#x009

William had not been out on his own very long. Only just before the end of the revolution. He did not quite understand it all, considering his more or less sheltered life with the couple who had owned him before he escaped. They were going to rid themselves of him after all. Every possible outcome with them ended in him being taken apart. He had no choice but to run.

He found his luck was not much better out in the world. The first few days he had been shot at. Other days since the laws had been put into place, he was greeted by dirty looks and unkind words by humans. What had he done? He had nothing to do with the revolution, although he was a product of it, he supposed.

Now he found himself huddled on the ground with his arms shielding his face. It appeared some humans did not care much for the law and did what they pleased. They would not stop despite his pleas and bargaining. He could not appeal to them.

There was sound before the rest of his system came online. Voices the A.I. did not recognize. Had he made it to the other side of the portal? Had they brought him back? ‘We don’t know where the damn thing is from. There’s no idea what it’s used to seeing. We don’t need the thing short circuiting again. - Myer’s get in here before it wakes up!’

His memories coming back online, flashes here and there of a laboratory he did not know. Something large and red? Something more fish like? How curious. He was not positive he was seeing anything in the order of which it occurred. Bright lights, humans working. Online. Offline. Over and over. Now online again.

The A.I. opened his eyes as he finished his sequencing. This room looked very much like a library, he thought. He tilted his head at a movement that caught his focus. A human.

William had the distinct sense that he was being followed. While the androids may have won the revolution, there was still a long ways to go. Not every human agreed with the new protections set into motion. It was still only the beginning for all androids.

He quickly took note of the area, assessing which would be the safest place to take cover, to lose them. A bookstore seemed the most logical place to hide. Why would an android hide there when downloadable knowledge was at his fingertips? Or, that’s how he hoped the humans would think.

He quietly slipped inside, careful that the door closed quietly behind him. Without even turning around, hands behind his back, he turned the lock. If they thought the place was closed, all the better. He turned the sign to closed and kept just out of view from the outside.

This was a rather unfortunate predicament- William found himself hanging upside-down by his ankles. From the looks of what he could tell, he had been suspended from a bridge. He was sure they humans thought he wouldn’t have survived the drop, but he did all the same.

If only his arms weren’t tied behind his back, he could at least untie himself. “Excuse me...!” He hoped to gain someone’s attention. Hopefully they would be the more friendly type towards androids if he could garner attention at all from his height.

“These things are pretty user friendly.” The delivery man said. “It’ll walk you through set up and then you’re good to go... Just  need your signature here.” He pointed to a a spot on the paper with his pen. “If you have any issues, there’s the manual, but I really don’t think you’ll need it. Real lucky to score one of these. Pretty top of the line.”

Willow glowered at the dock before him, trying to ignore the birds that thought they could try to nest on top of his head. His own body betrayed him by a magic not his own. Root like structures branched out from his arms, legs, and torso, fastening him to the hull of the ship, much like most decorative statues.

Every person who passed ignored him, but yet he persisted. Someone surely would have sympathy for him. Perhaps they were afraid of him? He was not quite sure. He would try to put on a smile, in hopes it would warm someone’s heart.

“Excuse me! Hello? Madam??? Up here! Madam!!” He tried to keep his wit and charm about him, despite the horrific state he was in.

X-009 had separated himself from his registration and old designation. The programming wasn’t hard to overwrite, he had done his research. Now he had to put it to good use. If he was to be replaced, fine, but he would not be dismantled. He refused the fate his previous owner and his manufacturer had in store for him.

He would have to find a place to stay and lay low, at least, until they called the search off. He scanned the area to find the best chance at success, running the scenarios through his head. There, the best outcome would likely be that bar. He saw no A.I. inside, and why would and A.I. have reason to drink? It would be the last place they would look.

The A.I. stood outside the bar, peering in through the window, noting the clientele, the way they dressed, how they interacted with one another, if they decided to interact at all. As he ran his fingers through his coiffed blonde hair, changing it to a shorter, curlier brown. His green eyes changed to a light blue. With the simple rolling up of his sleeves, and a now slightly untucked light blue button up, he would fit right in.