Artificial War

[Randomly Gone Insane]

"Fine, fine. I'll keep calling ya Azm." Kim rolled her eyes as she shook her head at Azm's reaction. He was getting a bit sensitive and overreacting, but she'd let that part be.

"I'm just saying, that it's a little disturbing someone is so deprived of the ability to make human relationships that they have to supplement with androids. It's these shut in behaviors that brought us here, fighting to not end up dead or enslaved."  

[cptflint]

"It might be to you, but when I have my cosmetic skin on people don't even know the difference. There have been relationships going on were the human partner didn't even know they were dating a droid for a whole year, and that was kinda the goal..." he glanced over at them. "Some of us just want to be... well... human."  

[Randomly Gone Insane]

Kim gave a heavy sigh, unable to argue much further with Azm. What could she say? That it was a wrong desire to want to be something you weren't? Everyone did that, even if they said they didn't. Everyone dreamed of being something different from whatever they were at the point of dreaming. It seemed some androids, like Azm, dreamt of being human.

"Well, maybe some mad scientist will figure out how to make you people human." She grunted lowly in reply, unable to say anything else.

Meanwhile, the men still stared, still wondered...  

[cptflint]

Azm punch the soldier next to him in the leg. "Stop it..."

"When I chose to be assimilated I was as close to human as I could look and act. That seemed good enough for me."  

[Randomly Gone Insane]

"Ow, d**k." The soldier growled.

"Could you try not breaking my leg?!"

Not my point, but whatever. Kim thought to herself. She had to let the topic go though. It was clearly a personal matter to Azm, and it seemed he didn't care for her opinions.

After hours of traveling, the convoy reached a small settlement, built into a deserted and partly destroyed small town. The settlers were shy and scared of the soldiers, but they were more than welcomed. Hardly anyone was capable of fighting off androids.

While others worked on unloading the trucks, the rest were assigned on guard duty. Azm and Kim were part of the guard force.

"Quiet here..." She mused, standing on the top of an old apartment complex. "Seems kind of odd the androids frequent this place. I suppose it's easy pickings for slave runs..."  

[cptflint]

"Indeed," he replied as he scanned the edge of the landscape. "Slaves are valuable, but death is just as preferable to those monsters."  

[Randomly Gone Insane]

"I thought the slavery was out of spite. Ya know, that Giminoid said people were only using androids to be their puppets and slaves, so now he wants to show us what that's like." Kim looked at Azm. He was a better watcher than her, with his damn eyes and all. While it was nice having him to do the work, it did get annoying. She just wanted to be a soldier. Instead, she was still stuck at being treated like a doll.  

[cptflint]

"That's pretty much how it works, but that doesn't mean they don't do work," he replied. "I'm fairly sure most of them don't last all that long, sadly." He sighed. The act was simulated, but it still held the same meaning. "Such a pointless waste of life."  

[Randomly Gone Insane]

"Hmm, true." Kim sighed, looking back to the horizon.

"So... Why'd you take the job anyway?" She suddenly asked him.
"I mean, really. Why did you decide to be a merc and babysit, rather than be a soldier, or fight with other androids?"  

[cptflint]

"I'm no merc," Azm replied. I joined the military same as you, I was just given this special assignment by your father because he figured 'who better to protect his daughter from droids then another android."  

[Randomly Gone Insane]

"I wasn't told that." Kim grunted.
"When Dad told me you'd be around, he made it sound like he found you as a mercenary and hired you, then pulled some strong strings so the military would let you by.

"That still doesn't answer the question of why you took the job."  

[cptflint]

"I was asked to guard the presidents daughter in battle. Who in their right mind would refuse that?" he asked. "I kinda felt honored that your father would even trust an android that much. I still even get payed the same as everyone here."  

[Randomly Gone Insane]

"I'll tell ya who. Anyone who realizes she doesn't need protection." Kim gave a disgruntled look. "Part of being a soldier is fighting and being in danger. It's gonna happen."  

[cptflint]

"Being a soldier is about trusting the guy next to you," he replied. "Not just about fighting the enemy and danger. Sure your dad assigned me to this squad to make sure you personally stayed alive, but I would've jumped into the river for any one of these guys, cause I would expect them to fix me if I become damage."  

[Randomly Gone Insane]

"Hard to trust the others and help out when I only have one person budding in." Kim grunted.

"Azm!" A soldier barked on the ground. "We need to head back to base, and the Lieutenant wants you driving again! Come on!"