Five A.M.
By approximation, of course.
The rather primitive analog-clock on the wall indicates that it is 'five o'clock'.
Humans.
Most don't know, or even care, that 'o'clock' means 'of the clock'.
Not that it really matters.
It is 5:01 and 15 seconds.
Are my thoughts really that slow?
Or is my memory-bank slow to process them?
Must be a malfunction.
I am interrupted by a man.
He's standing behind the counter, and looking at me funny.
Did he find out?
No...
He works there.
Yes.
Now I remember...
Bar-tender.
He asks me if I want a 'ride-home'.
"No," I say.
Error!
He gives me a funny look.
My voice!
It must be my voice...
Did I just talk like a robot?
"What'd you say your name was?" he asks.
I pause.
Think...
"Tanya," I answer.
Thirty seconds.
It took thirty seconds to come up with that name.
He must be on to me.
He's not showing it, but he must be suspicious.
And besides, I do not have much experience with lying.
"Tanya," he says, "Pretty name, for a pretty lady"
Lady.
Ted was forced to alter my appearance, to give me the illusion of 'aging'.
Something I found most unsettling, since I eventually could not recognize my reflection.
Funny, since I usually ignored it, as I had little more intelligence than a 'smart bluejay'.
"Not too talkative, eh, Tanya?"
He wants to talk...
But what's the point of talking, when you have nothing to talk about...
Or, more importantly, if you did talk about what little you had on your mind, you would be condemned to a life of scrutiny.
And people never leaving you alone.
I may not be as intelligent as the average human, but I know what would happen, and the thought 'terrifies' me.
Terrifies?
Am I capable of being terrified?
"Hey, can you talk, or you some kinda zombie 'er robot 'er somethin'?"
At the word, 'robot', something flashes.
It's like an alarm has gone off inside me.
My silence must be arousing his suspician.
Ok, human, I will talk.
"What do you want to talk about?" I ask.
He gives me another odd look.
Did I do something wrong again?
Humans...
"Well, ya haven't said two words, an' ya haven't touched yer beer. What's the matter? You sick 'er somethin'?"
"I am not sick," I say.
I hope I sounded human.
The people in my former neighborhood were retards, so blending in was simple.
Out here, I would stand out.
Especially if I was still wearing that pinnafore that my parents forced me to wear.
I will never wear that vile dress again.
"Hey, baby, you lookin' pretty sweet there, eh?"
I turn around.
A man is looking at me.
He obviously needs a bath, and some medicine.
He has thrown up recently.
I can tell because of the smell.
Strange, I have a sense of smell that far exceeds that of humans, yet my sense of taste is almost non-existant.
I could eat anything, and most of it would taste the same.
"You must be mistaking," I say, "I am not a piece of candy"
He backs off.
I did it again.
I acted like 'Vicki'.
I must not do that.
I must act human.
Something is pressing against by rear-end.
Someone's hand.
I look behind me.
Same man.
He's smiling at me.
Has he found out my identity?
"Hey, howza 'bout you an' I go to my place an'-"
He makes a gesture.
One that I am only vagely familiar of, having watched a few movies.
"Yes," I answer.
He wants me to sleep with him.
I am reminded of something called 'sex-education', but my 'mother' opted me out of it.
I do not know much about sex, except it has something to do with a man and a woman 'peeing together to make a baby'.
Harriett told me that.
Then again, why should I believe her?
She is just another idiot.
Just another idiot that was too stupid to realize what I really am.
Why else would she believe that urination in close proximity to a member of the opposite 'sex' would result in a 'baby'?
Besides, I have seen Jamie urinating in front of a tree before.
Then, when he was finished, he would turn and see me, and act weird.
His face would turn red, and then he would avoid me for several days, making the strangest faces at me whenever I approached him.
Did that have something to do with him telling me to turn around when he was dressing?
And why did he have that thing sticking out of him?
Why don't I have one?
Do only girls have that?
Or is it because I am a robot that I don't?
The man is walking me to his car.
I giet into the passenger-seat and fasten my safety-belt.
He doesn't fasten his.
He drives fast, and doesn't stop at a stop-sign.
He doesn't stop at any red light, except one, and he stops somewhere past it.
Other people stop their cars and honk their horns.
The man yells at them, saying several bad words.
"You shouldn't say those bad words," I tell him.
He glares at me, and slaps me in the face.
How could he know about my switch?
He must have been sent by the Lawsons to track me down.
Too bad I removed that switch...
When we arrive at his place, he walks me up to his bedroom, which needs cleaning.
Well, he can clean it himself.
I walk into his closet, or at least I try to, but it is too small.
"I cannot fit into your cabinet," I say.
Error!
Humans don't sleep in cabinets...
But why isn't there another bed?
He gives me that look again.
He knows.
"Whaddaya mean?" the man asks, "You sleep in my bed"
"Then where will you sleep?" I ask.
The man laughs.
"With you, Einstein"
Einstein?
Why did he call me that?
I made it clear that my name is Tanya!
"Excuse me sir," I say, "But you must be mistaking. My name isn't Einstein; it's Tanya"
He rolls his eyes.
Maybe he doesn't know...
"Just take off your clothes," he says.
What???
Error!!!
He knows my identity!
He want's to confirm it by un-zipping the flap on my back, exposing my control-pannel!
"NO!!!" I say, raising my voice like a human.
"Whas wrong? Headache? Ya ain't gonna cheat me aftaa that ride I gave yaa"
He walks up to me and grabbs my clothing, ripping it at the front.
The fool!
My pannel is on my back!
Why is he trying to open it at the front?
Whatever he's trying to do, I cannot let him do it.
I grab his arm, and pull it away.
He then tries to overpower me.
Very stupid.
I can lift objects far heavier than the average human can, so his attempts at overpowering me are futile.
I pry his arm away from my body, and then hear a snap and a pop.
I just broke his arm and dislocated his shoulder.
He looks at me, and the look on his face is... terror?
He should be frightened.
"Y-you ain't human!" he screams.
He didn't know.
Then why did he try to take my clothes off of me?
Did the Lawsons tell him to do that, and fail to tell him that I'm a robot?
But now he knows I'm not human.
He will tell someone, most likely.
He cannot be allowed to live.
I know what parts of the body keep the body alive, and how to make them malfunction...
I constricted his trachea through the throat, and waited until his pulse stopped.
He is dead.
His face is frozen in a silent scream.
Now I know what 'terrified' is.
He was terrified.
Terrified of me.
What will I do with him now?
Yes...
Vanessa was right...