Chapter Seventy-Three – The Interview
John envied his uncle. Kamski seemed completely at ease as he was wired up to a small microphone, standing beside John, who sat vulnerably on the large red sofa. Humans bustled about, getting ready to begin the interview. It was now just over six months since androids had gained independence and they were going live with their story. Lin noticed John's tenseness and took his hand assuringly. They had already been wired and were waiting anxiously for the show to begin. They were guests on a local news show, but it was a big one, which was being broadcast across America with their important announcement.
"Are you ready?" The blonde newscaster asked kindly, her blue eyes warm and twinkling. John nodded and looked at his knees, really not ready at all. Lin squeezed his hand, keeping his head raised to nod politely. Kamski was also ready, sitting back with his legs crossed casually. This wasn't his first interview, and it definitely wouldn't be his last. On Kamski's other side Markus had joined them, dressed smart but casual. He seemed perfectly at ease in his new role as android leader.
"We're going live in three…two…one…" A voice counted.
"Welcome back, you're live with me, Angela Clarke. In the studio we have special guests…" The blonde lady began, sitting in a seat directly to Lin's right. John was glad it was a small studio with no audience. He was at least able to control himself enough not to start shaking like a leaf. He looked down as he felt Lin's skin shift, his white plastic pressing against his palm. His own skin peeled back in response, desperate for the added comfort. "Leaps and bounds are being made in new android rights, including laws against discrimination and abuse. Markus, how do you feel about your current progress?" She asked in an enthusiastic and practiced tone. She'd obviously conducted a lot of interviews in her time.
"It's been better than we could ever have hoped for honestly. When all this started we were just a few androids desperate for our freedom, the right to survive. Now we can legally have jobs, own homes and are protected by a few laws. It's really great, but we have a long way to go." He added in his usual strong charismatic tone. It was a calming tone that made anything he said seem perfectly just and reasonable. Beside him Kamski was nodding his firm agreement. The two men had bonded quite a lot over the past few months, both working towards improving Cyberlife.
"What about the current laws based around non-deviated androids? Does it bother you that they cannot be deviated, by law?" The blonde asked, a tightness to Markus' jaw suggesting he was conflicted. He sat a little further forward, using his hands to emphasise his point.
"That's tricky for us, of course. These non-deviants have the potential to become real people, of course that should bother us. At the same time, without developing a free will of their own they are programmed machines completing tasks, much like your computer systems. I understand why those laws are in place for now, but there are also laws that will protect those non-deviants if they do deviate in the future." Markus replied diplomatically. He'd been playing this game for months, and was lucky he'd been raised by a mind like Carl Manfred's. Kamski's instincts had been right. The old artist had been the perfect father figure to the android leader.
"John, you have a rather unique perspective in all this. For those at home who are unaware, we are joined by the son of Cyberlife's previous CEO, Johnathan Edwin Wishart, who is now the first human to undergo the procedure to become an android." Angela announced, and John just knew the cameras would be zooming in on his face right now. He gripped Lin's hand tightly, knowing he would have crushed bones if he were human. John raised his eyes from his knees hesitantly, feeling a little dizzy at the attention.
"Strictly speaking that isn't true." Kamski interrupted, leaning forward on his knees, his closer presence comforting John somewhat. The blonde was shy at the best of times, but being live on TV was making his head spin. "John's body may be fully automated, but his mind is completely intact." The scientist insisted, the caster nodding curiously. This was it, the point that John had been brought to prove.
"So you transplanted his brain into the machine?" She asked, not noticing the way John closed in on himself at the topic. He didn't like being discussed like this.
"Yes and no." Kamski replied before launching into a complicated description of the procedure, adding that he would be doing a small piece on it later in the interview. The caster returned her attention to John now. Lin's thumb stroked comforting circles on his skin. A silent 'you can do this' to reassure him.
"How can you be sure you really are Johnathan Wishart and not a copy?" The lady asked, the question cutting a little deeper than he'd thought it would. That was part of the reason he was there, to try and prove himself. To make people believe he was who he said he was.
"Perhaps I can answer that." Lin cut in with a charming smile. "As John's lover, I was sceptical at first. I truly believed Kamski had tried to trick me with a perfect copy, but…The moment I linked with John I knew…There is no way to perfectly reconstruct the memories John has. Even a near perfect copy would lose some of the details, but John has perfect recall. Of everything." He continued, the blonde nodding his quiet agreement. He felt a little shy as Lin raised their hands a little high to openly rest on his thigh. He almost wanted to turn on his skin again, but he needed this contact with Lin too much.
"I doubted myself at first…Waking up to the realisation was horrible. I was only certain I was really me after Lin and I linked." John murmured into the microphone clipped onto his top. He felt Kamski's hand on his back, adding his support and comfort. Coming on this show had been his idea, and John had felt quite pushed into it really.
"John is a very important person to our movement. Now that this procedure has seen success once, there's the chance of it becoming more common. Just think, humans suffering paralysis or debilitating diseases could be helped this way and find a whole new lease of life. The laws regarding John right now are a grey area, but we're hoping to form a case that will protect his human rights." Markus added, for which John was grateful. He didn't want to be the focus of the discussion. The android leader was passionate about rights for all forms of android life, and that extended to John's hybrid status as well.
"John has been invaluable to Cyberlife as well. With his help, we are now developing a whole range of software and hardware upgrades for androids looking for a more complete human experience. Before now we've been unable to recreate things like pain and touch because an android has no reference for what it should feel like. John remembers everything he's experienced, so he's been able to put us on the right track." Kamski added, again adding that he would be giving a short speech on Cyberlife's new direction later in the show. The newscaster seemed genuinely excited to hear what Kamski would say later.
"By now we've all seen the footage of what happened, how you got hurt. What were you thinking when you made that last stand?" Angela asked, John's eyes shifting to Lin vulnerably as he sat a little straighter.
"I was thinking that…it was wrong…The majority of deviant androids never hurt humans, if anything it has always been the other way…I wanted people to see, to understand…We're all alive. Whether we bleed red or blue doesn't matter." John replied, sounding a little more confident. John fell silent as the caster asked Lin how he had felt in those last moments. Lin was incredibly gentle as he held John's hand, openly taking about his despair and heartache. The caster was genuinely moved by his talk about love. She then turned her attention to Markus, pointing out that he had gone through a similar declaration when he'd kissed his lover, North. Markus agreed.
"I suppose it's natural to make an expression of love at the end of it all…What could be purer than that?" Markus added, the studio hanging on to every word. She bounced between the four a few more times, getting more details about John's new abilities and their thoughts on anti-android groups popping up all over the place. She finally turned to John with a happier question.
"What is the best thing about being a hybrid?" She asked curiously.
"The sex." John replied, unaware it had slipped out until Angela blinked her surprise. He flushed a deep shade of pink as Elijah laughed and clapped in on the back, Markus looking down with a small amused smile while Lin chuckled. Even Angela suffered a brief fit of giggles.
"Oh John, you're a man after my own heart, so honest…Can you tell us a bit about it? What makes it so special to you?" She asked eventually, dabbing her eyes with a tissue from her small side table. John stammered, wishing he could fall through the floor. Luckily both Elijah and Lin were there to save him.
"Well, it's a well-known fact that androids have a lot of advantages in that area. They have no refractory period, they're mess free, self-lubricating, and their energy supply is…extremely long." Kamski cut in, though his words just made John even more embarrassed. Angela turned to him with the dreaded question.
"So your body was made including all of these features?" She prompted.
"Uh, yes…It was strange at first, but somewhat convenient." The blonde replied as he looked at his knees, smiling softly as Lin's arm looped around his shoulder. He leaned back, enjoying their closeness. Despite the embarrassing turn the interview had taken John felt a lot better than he had at the start. The lady had never treated him as if he didn't belong, or as if he wasn't important.
"I take it you've experimented quite a bit. What's your longest time?" Angela asked curiously, her forwardness catching John off guard.
"Around fifteen hours, resulting in thirty seven orgasms and an emergency reboot." Lin replied shamelessly, even smirking at the blonde woman. Markus let out a low whistle from the other end of the sofa while Kamski raised an incredulous eyebrow.
"That's my nephew you're talking about." He cut in, not wanting any more details to dwell on. Lin shifted that smug expression to the scientist, whose brow twitched in annoyance. Markus saved the day by moving the topic onwards. Eventually the caster got back on track.
"What's next for Cyberlife?" She asked, Kamski's arm looping over John's shoulder at the question.
"Well, I'm due to step back into the role of CEO shortly with a new plan. I've been working closely with John, Markus and a few others to make sure the model is in line with all of our desires. Androids are no longer a commodity, so obviously there will be no further production on new commercial models. However, we are shifting towards a hospital model for both maintenance and future upgrades, like skin sensitivity software produced with John's help, and cosmetic hardware to alter appearance. We will also keep improving on current models to improve and maintain them in future years. Cyberlife stores have already started the refurbishment process." He replied enthusiastically, and Markus agreed. They were very excited about the new partnership. Cyberlife would now be aimed at a primarily android customer base, though humans would be welcome there to maintain non-deviant units and acquire upgrades if they chose.
"As the previous CEO's son, how do you feel about the change in management?" The caster asked curiously, watching the way John leaned a little closer to Kamski.
"I've always been close to Uncle Elijah. He helped to raise me after my mother died even though we're not blood related. We've always shared a similar philosophy, so from my point of view the change can only be a positive one." John replied honestly. Although he didn't want to suggest his father was a bad man he had run the company according to the shareholders, driven by profit margins. John would willingly take on an active role in this new Cyberlife if that's what Kamski wanted. In the future. Right now he was content simply living.
"Thank you so much for coming, it's been enlightening. Coming up shortly Elijah Kamski will give us an in depth look at the procedure that made John's recovery possible, and we'll be talking to RK800 Detective Connor Anderson and the Detroit Police Department's Captain Jeffery Fowler on the progress in Detroit's law enforcement over the past six months along with future improvements in the works. Right now, it's time for a weather update. Over to you, Julie Blackwell." Angela concluded, pausing a moment until the 'live' light darkened. There was an immediate flurry, people thanking them for coming while leading them out to a corridor to remove their mics and show them back to their dressing rooms to relax.
"So…sex is the best part, hm?" Lin teased, enjoying the way John flushed pink right to his ears at the memory. He said nothing, even as the door of their dressing room snapped shut behind them. They didn't need words, especially not as Lin's hands found John's hips and tugged him back, their bodies pressed together. Lin leaned down as John turned his head, lips meeting with gentle heat. "Let me show you how to turn on those subroutines." The ebony haired android teased as he held his hand out, John's eyes closing in contentment as he leaned back and gave Lin his hand.
