Nikolai stared ahead blankly, his face as still as stone. He had been lined up in a plain, unadorned room with the rest of the recruits, to await further instructions. Looking around him, he could see the shuffling of feet, the shortness of breath; those in this room were definitely nervous. The beginnings of a frown crept onto Nikolai's face. He knew that he too should be nervous, afraid, anxious, anything but emotionless. But he couldn't help it; he had oppressed his feelings for so long that the most he felt now was a twitch in his left eye. Shaking his head sternly, he dismissed the thoughts from his head. He had chosen his path, his destiny, and this was the sacrifice he had to make to follow it. 

He wondered how his new teammates would react to his unnatural, robotic, state; the children in the old country had mocked and insulted him, in an attempt to goad a reaction from him. It never worked, but Nikolai knew that his old self would have been distressed by their actions. Still, he supposed, that was then, and this was now. Surely those around him would be more understanding; his mother thought so anyway. A memory of a few days before flashed across Nikolai's mind suddenly, and triggered a rare emotion. Sadness. He wrestled with the feeling, struggling to keep it under control. Letting it escape would only weaken him in the days to come; if he couldn't use his power then he was useless. Battling with his mind, he forced the feeling back, back, back into the dark corner of his body that he tried not to think about. Triumphant, he moved his hand to push his glasses back up his nose, and brushed against a lone tear on his check. He smeared the wet blob into his skin, knowing that he would appear weak if his superiors saw him cry. 

Just as he finished the task, a new officer entered the room, and those around him saluted. Nikolai mimicked their actions, unsure if he was supposed to feel fear or respect for this woman. He listened closely as she spoke, only moving once to push a loose strand of blonde hair from his eye. Curiously, there was an AI named Vita charged with assisting the recruits. Nikolai had read about the new technology, and was not altogether surprised when he realised he seemed to be more like an AI than a member of his own species. Talking to Vita would be enlightening and a unique opportunity. When the speech was concluded, another officer began to lead the recruits from the room, striding with an air of authority. Nikolai decided it was best to follow him. As he walked, he couldn't help but notice his appearance contrasted with the others in the group. Quite a few of them seemed to be in full costume, while Nikolai was dressed in a simple hoodie and jeans. Why they felt the need to dress like something from a comic book was beyond him, when ordinary clothes served just fine.

Finally, the group reached their destination. The reading that Nikolai had done on the programme beforehand had already prepared him for what his living space would look like, but clearly the others were impressed. Their attention was quickly drawn to the kitchen however, and the previous organisation dissolved into controlled chaos. Nikolai stood still for a moment, merely observing everyone else, noting that the majority of them had ignored Vita's offer of a tour, in favour of petting an ordinary dog. Nikolai would not squander the opportunity to interact with an AI firsthand, by playing with a common pet.

Approaching the hovering blue sphere, he spoke, his voice flat and devoid of feeling. "Excuse me Vita, but would it be possible for you to show me around the facility? I would like to get to know my new environment as quickly as possible."