"Please, I don't mean any harm to any of you!!" You shouted, feeling their arms dragging you inside the giant freighter. The inside was dark, cold and musty, and raindrops seeped through the cracks. Their human-like fingers grabbed at your clothes, your hair, your skin. You pleaded your honesty to them, but none of them would listen or even seemed to want to believe you. Why would they? You were human after all. You knew they were talking amongst each other in their minds, and finally you gave up protesting, accepting your fate. You were led into a room filled with androids, and they raised upon your entrance. But instead, you were dragged to a quiet room, with only a solitary android wearing a long coat inside it, his back facing you.
"Markus, what should we do with her?"
You felt your heart skip a beat. Was it really him? He turned, and your eyes locked, his filled with recognition. The androids stayed, their arms on your shoulders, waiting for a response.
"Spare the girl. I'll decide what becomes of her."
---
5 Years Previously
"[F/N], may I please have your autograph?!"
"Yes, of course." You smiled in response, quickly signing the drawing they held out to you. All your dreams were coming true. After the many years of practise you had dedicated to your paintings, you had the opportunity to have them featured in an exhibition, and not just any exhibition, one reserved for the most renowned and talented artists. For the first time you felt proud of your efforts. You had always been a little self-conscious about your paintings, as they depicted the most darkest parts of your heart. Painting was like writing a diary for you, except instead of writing about your life in words, you showed them through the canvas. Yet you never would have considered showing these paintings to anyone, if it weren't for the encouragement of Carl Manfred.
You had known Carl Manfred from a young age. At a time when you were lucky enough to win a small art award, he noticed you, and slowly he became your mentor. Not only was the man talented, but he was also kind and encouraging, and you know that if it weren't for him, you wouldn't have had the motivation to continue practising your work. For this particular exhibition however, you knew you would be alone. You hadn't heard from Carl Manfred in several years, and you had heard rumours that he had been in a severe accident. Over time you had lost contact with him, and you had secretly hoped that by attending this exhibition, he may find you and be able to see what you accomplished thanks to him, no matter where he may be.
You truly did wish he could be here to see you. You wanted to thank him personally for all he did to support your artwork. You were lost in these thoughts, when you suddenly heard voices.
"Is that Manfred? The Carl Manfred?"
"What's he doing here? I thought he was in an accident..."
You looked up to see a man in a wheelchair being pushed towards you by an android. In the chair sat the very man who had taught you everything you knew about the arts. Your mentor, Carl Manfred. Without thinking, you ran over to hug him, and he returned the hug.
"[F/N], it's been too long."
You exclaimed how much you had missed the old man, and you had heard rumours of him being in an accident. You told him how you practised everyday, but you didn't spend a day without missing him. After you noticed that people were staring, you both moved to a more quieter area, where you could talk with him about all the years you hadn't seen each other.
"[F/N], I would like you to meet someone. This is Markus." Carl Manfred gestured to the android beside him. Markus stepped forward to shake your hand. You smiled brightly at him, your eyes meeting. It was that moment that changed the course of your life forever.
Much of your days after that were spent visiting the old man at his house in Detroit. Your excuse was to pay a visit to Carl Manfred, but that was only part of the reason why you wanted to visit. You couldn't deny the connection you had the moment you met Markus, and you simply enjoyed his company. Whenever Markus had a spare moment, at the times when Carl was eating or resting, Markus taught you many things. Sometimes he would teach you how to play piano, or he would show you how to play chess. He would always ask you about your new paintings, and listen with interest about your process of creating them.
On one morning while you were visiting Carl, he offered to let you try painting using his new oil paints. At first you politely declined, but Carl insisted, saying he truly wanted you to try them, to which you agreed.
When no one was looking, you carefully put the paint to the canvas, blending the oil colours with ease. Suddenly you weren't in Carl's studio anymore, but somewhere else, deep in your own thoughts, with only the sounds of the brush on the canvas in your mind. When you had finally finished, you stood back. You couldn't deny that it was your best piece.
"It's beautiful."
You gasped, turning quickly. Markus was standing behind you. How long had he been watching? Without thinking, you moved in front of the canvas. You felt your cheeks flush.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about." He continued quietly, "It looks wonderful."
"I-It's not really..." You said, feeling embarrassed. Markus took your hand suddenly, and moved you out of the way of the canvas.
"You seem like such a happy person... so why do all of your paintings seem so sad?"
You gazed up at your work. You couldn't help but agree. All of your paintings seemed to have dark or sad undertones to them. "My paintings are like a diary to me," You replied. "Instead of showing the times I am sad or upset on the surface, I can show it through my paintings. Do you do that too Markus?" Markus looked at you quietly. You glanced away. For a moment, you had forgotten that he is only an android. You started to apologise, when he replied.
"I-It's not in my program to paint... So I have never tried it."
"But... did you ever want to try it?"
He didn't reply. But when you glanced in his direction and saw his thoughtful expression, you decided that maybe he did.
About a week after that incident, you had bought some new paints you thought Carl would like, and decided to pay a visit to him. You let yourself in as you always did, and walked towards the living room to find Carl sitting and gazing out the window.
"Carl. I brought you some new paints."
"[F/N], I'm so glad you're here." He turned, beaming at you.
"What is it?" You looked around. "Where's Markus?"
"Markus is upstairs preparing my room. You've come at the perfect time," He enthused. "There is something I must show you. Something truly remarkable."
Hesitantly, you followed the old man outside to his studio, where he moved in front of a canvas covered by a sheet. He explained that he asked Markus to paint something, and after he insisted, Markus painted what was now hidden underneath the sheet. He thought that you may be interested in it, and you agreed to see the painting. Slowly he removed the sheet.
You couldn't speak. You stood there in shock and awe staring at the painting in front of you.
It was you. Not you the way you saw yourself, but the person you wanted to be. You looked bright, a smile across your face. You glowed in the painting, as if you were some kind of angel. You couldn't take your eyes from it, and neither could Carl.
"Isn't it magnificent?" He enthused.
"Why did he paint me?" You murmured. Carl looked over at you. You felt awe but also confusion. Why would Markus want to paint you of all things? Instead Carl responded with another question.
"What do you think of Markus [F/N]?"
"Markus is nice..." You started, wondering where he was going with this. "He has taught me so many things that I never would have even dreamed of trying. Of course I like Markus."
"But... how do you see him?" He prompted. You obviously looked confused by his question, so he added, "Do you see him as merely a machine?"
"No!" You quickly said. "Markus is not like any of them. He's not a machine!" Carl smiled.
"I agree." He moved his wheelchair carefully closer to the canvas. "You know [F/N], ever since I introduced Markus to you, something... something has been different about him. It's almost as if you have given him life."
You straight away denied the possibility. But Carl kept insisting the change, and you couldn't help but believe the old man. You were about to leave when Carl asked you one more question.
"[F/N]... excuse the intrusive question but please be honest. Do you care for Markus?" You felt your cheeks turn red. "Don't dodge the question either, you know what I mean." He smiled.
After a moment, you replied quietly, "Yes... I love Markus. More than anyone else." There was a silence, so you continued. "Markus is the one who has given me life, not the other way around. But... these feelings are wrong. I know that. And so as much as I love him, I know we cannot be together."
Lost in your words as you were, you didn't hear the slight creak of the door behind you, or with your back turned to it, see the figure of the very same Markus, who had heard every single word.
---
After that incident, you distracted yourself with your paintings for some time. Coming to terms with your sudden feelings for Markus was difficult, but you couldn't deny the way you felt. And soon you found yourself standing in front of the house again, your legs moving towards the door. You were about to ring the doorbell when you felt yourself pulled back. You didn't have to look to know who it was. You already knew the feeling of his hand on yours.
"Why haven't you been coming around?"
"I-I don't know..." You mumbled, as you turned to look at Markus, his beautiful green eyes piercing into yours. You always loved those eyes.
"I still haven't heard your response directly," He said. You didn't know what he was talking about. "What did you think of the painting...?" He continued to stare at you deeply, as you pondered over his question. The painting? Which painting? The one he painted...? You felt your cheeks turn red. "I know you saw it."
"I-I'm sorry..."
"I wanted you to see it. It was for you," He replied quickly. You hesitated.
"I-I thought it was beautiful...But..." You sighed and asked him the question that had been on your mind all this time. "Why did you choose to paint me?"
You gazed at each other for a long moment. He didn't take your eyes from yours. It was as if time had stopped.
"Because it's you," He replied softly. You couldn't prepare yourself for what happened next. His lips crashed onto yours. You stood there, eyes closed, and in that moment it felt as if you and Markus were the only ones on Earth. When he pulled away, you didn't know how to respond. Markus also looked surprised at his sudden response to you.
"I love you..." You whispered. He put his hand on yours, his skin deactivating slightly.
"I love you too."
---
Since that day, you spent all your free time with Markus. You had never felt so happy. Markus meant everything to you. You couldn't imagine your life without him. You would do everything together. Your paintings took on a new happier tone that they never had before; And you encouraged him to continue work on his own paintings, even though he insisted he wasn't programmed to do it.
One day you walked into the room and saw a small box on the table. You picked it up in confusion. It was had a velvety texture to it.
"Open it," Markus said behind you. You turned to look at him, picking up the box. "It's for you." You cautiously opened the box. Inside was a small ring. You didn't know what to say.
"I want you to have it," He murmured. "Put it on any finger you want." He put his hand over yours, still holding the opened box. "But don't do it now... I want you to think about it and give me your response tomorrow..." You could feel tears welling up in your eyes. You couldn't speak, so you nodded. You hugged him, already knowing how you would respond to his request.
But he never got to see it.
The next morning you arrived at the house, walking up the steps, eager to see him once more. But when you rang the doorbell, a man that was neither Carl nor Markus answered. You hadn't seen him before, but he seemed familiar.
"E-Erm... I'm here to see Carl Manfred." You mumbled nervously. The way the man stared at you made you uncomfortable.
"Carl is dead," He replied. You only just noticed his bloodshot eyes; like he had been crying.
"W-What... no he couldn't be. I was talking to him yesterday," Suddenly you felt your heart sink. "Where's Markus?"
"What do you want with plastic prick?"
"Where is he?! Where's Markus?! What did you do to him?" You pushed past him, panicking now. The house looked disheveled, as if there were signs of a struggle.
"He's gone to where he should be. The trash." The man smiled.
"No... No Markus is alive!! You're lying!!" Your whole world was destroyed. You felt your knees collide with the floor. You couldn't believe him. You didn't want to believe him. Markus never even got to see your response.
So when you heard rumors of an android uprising a year later, and its leader named Markus, you couldn't deny that you felt a spark of hope. Perhaps Markus had survived. You saw an android's face on a hijacked broadcast across the news and you recognized it. You couldn't not recognize the face of the man you loved. On your search for him, you heard of a place called Jericho, from some androids you saw going after it.
That led you to where you were now. You had only just come across the freighter when a group of androids discovered you, and took you in; And now you sat kneeled, facing the man you loved. And even after all that time, you still remembered him so well. He stood facing you, wearing a long trench coat. Once the others left, the room was quiet, and it was just the two of you.
"Markus..." You murmured, tears welling in your eyes. He rushed to you and pulled you into his arms; And suddenly you were home.
"I thought you were dead... I didn't think I would ever get to see you again," He whispered. You held onto him, never wanting to let him go again.
"I never gave up on finding you... Even after all that time, I still had hope you were alive." You looked into his eyes, one now a deep blue colour. He touched your face. "I never got to show you my response." You held up your left hand to him, clearly showing the small silver ring on your left ring finger. His eyes became glassy. He held your hand closer to examine it. He kissed your hand.
"After all this is over... let's get married [F/N]," He whispered. "And we'll be together... in a world where we can live as equals." He took your hand, your lips meeting. No matter what this messed up world threw at you, you knew you could both take it on, as long as you were together.