. . .

It was another cold April night, so the central heating had been left on at 68 degrees thermostat. Lali was fast asleep, after thinking of her parents and hearing an acoustic guitar faintly playing on the other side of the wall. A slow, melancholic tune. No doubt, it was her neighbor, Rosanna Cartland. She used to work for KNC News, until her layoff two months ago. Their bedrooms were separated by a well-insulated wall, but occasionally, faint noise would seep through. Lali didn't mind though, as Rosanna was usually quiet.

It wasn't until a several hours later, Lali got up to use the bathroom – all of a sudden, there were faint banging noises coming from outside their unit. It was slowly increasing until it turned into several aggressive knocks on their entrance door, before moving over across the outside wall.

Oh no, not again!

Glancing briefly at her clock, it was 3:43 A.M. Lali raced over to open the entry door and came face to face with a blonde woman wandering down the hall, in a trance-like state. Occasionally she would bang on the walls or doors of the other unit apartments.

"Rosanna!" she gasped.

A second later, one of the doors flew open from across the hall.

"What the-Lali?" a familiar, masculine voice asked.

It was Sanjeet, a local actor and middle age divorcee. She felt relieved when he stepped out of the hall, as he was one of the neighbors who came across this hazardous scenario before. Surprised flashed in his eyes when he recognized it was Rosanna, right next door to Lali's unit, on the western side.

"Sanjeet, she's sleepwalking again," Lali warned.

Rosanna stopped, mumbling an incoherent string of words, before turning around towards both tenants. Her blue eyes were open, but it was like she was seeing right through them; as if they weren't there at all. Just then, another door opened and out stepped a baffled Abby.

"What's going on?" she asked.

The android was startled by a loud bang when Rosanna started pounding the wall furiously, as if she was stubbornly wading out of a dire situation. She then turned back toward the eastern end of the hall, teetering back and forth like how a person would in a drunken state.

She abruptly collapsed against the wall, struggling to prop herself up again.

"Hey Miss, are you alright?" Abby called, starting to walk towards the newswoman.

Lali let out a panicky gasp, while Sanjeet cried out, "No, don't!"

As Abby grabbed Rosanna by the shoulder, the woman let out alarmed grunt; she swung around, aiming her right fist into Abby's face. The blow was enough to knock the android backwards.

Knowing all too well what was happening, Lali ran over to help Abby as the latter was recovering from unexpected assault. She rolled out of the way just in time as Rosanna lunged towards her, barely missing another punch.

As Abby was scooting away from the belligerent woman, Lali partially shielded the shocked android for protection.

"Are you alright?" Lali asked.

Abby looked up, covering her bruised cheek. "I-I think so, but…" Her alarmed eyes flew to Rosanna. The woman was still making grunting sounds, almost as if her mind was caught in a conscious nightmare. "What's wrong? Why did you hit me?"

"She's sleepwalking, Abby! She can't really hear you!" Lali frantically explained.

"What?" Abby was now more confused. Lali anxiously tugged at her shoulder, in getting the android to move further away from Rosanna.

"We have to wake her up," Lali urged. "This has happened before."

Sanjeet had ran inside his apartment, as Abby's roommates were peering outside their unit now.

"Is everything alright, Abby?" Byron asked, confusion crossing his features. Susan now noticed the bluish mark on her friend's face, illuminated by the soft yellow tint of the ceiling lights.

"Abby, what happened?" She walked over to the distressed women, too caught up to notice the erratic behavior of their sleepwalking neighbor.

Before any of them could reply, Sanjeet reappeared from his doorway, a metal whistle in his mouth. He ran right in front of Rosanna, who had turned back towards the opposite direction, still haphazardly supporting herself against the wall.

Taking a full breath, Sanjeet let out a long whistle. The high shrill sound was enough to snap the somnambulist out of her hazy stupor; she blinked rapidly, barely recognizing the older man standing just eight feet away from her, for safety reasons.

"S—Sanjeet?" Rosanna uttered.

Lali breathed a sigh of relief. The news reporter was fully awake now. Another door opened, this time a senior woman stepping out in a plaid robe and boot slippers.

"Everything okay here, guys?" she asked, quite concerned.

"Mrs. Johnson," Lali greeted, turning around to face her. "Yes, it was Rosanna again."

The older woman shook her head, not looking surprised. "I should have known, given the loud bangin' up and down these walls. Honey, you're going to have to do something about that sleep problem of yours." She gave Rosanna a disapproving glare. As Abby watched, her face still throbbing painfully from such a hard hit, the woman who viciously struck her glanced at all of them, troubled.

"Oh no…it happened again, didn't it?" she asked to no one in particular.

Sanjeet nodded. "Luckily, I stopped you just in time before you went out into the streets."

Rosanna looked down, feeling a mixture of shame and embarrassment.

"You attacked Abby here," Lali spoke up.

Rosanna whipped her head around towards the android, looking guilty. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to! I usually don't remember these things when I'm sleepwalking. Did you touch me?"

"Yes, I grabbed onto your arm," Abby affirmed. "That's when you turned around and punched me in the face."

"Dammit!" Rosanna looked away, trembling a little.

Curious, Abby then asked, "Were you under some kind of hypnosis?"

Lali and the others realized that the android had no idea what sleepwalking was - and to an extent, her roommates as well.

"No, no, hon," Mrs. Johnson countered. "She was under a deep sleep called the non-REM cycle. It's a disorder of the mind where you're asleep, but not completely in control of your bodily functions."

"It's hard to explain the feeling, but you don't know what you're doing," Rosanna added. "So yeah, you could say it's some kind of hypnotism."

"Sometimes, it's dangerous to touch a person while they're sleepwalking," the senior woman continued. "In their warped mind, they could think you're attacking them and lash out. Or they could suddenly wake up and fall, injuring themselves. It's better to gently lead them back to their bed without really waking them up. Or in Rosanna's case, wake them up at a distance with loud noises, such as the whistle Sanjeet used."

"Or just scream in their faces," the older man deadpanned. "Just be sure to duck if you see a fist coming your way. That's the more crude approach. I wouldn't really recommend it."

Abby still didn't quite comprehend it, turning to Rosanna again. "But - but why would you think I was attacking you?"

"That's just it, I don't know," Rosanna replied, now sounding a bit frustrated. "There are many hypotheses on the reasons, but there's been no conclusive evidence. Some think it's an instinctive reaction to protecting oneself. Others say it could be from a nightmare. Or a disposition to violence rooted in the subconscious mind."

Susan was now examining the bluish blotch on Abby's injured left cheek and corner lip area.

"It doesn't hurt too bad, does it?" she asked.

"No, I'll be fine," Abby reassured. "I just have to put an ice pack on it; that should make the pain go away."

Mrs. Johnson was looking at the two female androids in disbelief. "As if you walking toasters could ever feel actual pain."

With an irritated huff, the elderly woman turned around and went back inside her unit. "Good night everyone. And please for the love of Baby Jesus, get that sleepwalking looked at, Rosanna!"

The door slammed shut. Lali was a bit taken aback by the old woman's sudden change in behavior; she had come off as somewhat rude.

Byron shook his head, glancing over to the stunned Susan and Abby. "Another droid hater, guys."

Sanjeet brushed it off with a wave. "Ah, don't worry about her. She could be a nice woman, but if she's going to let her bigotry dictate how she treats others, that's her problem."

"Yeah, guess we'll have to look out for that," Susan agreed warily.

Lali got the feeling that the androids had encountered more than one human that was prejudice against machines. It wasn't the first time they would experience such an unpleasant reaction, and unfortunately, it wouldn't be the last.

"Well guys, I'm going back inside to get some shut-eye," Sanjeet announced. He turned to Rosanna, giving her a comforting smile. "Be safe. It's a good thing I kept this little puppy on the end table by my door." He indicated the silver whistle in his hand.

"Thank you," Rosanna said, not being able to meet his eyes. It looked like she didn't want to be there at all. "I promise I'll see if my doctor can prescribe something stronger."

"Sheesh, that put on us on the edge of our feet," Lali spoke up. "This hasn't happened in over three months."

"Did I hurt you bad?" Rosanna asked, her troubled gaze fixated on Abby.

"No, it's alright," Abby replied, still a bit cautious. "Now that I know what happened, I can see the attack wasn't intentional."

"Well...good night then, guys." Rosanna hastily retreated inside her unit, still looking disturbed. As she closed the door, she went over to the couch and plopped herself down, curling into a ball. She hadn't had sleepwalking spells since she was a child; the last noted incident was when she was eleven years old. Ever since a few months ago, they had started up again, right out of the blue.

What was causing them to return, after over two decades?

I could have sworn because they are calling me, she thought. They want to help us…I've known them for so long…

. . .

The next morning, Lali was awaken by Pepper sniffing all over and licking her face. After gently pushing the dog away from slight annoyance, she clambered out of bed.

"Alright, alright, hold on a minute, girly," Lali muttered, letting out a yawn. She went into the bathroom to wash up, with the little dog eagerly following her. It's a good thing it was the weekend because that at least gave her a chance to sleep in.

Later that day, she decided to go out to walk Pepper for some exercise. At least the happy-go-lucky canine was well trained in going to the bathroom; she proved smart enough to let Lali know and hardly ever lost her bodily fluids when in an anxious or frightened state.

The girl had to give credit to the dog for that at least. After crossing a few industrial streets, she and Pepper arrived at a local park. Immediately, the Chihuahua grew excited when she saw other dogs and cats milling about; at the same time, she wanted to go meet the kids playing at the jungle gym.

Lali was familiar with some of the children, as they often went to the park around this time and were fond of the lovable pooch.

"Okay, just hold on a minute and let me catch my breath," Lali reassured, picking up the dog and walking over to a brown bench. Several rows of maple trees lined the back, providing a nice backdrop for shade, especially during the summer months.

Pepper only whined, staring at a Chocolate Labrador racing around with a spunky Beagle on the nearby green field, their tails waving furiously.

As Lali sat down and swung her head back, closing her eyes, Pepper startled her by barking - it was a distinct one, much more staccato and ending in a comical howl. Before the girl could react, Pepper hopped off the bench and went galloping down a curving sidewalk adjacent to the bench.

Lali was yanked along for the ride, the leash handle almost slipping from her grip.

"Whoa Pepper, slow down!"

As she tried catching up to the excited canine, Lali saw what – or rather, who she was running towards. To her surprise, it was Abby. She appeared to be walking her cat. It was a beautiful tan and brown long-hair. Lali thought the cat may be a ragdoll type.

Noticing both the human and dog walking towards her, Abby smiled. "Hello Lali!" She looked down to check to see if her cat would react negatively to Pepper approaching within several feet. Luckily, Lali held the eager canine back, issuing a stern command for good measure.

"Hey there! I see you're out and about with your furry friend," Lali greeted.

Abby nodded, before glancing down at the Chihuahua. "And I see you brought yours as well." She walked forward and bent down to pet the dog. "Hello there, Pepper dear."

Pepper nearly jumped into her arms with glee, while her cat was sitting a few feet away, giving the dog a death glare.

"I was just about to sit for bit over there." Abby indicated a picnic table under an oak tree. "Would you like to join me?"

It took a moment for Lali to reply, as she was still getting used to being around the android. The only friend she'd ever hang around since living in Detroit had been Rayna – who she herself was a loner with maybe one or two other friends of her own. She agreed and all four made their way to the table to sit down.

Abby pulled out her water bottle from her mini backpack to take a drink. Pepper was lying beside her in the grass, every now and then throwing inviting glances at the cat to come play with her. The dog was pretty much species-blind when it came to having fun.

"So what's your cat's name?" Lali asked.

"Noni," Abby replied, while stroking the feline on her lap. "She's a Siberian Forest cat. You can pet her if you'd like. She does very well with people."

Smiling, Lali reached out to pet the cat, who purred contently. Pepper made a whining sound – Lali recognized it as her wanting to play with the cat, despite the feline's hostility.

"Oh Pepper, I know you want to play with her, but she doesn't," Lali gently chided. "Don't worry, I'll play with you in the grass in a while."

Abby let out a short laugh. "Your dog just loves life. I've never seen one who liked cats too."

"Oh, she likes everybody. She's just this energetic little ball of fur. I don't think there's a mean bone in her body."

The android's smile then faded, now looking a bit thoughtful. "Lali, the other night, when Rosanna was sleepwalking…" She paused, now glancing up at her human companion. "I'm not sure how to put this, but was she…malfunctioning?"

The question surprised Lali for a moment. Though she was slightly amused that Abby regarded humans as being 'machines' as well.

"Well, you could view it as that," she replied carefully. "Now that I think about it, humans are machines in a sense, but not in the same way as an android. We're organic, but still programmed to adapt to living on this planet. It comes from millions of years of evolution." Lali paused, aware she was espousing her own personal beliefs onto her new friend. "Well, at least that's what I believe anyway."

"Yes, that I know - your people's origins are intriguing."

"It is. But with Rosanna's condition, it can be perceived as a 'malfunction.' Sleepwalking is rare among humans, but it usually happens in childhood. Most eventually grow out of it." Abby was quiet, still trying to comprehend the foreign concept. Clearly, the android hadn't been programmed with a medical encyclopedia into her. In a sense, it made her appear more….human.

"It's a sleeping disorder of the mind. It disrupts our normal rest cycle, because the person suffering from it is in an abnormal state of deep sleep. They're not really dreaming either."

"So…" Abby mused. "You humans can have…'glitches' in your systems too."

"Ummm, you could call it that. But not all humans sleepwalk. Just a small percentage of us."

"Can it be fixed? Sleepwalking?"

Lali pondered over this. "I don't know. From what I've heard, it goes away when most people reach their teen years. I heard that it sometimes persists into adulthood – usually during times of great stress."

"I see…"

"Rosanna told me a lot about it." Lali reached down to scratch behind Pepper's ear, who now seemed to be quietly pouting. "But usually, medication is prescribed to help control it. I think it's supposed to alter our brain waves….to prevent us from being active while still asleep."

Lali then raised their arms, stretching them out to ward off any tight muscle feeling. She felt a bit flattered that Abby was curious, still wanting to learn more about humans. But then again, Lali was aware that the android had been activated a few months ago. So, she was kind of like a child; still new to exploring the world around her.

The phone suddenly beeped next to her, indicating a message. Lali glanced at her phone screen. It was Rayna.

Hey amiga, are you still up for bowling tomorrow?

Lali tapped back a message, replying that she would. A giddy idea then occurred.

"Hey Abby, do you know how to bowl?"

The android blinked, unsure. "No. What's that?"

"It's game where you roll a ball down an aisle and hit pins with it."

"Oh. Is it a sport? Like baseball?"

"Something like that. But it's a lot different from baseball. For one, you're not trying to hit a home run. Or playing against another team as a whole group." Lali's dark eyes lit up with a bit of enthusiasm. "Would you like to go bowling tomorrow with me and my friend?"

Abby's brows furrowed in thought. Again, Lali noted the time it took for the android to consider the invitation. A more superior one wouldn't take more than a second to think it over before answering.

"Sure, okay!" came the earnest reply.

"Sweet!" Lali clapped her hands together. "I'll let Rayna know you're coming along."

. . .

The next day, Abby and Lali were picked up by Rayna in her car. That's one thing Lali had in common with her coworker – they both liked to drive and hardly ever used the automaton vehicles.

They finally arrived at the bowling alley and registered their lane number and custom shoes. Abby frowned when she had to put them on, wondering why their own footwear couldn't be used. Lali explained to her it provided better sliding traction on the lanes; also, accidents or injuries could be avoided by not carrying the dirty debris brought in from everyday shoes.

Rayna, being the more experienced player, went first. She rolled her bowl, and all watched as it synced perfectly in the middle lane, before making a spectacular crash with all twelve pins.

"Score!" Rayna sang-song, holding up her hands in victory.

Lali clapped, impressed. "Nice one, champ!"

"Ah, I just love it when you stroke my ego," Rayna teased.

"It's a compliment!" Lali scoffed.

"Same thing, girlie."

"Whatever." Ignoring her, Lali now selected her own ball – an eight pounder, marbled red in color. She then turned to Abby. "Okay, watch me now. The objective is to hit all the pins. You need a good, coordinated aim, as the ball can easily roll off to the side dividers."

Abby nodded, her hands clasped nervously on her knees where she sat. Lali then poised her left arm up, fingers snugly fit in all three holes of the ball, taking a few steps forward. She then lunged out, swinging her arm back. All this time, the android was observing the fluid motion as best she could.

Lali paused in her brisk steps, pulling her arm forward now, letting the G-force that followed release the ball. It rolled down the lane, shifting a bit to the left, before hitting the intended target. Only seven pins were taken out this time.

"Ah, man!" She whined. "Almost got it!"

It was now Abby's turn. She chose the lightest ball, a six pounder. She had memorized both the human's movements as best she could and rolled the ball. This time, it careened off to the right side, but narrowly missing the side trench. Two pins were knocked out.

Rayna shrugged. "Eh, not bad for a first time."

"So, I got two points, right?" Abby asked, glancing at the scoreboard.

"Correctomundo," Rayna lightheartedly replied.

"Don't worry, the more you play it, the better you get," Lali assured. "Even I suck sometimes at this game."

The three women continued playing, until they were down to three games left. Abby started to enjoy it, always concentrating on making sure her throw was the right angle in hitting the pins, or even the side ones close to the center one – likely pin two or three. Sometimes, that one particular move alone could guarantee a total strike.

Awhile later, they took a break to eat a snack. Since Abby's model was designed to be as much human as possible, Lali and Rayna were surprised that she could ingest some food. Abby had explained that her systems could process a little bit of human cuisine, though she didn't really gain any significant nutrition out of it. They learned that this was common for all WR400s, probably in facilitating a 'real' experience for their customers at the adult clubs.

"This game is pretty fun," Abby opined cheerfully.

Lali felt relieved. "I'd hope you'd like it."

She turned to see a nearby teenage girl slip and land on her butt from the slick, oily lane after rolling her ball. Three lanes further, a small boy was bawling tears, throwing a loud tantrum after missing his aim for the fifth time. His siblings were taunting and laughing at him, while his parents were trying to placate him with a Cookie Monster plushie.

"Eh, most of us anyway…"

"Yeah, you're getting a little better, rookie baller," Rayna remarked, while nibbling on some cheese nachos.

"I was wondering, do you guys know how to play tennis?" Abby asked.

Both the humans paused in their eating. Rayna was the first to speak up. "No, not me. I played it in high school, but never really warmed up to it."

"The same for me," Lali chimed in. "I never really got into it, so I don't know how to play it. Do you like tennis?"

"Yep! It's the only sport I really know how to play," Abby replied, missing their slightly sour expressions. "Sometimes, I play with it with Susan and Byron at the Mitchell Park courts."

Rayna snorted, not bothering to hide her blunt reaction. "But isn't tennis an uppity sport?"

This time, Abby wasn't surprised by her response. It was as if she was expecting it.

"Yes, it does have a tendency to promote that stereotype," the android admitted, with a sigh. "Although, I really don't know why. I think tennis should be enjoyed by everyone, not just a particular group of people."

"Well, I'm with Rayna here," Lali stated. "I'm not too keen on it either. We both grew up…mmm, working class. Blue collar. No offense, but tennis is usually not associated with the bottom income earners of society."

"If you put it that way," Rayna replied dryly. "It is throwing generalizations out there. Of course, Lali and I wouldn't know too much about it. All we had growing up was baseball, track and field, soccer and basketball."

"And bowling," Lali added.

"You shouldn't let your social class prevent you from trying something new," Abby said helpfully. "Just as I shouldn't let my being an android prevent me from enjoying a game that's been historically played by your kind."

"You got me there," Lali admitted.

"It's puzzling, why activities are reserved only for a particular class." Abby looked serious in thought, before glancing meaningfully at them. "I suppose since the concept is human, you two would understand it better than me."

"That's for sure," Rayna muttered, sipping her soda.

Abby then leaned forward, giving off a cheeky smile. "Would you guys like to learn how to play tennis?"

Both test technicians froze, not knowing what to say. Well, Lali suppose she would give it a try. It couldn't be that hard, just knocking a ball back and forth, right?

Then one of Rayna's eyebrows lifted. "Alright. Consider it a challenge, Ms. Upscale Girl."

"Rayna, be nice," Lali warned, half-playfully.

But the android smiled, unfazed. "Oh, don't worry. It's a sort of joking around, right?"

"Aaah, she reads me like an open book," Rayna remarked, amused.

"Yeah, but you're right, Abby," Lali said with resolve. "We shouldn't let our own prejudices affect our judgement towards a specific sport."

"Indeed," Abby agreed. "But we're learning all the time, right?"

"Yes...all the time."

Yet, another thing that was innately human…

. . .