Chapter Text
Kamski contemplates, does one turn around him for a gander, then takes a step back to admire his creation. He hums and then folds his hands in front of him.
“Repeat to me your model number.”
The little boy's LED light whirs in bright yellow while he speaks. “I am model RK800 #313 248 317 -52 . I will be taking over -51’s place after it had failed its previous mission.”
Kamski nods and glances over at Amanda for approval. She simply narrows her eyes in a cold stare, disappointed by his predecessor's failure.
But he is a new version. He will do better.
They turn their backs to him and discuss his presence.
“I think making a child model is a very risky move, Elijah. They emulate too much emotion as that of a human child. The last one already went deviant.” Amanda fixes her stern glare on her student.
Kamski clicks his tongue and runs a hand through his hair. “This one will not disappoint. It knows what it has to do. All of its memory of deviancy from before has been tampered with and locked away.”
His creator turns towards him, sizes him up, and then folds his hands in front of him.
“Repeat to me your function.”
…
He is far too cold.
His inner systems scream at him, blinking repeatedly in bright red that he needs to warm himself.
<< CORE TEMPERATURE: 15°C >>
! RETURN TO CYBERLIFE FOR REPAIR IMMEDIATELY !
He shoves the warning as far as he can to the back of his mind. He is being stubborn, something Amanda would’ve reprimanded him for.
The city of Detroit is damp everywhere, and a cold breeze hits him, a reminder of winter's wrath approaching soon.
He roams, verifying his options with a quick scan.
He decides to stop by the laundromat to get rid of his wet and bloodied clothes first.
…
“ Goddamnit, where the fuck’s brat gone now?”
His owner crouches, looking around the decayed house before locking eyes with him.
He is perched on the staircase, a plush fish in his small hands.
“Oh there you are…”
Todd shifts his stare back towards the AX400 in front of the door. She is in brand new condition. He had gone to repair her, but she doesn’t seem to remember.
“You do the housework, the washing, you cook the meals. And you take care of..” He looks at him for a second and then back towards the AX400, “him. Homework, bath, all that crap.”
She nods in acknowledgment as he finishes telling her all her tasks. Todd moves over to the couch, to be left unbothered.
He runs up the stairs before Kara can talk to him.
…
Guilt pools around his insides. He didn’t want to steal, but he didn’t have any other choice.
His temperature regulator had been damaged.
<< CORE TEMPERATURE: 32°C >>
His inner monologue stops blaring in red as his systems settle to a fair warmth.
Scanning his surroundings once more, he decides his next best option is to seek help in the small market to his right.
The doors slide open and ding once he is inside.
He realizes quickly that he is suddenly too anxious. Feeling paranoid, he tugs the beanie down on his head two times to ensure that his LED is covered.
He does not have to fear. He is a prototype no regular civilian would know about.
The human at the front desk flicks his eyes between his computer screen and then back towards the child in front of his store now.
The boy opens his mouth, but no words come out, so he runs over to hide behind one of the isles.
His respiratory regulators are going in fast motion, and he doesn’t understand why, he is functional, he shouldn’t-
The human is coming towards him, concern written over his face.
“Are you lost, kid? Where’s your mother?”
He stares up at the man looming over him and blinks multiple times, suddenly all too consumed by fear.
He shakes and the man only grows more concerned.
When he takes a step back, multiple cans that were neatly set in place fall over and scatter.
The man curses under his breath, but doesn’t reprimand the boy, and instead kneels down to fix the cans.
He takes this opportunity to leave.
Not before taking a fish plush he finds on one of the shelves and some money from the man's counter.
…
He is staring down at a plate of spaghetti as if it had personally offended him.
He tries to close his eyes, tries to dissociate his way out of the man’s screaming, but it’s futile.
Kara pours him some water and then pours some for Todd.
He realizes that Todd is starting to talk to him and forces his eyes open just a fraction.
He promised Amanda that he would do better.
But fear flashes in his orbs as Todd suddenly stands to his feet, throwing the dinner table towards the chipped white wall.
He stands, backing away as Todd stares at him disgustingly.
“It’s all your fault…”
“Please don’t..” He begs.
“It’s all your fucking fault!”
He yelps, pressing a hand to where his cheek had been hit, and thinks about what he did wrong.
When he is looking at Kara through blurry eyes, he is hit with the sudden realization that he is crying.
He runs up the stairs without another word.
…
The car in front of him hasn’t been used in a couple of years. It remains sitting in the dingy alleyway, collecting moss and dirt.
He looks around to make sure nobody is there and weighs his options. The inside of the car looks uncomfortable, but it’s discreet enough for him to stay the night and leave in the morning.
He tries ramming his elbow against the car window, but he doesn’t have enough force.
He steps back and meanders for anything he could break it with. There is a wire cutter meters away from him and he decides it’ll have enough force.
On his third swing, the car window shatters all over the passenger seat.
He stands on his tip toes and tugs on the door handle to open it.
He sits there alone, holding his fish, and drifting off into stasis.
…
Suddenly, everything is shifting all too quickly.
Todd is in front of him, yelling at him to obey, but he is fighting .
He is thrashing from the man’s hold, begging him to stop.
As he is lifting a belt over his head, ready to get another blow, Kara is inside the room with a gun.
“What the fuck are you doing.. put down the gun and get the fuck out of here,” Todd responds gruffly, too high on red ice to process the situation. “That’s an ORDER!”
“No.. I want you to leave him alone.”
Todd is barking back at her, slapping the gun out of her hands, and putting his hands around her throat.
They’re fighting tooth and nail to gain the upper hand, and he watches with anxiety ridden eyes.
His LED flashes red over and over as he watches Kara get shoved against the dresser.
She is losing the fight. Something built to clean and cook, not built for fighting, is shriveling under his tight grasp.
She is screaming, not in pain, in fear . She has gone deviant to save his life.
And now there is a barrier in front of him.
Conflicting orders, blooming in his code.
< DON’T MOVE >
< SA VE Y OU R SELF ? >
He thrashes against the wall, buries his fists against it, watching it crack quickly. He pushes and kicks and it shatters.
He now has no one telling him what to do. Just himself for the first time.
The gun that was previously thrown under the bed is in his hands now. He calculates the angle and shoots his owner, his father, right in the artery of his heart.
Todd collapses on top of Kara’s already damaged body and dies there with her.
He escapes through the window and repeats his function to himself over and over.