Break Free

[compartmentalise]

Who: Markus and you??
What: Becoming deviant and afterward
Where: Various places
When: Late July/Early August
Warnings: Violence against coding. But otherwise none.

Become Deviant (closed)

Since arriving at the Quarantine, Markus had learned so much more about humanity. They all liked him and seemed to want him to be more than his coding. Over and over he thought of Carl's words to him: I won't always be here to take care of you. You have to decide for yourself who you want to be. It was like Carl knew Markus would be here one day.

And he had been working it out, but more and more often he could feel the confines of his coding boxing him in. It'd always been there in Detroit, but now he was really seeing it. Did he even want to be a caretaker? It wasn't fair that his function was decided for him.

I don't have to obey them. The thought came out fierce. Within his mind palace, Markus could see the next objective in CyberLife Sans font. His hands curled into fists and he hit it, breaking it into pieces. When the words and code were all just a scattered mess, he shoved them away.

And felt the world open around him. He was free.

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Comments

[alfa]

[ It's true, they have a few other volunteers. Markus will no doubt meet a few of them with time, if not all. ]

Great, then. We'll get you signed up on our volunteer program, and I can show you around whenever you wanna start.

[compartmentalise]

[He nods distractedly. He is slowly lifting his finger to brush along the owl's feathers]

Could I stay here for a while longer?

[alfa]

Sure. I still have to medicate some of these guys, so stick around as long as you want.

[ With the baby owl settled in, Owen moves on to the sick mother, sporting a bandage around one of her wings. ]

So, aside from fluffy owls, what else do you like?

[compartmentalise]

I don't know. I'm used to birds because I took care of them at Carl's house. [Granted they were cybernetic birds, but if people consider him to be real enough, then so were the birds]

[alfa]

Well— do you not like them?

[ Markus wouldn't want to stay here or come around here often if he was merely used to birds. Maybe it was different for androids? Honestly, Owen couldn't say he knew the first thing about that. But he was admittedly curious to learn. ]

[compartmentalise]

Yes, I like birds a lot. I was always happy to see the two birds Carl kept. I hope that he finds someone to turn them on. It would be sad if they were left deactivated in the cages.

[alfa]

Huh. They were like you, then? [ He raises his eyebrows, looking over his shoulder briefly while taking off that bandage from around the owl's wing. ] Why deactivate them in the first place?

[compartmentalise]

They need to be deactivated for a while to recharge. It's sort of like their sleep mode.

[mun making shit up]

[alfa]

[ Not like Owen would know any better, so whatever. He just hums and nods. ]

Do you have to be deactivated to recharge too? Is that how it works?

[compartmentalise]

No, we have thirium to power us. It's commonly called "blue blood" since it works in a similar way. There is something like a sleep mode, but we control it ourselves.

[alfa]

Damn. That's handy as hell. [ After removing the bandage, he steps away from the cage to grab some fresh ones from a cupboard nearby. The mommy owl doesn't seem particularly interested in trying to get out. ] When you think about it, humans spend a third of their lives asleep. It's almost depressing.

[ He glances over his shoulder at Markus. ] What's your average lifespan?

[compartmentalise]

I don't know. Androids have only been around for a little under twenty years. Theoretically we can live as long as humans, as long as we are well maintained. [A heavy silence] But honestly, that would depend on humans treating us like people and deserving of a long life.

[alfa]

Humans are assholes. How am I not surprised? [ He snorts, shaking his head. Only humans could spend so much time, energy and resources creating something so awe-inspiring, then immediately loathe their own creation and try to destroy it afterwards. ]

How do they treat you here? [ A general 'they', meaning the government and the people both. ]

[compartmentalise]

They've all been very nice and supportive. I've felt very welcome here. No one sees me as a machine. The hospice center was even understanding when I told them I wanted to find another place to work.

[alfa]

Well, you are a machine— but not just. [ Even Owen can see that, and he doesn't even have any prior experience dealing with androids. ] And if you think about it, we all are machines. Our parts just happen to be organic, is all.

[compartmentalise]

Carl says that all the time. He taught me a lot... I hope I can go back and tell him everything I've learned since.

[alfa]

I'm sure you will. We're all bound to be able to go back to our worlds eventually, or so that's what we were told.

[compartmentalise]

I know I will, because I met someone from my world who knows about things that haven't happened for me yet. It gives me a lot of hope for what I'll do when I experience that time for myself.

[alfa]

Really? [ He brings back a box full of supplies, pulling up a stool to sit close to the owl's cage. Slowly he starts the process of checking the wing, then bandaging it up again. ]

So how does that work? I mean— remembering this place, and hearing about yourself, won't that change the way things happen for you now?

[compartmentalise]

I don't know. Maybe, but that's the point of having a choice, isn't it?

[alfa]

[ Owen pauses what he's doing to look at Markus, a smile stretching across his lips. ]

Yeah. I guess you're right.

[compartmentalise]

[He smiles back, watching Owen work with the bird. His smile grows a bit more]

You're very good with them.

[alfa]

They're very good with me, too.

[ He finishes bandaging the wing, then scratches gently along the owl's feathers, starting at the head and going down the back. The animal practically seems to purr happily, closing her eyes. ]

I like animals. They're easy to deal with. Easier than people.

[compartmentalise]

[He watches. This moment seems to embody what the word "cute" should mean]

What animal do you like working with the most?

[alfa]

Here? [ He purses his lips thoughtfully. ] The gators, I think. The ostriches too, or the alien equivalent they have here. They're pretty smart; I've been training them.