So this story is inspired from a dream I had this night about an android. I couldn't get it out of my head. Well, I've shared in on my tumblr account shifter-zarina and I thought I would share it here too.
He was different from the humans. It was a fact. Everyone in town knew it. They avoided him, called him a monster, a freak. Not that it bothered him, he was used to it and he didn't have feelings. Or at least it was what he had been told and that he was malfunctioning, when he said that their words made him feel sad and that he felt alone. They had laughed, telling him not to read any books about feelings, as he was incapable of feeling.
So he didn't speak up on how it felt, pushing those feelings he shouldn't have down into the corner of his heart. It was no use anyway. The people here only had one use for him. Hard labor work. He never got tired and he was strong. To feel useful and to push boredom away, he worked. Day and night, never really stopping. He did it for years, but suddenly he stopped. His intellect had grown and he wanted to know more and most of all, see more.
He left the town behind one night, as he didn't want people to see where he went. His feet brought him to the forest and he walked towards the mountain. For days he just traveled, never looking back. However, he did look. Around him. Studying the nature and animals he came across. It brought another feeling to him, though he wasn't capable of feeling. This feeling was different. Happier, he thought, as he analyzed it. More joy and peace too. Not that he was any expert on feelings though.
When he came to the mountain he started to climb it. From the books he knew that there had been living mythical creatures here and he wanted to see them. Giants, fauns, dragons, elves, pixies, fairies and other fairytale creatures. He didn't know what mythical or fairytale meant, didn't know that it was probably just imagination of people. He didn't know what fiction meant. So he climbed, believing that maybe there were a mythical creature here.
He was half-way up, as he noticed a big cave, big enough to be the home of some creatures. Hoping to find some in there, he walked in, as fear wasn't a feeling he knew of, not that he had feelings. It was more curiosity that drove, a feeling he didn't know what was, but made him do the things he did. Calmly he moved further into the cave, the darkness surrounding him, until he came far enough in and the cave got a little wider and light shined through a creak in the ceiling.
What he saw left him in awe. In the middle of the room he had stepped into, lied a golden dragon – or he thought it was one – and it seemed to be sleeping. Golden scales moved up and down, as the creature breathed. Though it wasn't flawless, as scars from fire was adorning its scales. To the male it only made it look more beautiful. As his eyes wandered, he noticed some fluffy and blue lying next to the dragon. He had never seen anything like it.
Slowly he walked closer, in awe of the beauty in front of him. He had barely stepped further in, as the dragon opened its eyes. Emerald green orbs fell onto the male and had him stopping, looking into them. For a moment the two studied each other, before the dragon gently nudged the fluffy creature at its feet. The fluffy creature woke up and blue eyes found the male. Once more eyes studied him, but it didn't bother him, as he also studied the fluffy creature.
"What are you? You look human, but isn't." The dragon spoke, having the male in awe as it could speak his language.
"My father and mother gave me the name Ace." He didn't know what he was, besides a monster and freak, but he didn't want the dragon to know that.
The fluffy creature stood up and now did he see it was a large bird. His brain tried to find out what kind of bird, but he couldn't. Nothing he had read about had described or pictured a bird like this one. It stared at Ace, before moving closer, eyes vary of him. Ace stood completely still, not wanting the creature to think he was any danger to it.
"He's not breathing, nor do he smell like human." The fluffy creature spoke.
Ace blinked. "I don't breathe? Or smell?" He never had thought about it.
"What are you?" The dragon asked again.
The male shrugged. "I don't know. My father built me and was killed because of it. When my mother refused to destroy me, she was killed too."
"Built? Are you a machine?" The fluffy creature asked.
Again Ace shrugged. "I don't know. What are you?"
"I'm Marco, a Phoenix. The Dragon is Sabo."
Ace tilted his head lightly. "Access Phoenix. Mythical creatures. Symbol of life and rebirth. Colors: Red and orange. Has the ability to heal and be reborn."
Sabo chuckled, the whole cave resounded by the deep noise. "He is a machine."
"The red and orange Phoenix is that of fire, I'm of healing. We have different color, depending on our abilities. Though I haven't seen any Phoenixes in ages, yoi." Marco sounded sad and turned back to Sabo.
"What are you doing here, Ace? If you are sent to lure us out, we will kill you. We won't let humans discover us, as they will kill us." Sabo looked harshly at Ace.
"I came alone. No human knows I'm here. I have nobody anyway." Ace shrugged.
Marco stopped and turned. "You're alone?"
Ace nodded. Marco looked at Sabo, who looked at Marco, then Ace and back at Marco. The two seemed to communicate with each other silently. Ace just stood there, not knowing what to do now. He had met the creatures he had wanted to meet, but he didn't know what else to do with his life. If he had a life. Marco and Sabo was right, he was a machine, looking like a human. A freak.
"What do you want to do now, yoi?" Marco's question brought Ace out of his thoughts.
"I don't know. Go around until I break or something." Ace shrugged.
"Why don't you stay? We wouldn't mind. You could tell us your story." Sabo looked curious at Ace.
Marco nodded. "And we can tell you more about dragons and Phoenixes, yoi."
Ace smiled. It was the first time he smiled since his mother had told him his name. Sabo and Marco liked the smile right away and gestured Ace to come closer. And he did. Sitting next to Marco, listening to Sabo telling about all the many kinds of dragons there were. Blue, purple, red, black, white, copper, silver and more. Some were evil, some weren't. He didn't tell everything at once, as he let Marco tell a little more about Phoenixes.
Days went by, where only Marco and Sabo talked. Ace eagerly listened and at night, he was cuddled between Marco and Sabo. It felt nice, even if he couldn't sleep. Yet he closed his eyes, just lying there, register that they showed him friendly affection and it made him feel much better. Coming here surely was a good idea.
"You said your father built you?" Sabo looked at Ace.
Ace nodded and told them that his father had been an inventor. He and his mother had wanted a child, but couldn't get one themselves and there wasn't any possibility for adoption. So his father had decided to build a child. It had taken years and a few failures, but then he had succeeded in Ace. The town's people didn't like it, saying that only god could create life. So when Ace was finished and worked, they killed his father and demanded that Ace was killed too. His mother refused and had paid the high prize too. Her life.
Though before she died, she told him to leave to the next town, which he had. Here he had lived and worked, people thinking he was a monster and a freak. He was told he couldn't have feelings, but he felt. Ace told Marco and Sabo about the feelings, he told about everything about him and his life.
However, he was also nervous doing so, but those feelings faded, when he saw the anger in the eyes of the two mythical creatures. Both placed a protective wing around Ace, smothering him in affection. They told him he wasn't a freak or a monster. He was the proof of humanity evolving and the curiosity humans had. Maybe it would take years before humans would accept and understand him, but that didn't matter now, as they accepted him.
And just like that, Ace felt happy, safe and at home. Until his energy source was emptied, he stayed with Marco and Sabo, chattering, learning and he even got to fly on Sabo's back. They moved around, so Ace could see the world and some hundreds years later, Ace felt how he was slower and not feeling full of energy any more. He knew what it meant and it saddened him. However, he had also noticed that Sabo was far from energetic. Maybe it was for the better?
They had lived in a cave for years, it was on an island with no humans to disturb them. Now he knew it was their last home, as he cuddled up against Sabo, eyes shut. If he had to say what he felt, he had to say he felt tired. Marco watched as his two best friends died. Because to him, Ace was a living creature, like he and Sabo. It saddened the Phoenix and as Sabo's breath stopped, the Phoenix let out a sad screech, which didn't make Ace open his eyes and the Phoenix understood. Another screech left his throat, before fire engulfed him. The Phoenix accepted its own death.
Yes Ace is an Android and yes, Marco could decide when to die.