unwavering emotions | simarkus

Chapter One

     A restless Android leaned against a rusty wall. His arms were crossed and eyes closed as he thought silently, thoughts and concealed worries racing through his head. There were touches of anxiety mixed with remorse and penitence flowing through his unfamiliar mind as he contemplated what had happened just hours earlier. The wind whistling past and the sounds of distant cars failed to distract him from the guilt he felt due to having to leave his friend nearly defenseless while dozens of stories high in the air. His newfound conscience wouldn't let him forget the scene, and although he wanted to repress the memories he decided to let his mind win, knowing that he wouldn't be able to block them out for much longer.

     Kill him on the spot or leave him to an inevitable doom? In the end, Markus hadn't been able to shoot the Android he felt so strongly for. He realized it had been a selfish decision, really. What if Simon had been found by now and was being tortured for information, or worse? His inability to shoot Simon left the PL600 with slim chances of survival which was even worse considering what would happen to him if he were found by the authorities who were probably swarming Stratford Tower as Markus recollected.

     Markus felt a lurch from somewhere in his biocomponents. The terrified yet gentle eyes of his friend were still ingrained in his mind. He doubted he'd ever forget those eyes, and not just because Androids had such long memory capabilities. The details he recalled were painfully clear: Simon's lips had been slightly parted as he stared up at Markus with wide blue eyes. Although the blonde Android had been in a state of panic, Simon seemed to trust any decision Markus made no matter how rash it was. The look in Simon's fearful yet somehow calm stare conveyed unsaid words. Markus bit his lip as he reminisced. There was a sense of culpability he felt when he thought about Simon and his somehow egocentric decision. There was no way Simon could make it out of Stratford Tower alive with his injured legs, so why hadn't Markus just shot the poor Android while he had the chance? It would not only put him out of his panic but prevent him from torture and memory probing followed by a rather inexorable death.

     Markus hated himself for falling in love in the middle of a revolution, knowing that death was hiding around every corner. From the moment Simon introduced himself, Markus knew he was feeling something he'd never felt before. It had a strangely primal familiarity about it, yet it took him a few moments to process that what he felt was indeed what humans would call a crush. Markus had seen plenty of PL600 models before of course, and they all looked the same, but something about this one made his eyes widen and biocomponents practically tangle.

     The Android fruitlessly exhaled and looked out into the darkening city of Detroit. There was so much to happen in the near future, but he was feeling too drained to try and make plans or think about his multiple responsibilities. The entirety of not only Jericho but Androids as a whole were counting on him to free them, but here he was, sitting against a wall and feeling bad about himself for throwing his crush under the bus after an unfortunate series of events.

     The tall Android's coat whipped around his legs as the frigid wind picked up. He closed his eyes again only to be jerked out of his thoughts by a familiar voice moments later.

     "Markus? Hello?"

     Markus opened his eyes, surprised with himself for failing to hear the footsteps the woman in front of him must have made. North snapped her fingers a few times in front of his face, causing him to blink a few times and focus on her face.

     "Sorry," Markus replied simply. "I was thinking. Do you need something?"

     "I was just wondering what you were doing," North gave him sorrowful smile. "Are you okay?"

     Markus looked down at his feet, his lips curled into a pained frown. North's eyebrows slanted slightly downward and she adverted her eyes from him, looking down at her feet as he had. There was a bit of a silence for a moment until Markus spoke.

     "It's my fault we had to leave him."

     North looked up, gritting her teeth. "No, it's not. None of us knew what would happen and there just wasn't enough time to get him out of there."

     Markus wore a tight-lipped scowl as he looked up at the auburn haired woman. Had he been capable of tasting he was sure he'd have a bad taste in his mouth as he remembered the fact that North had suggested that he kill Simon on the roof. He said nothing of it though and tried to find reason within her words, but couldn't.

     "I guess," Markus murmured. "I just wish..."

     He shook his head. North didn't know how he felt about Simon yet, unless it was that obvious, so he opted to not finish that sentence. North didn't pry him for answers so she quieted down.

     "Is everyone else doing alright?" Markus changed the subject after another silence, looking at her with concern in his eyes.

     "In Jericho? Yes, everyone is fine as far as I know," the woman replied. "Josh is really worried about Simon too."

     Markus noticed how North didn't seem nearly as broken up about the loss of the blonde. He pushed himself off of the wall lightly and brushed his hands against his pockets afterward, wordlessly deciding to head back inside. North pursued him immediately, keeping silent. After all, the old boat had an odd calmness about it. The warm glow of the fires, the soft chatter of the safe folk inside and the warm musty air all somehow contributed to an oddly peaceful environment. North truly didn't know how to comfort Markus. She was worried about his confidence drop and of course about Simon as well, although she wasn't nearly as distressed as Markus or Josh. The rest of Jericho had yet to be fully alerted of the unconfirmed loss of their somewhat ex-leader, although some members had noticed his unusual disappearance. North had picked up the "leave me alone" vibe Markus was giving off, so she found her own corner in Jericho to think as Markus secluded himself to try and take his mind off of Simon by planning their next moves.

     Although the situation seemed hopeless, there was a part of his conscience that was holding onto the tiny chance that Simon was alive and well. There's always a chance for unlikely events to occur, after all.