(Timeline Tuesday #202)
Top-walkers are a species of small, bald humanoids, standing approximately eighteen inches tall and featuring the usual range of human skin tones. They are completely silent, and do not possess a larynx like humans do. They also lack a kidney or spleen, and have only one lung, but these odd subtractions are balanced out by a host of new organs that are unfamiliar to this reality.
As fascinating as their biology is, however, top-walkers are much more notorious for the bodies they pilot. Top-walkers are builders and tinkerers, mechanical wizards who are highly intelligent in the field of engineering. This aptitude is shown off in the robotic forms that they are known to pilot around, huge bodies with broad shoulders and thick arms and legs. The heads of these mechanical bodies are missing, and it’s in this cockpit that a top-walker will sit, plugged directly into the robots through cable connections that have been surgically implanted into their highly specialized organs.
Top-walkers use these large bodies to live lives that are similar to humans, trying their best to blend into society on this timeline. They have robust social circles and hold normal jobs. Most people who are friends with top-walkers report being startled at first, but eventually forgetting that their lower half is actually a highly sophisticated machine.
The robot body of a top-walker is also equipped with speakers that allow this species to communicate freely, and their connection to internet translation tools allows them to use any language. They are incredibly strong, but known for their gentle demeanor.