Startup sequence initialized. Recalibrating in 3… 2… 1…
The android's eyes were already open, but it was difficult to see in the dim light. Automatically, he blinked away the dust, bringing into view what appeared to be the interior of a closet. Something was obscuring his vision, and he realized with some trepidation that Katie was standing in front of him.
She was leaned into him, gazing at a point behind his right ear. As his system synced with CyberLife, he noticed she seemed to be pressing lightly on his neck with her fingers. He watched her for a moment, unsure of how he should get her attention.
She let out a frustrated sigh and tapped a few spots under his ear. The pressure pushed him off balance slightly, and he turned his head.
Katie shot backward immediately. For a moment, the android hardly recognized her. Her eyes were wide in a combination of shock and discomfort, but it wasn't her expression that surprised him.
Katie's hair had thinned considerably. It was still the tangled mess that he remembered before the shut down, but more coarse and flat. Even in the dim light, he could see that her skin was pale and translucent, as though she hadn't seen the sun in some time. Her eyes were bruised and dark, clashing with the hazel color of her irises. The angles of her face were harsh and gaunt. On her left cheek, he could see the faint outline of a straight purple welt.
He simply stared at her for few seconds, taking in her new troubling appearance. Then he moved to straighten himself. Katie backed away as he pushed against the wall. He'd been leaned against it as though propped like a large mannequin. He brushed the dust off of his shiny uniform, checking for any other changes. Then he looked up at Katie who was still watching him with wary eyes.
She didn't look like she wanted to speak to him. He monitored her expression intently.
"I've been in stasis for forty-seven days," he said. Katie's expression didn't change. He carefully chose his words. "Our… last encounter didn't end well. Can I ask why you re-activated me?"
Katie took a deep breath, and she looked at the floor. The android noticed that her clothes seemed to hang off of her as though they were several sizes too large. Katie put a hand against her forehead in what he recognized as her usual frustrated stance. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth, but was quiet for several moments.
"I need help."
They were both silent. The android made sure to keep his expression soft. "I can help you. What is it you need help with?"
He watched her as she seemed to struggle with something. A faint smile appeared on her lips and shook her head slowly, avoiding his gaze. That same defiance radiated through her posture but it was weakened, almost damaged. She let out another sigh.
"I made a mistake," she said, a heavy regret lingering in her voice. She stared at a spot on his chest. "I have a problem."
He waited for her to continue, but she seemed frozen on the spot. Her tired eyes were locked on the vague area of his uniform. He moved forward to break her gaze and draw it back to him.
"Did something happen, Katie?"
Katie's eyes seemed to gain energy as she gazed at him. She looked as if she were trying to read something in his expression. Then she glanced down again, and nodded slowly. The android studied her expression and weighed the events of their last meeting. He tilted his head slightly to regain her attention.
"If you want me to help you with this," he said, trying to keep his voice as friendly as possible, "I need to follow my protocol."
She seemed frozen for a moment as if preparing to explode. He could almost see the thoughts working through her mind, as if she were searching for a reason to argue with him but the effort was harder than she'd planned. After what seemed an eternity, she nodded.
The android took a step toward her and raised his hand to her temple. He made sure she was looking at him. "May I?"
Her body tensed, but she gave a strained nod. The android reached forward slowly, touching his thumb to her temple and placing the tips of his other fingers across her scalp. As he did, the flesh texture of his hand flowed away leaving the bare shiny white pattern of plastic.
He closed his eyes as he let the scan go to work. The electrical pulses and waves seemed to write a novel, with the plot being the occasional irregular jolt of electric energy. There was a lot happening in her head, and for a moment it seemed too outlandish for something like this to have happened in such a short time. He studied the waves for a few more moments, then opened his eyes.
Katie was staring at him as though she were held hostage. Her hazel eyes were lit with tired energy, and her posture was tense. As he lowered his hand, she relaxed.
"Can we exit this closet?" He motioned to the door.
Katie looked sideways as if she had just realized there was a door at all, then quickly moved from the room. The android followed her, shaking free the last bits of dust that still clung to his uniform.
The house hadn't changed, although the sun was a bit more harsh in the sky now that fall had begun. Katie's appearance was more obvious in the light, and she squinted heavily against the yellow glare of the sun. The android paused a moment in the hallway, aware that Katie was watching him with a kind of desperate intent.
He raised his head and met her gaze. "How long were you in a coma?"
She shifted uncomfortably as she leaned against the wall. "Two weeks. Well─" she closed her eyes as if struggling to remember. "Sixteen days."
"I see." The android glanced down for a moment, then took a step towards her. "I… want to help you in the best way that I can, Katie. But I understand how frustrated I can make you. Before I can even try to help you with your medical condition, I need to find the best─"
"Just…" Katie smiled and raised a hand in what he recognized was her usual defiant demeanor. But when she lowered her hand and looked at him again, her expression was surprisingly soft. "If you're about to ask me how you can be not so android-y… all I have to say to you is just be honest." She straightened in front of him with a tense confidence. "Just be honest with me. Say exactly what you're thinking. If you think I should eat more vegetables, just say it. And if you think I'm wrong, just tell me I'm a bitch. Okay?"
The android stood frozen for a moment, his protocol racing frantically in an attempt to judge her statement as sarcastic or truthful. He tilted his head to the side as he looked at her, and she smiled softly.
"Would it help if I said that like an order?" she said. "Can I order you to be honest with me?"
"It's against my programming to lie to you in the first place," said the android. Katie shook her head.
"I'm not talking about that," she said. "What you said… before. Before, you know." She motioned with her hand. "You said you thought I was a selfish bitch or something… you told me what you thought about me. And I freaked out on you. I want you to keep doing that. Keep saying exactly what you think, not what you think I want to hear. Do you get what I'm saying?"
The android thought hard about the situation. "You want me to continue to make you angry?"
Katie's expression changed as if she were going to speak. She tensed her mouth and looked to the side. Then she looked back at him. "Yes."
"I don't see how that will help you feel better."
"Are you saying you won't do it?"
The android shifted slightly. "I will do it if you tell me to."
"I'm telling you to tell me exactly what you think, even if it makes me angry."
The android stared at her for a moment, letting the order sink in. He nodded slowly. "I think... I will make you angry all the time."
Katie's smile widened. It was a new experience for her to smile at him like this. For the first time, it seemed things were finally starting to fall into place.
"We'll see." She stared down at the floor. For a while, they stood in silence.
"I suppose I'll start by making you something to eat," said the android. Katie flashed him a familiar frustrated glance. He immediately paused and looked at her. "Unless you want to fight about it first."
Her eyes widened for a moment. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then shook her head.
"Good, because you've lost twenty-six pounds since my absence," said the android. "You don't have to eat it. Just let me be able to say I tried preventing you from going into cardiac failure." He moved down the hallway. "Do you still like toast, Katie?"
"Yeah, I still like toast," she said. "And… and it's just Kate."
He stopped and turned to her. She looked up at him. "Kate," she repeated. "Not Katie."
For a while he simply gazed at her, then nodded. "Okay, Kate," he said. "Anything else?"
She started to shake her head, then she stopped. She took a step towards him. "I think… I'll give you a name."
The android straightened. "Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure I'm going to have to do whatever you say now, so this just seems to fit," said Kate.
"Then I'm ready to register my name. Say it when you're ready."
Kate looked at him with apprehension, then breathed out slowly. "Simon."
The android nodded. "My name is Simon."
