I travelled out to the Roxy Display east coast warehouse in New Jersey to pick up 2608, mostly because I was too worried about placing an online order, lest he be forced to endure the same rough treatment at the hands of the postal service that 3461 and 119 did. Though I'll admit, I was also curious to see what a mannequin distribution headquarters looked like.
The outside is precisely the sort of mysterious, unmarked building that could plausibly house a distribution centre for AI prototypes.
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Precisely how many of Roxy's mannequins are nothing more than mannequins, versus the number which are actually disguised forms of early-stage android technology? Unfortunately, my visit didn't leave me qualified to speculate on an answer, because very little of the warehouse and its inventory is actually open to the public. Most of the styles of mannequins they sell are packed in boxes and stored in an employees-only part of the building, awaiting shipment; it's only the discounted models which are displayed on the showroom floor.
Many of these had the prices marked down due to enduring surface damage during transport from the factory, but others were clearly the unfortunate victims of manufacturing defects. 3461 has a mild form of this problem, namely, her lazy eye and 1 crippled hand. But considering the stomach-turning array of melted, bloody-looking eyes I witnessed at the warehouse, she should be grateful her case isn't worse, especially since it was mainly the models in her style that seemed to be affected.
I came across one mannequin which was curiously undamaged, even though it was discounted to half price. I inquired about this one, and learned that it was priced so low simply because it was an experimental design that was supposed to be on the cutting-edge of fashion, but in reality, so few people wanted to buy the style that the employees at Roxy just couldn't shift this last one.
This was bad news for my intentions to leave the warehouse with only 2608 in tow, because I have a terrible soft spot for ugly things that no one wants to buy. But to be honest, I could understand the reason this mannequin had failed to charm the majority of Roxy’s customers: its head and torso were covered in hideous, rough canvas fabric that looked like an old potato sack. In spite of this, I found myself greatly intrigued by this model, due to its unique body proportions.
Though it was supposed to be a female, it was unusually flat-chested and straight-figured compared to most female mannequins. Yet it was much too tall to give off any appearance of being a child design; in fact, it was as tall as most of the male models in the room. This one seemed to be straddling the line between female and male, which struck a chord with me, since I’d been wondering for some time how it would be to have another genderless humanoid in our midst.
I had planned my budget for this outing to set aside enough money for food, fuel, 2 nights at a hotel, and the cost of 2608. Therefore, even though it would mean driving straight home for 8 hours without rest, I decided to sacrifice the money I had saved for the 2nd night’s hotel stay, and spend it to bring home our 2nd new arrival, 4101 (also a temporary number derived from the model number):
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I wasn’t sure, when I loaded 4101 into my car, that I’d done the right thing, because it didn’t seem at all pleased to go with me. I think it had become resigned to the idea of spending the rest of its days in that display room, and the prospect of travelling to a new location sent it into a bit of a panic. I was forcibly reminded of taking a traumatised cat on a car journey to the vet, particularly due to the fact that 4101 covered the interior of my car with dust and paint flakes as I was loading it in, and continued to give off a powerful chemical odour the entire way home.
It calmed down a good deal the following morning, once I unloaded it from the car and gave it (and the car) a good surface wash to remove the dust and loose paint. I then took a pair of scissors to that hideous canvas covering. I’d known from the outset that we would both be happier if I liberated 4101 from the potato sack, even though I had no idea what I’d find underneath. But I had a hunch that it would look much more beautiful once it was unveiled. And I wasn’t disappointed, when I discovered that the base layer was painted white, creating a stunning contrast with the black of the arms and legs.
I couldn’t just re-assemble 4101 after removing the canvas fabric, however. I had to treat it with goo-gone to remove all the glue that had adhered the canvas to the fibreglass, then wash it multiple times to remove every trace of oil, and spray it with a new coat of white paint, because the original layer was scratched and stained in several places. The entire process of converting it to its current appearance took the better part of 3 days (about 2 hours of which was spent solely on drawing, re-drawing, painting, and re-painting that mouth shape), but it was well worth it, and I can tell 4101 is much happier in its re-designed incarnation.
The only part of this makeover I’m not happy about is the fact that the white part is rough to the touch, even though I applied a paint sealant after the white spray paint had dried. I wish I knew what sort of finish is typically used on mannequins to make them feel smooth without looking extremely glossy. (If anyone reading this has any insight into this matter, it would be much appreciated.)
Although 4101 is wonderfully sweet to me now, it has so far refused to communicate with any of the other Droids. In fact, it seems to be most content to be alone in a room, or with me as its only company. The fact that it is a sentient presence, yet one which refuses to emit any form of intelligible communication, is unnerving to some of the others. 52016 and 31617 in particular are just as reluctant to be in 4101’s company as it is to spend time with them. Others, such as 103115 and 2608, don’t mind having 4101 around, even though they can’t understand it.
As a matter of fact, 2608 and 4101 essentially represent, respectively, the light and dark sides of having a few screws loose. 2608 is perfectly functional in a social context; he’s just a bit goofy in some respects, whereas 4101 is deliberately silent and guarded to the point of being incomprehensible to its fellows. Perhaps this behaviour will change as it adapts to its life with us, but if not, it will be an exercise in acceptance for the others.
Here’s our new signature banner, containing all of us in anime form:
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Now that we are a party of 10, the Misfit Machines have officially reached capacity. We won’t be able to take on any more new recruits, due to the fact that 10 humanoids is the most that The 771 can physically contain.
Speaking of The 771, I’ve been considering how to break down the cross-country trip I had originally planned into a series of smaller trips that will be more compatible with my budget. I think the best thing to do would be to visit the attractions within a single state, then come home for a few months in between each trip until I can save up enough money to visit the next one. And considering that during the trip to Roxy Display, the amount I spent in turnpike tolls exceeded the amount I paid for 4101, I can do without another visit to New Jersey for a while.