Sorry for my inactivity!! Writers block getting me again ;(
This was requested. I hope you like it!
Word Count: 4166
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The wind whipped your hair across your face as you raced between the abandoned buildings. The rain drenched your frame, causing your breaths to come out in short gasps. It was early afternoon, and yet the dark clouds in the sky caused the world around you to seem as dark as night.
There was no shelters nearby from the rain. You had tried again and again to go inside the abandoned buildings, but they were all locked or sealed shut with planks. But you couldn't stop.
That was when you spotted it; a freighter that seemed different from the others. The words 'Jericho' stood out on the side of it, a beacon in the midst of despair. You struggled towards it, gritting your teeth against the harsh biting wind. Just a little further... you pushed yourself, feeling your muscles aching with the tension of weeks of endless walking.
You felt relief wash over you when you forced the entrance to the freighter open. Climbing inside, you immediately noticed how the wind was no longer thrashing your body. You slowly forced your aching limbs to move, as you crawled into a space out of the light of the entrance. You fell into the darkness of the shadows, and let your eyes finally close.
---
"...say we kill her. She's a snitch from the police departments. If the FBI gets word of us, they'll destroy us all."
"She doesn't have any weapons, and she isn't wearing a uniform. I don't think she came to get us..."
"Shh... she's waking up."
The voices around you hushed as your eyes fluttered open. Immediately, dizziness and nausea washed over you. The people staring at you were all up side down. No... you were upside down.
You shook your head in the hopes of relieving the blood pounding in your temple, but to no avail. What was this place?
A man with blonde hair moved forward, and gave you a gentle smile. "You don't need to be scared. We just want to ask you some questions."
You reflexively tried to move back, but the ropes that suspended you only swung. You panicked, writhing against your restraints. A girl with long brown hair pushed past the man.
"Oh don't pity the human," She leaned forward towards your face. "You're from the FBI aren't you? Come to snitch on us?"
"N-No!!" You gasped, your first words in front of these terrifying people. "P-Please, I am not here to hurt any of you. I just wanted shelter from the storm." You struggled again in your bindings. "P-Please, just let me go!!"
"I'm sorry, we can't let you go," A man with darker skin said. "We can't risk anyone finding this place."
"P-Please!!" You begged more, and the woman laughed. Just then, you heard footsteps from across the room. The woman turned, and you heard her intake of breath.
"Markus..."
The man named Markus moved slowly towards you, and you watched as his features, upside down, came into focus.
"What are you doing? I told you to let her move freely."
"She could have weapons," The man with dark skin said, "We just wanted an extra precaution."
"We can't win freedom against humans through violence," Markus insisted, "North, untie the girl."
North scowled, pulling a pocket knife out and slashing the ropes that bound you. You crashed to the floor, groaning as your limbs ached on the sudden impact.
"All of you out; I wish to speak with the human."
Slowly, the others in the room all filed out, and you heard the door click closed behind them. Markus sighed, crouching towards you.
"Are you alright?"
You didn't move. You feared the man, feared what he could do to you. You stayed still, gazing down at the floor. The man remained crouching, and you could feel his eyes studying you.
"The others might seem harsh, but they are not bad people..." He spoke softly, "They are just afraid. And sometimes, we hurt the things we are afraid of."
"They are afraid of me?" You whispered meekly, finally looking up at the man. Your eyes widened as they fell on his, one blue, one green. Markus smiled.
"What is your name?"
You frowned, glancing away from him, and Markus tilted his head.
"Why don't you come with me? I can show you around."
You finally allowed Markus to help you to your feet, and you followed him as he led you through the corridors of the freighter. You were amazed to see so many others, and you were even more amazed when Markus told you the truth.
"We are androids... this is a safe place for us, one where we can be ourselves."
"Y-You're all androids?" You gasped. "B-But this place..."
"It is hidden away well enough," Markus interjected. "Humans don't normally come here..." He tilted his head, gazing at you curiously. "Until you did."
You stood to the side of a large room, watching androids rushing past you. Some were watching a television screen, others were speaking to each other in hushed voices, others were working to repair ones damaged in what seemed to be a difficult battle. No one spared you a glance.
"I did not come here to harm any of you... I didn't even know this place existed," You whispered, "But I cannot stay here. I am not like you. I need food, and I need proper shelter."
"I truly am sorry, but we can't let you go," Markus insisted, "Androids are all going through a very critical time right now. I do trust you, but I still cannot risk it. If you left, and told someone of us, we would all be destroyed."
"I wouldn't tell a soul, really!! I just... I can't stay here," You protested. "I am human. This isn't right."
"Do you have a home?" Markus tilted his head. "A job... a place to go back to?" You winced at the honesty of his words, and you couldn't answer. Markus nodded in understanding. "That's why you needed shelter from the rain, wasn't it?" You still didn't meet his gaze, until he placed a gentle hand on your shoulder. "We have cleaning rooms near the back, over there," Markus gestured towards the first aid area. "Get yourself cleaned up. I'll see to it that everything is taken care of."
As if in a trance, you followed Markus's instructions. After all, you were unsure what else you could do. You washed yourself with the rust tinged water, stepping out to find fresh clothes that were far too big for you, and your old clothes missing. You shyly pulled on the old long sleeved shirt, which was long enough for you to wear as a dress. You pulled the jacket that also lay there across your chest. It was not what you would normally wear, but it would have to do.
You stepped out of the first aid ward to see the woman named North arguing with Markus.
"You're a complete fool Markus. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"We cannot win this by fighting back North. This is a battle that can be won with compassion."
"That girl is only going to bring us trouble!" She insisted, turning and noticing you. Markus also paused, glancing towards you. You saw the look of fury cross North's face, and felt guilt wash over you for the first time. You were intruding, a little mouse in a city of creatures far beyond you. You stood frozen, as the two androids looked at you. You felt your eyes sting as you turned and ran.
"Wait!" You heard Markus call, but you kept running. Your bare feet ached on the metal floors, but you no longer cared. You had to leave. This wasn't right.
You moved up various corridors, and soon you became lost in the large freighter. The shadows blended into one, and soon you could not discern one hallway from the next. It had seemed so clear in your mind that you needed to escape, but you did not think of how you could do that.
"I am such an idiot..." You whispered, sliding down the wall. Your eyes continued to sting, but you refused to cry. There had been so many times when you felt lost on the streets of Detroit. You fought so many times, desperate for food, water, any necessity. You could survive this.
In your nightmares, you saw the people on the streets who came after you. You could never fully sleep, always having to stay alert to protect your belongings. Any item was valuable, warm clothing, blankets, food, water. Any item could be stolen.
When you came to, you felt yourself pressed against a warm body. Someone was carrying you. Initially you gasped, trying to wrestle free, but the strong arms clasped you tighter.
"Don't move..." Markus said softly. You hesitantly complied, relaxing back into his grip. You lay in his arms as you listened to the steady tap of his shoes on the floors of the freighter. "I was worried about you," He finally said. "Jericho is a large place. I am glad I found you."
"I am sorry... for running..." You murmured.
"Will you tell me your name now?" He asked. You gulped, feeling the name settle in your mind.
"My name is [F/N]."
---
Markus gave you a room off the main hall, away from the other androids. On the floor was simply a faded mattress, and some old blankets. Yet it was more than you had had in years.
"You can stay in this room," Markus told you. "For now, get settled in. In the next few days, I will give you jobs and tasks to do."
The first few days passed quickly. When you weren't in your room, you followed Markus, watching him curiously as he did his daily tasks around Jericho. Eventually, you also helped, working to treat androids in the first aid center, and helping Josh sort biocomponents.
Apart from the four androids who brought you into Jericho, no one else knew you were human. You kept it hidden, disguising yourself among the others. The androids welcomed you, and you didn't understand why so many other humans hated them. The androids had given you a home when no one else would.
Every evening, you would find food left in your room. Sometimes, it would just be something simple like instant noodles or canned soups, but sometimes you would find take out that was still hot. You never knew who brought you the food, but you were sure that Markus was somehow responsible for it.
As a month passed, you continued to help around Jericho, and looked to Markus whenever you needed guidance. Markus had become a kind of mentor to you, someone to look towards. Whenever you felt lost or sad, Markus always seemed to know what to say.
"I can't do this anymore Markus," You overheard North say one day, as you were cleaning thirium off a damaged android. You tried to focus on your work, but you couldn't help but eavesdrop on what they were saying.
"You can and you will." Was all Markus replied, and you heard his footsteps echoing down the corridor.
"I don't want to spend the rest of my days looking after a... a pet!!" North growled. "We are wasting time and resources bringing her food back from our raids. She doesn't help us, so why do we have to help her?"
"Enough North." You winced at the harsh tone in Markus's voice. "If you don't want to bring her food, I will do it myself."
You quickly glanced away as you heard Markus walk into the room. You continued to gently scrub at the body of the android, feeling your cheeks heat up as Markus moved towards you.
"[F/N]... How are you doing?"
"I-I'm fine," You muttered, looking away and focusing on the android in front of you. You heard Markus exhaled, and flinched as he touched your face.
"Your face is flushed."
You jerked away, feeling your already red face heat up more.
"I'm fine M-Markus..." You squeezed the cleaning cloth to your chest, shuffling away. You moved to a basin of water to rinse it. Markus followed you.
"You heard that, didn't you?" You couldn't meet his gaze as he nodded. "It's true. I've been getting North to bring you food."
"B-But why?"
"I told you that you didn't have to worry about anything," He explained. "But from now on, I'll bring you food myself."
"You don't have to bring me anything, I can do it myself..." You insisted, feeling your eyes sting with embarrassment. They really were treating you like a pet.
Markus moved forward, and slowly moved to stroke your hair. "It's okay. I want to do this.
With those final words, Markus moved out of the room. You continued to work on the androids, trying desperately to calm your racing heart.
Although you wanted to help on the raids, Markus refused. He was still afraid to trust you it seemed, and the raids could be rather dangerous.
Markus started leaving on raids with the others, and sometimes he came back with scratches or damages to his body. You always took care of him, dabbing at his wounds and stitching synthetic skin.
You sat in the first aid room with him one day, gently wiping away thirium from a gun shot wound on his chest.
"I removed the bullet, but the synthetic skin is damaged. It might take some time to heal over."
As you continued to touch his chest, Markus's hand moved to grasp yours. When you raised your head, you gasped to see that his face was barely from yours.
"[F/N]..." He whispered, his lips parting softly. You felt your hand tremble in his firm grip. Yet you couldn't look away. Slowly, Markus leaned forward, gently pressing those lips to yours. You melted under his touch, leaning in to meet his kiss.
Then, realizing what you were doing, you forced yourself away. Markus gave you a slightly hurt look. "I-I..." You stuttered, but Markus interrupted you.
"I am sorry... I wasn't thinking..." He said softly.
"You're an android Markus... and I am a human... we cannot do things like that." Markus didn't reply, and you didn't look at his expression to see his silent answer.
You avoided Markus after that. Yet no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't forget about the way he kissed you. No one had ever kissed you before, and the memory of his lips on yours sent goosebumps along your skin. You wanted him to touch you like that again, but the mere thought of it made you flush.
But as much as you tried to stay away from the android, it seemed like the world had other plans. Wherever you turned, he was there.
One evening, you tried to stay away from your thoughts of him. While the other androids fell into rest mode, you wandered the corridors of the freighter. You knew you could get lost, but the fear helped you to stay distracted.
As you wandered the hallways, you began to hear another noise. It sounded like the buzz of electronics. You found another room that you had never been in before, filled with electronic screens and equipment. As you approached the door, a woman turned towards you. You gasped as you noticed how the back of her head was missing, her eyes staring through you, black as coals.
"Do not be afraid child..." She whispered in a metallic voice. She beckoned you forward, and you timidly entered the room, perching on an old wooden chair.
"W-Who are you?" You murmured.
"I am Lucy," She replied. "And I know you very well... miss human." She inclined her head, and you felt a tremor of fear.
"You know I am human?"
The android smiled slightly. "I know a lot of things about everyone." She pressed a few keys on the keyboard, displaying footage of riots on the street of Detroit. At the front of it all was Markus, arms spread wide in an image of peace.
"Markus!" You gasped, looking closer to the screen.
"This was from a few days ago..." Lucy told you. "The riots are getting worse."
"I didn't know they had become this bad."
"Markus is determined to do anything to win this battle," Lucy insisted. "Even sacrifice himself."
"No!!" You cried. "He can't do that. Not Markus..."
Lucy's expression softened. "He can, and he will... but I sense that you can stop it."
"How?"
"Be with him... show him that it is okay to be vulnerable sometimes. That it is okay to trust himself to a human."
---
You thought over Lucy's words as you wandered back to your room that evening. By avoiding Markus, had you really just been hurting yourself?
The next day, you decided that you would go and see Markus. However, no matter where you went, for the first time, Markus was no where to be seen. You asked the other androids, but they were unsure of where he had gone. He had been with you so much, that when he was away, you felt alone. You came to the startling realization that like the air you breathed, you needed Markus just as much.
You couldn't understand why you had such an urge towards him. After all, you had only been with him for a few months. Markus had given you a place, a world of safety in the midst of fear. This feeling that you had towards Markus... must have been gratitude right?
You found Markus against days later, his body covered in thirium and additional wounds.
"We lost Josh..." He murmured to one of the androids in the first aid ward. His words sent a stab through your heart. You rushed towards him.
"Markus, are you alright?"
He turned towards you, giving you a pained expression, before forcing his head away. "I am fine." He continued moving towards the crowds of androids, all pleased to see him. But dread settled in your chest. A rift had formed between you, and you wondered if you could ever repair it.
Markus no longer allowed you to treat his wounds. Instead, he told you to go and comfort the other androids, the ones who had lost friends and partners in the riots. Their grief left pain inside you, and all you could do was give them comforting words and your time.
The pain got worse when you glanced towards Markus, and found that instead of you, North was treating his wounds. They spoke to each other in hushed voices, and you felt the rift widen between you.
That was when you realized the odd feeling stirring inside you. It was beyond a normal sense of caring; this was love. Yet you still couldn't see how it could be. Markus was different, far beyond you. You wondered how it could have happened that you loved someone like Markus. He had cared for you, given you a place to stay, gave you comfort... was this love only your gratitude for all he had done?
As you felt your heart break, you moved up the hallway of the freighter towards your room. As you walked, you heard voices echoing along the corridor. More androids? You listened, and you heard words that you had never expected to hear.
"Take them from the right. Aim for their leader first. Let's destroy this little revolution from where it started."
In an instant, you realized that these were the people those androids feared. Shuddering, you rushed back towards the main room.
"Everyone! You have to hide quickly!!" The androids all looked up at you. Simon ran over.
"[F/N], what's wrong?"
"There are soldiers here. You have to go, now!!"
But it was too late. The soldiers rushed into the room, and you winced as you heard bullets begin to fire. Simon pushed you down, protecting your body with his own. He helped you behind a stack of crates.
"Stay here!!" He whispered, getting up and rushing into the fray to protect other innocent androids. You watched in horror as those who you had become friends with fell to the ground in a flurry of limbs. The only place that you had ever felt safe in was being destroyed.
"This is not the way..." You heard Markus's voice, and looked around to find him in the middle of the crowd. "We never hurt you, so why do you wish to hurt us?"
The humans didn't respond. Instead, they aimed the gun towards him. Your heart raced in fear, not for yourself, but for him. Markus couldn't die. If he died, not only would all this be over. If he died, you would die too. You stumbled towards him, jumping in front of his body just as you heard the gun fire. You felt a stabbing pain in your chest, but as you crumpled to Markus's feet, all you knew was relief. He was safe, and alive. Through your blurry vision, you could see Markus look at you desperately, grabbing your limp body and holding you close. He whispered something close to your ear, but you couldn't hear him anymore.
---
You woke to the sound of soft singing. You wondered if you were dead, because the voice was so sorrowful and beautiful, it was like the voice of an angel.
"Hold on... just a little while longer. Everything will be all right..."
The words repeated, growing more and more clearer. Until finally, your eyes fluttered open.
You were lying on a soft surface, perhaps a mattress, with something draped over you. As you stirred, the words to the song faded away. Your eyes adjusted to the sunlight streaming into the room. It was the first time you had seen it in months, and you welcomed its glow.
"[F/N]...?" You heard a male voice, and tilted your head to see Markus beside you.
"Markus?"
Suddenly, you were wrapped in his arms, crushed against his chest. You winced, feeling a pain from your wound, but you didn't care. You looked up, and surprise filled you to see tears in Markus's eyes.
"Dammit... I thought I lost you." You felt Markus shaking as you lay in his arms. "Are you okay? You're not in pain...?" He pulled away to look at you, and you felt your cheeks flush at the way he gazed at you. "Why the hell would you do that?" He hugged you again, tightly, as if he never wanted to let you go.
"I did it to protect you Markus..." You wrapped your arms around his muscular back.
"If you had died, there would've been no point to any of this..." He whispered close to your ear.
"If you had died," You mimicked his words, "Then a part of me would've died too..." He pulled away then, looking slightly startled. You didn't let his surprised gaze stop your next words.
"I love you Markus."
His multicolored eyes turned glassy again. "I love you too..."
---
You love for Markus only grew. You lost many in the attack on Jericho, but your love is what kept you strong. There had been many times when Markus had sheltered you from others, trying to protect you. After you both became aware of each others feelings, there was nothing more to hide. You were equals.
You joined Markus on his protests, and by his side, you showed the world your love for Markus, even as you were human.
Whenever Markus felt sad, or stressed, you were with him, holding him close in your arms. He took on the pain of the android world; and in return, you would take his. You would be with him in his best moments and his worst, and in return, he was there in yours.
Before, others may have called you someone weak. You were a mouse struggling to survive in the world, a timid creature who was afraid of judgement and the words of others. Now, with Markus in your life, you had been set free. You had learnt that real strength comes from what you do, not how you act or what you say.
You sat on the rooftop of the church building, Markus by your side, staring across towards the glow of the city. It seemed so far, and yet also so close. Markus had his arms wrapped around you, your head resting on his shoulder. He gently stroked your arm with his other hand, as you stared at the stars.
"What do you want from this revolution?" Markus whispered.
"I want us to be free to love each other..."
"But that is not all, is it?" He asked, and you tilted your head towards him. Gently, he pressed his lips to yours, and you smiled.
"I want us all to be free, all androids, all humans. I want to protect this generation of beings..." You gazed up towards the sky. "And I also want to protect all beings, for times to come."