Interval 5 PART 3 - Rest

After the events of the desert, 11B, Popola, Devola, the PODs and I returned to the resistance camp. The twins changed into their disguises, and with everyone ready, we searched for Anemone. As leader of the camp, she needs to know what happened.

We received surprised and curious looks upon entering the camp. I agree that our small group attracted attention.

We passed androids working and the usual merchants until we found Anemone, but we stopped on our way when we saw two Yorha androids talking to her.

The androids had their backs to us, each with a POD floating beside them. 11B's eyes widened and I immediately tapped her shoulder, catching her attention and pointing to an alley in the camp.

Nodding, 11B hid while I waved the PODs to follow me. As we got closer, we heard snippets of conversation.

"...Desert... Strange machine..." The male android spoke.

"PODs... Owned by Yorha... Unknown android..." The female android spoke.

"Anemone, is there a problem?" I asked innocently, making the three androids stop their conversation and look at me.

"Hello, Alan!" Anemone waved while smiling.

"Greetings, wait, you are the android that was in the desert!" The male android said surprised, pointing at me.

"More importantly, what are you doing with Yorha's property? Return them immediately." The female android demanded emotionlessly, stepping towards me, but there was firmness behind it.

I raised both hands and stepped back, seeing Devola and Popola ready to act out of the corner of my eye. Better to defuse this bomb before they blew up half the camp.

"Calm down, calm down, I think we got off to a bad start. How about I introduce myself first? My name is Alan, and you?" I asked offering a handshake and smiling friendly.

The android just stared into my eyes, I think. According to A2, the bands on Yorha android's faces are visors, they can see their surroundings perfectly. The male android broke the tense atmosphere, accepting the handshake with a nervous laugh and shaking my hand quickly, asking incessant questions.

"It is nice to meet you, sir! My name is 9S! In addition, you? Oh, Excuse me! You already introduced yourself! I am a big fan of your show! Do you mind if I ask you some questions? No? Excellent! What Android model are you? How old are you? What are your capabilities? How do you know the things you know? What is the Kingdom of the Night like? How are other countries in the world? Don't you have problems traveling with the machines wandering around?"

"9S!" The female android exclaimed.

"Sorry 2B, I was excited to meet him. There are so many things I would like to ask." 9S said to 2B.

Therefore, the android's name is 2B. The band covered part of her face, but I noticed a certain resemblance to A2. Is she a new model based on her? Her personality is completely different from A2, but at least 9S is friendlier.

"How about we do this later? I think you guys are in the middle of something important right now." I said to 9S.

"We're talking about the strange machines in the desert. You were there too, though, I don't see the androids that accompanied you."

"Don't worry, they're fine. Moreover, what do you mean by machines? Like more than one?"

"Oh! You did not stay until the end, the original machine created a machine similar to itself, and unfortunately, the two escaped. Why would such strange machines suddenly appear?"

"No idea, but I would like to know, it wouldn't be the first time I've encountered a strange machine."

"Seriously, could you tell me more?"

"Of course I can, but could you do one thing for me?"

"What?"

"Could you let go of my hand?" 9S had not stopped shaking my hand since the moment we started.

"Oh, pardon me!" 9S said surprised, stopping shaking my hand but still holding it.

"9S." 2B spoke annoyed. Realizing that 2B got impatient, 9S released me.

"Now that you've become familiar with each other, could you explain why you have two PODs in your possession?" 2B asked.

"Hey, it's not my fault you Yorha androids leave your PODs around. I found POD 000 damaged in an abandoned building, and 001 submerged in a river." I lied about the last part since 11B is a deserter. Who knows what they would do?

"If what you say is true, so why didn't you contact the resistance to have them contact Yorha, or use the PODs to contact Yorha directly?" 2B continued.

She is inquisitive and focused on duty, and probably follows rules and protocols to the letter.

Nothing new, I knew several androids in the Army of Humanity who acted the same way until they realized the rulebook was not much help against the machines that felt no fear or pain.

"Listen, if you're so upset about this, why don't you get in touch with Commander White? If she didn't want me to keep the PODs, I think she would have contacted me a long time ago, or sent some androids to take them."

2B fell silent after hearing this.

"He's right 2B, Commander White already knows about the recordings, as does most of the BUNKER. It is the Operators' favorite pastime in their spare time." 9S spoke.

"How did I not know about this?" 2B asked 9S.

"I tried to talk to you, but you said to focus on the mission." 9S shrugged.

"Hm…" 2B muttered, kicking a random rock.

"*COUGH!*" Clearing her throat, Anemone caught our attention.

"I think we're getting off-topic, aren't we? To summarize, you investigated the machines acting strange in the desert, the machines tried to imitate human reproduction, and from that a new machine emerged, you fought the machine, the strange machine created another machine, the place where you fought collapsed, and the machines fled. Right?" Anemone spoke.

"Yes/Affirmative." 9S and 2B spoke simultaneously.

"And according to 9S, Alan was there before you two?" Anemone pointed at me. I sweated with that statement, looking away, and laughing nervously.

"Well… POD 001 malfunctioned and one of the machines took it. I chased the machine through the desert to the place where the strange machine appeared. I tried to solve things peacefully until they arrived."

"It was a machine; it could strike at any moment." 2B spoke.

"It was a machine that had just been born, confused and having no idea how the world works. You are young and still have a lot to learn about this world. Word of advice, not everything is what it seems." I moved out of the way, letting 2B and 9S pass.

"I admit this was unusual, there's still a lot we don't know about what's going on. Hope to see you again sir." 9S said, waving goodbye.

"Hm… Be careful." 2B spoke after looking me up and down.

"No problem, I know how to take care of myself, by the way, no bad feelings about what happened today, right?"

"We have different opinions, but enmity between us is not desirable, we will see each other again later." 2B turned her back to me and walked away while 9S looked between 2B and me repeatedly.

"Well, congratulations, she liked you." 9S gave me a thumbs up.

"Seriously? Your girlfriend seems annoyed with me." I joked, pointing at 2B.

"Hey! 2B is not..." 9S turned red but 2B interrupted him.

"9S come!" 2B demanded.

"Yes ma'am!" 9S ran after 2B.

I noticed that 9S's POD stared at me, but POD 001 placed itself between us. Suddenly, 9S's POD flew back, as if it had received a punch. The POD swayed from side to side, giving us one last look, before returning to 9S.

"POD, is there a problem?" 9S asked.

"Negative." The POD responded.

Then the two Yorha androids and their PODs disappeared through the streets of the camp. We all let out a sigh we did not know we held.

"Yorha androids make me nervous." I said, breaking the silence.

"It must be because they are made with the latest technology and can kill us all faster than we can draw a gun." Anemone spoke, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"I would like to see them try." Damiana said irritably.

"Please don't make any more trouble for us." Perla said to her sister.

"I don't like their attitude; the boy was nice but that girl..."

"Trust me, those two are the least troublesome, you can't imagine how many Yorha androids cause trouble around here. Thinking they can do whatever they want because they are more advanced." Anemone said, walking towards her command tent.

"HAHAHA! It brings back memories of when I had to deal with rebel recruits. Nothing a few hundred laps around the base can't fix." I laughed.

"Hump! I wish White would come down here and find out what her men do when she is not looking. How about leading her troops on the front lines, it would do wonders for her attitude." Anemone joked and we stared at each other for a few seconds before bursting out laughing.

"HAHAHA! I see the years have not ruined your sense of humor. But seriously, what the hell were you doing in the desert?" Anemone asked, reading some documents handed to her by an android.

"Before we start, have you met Perla and Damiana yet?" I pointed to the two who accompanied me.

"Aren't they the ones who dragged you out of camp by the ear?"

"Not my finest moment." I blushed in embarrassment.

"Hey there." Damiana waved.

"It is nice to meet you." Perla said politely.

"They are gone?" A nervous 11B asked, entering the tent.

"Yes." I replied.

Anemone narrowed her eyes upon seeing 11B, focusing on the sword strapped to the android's back.

"You're a Yorha android, aren't you?" Anemone asked.

"Why do you want to know?" 11B asked cautiously.

"She is in a similar condition to A2." I said, making Anemone's gaze soften and sigh tiredly.

"The clothes you wear help, but the hair color and the sword give away that you are a Yorha android. I recommend dyeing your hair, hiding the sword somehow, and changing your name."

"Thanks, by the way, I'm…" 11B didn't finish since Anemone held up her hand, interrupting her.

"The less I know the better. Less problems for me and fewer questions I have to answer if something happens. Tell me your name when you choose something new."

With a quick wave, 11B leaned back against a corner of the tent, crossed her arms, and watched the androids come and go.

"Let's get serious now. What the hell happened in the desert?" Anemone asked, slamming her hands on the table.

"Everything looked normal, I took the parts to Jackass as you asked, and I recorded my program while she worked; just ask any android that watches me."

"What about the girls with you? According to the Yorhas, there were twin androids and a strangely dressed android accompanying you."

"It was Perla and Damiana, I know they look alike, but not to the point of being twins. And the strangely dressed android, well…" I pointed at 11B. Anemone looked at 11B and she nodded in confirmation.

"I found it strange when they mentioned the twins; after all, I was with them when things in the desert happened. 2B and 9S must have got it wrong; the android-like machine should get more attention."

"I can confirm there was nothing wrong for a while, I wrecked some machines before that crazy android decided to blow up the gate." Damiana spoke.

"Jackass did what?!?" Anemone exclaimed.

"Damiana is right; I was beside Jackass when it happened. She prepared the bomb and ran away." Perla said.

"We gathered next to Jackass' tent, waiting for Perla to finish negotiating with her. We prepared to leave the desert when she finished until POD 001 malfunctioned."

"What kind of malfunction?" Anemone asked.

"It thrashed, smoked, and sparked, then fell to the ground motionless. One of the desert machines crawled out from under the sand, grabbed the POD, and ran through the destroyed gate."

"This is very convenient." Damiana spoke.

"It was planned; someone wanted us to follow the machine, but who?" Perla said.

"You're both right, that's very convenient. Was the POD hacked?" Anemone asked.

"POD?" I asked 001.

"Claim: Negative, the form of attack was unknown."

"Are you damaged in any way?"

"Claim: Negative, all systems running at peak efficiency." Then the POD went silent again. There is something wrong here.

"Continuing our story, we followed the machine through the desert. Surprisingly, not a single machine got in our way; we kept going until we reached a big hole made in a set of ruins."

"There we found several machines trying to imitate human reproduction." Perla said.

"And shortly after we arrived, the machines screamed and ran all over the place before merging into a cocoon, and from that cocoon came the android-like machine. Alan did one of the stupidest things I've seen him do." Damiana spoke.

"What did he do this time?" Anemone asked irritably.

"He tried to talk to the machine." 11B spoke.

"He did what?!?"

I flinched at Anemone's exclamation; 11B had to open her mouth.

"Of all the things you could do! You tried to talk to an unknown machine?!?"

"Anemone, you know very well that rational machines exist."

"I know! However, we have spent months watching and studying to find out if, they are safe to trust. You did it the first moment you found the machine!"

"And how could I not? It was an android-like machine, something completely new."

"Do I need to tell you all the reasons why this was a bad idea?" Anemone asked, crossing her arms and glaring at me. I looked away ashamed.

"Listen, I'm sorry, okay? I don't know exactly what went through my head, but it was something so new, this war has been going on for so long, I was surprised to see something so different."

Anemone approached me, put a hand on my shoulder, and looked me in the eyes.

"Please be careful, I don't want to lose you after so much time seeing my friends and comrades dying."

I saw the worry in Anemone's eyes. Damn it, congratulations Alan, you made Anemone sad, and now I feel bad!

"Anemone, I know we've had this kind of conversation many times, and several times I've put myself in danger anyway. However, it is not my intention to make you worried. Things happen, and sometimes I find myself in the middle of them. I wish I had a better explanation, but that's all I have to say." I replied while holding Anemone's hand.

"I get it; the worst part is I know how true this is. How many times have we been blindsided by new types of machines?" Anemone smiled sadly.

"More than I would like." I returned the smile.

We stayed like that for a few seconds. I felt Anemone's grip on my shoulder tightening, so we got closer and...

"COUGH! COUGH!"

Someone coughing surprised us. Looking towards the source of the noise, we saw Perla and Damiana staring at us.

"Now that the situation has been explained, what do we do?" Damiana asked while Anemone and I turned away from each other in embarrassment.

"We can't do much now; we know little about this new machine, we don't know what its goals are and where it has gone. I will increase the patrols around the city and the security of the camp. Maybe talk to White, but other than that I can't do much."

"I figured, we are in the same situation too, we can only wait." Perla said.

"And prepare ourselves, starting with getting equipment for this inconsequential idiot." Damiana spoke, pushing me forward. I looked at Damiana and she glared at me, showing that I could not do anything about it.

"I will see what I can do." Anemone scratched her chin.

-XXXXXX-

"How do I look?" I asked everyone.

"Claim: Administrator Alan finally looks like the military man he claims to have been." POD 000 said.

"Claim: Administrator Alan finally looks ready to roam the city and beyond. Something he should have done a long time ago." POD 001 said.

"Let's see if I have to worry less about you now." Damiana said.

"A welcome change of style, better than the rags you normally wear." Perla spoke while 11B gave me a thumbs up and nodded.

I wore black boots, brown pants, a beige long-sleeved shirt, black gloves that came down to my wrists, and a bulletproof vest over the shirt full of ammo pocket holders.

There was also a sheath for my Thunder Knife, kneepads, elbow pads, and a belt with a holster for my pistol. To top it off I wore a long cloak with a camouflage pattern and a hood.

Now only the guns remained, Anemone had asked an android to bring them, placing it disassembled on top of a table.

"Do you still remember how to assemble a gun?" Anemone teased me.

"Anemone, I hammered into that head of yours how to assemble a gun until you and the others could do it in your sleep." I replied.

"It reminds me of the hellish training you put us through. Who taught you that?"

"My wife."

"Oh! Right... Wait?!? Are you married?!?" Anemone surprised.

"I was… She is no longer here…" I frowned.

"I am sorry about that." Anemone said sadly.

"Thanks." I nodded, smiling back.

Now let us see what I have here, a standard AK-47 and a USP.45. Hm… I would like a shotgun too, but I think that would be asking too much. Well, let us get started, I cracked my knuckles, took a quick look at the pieces, and started my work.

You know, it's such a strange thing, when I think about my life before I ended in the future, I never imagined myself holding a gun, and now here I am, assembling one like it's something natural.

I think it is because it became natural. SHADES and machines, it was necessary to stay armed at all times otherwise, I would die.

Then came the time when I had to teach other androids how to use guns. The first generation had to learn in practice, but with the battle data, the new generations already left the factory knowing how to shoot and with combat strategies loaded in their systems.

However, nothing beats experience. How many times did I have to point out that the rulebook should not be followed to the letter?

Guns are dangerous after all; one slip of your finger, one moment of anger and someone would end up dead... I think I am done. Scoping the AK and slinging it over my shoulder, I finished assembling the gun. Anemone let out a whistle when I finished.

"You haven't lost your touch." Anemone said, clapping her hands.

"And you doubted me?" I asked, holstering the pistol.

"I admit that a little."

"Give me a revolver and I'll show you some cool tricks."

Glancing at 11B, Perla, and Damiana, I saw them staring at me in amazement, but the twins looked.

"Are you ok?" Perla asked.

"Yes, why?"

"At no point, did you look away while assembling the gun." Damiana spoke.

"Practice." I shrugged.

"It wasn't just practice…" Damiana whispered.

"I think that's it. Anemone, thanks for the equipment, if I discover something new about the machines I will contact you. It was good to see you again." I said, approaching Anemone.

"Equally." Anemone spoke, approaching too. We hugged and stayed like that for some time, but I noticed that Anemone would not let go of me.

"Anemone, can you let me go?"

"No." Anemone talked on my chest. We did not stay together any longer as Perla and Damiana grabbed each of us and pulled us apart.

"Until next time Anemone!" I waved to the android and Anemone waved back. As we walked out of the command tent towards the busy streets of the camp, I noticed Perla and Damiana staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Why don't you two just kiss already?" Damiana said irritably.

"What? I don't know what you're talking about!" I replied, feeling my face heat up.

"You can deny it all you want, but it's obvious." Perla spoke.

"11B, help me here."

"Sometimes 16D and I spend a lot of time cuddling." 11B said embarrassed. Let us go, Alan, ask the passionate android!

Preferring not to further dig my own grave, I walked the streets of the camp with the androids and PODs. Eventually, we come across a group of familiar androids.

Salieri, Kokio, Florence... In addition, Cosmos... The androids were around a metal barrel with a fire burning inside. Salieri roasted a fish skewered on a stick while some liquor bottles stood around the androids. They must be on break.

The androids waved at me upon seeing me, except for Cosmos, who grimaced. I returned it with my own, irritating Cosmos even more. She was about to get up until Salieri got between her and me.

"Hey Alan, I dare you to eat that fish!" Salieri smiled, offering me the fish.

Shrugging, I took the stick from Salieri's hand and bitted the fish, overcooked. Glancing at the androids, I saw that each one of them gave me a surprised and scared look.

"HE ATE THE FISH!" Salieri shouted, pointing at me.

"SPIT IT NOW!" Florence exclaimed.

"AAAHHH!" Kokio screamed.

"YES! YES! YES!" Cosmos rooted.

Fuck you Cosmos! Know what? I will do it myself. There was a bucket full of freshly caught fish next to the barrel. I passed the androids that still screamed desperately and grabbed a fish.

"Hey Cosmos!"

"What?"

SPLAT!

I threw the fish at Cosmos, the dead animal hitting her face. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Cosmos processed the situation until she realized that an animal that could kill her was in her face, and then, Cosmos screamed.

"AAAHHH!"

Cosmos fell from the wooden box she sat on while I picked up another fish and placed it in front of her face.

"Come on Cosmos? What is the problem? It's just a fish, it's not like you're going to die from eating it."

"Stay away from me you lunatic!" Cosmos screamed, scrambling on the ground, trying to get away from the fish. She got up quickly and ran away from me, but I ran after her. We circled the group of androids who watched us surprised.

-XXXXXX-

"Are they always like this?" Damiana asked Florence.

"You can't even imagine." Florence answered.

"It's not that bad! Cosmos is just hard to deal with!" Kokio tried to defend her friend.

"Kokio, Cosmos is hard with everyone but you." Salieri spoke. Kokio cringed at what Salieri said, for it was true.

"Shouldn't we take Alan for repairs? He ate the fish!" 11B exclaimed.

"Believe me, he's had worse." Perla spoke. Then Perla, Damiana, 11B, and the PODs talked to the other androids while Alan chased Cosmos.

"So, are you friends with Alan?" Kokio asked.

"You could say so, more like a family at that point." Perla spoke.

"Seriously? How long have you known each other?"

"A few years ago." Damiana said.

"You two are alike. The same model perhaps?" Florence asked.

"Not exactly. Similar models, but modified for different tasks, I'm more heavy-duty whereas my sister is support-oriented." Damiana spoke.

"Sisters, you are sisters?" Florence asked again.

"Yes, we left the factory at the same time, I think our resemblance helped." Perla said.

"Well, you are the second pair of sisters in this camp." Salieri spoke.

"Are you talking about the twins? I think I saw them a few times around camp." Damiana spoke.

"Yes."

"We noticed that other androids don't treat them well, is there a reason for that?" Perla asked.

"No one knows. All androids are programmed with this dislike for the twins. Something bad happened in the past and it was their fault." Salieri replied. Perla and Damiana exchanged a look, knowing what Salieri was talking about.

"That's not fair, it must have been others of the same model and they still get all the blame." Perla spoke.

"Unfortunately, I can't do anything about it, or someone changes the programming of all the androids in the world to stop hating the twins, or someone explains what happened. Honestly, I don't like it, I'm programmed to hate someone without knowing why, I feel like my judgment has been altered, that my opinion on the subject is not my true opinion." Salieri replied. This frustrated Perla, but Damiana put a calming hand on her shoulder.

"I think we'd better pay them a visit later." Damiana spoke.

"Good luck with that; they don't like strangers very much."

-XXXXXX-

Meanwhile, Florence, Kokio, and 11B talked to each other.

"Oh! Are you new here?" Kokio asked 11B.

"Yes, I entered camp a few times, but I don't think I've ever spoken to you."

"So let's introduce ourselves, I'm Kokio and this is Florence." Kokio introduced herself and her friend.

"Hello. What's your name?" Florence waved and smiled.

"Hello. I am… The less they knew about her identity the better. Taking a deep breath and calming down, 11B chose a name and revealed it to the androids.

"My name is Camellia."

"It is nice to meet you, Camellia." Kokio smiled.

"Welcome to the camp." Florence answered.

"Thanks. Honestly, I was surprised to see how big this place is." 11B smiled.

"We can show you around the camp, would you like to come with us?" Kokio suggested.

"I don't want to bother you."

"You won't bother us, come on, it will be fun." Florence insisted.

Camellia hesitated, not wanting to stray too far from her group, but Kokio and Florence tugged her by each arm. Giving Perla and Damiana a distressing look, the sisters nodded, saying that everything would be fine.

Camellia let go of the two androids that pulled her, and giving each one a friendly smile, she asked:

"Do you know of any place where they sell hair dye?"

"Sure, I know a place. You know, you're not the first to look for this, other androids like to change their appearance and…" Kokio spoke as she led Camellia to the store. Kokio surprised Camellia by how much she talked, while Florence smiled amusedly.

"You will get used to it. Kokio likes to make new friends."

"I can see that." Camellia smiled back. Then the group disappeared into the crowd

-XXXXXX-.

"Hey Salieri, can you tell me where we can find the twins?" Perla asked.

"Hm… If I remember correctly, they have a shop where they do general equipment repairs, if they haven't gone out on a mission." Salieri replied.

"Do they do missions often?" Damiana asked.

"Yes, the worst types of missions, even if they're not combat androids. Moreover, when they come back… I'm not a medical android, but as a mechanic, let's just say it wasn't pretty…" Salieri said, looking away. Without another word, Perla and Damiana got up, going in search of the twins.

"See you later!" Salieri bid the sisters farewell, only to receive a quick wave in response, flinching at that.

"I should have been more careful giving the information."

-XXXXXX-

Now that the sisters were gone, only Cosmos, Alan, and the PODs remained, with Alan still chasing Cosmos.

"Stay away from me!" Cosmos screamed.

"Come on, it's just a fish!" Alan replied.

"Help, he wants to kill me!"

"Not so funny now, is it?"

Eventually, Cosmos escaped, an android's stamina being far greater than that of a human. The desperate android pushed other androids out of the way, not realizing that Alan no longer chased her.

Catching his breath, Alan laughed when he saw Cosmos running away. Looking at Salieri, Alan saw that the android tried to hold back his laugh.

"She will kill you when she gets back." Salieri spoke between laughs.

"It would not be the first time." Alan shrugged.

"Want a drink?" Salieri offered Alan a bottle. Alan looked at it with a brief look of disgust crossing his face.

"No, thanks, but I'll have more fish if you don't mind." Alan said, sitting down on a wooden box next to Salieri. Salieri kicked the bucket towards Alan, who skewered a fish on a stick and roasted it over the fire.

"I still can't believe you can eat that stuff without dying."

"I'm an old android; my parts don't have the same sensitivity as androids do today."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, my insides are more like a metal skeleton full of wires and circuits."

"Wow, what year was you manufactured?" Salieri asked, sipping his booze.

"I was made in the year four thousand one hundred and ninety."

"PPPSSSHHH!" Salieri spat out his drink upon hearing the answer and stared at Alan, startled, and frightened.

"What?" Alan asked confused.

"You are old as fuck!" Salieri pointed a shaky finger at Alan, who threw a fish at Salieri, but the android dodged it.

"I am old, but that has done nothing to diminish my abilities."

"How the hell are you still alive and functioning?!?"

"Androids were made with steel and titanium in my day. We could take punches from giant machines and still fight. Not like today's androids that need constant maintenance."

Salieri fixed Alan with a bored look.

"Ok, boomer."

Alan stopped what he did and stared into the air for a few seconds, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly, then pointed a finger at Salieri but did not say anything. His gaze strayed upwards as he thought, and then Alan grabbed his head and looked down at the ground.

"My god, I'm a boomer!"

"The first step is acceptance." Salieri joked. Alan threw another fish at him, but he dodged again.

"So, how do you do it?" Salieri asked.

"How I do what?"

"How do you manage to be surrounded by those pretty babes? The sisters, the girl in the black jacket, and Anemone tell me your secret."

"Why do you think I have any secrets?"

"They say wisdom comes with age and considering how old you are, you must have figured out some technique for getting girls."

"You're talking bullshit. But if you're so interested in getting someone, why don't you try going out with Florence?"

"Florence? PSH! No! She and I are just friends; she must not want to date someone like me."

"All couples started as friends. In addition, what do you mean by someone like you? What is so wrong with you that Florence doesn't want to go out with you?"

"I'm just a mechanic, while Florence is a medical android; she spends the day saving lives while I'm locked in the garage changing engine oil."

"You should try it, I was nobody before I met my special someone. She was better than me at everything, but she still loved me, and I loved her back."

"Do you think I have a chance?"

"Sure, but you should shower and get ready first. Plan the date but do not plan too much, be polite but do not overdo it, Florence is not made of glass. Start slow, take a walk around camp, eat something light, and see how far it will take you, but if it doesn't work, don't insist."

"Wow! Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"I was right, wisdom comes with age."

This time Alan did not throw a fish; he grabbed Salieri by the shirt and smacked him across the face with it.

"Did you say I'm old? Yes! I am old! Moreover, you young people should learn to respect your elders! I will teach you respect the same way my father taught me!"

Then Alan slapped Salieri across the face, leaving the fish mark on his cheeks. Unfortunately, the commotion caught the attention of a group of androids who watched the exhibition.

This event would become the joke of the resistance camp for months. Meanwhile, the PODs recorded everything and transmitted it to the data network, increasing even more the scope of the joke.

END OF CHAPTER