Fall Awake is probably going to go on a brief hiatus because I need to plan out the next steps and figure out how I actually want it to end. In the meantime, have an android!GCBC AU.


They remember the day they came online, because they never forget anything. It's all there, stored away in their databanks. The first thing either of them sees is two smiling faces, a man and a woman. The faces are soft and beginning to wrinkle age, and each has a set of bright, intelligent eyes behind a pair of glasses. They know what smiles mean, because they already have caches filled of all kinds of knowledge, and it fills them with warmth.

"Hiya, son," says the man, who has hair graying at his temples. The woman, her red hair also shot through with silver, nods and runs a hand over their head, her eyes glistening with potential tears. This confuses them – aren't crying and smiles the opposite? – and they want to respond, but before they can another face appears, and while this one is also smiling, the warm feeling drains away and they are suddenly nervous.

"Hello," says the new face.

They aren't sure they want to respond now. There is something about this new man that is almost overpowering. This man is Authority.

"Why isn't it saying anything?" asks the Authority Man. "Is it broken?"

"Give him a moment," says the woman, her hand still on their head. She doesn't look at the Authority Man, but the kind man does, almost reproachfully. She says, "How are you feeling, dear?"

They blink, unsure of which one of them should answer. One is reluctant – he likes the couple, but doesn't know what to say. The other is eager – he can't wait to discover the world. So the eager one responds, smiling and saying, "Pretty good, I think."

The Authority Man leans in close, and they are both suddenly uncomfortable. Narrowing his eyes, the Authority Man says, "Didn't it just have a different face a second ago?"

"We thought we might try giving him two sides," says the kind man. "One to be tough, and one to be nice."

The Authority Man steps back, much to their relief, and he taps his chin. "So kind of like a 'good cop, bad cop' routine?"

The kind man seems unhappy with this explanation, but he replies anyway, "You could put it like that."

The Authority Man purses his lips. "We'll see how that works out, then. I suppose this one is the good cop? It seems friendly."

"He, sir," corrects the woman.

The Authority Man waves his hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. He. So you're Good Cop?"

The eager one thinks about this, and the reluctant one agrees. "Yes," says the eager one.

"Let's see Bad Cop, then," says the Authority Man.

It's an Order, and they were built to follow Orders, so the reluctant one comes out. "Here, sir," he says.

The Authority Man nods in satisfaction. "Excellent," he says, and looks over at the couple. "I've got other things to attend to now. Make sure everything's in working order, alright?"

"Yes, sir," the kind man replies, and the Authority Man strides away. The four of them watch him go, and once he is gone, they look at the couple.

"Who was that?" the reluctant one asks.

"That was Lord Business," says the kind man. "He's the man in charge."

"But you built me," says the reluctant one.

The woman smiles and rubs an imaginary smudge off the side of his screen face. "That's right," she says. "You can call us Ma and Pa."

Both the reluctant and the eager one smile, and the warmth they'd first felt returns. They are safe with these people.