Of Gears and Humanity

| 24.1

[DAMIEN]

The trust was gone. Ripped out of my hands before I was the one to willingly let it go. A part of me wondered, would I have let go so easily? The Attributions and their metal Sectors were home to me. Even still, while walking through the grey halls, memories of a younger me filled me. My life was weird, but it was mine. Would I say Arvon was an awful father? Up until he attacked me in his office, I would've said no. He had his moments, yeah, but he cared for me as well as a machine could. He wasn't a man, a human man, but he was a father to me nonetheless.

And that thought hurt me. Especially as I stepped into the kitchen where Unique prepared my dinner. They had always been the perfect couple in my eyes. Sure, Unique was a bit absolute, but the way her programming allowed her to love me made it real to me. Even Arvon and his clear distaste for the human race had the time to teach me, train me, and just smile at me like a father would. Would I be able to let it all go?

When Unique turned to look at me, a knife in one hand and a plate in the other, her eyes flickered with that new abnormal light. I frowned.

I have to let go. None of this is the same anymore.

"Damien—" Unique faced me as she stood in front of the kitchen counter. The steak in front of her smelled wonderful, even if I knew it was artificial. The protein sustained me for so many years. Like their lies.

"Would you like me to set your plate at the table?"

My frown deepened. It hurt me to know Arvon would continue to use Unique to control me, manipulate me, just as the Attributions had always done with the humans. With whatever agreement he had with the humans across the Gate, he maintained that control. Pressed the humans under his thumb like the pesky flies he hated. Used them to grant him mechanics, assistants; people who would serve the machines until the day they died.

Like me.

"If you don't wish to sit, I can—" Before Unique could turn around with my plate, I walked to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. I smiled as she blinked at me. "Damien?"

"Mother, where's Father?" I asked.

"Well," blinking still, Unique looked at the floor, "last I saw your father he was with Eon."

Eon. The whole reason my world crumbled to the floor. Had he never come across the Gate by himself, threatened me and the entire town of Homestead, would I have come back the same as when I left? I would have known truths, yeah. I wouldn't have felt lonely. But I believed, somewhere inside of me, that I would have just come back, cared for the Attributions, then made excuses to cross the Gate again.

To see her.

"I believe they were in the garage, Damien." Unique smiled.

"Perfect. Thanks." Before I moved away from her, I lowered my hand down to her arm and kissed her cheek. Unique's internal motors clicked. Her head twitched. And when I stepped away, she reached out to grab me. Her cold grasp made me turn back to her. "What is it?" I asked her.

"Damien, you've never shown me this type of affection," she said.

My brows lifted. "Like a mother would a son?"

She nodded. "Yes."

Running my hand over my bandaged side, I wanted to tell her Arvon had never shown me violence. He might have yelled at me from time to time but never laid a hand on me. I was precious to him, to everyone. Without my trained hands, who would fix them?

But I couldn't say it. The way Unique's eyes flickered like she was built with some recording device, I couldn't risk it. If it was transferred back to Arvon that his violence angered me and it caused an uproar, what then? Would I run away? Would I be able to make it to the Gate on foot? Stealing a vehicle was a possibility, but Attributions were faster.