Today was only my second day at the Kathmandu Outpost.
I was nervous, timid, hopeful and enthusiastic all at once. This was Project
Atlantis, my dream job, and I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit
an Outpost along the borders of the former Indian Confederation.

            Yesterday,
I was among the newest interns who arrived and unpacked their gear, equipment
and luggage after the long flight from Oceania. We were all unprepared for the
frigid temperatures and needed a day to readjust from the humid tropics to the
tundra-like atmosphere. Now we were being given a tour of the immense facility.
Many of the interns were anthroids like me, but a few had augmented limbs or
animal features that contrasted with their human bodies. However, our focus remained
on our Instructor.

            “—and
this is the Archive & Special Collections Room. If you look to your right,
you’ll find our team actively analyzing the latest artifact discovered last
week in the Kathmandu ruins.”

            Glancing
right just as our Instructor said, my eyes flickered in awestruck wonder. Three
metallic limbs the size of a fallen tree trunk lay disconnected from a central
rectangular body, itself large enough to house a squadron. The insignia
displaying “The Destroyer” called Shiva was engravened into the side of the
mech, which had definitely seen better days as scientists examined it closely. It
had to have been built during the early years of the Himalayan Glacier.

            “Is
that a genuine Indian-made supply mech?” I asked, looking over the remains.

            The
Instructor, an ageless albino lioness withholding her Cantonese accent, smiled
at me.

            “That
is correct, Ms. Miho,” she pointed towards the missing left limb. “Due to the
mountainous terrain of the Himalayan Mountains, and the advantage of the former
Republic of China having better air defenses, these supply mechs allowed the
Indian Confederation to bring provisions and goods to the Tibetan rebels. Care
to tell me if this was before or after the first nuclear bombardment of
Northern India?”

            The
glass optics that were my eyes allowed me to see vast distances (one of the
many reasons I was accepted into the internship), as well as down to the
microscopic level. As I stared closer at the fallen mech, currently being
catalogued inch-by-inch via Recording Drones behind the protective glass, the
other watching interns made me feel like I was under an oppressive spotlight. I
could feel it in the back of my neck, but it didn’t stop me from visually
deducing the mech’s origin.

            “Well…the
Indian Confederation had already been pr-preparing for a military conflict for
the past…six? No, seven years. After the First Bombardment, many unmanned mechs
were used to bring supplies to the Tibetan Front for a prepared counterstrike
while newly constructed assault mechs stayed behind to defend the homeland and
keep order in the chaos. This mech is most likely built post-First Bombardment,
due to the fact most manned mechs did not have a protective layer for
radiation…I think.”

            Moments
later, the Instructor clapped her paws together. “Fantastic eyes, Ms. Miho.
Everyone give her a round of applause.” The room of interns clapped
momentarily, some more tired or reluctantly than others. Meanwhile, I was
flustered by the attention or lack thereof.

            “T-Thank
you…” I half-smiled. “Thanks.”

            “Now,”
the albino lioness continued on the tour, “If you’ll look to the window
situated on your left, you will see the engineers hard at work in what we call
the ‘Low-Tech’ Department’. On the tables, can anyone tell me what the items
they’re currently cataloguing are?”

            No
one knew. Sighing, the albino lioness pointed to one of the metallic items.

            “This
is a digital versatile disc, or a ‘DVD’ for short,” she explained in slight
annoyance, “Before digital files, these little things were considered the most
popular way to store video and audio files, from film to video games and TV
shows.” The Instructor cleared her throat. “So, let’s head over to the
Outpost’s west wing, where you will be housed for the duration of your stay
here…”

            A few
of the interns whispered something behind my back. Being an anthroid, I picked
up the phrases ‘x-ray freak’ and ‘teacher’s pet, literally’ amid most of them,
causing my ears to fall at their words. Disappointedly, peer pressure still
existed in this era, even among amalgamated beings like ourselves, whether we
had a robotic arm, an anthroid’s ears or a tail.

            “Don’t
let them get to you, Miho.”

            I
turned to find another intern, this one a fully-human female. Her features held
European and African ancestry, but her defining feature were the robotic arms
and legs jutting from her crystal-white uniform. Most likely the result of
either an accident or birth defect, the latter most likely based on her
confident strides, and the way she smiled at me.

            “Thank
you…” my voice trailed.

            “It’s
cool, what you got. If I had the guts to become an anthroid, I’d definitely
want to get me a pair of robot eyes.” She laughed and held out a hand. “My
name’s Lee by the way, Marta Lee. You’re Miho Murasama, yes?”

            I nodded
right as the Instructor began to speak again.

            “This
Outpost is expecting all of you to be fully acclimated into your roles by next
week, but until then, I have one last surprise for everybody here. Tonight, we
will be going on an expedition to Kathmandu near Sector Five. There, we will be
surveying a site that will allow us to see what you’re all made of as recruits.
For now, you’re all dismissed.”

            The
entire group relaxed, each of them speaking in groups as everyone made their
way to the Outpost’s recruit lounge. I expected to relax in my room alone, but Marta
Lee from earlier shared her excitement. The next thing I knew, she was inviting
me to play chess in her room.

            “As
long as you don’t use your eyes to cheat,” she joked.

            I
laughed aloud, and no longer felt so alone out here.