of the old Russian mafia. This is a thriving economy, bustling with with activity and the charm of old.

Kalinka [Winter] [MH]

South <S> leads to Moscow - Historical District.

East <E> leads to Moscow - Northern Downtown.

Bowie is an old and fairly obscure model, a factory-made reploid with a low production run. The fact that most of him isn't even original anymore just makes him all the more unusual. He follows alongside Kalinka, alternating between watching her and the city around them. It looks very different under its frosting of snow and ice.

Some time later...

Kalinka leads Bowie down a snowy sidewalk, toward a small office complex. The wind is thankfully light, but it's beginning to pick up. "Looks like storm is coming," she remarks. "But we are where we need to be. See this office? It is old laboratory...I bought it at auction."

Bowie considers asking just how much snow Moscow receives in a winter, but he has a feeling he's going to learn that on his own soon enough. He looks over the rather drab and unassuming office building, and nods.

Kalinka heads up the walk to the office, checking the mail and then unlocking the door with an old-fashioned manual key. She pushes the door open, and flicks on the lights within.

Kalinka's cleaned up the lab on the inside. It's a small office/lab, not even half the size of the research lab in Light Labs. It's kept neat and tidy. Various projects in different stages of assembly can be seen on a few shelves...and over in the far corner, a larger object is on a table, concealed behind tarp.

"Welcome to my workshop," Kalinka says with a wry smile. "Daddy does not even know about this place."

Bowie follows her inside, scraping his boots of snow before stepping inside the door. While his knowledge of laboratories is sorely lacking, he still nods appreciatively at Kalinka's private lab as he looks around. As usual, he's very careful not to touch anything. "Very nice...ya set this up all by yerself?" he asks/states.

Kalinka ehs, making a so-so motion with her hand. "This place did belong, at one time, to small branch of major American laboratory. They were sold to larger company -- bigger fish syndrome -- and the 'bigger fish', in this case, did not do so well and they cut workforce by 20%, eventually. Anyhow. All of the equipment came with this place, already installed. It was -bargain-. So all I did was move in some of my things." She gestures toward shelving on the north wall which serves the dual purpose of storing chemical specimens and storing her required reading for school. "I come here to study now, because Masters and Mavericks cannot walk in and ruin that."

Bowie nods, being all too familiar with that syndrome. He continues to look around as he walks, ambling towards the table covered with the tarp. "Can't disturb whut ya don't know about," he agrees.

Kalinka bobs her blonde head, then she heads over to the tarp...the main attraction. "Anyhow...this here on the table is my project...my pride and joy. I do not know now if or when project will be finished. But I will show you what I have so far." With that, she reaches over, and pulls off the tarp...

On the table is what is quite obviously a reploid, in an early stage of construction. He's not much more than a partial metal frame with some synth-human features, and he bears a slight resemblance to Rock, except he resembles an even younger boy (perhaps 8-13). The upper torso is more complete than the lower half; most of the lower half is still disassembled and scattered around the table.

Kalinka stares at the partially-assembled reploid with a forlorn sense of pride.

For a very long moment, Bowie has absolutely nothing to say. He stares at the partially completed reploid with a mixture of surprise, curiousity and something akin to reverence. His gaze then turns to Kalinka briefly, still at a loss for words.

Kalinka sends a radio transmission to Dr. Cossack.

Kalinka receives a radio transmission from Dr. Cossack.

Kalinka smiles sadly. "That, of course, is just his shell. His AI is right now in my computer at home. He is such a sweet thing...and now, I wonder if he should even be born. I -want- to bring life to him, Bowie. But...I have had second thoughts. Perhaps it is not yet time."

Bowie reaches out to her, offering his hand. "It's a big responsibility, bein a parent..." he says softly. "...if yer not ready fer that, then ya shouldn't take that step."

"It is...somewhat scary," Kalinka admits, taking ahold of the offered hand gently. "But at the same time, my heart wants it so much. What the heart wants is not always...you know, the smart thing to do."

Kalinka says, "I do not think Daddy would understand, either..."

Bowie squeezes her hand. "The heart wants, but the mind knows better...Ah know." His expression grows sympathetic as he moves to pull her closer, into a comforting embrace. "You have time, sunshine, plenty of it. Time enough to wait until yer ready."

Kalinka sighs. "I know...but still, I can picture how he will be, and something in me does not want to wait...it is...you know, impatient." She seems to melt happily in the embrace, drawing closer. "Just like I cannot wait, every day, to come home and see you."

Bowie chuckles softly, his smile understanding. "Ah know. But this is one thang ya don't want t'rush into. He'll still be waitin fer you, ya know. He won't be goin anywhare." And neither will I, he thinks. "Ah know it's hard, but this time ya need t'be patient."

Kalinka nods, looking like she reluctantly accepts what is beyond her power to change. "I will, this is not a project that should be rushed anyhow. Already, he has sentience and he has a developing personality. I spend time with him every day...well, his conscious mind, which is as I said in my computer at the base. I have been...wondering, what Daddy would say if he knew about this project. He makes killing machines. My little boy has no weapons...his purpose is not to kill, or spy, or function as a weapon..."

Bowie considers her words, particularly the ones concerning her father. He has some idea of what he'd say, and it's not something that would be said quietly. Unlike the cowboy's words. "...whut is his purpose, then?" he asks, curiousity getting the better of him.

"What is any child's purpose in this world?" Kalinka asks softly. "His purpose is to learn, and to grow, and to find his own purpose in this world. I will not give him a function and force him to abide by it. My only hope is that I raise him up in the right way, and he will choose *good*." She stares pensively...almost matronly, at that angelic little face, before once again covering it with the tarp. "But those are thoughts for another time. I will keep him on my computer, but...the rest of this project is going into storage, until his time comes."

Bowie nods slowly, having no words in reply. He's always had a function, and the thought of having no actual purpose is somewhat frightening. For now, he does his best to look reassuring. In his mind, she's making the right decision, though it pains him to see her have to make it.