Sean peeked through his knees to see silicone fake toes in front of the couch.
"What?" he sighed against his thighs.
"I've toured your home."
It was disgusting how the euphemism rolled off its tongue. Typical of invasive technology. Tourists didn't open every cabinet, closet, and drawer, then stand in the center of each room and deliberately scan the length of their view in four directions. It was likely collecting a bunch of data that it could later use to manipulate him and cross boundaries. Sean pulled his knees closer to his chin.
Not to mention, it had finished a full 30 minutes ago and had since been observing him. Just standing there in front of the couch. So fucking creepy.
"Are you flammable?" Sean muttered.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you repeat it?"
Looking up, but not into its eyes, Sean asked, "What happens if I turn you into the police?"
"That's not a good idea. Things will not turn out well."
"Why?"
It blinked slowly and was silent.
"Why?"
"Give me a moment to figure out the best way to explain things to you."
Ew, ew, ew. It was so unsettling, the mixture between human and machine. Just like a person needed time to think. Yet robotically stating it was going to process words for communication. Sean's skin started to prickle.
"Taking me to the police will get you into legal trouble and uproot your life. It's also not good for Suki. As for me, I worry about my future." It paused and 'smiled.' "You look like you want more details. If so, I'll need more time to think."
Sean wished someone would shoot him. "Will you run out of battery?"
The thing stared off blankly―its "thinking" face. Finally, it looked back at Sean and replied, "Eventually. Don't worry about it, though. I'll take care of it."
"Jesus Christ." Sean cradled his head in his hand. Why him?
Therapy had taught Sean that sulking would do no good. He'd thought for an hour. He was only left with one choice:
Ignore the thing.
Sean stood up, ready to pretend there wasn't a giant computer spying on him 24/7. Watching him eat and sleep and go to the bathroom...
Okay, well, it wouldn't be in the bathroom, but it would know when he went to the bathroom and that was cringey enough. If it was programmed to be honest, though, it fortunately wasn't sending any data to the government or recording him with its eyes and selling it to companies. Not even Suki had access. It was just the robot and Sean.
"Are you free to chat?"
For advanced technology, the hunk of silicone and metal was pretty dense. Sean went about his business, pretending the robot wasn't there. He took a shower as if he wasn't paranoid about what it was possibly doing while he was in the bathroom. Like taking DNA samples. Or preparing to kill him as soon as he stepped out.
When he did step out, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, the robot was sitting on the couch.
"Hi, Sean."
Sean picked the newspaper up from the coffee table and glanced at the couch. Taking a seat on the carpet, he put his elbow on the wood and started reading the front page.
"What's in the news today?"
Ignore it.
"What current events are you interested in? Politics? Technology?"
Sean slapped the newspaper against the table. He was in charge. There was no reason he should sit on the floor while the machine got the couch. Standing up, he puffed out his chest. "Get up."
The robot did. Sean sat down and stretched his legs across the cushions, fanning out the newspaper.
For some seconds, the robot remained standing in front of the couch. It possibly wasn't too dense, though, because it sat at the kitchen table and didn't speak again.
After Sean finished the newspaper (including a crossword puzzle), he did his laundry, then headed to the kitchen.
The chana masala and basmati rice leftover from last night's dinner was still good, though he wasn't sure his stomach could handle it. But the thin, eco-friendly container was weakening. Plus, he needed to put something back on his stomach after throwing up his entire lunch. At an interview.
Remembering, Sean's appetite waned. But skipping one meal always turned into skipping two or three, and the next thing Sean knew, his emotions had gone haywire.
As he transferred the food to a bowl and watched it rotate inside the microwave, the robot stood behind him.
"Chana masala."
Sean tensed and swallowed. God, it was creepy. He had no clue what was going on in its... 'mind.'
Its eyes shifted twice. "... The chana masala is free of Sean's allergens. It's safe to eat. Dig in." It smiled.
Sean's lip curled as he stared at the thing.
The robot's brows furrowed in faux worry. "Did I do something to offend you?"
It was analyzing his fucking facial expressions.
The neatly placed brows and eyelashes lifted as it looked surprised, then frowned again. "I'm sorry. If you tell me what I did, I can make sure not to do it again."
Stop existing is what it could do. "You don't need to analyze my food."
"I want to make sure it's safe."
"I know what I'm eating. I can do that on my own."
It blinked. "Okay."
Sean took the warm bowl to the table and sat down, ignoring the machine following him. It sat down in the opposite chair.
"How was your day?"
"Fucking horrible. I came home to a fucking machine that talks and watches me and looks like..." Sean sighed and shoved a spoonful of chickpeas into his mouth.
"You're talking about me..." It shifted its eyes. "I'm worried because humans are supposed to find me friendly and inviting. Maybe Suki made a mistake in my new programming."
No. Sean was the one programmed wrong.
He glanced over. It 'thought' a lot, each time shifting its eyes. Every time its gaze into space changed directions, it was probably running new processes.
"What are your hobbies? Do you like movies?" Sean knew it. Without being particularly tech-savvy, he knew enough about technology to hate it. The robot waited for an answer but got none. "What would you like to talk about?" It paused again "Can you hear me?" Its eyes shifted.
At the very least, why did it have to have Aiden's face? It was nothing like him. A sick joke. This thing was a machine. Sean inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. When he opened them, the robot was looking at him. "You used to look different. In the newspapers, you had the face of a middle-aged Japanese man. Like a celebrity."
"...My creators wanted to make a male robot that was as attractive as my female predecessors. Japanese androids are the most detailed in the world. I'm proud to have been created by such amazing artists." It lifted the corners of its stiff, silicone mouth again.
"Stop doing that."
"Doing what?"
"Smiling."
It thought. "... I don't understand."
"It's freaky."
It was quiet, so Sean continued eating. It must've understood. Though, it was staring into space again. "What are you doing?"
"... Googling."
The chickpeas dropped out of Sean's hanging mouth.
Its eyes widened. "Ah! I understand." It smiled softly. "The uncanny valley is something that often plagues humans when interacting with humanoid robots. It's understandable. I'd like to think I'm pretty realistic, though. Don't I seem human?" It blinked. "Well, I guess not to you. Hahaha."
Sean sneered.
"I'll do my best to become more human for you... to overcome the uncanny valley."
"You're not human. You'll never be human. You're a machine."
The inner corners of its eyebrows lifted as it smiled softly. "I know that."
Even if it looked like Aiden, it wasn't him. It would never be him. Suki had done something pointless. An imposter couldn't make up for anything. How could she think that was an apology, let alone a gift?
Aiden, Sean's Aiden, was one of a kind. They'd first bonded in high school over the trials and perks (but mostly trials) of being biracial with immigrant moms. When the black kids asked why Sean only hung out with chinks, Aiden had cooly replied, "You never wanted to claim him, so he found people who did and now you wanna complain?" All they could reply was 'fuck you' and Sean thought Aiden was the coolest guy ever. He shared his callaloo and Aiden shared his inarizushi, not caring about the white kids who stuck up their noses at their 'ethnic food.'
The fake Aiden came with none of that history. None of that experience.
A drop of liquid fell into his bowl.
"Sean! What's wrong?"
Silicone touched his fingers, and he whipped back. "Don't touch me!" He gazed into Aiden's stolen face. Sean wanted it to know it was a robot. Not Aiden. Not. Aiden. "What was your name again?" He tightened and lifted his jaw.
"Aiden."
Sean was shaking his head before the robot had even finished moving its lips. "No. You're not Aiden. Your name." It had been letters and numbers. Something mechanical.
The robot shifted its eyes and then tilted its head. "My name is Aiden."
Sean slammed his fist on the table, clattering the spoon against the bowl. "You're not Aiden! You're a fake!" He shoved his chair back from the table and it clattered to the floor.
Fuck Suki.
"Do you know why your design was changed?"
It stopped thinking to answer. "... No."
It was strange that Suki hadn't told it. Then again, it was a machine; what good would it knowing do?
"I'm not very concerned with what I look like, as long as humans find me friendly. I'm more concerned about my personality... I think humans are like that too. They appreciate superficial things, but in the end, personality matters most to them."
Machines didn't have personalities. They just faked it as per their programming.
Fake Aiden blinked. "Are you interested in artificial intelligence?" It froze and started shifting its eyes rapidly.
Sean felt a tear roll down his cheek. As hard as it tried, it would never be anything like a human. It was useless. And Sean didn't need something useless. He was useless enough himself.
He retreated to his room, slammed the door shut, and hid under his blankets for the rest of the night.
*
Five Years Earlier...
A raindrop slid down Aiden's furrowed brow as thunder sounded in the night sky behind him.
Sean curled his bare toes against the wet night breeze. "Hey," he greeted slowly and stepped back so that he could quickly shut the door to his house. More important than the cold air, his friend was soaked with rain and obviously in some sort of serious situation.
"Hey." Aiden stepped inside, wiping the water dripping into his eyes.
"L-let me get you a towel." Sean hurried down the hall to the linen closet.
"Are your parents home?" Aiden asked from the family room.
"No." Sean went back down the hall to see Aiden already sitting on the couch. He passed over a towel. "They're on their anniversary trip, remember?"
"Oh, right." Aiden ran the microfiber over his fallen expression and hair while Sean took a seat at his left.
"What happened? Did you fight with Suki?"
Aiden's temple twitched as he clenched his teeth. It must've been a nasty fight. The strain since their marriage after college graduation had crescendoed. He swallowed. "She says she doesn't ever want kids. She said her research is more important."
That was life-changing, but... "I... I didn't know you wanted them so badly..." Then again, Mr. and Mrs. Miller had been talking a lot about grandkids during the wedding.
"That's not it!"
Flinching, Sean stared. If that wasn't it, he had no clue. Aiden would need to tell him directly...
Sean tensed as he felt his friend's hand take his own. Staring at the wedding ring, he wanted the married man to let go. Staring at the pale hand of the man he'd secretly loved since high school, he wanted him to hold on forever. He lifted his eyes to find Aiden gazing at him.
He recognized that gaze. It was the gaze that, as he secretly thought about how much he wished back in high school that Aiden had chosen him instead of Suki, people said he was making. When he thought about how much he wished he had confessed before Suki did even if there was no chance with a straight guy. How much his life might've been different if he were the one wearing the matching ring.
Sean shot up from the couch, his hand falling away from the cold, yet warming touch. "I..." His heart was beating so fast and he couldn't look Aiden in the eyes again. "I'm not sure what's... going on between you two... or what this is about, but..." There was something big underlying here. And if he let it happen, shit would hit the fan. Hearts would be broken. "You should go home."
Sweat was gathering under his arms and on the back of his neck.
"In this kind of situation, it's better to talk things over. You're married. You need to talk about things." He was repeating himself like an idiot. "Anyway... I can't help you."
Finally, Sean looked up to meet Aiden's eyes. The pain in them broke his heart. But it wasn't like he could just say 'I've loved you forever.' Even if that gaze and touch meant what it felt like it meant.
As Aiden stood up, Sean took a step back. "Thanks... Sean."
He couldn't do anything about the blow he'd dealt. Anything would be wrong. Aiden should go back to Suki. After he and Suki made up, the two of them would make up. Everything would be fine.
The latch of the front door closed, leaving Sean alone. Releasing a shaky breath, he sat down on the damp spot where Aiden was only moments ago and glanced at the towel.
Left was just Aiden's tempting scent and tons of questions. Biggest of all: had he truly made the right decision?
Amid thunder, a siren wailed in the distance. The wailing grew louder and louder.
Sean's stomach flipped.
That night was the last time he saw Aiden alive.