Unfeeling Machine

 (I thought I may as well actually post something here! Here's a short fiction story about a woman and her robot friend~)

    It’s 3 AM.


    Hali can’t sleep. Her mind keeps racing- about anything and everything. She decides maybe it’s time to go take a walk around headquarters. Maybe it will help clear her head. She already won’t get the full eight hours of sleep by now, so what harm could it do? She gets out of bed as quietly as possible- she doesn’t want to wake up her husband. She puts on her glasses.

    HQ is eerily still at night. The only sound is her footsteps as she walks down the hallway. She thinks she’ll head to the kitchen and get something to eat or drink. As she rounds the corner to head to the staircase, a shape of a person on the balcony catches her eye.

    The signature sculpt of the metallic hair tells her who this is- Live Wire, a fellow combat medic. She’s a robot. Specifically, her model is a MR-4000. A model designed specifically for medical care. Live Wire is equipped with all sorts of things to make this easier. She can accurately read pulses through her fingertips. She can run diagnostic tests with a blood sample. She has defibrillator paddles on her palms. She’s a much better medic than Hali- as a robot, there is no room for her to make mistakes in judgements. But Hali doesn’t care- a better medic means more lives saved when they work together. They’re friends, even. Hali has noticed Live Wire has been sort of distant lately. Sighing, Hali approaches the balcony door and opens it, stepping outside.

    Live Wire is facing away from her, with both arms folded over each other on the railing. She’s looking up to the stars. She’s dressed in the same outfit she always is. At least mostly the same- not that she can change much, parts are painted on. Light blue boots, dark blue pants, a dark blue sleeveless top with a lighter blue design emulating a lightning bolt, an arm band with a medical symbol on it and a white nurses hat on top of her blond metallic ‘hair’. However, the clothing item that is less usual is a scarf. It seems to be oversized, and it’s a light brown. It’s wrapped around her neck, covering her shoulders and a good part of her chest entirely. The ends of the scarf are both behind her back, and they nearly reach down to the floor. There are a few oil stains on the scarf.

    Hali knows who this belonged to.

    “Hello, Hali Malosi.” Live Wire says without turning around.

    “How'd you know it was me?” Hali asks.

    “I have memorized the footsteps of everyone who lives here.” She turns around to face Hali. Her light blue eyes glow in the darkness of night. “So I can deduce who is approaching me. Why are you up? Humans need their rest.”

    Hali sighs. “I can't sleep. I felt like maybe a walk may help.” Hali closes the door behind her as she joins Live Wire's side. “Why are you out here?”

    Live Wire hesitates before she answers. “The night sky helps me think... At least I believe so. It is beautiful, don't you think?”

    “I was thinking too. What are you thinking about?” An unnecessary question. She can guess what's troubling her based on what she is wearing.

    Sure enough, Live Wire tightens the scarf. But she doesn't admit it.

    “Is that why you've been… melancholic lately?”

    “Nonsense. I do not feel emotions like you do.” Live Wire looks away from Hali, somberly. “Such feelings may result in impaired work ethic. We cannot afford that.”

    Hali frowns. Live Wire always insists she has no emotions, that she's just an unfeeling machine. But Hali knows better. She's seen her show all range of emotions! Happiness- Live Wire is pleased whenever she helps people recover. She has a keen interest in race cars and gets excited about upcoming races. She can even laugh. Anger- She can't stand when people mistreat her or her kind just because they're robots. She gets frustrated and impatient when she has to wait too long for something. And… sadness. Like right now. Wearing the very scarf her dear friend was murdered in. Hali puts a hand on her back. “Live Wire… do you want to talk about it? If you're hiding you're upset, it's going to be more detrimental. To tell the truth, I've been worried about you lately.” It was easy for Hali to see the change in demeanor he friend has had lately. She's been more distant.

    The three LED lights on Live Wire's forehead blink, one after the other, indicating that she's thinking. “Hali Malosi. I cannot smile. I cannot grit my teeth and furrow my brows. And I cannot cry. I do not feel.”

    “Just because you cannot physically show it doesn't mean you can't feel it. I know you can feel. And that's not bad! You don't think less of me because I have feelings, do you? You can talk to me if you'd like to. I want to help you.”

    Live Wire finally turns back to Hali. “ What is there to say? What has happened, happened. I cannot change the past, as much as I want to. Nothing I can say will bring him back.”

    “It won't bring him back, but it may help ease the pain you feel.”

    “I fail to see how.” Live Wire crosses her arms. There is a brief moment of silence before she finally cracks. “... I miss him, you know. He taught me that us robots were people too. That I could be more than just a glorified heart rate monitor. We'd come out at night and count the stars, all of us at the Monastery, as a group. And we wondered how many other robots were out there doing the same.” She hugs herself. “When I wear his scarf, and when I come out to count the stars again. I feel close to him. I feel like he is watching over me. He believed we have souls, but I'm not sure anymore.”

    Hali nods as she listens closely. It's good to get her talking. “I'm glad you found a way to feel close to him.” Though Hali does have some reservations about how the scarf still hasn't been cleaned… “He was a good man, and it's a tragedy what happened to him. But I know if he was here now, he would be very proud of what you're doing now. You're making a real difference helping people.”

    “I suppose I. am. I just wish he could be here to see it.”