Duplicate | A Human Code Story

T E N

"To be human is an electronic dream."

*

I turned against the tree, my shoulder pressed against its bark, and I watched them.

Javier Morales and Mary Jordan.

They walked on the path through the park, not too far from the trees we hid behind. Javier, dressed as relaxed and casual as Rory next to me, had a smile on his face as he looked down at Mary as she spoke. I couldn't make out what she said but the smile on her face was sweet, different than I was used to seeing.

Whenever I saw Mary Jordan back at the facility, in the warehouse with myself and the other androids, she was stern. With me, she was hesitant, reluctant even. But with Javier, she was fluid, relaxed, at peace. Even with them so far I could make out the red tint to her brown cheeks.

The first word that came to my mind: beautiful.

Data processing.

"You can't be him, Axe," Rory whispered as Javier and Mary stopped walking. I should've looked back at him, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from them.

Mary pressed her back to a tree because Javier coaxed her to be in that position. He placed an arm over her head as he balanced himself, hovering over her. Judging by the look on her face, she found it alluring. She even bit her lip. I could match the expressions to the videos stored in my computers, the memories that weren't mine.

She loves him.

"No one can," Rory added.

"But why?" I asked quietly.

Javier's hand traced the side of Mary's face. He leaned down, close to her ear. Whatever he said made her giggle and that was a sound I heard perfectly. It hit me, drifted through me and rattled me. And I wasn't sure why.

Entranced, I watched as she lifted her head, pressed herself up on her toes and had her lips meet his. They kissed, soft, delicate. Despite his present existence, his metal exterior, she still saw his humanity. Her love never faltered.

Jealousy came over me.

Data corrupted.

"His body may be manufactured, Axe, but his life, that love, it's real. He's real."

My lips pressed into a thin line as I pulled my gaze away from them. I turned, focusing my gaze on the blue hue of Rory's eyes. For a second, he looked apologetic.

I don't want "I'm sorry."

With one hand, I pushed him away from me. "I'm real, too."

*

How many days had it been since I saw them? I wasn't sure. One would think as a machine, I had a concept of time, of reality, but something changed in me on that walk. It wasn't new curiosity sparked by sudden freedom or the intrigue of the world I wasn't meant to see.

It was the jealousy that burned deep in my core.

The emotion ate through me. I couldn't think clearly. One morning, when Phillips returned to instruct the androids, I couldn't follow directions. I was lost, unfocused, and my mind wandered. For the first time, I knew exactly what Mary meant.

A wandering mind was a dangerous thing.

But as the nights passed and the weather changed, I found myself listening to the thunder roaring outside the facilities walls. Rather than use it as an aid to fall dormant and sleep, I let the vibrations in the air push through me. Followed the electricity. I allowed my computers to do the one thing I hadn't been allowed before-