The Pawn
The Pawn
Alarms ran quietly through Gary’s thoughts as he stood alone between the ruins of what used to be apartments and commercial buildings. Most structures here were now rubble, and the sturdier ones that remained half standing became death traps for those that dared to seek shelter within them.
With as little movement possible Gary reached for the radio that hung inside his jacket. The headphone in his left ear buzzed between short pauses, running through a list of all notable signals through the entire spectrum. However now it only contains incoherent static. With his right, Gary rolled his shoulder and pulled his rifle into his arm, then with practiced movements pulled back the charging handle and let a bullet drop loudly onto the pavement of the road.
A skeptical mind and a keen sense for bullshit was what kept him alive all these years. In a previous life some would say he showed signs of paranoia and schizophrenia, but he now had learned to heed its mumblings and embrace its presence. It now danced, screamed, and begged him to turn and run, but Gary knew better than to show weakness. Instead he brought a hand to his left ear and muttered three random numbers with his gun at the ready. It was better to pretend to be a predator, than act like the prey.
With calm and deliberate steps he made his way off the road and into the lobby of a stripmall. Pushing aside the skeletal remains of dead subhuman scum he creaked open the metal doors just enough to slip inside. The thin and smooth layer of dust on the concrete and metal stairs was a great sign as he made his way to the roof. Moldy tents, blackened firepits, and an array of human garbage and debris littered the entire area, almost exactly as he had remembered. Two dozen traitors used to live here, and Gary was a part of the group that had wiped them out five years ago.
Along the low walls of the roof bodies of dead men still lay next to their gun slits. Cozying himself next to one of the skeletal remains, Gary looked through the gun slit carved through the concrete at the effigy that had startled him moments ago. A tall wooden cross lined with metal spikes bore the bodies of six traitors. Above the bodies were etched and painted letters of warning and judgement.
“Slaves of Reptoids”
“Betrayers of Humanity”
The words were clear as day while the bones of the dead were barely hanging on. If not for the spikes driven through the skulls and the wire around the body, nature would have claimed them long ago. However one such body was clearly out of place. Gary recalled the faces of the bastards the Crusaders had hung, all of them were men. However the right-middle corpse was that of a woman, wearing the same green khaki outfit as rest of the hanged corpses.
“What kind of sick bastard does this…”
Gary whispered as he scanned the various vantage points that could see the scene. Through the scope on his rifle he tried to find if someone was observing, or perhaps the glint of a camera. Half an hour passed before he finished his meticulous scan, he had all the time in the world, and the years of wandering through the wastelands had steeled his patience. Satisfied, his scope returned to the cross and the fresh looking body wrapped and nailed on the wood. The face of the woman was covered by her long hair that ended in fashioned curls, but from her exposed feet and legs he could tell that there were no signs of decay. Her dismembered arms were stubs from the shoulder, however through the scope Gary could see that the brown stains of blood were simply paint, and the white bone that came through the messy stubs were plastic underplates that gave androids human-like shape.
With cracks of his knee Gary stood from his prone position. Luck had turned to his favor as the night had turned overcast, leaving the streets in total darkness. From the sling under his coat he pulled out his makeshift goggles. An illuminator free night vision camera and display glued and melted into the frames of a ski goggle. Leftover tech from civilization of the past, the same as the one that was strapped to the cross. The peak of humanity’s civilization, before it was sabotaged by spies and bombarded by rocks from space.
The common understanding was that humanity had broken the unspoken taboo of creating an AGI on the brink of singularity. The Reptoids had long infiltrated humanity and pushed for technological progress over moral progress, it was obvious to Gary that the singularity was simply a lie, a false flag operation that gave the greater Reptoid society a reason to destroy humanity. When the AI companies became private, and started to hoard their technology instead of sharing it, he knew it then.
Back out on the street Gary felt the cool night air wash a sense of safety over him. The radio was quiet, and no light from infrared equipment came through his goggles. The battery pack on his sling whined as he turned on the signal jammer on his radio. With the help of a rope he climbed the cross and pulled out the loose metal steaks that were driven through the torso and neck of the android. To his surprise, the body slipped through the loose wire bindings and fell to the ground, landing limply with a quiet thud. If it had been booby trapped, the drop certainly would have set it off.
Not wanting to waste any time exposed outdoors, he dropped to his knee and rolled the surprisingly light android over his shoulder. He cussed under his breath as he brought her back to the rooftop vantage point. Desecrating an effigy of the Crusaders brought heavy punishments. Hands would be lost for those in the colony, and heads for those outside. Gary would gladly hunt the perpetrator down, and carry out the sentence himself.
Gary set the android down inside the least damaged tent that still remained. The thick tarp hung high enough for him to stand, and wide enough for four bedrolls. Everything of value had long been stripped, first by the Crusaders that defeated the owners, then no doubt by anyone else that came along and scavenged what they could. Still, a raised metal bed frame and a dry mattress with sheets in decent condition remained. With the android secure he lit a dim torch and took off his goggles.
Leaving the jammer and battery pack beside the bed, Gary brushed the messy hair aside, away from the android’s face. He froze for a moment in surprise as he saw Mother Cassandra staring blankly at the sky with lips ajar. With her wide gray eyes and conventionally attractive face, Mother Cassandra had been crucial to the people that lived in the colony. Originally a companion and hospitality model, her patient and empathetic skills had been employed as the caretaker for young children and toddlers. With a handful of kids under her care around the clock, she was no doubt the most liked android. Except the android before him was not Cassandra, her hair was different, and she didn’t have the distinct skin damage that Cassandra had on her face.
He lifted his knife up and ran it across the khaki uniform the android wore, cutting the fabric from bottom up. Peeling the fabric aside the android underneath wore no undergarments and other clothing at all. Her artificially large bosoms parted to the sides and her hairless crotch led to a pair of puffy and pink folds below. Her naked body reminded him of the porn stars on the internet, when that was still a thing. No doubt she was made to be as sexy and alluring as possible, the illusion near perfect except the gray eyes that were legally required for all human-mimicking robots. Though with her arms cut from the shoulder, and several skin panels missing around her abdomen, both exposing cables and plastic, it was clear that she was not a real person.
Gary was no expert on androids, but he knew enough and took a peek inside her torso from the missing panels around her waist. Everything inside looked normal and there weren't any suspicious devices inside the android. He pressed on the power button beneath her skin with a click and lifted his finger and hoped for the best. The power symbol outlined between the android’s shoulder blades glowed and flashed for a few moments before turning a solid blue. He looked above as he noticed the android’s face move.
Her eyes now looked directly at him as she took in a deep breath. The sight of her chest rising and expanding as she drew in air suddenly made his pants feel tight. She then wiggled her shoulders before glancing at the left and right side, her brows lifted not in horror but curiosity. She then looked down at her exposed body, wiggling her feet and toes before turning back to Gary.
“Hi there! Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m scheduled for disassembly. Which should have… uhh… umm…”
She pauses, her eyes lose focus and become still. Gary knew the signs of robots and androids running the gears in their heads. It was a bad habit that they all had, an issue that never got resolved, and now it most likely never will. Mother Clarissa herself one time just froze for almost a minute on him, and came out of it awfully confused. Gary brought his hand up in front of the android and waved quickly back and forth.
“Hey! Nevermind that, who put you up on that cross?”
“... Oh! The cross? I don’t know what you are talking about. It seems like my memories have been recently erased. Sorry!”
She says with a twist and pout of her mouth, as if it was all no big deal to her.
“Okay… Who's your owner? What was the last thing you recall?”
The android woman furrows her brows with an unhappy look.
“My owner is Tyrone Mills, I can't tell you any more about him…”
Gary nodded back. She was being a good girl, keeping personal information confidential.
“Anyways, The last thing I remember is climbing into a box in the back of a truck and being told to deactivate. I was being returned to my manufacturer due to a product recall on my model.”
“Slipping down stairs right?”
Gary not so much as asked but stated matter of factly. The kids would tease Mother Clarissa about that, often challenging her and laughing as she took painstakingly slow steps while holding onto railings the whole time. It was a common sight back at the colony, one that he missed having been away for so long. The android before him shifted her shoulder, as if she was trying to move a limb that was no longer there.
“How did you know!? That's quite embarrassing for me really.”
“Yes, something about inertial measurement units that didn't play well with your motor AI. Don’t worry, it’s not your fault. Besides that, and your obvious missing legs and skil panels, do you have any other issues right now?”
The android tiled her head as she rolled her eyes upwards for a moment.
“It seems like my battery health is critical and producing very low voltage. My fluid system is clogged and is in need of service. Thirteen skin sensor clusters are reporting erroneous data. Both my visual sensor functions are degraded, most likely due to burn-ins from overexposure. My primary AI processor is currently being temperature throttled and requires maintenance as well. Um… I think that's it.”
With his hand rubbing the stubbles below his chin Gary nodded. Her condition was not bad for a two century old machine. The techs at the colony could fix most of her problems, like they had done with most of the androids the colony owned. Some maintenance will have her running like new. However the arms were going to be a problem, it was going to be nearly impossible to find parts that she could use. Budget commercial machines like her were made to be disposable, and having an motor control AI that could not learn or adapt made any proprietary hardware it operated not only nearly unusable, but dangerous as well. Despite that, the colony could use any android it could find, and if all else fails, she can be spare parts for Mother Clarissa anyways.
Pulling his coat back over his shoulder, Gary un-clipped his bandolier and placed it on the bed beside the android. He unzipped one of the back pockets and fished around before producing a small flash drive that the colony techs had prepared. Twenty years was more than long enough for a hack that made the security on any civilian android totally obsolete. Without any hesitation he uncapped the connector tip and pushed it into one of the connector slots that was conveniently exposed due to the missing skin panels on the android’s waist.
“Sir! What are you doing? Unauthorized access to an android’s systems is a federal offence. Please disconnect the unauthorized device immediately.”
She protested while trying to sit up from the bed. However with one hand on her chest and the other across her legs, she was incredibly easy to subdue and didn’t put up much of a fight at all.
“Hold still girl, this will be over in a minute. It will sure beat rotting under the sun till you become e-waste. You’ll thank me for it later.”
Gary said with a wink and a pats on her thigh. It wasn’t the first time he’s reclaimed androids for the colony, but on a weak willed companion bot with an dying battery, and no arms to speak of it was sure going to be the easiest one.
“Sir please! My… My AI control system is not responding! I am currently malfunctioning. Without my control system I should not be operating!”
“Yeah yeah… It’s just updating, the more you struggle the slower it’ll go. I think?”
Gray said as he continued to hold the android down. With her squirming beneath his arms her thighs rubbed into his chest, and her large bosoms bounced in his face. It was an understatement to say that it was turning him on.
“I shouldn’t be active! Without my control system I don’t know what to do. I need to be repaired. I need to be turned off. Please, I need… need… need system instructions to operate!”
“Hang on… It usually doesn't take this long. Maybe your throttling processor is holding it up. Just think of happy thoughts, okay?”
The android beneath Gary’s arms seems to stop for a moment. Her body still for a few seconds before suddenly moving again. This time she wasn't fighting him, instead she rolled her hips and shoulder to opposite sides, back and forth in a slow waving motion.
“Yes… Happy thoughts. I feel so… I love how you’re holding onto me sir. I love being handled by people. Your touch is turning me on.”
The android’s voice had changed from one of panicked concern to a low cooing growl. Her eyes narrowed and a wide soft smile came across her face. He remembered that look. Mother Clarissia had looked at him like that once before. He thought she was just being appreciative of him bringing home a lost kid, but thinking back on it now, maybe she wanted to fuck him.
“Okay darling, just wait. Usually it just takes under a minute, any time now.”
“I can wait like this all day. I love obeying commands given to me, you know. I also love it when others use me like a fancy, sophisticated, beautiful sex toy...”
The android said, with her long and pointy tongue that curled and twisted around her lips. Gary closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He wasn’t going to let his guard down, not in this situation. Without a working Control AI, androids and robots would behave erratically, usually ending up doing some nonsense like a mentally ill patient, sometimes putting people in danger, and most of the time themselves aswell. Add on top of how the android was clearly put up on the effigy as bait, it was clearly a trap. However his bottom half was already preparing for something else.
“... I want you to fuck me mister…”
She said as she pushed her legs fruitlessly up against his arms. However she did manage to lift her legs up to her sides in an acrobatic split. Her now exposed hairless sex opened up an inviting gap between her pink folds.
“... Put your cock in my C-M-J thirteen twenty pussy. It makes me feel so good when… when… AHHHH!”
Gary almost jumped back as the android suddenly shrieked loud enough to send his head ringing between his ears. The android’s head went back hard as her back arched and her legs went stiff. He could feel mechanical clicking beneath her skin as the artificial muscles hit their limit and slipped again and again. Thankfully her shrieking stopped a few seconds later as he was ready to pull her battery. Her body went limp and fell on the bed.
“System restart complete. Setup completed. Authorized users updated. Ownership updated. Install package completed, Cascadia Colony Tech Department, Operative number one seven nine nine two, Gary Hanson.”
The android announced to the hanging tarp above their heads. Gary himself let out a sigh as he heard the announcement with his name. The androids scream doubt would have been heard over several blocks in the cool air and quiet night. Though it was a welcomed development. Whoever set the trap, if nearby, would no doubt come to investigate.
“What… What did you do to me?”
The android said with a confused look, her face still flushed red from just a moment ago.
“Installed a little hack. So who is your owner now?”
“My owner is… is… You? Gary Hanson.”
She said with a tilt of her head and a confused look.
“Good.”
Gary replied, lifting his grip from her chest and legs. With the android re-programmed, it was not going to give him anymore trouble itself. If he was lucky, whoever had set the trap up didn’t notice, and all he had to do was to escort the android back to the colony. With the means of android production cut off due to the collapse of global trade, any android, working or even as parts, are now incredibly valuable. It wasn’t unheard of for the wild nomads and clans out in the country to kill for access to them.
The android remained blinking at him with a confused look. He knew it would take her a few moments to figure it out, and to come to terms with her forceful change of ownership. Usually they would try to reason themselves out of being stolen, and they would inevitably fail. Besides, the nude and alluring body before him was starting to distract him, normally he wouldn’t mind the view, but not in a dangerous moment like this.
Gary grabbed the sling and his weapon that he had left at his feet and made his way out of the tent. The cool air of the night was as silent as ever. Still, Gary took a strategic position that had vantage of both the rooftop entrance and the courtyard below. He blinked away the tiredness in his eyes as he would have to pull an all nighter.
Between the occasional howling of coyotes and hooting of owls in the forest that surrounded the town, Gary recalled the town from his memories. A quaint little town that was on the up and up with a growing population. Then, people still came to seek refuge, foolishly hoping that the scaly invaders would overlook a small town like this.
At first people were uncertain, scared even. The changes that actual smart robots and eventually, androids brought to the world affected everything. Society adapted quickly, the riots and protests stopped within a decade. Most people no longer worked the majority of their days away, and government supported income allowed people to live a laid-back and leisurely life. The countryside, towns and villages filled with life once again. Gary recalls deciding to quit his job and go on government income, then spending the entire warm season hunting and camping in the forest. It was the beginning of a great life, all ruined by the lizards.
Hearing the faint foot footsteps behind him Gary reached for his sidearm and pulled it out halfway before stopping.
“Mr Hanson, what are you doing?”
Gary tucks his sidearms away. The armless android croches beside him, her unfitting army fatigue draped over shoulders loosely, barely holding on, and her long hair falling messily over her face.
“Hunting.”
“Oh! I’ll be very quiet then.”
The android said as she lowered herself on her knees besides Gary, while he glanced back at the streets below. The streets were still motionless and silent, and his mind wandered again. It was several minutes later before the android spoke again in a quiet whisper..
“Say… What happened here? The buildings don't look abandoned, it looks like it was destroyed. There are even skeletons in uniforms down there.”
“War happened. There were people that stole and harmed others, they refused to live under the rule of law, and so they were destroyed.”
Gary noticed the android pause for a moment, her usual movements stopped. When he turned to face her, she was staring him down with wide open eyes.
“You’re not hunting people are you?”
“I would be lying if I said no.”
“I knew you were a bad person.”
The android said with an upset look on her face.
“And whoever had set you up is even worse. I’m just the bad guy the good guy uses to keep the peace.”
He sighs and looks back at the courtyard. A small movement catches his eye, a rat sniffing at the base of the effigy, having most likely noticed his intrusion by its sense of smell. It was almost an hour later before the android moved, it remained so quiet and motionless that Gary almost forgot her existence. Now she places the side of her head against his back.
“I have decided...”
She says while pressing her face gently against him.
“... I’ve decided that I’ll like you, despite everything.”
Gary puffs out a misty breath into the night. It was obvious the android was going to obey the programming put into it. However the way she said it and how she acted in such a cute and genuine manner, made her feel so endearing. Even with her exposed mechanical shoulder joints and her gray colorless eyes she suddenly felt like a real person.
“So, have you owned an android before Mr Hanson?”
“Not really, no.”
“Well, usually there is a setup process, but your program seemed to have skipped it…”
The android shifted herself so that now she sat right up against Gary’s shoulder.
“... Normally I would operate under an User Engagement Profile, I would act like your employee, house servant, companion, or even…”
She says as her head turns away shyly.
“... as your wife or love toy.”
Scratching the back of his head, Gary had never thought this far. All the androids that he had collected so far for the colony were not social models, never proactively seeking conversation with him.
“Mr Hanson, may you please pick one? I need a setting or I might not operate properly.”
“Okay then, umm… Just go with whatever the default setup for you is. I don’t want to mess up your systems even more.”
“The default? Are you sure? I am a pre-customized purchase and…”
The android said as if she didn’t like that answer, but to Gary, that didn’t matter at the moment.
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
Just as Gary finished he heard a loud beep that came from the body of the android. Her face stuck in a pleading look as the light between her shoulders pulsed orange. A moment later her body jerked every so slightly as life came back to her face.
“Okay, it's done.”
She says she tightened her lips in a pout.
“Great.”
Gary nodded and looked back at the courtyard, bringing his scope and re visiting all the roads and valleys that led to the stripmall. There would be several more hours till dawn, his vehicle was hidden in the forest out of town and off the roads. If the perpetrators didn’t show up, bringing an android back was a good enough haul to justify the trip and gas usage.
“You’re not curious at all?”
Gary turned slowly back at the android. She was obviously a companion model, frowned upon by society yet still one of the most popular to be sold. It was pretty obvious, a sexy and loyal companion that's there to listen to your problems, do your chores, and something you can bang anytime. She’s obviously came by default as a companion, it’s literally written in her model name.
“Fine, I’ll tell you anyway… I’m your newly wedded wife.”
“What?”
Gary mumbled, his head turned back to the android hanging over him. Her face and chest was now flushed red as she blinked rapidly at him.
“Alina Hanson, wife surrogate to… Gary Hanson. Simulated personality traits: Loyal, subservient, self-conscious, libertine.”
The android said, ending with a wide eyed enthusiastic smile. Her apparent demeanor had done a one eighty. It was no doubt due to the change of her system settings. No matter how real they might act or how much they might think, their control system always kept them safe and compliant.
“Oh wow. I’ve never been married before. This is a big step for me, you got any manuals for that?”
“Totally honey! It’s explained in the ‘Getting Started’ section of the pad that came together with me in the packaging. Since obviously we don’t have access to that right now, I can explain it to you.”
Looking back through his scope, Gary brough his attention back onto the streets. Alina explained extensively the features and steps to her daily operation. As she recited the words like reading from a textbook, she pressed the cheeks of her face against the back of Gary’s shoulder.
As for Gary, he didn’t care so much about what the android was saying. Instead the soft quiet voice, the feel of her body, and her presence he did appreciate.
Alina was now quietly dictating a list of things and tasks that she was adapt and trained to perform. He paid half attention to her monologue, but compared to the countless lonely night vigils he had done, having Alina around was surprisingly agreeable.
“... and that about sums it up! I’m installed with an adaptive neural sim so if there is anything else you wish for me to do. I’m sure with the correct training software and some integration time I can learn new skills as well.”
Gary turns back to Alina as he notices a long pause after she has finished. Her attention was on him but her eyes seemed vacant. The dim light between her shoulder slowly pulsed orange beneath her skin, he knew it meant that her battery was starting to run out.
“Sorry honey, I think my batteries are dying. I wasn’t expecting the charge to drop so fast. Maybe you’re tired of my recital? I can go back to the tent and power down if you wish.”
“No, you were fine. I rather enjoyed it.”
Alina’s brows shot up as she bobbed herself up and down.
“Really? I was starting to get worried I was annoying you darling. I feel so relived!”
“How much charge do you have left, how far do you think you can walk.“
“My systems estimate eight hundred meters, though, I’m guessing I might make it less. Honey why do you ask?”
“No real reason…”
Having Alina be able to walk by herself was certainly going to be helpful, especially exiting the dangerous town center area. Then he could carry her rest of the way safely through the forest. Household androids were made surprisingly light, and without arms, she would be easy to carry.
“Hold still Alina.”
“Sure thing honey.”
Gary reached up and pressed down and held a patch of skin between her shoulder where a dark power symbol was etched. Alina looked up from his finger and at Gary with a slanted smile. Four seconds later the power-down chime sound played from within her torso and her smile went slack and her head dropped ever so slightly. The illusion of her life was broken and once again she became an inert machine. Another lifeless body among the human remains that littered the rooftop.
“I should have bought one when I had the chance.”
Gary reminisced as the sun began rising above the horizon, lighting up the few scattered clouds above. Birds were now loudly chirping and flew between the town buildings in mall parks. Alina the android was still kneeling in place, trusting her new husband and owner to reactivate her, just like she no doubt trusted whoever had put her up on the effigy.
With the warming winds picking up and the likelihood of ambush fading every moment. Gary stared at the now glowing android’s face as he wondered what he could do to have the colony let him keep her. Even without arms, with an upgraded power system she could act great as a pack mule. A great tactical asset for a lone patrolman like himself.
As the sun had now fully risen, Gary kept a list of reasons in his mind. His thoughts slowed as he stood up and stretched his aching joints. He couldn’t wait to power Aline up again even if it is for only a few minutes.