#android angel

This is part one of an ongoing robot angst/whump story. As I post more, I’ll link the parts to one another.

Part 2

Read my DNI and NO MINORS. I block minors and blogs with ageless bios who interact with my posts.

CW: This is a sort of hurt/comfort scifi story about a person who is put into an Android body. I highly recommend against reading if you might be triggered by themes of body dysmorphia/dysphoria or similar. There will also be body horror, dehumanization, and themes of loss of control... I’ll add more warnings as I add onto the story lol

***

The first thing Angel noticed when he awoke was a loud click. It seemed to echo inside his head, and it startled him awake from a deep, dreamless sleep.

He knew as soon as he opened his eyes that something was wrong. He was laying on his back, the Captain and the starship’s doctor looking down at him. But the colors… the brightness… everything around him was just slightly off. He could see with perfect clarity but it wasn’t his normal vision. Something else he realized too: he normally wore contacts. How could he see so clearly?

“Angel, can you hear me?” At least Captain Walker’s voice was familiar. “Don’t try to speak yet. Just nod.”

He did. And even though he’d not tried to speak, the thought brought something else to Angel’s attention.

He wasn’t breathing.

“I can’t… breathe…” his voice came out as a strained whisper, and something whirred inside of his chest. The sensation flooded his mind with panic. His hands rushed to his throat.

Doctor Davies held him down, gentle but firm and said, “Don’t panic. You’re safe. You’re in the ship’s infirmary.”

“Angel,” Captain Walker said, “there’s something we need to tell you.”

Angel spotted something lodged in his arm, and he struggled out of the doctor’s grip to look at it. It was a small screen, embedded within his forearm. “What… happened to me?” At the end of that sentence, he strained to speak above a whisper and he finally heard the sound of his own voice. It wasn’t his voice. He brought a hand to his mouth. He knew that voice was something he’d heard before but… it wasn’t him.

The Captain held his hand, holding him steady, trying to keep him calm.

“Three weeks ago you got off the ship to accompany an explorative expedition on a planet we had recently discovered.” Angel nodded. He remembered. The Captain continued, “You were attacked by a wild animal, a hostile alien species. Doctor Davies worked very hard to save you, but your body was unable to recover. The only way we could save you was by downloading your consciousness, your memories, your personality, and implanting them into an Android. We had to use what was available to us.”

Angel listened, but it didn’t quite sink in. It was almost incomprehensible. He’d been on a simple mission, just doing his job, and now he was…

Dead. His body at least. Either way, he would never be human again. And of course, there was still the one big question.

“Who… am I, Captain? What body did you put me in?”

Captain Walker cleared his throat. He was composed but there was something pained in his demeanor. “We had to use a Michael unit. But Angel… you’re you. You won’t stop being you.”

Angel nodded, acknowledging but not quite believing. He laid back on the cot.

Michael units. He’d seen hundreds of them throughout his life. They were the service drones, the receptionists, the Androids that existed to do jobs that humans didn’t want to do. He wasn’t aware of any Michaels that had self awareness or thoughts or feelings. They were limited in their capacity, following commands and completing the tasks they had been programmed to fulfill. They were even voice activated: speaking the phrase “Hello Michael” would activate the nearest unit, and it would respond “How can I assist you?” And they were all completely identical. Six-foot tall men with deep but pleasant voices. Their hair colors were customizable, but that was about it.

Thinking about it made him feel sick. He didn’t want to believe it, that his body was gone and he’d been shoved into one of those things. His life had been saved at the cost of his humanity. He’d be a machine now, something that could be programmed. Something that was property.

He didn’t say any of this. Instead, he turned calmly to Doctor Davies. “Thank…” he winced at the sound of his own voice, now recognizing it as the voice of a Michael unit, “thank you for working so hard to save me, Doctor.”

Doctor Davies smiled gently, reassuringly. “I had help. Jack Simons, our Android Specialist, worked very hard to make sure this body would be compatible.”

Angel knew Jack, but they’d never spoken. He expected that they would become more familiar now, given the circumstances. He’d never have to go to the doctor again. “Do I have to stay here?” Angel asked, “Can I go to my room?”

Doctor Davies gave the approval, and they helped him to his feet. For a moment, he felt vertigo as he rose up, up, up… he’d only been around 5’ tall before. Now he was taller than the doctor, even taller than the Captain by an inch or two. It was almost funny, but it also made him feel strange and self-conscious. But his legs were stable, and he could walk, though in much longer strides than he was accustomed to.

“I’ll walk you to your quarters,” said Walker, “And I’ll call a meeting to brief the crew on what’s happened. You can attend if you feel comfortable, but it is not mandatory for you.”

“Thank you, Captain.” Angel said, as they approached the door. Captain Walker stood close to Angel, in case he stumbled or needed to lean on someone. Angel admired the responsibility Walker took for his crew.

He wondered if Walker blamed himself.

of course, friend! ID pack for a mechanical angel;

Part 1

This is part two of an ongoing robot angst/whump story. As I post more, I’ll link the parts to one another.

Read my DNI and NO MINORS. I block ageless blogs that interact with my posts.

CW: This is a sort of hurt/comfort scifi story about a person who is put into an Android body. I highly recommend against reading if you might be triggered by themes of body dysmorphia/dysphoria or similar. There will also be body horror, dehumanization, and themes of loss of control... I’ll edit this as I add new parts to the story.

***

The corridor was the same as it had always been, but it felt distorted, like looking at a familiar room from the top of a ladder. It was difficult for Angel to get used to his new stride, and he very nearly tripped over himself as they rounded a corner. Thankfully, the Captain kept him steady.

As two crewmates approached, Angel wrapped his arms around his torso. He noticed them giving him an odd look as they passed. He looked like a Michael unit to be sure, but he didn’t behave like one. They were probably wondering why the Captain was taking a defective Android for a walk.

“Captain, do you have any updates on Angel? Is he okay?”

The familiar voice came from behind them, and Angel turned to see Sadie approaching from down the hall. She was one of Angel’s dearest friends. She didn’t look at him.

Captain Walker tried not to show his discomfort. He looked to Angel, who shook his head slightly. The Captain only managed to say, “Well, Sadie, you see…” before Angel turned and walked the other way down the hall.

He’d been handling it well (or at least he thought he’d been) but this… it was just too much. Too weird. His body was torn to bits somewhere, and yet here he was, dead and alive and unrecognizable to his closest friend. He was suddenly overwhelmed by the desire to lay in his bed and go to sleep.

Was this body even capable of sleep?

He caught crew members glancing at him, curious about the Michael unit who was behaving so uncharacteristically. He heard the Captain following after him. He rounded a corner.

He saw himself.

For the first time, reflected in a window, he caught sight of his new body in a pane of glass between him and the vast emptiness of outer space. It was a face he’d seen so many times, but it reflected with horror back at him. For the first time it really sunk in. His body was gone. All that was left was this: a face in a sea of identical faces.

He tried to remember what he’d looked like before. He was small, androgynous, dark-haired and freckled. He’d always hated his freckles. The face that looked back at him now was smooth and clear and unblemished and… artificial. A plastic thing. A Halloween mask. He was still dressed in the clothes the unit had arrived in. Michael was sewn into the fabric, a name tag that couldn’t be removed.

He felt the wind knocked out of him and he fell back against the wall. A few of the crew members had gathered, and he heard one say, “Can you tell Jack to come up here? We have a malfunctioning Android on 2B.”

“That won’t be necessary.” The Captain’s voice. Angel looked up at Captain Walker, and he helped him to his feet.

Behind Walker, Sadie stood a little down the hall. “Angel?” She called gently, even though she looked frightened. Angel looked away, avoiding eye contact with the other crew members.

“Sadie,” said Walker, “Inform the rest of the crew that there is to be a mandatory meeting at 0800.” She nodded, but said nothing.

Angel and Walker continued down the hall to Angel’s quarters. When they arrived, Captain Walker turned to Angel and said, “Wait one moment,” before stepping into his room.