Rebirth: An Automaton's Journey

Chapter 5

**Initiate rebooting sequence

**Checking memory

**Checking battery health

**Checking integrity of neurons

**Opening ocular cameras

Synthetic sunlight filtered through his glass lenses, striking the photoresistor plate behind them, and triggering an electrical impulse through his copper neurons to his processor core.

Auto pushed back his blanket and sat up on the air mattress. Time to go to work. Though his physical appearance did not technically affect his ability to perform his job, he went straight for the closet regardless. He was finding that he liked the clean-cut, professional style conveyed by the pilot's uniform; it enhanced his overall aura of high-class perfection.

He rifled through the hanging clothing: "borrowed" uniforms for him, standard red Axiom jumpsuits for her. Except for the clothing that she'd been wearing on the day they'd fled the Earth, Lily had nothing with her to wear but the standard-issue passenger attire.

Sliding his arms through the smooth fabric, Auto pulled the shirt together in the front and began pushing the buttons through the holes. His fine motor skills had improved greatly; the buttons had driven him half crazy the first time he'd tried to dress himself, but not anymore. (Admittedly, increasing his efficiency at the task had taken several hundred training repetitions: button shirt, check shirt front to verify he hadn't screwed up, then unbutton shirt so he could repeat the cycle.)

He smoothed down his hair and pulled the bill of his hat down over his forehead, then checked his reflection in the vanity mirror.

Perfect. McCrea would have gone green with envy at Auto's good looks.

He turned towards the door, confidently striding across the room—except he had to walk past Lily's bed to get there.

Something stopped him; some sense of some malfunctioning algorithm that needed diagnostics performed before he could go back to work. Something about that woman was throwing off his flawless efficiency, exposing some weakness of which he had never been aware before.

How had this come about? She looked innocuous enough, curled up in bed peacefully asleep. Completely oblivious to her surroundings; were the world coming to an end, she'd sleep right through it without a care in the universe.

Her lack of being programmed with several dozen responsibilities was obvious. She had the luxury of indulging whatever ideas she had, whenever she had them. He did not.

He was supposed to be a professional; he should have known better. Why was she affecting him this strongly?

Bending over her sleeping form, he brushed aside the hair covering her neck. He looked; two little red marks looked back at him.

...

...you just HAD to bite her, didn't you?

...

...but that was what Intro to Animal Biology said you were supposed to do. Neck biting is part of mating for so many different animal species; the obvious logical conclusion was that Homo sapiens would interpret it the same way.

...except the obvious logical issue here was that he WASN'T Homo sapiens. So why did he make a move on her to begin with?