Chapter Text
It had been Nathan’s idea to come here. Harold would have preferred the usual way he did things. Do some extensive research beforehand, and simply order it online. But no. Nathan had insisted that doing so would defeat the purpose. And that since this was his gift, Harold had to come with him to pick it out.
Harold had protested the gift at first, telling Nathan that he didn't need a personal companion android. But Nathan was nothing if not persistent, and had told Harold that he could use it as a secretary if he so wished, but Nathan was getting him that android, and that was that.
So here they were, at a pretentious party hosted by Cyberlife. There were various other tech millionaire types wandering around. That was the price range of these androids; they were supposed to be leagues above the ordinary household models. Logan Pierce had greeted Nathan and Harold a while back, his enthusiasm refreshing to Harold. The middle-aged programmer found it much preferable to the world-weary air that Elijah Kamski had started affecting.
Harold's eyes were drawn to the booth where his previous protege was holding court, and he sighed, wondering what had happened to the boy he knew. Elijah Kamski, current darling of the mainstream media for his many scandals and lavish lifestyle, used to care more about the work that went into programming, than the lifestyle that came from being good at it. It seemed now, however, that those days were over.
Harold turned back to the party.
Limited edition holiday outfit comes with on all floor models! Harold's cursory glance at the company website had informed him, but nothing so gauche could be found anywhere in the party venue. Androids milled around the room, in plain clothes, with their LEDs and armbands detached for the night to highlight how realistic they were now.
Plucking a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing ST200, Harold surveyed his surroundings. The only LEDs in attendance were on the ST200's winding around the room, serving guests. The model was one of Cyberlife's most popular, and Harold assumed that these were the floor models in the adverts. However, Harold doubted that many of them would be sold today. This was because tonight was a chance for the less popular models to shine. Specialty models, custom made, and with pre-programmed personalities beyond the usual.
Harold sipped the obviously expensive (but mediocre tasting) champagne through pursed lips. He hadn't been away from Nathan's side since they arrived, Harold using the blonde man as a buffer between himself and the rest of the party goers. no one tried to talk to him, his reclusive nature working in his favor. To the few who knew of Harold (and this was a small number, he made sure), he was known as... a bit of a curmudgeon. Not rude or unpleasant. Just that he had little patience for anything other than coding.
It was not an unfounded public perception. By all appearances, it was a good party. Nathan certainly looked like he was having a blast. The more social of the two had taken the party as an opportunity to catch up with their peers. Harold was not having fun.
Harold was just about to call it quits and call a car service home, when he saw it. Him. He was across the room, standing stiffly. An older model? Harold wondered. All the other custom-mades moved with an easy grace. But this one was just a little stiff. Moved with a bit too much precision. The stiffness added a bit of verisimilitude to the android, in Harold's opinion. In fact, he was so realistic that Harold would have mistaken him for a human, if not for his face.
His wonderfully perfect, handsome face.
There was advanced tech at work here, as far as Harold could tell. He appeared to be a newer model that was designed to look aged. An unusual design choice, but one that Harold certainly appreciated. He had little interest for the other popular models and other custom-mades, most of whom looked young enough to have him as a father. Which, granted, didn't really need to be much younger than thirty, given Harold's age, but still. Harold had preferences. And one of them was a partner within the ballpark of his own age, among other things. As Nathan had once informed him, Harold had very exact preferences.
But at this moment, Harold couldn't think of a single preference that this model failed to meet. All androids were designed to appeal to the senses, of course, and this model wasn't any different. He was perhaps a bit taller than the average android, and well-built, which wasn’t unusual in itself... but those eyes. Harold had to have a closer look.
Transfixed, he left Nathan, who was talking to some other people, and who waved him off without much fanfare. Harold wasted no time in making his way to the android.
"How much are you?" Harold asked, straight to the point, as soon as he came face to face with the android.
My goodness, he was handsome. Harold felt his face heat up at the idea of what people bought androids like this for. In general, he worked too much and too closely with the coding and engineering that went into creating an android to find them as... attractive as some people did. It was a bit disquieting to suddenly be so attracted to one, and yet.
Nathan was here to get him an android, wasn't he? Harold wanted this one.
"For you? I’m free," the android replied to Harold's query. Obviously a routine response, unmodified for tonight's auction. Harold wasn't a fan, but the android had the kindest voice; Harold wanted to hear more of it.
The face, on the other hand, was a bit stiff. Harold's question had triggered an easy smile on the android that didn’t quite reach his eyes. It was strange. Even the older Cyberlife models transitioned from one expression to another more smoothly. This was a common enough error in custom-mades, however. Custom made androids simply didn't have teams of coders working on every micro-expression. In Harold's experience, that was a shortcoming in the software, not the hardware. And given his own particular skill set, one he could rectify.
Once the android was his.
"Not for tonight, I mean forever. What model are you? Who do I speak to about purchasing you?" Harold clarified and insisted. He wanted to make his purchase as quickly as possible and go home.
The android's 'confused' face was better rendered than the previous one. What a curious design choice. You'd think that they would work on the smile before anything else. Although, smiles did seem to be a weak point for Cyberlife. They weren't as close as they once were, but they were still friends. Elijah had sent Harold model sketches of his RK800 prototype, and laughed when Harold had told him that the thing looked... goofy, when he smiled.
"I’m not for sale?" The android replied after a moment of hesitation.
Ah. a rented unit then. Perhaps a model brought by a hobbyist to show off his work. What a pity, if he were not for sale. Harold would have liked to upgrade the android's processor himself, perhaps remove that slight lag in answering simple questions
Without another word, Harold walked away from the stunned looking android. He would get Nathan to find out who had made the android. Perhaps they could commission one, as Harold's present.
Between the two founders of IFT, the only tech company larger than Cyberlife (and significantly larger at that, almost twice the size), money was no object.
But Harold didn't get more than a few steps away before a hand on his arm pulled him back.
"Hey, wait," the android said.
Maybe a bit louder than intended. People were starting to look over at them curiously. Harold would have to tell the android's owner to work on the android's voice volume modulation.
"I’m not an android," the android said.
Harold nodded, already turning away, but did a double take.
What.
That smile again, more genuine this time.
"My name is John," he said. Which. Well.
Harold was shaken, then embarrassed, then he bolted as fast as his injured leg could carry him