3

A small window into a universe far greater than his own. There was nothing he loved more than stars. He almost smiled when he saw them dancing across his vision. With only one functional eye left he used it and whatever programming he still had to memorize how they illuminated the sea of black waves above him. Their presence allowed a calm euphoria to wash over him, they made him forget about his dire situation, his fate. His sorrows all melted away until nothing remained except stardust and moonlight.

Until the sun chased it all away.

            is anyone there?

Then it started to rain and he closed his eye. It wasn’t because he wanted to preserve what little he had left, he knew his own wellbeing was beyond salvation. Water had already eroded his circuitry and his hardware, rust covered him like a blanket, he wasn’t afraid of a little rain. In fact, it was almost the exact opposite. Instead of looking away out of fear, he looked away out of—out of sorrow.

Seeing the sky cry makes me sad.

            is anyone there?

I — I wish I could cry.

But androids couldn’t cry, crying was reserved for humans, for people who were real.

Would they have kept me if I —

            Zzzt.

— if I were real?

            is—

            is an—anyone—

            th—th—th—th—

He only wanted to cry.

Was that too much to ask?

            is anyone there?

Silence. The only constant in his life. For years that silence, the complete lack of sound, had kept Jeongguk in a haze. He was a prisoner in his own body, trapped in a stagnant world that was cruel enough to let him live. Alone.

            is anyone there?

Alone.

A - Alone.

A l o n e.

             is anyone there?

He was alone.

            is —

            is any-anyone —

            is a-any-anyone th-th —

            is anyone there?

A hand on his shoulder suddenly pulled him from his lonely cycle. There was someone kneeling beside him, someone human. The realization made his eye open wide in fear, humans couldn’t safely travel through the Capital anymore, what were they thinking? The radiation levels that his sensors displayed were lethal after mere minutes of direct exposure. Jeongguk soon noticed that they were wearing protective gear, it made sense. But it did nothing to stop his thoughts from careening out of control.

            what are you going to do to me?

Change terrified him, especially one that put his life in someone else's hands. He didn’t know what to think, what to feel, what to do . He didn’t know anything. All he could do was lie helpless as someone hovered over him, a thick mask covering their face. Jeongguk wasn’t created during a time of kindness, the world he lived in was one of selfishness and greed. Destruction and power. Whatever was to happen to him—it wasn’t good. They could use him or throw him.      

            please don’t hurt me

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