MV2: An Animated Conversation

"Judgement," said the aggressively ordinary man, and offered a hand. He was just a little taller than Andy, with medium-brown hair, medium-brown eyes, and medium-brown skin -- for the moment.

Andy had happened to be passing by when the Animate came out of his room, before he'd put his face on; he was a silvery-gray humanoid figure, with fingers but no distinct toes, a head but no eyes or mouth and only the vague suggestion of nose and ears. "Andy," he offered in return, and shook.

The Animate's grip was firm but not aggressive. "Would you share your story with me?"

"If you like," Andy said. "What would you like to know?" He didn't see any real point in keeping secrets; not here, not now. 

"Would you start by explaining to me how you became a monster? I have heard Y.T.'s story, but I suppose yours must be different. It is yours, after all."

"All right," said Andy, and did his best to explain about being an ordinary human going about his life, being attacked by monsters, and waking up as one himself. When he was finished, Judgement nodded.

"I thank you. Would you care to hear my own?"

"Of course," said Andy. "We should get moving towards the classrooms, though."

"Let us talk as we walk, then." Judgement started down the hall, and Andy paced along with him. "I was a mannequin -- in a department store, I believe. My early memories are not the clearest. But I was stolen by a small group of friends, who were also employees of the store, and they enjoyed taking me along with them -- to their apartments, to their parties, to nightclubs... and to movies. They would sit with me, adjust me, pretend to talk to me -- or to talk for me, to others." He paused. "Then there was a moment. We were all watching the second Terminator movie, and there was a moment when the T-1000 paused to look at a mannequin like myself. I realized then and there that I was me, that I was alive, that I could alter my appearance just as it did." 

"That must have been a shock," Andy said quietly. 

"No more than waking back up after dying, I suspect," answered Judgement. "I did not wish to scare my friends, so I waited until they were asleep, took on the seeming of an ordinary man, and departed. I had no idea what I was intended to do, of course, and no real idea how to navigate the world -- and this was in Boston. It wasn't long before the Authority picked me up and brought me here."

"Well," said Andy, "It's a pleasure to meet you, and I'm glad you're among us."

"You as well," returned the Animate. "It is my hope to someday be human myself, but for now all I can do is look like one -- and do my best to learn their ways."

Andy considered that for the space of a breath, then for another. "That's an admirable goal," he said finally. "Let me know if I can help."

Judgement considered that. "For now, I collect stories. What I lack in living as a human, I hope to make in learning about them."

Andy hesitated, holding open the door to the central building that held the school rooms. "All right. I have other stories I can share, when we have time."

"You are gracious," Judgement observed. "Like my friends were."