Hey. I don't know if anyone is reading this, but if you are, please leave a comment.
This chapter goes into backstory for Aven.
Chapter 3
"Welcome, 27051. Please proceed to disinfecting." A disembodied voice echoed around the chamber as Aven stepped inside. She stood in the middle of the room and removed her clothes, tossing them into a roaring fireplace. She stared straight ahead as the fire greedily devoured them, then waited while cool liquid passed over her, flowing over her head to her feet and leaving her metal body shining. A freshly pressed orange jumpsuit slid out of a chute and landed, neatly folded, at her feet, along with a red hair tie. She slipped on the jumpsuit and tied the silver strands of her hair with the hair tie.
As the doors opened and she walked towards her's and Ben's room, her mind flowed with bits of code. No one greeted her in the hallway, but the bits of code floating in other robots' minds intertwined with hers as she passed them. Halfway to her room, a male robot fell into step next to her, though he shielded his thoughts. She didn't glance at him, though they locked fingers. Emotionless faces and empty minds were all they had to show until they reached their room.
Aven closed the door and turned to look at him, their fingers still locked. He kissed her softly, and she relaxed into him, grateful for the respite from having to be strong. He let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around her, his fingers resting against her lower back. She sighed and looked up at him, leaning her head against his chest.
"Bad day at work?" he asked.
Aven laughed tiredly. "You could say that." She pulled him in for another kiss, then sat heavily on the bed. "They gave me a teenager. I hate killing the young ones."
"Right, so if they're a bit older it would be fine."
"No, no…" Aven sighed again and looked up at him. "Ben, you of all people should know I haven't had the best ethical training."
Ben laughed and touched her cheek. "Yeah, that's true."
The lights-out buzzer sounded. Ben got up and laid down on his own bed, staring up at the ceiling in the darkness. Aven curled up under her blankets and watched him for a while, only closing her eyes when the metallic whisper of his breath grew even and his eyes slid shut. She rolled onto her back and closed her eyes, but the calming force the humans called sleep would not come. The boy's screams echoed in her ears and she kept shuddering thinking of what she had done.
What was happening to her? She had never felt remorse before, never looked back on a kill with horror. The humans were just animals to her, an entirely different species.
Riddle me this: What happens when the robots become human? When they discern right from wrong? If they're being forced to hurt people, to kill, where do they get punished? Are they punished the same way as the humans? Where do we draw the line as sentient?