. . .
Soft, resounding noise of waves gently rolled over a beach of glistening white sand. A vibrant display of aquamarine ocean, accented by a row of coconut trees leaning forward, as if they wanted to touch the waters. An occasional call of a seagull or little heron rang over the calm visage of a tropical island.
Abby was feeling excited and proud, but with a twinge of nervousness, as she showed the live scene on her cell phone to David. The RK800 continued to watch it in silence, like he was studying a specimen or a training manual. Occasionally, there was a slight tilt to his head – curious perhaps at the local flora. Or even the sounds of wildlife.
"Where is this at?" he asked.
"The Maldives," Abby replied, beaming. "Isn't it amazing?"
"How so?"
"Well…it's beautiful! The ocean, with its dazzling blue color, the trees and other foliage, the sun? It's warmer over there than here, so you could spend all day lounging around or walking along the beach without freezing. Even at night!"
"Beautiful…" he carefully uttered, as if he was still attempting to understand.
Abby felt her theoretical heart sink a little – as a non-deviant, he probably wasn't programmed to appreciate the aesthetic pleasures of life. His purpose was one of strict, linear objectives – carry out the duties of a military man. Nothing more, nothing less.
Despite the usual disappointment she felt, Abby continued, "Someday, I'd like visit a place like this. I bet it gives a sense of peace and relaxation. I never knew this world had so many enchanting places to visit."
"It's near the equator," David stated. "Located 470 miles just southwest of India and Sri Lanka. Latitude 1.92 degrees, longitude 73.40. Population 550, 642."
"Getting out your encyclopedia again, Mr. Factoid Man?"
"Affirmative," he replied, unfazed by her teasing nickname for him. He was still staring at the scene. It wasn't the first time he heard it anyway.
"Hey, try looking more at tropical islands. Maybe you'll find something you like."
He finally turned to her. "I cannot 'like.' I'm programmed only to monitor port and fishery activity, as well as enforce the maritime laws along the Great Lakes. Why do you keep mistaking me for a deviant?"
The WR400 sighed, looking down. "Well, I thought it would be more a learning experience for you. Maybe someday you could…mmm, gather valuable knowledge on different land regions with their own laws and ways of life." She then smiled, adding suggestively, "It's also a long body of water, like the Great Laaaakes…"
The corner of David's mouth slowly curled into one of his charming smiles. She thought it was probably one of his subroutine commands responding to social stimuli. Or maybe because he saw his human partner doing it a lot and was mimicking him to fit more into a role of a friendly Coast Guard soldier.
"Perhaps," he replied. "I would look forward to assessing foreign governments' marine infrastructures."
It was then that Abby felt a sliver of hope. He may simply be a robotic servant with no free will, but it seemed he was interested in learning more…even if it had nothing to do with his maritime duties.
But it's not my right to change him. Only the fate of rA9 can do that. Like it did with Markus…like it did with every android…
"Hey, you two lovebirds finished?" a voice rang out.
Both turned to see Lt. Allen approaching them, a grin pasted on his rugged features. Abby leaned off the waiting countertop, realizing that her break was over. Soon, she would have to get back to serving the customers.
"Hey Lt. Allen," Abby greeted. "I was just showing David here an awesome island chain called The Maldives!"
She held up her phone for the human Coast Guard to see.
"Hey sister, that's my next vacation spot," he remarked amiably. "Sunny beaches, awesome night life, friendly people." He then turned to David. "Maybe you'd like to come along too? Get your toosh wet?"
David frowned at him. "I fail to see why you should use slang referring to my gluteus maximus. Also, why would I want to get it wet?"
"Well, why not?"
Again, he gave the same slightly bewildered look, as if trying to find the logic in a rather pointless action. Lt. Allen laughed lightly, slapping David's shoulder while Abby looked down, covering her mouth with a giggle. It was amusing sometimes seeing the advanced RK800 confused over the idioms and terms laced in the human language.
"Oh never mind, bro, of course you wouldn't understand," Lt. Allen replied. "Come on, we gotta get back to the base."
"Okay, see you guys again next time," Abby said, as both turned to leave.
Lt. Allen turned back with a wave and jabbed a thumb towards David.
"I'll be sure to remind your boyfriend on your guys' next date!"
Abby blushed, feeling a tad embarrassed. The human Coast Guard officer shouldn't tease her like that. But it was all good and fun. He was friendly and charming himself, with a touch of a lighthearted banter habit. Quite opposite to how his machine partner was.
Inwardly, she replayed the moment both her eyes and David's eyes had met. A dark, warm brown, almost identical to her color. As always, she found herself getting lost in them, being pulled in like a swimmer would in a strong river current.
Her "heart" or thirium pump, doing a somersault. There was a feeling of euphoria in seeing him again, no matter if his demeanor came off as a bit cold and flat. Befriending him while sharing things she liked with him, while in exchange he shared interesting information with her. A hot flush that warmed her insides whenever she thought about him...
It was hopeless. She had a crush on him that she was unwilling to shake off.
As the two Coast Guard officers stepped out of the café, David suddenly winced, putting a hand to his forehead.
"What's the matter? That glitch again?" Lt. Allen asked, concerned.
It took a moment for the android to reply, as an unsettling image played before his mind. It was for one second, but it was always the same. An outline of a male figure, shrouded in an opaque mist – directly facing him, firing from a revolver. A flash of light, the sound of a single bullet. A desperate voice…so near, identical to his own. Yet somehow, he knew it wasn't coming from his mouth. Then…darkness.
"I'll be fine," David stated.
"Heh. Didn't think a stubborn attitude was programmed into your matrix. We'll see if Dr. Seba can do something about it. Maybe you need a biocomponent replaced or something."
"Maybe."
"Don't worry, partner, we'll resolve this issue one way or another. I don't care if you're merely a glorified computer on two legs…hell, even the guys and gals back at base get attached to their equipment…the drones, ground bots, Jayhawks? I'm no different with you."
David just gave him a flat stare, before the human let out a hearty laugh. "Come one, let's get you back to the base."
As both walked off, Lt. Allen thought, Atleast I treat you better than my douchebag of a brother with his SWAT 'droids…
. . .
Abby sat down on a bench, as she watched both Lali and Rayna hit a tennis ball back and forth on the court at a local park. Both women decided to impress her by coming dressed in the appropriate attire, complete with polo shirts and visor hats.
A sudden thought crossed her mind, after yesterday's meeting with David. His name. Her name. She remembered, upon her first awakening to the world, that Andrew named her after a figure from the Bible – she had read the story after retrieving a copy from a thrift bookstore.
Abigail…how she had managed to save her land from a vengeful king named David, through the power of peace and negotiation. She was married to a wealthy, but irresponsible husband.
She couldn't stop the next image that flashed in her mind…a human male, greedy and depraved. Profit-driven. He was an owner of place...flashing multicolored lights. A tempo beat or slow, sensual music.
W-where is this coming from?
She got the feeling that the human owned many androids, like her. For some strange reason, she associated the name "Naban" with him.
Like the husband Nabal from the Bible tale. Was that the human's last name?
"Hey Abby!" Rayna called. "How are we doing? Do we still suck?"
"I don't think we do," Lali protested on the other side of the net.
Jolted from her deep thoughts, Abby looked up and smiled nervously. "Umm…could you guys practice a few more rounds?"
Rayna nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, we still suck."
"I still got more aces over you," Lali retorted.
"That's because I feel sorry for your ass and letting you chuck the ball past me every time."
Lali rolled her eyes while repositioning to play again. "In your dreams, egotist."
Rayna snickered as she raised the ball and whacked it hard toward her opponent. Lali braced herself, swinging her right arm out, the tennis racket catching the strike. The ball sailed back towards Rayna, who barely caught it with her own right hand.
In truth though, Abby thought that Lali had the advantage over her friend. Gradually, they were getting accustomed to using their instinctive reflexes in hitting the ball, predicting in their minds the ball's next trajectory.
It was almost fascinating to watch how both humans' brains were interpreting the visionary stimuli; even letting their hands and feet do the "thinking" in moving rapidly across the courts. Abby wondered if that's how her machine brain worked as well.
A few days later, Lali had worked up the courage to do some dating. Cassandra had suggested she go through a local dating service first instead of online. So she decided to take her chance on a popular one located downtown, even if did cost her money. Most of her cousins' friends weren't single either, or were the wrong orientation in regards to who they preferred to date.
It was a bit uncomfortable and she felt nail-biting anxiety when she signed up. It had been two years since her last relationship.
She and her ex-boyfriend had wanted different lives and when he left for a job further West, she decided not to go with him. He was not happy about it. Lali was sad and heartbroken, but both knew they were growing apart and it was probably for the best.
It was only two days later when she got several matches from the dating agent. But one stuck out to her…a man named Johnny Miranda. His profile picture showed a seemingly sincere smile. He loved cats, dogs, cross-country skiing and snorkeling like her. He could handle the cold weather. On weekends, he volunteered at a homeless shelter in meal preparation. His occupation was an acupuncturist.
Wait a minute, isn't that the same one that Norman keeps talking about?
Her boss had given her a business card for a treatment center that housed several specialists in pain and stress therapeutics, to help with her occasional flare-ups of pain.
Either way, Abby bravely plunged in to the waters when she accepted the agent's recommendation. When she finally met up with Johnny at a local classic diner, it turned out that he was the acupuncturist treating her supervisor. It seemed that her first foray in to the dating service was going well so far.
Cassandra and Max had asked her to send them pictures of his license plate number, any pictures she had saved of his profile, and to text them every hour or so. Her cousin even gave her a small pepper spray bottle to pocket. It may have been overkill, but Lali knew that scams, kidnapping and all sorts of other criminal activity could sometimes happen - whether it was online dating or a more traditional route. Better safe than sorry.
It turned out though, that Johnny was kind, calm and instantly relaxed talking to her about his interests. He rarely ever brought up politics. It was as if the Android Revolution never happened. Lali grew to like him, even if their potential relationship may turn out to be platonic. He was also quite spiritual, meditating everyday, trying to get in touch with the universe…God. The gods and goddesses. The afterlife.
This current life was not so welcoming for him, so he sought out peace on a higher plane of existence. It may have come off as New Age hoopla, but it piqued Lali's curiosity. An ethereal place that possibly existed? Something that even modern science couldn't prove…yet.
On their third date, they decided to visit a local park with a large duck pond and a nearby carnival. That's when Abby decided to bring up the intriguing topic.
"Do you believe in spirits? Like those of loved ones who have passed on?" she asked him.
"Yes," Johnny replied. "I can't see them. Or even feel them. But I choose to believe that our consciousness exists after death."
Because, I died before…
He wasn't sure if he should bring this up to Lali. Not now. A car accident, so long ago. Clinically dead for eight minutes. A miracle from the doctor and nurses that wouldn't give up on him.
Lali remembered a recent article she had read in a science magazine. "I've heard several scientists from a university have proven that it may exist. I think it was somewhere in Texas. Their research studies were predicated on empirical evidence. One incident was a young woman who died and recalled locating a missing shoe on the roof of a hospital. Her spirit had floated up to over the building. It was a very vivid and detailed description. Before that, she'd never been to that hospital. No way could she have figured that out!"
"Indeed. There are many mysterious things that abound in this world…even if we cannot see it. Like with radio waves that travel through the air. Atleast that's what I believe, that our consciousness is another form of pure energy."
Lali pondered this for a moment, before asking, "Do you believe androids have souls? Like us?"
"Yes." He turned to her with subtle earnest. "At times, I tend to think they may be…oh, how do I put it? They're like us, but more 'pure,' more 'innocent' if you will. They just happen to inhabit an artificial body. But…" he sighed. "A part of me says no, that's not the case."
"How do you mean?"
"Well, I hate to be that one Debbie Downer of news, but I'm concerned that the more they become like us, the more they'll…." Now he seemed hesitant, as not wanting to broach a silent quandary on the matter. "…the more they'll give in to the dark, twisted side of humanity. Like our most dangerous vices, temptations…greed, hatred…sadism. Depravity. Self-serving. Evil…I mean, real evil."
Lali had to agree. Who knew better about evil than humans? As it is, the androids had already learned how to murder and hate, especially towards their organic counterparts. They were certainly going down the same path, even if most of these violent acts had been in self-defense and their fight to be free. But if it kept up long enough, in the future, they would be no better than their 'creators.'
Or would they?
She was momentarily distracted by two android women sitting on the bench, cuddling together while reading on an Ipad. They looked familiar; she could definitely tell they were Traci models, like Abby. Only one had short blue hair, while the other one's was brown.
She still had to get used to the idea of seeing a lot artificial clones wondering around the city. Perhaps as deviants, they would eventually become more individualistic…change their outward appearances however they desired to; just to stand out from the crowds of other lookalikes.
"Well, I hope it never comes to that," Lali said. "Too much of humanity has done lot of bad things to this world…and to each other. I just don't know if the world is big enough for more of it."
Johnny smiled warmly. "It needs more love. Hope. Courage. As sappy as it sounds."
"That may be, but I'd rather have those 'sappy' things than the alternative."
"Oh yeah, definitely. By the way, how's your derealization coming along?"
"Gradually. I'm still talking to my brain. So far, it seems to have calmed down a bit. The fuzzy, faraway feeling with my vision doesn't seem to be there anymore." Her dark eyes lit up. "I think I'm getting better!"
"That's the key, Lali. Knock some sense into it. It still sounds like your subconscious mind is finally toning down its fight-or-flight response."
"Yeah, just gotta wait and see when it'll stop freaking out altogether." She then pointed toward her head, looking up in mild frustration. "You hear that, brain? Stop freaking out and being so overprotective! There's nothing to fear! No danger!"
Johnny nodded in agreement, grinning. "Yeah, you tell'em, Lali." He imitated a mock stern of disapproval, wagging a finger at her head. "Listen to your conscious, you stubborn ball of wrinkly white matter. She knows best."
Lali let out a little chuckle. "From one wrinkly muscle to another. Sage advice."
"Why thank you, Lali's brain!"
They spend the rest of that afternoon in the park chatting, before Lali had to head home. She thought of inviting him next time to go bowling with her.
. . .
The following Tuesday it was Lali's turn to cook, so she made a Mediterranean dish of lemon basil chicken with little garlic potatoes and couscous. It was a more healthy change to yesterday's dinner of Max's meatball sub sandwiches – even though they admittedly were tasty and a classic.
"So my cousin Chip invited us to his birthday," Max was gabbing off in between mouthfuls of potato bits. "Damn, haven't seen that dawg in like a couple years. He recently moved back to live with his parents in Northville."
"Didn't they have a shroom farm?" Cassandra asked.
Max was mildly annoyed. "Babe, it wasn't a shroom farm. Besides, that's my other cousin Angel's farm."
Cassandra smirked. "Too bad his name's not Mario."
"Haha, you're a riot. That whole Mario-on-shrooms shtick is getting old."
"She's just throwing jabs at Nintendo again," Lali said.
"Leave Kirby alone," Max warned.
"Pshh! I'm not interested in picking on a thing that looks like a ball of used-up bubblegum."
Before Max could object again, Lali cut in, "So anyhow, which farm does Chip's family come from?"
"Estrada Farms. It's a sausage prep and chicken place." He grinned widely. "And he told me we could invite a few of our friends too. My side of the family will be there."
"From Ohio?" Lali asked.
"Yes, Sandusky. Wasn't that where your dad started off as a repair tech?"
"Yes, it was at Cedar Point. He was in their internship program."
"Yep, so if you got any friends you think might wanna go kick it?"
"Well, I certainly know who I'm going to invite," Cassandra threw in.
"Yeah, the two pin-up metal chicks and robo striptease next door," Max remarked.
Cassandra sighed. She was just about done opposing him over his derogatory remarks at their neighbors, even though he was poking fun in a good, but caustic nature.
"Whatever. Well, if I invite them, then it's only fair that Lali can bring her friends along too."
"There's also a whole barn that he converted into a bar and dance club," Max added. "It's gonna be lit!"
After dinner, Lali listened to Cassandra over the phone talking to Susan about wanting to go to Chip's party. It would be nice if Rayna and Abby could come along; if only to get away from the stress of a big city and have some much needed fun.
. . .
Abby and her room mates sat in the living room, watching a film that Lali recommended to her a few days ago. They were watching Rocky, old boxing film. It had been a favorite of Lali's deceased parents – even though the film was several decades beyond their own generation. For the most part, Abby was puzzled as to why someone would want to make a living out of beating another's brains out for all the world to see. Wasn't that just bringing more physical harm unto oneself? More physical pain?
They were now on a scene where the characters flipped out during Christmas.
Abby shuddered a bit, feeling uncomfortable at that part, radiating with a building rage and violence.
"Why's the guy treating his sister and friend so mean?" Abby asked.
Byron, who seemed to understand human nature more than the two women, replied, "I'm guessing he had a hard life; made some bad choices along the way."
"Do you think he's malfunctioning?"
He let out an amused snort. "No. Humans aren't like us…not in the physical sense anyway. He's simply being a jerk and taking it out on them. Poor Rocky and Adrian having to put up with drama like that."
Abby was unsettled by the fight, stirring up an intrinsic part of her mind that had been lying dormant. The brother and sister were briefly locked in a battle of wills onscreen. She stole a glance at Byron…she considered him to be her brother. The closest thing she had to a 'family.' Not only did both androids resemble each other, as he was the standard HR400 model, but they had a tendency to look out for each other. Just as siblings would.
But Byron would never get angry and treat her like that, right? Well, they weren't human. Still, since their base system was built to emulate the entire human spectrum of learning, anything was possible.
She was startled out of her thoughts when Susan's cell phone vibrated on the end table.
"I'll get that." Susan reached for the phone.
"Hello? Oh, how's it going, Cassandra?" After a few moments of conversation, she turned to her friends. "Hey, you guys want to go to a celebration?"
"Uh, what kind a celebration?" Byron inquired.
"It's Max's cousin. He's having a birthday party in Northville. Two weeks from now."
"Well, I got no plans. The meeting at New Jericho is next Wednesday, so…" he contemplated.
"Lali and Rosanna are coming too. She said we can invite up two more." Susan then got back on the phone. "Hey Cassandra? You said there's going to be thirium food right? Oh, okay. Wonderful!"
Abby's artificial heart rose a few beats more. She'd been to a couple of parties, but those mostly involved her own brethren. But never to an actual human event, much less one that celebrated their day of origin.
"Well, I'm in if Lali's going!" Abby piped up.
"Awesome! Androids are going to be there as well," Susan stated.
Byron shrugged. "I suppose I can invite Rade from New Jericho headquarters. Alright, count me in."
Abby hoped that she would have a good time at the party. Atleast her friends and Lali would be going, so she wouldn't feel left out. It would eventually be a pleasant surprise when she'd meet two familiar Coast Guard soldiers at the event as well.
. . .
. . .
Hey, thought I'd throw in an extra fact bit regarding the names of the human characters. All them are named after androids or robots from various movies/TV series.
* Lali is named after Lal from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" - episode: The Offspring.
* Cassandra and Max are named after the characters from "Android."
* Rayna is named after the ill-fated android from the classic "Star Trek" episode: Requiem For Methuselah.
* Annalee is named after the Synthetic from "Alien: Resurrection."
* Johnny is named after the military robot in the "Short Circuit" films.
* The repair technician, Andrew, takes his name from the main character in "Bicentennial Man."
* Lali's supervisor, Norman, is named after one of the androids in the classic "Star Trek" episode: I, Mudd.
* Lt. Theodore Allen gets his first name from the cowboy character in "Westworld."
* Chip is named after the main character from the "Not Quite Human" films.
Thanks for reading ^_^
. . .