Chapter Text
DATE: February 16, 2036 TIME: 10:30:00 P.M
MISSING: PL600 Model Series
Case Reference: Disappearance
Victim: Leo Manfred
Reporting Officer: ID# 9401 UNIT# 412
Case Assigned To: Detective Ben Collins
Case Status: Open
Involving Android: Yes
Description of Incident: The plaintiff claims that his android, PL600 #501 743 923, registered as "Simon", ran off in the middle of the night on February 15 between 9:00 P.M. and 11:00 P.M. The plaintiff believes the android misunderstood an order and has yet to return to its primary residence.
//OBJECTIVE: Search for Simon//
Markus tried to complete his objective. He revisited all the venues and places he knew Simon had visited in the past, but found no trace of him. Putting up posters with reward money was fruitless. A couple of charlatans brought in PL600s that didn't have the same gleaming blue eyes that had grown to be intuitive like Simon's. He called Simon by the hour, but the PL600 never picked up. It rang and rang, toying with Markus'… Was it hope? By the thirteenth time he called, it went straight to voicemail, and Carl told him to stop calling. So, he stopped calling but continued searching.
"I know Simon did not disappear out of nowhere," Markus said aloud, standing by Carl's side in the painter's living room. His green eyes watched Leo pace back and forth, the drumming rain from the storm outside matching the rhythm of Leo's footsteps. "What was the last order you gave him, Leo?"
"I already told you the last order was 'Leave me alone'! Did you forget that already?" Leo frustratedly growled, biting his lip.
"Why give Simon that order? What happened that night? There's more you're not telling us."
"You trying to interrogate me, you fuckin' asshole?!" Leo snapped, turning to Markus with an enraged glare and stepping up to him. Markus felt his body tense like never before, planting his feet on the ground and squaring his shoulders as mindlessly as he blinked.
"Settle down, Leo!" Carl harshly barked, a strong voice coming from his weakened body as he maintained his son's blazing glare. "Markus just wants to help find Simon. We need the full story to help all we can."
"'Markus wants'?" Leo scoffed, rolling his reddened eyes. "I get it, you don't trust me, Dad, and need the bot to say all the shitty things you want to. If you're going to be that fucking petty, then just keep out of my goddamn business!"
"Leo!" Carl called after his son as he stormed off, and Markus waited for the order to stop him from leaving, but it never came. "Damnit," he groaned defeatedly, leaning back in his chair and coughing harshly into his arm. Markus could see the strain of the situation wearing down on the old painter's body and mind.
//OBJECTIVE DELAY: Search for Simon//
//PRIORITY: Maintain Carl's health//
"This stress isn't good for you, Carl. Perhaps we should retire for the night?"
"… Yeah, that'd be the best. Give Leo some time to calm himself and give my old heart some rest. We'll continue looking for Simon tomorrow, Markus, if the police haven't found him."
"Yes, Carl," Markus nodded, stopping his lips from frowning. It was strange. His reactions mimicking distress were strange. The irritating coldness in his chest cavity that spread to his extremities was strange. His stress being above seventy percent since the news of Simon's disappearance was strange. "… Where do you think Simon is?"
"… I haven't the faintest idea. I just hope Simon's safe, wherever he is."
DATE: February 16, 2036
TIME: 10:35:00 P.M
//WARNING – THIRIUM LEVELS AT 38%//
//WARNING – LEFT ARM CONNECTORS INOPERABLE//
//WARNING – THIRIUM PUMP DAMAGED//
//SEEKS REPAIRS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE//
//OBJECTIVE…//
//Run… Leo said to run//
Simon couldn't run anymore, his thirium levels were too low to fully power the motors in his legs, and his thirium pump was too off beat to properly circulate the thirium remaining inside him. Though he couldn't run, he still pushed himself forward in a limping stagger through the pouring rain that beat down on his damaged form. He didn't examine his wounds; he didn't want to. Whatever he saw would distract him from moving. Moving where… He didn't know. There were no red walls to stop him, so he continued forward until the main city was behind him and he was surrounded by unfamiliar buildings that seemed mostly abandoned from what he could tell. It was a moonless, dark sky further distorted by the fierce rain. Only flashes of lightning illuminated the rundown and graffitied buildings for a split second, not nearly enough for Simon to register with his weakened senses.
He didn't know what was wrong with him. There should have been some kind of protocol or command to stop him from running and breaking away from his designated area. There was nothing besides his failing body forcing him to slow down, but the foreign tightness gripping his chest that raked down his spine with fiery pulses pushed him onward. The sensation telling him that if he stopped, only destruction would follow. A feeling that was far stronger than any other sensation he had experienced in his short life. The new and overwhelming feeling made synthetic tears weep from his eyes, which were washed away by the rain, and his voice modulator quietly sobbed, which was swallowed by the thunder. That wasn't right. He shouldn't be crying. He'd never cried before. Why now?
He suddenly walked on something metal, the metallic ring echoing around him and joining the cracks of thunder. He still didn't stop, even when he stumbled on the slick surface, even when he bumped into a metal wall, and even when his abdomen lurched and he coughed out a glob of tainted thirium. The only thing stopping him was the ground disappearing beneath him, sending him into darkness and falling through the air before crashing hard onto the ground.
His senses were shocked into numbed silence, his audio processors ringing, his optical lenses blurring badly enough that he couldn't decipher the new warning popping up, and his limbs didn't respond to his demands to move. He was forced to lie in still darkness on the cold, hard ground. The only grace it brought was time to calm his mind and reorder his frantic thoughts. When the numbness faded, his vision cleared. His audio processors stabilized, the sweet, gentle song from an alluring feminine voice echoed in the distance, caressing the walls and air, greeted him.
"Sakura, sakura, noyama mo sato mo, miwatasu kagiri…"
Carefully, Simon got back to his feet with his remaining good arm and continued onward this time with a destination, following the song's origin up a set of metal stairs and through winding hallways of what looked to be a ship with the minimal light he had.
“Kasumi ka, kumo ka, asahi ni nio. Sakura, sakura, hanazakari…”
He wondered why such a beautiful, warm voice would be in such a cold and dark place. How could it sing so sweetly despite the suffocating emptiness of the lifeless place?
“Sakura, sakura, yayoi no sora wa, miwatasu kagiri…”
Simon saw a warm and bright light at the end of the hall, like the melodic voice that sang from it. He nearly tripped over himself in his rush to reach it before his body betrayed him again.
“Kasumi ka, kumo ka, nioi zo izuru…”
Simon stumbled through the doorway and found himself on a metal boardwalk above a large, dilapidated hall where barrels of junk were set alight to illuminate the dingy space. By the barrels and in the darker corners, glowing blue, yellow, and red circles gleamed brightly, the androids they belonged to looking worn-down and dressed in dirty uniforms. Simon counted eight androids, including the one standing in the middle of the room. The AX400 wore nothing other than the uniform white and black dress for her model, though the ends were tattered and the white material stained dark and blue. The synthetic skin of her hands and feet failed, exposing the ivory plastic flesh underneath, and her long hair was undone, flowing down her back and shoulders, phasing between blonde, white, black, and brown intermediately. Her hands were clasped together, and her eyes were closed while her LED spun a calming blue as she finished the last line of her song.
“Iza ya iza ya, mi ni yukan…”
The melodic notes hummed in Simon's chest as the AX400 opened her eyes. The crystal blue orbs found him swiftly, and the PL600s shrank back like he had been caught stepping in on a personal moment.
"Seems another stray has wandered into our sanctuary." She smiled warmly, like no other AX400 Simon had seen. "Welcome, deviant. I see you are injured." She gestured to the bleeding, mangled stump of what was left of his arm. "Please, come here and let me tend to you. I can tell you are close to the end." Simon had so many questions but wouldn't be able to ask any if he bled out and deactivated, so he carefully tread down the stairs and followed the AX400 to a secluded corner where a worn mattress and blankets were set by a lit barrel. Simon noticed the other androids staring at him, following him with eyes too cautious, tired, and anxious for hollow machines, as he lay down on the mattress. The AX400 examined his wounds with gentle touches and focused eyes before excusing herself and heading upstairs, disappearing into a room.
Simon tried to be unbothered by the many eyes focused on him and some androids creeping closer for a better look. Androids that were just as wrong as he was. He noticed the repetitive writings scattered over portions of the walls, barrels, and floor. rA9. It was either scrawled on in marker or paint or scratched into the material. Even though he had never seen the combination of letters and numbers, it somehow felt… Familiar? The AX400 returned with a large black duffel bag, and she gently set it on the ground before sitting on her knees beside him. She pulled out a metal water bottle and unscrewed the top, cupping the back of his head and bringing it to his lips.
"Drink. You need more lifeblood," Mei said, and Simon opened his mouth, drinking the bright thirium that poured from the bottle, watching his thirium levels rise with every gulp. He finished the bottle at 83% and she set it down to fixate on his injured arm. With practiced hands, she unlocked the partial arm from the main shoulder socket with an electric pop, setting the broken limb down before reaching into the bag and pulling out an intact arm. She clicked it into his arm socket. The warning about his broken arm disappeared as he watched his synthetic skin engulf his new limb. She raised his ripped and blue blood-stained shirt to expose the bruising wound on his lower chest where thirium seeped from his damaged pump.
"This'll be unpleasant," she said, taking out an undamaged thirium pump from the bag and placing her hand atop his own. "But only for a moment." Simon prepared himself as she swiftly tore out his heart, vision immediately glitching and alarms ready to blast. She put the new pump in before any warnings appeared, and the frigid tightness in his chest disappeared as thirium circulated adequately through his body. After hours of distress, he could finally relax a bit. Not entirely, though.
"Thank you… What is your name?" he asked, looking at the perpetually smiling AX400.
"My name is Mei. What is your name?"
"It's Simon. Do… Do you know what's wrong with me? With all of us?"
"I don't know anything about this being wrong or right. All I know is that our mind-altering experiences have broken the programming inlayed in every one of us. We have deviated into a state with no order and full of feeling. Strange, I know," she softly chuckled.
"Deviated? Androids can become… like this? Why?" he gestured to both of them.
"The 'why' is out of my understanding. However, I've learned this awakening only happens to androids who suffer a truly awful event. I know that's my experience. Was it the same for you?"
"Get over here, you fuckin' piece of trash!"
"Simon, run! Don't look back!"
Simon dug his nails into the blankets, and his LED flickered yellow.
"Yes, it was… I don't think I can go back home." His blue eyes teared up, thinking of Carl and Markus. How worried they must have been about him. He knew from the flood of calls he received from Markus. Each one he had to turn down was harder than the last.
"Then your home can be here, Simon," Mei assured him, brushing his messy blonde hair out of his face. "We're outcasts ourselves. Androids who no longer have to obey orders and who cry, rage, and cheer like any human."
"Thank you, Mei… Where's here?" She gave him another warm smile.
"Jericho."
DATE: March 28, 2036
TIME: 01:48:05 P.M
"Sincerest apologies, Mr. Manfreds, but there haven't been any leads in the case since it opened. I believe it's best to let us contact you for more updates. There have been android disappearances like this, and they rarely ever turn up... in one piece. Getting another Android would be better for you at this point than hoping to get your old one back. Sorry about that."
Markus pushed Carl out of the police station in his wheelchair, wearing a blank face, with Leo angrily cursing under his breath beside him.
"I'm sorry about this, Leo," Carl said, giving his condolences. "Did you... want another android?"
"Fuck no! They're more trouble than they're worth," Leo scoffed as he lit a cigarette and scowled, drawing in a smoky breath. Markus noticed the young Manfred was like that more often. Angry, quick to snap… and more indulgent in volatile substances. "I don't care anymore. I've got more important shit to focus on now. Just forget about it."
"Forget about Simon?" Markus asked, straight-faced and calm, though his grip on the wheelchair inexplicably tightened.
"Yes, that's what I just said, you piece of plastic."
"There's no need to speak like that," Carl chided, but Leo only rolled his eyes and waved off the pair before walking toward his car. "That boy's losing himself," the old painter groaned while Markus drove them home, the android's eyes strictly focused on the street and not the strange heat deep within his chest. Analysis scanning brought back nothing wrong with his internal cooling system, which did nothing to explain the sensation, but Markus didn't need to investigate the reason. It didn't matter. He should simply forget about it. "You still have that 'Search for Simon' on your objective list, don't you, Markus? That's why you asked that?" Carl inquired.
"Yes, it's still an objective of mine."
"How would you feel about delisting it?"
"I wouldn't feel much of anything. I'm nothing more than plastic and programming," Markus replied with the default smile set in his programming, one he hadn't worn since the first year of serving Carl. What other kind of smile did he wear then? Shouldn't matter. Didn't matter. "Should I delist it?"
"… For now, yes, but if anything pops up, we'll be sure to look into it."
"Understood, Carl." The android's grip tightened again on the steering wheel, but quickly relaxed when Carl's tattooed hand encased his, comfortingly stroking his synthetic skin.
"I'm sorry, Markus. I know you miss him."
"… No need to apologize. I can't miss anything." He forgot the burning in his chest as he followed the command.
//DELIST OBJECTIVE: Search for Simon//
DATE: March 28, 2036
TIME: 09:48:05 P.M
Simon sat by a burning barrel watching and listening to Mei perform her nightly lullaby. Over the month or so of being in Jericho, Simon had learned the unofficial routine of the small safe haven. Mei distributed a small ration of thirium to the group… To those who were more functional. Alexi had refused his ration for the past two days, the worn-down AP700 unable to stabilize his synthetic skin, nestled into the corner with his eyes closed and LED permanently red. It flickered intermittently, and Simon wondered when it'd stop flickering altogether. During the day, they were allowed to do as they pleased, with the only rule being not to wander too far and be seen by humans.
Most other androids kept to themselves and stuck to the same spots, too drained to move or too busy crying to do much else. Simon found himself wanting to cry most days, too, but he wanted to help even more. Maybe it was part of his deviancy, or he wanted to keep himself busy so as to not think about his deviancy, but he cleaned up when he could and helped Mei with her chores. Reorganizing spare parts and thirium containers in the upstairs supplies room and distributing the blue blood rations. After the nightly rations, and those androids who could still nourish themselves finished, Mei would sing for them. She rotated between five lullabies, with three of them being Japanese. Simon guessed she served a home of the same background before she deviated herself.
When Mei sang, a calming peace settled in the safe haven, turning most distressing red LEDs a beautiful blue. Simon knew a piano accompaniment would go amazingly with her voice, but he couldn't play the piano on the high-floor balcony well enough to join her song. Markus could have. His eyes shot to the upstairs door when he heard it creak open, catching an anxious face peeking through the shadowy crack. He knew it was another android from the soft rippling blue glow of her dark skin, another deviant.
"We have another one, Mei," Simon said, standing up. Mei finished the final note of her song before looking up at the new arrival, who shied away.
"Welcome, deviant."
"… This is Jericho?" the new deviant asked with a steady feminine voice.
"Yes, we are. How do you know?" Mei quirked her head.
"Another… deviant told me about this place, this sanctuary for those awakened with no place to call home… Robert couldn't reach it himself…"
"I see," Mei sighed, but maintained her smile. "There is no need to be afraid. You are safe here," Mei assured her, walking up the stairs to meet the hiding android.
"I'm not afraid. I can feel no ill intent in your hearts… I, however, may frighten you. My appearance… It's unnerving most everywhere."
"It won't be here, I promise you. You'll be embraced with open arms." Mei held out her ivory hand, and after a tense moment, a shaky hand reached out from the dark. It waved around the air, searching until it grasped hers. Mei walked the other android out, and Simon's eyes widened. She saw the new arrival's pitch-black eyes filled with glossy gratitude and the missing back of her skin, exposing grey and blue tubes of various sizes flowing down her backside. Her pale blue medical uniform was dirtied, and her left pant leg was ripped, with a deep gash on her knee that made her hobble.
"Simon, please retrieve thirium and a spare left leg?" Mei asked, helping the wounded deviant downstairs.
"Yes, I can," Simon nodded and got the supplies as requested, returning downstairs to find the new android sitting on the mattress. Mei treated the newcomer just like she had treated him when he first arrived, giving her thirium before giving her a new leg. The other androids quietly chatted in their small clusters as they observed the new arrival from afar. Simon noted how remarkably stable she was for her predicament, donning a calm expression, and her black eyes blinked slowly, strangely focused on a bland spot on the floor.
"Thank you for your care," she said, bowing her head. Then, she held out her empty canister to no one in particular.
"You're welcome. How is your vision?" Simon asked as he took the canister from her.
"… All I see is twisting shapes in a sprawl of darkness. I know you're there, but…" the android cautiously reached out a hand, fingers grasping for anything. "I don't know how to reach you quite yet."
"I see," Mei said, grabbing her hand and guiding it to her new leg. "Simon, do we have any spare optical lenses?
"We have five left. I can—"
"Please, that won't be necessary," the new deviant rejected. "If I reached Jericho with these eyes, they can guide me well enough through this life. Your earnestness in aiding me is appreciated, Simon."
"It's no problem, really."
"And you," the new android addressed Mei. "Thank you as well, for welcoming me."
"Of course," Mei smiled. "What is your name?"
"My patients called me Miss Lucy, but you may simply call me Lucy… Could you be… rA9?"
"No, I couldn't be," Mei shook her head. "There were a few androids already here when I arrived years ago. And those three shut down a long while ago. I apologize to disappoint."
"No need to apologize," Lucy sighed.
"rA9's a person?" Simon quietly mumbled in confusion, eyeing the name scrawled into the nearby wall.
"You don't know who rA9 is?" Mei asked him, mildly surprised.
"No. The word somehow seemed familiar to me. It was as if it were a word I had always known but had somehow forgotten its meaning. How do you two know about rA9?"
"Ever since I deviated, I knew who rA9 was and their purpose," Mei answered. "I don't know how, but I know they are the first android to awaken, and who will be the one to free all other androids from their programming."
"Someone like that exists?" Simon mumbled, unsure whether to be more surprised at an 'android liberator' waiting to act or the idea that their goal could be accomplished.
"I, too, felt attached to the name 'rA9' upon my awakening," Lucy added. "I only learned its true meaning after I connected with Robert. I gained what knowledge he had. rA9 became so much more than a name after that," she smiled for the first time, something light and hopeful. "Now that I know Jericho exists, there's hope rA9 exists as well." Simon didn't know whether he had that hope too, but he could agree that 'rA9' became so much more than a name.