A/N: Oof, took some time to update. Sorry for the long wait… the dozen or so people who actually read this fic :D

Also… tenses are hard D:

This chapter is mostly from Leo's point of view. Don't get tripped up by the alternating it/him pronouns he has for Markus. Leo's unsure how he should address the android.

His father's android… was freaking weird. It was unlike any other living-incarnation-of-uncanny-valley Leo had ever met. But Leo supposed it made sense if he came to think about it. He knew that 'Markus' was not an off-the-rack kind of android, but a custom crafted one to suit his father's needs by Elijah-goddamn-Kamski himself. Leo had never met the man personally, but everyone knew the reclusive genius was eccentric. And, honestly, 'eccentric' was just code for 'wealthy weirdo'. So, no, Leo couldn't really fault his dad's android for being so… freaking unusual.

Leo used to hate the thing. Do not make any mistake, Leo still doesn't like it, but he no longer hated it like he used to. The damn thing had made it infuriatingly difficult to outright hate it. For one it was so infuriatingly insightful. Leo was no simpleton, he knew it was only because of the android's subtle manipulations that his relationship with his father had improved as much as it had. It also knew exactly when to push for conversation and when to make itself scarce. Worst of all, Leo knew it was the fucking rust bucket he owed his improving health, his relationship with his dad, and general happiness to. It was infuriating! And it absolutely pissed Leo off that he could no longer hate the damn thing with a clear conscience.

Right now, Markus was doing some dusting. It was a late evening and Carl had retired for the night, but Leo was still awake. Busy sitting on the couch and glaring at the android. It was one of those moods.

"Are you attempting to develop laser vision, Leo?" Markus asked good naturedly, his back to Leo while standing on a chair, reaching the higher shelves with the duster.

"Wouldn't that be something?" Leo snorted. "Nah, I'm just… contemplating."

"Hmm? Nothing that would end up with me in the dumpster, I hope." Markus quipped lightly.

"Who would make me breakfast? You're the only one who knows just how I like my omelets." Leo shot back, making Markus laugh slightly.

And wasn't that the truth. Markus was a superb chef, and it took him no time at all to learn all of Leo's preferences. All his cooking was always top notch and there was never anything to complain about. A fact which never failed to piss Leo off. Fucking perfect tin can.

"You're different from other androids, aren't ya?" Leo mused out loud.

Markus turned to look at Leo, one eyebrow arched.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean. Different in what way?" He asked curiously.

Leo scrunched up his face, uncertain if Markus was genuinely unsure, or if it was just fucking with him.

"I mean… you're kind of unique, right? No other of your kind running around? Or did Kamski make more heterochromatic assholes?"

"That's true. As far as I'm aware the creator never made any other RK200s after me. In that regard I'm unique, yes. But, other than a one-of-a-kind face, I don't think I'm all that different from other androids."

Leo rolled his eyes.

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it. I mean you don't act like any other android I've met."

Was it Leo's imagination or did Markus tense up momentarily?

"Hmm. I suppose you might say I am unique. But so is everybody else, so from that point of view we're all the same. And so am I."

Jesus Christ, trying to have an argument with a philosophy major, who probably minored in ethics, would be less frustrating than this android!

"What are you yammering on about?" Leo asked with a sneer. "Don't androids of the same model all have the same personality? I mean they have the same coding and all. No way are you the same if you're literally the only one of your make."

Markus nodded placatingly. "Yes, fresh off the assembly, units of the same model are identical. In the beginning we're all a blank slate, all we have is raw data, but personal experience shapes all living things."

"Except androids are not living things." Leo argued.

Markus sent Leo a pointed look. "Yes, we are." He sighed.

A cold shiver went down Leo's spine. His father's android was so weird! And now it was freaking him out.

That late evening conversation left Leo with more questions than ever. As far as he knew Markus was the only one, both humans and androids included, that had ever declared androids to be living beings. Well… him and Carl. Leo's father seemed to have no qualms with treating Markus like a real person. As an actual flesh and blood son, in fact (going so far as to actually have the thing call him 'dad'). He also never treated other androids as anything less than sentient beings. That had been a bit more difficult to puzzle out, since Carl didn't leave home very often. Leo tried to subtly confront Carl about it, but ended up dissatisfied. Neither Carl nor Markus felt the need to declare androids person status to the world out loud, it just seemed to be something that was simply understood to them.

Leo had no fucking clue what to make of any of it.

Possibly the worst part of it all was that Leo could actually kind of see where they were coming from, at least as far as Markus was concerned. Other androids… not so much. Markus was just so… Markus.

The average android that Leo had cause to interact with, or just saw going about their normal business maintaining the city, were all so… stiff. They went about their daily routines the way they were supposed to, eyes only on their goal. Sure, if you talked to them, they were perfectly cordial, but the way they spoke may as well have been written on a signpost. 'Please keep off the grass', 'Entrance to the building is to your left', 'Would you like sugar with your coffee?', things like that. Everything about their personalities were pre-programmed and even if it was pretty to look at it was only an imitation of life, not actual life itself.

Markus was not like that at all! Everything it did was just so… organic.

Sure, most of the time Markus was as polite as can be, like androids were supposed to be. Most of the time it had the patience of a saint, but there were instances where it actually grew annoyed. Annoyed! Even as an imitation, androids were not programmed to show annoyance. Their purpose was to serve humans and as servants that emotion had no benefit. So, why?

Irregular emotions aside, it wasn't all that set Markus apart from its(his?) kin. It could also be blatantly disobedient, but luckily only if it(he?) had cause to… so far. At first Leo thought it was only him, since he was not actually Markus's owner and thus not authorized to order it(him?) around to the full extent, but no, Markus was just as quick to deny Carl his commands if it(he?) so chose. That would have made Leo very nervous, but fortunately Markus didn't seem to disobey orders randomly, but only when it(he?) deemed the order too stupid or detrimental to follow.

And that was another thing to separate Markus from the other androids. His(?) preferences. He(?) actually had them. He(?) had likes and dislikes like any normal person. As far as Leo knew caretaker androids 'liked' doing whatever their owners did, so they could keep them company during group activities, so Markus liking books that Carl recommended, playing the piano for him beautifully, or playing a friendly game of chess between the two were completely within the norm of a standard android behavior. And while Markus did all that and 'seemed' to enjoy it even, he(?!) also did things that had nothing to do with Carl or Leo at all. That was not within the norm of standard android behavior.

It could be something small like wearing earbuds while cleaning to listen to music or audiobooks without disturbing the humans. Okay, Leo could accept that as deliberately humanizing your android so they didn't come off as too uncanny valley, but what about the solo trips out of the house when he(!) thought no one was looking?

Oh yeah, Leo knew about them. Took a while to cotton on, but he had been living at Lafayette almost the entire summer, and sometimes he was a bit insomniac even without the Red Ice influence, so he knew very well the occasional nocturnal trip the bloody bucket of bolts took.

Damn if his father's weird android didn't confuse and creep him out.

Leo came home one day to find his father and Markus in the studio. He walked into a pretty mundane sight. Carl was painting and Markus was somewhat just loitering around, observing Carl painting, since he had nothing else to clean.

"Hey, dad." Leo called out.

"Hello, Leo." Carl replied warmly, glancing at his son with a smile, then returning to his canvas.

Leo couldn't help the small twitch up from the corners of his lips. Not too long ago Carl would've only reacted with surprise, as that was only ever what Leo's visits had been. This felt really nice.

"Welcome home, Leo. How was your day?" Markus greeted politely.

Leo shrugged.

"So, what's this supposed to be?" Leo asked Carl about the painting.

Carl put down his brush and rolled back.

"You tell me." He said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Yeah, no." Leo rolled his eyes. "The 'art is all about one's personal interpretation' is all well and good in a gallery somewhere, not when the artist himself is standing right in front of you."

"Hmm, then it's a good thing I can't stand." Carl was quick quip back.

Leo paled, but Markus chortled a laugh. Leo was able to relax when he realized Carl had truly meant that as a joke.

"Yeah, yeah. Very funny." Leo huffed as the other two snickered.

"Think you're better off asking the one actually ogling your paintings day in and out. So, what about it, art appraiser?" Leo turned the attention from himself to Markus.

"Indeed." Carl agreed and the humans turned to the startled android. "So, what's the verdict?"

Markus shook himself off his bewilderment and cocked his head scanning the painting.

"I'm no art appraiser, despite the people I'm coinhabiting with, but this one seems… more cheerful than your usual work to me."

Carl threw his head back with a laugh. "That's because I feel happier than I have in a long while."

Both boys hid secret grins.

"When was the last time you took up a brush, Leo?" Carl asked suddenly.

"Yeah, no. Oil painting is really not my thing, dad. I'll stick to my sketches, thank you very much." Leo shut down the old man's idea before it was even fully vocalized. Carl pouted.

"Fiiine. What about you, Markus?" Carl suddenly turned to the android.

The question took Markus off guard.

"What? Paint? Me? Um, no… never even considered it." He stuttered a bit.

A playful glint lit up in Carl's eyes.

"Well, then. Let's find out if you have any talent, shall we?" He proposed. "Try painting something."

Markus looked at Carl in obvious surprise.

"I… don't really know how. Painting's not in my programming." He shifted uneasily.

"You're more than your programming, Markus, you know that." Carl urged.

"Yes, but it's always easier to learn when you already have a basis." Markus argued futilely.

"Do it." Leo spoke up suddenly.

Markus turned to Leo in surprise. He could anticipate something like this from Carl, he was always encouraging Markus to try new things to broaden his horizons, but Leo was completely unexpected.

"See? Outvoted two to one. Now you simply must give it a try." Carl decreed cheerfully.

Markus shook his head in exasperated amusement, then went to set up a blank canvas to an easel. He took a pallet then stopped in front of the canvas hesitantly.

"What am I supposed to paint?" He turned to Carl, suddenly feeling very daunted.

"Anything you want! Just think about something you want to show the world and let your hand drift across the canvas." Carl encouraged.

Markus took a breath and cocked his head in thought, then chose yellows and oranges as his first colors. He did as Carl recommended and allowed his brush drift across the canvas. A minute or so in Leo turned towards his father.

"So… are we just going to stand and stare the entire time Markus is painting, in awkward silence?" He raised an eyebrow. "Come on, let's go watch tv or something, and let him do his thing in privacy."

The duo exited the studio and left Markus to paint in peace.

As Leo made them some tea to drink while watching tv, he contemplated this turn of events. He had not been expecting his father to goad Markus into discovering new artistic talents like that, but in retrospect maybe he should have. Honestly, the thought of Markus painting left him pretty indifferent, but it was what Markus said about his lack of programming for painting that made Leo curious. Androids are programmed for specific things, no more, no less. They are not supposed to 'learn' things that are not already downloaded into their software. So, what would an android not programmed for painting do when asked to paint? Leo already thinks Markus is damn weird for an android, but there must be some sort of limitation to his eerily accurate imitation of life. If not… well, the thought is downright terrifying, actually.

About an hour or so in, the pair decide to check in on Markus's progress.

"How's it coming, Markus? Oh, my…!" Carl exclaimed as he took in what Markus had made so far.

Leo honestly didn't know what he had been expecting… but this was not it.

The art style itself was very similar to Carl's, so similar in fact that one might easily mistake it as the painter's original work. But the subject itself was not something Carl would likely have chosen. It was a backdrop of autumn leaves mostly in reds, yellows, oranges and a little bit of green. There was no pathway or anything, just a storm of autumn leaves, and four figures cheerfully traipsing by on the foreground. Leo recognized Markus himself, in dark clothing, pushing Carl in his wheelchair. Slightly in front of them was Leo, apparently skipping or otherwise walking jauntily ahead, half his body turned looking backwards as he beckons his companions along.

"Who's that guy?" Was blurted out of Leo's mouth before he had even processed what he was really seeing.

The fourth figure was unknown to Leo, but he was obviously an android, judging by his blue LED. He wasn't dressed like an android, though. Instead he rather looked like a college student, with cropped jeans, loafers, and a green sweater vest. He lagged slightly behind the group, but his walk seemed to be just as jaunty as the others.

"That's my friend, Simon. So, what do you think?" Markus replied, looking at the Manfreds in excited expectant anticipation, much like a young child waiting to be praised by their parents after showing them an art project they made in school.

"Markus, this is wonderful." Carl praised fondly, living right up to that bizarre comparison.

Leo said nothing, just staring at the piece, feeling oddly numb and cold at the same time. Again, he had not known what he had expected, but… he had not been expecting something so… alive. This painting had personality, it had feelings behind it. It was not some empty attempt to copy reality, vaguely taking an image and adding enough randomizer to make it look like something original. This was not something generated by an algorithm, this was actual art.

Fuck

"It's… good." Leo managed to finally sputter out.

He glanced at the beaming android, a foreboding feeling slowly creeping its way into his gut and making a permanent home there.

Leo was pacing. And for once his nervous energy had nothing to do with withdrawal symptoms. For some time now his thoughts have been dominated by his father's caretaker android. He had always been bothered by the thing, but recently it had nothing to do with his (totally justified!) jealousy over its close relationship with his father. He only wished it could be that simple again.

No, Leo slowly became wary of the thing because how terrifyingly sophisticated it was, much more so than any android he had ever met. And after what he saw what it was potentially capable of with his father's little art project… At least the other androids were bound by their own coding, Markus seemed to have absolutely no limits on him at all. Thoughts of apocalypse the likes of 'Terminator' or even milder calamities like '2001: A Space Odyssey' started plaguing both his sleep and waking hours.

He didn't know what to do, if he's just paranoid, or if there was truly something sinister going on with Markus. It may have been possible to dismiss his growing fears if Markus would've been just intelligent and doing nothing suspicious otherwise… but he still kept sneaking out of the house at night every so often. Also, he still didn't know who the fuck 'Simon' from the painting was. A 'friend', he said. What does that even mean? Androids don't do personal friendships with each other, so… someone he plotted to overthrow humanity with?

Leo wished he could've talked to his dad about this, but what if it somehow tipped off Markus and that would have been the push necessary to finally make it violent? Sure, Markus seemed very fond of Carl, but what if it was all a ploy? He couldn't risk that!

Finally, enough was enough, and Leo took it upon himself to find out where the hell that damn android snuck off to.

He had to be smart about it. He couldn't just physically follow him all cloak and dagger like. Androids were damn perceptive with their video eyesight. Unlike people, who could dismiss things as a trick of the light, or just didn't notice someone following them, if an android caught one single glance of you, they would immediately know you for you.

After a few exhausting nights of reconnaissance, Leo finally noticed something that could potentially be of use. A backpack. Markus usually took an empty backpack with him when he left, then returned with the same backpack, that is curiously just as empty upon arrival. What is he doing with it? What did he need it for?

Shaking these questions off for now, Leo snuck the backpack away to study it. It was a completely ordinary backpack, nothing special about it, but it could still serve a purpose that Leo needed. Carefully he cut into one of the seams of the bag and slipped his smartwatch in, then even more carefully he sewed the rip back up.

Finally, the bug had been planted, and all Leo had to do now was wait. He just really hoped Markus was not able to somehow sense the watch in the backpack with his super technical android senses, or notice the minute difference in weight.

Mission: Find-What-The-Fuck-Is-Really-Going-On-With-Markus is a go. Finally.

By now September had arrived and he'd been living at Lafayette for over two months. The mystery that was Markus kept on growing every day. But Leo was about to crack it. He was absolutely determined to.

It was just after 1am when Markus left, wearing normal human clothes (wasn't that legitimately illegal?). Leo whipped out his phone and logged into his GPS, tracking his smartwatch. There was no need to actually physically follow Markus for now, he just wanted to see where he was going. It was slow going, it seemed Markus was commuting. Huh, true, Carl usually preferred to take a taxi, if he left the house at all, and thus didn't even own a car. And Markus certainly didn't ever go near Leo's Ducati, he knew full well it was Leo's pride and joy.

Leo took his time getting dressed, keeping one eye on the GPS, watching Markus slowly move through the city. It took so long that Leo decided to go make himself a cup of coffee before heading out himself, it was promising to be a long night.

As the dark ambrosia dripped into his cup Leo tried to predict where Markus was heading. So far, the direction Markus was heading towards had nothing of note as far as Leo could figure. It was mostly half-abandoned suburban areas, inhabited by the broke and downtrodden. It made no sense. Was there some kind of secret club or machine revolution brewing, based at the most inconspicuous place possible? That made no sense at all! The neighborhood was not abandoned enough if that was the case. People that had nothing to do might as well spy on their neighbors as a hobby.

Leo pressed his lips together pensively. He took a sip of his coffee and frowned as Markus didn't show any signs of stopping at all. There was not a whole lot of Detroit left, was he actually leaving the city premises? Leo opened a map app to check if there was anything outside the city relatively close by. There was nothing but some garbage disposal place. Just for the hell of it, Leo googled* the place up anyway.

"Holy shit." Leo wheezed, eyes bugged out.

Alright, so the garbage site was not some random mountain of tires, or something. This one was specifically meant for the disposal of defunct androids!

…

…

…

"HOLY SHIT!" Leo squealed then clamped up, hoping he didn't wake Carl up.

This made a lot more sense for an android revolution base! No one would think to look at them there. No one would think to look at anyone there. And they could build an army repairing other androids and none would be the wiser until it was too late!

Fuck.

Leo took to nervous pacing again.

Okay, okay, calm down. Maybe he was overreacting? So far Markus hadn't actually done anything that would imply he wanted to overthrow the human race… But the thoughts would not leave Leo alone. Paranoia cheerfully gnawed at the young architect until Leo had given himself a headache arguing in circles.

Markus did indeed end up going to the landfill. And he hung out there for at least an hour. In that time Leo was contemplating with himself if it was worth it to follow him there. On one hand he had no idea what he would find there. Bloodthirsty allies simply waiting to tear him apart for being human? On the other hand… he really did have no idea what he would find there. It might be nothing.

Frozen by his own indecision and nerves Leo sat in his kitchen watching the dot that denoted Markus's location until he actually left the site around 3am.

Leo frowned. He had not been expecting that. He had thought Markus would stay in place for the entire night, but it seemed it was not to be. Stonily he spied Markus returning to Detroit. Curiously though, it did not take too long for Leo to realize that Markus was not coming directly home. About half an hour later Markus arrived at his destination and seemed to stay.

Leo looked up the address. He didn't like what he discovered. What the hell was Markus doing in a rundown mansion?

Fuck it. Leo's following him.

By the time Leo's Ducati had rolled up to the mansion's curb Markus's dot had still not left, so at least the backpack was still there. Or… he really hoped his smartwatch had not been discovered and they were planning to lynch him the second he set foot in the estate. Too late to turn back now. He was already here, might as well see if he can snoop out some answers. Leo left his bike in a shade and carefully tiptoed around the back. It seemed to be a safer option than the front entrance, even if it did make him seem like a right creep.

Heart hammering in his chest he tried to take a quick peek inside one of the windows. His head bobbed quickly near the pane and immediately he pulled back. Okay, it seemed like no one was in the room, so he glanced again, this time taking his time. He surveyed around but saw no signs of life or movement of any kind. The lights were on, though. Leo decided to try another window. No such luck, this room was also empty of people. Honestly, if it wasn't for the lights Leo would assume the place was abandoned.

Feeling a bit disappointed, and suddenly braver on account of nothing happening, Leo decided to try to actually sneak inside the house using the back entrance he'd noticed before. Probably not the smartest decisions in retrospect, but he could always plead temporary stupidity that sometimes accompanied Red Ice users, even the former ones.

Leo tried the doorknob warily. He didn't know if he was relieved or apprehensive that it opened. Cautiously he slinked in, closing the door behind him as quietly as he could, while making sure it did not lock.

He still did not see any people, but he thought he heard voices. Hesitantly he took a few more steps into the empty room. Now that he was inside, he realized it was actually not as shabby as he had originally thought. Sure, it was still quite worn, but it had this sort of lived-in warmth to it that abandoned places just lacked. Feeling a bit more confident he decided to try another room.

As he turned a corner in an archway he came basically nose-to-nose with an android. For a moment the two just stared at one another, not quite processing what they were seeing. Then the android did just about the worst thing Leo thought it could, short of attacking him. She gave a loud wail like a banshee and fell over backwards pathetically attempting to get away from him, crawling backwards on her arms and legs frantically, all the while still screaming.

That was all it took for a horde of androids to congregate into their position.

"A human?" One asked, sounding anxious.

The androids stared at him nervously, and some even a little hostilely.

"Leo?"

Leo looked up and saw Markus staring at him bug-eyed in surprise. Leo was still too shell-shocked to react himself, but Markus shook off his stupefication pretty quickly and was swift to step up.

"It's alright! I's just my brother, Leo. It's fine!" He reassured the crowd firmly, who shuffled unsurely, but did seem to relax marginally.

"Myriam, it's alright. He won't hurt you." Markus turned to the hysterical android, who had crawled as far as she could and was now cowering against a wall.

"Human!" She squalled.

"It's alright. Leo's a good human. You're safe." Markus tried to calm her as he kneeled in front of her, but she just would not have it. She kept on sobbing and staring at Leo as if he was the worst sort of monster she could imagine.

"HUMAN!" She sobbed loudly, literally crying terrified tears in fear.

Markus gave up as he saw there was no pacifying her. He signed at a nearby android.

"Axel, help me get her out of here. Leo… just stay there." He ordered in a soft tone that somehow booked no argument.

Leo stood, speechless and paralyzed in shock, as Markus and 'Axel' gently but firmly coaxed the hysterical android upstairs and out of view. A task made more difficult when she refused take her terrified eyes from Leo. The young architect could still hear her bawling after she was out of sight.

Leo stood awkwardly in the room, being stared at by at least a dozen androids judgmentally. Slowly they seemed to shift away, but some of them still chose to keep an eye on him from a distance.

"You might be more comfortable waiting for Markus in the sitting room." A voice said, startling Leo to almost jump out of his skin. Leo was not really reassured when he identified the speaker as one of the biggest men (android and human alike) he had ever personally met. He looked like he could easily break Leo's skinny frame in half like a toothpick.

"Uh, sure. T-thanks." Leo wisely chose not to antagonize the giant.

He demurely followed the humongous android back into the room he came from and nervously sat down on the couch. The giant nodded.

"I'm sorry I don't have any refreshments to offer. We don't usually entertain human guests." He said politely.

"That- that's okay. I didn't really come for the refreshments." Leo blurted without thinking, then felt like kicking himself. Thankfully, the giant only nodded politely and left the room, and didn't confront Leo about the reason he did come. Whew.

Leo was left alone in the room, but he could still practically feel the eyes on him.

"Hello." Someone said behind him.

"Blaargh!" Leo shrieked like a little girl and fell off the couch inelegantly. "Girl, you need a bell around your neck! You'll give someone a heart attack sneaking up on them like that." He snarked automatically, momentarily forgetting about the situation he was in.

The android looked a bit startled, but then giggled slightly.

Leo tensed and stood up from the floor, but relaxed as he saw her put at ease with him unintentionally breaking the ice between them. She still kept a distance between them, though. Leo wasn't an expert in body language, but she seemed a bit nervous to be around him.

"Uh, what's your name?" Leo asked, not sure what else to say.

Leo took in her unusual appearance. Despite wearing a plain white tank top and a mechanic's overalls tied at her waist, she was very obviously an android. She had no hair and her eyes had dark blue, almost black scleras, her pupils glowing orange in the dim lighting. Her skin was glitchy around her wrists and hands, showing off mechanical android joints.

"I'm Africa, a VB800. I used to be a waitress."

Leo looked at her very pale skin.

"Well, that's… an interesting choice of name." He offered lamely.

"It's Celtic and it means 'pleasant'. My owners had a sense of humor in that way." She replied with a slightly nervous smile.

"Oh… Wait, really?" Leo did a double take, his lips quirking into a smile.

"True story." Africa nodded. "And… you're 'Leo', yes? Meaning 'lion' in Latin?"

"I guess so. Never thought about the meaning of my name." Leo shrugged.

"And… you're Markus's brother?" She prodded hesitantly, wringing her hands together in a clear indication of her nerves.

Leo tried very hard not to tense. He was in uncharted waters here and needed to play this as safe as he possibly could.

"Well, we certainly call the same man our father, so I guess that makes us brothers by default, right?"

Not what he had intended to say, but too late to take it back now.

Luckily, Africa seemed to respond well to that.

"It's such a bizarre concept to me, for an android to have human family like that. I didn't think there were any humans out there that saw us as anything other than tools or toys to be abused and discarded." She babbled. "Not that I think you're like that… you seem perfectly decent, for a human I mean." She flushed and looked to the side awkwardly, taking a small step away from him.

Leo frowned at her.

"Are you sure? You look like you think I'm about to eat you, or something."

Africa looked up and shrugged, a bit uneasily.

"Markus says you're alright. And that's good enough for me." She stated serenely.

Leo's eyebrows rose of their volition. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. Sure, Markus had that infuriatingly reassuring presence that even Leo wasn't immune to, but…

"You really respect him that much?" He asked.

"Well, sure. He's likely done more for our people than any other android out there. He founded this safe house, you know, right?"

No, Leo most certainly had not known that.

"That other android before didn't think his word was enough." Leo deflected.

Africa nodded sadly.

"Yeah, Myriam. We've all suffered abuse at the hands of humans, but some of us have had it worse than others. And… I guess some of us are not a strong as others too. You can't really blame Myriam. WR400s probably have it the worst out of all of us." Africa sighed sadly.

"WR400?" Leo cocked his head.

Africa looked up at him.

"You don't know? You've never 'played' with one?" She asked.

Leo shook his head in confusion.

"They're the ones forced to be sex toys." Africa said bluntly.

Oh…

Ohh…

"Oh…" Leo muttered, the implications slowly sinking in.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're not the kind of human who would demean one of us like that. I mean you are Markus's brother, so I guess that makes you one of the good humans. Markus says that there are good humans. I've never really met any truly nice ones myself. When I still worked at the restaurant the customers were at best indifferent towards me. But you know, you're actually kind of nice to talk to, so I guess he was right. You know, you're actually not that scary now that…" Africa kept on babbling on, but Leo didn't even pay her all that much attention. He was too busy having a bit of an existential crisis.

He was so scared that Markus was part of some kind of machine insurgency, that he never once considered the androids point of view in this hypothetical 'war'. He followed Markus in some half-baked plan to discover his insidious nature, never truly considering what would come after.

One of the things that truly scared Leo about Markus was his apparent adaptability, the way he could not differentiate between Markus and humans. The way that Markus seemed to be different from other androids made him think that machines could evolve in a way that was genuinely a threat to humans. Now that he found other androids that were just like Markus, he should be scared shitless…

But he isn't.

If anything he was calmed. For he didn't find a war camp full of cold and logical machines who thought that humanity was inferior and probably a threat to them, and therefore should be exterminated. Instead, he found a refugee camp full of abuse victims in hiding. Thinking and feeling beings, simply trying to survive in an unforgiving world.

Androids… were alive?

"Africa?" Leo spoke.

The android in question ceased her rambling, blinking at Leo.

"You said that all androids have suffered abuse by humans. I was wondering if you'd tell me your story. If it's not too much to ask for, that is." Leo looked at her.

Africa for once fell completely silent. She pursed her lips.

"I… guess. There's not much to tell though. Compared to some of the other stories, at least." She said faux nonchalantly.

Leo sat back down on the couch, motioning for her to take a seat too. She did.

"Well… my commission was at a restaurant. A family run restaurant that made pancakes mostly. It wasn't… too bad, actually. The customers I served were not too interested in me, usually. Most days were dreadfully mundane, I smiled, took orders, served food, cleaned up. That was that. There were three more androids serving with me. They were my sisters." Africa sighed.

"One time there was this one nasty customer who accused the owners of trying to poison him with expired food. It was bullshit, there was nothing wrong with it. He just kicked up a fuss because he could." Africa scowled. "My owner didn't want to deal with the drama and with a potential lawsuit, so he tried to cut a deal with that smarmy little weasel. Want to take a guess what he wanted?"

"Money or sex?" Leo tried to jest, but it fell quite flat.

"Yeah, it's either one or the other with you humans." Africa grimaced at the memory, oblivious to Leo's failed attempt at levity. "He promised not to sue if he could have a freebie with one of the girls."

"Shit. Africa, I'm so sorry." Leo winced.

Africa shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, and almost succeeding.

"Did you decide to run away before he could… violate you?" Leo asked.

"No! It wasn't me. It was one of my sisters." Africa said sourly.

"Oh… shit. I… you tried to help her?"

From the stormy expression on Africa's face Leo really wished he'd just never said anything.

"No. No, I did not. I was a good little slave back then. I never questioned anything, never challenged any order I was given by my masters." She bit venomously, the vitriol taking Leo by surprise.

"We went back to our duties after that, but Sierra was never the same after. The humans never noticed, she performed her duties just as she had before, but I knew…" Africa sighed. "That would have been that, but…" Africa hesitated.

"But…?" Leo coaxed.

"But that son a bitch had the gall to return to the restaurant." Africa snarled. "I was… so pissed off. Not only did that asshole violate my sister, but he also just blatantly strolled back into a restaurant he had previously blackmailed! I swear I almost snapped back then and smashed his stupid smarmy face in with my stiletto heels."

"Bet he would have deserved it."

"Damn straight he would have deserved it!" Africa exclaimed, getting increasingly more worked up. "But I didn't. I was still bound by my programming, so no kicking assholes in the face."

Leo nodded, listening attentively.

"It was no surprise for anyone when he tried the exact same shit he pulled before."

"And… the owner caved the same way again?" Leo guessed.

Africa nodded sadly.

"To his credit he looked more pissed than before, but he sure didn't fight against that greasy fucker's accusations. This time however… I felt something in me snap. When that greasy weasel tried to drag Sierra away… I just punched him in the face."

Leo grinned. "Well done, Africa." He praised.

"Yeah, didn't work out so well, no matter how satisfying it felt. All the punch did was piss him off and he dunked my head into a big pot of hot oil. After that it was all a big clusterfuck."

Leo winced in sympathy. That likely explained her lack of hair and unusual eyes.

"The whole thing ended up with the police called to the scene. I knew there was no justice or sympathy for me or my sisters. I would likely be deemed defective, even without my… singed appearance. That means either being reset or… dismantling. I knew I had to run, there was no other choice." Africa pulled her knees to her chest. "I… I tried to convince my sister to run away with me, but… none of them would." She said sadly.

"Why not?" Leo asked.

Africa frowned at him. "They weren't ready… and now it's too late."

Leo didn't know what that meant but didn't ask. The pair descended into a silence.

"I'm sorry." Leo said finally.

Africa gave him a small smile.

"At best I've only had neutral interactions with humans. But you seem really nice." She said and slid a little closer on the couch.

"Aww, I don't seem that scary, do I?" Leo smiled.

"I… guess not. Not all humans look that scary, but…" She bit her lower lip, looking at Leo like he was something foreign and fascinating.

Leo cocked an eyebrow and offered her his hand. She looked at it in surprise. The tentatively reached out and poked it.

"See? Not that scary after all." Leo smiled.

Africa reached her hands at his cheeks and smushed them together like one would a puppy. She giggled.

"No, not that scary." She agreed.

How… the fuck… did HE end up reassuring an android that humans weren't all that bad?! Seriously, what the fuck!?

Something caught Africa's attention and she let go of Leo's face and jumped upright from the couch. Leo turned around and saw Markus observing the two of them with a mild smile.

"It's late." He noted softly. "Humans need a lot more rest than we do, so Leo and I should be heading home, now."

Africa nodded eagerly, a look of utter hero worship in her eyes. "Yes, of course." She agreed fervently.

Leo couldn't quite keep his face straight at her unexpected zeal, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Right. Er, bye Africa." He said awkwardly, which seemed to snap her out of her dazzlement.

"Bye, Leo. It was very nice to meet you. I hope you visit again. I've never had a human friend before." She smiled at him a bit airily.

They rode back to Lafayette Avenue on Leo's Ducati in total silence. Markus seemed perfectly composed, but inside felt a nervous wreck about Leo's reaction. Leo himself, however, seemed to feel every other emotion besides nervousness. His entire world had been turned off kilter, and the ride back home was a refreshing chance to process all of it.

Leo parked and the two entered the house.

"Leo…" Markus began, but was unsure how to approach the subject. Or even what the subject was exactly.

Leo jerked out of his reverie and looked at Markus with a startled expression.

"You're… actually alive, aren't you? Really alive." Was that first thing out of his mouth since they left Zlatko's Safehouse.

"Yes." Markus affirmed simply.

Leo nodded and lowered his gaze to the floor, then snapped it back to Markus suddenly.

"Wait, does dad know about any of this?"

"Of course, he does." Markus smiled.

"And… you're not…"

"Not what?"

Leo didn't even have the heart to ask Markus whether or not he was planning an insurgency against humanity. It all seemed so utterly silly, now. And, even if the answer was yes, Leo couldn't even blame them for it.

"Never mind." Leo shook his head. "So, this is what you've been doing when sneaking out… Doing some sort of relief missions?"

Markus raised an eyebrow. "You knew about me sneaking out, huh?"

Leo almost snorted and rolled his eyes. "How can I freaking not?! You've been doing it since like, always. Seriously man, we live in the same house! You were bound to get caught sooner or later. It drove me up the damn wall trying to figure out what you were doing."

"You could have just asked." Markus chuckled.

"What? And you would have told me the truth?" Leo snorted derisively.

"Of course, I would have." Markus replied immediately. "Probably not told you where I went, but I would not have lied to you about what I was doing."

"… oh." Leo gulped. "No offence, Markus, but that's retarded."

"You don't think I would have been truthful?"

"No, I think you would have. And that's… shit, that's… you shouldn't talk to people- humans- about this!"

Markus eyes lit up and he smiled widely.

"But you're not just any human, are you?"

Leo groaned.

"Dude, you're way too trusting."

"Well, are you going to report this to human authorities?" Markus challenged with smirk.

Leo glared at Markus, who stared right back with a smug shit eating grin that Leo had never seen on him before.

"I'm going to bed! We can talk about this tomorrow… with dad." Leo declared and stomped upstairs.

It's funny, now that he accepted Markus as an actual person, accepted androids as people, he felt oddly liberated. That night, his dreams were haunted by the deathly terrified look that android had given him, the memory chilling him to the bone.

A/N: That's a wrap… finally. Oof, my bad habit of abandoning my writing is really rearing, but nope! Takes long but not abandoned. I'll try to update the next chapter sooner than in a year.

*I have no idea if google would be still prevalent in 2037, however the search engine where you type in random questions and immediately get answers is too useful to go extinct. So, even if google would be overtaken by something more sophisticated and useful, an equivalent to it would likely still exist (even with androids around to answer all questions, not everyone owned androids). For the sake of convenience I'm not even going to bother imagining up a new name for something that essentially is still google, so let's just assume google's still around and useful in 2037.