“There are many androids here, Dane. I can sense them all, working in societies,” it finally spoke. Dane noted the excitement in ANDI’s voice. “I think they're working for the rights of synthetic life. I hear.. transmissions.”

There were androids back in Arcadia, too. They tended to be quiet and graceful, like most people there, rich and full of mods. Living in complacency. Androids were sentient, but hadn't been considered threats for hundreds of years. They couldn't insert themselves seamlessly into just about every bit of tech they could find, as a sophisticated AI like ANDI could. They'd been designed to be just like humans, and behaved as such.

Some prejudice existed, but that was simply how life worked and always would. Society at large treated the androids like family however, having already fought their battles for non-biological rights in ages past. The new age of exceptionally advanced AI was here, and new problems would likely arise from it. It remained to be seen whether android loyalty would come into question or not from the opposing parties.

AI like ANDI were not designed to be human like the androids. They were only designed to think and solve problems. Learn. Expand. They were programs that could execute just about anything with the understanding of something sophisticated and alive. But they were not allowed to be awake.

Dane took a deep breath as the Lift settled down and the door unsealed itself. He stepped out gingerly, looking down a long alleyway, dotted with trash. Crisscrossing wires hung above him and went from building to building. He had no idea how functional any of it might be. Maybe they were temporary networks no one bothered to clean up? He didn’t know how the laws worked down here, or if there were any.

Above, it had been daytime. It was darker here, they sky grey and thick with.. smoke? No, pollution hadn't been a problem in ages. It was something else, something that bothered him-- but it wasn't the time to worry about the sky.

“Dane, I can feel your fear. You have to keep going. People will take advantage of someone who looks new, especially here.”

“Are you saying there’s no good people here?” he whispered, looking up at a blinking neon sign for a church, of all things. The symbol was one he did not recognize.

“No, of course not. But you have to be very, very cautious-- oh!”

“What?” Dane didn’t like ANDI being shocked in any way, stepping out onto a street absolutely thick with people. They were.. different. Their mods were very obvious. There were many cyborgs around him with glowing eyes and mechanical arms, some looking interesting. Others looked ghastly, barely holding together as metal scraped against their few remaining biological parts. A very large alien towered over the crowd, making his way down the street. Dane gawked at him, but something else caught his eye. A person on a balcony in a mask made to look like a cat. They waved at him, and disappeared.

“Dane, I received a message from a hacker who wants to make a deal. I think you should listen to--”

“You can be hacked?!”

“Not easily. This person is very good. I think we should bargain.”