Just Human /English version/

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Theseus Scamander’s day did nothing but get worse as the hours passed by. It all started in the morning with a call from his annoying boss to retrieve the reports of his last case; continued with an argument with his wife about the unwashed cups in the sink; and now, with the difficult task of driving in the middle of the night to bring an unexpected (and probably ill-received) surprise to his younger brother. The only thing left to complete in an already stressful day , he thought in frustration as he clenched his teeth and focused his attention on the road ahead of him. His companion, so far silent and looking straight ahead, turned their head and looked at him with curiosity.

“Is something wrong, Mr. Scamander? I can see that your stress level is high; driving in that state can be dangerous.”

“Everything is in order, Tina,” Theseus replied with a hint of annoyance. However, his companion kept their eyes on him for a few moments before looking forward again.

Tina was curious, an unusual attribute for an android. Theseus thought that their former owner had a lot to do with this: Percival Graves, a brave American general who saved Theseus’s life in the last war. Since then, they had become very good comrades and friends; Theseus never would’ve imagined that he would die so soon. Percy had been a mysterious, kind, and stubborn man. He exercised his profession as an officer until the day of his death.

The android, or “Tina,” as Percy had decided to call them, had been the companion of the man for five long years in his official job as a detective. The two had gone on many a mission together before his untimely death. Theseus could never understand how his friend, such a traditional and old-school man, had decided to acquire an android to help him with his cases. And even more strangely, he had become fond of her. He had been so charmed that as a last wish he had asked Theseus to take care of her, which, of course, he couldn’t refuse.

Theseus never thought he would have an android. Mainly because he never had an interest in them, but he could see the appeal. Those machines had a lot of efficiency when doing tasks, and the same precision as a human being. Despite how impressive they were, Theseus honestly still prefered to do things himself. In the United States, Theseus recalled from his travels, the Android business was very popular. Ten years after its invention, each American household owned at least one; you could see them working in offices, businesses, public roads and many other jobs. They were in every corner and if it wasn’t for the light that blinked at the side of their heads, he wouldn't have noticed. Luckily, in Europe, they’re not so popular yet , Theseus thought.

“We’ve arrived.” The android’s (woman’s?) voice pulled Theseus out of his thoughts.

He was in front of the younger Scamander’s unorthodox house. It wasn’t peculiar for being especially elegant or large, but for looking as if it had been frozen in time. While parking the car, the older Scamander began to imagine the thousands of ways in which he could tell his brother that Tina would stay in his house, take care of him, and keep himself informed of his younger brother’s every move in the house.

Theseus knew that his brother was going to fight it, because there was no way that Newt Scamander, the leader of the Nature Preservation Organization (NPO) would accept an android in his house. They were part of what Newt was fighting against in his organization! And while his older brother understood his reasons, Theseus couldn't leave Newt in danger. So no matter how much he protested, the decision was final and there was nothing Newt could do to avoid it.

A few months ago the most important technology company in the world, responsible for the destruction of 50% of the natural life on earth, set their sights on his brother thanks to an incident at one of the NPO protests that led the company to have financial losses in the millions. Theseus knew that it was only a matter of time before they tried to end Newt, and Tina was perfect to take care of him. After all, they’d worked alongside Percy on each of his missions, had experience in combat, had skill in the use of weapons, reportedly had exceptional behavior, and was scheduled to follow orders.