From Cyberlife, With Love

Part Two: Sumo

Connor stood on the front steps of Hank Anderson's house, the taxi pulling away from the curb behind him. He could hear claws click on the hardwood flooring and was excited to see Sumo again. He had missed that bundle of fur, his tongue slobbering all over him. Surprised it hasn't caused him to short circuit yet. Connor flipped up the welcome mat he came to know as the place Hank kept his spare key, using it to unlock his front door without scaring the dog off.

Sumo had been perched on the couch in the moments before the door opened, jumping down to scramble around and clobber whoever came inside. Connor! He tackled the android to the ground, wetting every inch of his face with his tongue. Friend! He hasn't been here in so long, must reintroduce to the house!

"Ahaha, Sumo! Relax bud." Connor immediately felt better about everything when Sumo got off him long enough to let the android stand and shut the front door, pawing at his legs with a gentle arm. There was something different about the android, and Sumo could tell somehow. The miracle of dogs eh? They always know.

He received head scratches as Connor moved his way around the couch to take a seat, removing his cream-colored sweater to expose a thin strapped white tank underneath. Tossing it over the back of the couch, he then took a seat and let Sumo crawl up into his lap and lay against his stomach. The seats were worn from days of sitting so Connor sunk in and could feel himself starting to get tired. He was in need of a recharge anyway, but he wanted to spend time with this loveable baby of a Saint Bernard. Even though in reality Sumo was older than Connor if you wanted to be technical. Connor was designed to be in his late 20s, almost 30 to make it easier to blend in, so he could be twice Sumo's age at any point as well.

"Hey there, Sumo." He started running his fingers through Sumo's coarse fur, the patches of tan and dark brown interrupting white and mixed greys. Connor found it much more soothing than anything else. Dogs like Sumo were meant for therapy even to androids. "Have you been a good boy while I was gone?" Even though Con knew the dog couldn't answer, he would have sworn that the little woof in response was a yes. "That's good, I trusted you would. I just had to go away for a little while to get fixed up." He was lying to a dog... Who does that?

"Actually... I didn't get fixed." Connor knew it was safer sharing details to the ones who couldn't speak to judge than a human being or android. "I was torn to pieces and put back together with new parts. What exactly, I don't know because I can't do a self-diagnosis and I hate it. I feel funky and gross and... I'm not myself. I just want to rip myself apart and replace what was added with what I used to have. Whatever that happens to be..." Connor's tears were returning to his eyes, strolling silently down as he continued the company of Sumo on the couch. "What do you think I should do, Sumo?" He glanced down at the dog, who almost shrugged in response and looked towards the TV. A TV hadn't been something he needed, but watching things might distract him for a while.

The android grabbed the remote that was seated nearby, using it to turn the tube on and notice that Hank was on a sport's channel. Not surprised. He swapped thoroughly amongst several dozen channels and movies before settling on a show about dogs, swaddling himself and Sumo in a large blanket before curling his legs under himself. Using each other as headrests, dog and android affixed their gazes to the changing lights that created the show before their very eyes, something inside Connor seeming to flip off. His eyelids grew heavier by the second, slowly trying to bring themselves to close. He was in deep need of a recharge now.

"Hey Sumo, wake me up before Hank comes back." He didn't want to burden Hank after all that happened, especially since he had been so mean and yelled and ran away like that. Hank probably hated Connor with an ennewed burning passion, and it hurt him more and more to bother thinking of it. "I don't want to bother him any more than I have to." He barely finished his sentence before he went into recharge mode, eyes slipping shut and thorium pump slowly blinking through his shirt before being covered once more.

Good night, good night, came the chime of the clock as it struck just past 6 pm.

Any second now, Hank could walk in the door. Any second Connor could be taken again. Any second Sumo could try and wake him.

But for right now in the moment, all was alrightfor the world.