Cassy's Story Part 4

>Cassy could barely see into the club at first.
>The hulk of a butler-bot cleared the way at first, but with his departure, she was enveloped in a thick miasma of smoke.
>If Nandroids had lungs, she'd cough.
>Politely putting her hat on the hat-rack, she made her way into the Spark-Easy.
>There were all kinds of men and machines there.
>Nandroids without owners, down-on-their-luck fellas chatting up the waitresses, and machine-human couples frolicking together.
>Despite being semi-claustrophobic in its design, the room seemed to be bisected by a long set of stairs, going deeper into the ground.

>Working her way gingerly down the stairs, Cassy took a nervous peek over the railing to the area below.
>What was assumed to be a small basement was revealed to be a much bigger structure. There were side-rooms with slot machines, a few tables of chance, and something that Cassy's eye the most;
>A set of double doors with the word MUSIC written above them.
>That had to be the performance area that houseguest mentioned previously.
>Slowly but surely making her way down the velvet stairs, Cassy just needed to navigate the obstacle-course of tables to get to her prize.
>Despite the hustle and bustle (and some very rude construction-bots), making her way to the doors wasn't the hard part for Cassy.
>The hardest part, was working up the digital nerve to go in.
>This was everything she wanted. So why was she afraid to go in?

>Cassy knew exactly why. There were so many things that could go wrong. Would she even be allowed to perform? Would she be recognised by someone who knew her owner? Or worse,
>Would she be no good?
>To put her "heart" on the line and be broken like that was something she didn't know if she could take.
>She had already invalidated her core programming by sneaking off in the middle of the night like this. To make that betrayal of her family for nothing would haunt her forever.
>"Hey, you going in or what!?" a voice called out behind her.
>Turning around, Cassy realised she was holding up a rather rat-faced gentleman from going in.
>"Oh, excuse me sir, please, you first" she said apologetically, pushing the door open before holding it open with one arm.
>"Tch, freaking `bots" she could hear the gentleman mutter, before he shoved his way through.
>The instinct to follow in after someone she held the door for over-powered Cassy's nerves, and she stepped into the hall.

>While less smoky then the entrance, this area of the complex proved to be much more claustrophobic.
>Down a short corridor was a multitude of doors, each one with a number on it, with music (as well as other sounds) leaking from within.
>Cassy's sensors could tell a myriad of substances were being abused behind each door.
>At the end of the way was a curtain pulled half shut, teasing the actual musical area beyond.
>Gently moving aside the curtain, Cassy was greeted by the sight of what she'd come for.
>It wasn't a very large stage, as had been imagined. A mid-sized platform dominated the far wall, with a smattering of tables scattered around the stage.
>At the very forefront of it stood a single steel microphone stand, the clean metal standing out against the darker tones of the club, as the spotlight cut a guiding light through the smoke.
>The sign "Open Mic Night" had been crudely taped to the back wall behind the stage, the previously standing curtain backdrop pulled aside to make space on the wall for this sign.

>Moving from the entrance, Cassy had a quick look around to find somewhere to observe others who were taking the stage, to compare her against the competition.
>The room was mostly packed, small groups of gentlemen huddled around the tables. Despite her new-found bravery, Cassy had no intention of getting too close to strangers.
>Thankfully she spotted a very large but friendly face. The Butler-bot she'd interacted with at the entrance had made his way down here.
>As she approached his table, she hoped he would be as friendly as he was upstairs.
>"Hello again, Heathworth" Cassy greeted gently, causing Heathworth to look up from his drink.
>"Oh, hello again lass. What brings you down here? “He asked, straightening up from his slouch. How a robot managed to slouch, Cassy would never know.
>"I was just curious about the open microphone event. I had heard that it was taking place tonight and I-"
>"And ye thought you'd try your luck?" Heathworth interrupted, hitting the core of Cassy's apple.
>"Well, yes." Cassy nervously explained.
>"Oh I don't know about that, Lil'miss. There's some prime showmanship going on" Heathworth lifted his metal mug up with a sweeping gesture. The fact nothing spilled out was a clue to how much he'd had to drink.
>"Only the finest wastrels and bards take the stage down here, girl!" Heathworth said with a laugh, causing a few patrons to look over, before returning to their business.
>Cassy looked down at the table. She began to wonder if this was perhaps a step too much for her.
>Looking down at the demoralised Nandroid, Heathworth frowned, before putting on a gentle smile.
>"Oh don't worry, ma'am. Just having a laugh. If you're going to make yourself known, you'd better do so soon. I think the final performance spot is soon."
>"It is? I had better go. Where do I sign up?" Cassy knew she had to get that spot.
>Heathworth pointed out a side-door next to the stage, to which Cassy quickly took off towards.

>Cassy quickly slipped through the side-door, coming up to a human woman filing her nails behind a desk.
>"Sign up's on the table sweetie. Just fill in your name and what your act is." The woman recited, not even looking up from hair nails to look at Cassy.
>Cassy wrote down her fake name of Casey and specified her desire to sing on the sheet. After writing it down, she neatly put the pen back into the cup it had come from, making sure it was placed in the optimal position for its height and colour.
>"Great, sweetie. Just go stand behind the curtain until it's empty, and then you can go on."
>If Cassy could, she would've gulped with nerves, before heading through the door next to her that would take her to the stage.
>In this backstage area behind the curtains, Cassy could see the packed away mounds of props and supplies from prior performers. There seemed to be quite the eclectic cast at this club. Musical equipment was stacked with what appeared to be clown props, feather boas bound with bangles for showgirls and more.
>There was even what appeared to be a magician's trunk, marked with a "Great Vincenzo".
>While she couldn't be seen from the audience's perspective, Cassy could easily make out the room. As well as the singer currently on stage.
>This girl was decked out to the 9s. Peacock feather set into her headband, feather boa draped around her neck, and a dress that looked fancier then even one of Madame Amberly's evening ensembles.
>From the way she moved, and the tone of her voice, Cassy could tell this girl was also a Nandroid. But the way she carried herself, the way her voice hit every note perfectly.
>This one was a professional. Even if Cassy could match her for singing talent, this girl's sheer personality would blow her out of the water.

>As the song wound down, Cassy was awestruck.
>She didn't even notice when the mystery Nandroid left the stage, leaving it empty and waiting for her.
>Cassy stared nervously out from behind the curtain, not even realising how tightly she had it gripped in her anxious hands.
>Everyone had already lost interest from the prior performance, though there were still some members of the audience hungry for more.
>She could hear a trio quite close to the stage's edge.
>A human with two Nandroids on his arms, though one looked much worse for wear then the other, sporting a broken faceplate. Cassy felt bad for any Nandroid who's owner would treat her like that, despite the spark of happiness visible from her mismatched eyes.
>The other was much more exuberant, making remarks about wanting to see more, to the humour of her human owner.
>The mic was standing there, glowing in the spotlight like some priceless artefact in a museum. It was the last step for Cassy to do what she had dreamed about for the longest time.
>She could do it. She could push past the fear, the anxiety. She could finally-
>An alarm came up in her vision, shattering her hopes like a baseball against a porcelain pot.
>It was the alarm she had set for herself back at the house.
>If she was going to get back in time and charge her battery for the day-time routine, she HAD to leave now.
>But she was so close...
>Countless possibilities and options ran through Cassy's mind.
>Surely the time it took for her to sing wouldn't drain her too much, right? Maybe she could find a brief time to have a secondary charge while Madame Amberly was watching her shows.
>But what would happen if she was noticed performing improperly, or ran out of power at an inopportune time? She could easily be checked for her location data, which would show her escapade.
>She could be out-moded, or memory wiped, or worse.
>Cassy took one last at the mic stand, promising it that she would meet it again, before turning and running back through the door she came in from.

>Cassy ran past the woman filing her nails, who still didn't show enough concern to divert her attention away.
>Quickly speeding back through the viewing area, she hoped Heathworth wouldn't notice her departure.
>Scaling the stairs back up to the top, Cassy deftly removing her borrowed hat from the hat rack by the door.
>Retracing her path home from the Spark-Easy was a breeze although she took her time making sure not to be seen in the rising half-light.
>The door to the house creaked softly as she slipped quietly back inside, tip-toeing down the hall to her quarters.
>Cassy quietly disrobed, swapping back into her uniform, in case she was called upon before her charging cycle was complete.
>She began powering down her systems, to ensure she received the maximum charge she could in the time she had left before the morning roll-call.
>The only thing on Cassy's mind as she shut down was the microphone, and how next time, she'd be ready.