Scrap metal junkyard

After the friends got home from the acorn field, Xana went back to thinking of how to make the robots from scratch. Back in Thesis, she simply assembled the parts and made some minor modifications and repairs, but she did not know how to make the parts from scratch.

Then, an idea hit her. 'There might be a junkyard around here, maybe not in this village, but there must be '. She decided to visit Sean as he was the most intelligent in their group - till a new Deanna came - and would know if there was a scrap metal around.

Sean told her that there was a junkyard, but he doubted it contained metals as the metal beaters would have collected them. He led her to the place.

"I'm quite close with the owner of this junkyard and he'll answer your questions to the best of his knowledge. Though you haven't told me what you want to use them for."

"Thanks, Sean, you'll find out soon".

The owner of the junkyard was a tall potbellied man and he was very friendly.

He told Xana that most of the metals had been bought by the beaters but he had a secret place he kept his favorite items. Xana asked to be led to the place. Despite being a little bit reluctant, he did so.

He led them to his office and opened a door which was not noticeable as it was actually like a painting on the wall.

"I'm not from this area but the villagers accepted me still. They built a house for me here and I began my business", he told them while they walked down a staircase.

"I've always wanted to study electricals but I don't dare dream about it. My only hope is on the government."

Xana was impressed by the man and his ambition. Most of the people in the village simply wanted food and a good place to sleep for themselves and their families.

The junkyard owner introduced himself as Bill and that was when they reached his secret place.

"Why do you have a secret place for junk, it's not like the villagers would steal it?" Sean said.

" No, no. That's the last thing I'll think of about these loving villagers. Truth is...", Bill hesitated.

"Go on. We won't tell your secrets".

"Well, I have an obsession towards metals and...I tend to talk to them like they're my friends or family. I don't want people looking at me weirdly 'cause of that." Bill said with his eyes darting around.

Xana and Sean were speechless. They couldn't even say anything. Before they could catch their voices back, Bill had started to talk again.

"I..I j..just want to learn about them by talking to them. So far, only one ever replied me." Sean choked on air.

"Re.. Replied you?"

Xana narrowed her eyes and started to wonder if the man was mentally stable.

Bill took in their expressions and shook his head. He was afraid they didn't believe him.

"I am serious. Follow me." Bill led them past hills of metal junk to the farthest little hill. He squatted and pulled out a metal box and when he turned it towards them, they noticed two red eyes faintly gleaming and two antennas on top of the head. One of them was broken.

"Here it is. It says it's name is Parker3000." Bill said and Xana gasped.

'Parker3000, that was the AI robot sent through the time portal that a scientist created in the future. We never heard from it again.So, this is where it has been all this while.'

Xana walked closer and examined it. 'It looks very damaged, only it's head remains.'

Her thoughts were interrupted by Sean's question.

"Are you freaking telling us that this head talks?" unbelief coated the question.

Bill nodded like a chick pecking on grains. Xana decided to speak to it.

"Parker3000?"

"I shall travel the world for you m..maste....", it's robotic voice came through and faded at the end.

'It is Parker3000 indeed', she remembered when the scientist showed this masterpiece to the science community.

'But wasn't the robot supposed to go to the future?'

The scientists believed that the past still existed though they weren't there and the future still lives as though they were there. They wanted to bring their future to their present but this failed woefully. Very soon, people stopped hearing about this scientist.

'But why was she sent here to the past? Was there anything she was meant to achieve? Was she supposed to stop the insanity of humans that evolves greatly with each passing era?' Xana shook her head to get rid of the thoughts.

"Okay, I will begin choosing the metals I want. For starters, this metal head."

Bill looked like he wanted to cry.

"That- that's my favorite metal scrap".

"You still dare call these masterpiece a metal scrap?! Blasphemous! I will take it." Xana shamelessly took the robot head away from the man.

She went through each little hill of metals to take what she needed to assemble a robot and was satisfied with her gatherings. She borrowed a metal beater machine from Bill to melt and mold the metals and decided to tell Bill about the iron deposit in the village.

Bill was shocked.

"The government will take it over and give us peanuts from their gains. We'll have to tell the village chief." he said.

Xana shook her head.

"No, how are you sure that the village chief has not been roped in by the government already? He acts quite suspiciously at times." Xana said as she had realized this after going through the memories of Deanna.

Bill nodded in contemplation.

"But this doesn't just belong to us alone."

"Of course. But it's step by step. All things must be done in secrecy. We'll be going now", Xana told Bill.

He nodded and led Sean and Xana to the entrance.

"Thank you for visiting", he said with a smile and went back inside.

Sean was astonished. Their conversation had left him speechless. Soon they had reached Xana's home. They waved goodbye and Sean left.

Xana smiled to herself.

'Bill is good enough to keep this secret. His loyalty is to the village and not the village chief so he'll do what's best for them', she thought as she walked back inside her house.