Part 1: Before Birth

A dusty, rusted machine,
A humanoid piece of metal,
Begins to awake.

Its eyes open, amber light shines from them, flickering from the years spent cold.
Like a child awakening, the automaton moves.
It creaks,
Shakes,
Shudders,
As it places one copper leg up while the other remains kneeling.
Joint repeatedly screech
And orange mechanical rust plume falls
And the machine stands.

The machine holds up its hand, blinking.
An intrigue infects its temporal mind;
For the machine begins to realize what
Possibly,
His potential might be.

Gears spin on brass and iron knobs
And he starts to walk,
One step at a time.
Right,
then left,
then right,
the left,
and sure enough, the pattern becomes an easy practice,
But he spots something.


A door.


A wooden door.


White light lines the craks of the frame.
He begins to wonder.
Wondering what possible wonders lie beyond this door.
And fearing what possible dangers lie there as well.
But he knows,
He cannot stay in this cold dark room.
And he will not.
He approaches the door.
And like a child reaching for its mother,
He places his hand on the doorknob.

He pauses for a moment to remember this,
But only for a moment,
And like a child still on a quiet night,
He pushes the door open.


Light
Light
Light
Blinds him
And finely fades, To where
He can see the world around him,
Surrounding him
So many new things
What was that moving on the path in front of him?
People gathered on a corner, laughing as they seemed to
Enjoy eachother's company.
He glances upward into the vast blueness streamed with majesty white. The white were as kingly creatures floating in their cerulean throne.

And he starts to pulse,

To breathe,


To feel.


What was this inside of him?
This . . . this . . . feeling?
It was not mechanical, nor was it metal;
But, perhaps

was it human?


This feeling inside of him bound his heart and pulled him forward into the unknown world.
Like a child wading deeper into the ocean water.

One hand reached out to touch all he had never touched
But something suddenly clenched the other.
He paused,
Turned around,
And there was a man.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Silence . . .

"What do you think you are doing?"

Silence . . .

"This is not where you belong. Follow me."

He followed the man, attempting to walk follow the man's footsteps as he led him into a homely shelter.

""Here you will learn, here you must obey."

The man handed him an unfamiliar tool.
He held it with reluctance.

"With this you will learn, and you will serve, but serve me only.

Like a child confused by curiosity,
Thoughts erupt and flew throughout his mind.

"But first . . . "

The man approached him, opened up a compartment in his chest, and began to work.
The man's hands were precise and professional,
Yet ever so gentle.

The man finished the work and closed the compartment.

And awake!

His heart and mind surged with power and . . .
. . . emotion?
He began to feel differently, think differently.

He began to be his own.

"Now, you are ready. Are you willing?"

He paused.
Then nodded.

"Very well. You need to know that I made you, and everything you are is good. You have no flaws. You are ready."

Silence . . .

"You will forget everything. And I will not be there physically to guide yo. Another will take my place in teaching you. Follow him until it is time."

Silence . . .

"Farewell. I love you, and will be waiting to meet you again."

The man looked into his eyes,

A tear fell,

He pulled a lever.


Love?


And then there was darkness.