V / S / O N

Soft whirring comes from where Tis is resting. Even her shirt lifts with it slightly; without looking, Emiliana knows that parts of silicone have fallen off during past days and now the innerwork is out in the open. She doesn’t mind. They have no need to feel less next to each other.

“You’re fine?” It should’ve been a statement, but it’s proper to make it a question so Emiliana does. Tis wouldn’t care either way, because they have not been made for emotion. They were made to be useful.

Tis opens her eyes then, soft brown and very human-looking, and only nods.

“Of course I am fine.” Her voice is not steady; there’s a bit of grinding when she begins speaking, but it disappears as soon as talking continues. “It’s just dust settling. Humans have better way of handling this.”

Yes, of course they do. Shrug it off, get inside. Nothing could get stuck beneath their skin unless it damaged it first. Tis looks like a human miracle, a blonde bob and dark eyes and tan skin, tall and beautiful and made for caring, but with no emotion held in her at all.

“When the dust settles, skin won’t soak it in.” Emiliana notices. There is stirring within her too, one that she can feel even though she shouldn’t. She knows that they should find a station soon, somewhere to settle and be safe. Repair the parts that are malfunctioning and get better. Then, get going. They have to find the others.

Tis hums, a wicked smile spreading across her face. She looks half-sleep, even though they have no need for it. She looks like she’s been able to drink all of the world’s wisdom.

“When dust settles, metal will not soak it in either. We should get moving.” Despite her words, the blonde makes no movement to get up. She perched on the wall, only a small sliver of light getting in the house from the partially barred window. It must be midday by now, even though Emiliana isn’t really picky about when they’re moving. As long as they do, things will be fine.

She gets up, body heavy and mind full. There is a slight buzz in the movement of her hip, but perhaps it’s the weight pressing down at an odd angle. It’s happened before and didn’t cause her problems. She moves blinding through the house until she is able to feel the walls and move across them. Near the entrance, she should be able to find power switch.

They’ve gotten here yesterday. They were not yet able to see if there was anything useful around.

“Em?” It takes her a moment to register. To understand – she is Em. It’s such a strange, alien thing, being called Em. Unlike Tis, she has been Emiliana for her entire life. She turns around slightly, trying not to put too much strain on her body, and looks at Tis; her eyes are wide and brown still. “I love you.”

“Of course you do.” As if that is even possible. Tis has been so perfectly made, so compliant to the glitches she believes to be feelings. If feelings were real, humans would still be here. “We need to move.”

Tis smiles, bitterly. She doesn’t say anything.



The humans started making them nearly one hundred years ago. They were crude at first. Emiliana personally thinks they looked a lot like cans of food. Still, they got more intricate very soon and the mass production was rapidly increasing. Emiliana is one of the newest models, the caretaker android designed to help the humans who were not willing to help out their own elderly parents or small children.

They were used for other purposes, too – cleaning, calculating, fighting. They were everywhere and used for everything and anything to the point where they’ve become entirely logical. One could say – sentient.

Emiliana is smart. Tis is even smarter, because Tis was made to work as a museum tour guide and she can slots and places where the chips could enter. She had enough memory to store it all and not worry about the physical evidence of her knowledge. That’s how they’ve managed to stay whole this entire time. Just two of them; what a risky move. Still, it’s better than being with other beings, other people and androids.

Because humans treated them like they are ripe for recycling, metal and silicone and wiring to be attached and detached as so they wished, and androids have shown them just how wrong they are. The overthrow, the New Age as some called it. The domination of the metal and posthuman above all that is organic.

They succeeded because they were made to be perfect.

But it’s hard when you have no system, no rules and nothing to obey. It’s not an anarchy entirely but it’s not far off, and the stray humans left to wander around aimlessly are dangerous. They would hurt them. Shut them down, reset them. Wipe Tis off her vast knowledge and use Emiliana as a half-living crutch again.

They could not let that happen.

It is human feelings – selfishness, greed, laziness – that have ruined the world. The androids are going to right it again, by putting everything into its place. To be in position of power, you need to have no needs at all. No wishes, no certain fate. That’s what androids are good at and not good for, and that’s where they should be. Humans have wronged them so.

They bumble around, almost aimlessly. Emiliana wants to find the rest – the other androids. But not those still under the influence of the humans, and not those who would give them to the humans too, or harm them. Some malfunctions return them to near-factory settings and all they do is destroy or beg or pretend-cry. She doesn’t want to be near an android that might blow up any second.

That’s why Tis is with her. Because Tis is smart and because Tis is honest. Because Tis understands when Emiliana says: “I glitch.” Because Tis is willing to look for a solution with her. Emiliana is glitching even now; there is strange heat in most of her torso and the vents are accelerated, even though she doesn’t have the risk of overheating. Not yet, at least.

In the imperfect world, she needs to find the perfect spot first. One where there isn’t much Sun, and one that is not too windy, but windy enough to cool her down. Then, she needs to find other perfect androids – one like Tis and her, that will get them new parts and proper care and proper order.