Duplicate | A Human Code Story

F O U R

"Observations bring knowledge. Am I allowed to learn?"

*

Darkness. Emptiness. Loneliness.

Sleep, train, remember were my last orders, and I wondered if there was more to our Sergeant's words than the simplicity of a mission given to a military droid. Because I did what he said; I closed my eyes and let my computers sink into the depths of my programming. Minute after minute, hour after hour, my sensors and processors retrieved new battle simulations, new defensive maneuvers. But the standard tactics I'd learned from the moment I opened my eyes weren't what bothered me and sparked a curiosity I wasn't meant to feel.

It was the files in between the new data. Videos and images that were foreign, yet so familiar, to me.

As time slipped by, I let myself sink into videos of a man holding his soon-to-be wife. They were from his point of view, his thoughts, his emotions. She was beautiful; I knew this because he thought it over and over and over again. Her scent was heavenly, another fact I was made aware of by his body language, his heart's reactions.

Was I wrong to play them back and review them? I couldn't find an issue with doing so. They were inside of me, downloaded into my core as if they were supposed to be there. At first, they frightened me because they were tucked away, far away, and I had never noticed them before. Yet, the new software Phillips requested we'd all received opened a new doorway, new windows to a different soul.

Was it my soul? Did I have one? With a wandering mind, the criminal act I was warned about, I couldn't help but think of it.

Nights went on in the dark, yes. Without our artificial sun, I had to measure time on my own. And as I did so, I noted my android companions, too.

Unable to close my eyes, I turned and looked at each of them in line. The facility kept them safe, secured, and they behaved as such. Never did they move; never did they speak. Each stood beside me, eyes closed. With them so dormant, unable to alert the officials above of movements, I decided to get closer, be right beside them.

And I noticed things I shouldn't have.

"Why am I so different?" I whispered to no one as I observed the replica beside me. "Are the other androids reviewing footage unrelated to our training? Are they locating files deep inside of them?"

As I spoke to myself, I turned and stood directly in front of my android counterpart. None of us looked the same; Bionics way to create a human atmosphere within the androids. It was a physical quality Sergeant Pillips mentioned all of the time. Yet, as I looked closer, I happened to notice a little more than just human qualities.

None of the androids within the same line as me had a blemish, a line, a wrinkle. Each were covered by perfect, even synthetic skin. Everything from their eyes, their hair, to their hands and feet were without error. But I'd noticed imperfections on my skin long ago.

On my left hand, between the thumb and index finger, was a long line, deep and brown, darker than the tan already coloring my skin. There was a tattoo on my wrist, dark blue and lined with faded white. An image of a bird flying high in the sky.

And up my forearm, deep and dangerous, was a scar resembling fireworks on a night sky. These lines were wide, like sparks, and deep, like the age of an old tree,

I couldn't figure out why was it that I, the perfect android like the others, had such ugly imperfections on my being. Was I not made to be perfect? Touching my face, I stepped away from the other android and closed my eyes.

Was I made in error? Am I broken?

I covered my face with both of my hands.

Am I wrong to wonder these things?

"It's strange to see you awake."

Quickly, I jump back. I hadn't expected to see anyone walk into our replica facility, not for another month. The sound of another's voice startled me.

Looking up towards the wide, double door entrance, I saw Rory. He was dressed casually as he normally was. His blonde hair was ruffled, leaving shadows on his forward. When I locked onto his gaze, he smiled and approached.

I straightened because I'd already broken too many Bionics laws in one night.

I am not in line, am not resting. And against all Bionics law, I am questioning my maker.

"Is there a reason as to why you're awake?" Rory as he stood in front of me. His smile never left his face.

I focused his eyes. My computers scanned him as though he were human, returning with no physical response. Yet, his expression read kindness, concern.

I gave my head a slight shake. "No, Sir," I said, then immediately realized that wasn't the proper answer to his question. "I mean to say, I have no reason. I'm simply-"

"Awake?" Rory chuckled, lifting his brow. "I think that's obvious."

What he said was right; I was awake and out of my required dormant state. Again, I had no reason to be, nor had I given him an exact answer.

Because I didn't have one.

Data corrupted.

"If you're awake," Rory shrugged, "you're restless. That's normal."

My eyes widened. What he said may have been a normal occurrence for a human but for me, an android, it is an obvious defect. I knew it was always Rory who stopped every task given to him to ensure I was working properly, but I wasn't sure if my worries could be something I'd admit to him. An android with a defect was a waste, trash.

I cannot be tossed aside.

Rory continued to observe me. His eyes searched my face. He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. With a small smirk, he turned his body and motioned me to follow him. "Come on. Anyone who is restless needs fresh air," he said.

I straightened, frozen. "Sir, I-"

"Rory," he corrected me.

"Rory," my computers staggered for a moment, my vision blurry, "I cannot leave this room. It is against orders."

Rory paused for a moment, eyeing me. His mouth hung open with a quiet ah before he said, "And what were your orders, hm? Do you remember them?"

With my hands tight at my side, I nodded. "Yes. I am to sleep, train, and remember."

"Oh." Rory pressed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He glanced out at the hallway outside our facilities as if he searched for shadows, and listened for sounds. It was as quiet as night within the building, and according to my sensors, there wasn't a human and android walking in the area.

I didn't expect Rory to look back and smile at me. "Well, whatever those orders really mean, I think I can help you do that, so," he waved and pointed out at the hall, "follow me and we can go do that, all right?"

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A/N: What do you think Rory is up to? :o Or maybe he isn't up to anything at all?