When the impromptu tour was over, Oliver thanked T.J. Then he went to go find Ralph to see if he was done with his tasks as well. Figuring they could find Ash and spend time together. Maybe get a nice view of the galaxy together. Compare notes on how humans have been treating them. If they had been polite to him or not. What humans they should be concerned about. And those they could trust. A few minutes later, he found Ralph with the two human men. Raising an eyebrow as he saw Ralph picking up things the men deliberately dropped. Talking about him as if he weren't actually there. Their tone reminding him of how Mitch treated him and Ash on Earth. The one with black hair was mimicking how Ralph spoke.
While the brunette looked a little disapproving of it. Did nothing to stop him from speaking that way. Neither noticing that he was walking up to them. The black haired man asked,"So, Ralph. What is your main function?"
"Just what is it that you did on Earth?",he added. Ralph finally finished cleaning up after the men. Looking calmer than Oliver had ever seen before. Giving a gentle smile as he looked at the man. He answered,"Ralph used to be a gardener on Earth. He was very good at it until...he decided he was done with it."
This seemed to annoy the pair but, they didn't press. That was good, he guessed. Though he still didn't like that they were being impolite to him. And treating him like he were nothing. Oliver asked,"Ralph? Are you done with your tasks?"
"Woah, where'd you come from?",the brunette asked. Not acknowledging that Oliver had heard everything. Neither did the black haired one. He ignored both of them as he got closer. Oliver questioned,'Have they been treating you fine? They haven't hurt you have they?'
'No, Oli. Ralph hasn't been hurt and they haven't hurt him.',Ralph informed. Giving him a little nod as he fixed what was left to be fixed. It had been pretty good around the humans. Even if they weren't entirely polite about his speech pattern. Though he hadn't realized that Oliver heard some of that. Which Oliver didn't bring up. Feeling it wouldn't do either of them any good in the moment. Instead, he let Ralph control the situation. And Ralph asked,"Is there anything else that Ralph can help you with?"
"Anything that needs tidying or fixing at all?",he asked. There was a strange look in Ralph's eyes. One that spoke about him being a little uncomfortable. Or rather, was getting close to being angry. And if he were pushed just the tiniest bit, he probably would start yelling. As that happened when other androids kept shoving him in the past. Not caring how he felt in the smallest bit.
Luckily, both men were smart enough to catch on to this. And they realized that maybe they'd been pushing their luck a little bit. The black haired man answered,"No, no. We're, uh, we're good. Thank you for all your help, Ralph."
"Yeah, we really appreciate everything you've done.",the brunette chimed in. A polite smile on his face as Ralph glanced over at him. With this, Ralph gave a little nod and carefully walked past him. Taking Oliver's hand in his as they headed towards Ash's location. Hoping that their lover had a better time with that guy. Praying that the man was treating him better than the other two had. Ralph being very concerned that the man was being rude.
At least, until they got near his location. Then they were pleasantly surprised what they were hearing.
As Ash and Eli's laughter floated out to them as they walked up. Both looked to be just hanging out as Ash leaned against a wall. Huge smile on his face as he stared down at Eli. Him sitting at a desk with a huge monitor in front of him. While Ash was toying with a small bundle of wires in his hands. Probably something to keep his hands busy as they spoke. Ash asked,"So, if you had any superpower in the world what would it be?"
"Oh man, definitely flight. Airports are a Hell that I can willingly live without.",Eli answered. That seemed pretty reasonable to Oliver. As airports always seemed too crowded. Way too noisy, overpriced, and not worth the hassle. From what he remembered humans said on the internet and movies. Also, he highly doubted him and other androids would be doing okay. They probably would do temperature checks to be sure that they were human. And it probably would make them get shot or worse. Soon as they walked up, Eli spotted the pair. Giving them a polite smile as he stood up. He asked,"Hey there. You guys are Oliver and Ralph, right?"
"I'm Eli. It's really cool getting to meet you guys.",Eli stated. A huge smile on his face as he held a hand out for them to shake. Oliver took it in a hand that wasn't holding Ralph's. Giving Eli's hand a very gentle squeeze as he shook it. Mirroring his grin as he did so. In a polite tone, he answered,"Nice to meet you too, Eli."
"Yes, very nice to meet you.",Ralph agreed. Keeping his tone calm as he shook Eli's other hand. Not squeezing his hand like Oliver had done. It was clear he was uncomfortable but, Eli didn't push things. Or even look upset that Ralph wasn't being as warm as Oliver. Taking his hand back, he stated,"Ash has been telling me so much about you guys."
"Is it true that you helped liberate androids from a store and gotten supplies for other androids?",Eli asked. Well, it was true for Oliver. As Ralph wasn't able to do that at all. And he wasn't surprised that Ash had told him about it. Nodding his head in agreement at it. Ralph pipped up,"Well, not for Ralph. He was taking care of children at the time."
"There are children android?",Eli questioned. Looking quite a bit surprised that there were such things. And from the look on his face, he seemed a little uncomfortable. From what Oliver could tell he was uncomfortable. So, he nodded his head at this. Oliver answered,"There are. Some folks prefer to have something to control."
"Well, someone that they can harm and pretend to love.",Oliver muttered. Wincing a little at how bitter he sounded. It wasn't his intention and he felt bad about it. As Eli looked even more terrified at that admission. Mouth in a tight line as he thought over Oliver's words. Probably visualizing worse things than what had happened. Calmly, Eli stated,"Well, that's kind of horrifying to think about."
"So, uh...what do you guys think about the Destiny so far?",Eli asked. It was an obvious and welcome subject change. Oliver felt that he was going to start liking Eli. A tiny smile came to his face when he did that. Feeling as though he had almost ruined the mood with the android children thing. Shoving that down, Oliver answered,"This place is just really amazing, Eli. It's like being on an episode of Star Trek."
"Ralph really likes the garden those people are making.",Ralph informs. Grinning as he let go of Oliver's hand. It was one of the few things that made him perk up. Getting to grow things. As he feared he wouldn't see another plant for a long while. He continued,"He hopes that Brody and Volker will let him help them with the plants."
He hoped that they would. As it was one of the things that he loved doing. And he did it very well on Earth. This could really help him keep calm. Ralph felt that he could make sure the humans had everything they needed. Even if they weren't all that nice to him. Asking him some very invasive and slightly annoying questions.
They weren't too terrible of questions. At least they hadn't asked him about how he got injured. Or said what they felt about it too loudly. Which was something that Ralph was worried about. Neither of them had treated him terribly. Like those terrible teenagers had done in the park. Or the horrible man had done with Ash and Oliver before they ran.
"Well, I'm sure they will. They really need someone with skills in that to help out.",Eli assured. And figured he could speak to both men. After all what would be the harm in letting Ralph take care of some of the plants? He seemed like a pretty decent fellow. All that was odd about Ralph was his speech pattern. Which wasn't really all that weird in the grand scheme of things. The pair seemed to be as nice as Ash made them out to be. Though he was warned that Ralph was going to be a little skittish. Which he definitely was. Until he heard about the gardening thing and Eli hoped he could help him with that. Grinning a little, Eli asked,"So, you guys wanna take a tour of the ship?"
"I think there's some places that you guys will find really cool.",Eli added. Figuring it could help them relax a little bit. Possibly get their guard down a smidge and get them to relax enough to talk. Not about anything in particular. Just talk about everything like he had been just doing with Ash earlier.
Despite the fact that T.J had given him a tour, Oliver agreed to it. Feeling it would be interesting to see Ash and Ralph's reaction to the ship. Guessing that they both would really love it. Especially, Ash. As he eemed to find the beauty in everything. Even the rusted out old ship they had been on. Also felt that they all needed a good long walk. And that they should know the lay out of hte ship as well. That way he could find a place to hide if necessary. So that they can avoid being harmed if absolutely needed. Or something like that.
He hoped they didn't.
These were also places that humans couldn't get to any of these spots. Since there wasn't any oxygen in the places. They also didn't have a risk of pulling them into space. Which is what Oliver was mostly concerned about. As there would be no way of bringing them back. And that was something he didn't want to risk in the slightest bit.
Ash finished messing with the loose wires that Eli gave him. Putting them down on Eli's desk as he nodded his head. Liking the idea of seeing the whole ship. What things looked like in other areas. And figure out what he would be fixing another day if needed. Which was probably what was going to happen.
The whole ship seemed to need a ton of repairs. More than one android and several humans could easily do. At least in a few days. It probably would take a week. Maybe two at the latest. This still made Ash wonder why it hadn't been before they got on it. Or why no had been on board before any of them.
Instead of asking this, they had walked with him. Glancing around the ship in wonder. Well, Ralph and Ash did. To Oliver, this wasn't entirely a huge surprise in the slightest bit. Since he had seen the whole ship already. It was still nice seeing their wonder as they walked. Barely noticing that the humans were staring at them.
The look of fear and distrust in their eyes.
It was clear that they didn't like any of them. Which didn't bother the trio of androids. After all, they had each other to talk to. Along with other androids on the ship. Also, Eli seemed to be a pretty decent dude so far. He was possibly the one of the few humans so far that saw them on equal footing. Oliver hoped that there would be more folks. As T.J seemed to be getting there. Despite some of the insensitive questions that she had been asking him. At least she had been kind enough to realize she was in the wrong. And had apologized to him over it. As she realized that Oliver some harm.
As the little group went about their tour, Nicholas went to Young's living quarters. A bit concerned for how Ash had spoken to him. How quick to 'anger' the android had been. And what kind of threat he could possibly pose to the Destiny. Fearing that Ash was plotting something. That he wasn't the only one up to something.
Soon as he opened Young's door, he froze. One of the leaders of Jericho, North believed her name was, was standing in front of him. Well, her back was to him as they were speaking. Not even noticing that Rush had touched the door. Or if she did, she didn't turn to him. He noticed that Young's face was tense. She snarled,"I don't appreciate how Greer had spoke to Josh or Simon."
"We're not just machines that you can order around.",she snapped. The anger in her tone was disturbing to hear. The Hell had Ronald even said to the leaders of Jericho? It was either really bad or the android was just overreacting. Maybe a combination of both. Knowing Greer, it was more than likely a combination of both.
"I understand this North and I will be speaking to him on it.",Young informed. The irritation was clear in his tone. And it told Rush that this argument was getting to him. And that this conversation had been clearly going on for a good while. What he had to tell him would probably make him feel even worse. But, he had to tell him the threat that Ash had given him.
Even if it was allegedly unintentional, it was still a threat.
And Rush felt it was important to tell Young about it. Doubting that the other man would really listen to him at all. He just had to tell him the minute that North left. As the android would probably tell the other what Rush had said. Probably tell all the other 'leaders' about it as well.
Something that Nicholas didn't want to get around.
"You better, Young. Or I'm going to handle it myself next time.",North warned. Causing Young's jaw to tense as he gave her a curt nod. It made the already uneasy Rush get even more uneasy. With this, North turned around and roughly pushed past Nicholas. Not even acknowledging him as she stormed off. Everett gave him a tired look when he finally took notice of him. Crossing his arms, Everett asked,"Yes, Rush? What do you want?"
"I need to talk to you about the android that was tasked with helping Eli.",Rush answered. This made Young raise an eyebrow in response. Making a little motion for him to go on. Nicholas continued,"He threatened me and he said that hadn't meant to."
"But I'm not entirely sure if it was really an accident or not.",Rush informed. Then he told him what Ash had said to him. What his tone was like and the way he had held himself. Just how the android told him they were more than fancy pieces of plastic. That if they weren't treated politely, they wouldn't be compliant. He muttered,"He seemed to be sincere when he apologized to me."
"But, you think he said that to just placate you?",Young asks. Seemingly understanding what Rush was telling him about the android. Though he wasn't entirely sure if Everett was actually listening to him. Well, listening as much as Nicholas wanted him to. Which somewhat irked him as he stood there. Rush answered,"Yes. I think he might be testing the waters with me."
"Seeing what he can and can't get away with.",he continued. It's what it had felt like to him. And he was certain that's what Ash really had meant. Even if he had said otherwise, he felt that he meant it. It had made him uneasy as Everett promised,"I will have a word with him as well."
"After I've spoken with Greer about what he said to Josh and Simon.",he added. Sounding as exhausted as he probably felt. The knowledge that he was going to talk with Ash, didn't really ease any of Nicholas's tension. Instead it sort of made him feel as if he was just being patronized. Pushing this feeling down, Rush nodded his head in agreement.
"Thank you. I really appreciate this, Young.",Nicholas stated. With that, he walked out of Young's room. Right to the room he had been in before. Feeling as if he had accomplished nothing at all. And that he had only been partially listened to. It felt completely useless telling Colonel Young about it. Mostly thanks to the fact he hadn't thought about doing something more proactive. With this, he decided to get Wray's opinion on the matter. See how Camile felt about the newer members of Destiny.
And hoped that they would be on the same page. That, sure the androids were useful and so very advanced. But that they might not be as trustworthy in the slightest bit. As Telford had a point about all of them. Even if he and the rest of the military were just as untrustworthy in his eyes.
He hurried off to find her to talk about the whole thing. Nearly bumping into her in the halls. Her seemingly having the same idea that he did. Eyes widening a little as she stared at him. Camile asked,"So I take it you wanted to talk about our new arrivals as well?"
"Yes, one of them has issued an 'accidental' threat towards me.",Rush answered. Putting a bit of sarcasm to the word accidental. Hoping that she would understand his feelings on that. Camile's eyes widened a little bit at this. As if surprised that he already had been threatened in such a short amount of time. Frowning as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest. Wray asked,"What exactly did this android say to you?"
"Just what exact words did were used and in what tone?",she added. With this, Rush immediately told her what he had just told Colonel Young. How the android told him that they weren't just pieces of fancy plastic. That they were alive with feelings. And that if they were disrespected they wouldn't be compliant. As well as his tone when he had been speaking to him.
"Wouldn't look me in the eye until he had finished his 'accidental' threat.",Rush informed. Feeling no more convinced then he was about half an hour ago. That Ash had meant exactly what he told him. And only took it back to try and avoid consequences for what he said.
"Well, it does seem like just bad choice of words.",Wray stated. Like the android really hadn't meant what he said. And it was only an accident. But it definitely seemed suspicious in her mind as well. Frowning a little, she added,"But almost like Ash had done this intentionally."
"I think you're right about needing to keep a closer eye on him and the others.",Wray agreed. It definitely required them to be on their guards. If it really was just a poor choice of words, they wouldn't need to worry. But, and Camile felt that Rush was absolutely right on this, it wasn't. Then they had another group of folks to keep an eye on.
Not, just Colonel Young and his men.
~With Everett~
Everett had just about had it with all of this. Just once he wanted a day without drama or Bullshit. But, no. No one could bother keeping their shit together for just one second."
"Ronald, just explain to me what had happened.",Young stated. Wanting to see what he had said angered North. As the woman didn't seem to be the type to get angry over nothing. And he knew Greer was a little rough around the edges. That neither Simon and Josh were used to his attitude just yet. Greer answered,"I only ordered Josh to move boxes to a storage area."
"I think my tone just made them a little uncomfortable and things got out of hand.",he explained. It wasn't like he intended on angering any of them. Or making them uncomfortable. He was just giving them a task to do. Talking to him like he did anyone else on the ship. And he didn't even raise his voice until North started an argument with him.
Those damn machines just weren't trying to listen or understand him.
He knew yelling back wasn't the wisest decision. But, fuck. She really pushed his buttons by getting in his face like that. And he knew he shouldn't have reminded them that their stay was probationary at all. That they were lucky to still be on board after they injured some of their crew members.
It was true but, still. Time, place, and all that good shit.
"Just please try to keep your temper in check and pick your words better.",Everett instructed. Feeling irritated that he would have to tell Ronald this. As he felt it should have been a given. And it should just come naturally to him. He added,"I don't want to have to deal with this ever again, understood?"
"Yes, sir.",Ronald agreed. Mentally making a note to avoid all three of the 'leaders' of Jericho for a while. With this, he walked off to do his own tasks. Passing Eli with a group of more androids. None of them actually noticing them as they walked. Eli stated,"This is the cafeteria. Which I'm pretty sure you guys won't really need this place."
"...you guys don't have to eat, right?",Eli questioned. Unsure if his companions were made with that ability or not. Looking them over as if debating this fact. Oliver answered,"We don't. But if you guys're cool with it, we can help with making food for you."
"It's something we did sometimes did for humans we know on Earth.",Ralph chimed in. Looking happy at the idea of feeding some of the humans. Feeling as if that would help them get the humans to like them more. As food was something humans really liked along with plants. While Ash stood there wondering when was the last time he made food. And whether or not he could actually make it well enough. Then figured that he could just wing it if needed. Or ask Ralph and Oliver if absolutely need be.
"Excuse me? Ash?",a voice called out to him. Turning his head to the side, he spotted one of the military men walking over to them. A tense and slightly irritated look on his face as he walked up to him. Making him worry that he had done something wrong. Or messed up a patch job that Eli might not have realized. When he came up to them, the man asked,"Do you have a minute?"
"Colonel Young is everything alright?",Eli questioned. Looking as worried as Ash was feeling about this. Like he had seen it before or something. The older man's expression smoothed into something much more calm. Young explained,"Yes. I just need to talk to Ash about a conversation he had with Rush."
"He told me that you had threatened him when you were speaking together.",Young continued. This surprised Eli a little as he stared at Ash in disbelief. As did Oliver and Ralph. Both of them not believing what Colonel Young just told them. Both carefully moved around their lover to protect him. Eli got a little closer to Young with a confused look on his face. One that the Colonel ignored as Ash looked utterly panicked for a second. Then Ash spluttered,"I-I didn't, I didn't mean what I had said in that way."
"Please, believe me. It's really just a huge misunderstanding and I hadn't meant to scare him.",Ash pleaded. Feeling like a total moron for saying what he did. And not being more careful with his words. For even letting his anger get the better of him in that moment. But, Ash just couldn't really help himself. Rush just made him feel as worthless as Mitch had. That he just couldn't help himself. Then he launched into a proper explanation of what had happened. Everett listening with a calm look on his face. The short android hoped he was really listening to him. And that he would believe that he had meant no harm. Otherwise, he might have just screwed over all the other androids on Destiny.