Chapter Text
Dark eyes dart quickly across the well lit room. It felt wrong being here, right? Inside a store, where other androids stood dormant, faces expressionless as various humans and creatures wondered through each isle.
He shouldn’t be here. The ID 1VAN stood out in bold text on his uniform, his model number. It was the only one of that description in the store which specialized in androids and their various components. Tucked away in one of the hundreds of alleys that made up the city, the store consisted of parts that were found on the various landfill sites on the cities suburbs. Which is where they had found him, he imagined. His memory had been wipes clean the moment he had been salvaged, the first memory he could remember was the wooden ceiling of a workshop, laid flat on a table.
Yet dispite this, he knew he shouldn’t be here, that the other androids in this store were different from himself, their eyes blank of any sort of consciousness as they stared onto nothing. He had been nicknamed Ivan by the creature who ran the store, an oddly human name for him. Well, he assumed most of the androids here would be given other names eventually, as most of them seemed fit for domestic purposes; cooking, cleaning or gardening. The store had androids that had been deigned for childcare while others for sex work - the store had it all. But they had never once come across an android like Ivan.
Ivan knew what was there in his programming, a secret which couldn’t be shared, or else he would likely be destroyed. The owner had not yet put him up for sale, having no idea what to make of him, or how to price him up. They knew Ivan could take care of basic domestic activities, however had yet to gauge his full potential. And Ivan had yet to gauge what he wanted from this life. All he knew was that staying in this store was not the answer.
The day continued as usual - androids were bought, mechanical parts were analyzed and customers would inquire about Ivan, the motionless android kept behind the counter, clearly labeled as ‘not for sale’. And then the owner would brush them off, calling him defective with multiple malware issues that needed fixing.
Until a group of customers walked into the store, seemingly all students. It was rare to see anyone on the younger side come into the store, generally the prices were too off putting, so Ivan tried his best to hide his interest.
“Why are we even here? You know this is way out of our price range.” A grumble coming from a grey haired man, slightly smaller than himself. He was with two other girls who laughed off his comment, continuing to browse the store as he reluctantly followed them. Ivan’s dark eyes followed him as he moved, as he barely bothered to look at any of the androids for sale, instead pulling out a pair ofairpods and pugging them in his ears.
The girls continued chatting to each other. “Imagine what it would be like having your own android? No more worrying about cooking dinner or cleaning around the house, right?”
A pink haired girl, long-lashed and bright eyed, clearly attractive, turned about to the grey-haired boy and nudged him heartily. “You should consider getting one Till, your room isn’t habitable at this point honestly…”
The boy, Till, huffed at the remark, yet Ivan didn’t mistake the faint redness which dusted his cheeks. “I don’t have time for cleaning. Besides,” His eyes drifted toward the label placed on the nearest domestic android. “Have you seen the prices on these things?”
The other girl, black haired cut to a bob, turned around to him briefly. “Till, not so loud… The owner’s right there…” She hissed cautiously, eyes darting between the alien at the counter and her friends.
“I’m just sayin’,” Till murmured back as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “There’s no way my student loan could cover something like this…”
“That is true,” The pink haired girl remarked as she continued down the isle, curiously eying each android who stood motionless, a product waiting to be bought. “Although these prices are way cheaper then the high street stores. I guess that’s what comes with getting an android that’s been refurbished, I bet each one has a story.”
Till wasn’t really listening, Ivan could tell that much. He just followed along, disinterested, clearly more absorbed in his music than his surroundings.
In the end, they didn’t reach the counter to which Ivan was placed behind. He never got the chance to get a better look at the grey haired boy. All had got after a quick scan was his name, age, weight, height and blood type. Yet it wasn’t nearly enough for him. He wanted to know more.
They left after a while, and shortly after that, the sign on the store’s door was flipped to display as ‘closed’ to the public. Ivan could see the dimly lit streets outside as the owner placed each android into sleep mode, including himself, before switching off the main light and locking the door behind him as he left.
Ivan sat motionless fora moment longer, ensuring the alien had well and truly gone on their way for the night, before getting to his feet and looking around one last time. He had hung around for long enough at this point. It had already been 3 weeks since his memory had been wiped and nothing of note had happened so far. It was only a matter of time before he was put up for sale and sold off to some creature whose purpose was to exploit him in whatever way it deemed fit.
Ivan’s legs carried him towards the front door. He didn’t waste another second to place his hand on the security lock, disabling the system immediately at a single touch. It was one of his many abilities he had discovered that had led him to believe he was used for more than just domestic purposes. He left the store with out another word, stepping out into the dim street as his eyes peered up at the equally dark sky. Small raindrops fell onto the slabbed pavement, trickling down his synthetic skin as his eyes lowered to his clothing. An android’s uniform, required by law. Uniforms would differ based on an android’s job title, Ivan’s own was domestic - therefore he would expected to be with his owner right now.
Looking around, the side street seemed deserted. It was likely nobody wanted to be out in the dark and rain, which was all the more opportunity for Ivan to acquire a new set of clothes. He approached the nearest store in sight, formal wear displayed in the storefront. It took him less than half a minute to get inside without the security alarms being set off. His artificial eyes had no problem seeing through the darkness as he scanned various wedding dresses before coming across a variety of suits. He picked up a simple set, all black and the right size before turning around to lock eyes with a full length mirror.
He approached his reflection with a sense of caution. He realised now that his differences compared with the other androids went further than just model name and job title. Staring back at him was something shockingly human. Dark eyes that glowed burgundy through the darkness, combed back black hair.
His face moved inches away from the mirror. There were no lines, LED’s, no indications he was anything other than human. With a small frown, he leaned back and stripped from his uniform, only to look back at the mirror once again. Ah, there it is. He zeroed in on the lines that circled the center of his chest, where his core was held. His hand hovered over it, before he noticed the lines which traced his hands, yet he didn’t know their purpose.
He glanced back at the suit, pulling it on along with a black pair of leather gloves. Now he would be able to fool most people, acting under the guise of a human. He exited the store, not forgetting to disable the cameras before he left for good, back onto the streets. His stones tapped against the wet pavement as he walked, without any idea of when he was heading. He just continued to walk.
——
The subway station was becoming quieter and quieter by each passing hour and Till knew it was about time he packed up his equipment and headed home for the night. Being a student who had rent and food bills to pay was no joke; his street performances had been what he had turned to in proving the funds, however even with this, it barely scraped past the minimum. He didn’t have the luxury to spend money on things he liked; everything was thrown straight onto his bills.
He would have liked to be able to land a few gigs, even if the venue was small and had hardly any atmosphere, yet they were few in far between. The city was well known for music already, it attracted talent from across the globe, all of which gravitated to his prestigious college of the arts. And every student would snap up the chance to perform at a venue, meaning is options were limited. His music wasn’t for everyone apparently - too ‘edgy’ for a classic concert setting, too loud for a bar. Which is why he had turned to the streets to gain experience there first. While it was raining, he would play in the stations that allowed him to be there, plugging in his amp to his electric guitar and leaving the case in front of him to collect people’s spare change. And he could play for hours, like he had done today.
His emerald eyes met the contents of his guitar case, eying up a couple notes that had been thrown in there. Not bad, it seemed at least a couple people had appreciated his performance. He knelt down, with his usual plastic resealable bag, the type that you would usually put sandwiches or something in, before slowly tipping the contents into it, notes and all. This would generally take it home and separate it according to value, before taking it to the bank at the end of the week.
He had almost finished with bagging up all the change before the case was suddenly knocked out of his hands, the bag snatched from his grasp.
Till’s gaze shot up. “What the fuck-“ Yet the perpetrator had already bolted, he could see the hoody wearing theif making a run for the exit. “Hey!”
He was on his feet raring to chase, until his eyes landed on his equipment that was all still out and exposed. “Shit…” He grimaced as he picked up his guitar, his most valued possession. Although he wouldn’t want to risk any of his equipment getting stolen, securing his guitar was his top priority. He slung the decorated strap across his shoulder before making a run for it to pursue the theif.
He knew he didn’t stand much of a chance in catching him. However he continued to shout at the guy while they were still running into the distance, as soon as they reached the alleys Till knew he would loose track of them completely.
Turning a corner he was met with a narrower street, the thief had gained some ground. It was to be expected while Till was running with his guitar at his side. However, that wasn’t what caught his attention. His eyes locked on another dark figure in the hazy distance.
“Hey, stop him!” His voice strained as he shouted as loud as he could, which was pretty loud after all the vocal training he had done. He hoped it would be enough to reach the figure.
A second passed, then there was sharp flash of movement. Till could hear a cry of pain echo down the street towards him and it was enough for him to slow down. Don’t tell me the thief had a knife too?
But upon closer inspection he saw that the thief had been stopped in his tracks, apprehended by the figure who he had seen. Till approached as he watched the thief struggle against the firm grasp the stranger had him in. Then his eyes lingered towards the face of the apprehender and realised he was young, similar to Till himself. He looked put together, a fancy suit and combed back black hair, his dark eyes sharply set of the theif before they turned to meet Till’s.
Till couldn’t help but feel his eyes widen slightly at the intense stare, at how he swore he caught a glimpse of red held within that gaze, before he moved back to face the thief.
“He took my money earlier, he’s a thief.” Till felt like he needed to clarify when he realised not a single word had been exchanged since their meeting. All that could be heard was the rain and grunts of pain from the thief.
The well dressed stranger turned his gaze back to the one he had apprehended. He seemed to zero in on the bag of cash the thief still held tightly in his hand. Without a single word, the stranger used his other arm to pull the bag out his grasp before letting go of the thief’s wrist, the red marks that were imprinted into his skin all too apparent to Till.
However, the thief didn’t waste another second before he was off like a shot, getting out of the situation as fast as his legs could carry him.
Till immediately stepped forward. “Hey, get back here!” He shouted loud, angry. He turned back to the stranger, the money bag in his hand. “Why’d you let him escape?” The grey haired student hissed, more hostile than he had wanted to sound at the person who had just helped him out. So he made sure to adjust his tone as he spoke next. “We should have turned him into the police.”
The stranger eyed him once more, before taking a step towards Till and lightly placed the money bag in his hand. “This is yours.” He finally spoke, voice a little deeper than expected. Yet it was smooth and even sounding, enough to make Till’s face twist slightly. Did this guy sing too?
Either way, Till took his money with a short nod. “Thanks.” He felt his hand brush slightly against the stranger’s glove. He looked up again to see the stranger’s gaze had never left him, almost calculating. It was unnerving.
He wanted to ask him something - about why he was wearing something like that, why he was alone in the rain late at night. Was he a salesman that had just come back from a trip to the bar? When suddenly a vision of the equipment he had abandoned hit him.
“Shit!” He gasped out as he promptly stepped away from the stranger. “I left all my stuff back at the station, I gotta go-“
He met those dark eyes a final time before he turned back to the dim street. “Thanks again, I owe you one. I’ll… see you around?” He finished awkwardly, unsure on how to end the conversation as quickly as possible so he could get to the equipment. He doubted he would ever see this guy again honestly, the city was big enough to hold millions of people and other creatures.
“Yeah,” Was all the stranger had to say as Till ran back towards the station to retrieve his stuff. What a weird guy… Was all Till could think as he was reunited once again with his things again, which thankfully looked untouched.
——
Ivan’s eyes stared down the street where Till had just left. His vision overflowed with information which he had attained after a simple interaction.
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 71 kg
Age: 21
Date of birth: 6/21
It looked like Till was a second year student at the university in this city and studied music. The skills he was competent at were guitar and singing, while enjoyed composition and doodling.
“I owe you one.” His voice rung out in the depths of Ivan’s mind. They would meet again, Ivan would make sure of it.