Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.
unbeta'd
It takes Marcus several days of traveling before he comes across a town in a valley surrounded by mountains. The limp is more noticeable now after falling several times but it doesn't stop him from trying to move faster. The streets and sidewalks are still empty this early and he has enough time to huddle in an alley between two dumpsters. He tries to sit still and let his circuits cool down after traveling for almost a week nonstop. When he spots a puddle nearby his curiosity is enough to have him crawling towards it just so he can finally see his damaged face.
Marcus frowns when he sees silver glint back at him in the dirty water. His right eye looks dim and cracked but it's something he'll have to live with until he can find someone to repair him.
He's in the process of gathering himself off the ground to hide until nightfall when he feels a presence behind him. The program for basic emotions malfunctions so his face stays blank. His working eye narrows, taking in as much information as possible with his low energy. The man appears as "Low to No Threat" on his scan but in a blink it reads "WARNING: PROCEED WITH CAUTION... THREAT LEVEL HIGH".
He takes a step back to place more distance between them and reroutes more energy to his legs for when he needs to run. He feels himself stiffen and something pulls him forward. His right leg drags behind him while his other scrapes the ground trying to keep him in place. The man is taller up close and his eyes are a sharp, vibrant green. Marcus' neck clicks when he looks up at the man towering over him. The man's skin looks pale and gaunt against the dark clothes he wears.
"What are you?" the man whispers.
There's an accent in the man's voice but it's difficult to place while so many programs are offline. Marcus responds, voice full of static, "I should ask you the same thing."
The stranger walks around him, inspecting him, before coming to face him again. Marcus wonders if the man is bionic like Adam, Bree, and Chase.
"You're not human."
The android arches an eyebrow, "Really? What gave it away?"
'At least my program for sarcasm is still intact', he thinks.
"Hmm," the man smirks, "Now, the real question is what shall I do with you?"
Marcus stays silent and stares back defiantly. He won't show anything resembling fear but the last thing he wants is to be dismantled after fighting so hard to survive. The man returns the steady gaze and blinks when his black apron flaps loudly due to a slight breeze.
The man grins, "Well, follow me."
Whatever held Marcus releases him and he stumbles for a moment when he adds too much weight to the injured knee. Having no other option he follows the man. If the stranger is a high threat then there's no chance he'll escape. The man waits for him farther down the alley holding a black door open. Marcus' eye takes a moment to adjust in the low lit hallway once he enters the building. When the door closes the first thing he notices are the red walls and scuffed checkered floor. He freezes when the door behind him clicks as a lock slides into place.
"Now, now. Let's not be irrational," the man smiles, "The last thing I want on my record is leaving this business unsecured from all the riffraff prowling the streets."
The man smiles easily and guides him away from the door. Loud laughter from down the hall makes the androids chest tighten. He stops causing the man beside him to stop, too.
"Ah, yes, it's too soon for others to see you in your current situation."
Marcus doesn't even blink as he's herded into a small office and pushed into a rickety metal chair. From the corner of his eye he sees the man turn his back to rummage through shelves. He feels a little better not being able to see the eerie green eyes anymore.
Marcus turns away to memorize his surroundings quickly. The wooden office furniture is uneven and mismatched, ugly even, with chips and dents everywhere. The only bookcase located by the door is brimming with binders and books. The cluttered desk is a disaster of papers, food wrappers, and somewhere underneath the mess he spots the white spine of a book. He continues his observation behind the desk seeing the man opening and closing several cardboard boxes packed on the shelves. His eyes wander to the plain white walls and clinking ceiling fan before the man starts speaking.
"Let's start with something simple, yes? My name is Thomas but everyone calls me Tom. What is your name?"
The android whispers, "Marcus."
"Marcus...?"
Tom draws out the 's' in his name hinting for him to continue.
"Marcus."
"Well, Marcus," Tom laughs lightly, "you are an interesting fellow even in silence. Did your maker do this?"
When there's no reply the man looks over his shoulder and sees the boy's left hand tighten and jaw clench.
"Hmm," he frowns, "let's have a look."
Tom cuts the wires and cords that Marcus used for his knee splint and arm sling. He turns the arm with the exposed metal in curiosity, bending the joints and fingering the torn wires. Slowly, the man covers the areas with the most damaged hardware with non-stick pads before unrolling a cohesive bandage around the androids fingers, wrist, and elbow. Marcus raises an eyebrow when the man presents him with an actual arm sling and bends his head to have it slipped over his neck.
"We have a lot of accidents here so we're always prepared."
The android waits patiently for the man to place his arm into the sling and eyes the thumb slip.
"There's nothing I can do for your eye. Your best option would be to cover it completely to avoid unwanted questions."
Marcus only nods.
A long thick pad covers the cut running down his face and a smaller one blankets the ruined eye before it's taped in place. When the man moves on to take a look at his knee Marcus reroutes any remaining energy from the ruined or burnt out wires to other parts of his body to avoid unwanted sparks setting the bandages on fire.
"Done."
The android sees the flexible knee splint and pats the bandage on his ribs gingerly.
Marcus frowns, "Why are you helping me?"
"I'm curious by nature," the blond stands to put away the remaining unused items, "and it looks like you could use a friend."
"Don't need any," huffs the boy.
"Believe me when I say having friends isn't such a terrible thing. Besides where will you go? Do you even have a home?"
Thankfully his personality glitches before he can answer and it easier to sound uncaring about his future.
"Doesn't matter. I won't last long in this condition anyway."
A shiver passes through Marcus as his limbs begin to lock.
Warning: Energy Level Low. Recharge Immediately.
System Shutdown Eminent...
"Well, it's a good thing you met me then."
7... 6... 5...
"Welcome to Misty Park."
1...
::O:O:O::
Trying to smuggle a body into the back seat of a car in broad daylight is a lot more difficult than Tom thought it would be. He struggles with the door and keys trying not to drop Marcus in the process.
He barely succeeds.
It's been so long since he's even thought of using magic that afterward he feels foolish for not using it to cloak them. Earlier he had only used it because the metal body had reminded him of the Destroyer and his magic had snapped on instinct. Since his arrival on Earth he's preferred using a more 'hands on approach' when dealing with human prey to avoid leaving magic residue. He doesn't risk being found by Asgard should the gods ever cross the Midgard of this universe. He broke away from Loki and would sooner die than be absorbed into his other half from the Nine Realms.
On his way back into the building he wrings his hands opting to look worried and maybe even a bit tired for this to work. He makes his way to the front of the café spying his boss laughing loudly. She's still laughing when he sits on the stool next to her waiting patiently for her to settle down. Her gray curls bounce around her round face and Tom can't help but smile at her. She doesn't even notice him until she's pulling a handkerchief out of a pocket from her lavender dress.
"Oh, Tom! You just missed the best joke!" She places a purple nailed hand on his wrist, still grinning, "Jimmy, sweetie, tell him!"
Jimmy just leans against the register and nods in Tom's direction. His bushy eyebrows and thick beard give him the impression that he's frowning. Tom's heard the people around town joke about his likeness to grumpy cat which doesn't amuse Jim.
"Oh, you party pooper."
Tom nods a hello to Jimmy before speaking, "Forgive me, Evelyn, but something just came up and I'll have to step out for a bit."
"Are you alright?" Evelyn asks, panic creeping into her voice, "Are you sick? Do you need to lie down? I knew you were getting too thin!"
"No, no, I'm well. It's just-," he bites his lip and feigns sadness, "It's a family problem. I just got a call and..."
Jimmy straightens immediately at the implication. Evelyn looks shocked and nods, "Y-yes, of course, take all the time you need dear. Call me tomorrow if you can."
"Thank you, Ev."
He gives her a peck on the cheek and heads out the door yelling, "I'll see you at home Jim!"
Tom doesn't drop the act until his work place is out of sight. It's almost a half hour drive from the main part of town to his home due to the farm land in the valley but it's enough for him to start forming a plan.
He often looks at Marcus in the back seat feeling uncomfortable at the boys stillness. The left eye is still open but now it's black instead of blue.
"What to do?" Tom drums his fingers against the steering wheel as he pulls into the driveway. "What are you, Marcus?"
He startles when a robotic voice chirps, "System Marcus is locked. Recharge immediately."
Tom rolls his eyes and moves to pick up the limp body. He winces when he accidentally bumps Marcus' head more than once. He hopes it won't make the boy's condition worse. After dumping Marcus on the ratty green couch in the living room the blond man takes off to search for clothes. If Jimmy comes home early he'll be suspicious of a bandaged, unconscious boy wearing dirty, torn clothes. During the search the robotic voice repeats the same two sentences over and over to the point where it becomes annoying.
"System Marcus is-"
"I heard you the first fifteen times! Be silent!"
"-immediately."
It takes almost an hour but Marcus is finally changed into Tom's clothes. The blond man feels annoyed because the voice won't shut up.
"System Mar-"
He plugs his ears hoping to drown out the voice. He'd given up insulting it after the first fifteen minutes. The voice stops and he uses this chance to lift the boy off the couch and move him to his bed.
"Now if I needed to recharge how would it work? Maybe a cable or port of some kind?"
Tom hums thoughtfully before his eyes widen and he shakes his head in horror at Marcus.
"By the Tree, if it's there...," he sneers, "your maker will regret making me do this."
After a few seconds of uneasiness Tom decides to move the functional hand aside but a whirring sound makes him drop it. He stares in fascination when the wrist expands causing the hand to bend back unnaturally to reveal blinking circuits and three metal prongs.
"Adapter one is operational. Adapter two currently offline."
"Oh, thank Odin's beard it's in your hand."
In the end he has to rearrange some of the bedroom furniture to plug Marcus into a wall outlet. The left eye glows a steady red before eventually turning orange. The voice lets out a new stream of sentences and Tom sighs.
"Recharge in progress. Do not unplug during this process."
::O:O:O::
Loading...
Systems Online.
...
Marcus wakes to a stream of moonlight hitting his face. He tries to roll away from the light but his bent arm stops him. He pulls the arm locked in the outlet he's plugged into but can't free himself. He decides to wait until his strength returns before attempting to free himself. He leans up against the wall closest to him, turning his head to see better with the uncovered eye. Blurry objects surround him in the dark room but it's difficult to focus when he feels groggy and in pain. A burst of light overhead takes him by surprise making him flinch back so hard his head smacks the wall.
'Pain receptors work again,' he thinks bitterly.
"Forgive me, I should have used the dimmer," the man, Tom, motions towards the outlet, "Do you need some help with that?"
Marcus' tongue feels heavy and his head lolls to the side when he tries to tell the man to fuck off.
"Ah, there we go," the blond disconnects him. Tom stares at the hand watching as it twists and closes with a click before letting go.
"So..."
Marcus glares only for the man to smile.
"And here I thought you were incapable of mimicking emotions," Tom laughs when the blue eye turns a sickly green, "Calm down. Here, let's get you up."
"Where...?"
"Welcome to my home," at the confused look he continues, "I wasn't about to leave you in the alley."
Marcus looks away because, yeah, he figured that would've been Tom's first option. Douglas and his cousin/siblings left him behind without a second thought, so why wouldn't he?
"My roommate will be home soon. Now, just follow my lead and we'll be fine."
Tom's eyes widen with excitement when a door opens and closes from somewhere in the house.
"This is it! Showtime!"