Chapter Text
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.
The android was perfect for this job.
Theseus knocked on the door three times and waited. After a while it was opened by a man with reddish hair, a freckled face and messy clothes. He stood in front of the two and watched them warily.
“Newt! How can you just open the door like this?! With the situation you find yourself in it could be dangerous!”
Without waiting for a response from his younger brother, Theseus pushed him out of the way and entered the house naturally, as if he’d been there many times (and he probably had). Newt frowned but said nothing, keeping the door open while his gaze fell on the young woman (android, but he didn’t know that) who accompanied his sibling and gestured for her to enter the house. But Tina didn't move. They stood at the door waiting for instructions from Theseus. Newt, not knowing what to do, looked at his brother with a confused expression, and his brother seemed to understand immediately.
“Ah! I forgot it! Tina you can come in.” After hearing Theseus words the android entered the house, but not before making fluid gesture of courtesy to Newt. They crossed the small room and stood beside the older man, who, with a smile, ordered, “Please introduce yourself to my dearest brother.”
The android looked at Newt and smiled.
“My name is Tina, my model is K111ㅡ” But before they could continue with their speech, they were interrupted by Newt's horrified voice.
“It's an android!” Newt practically yelled, shocked, looking at Theseus with a mixture of panic and rage. “I can't believe you bought one and brought it here !”
“I didn’t buy it, brother.” He cut in before Newt could go on, and in a more serious tone, he sat on the arm of the sofa and continued. “It’s a favor for a friend. Newt... Percy is dead.”
Newt stared at his brother in surprise. He opened his mouth several times but no words came out of it; after a moment of silence he finally found his voice.
“Percy... Percival Graves? Dead? How did it happen?” Newt was astonished, and although Percy couldn’t be considered his close friend, he remembered chatting with him during the American’s visits to London.
“Heart attack, nothing could be done.” Tina, who was inspecting the room at the time, stopped for a few seconds, listening to Theseus, but returned to their investigation instantly. Neither of the men seemed to notice.
“And... What about it ?” Newt asked after a few minutes of silence as he fixed his gaze on the Android.
At that moment, they were looking at their surroundings with extreme attention. Newt analyzed them for the first time since they’d stepped into his house. The machine, which looked like a human, had short brown hair, almost black; her skin was as clear as snow, and her eyes were as dark as her hair. Her movements were so natural and graceful that if they didn't have that light on the side of their head Newt could never have guessed that it was a robot.
“It was Percy’s; he called it Tina. He really liked this thing and asked me to take care of it. Can you believe it? With all the skills it has, I don't think it’ll need protection,” Theseus laughed nervously as he ran a hand through his hair. At the gesture his younger brother looked at him suspiciously.
“Theseus... Why are you here?”
_____
Tina finished with their analysis of the house just in time to hear the end of the discussion between the two men.
“Threat-free house,” they declared to themselves with efficiency.
The android had begun to scan the place since the brothers had begun their heated discussion; something they’d learned from Mr. Graves in their days as his partner was to analyze the place at the beginning of each mission. And this new mission seemed to consist of taking care of Newton Scamander, who, because of what they’d been able to decipher from the discussion, didn’t agree with her presence in the house ㅡ perhaps not even with her existence. Tina couldn’t say that it was the first time that an anti-android human had refused to get help from them; of course they had met many of these people in their adventures with Mr. Graves. But that didn’t change the fact that every time they worked with one, things got more complicated than necessary.
“You're in danger, Newt! And neither Leta nor I will be able to stay calm if you’re here alone!” Theseus pressed urgently.
Leta Scamander was Theseus’s wife, a short woman with a beautiful face who worked in her husband’s office as an assistant. The days that Tina had stayed at her home, she had treated them with almost formal kindness and refused to give them orders, unlike her husband. And although she hardly spoke a word to them, Tina could see that every now and then Leta looked at her with curiosity.
“You two worry entirely too much!” It seemed that Newt had no plans to give up. “I don't need a machine to protect myself.”
“Newt, I beg you,” Theseus, rose from the sofa and took Newt by his shoulders. “It will only be for a couple of weeks, just until they stop targeting you.”
Newt looked at the floor and didn't answer.
“Please…” his brother implored, trailing off.
Newt sighed and nodded weakly, which was enough for Theseus to smile from ear to ear and catch him in a hug. And although Newt hated hugs, he let his brother get away with it. A small part of him could understand his and Leta’s concern.
From the corner of the room, Tina watched them curiously. They had seen many humans hugging and still didn’t understand the the action’s purpose.
Humans hug when they feel sadness, happiness, or to show love. There are many reasons Tina, I couldn't list them all, but it gives you a feeling of security and companionship , Mr. Graves had told them once while leaving the office after solving a case. Tina reviewed their memories and remembered that the man had smiled at their confused look and explained with, Humans can't tolerate being alone, they need to know that there is someone with them . To this day, Tina still didn’t understand the desire to have company, the fear of being alone, or the meaning of a hug.
Once the brothers had separated, Theseus called Tina with a firm voice, and the android advanced towards him immediately. He stood in front of them and commanded them: “Your mission is to protect Newt. Don’t let anyone unknown or suspicious approach him. You will accompany him wherever he goes and you will make rounds at night. If something happens, you will inform me immediately.”
“Of course,” the android answered automatically. Behind them both, Newt rolled his eyes and headed towards the door.
“Now, you will obey him,” Theseus said, gesturing to Newt. He made sure his brother wasn’t looking at them and whispered to Tina: “However, he can’t interfere with my orders. Understood?”
“I will comply with everything, Mr. Scamander.” Tina looked at him with determination. “I will not fail.”