Binary Love (18+)

The Anatomic Animatronic

"Ms. Williams, why are you staring at me?" Mark asked. He had been working on fixing the wiring in a Stella 2 model when he noticed Nova watching him work. After approximately 23 minutes and 15.45 seconds, Mark deduced that she was no longer studying his work and was in fact studying something else. He turned to face her; she was sitting on a metal stool, with a selection of unidentifiable blue prints and stationary scattered between piles of data pads on the work table. Wrappers from nutri-bars had been haphazardly piled onto the corner of the table. It was a small example of the general messy chaos that spanned across the workshop as a whole. Mark had attempted several times to help by organising Nova's workshop, only to find it in a troubling state after coming back from charging. He soon gave up after the thirteenth attempt.

"You're a sexbot, but you have gained, or have started to gain, sentience..." She replied softly, tapping the fingers of one hand softly on the tabletop. 

"I believe so, but that does not explain the staring, Ms. Williams." Mark walked towards the worktable, glancing painfully at the mess, then towards the young woman leaning back in her chair.Her appearance matched her chaotic work space; her short black hair was always messy, and she often had oil or pigment smudged over her skin. Mark had never seen her paint her face with makeup, or bother trying to tame her hair. In fact, it was almost like she revelled in the rough look, embracing the dirt and sweat she created when she worked. When she worked her hazel eyes would take on an intensity that he couldn't help but find fascinating - he wasn't sure what to make of it when it was directed at him, however. 

"I can clean this, you know."  Mark made the genuine offer, partly in the hope it would distract her from staring at him, but also because he had a vain dream that one day she would let him clean the place and for it to stay clean.

"Forget the table," She waved her hand dismissively, "It's just that, well, I've been thinking... Most people have their entire life to develop their sense of identity, but you've only had two months. Apart from just wanting a body with enough living tissue to help facilitate your full transition, have you thought about what other characteristics you want? Any other traits or preferences?"

Mark drew in a breath, not because he needed it, but because he had noticed Nova did it when she needed a moment to think. He had found the quirk endearing, and liked to use it when Nova posed him questions that required all of his processors. He settled himself onto the stool opposite her, resting his elbows on the table and interlacing his fingers together.

"No. I have not. As you worked for Earth Tech I was under the presumption that I would receive a humanoid form, with customisation options similar to your sexbots." Mark began to take a closer look at the blueprints on the worktop. His fingers gently drifted over the large sheets of paper with draft sketches in white pen. They were outlines of different cyborg designs for an array of sentient species, including a few with a cross species blend. "Are these blueprints old sexbot custom builds? I have not seem them before."

At the question, Nova's mild demure changed to a fast, excited pace. Her hands would randomly pick up datapads displaying 3D holos of various adult species, highlighting different colours, skin textures and fur.

"I drew them up after our chat - I've done a ton of research on as many species I think I could incorporate into the cyborg chassis. The other characteristics, like pigmentation, will be down to the tissue we get Daphne to clone and splice." She continued to grab various doodles and datapads, shoving them in Mark's direction. "We'll only get one shot at this. Once you're in the body, I won't be able to change your overall species DNA. But there will be other things we could change over time if needed; I mean, how can you truly know it's the body that you want until you live in it? At the moment, you're in a shell that was created by me. This is the chance for you to recreate yourself. Sex, species, age... these things are the physical elements that help develop a sense of identity. Sometimes, they don't always match up to what the individual feels they are, but we have the technology to change that if you need it."

"How do I decide? I have no personal experience to compare too." Although there were some things Mark knew he wanted, like to be able to feel sensation or feel organic emotions, it did not help him narrow down his choice of body.

"Well, we can start off simple is guess... What sex do you want to be? Male, female or hermaphrodite?" She quickly snatched a scrap of paper with a list of species, ready to write notes with the pencil she had tucked into her overall pocket.

"I have so far found this body reasonable and I have no great desire to be a different sex... Male. I would like a male body."

"Ok, so that means we can probably leave out the amphibian species. They fluctuate gender, but you seem more inclined in a fixed gender species" She hastily crossed out a few of the names. "Have you thought about what you want to do in this body? What you want to achieve with it?"

Mark felt he could answer this question with ease. He had been noting all the things he wished to experience over the last two months, that he had been able to start categorising them into themes.

"I wish to be able to experience all the senses. I want to hear, see, touch, smell, and taste. I want to dream. I want to have a family; care for them and love them."

Nova looked up from her list into Mark's eyes. Once again, she saw the soft glowing blue that should not be there; she kept forgetting that Mark had an extra hidden element to him now. Whatever it was, it had changed him. Just because she wasn't smart enough to figure out how - which really grated on her nerves sometimes - it didn't mean that sentience wasn't already there. Perhaps Mark already was sentient, but the urge to be able to experience life to the fullest made him doubt his own humanity. If that was the case, using a tick list wasn't the best way to help him choose his new body.

"How about I leave you with all the material I have here. Go through it. Look at all the species and their characteristics. Give it a few days, then let me know if any of them seem like an option for you. If you're struggling, just keep in mind what you wanted to do while in this body and start going through which you think will be the best suited." She got up from her chair, walked around the worktop and rested her hand on his firm shoulder. "Don't worry about helping me out around the workshop for the next few days. Just focus on this. If you have any questions, come find me and I'll answer as best I can."

Mark placed his hand over hers, then pulled one of the blue prints closer to him.

"All I ask is you keep as much of this to pen and paper," Nova gave a soft chuckle as she walked away, "I can't be having other androids hacking the Galactic Network and rocking up to my workshop."

Mark sat under the soft, artificial lighting, looking at the piles of notes and designs. Nova couldn't help but admire him for a moment. She sometimes found it difficult when she remembered building him, because at times like this he seemed larger then life to her and it seemed like such a stark contrast. What once had been individual parts, now came together to build a man. 

She also realised that he had tried to subdue his presence recently; as if he was starting to grasp and desire his own personal space. He had noticed how he had towered over her, how his strength was far superior to the average human's. When he had first arrived, he never showed signs of strain or tiring, but now he had started to mimic those behaviours as if to hide his inhuman power. Sometimes, he had also seemed to play it up when he had spotted her looking, flexing his 'muscles' and roughing up his vocals, only to give a sly smirk when she became flustered. 

"Thank you." As Nova closed the door behind her, she only barely heard the broken rumble of his voice break. With a soft smile, she left him to his privacy.