Used Toy

ruben davila

            There was a full moon tonight. A thick fog moved throughout the streets with a light drizzle. Store signs and streetlights could barely be seen. There was a blue hue in the sky. This was one of those rare instances where the city felt calm – cars are usually blasting through the streets, large buses coming to screeching halts, highways filled with cars touching door to door, and people crowding the sidewalks and streets with mindless chatter, their robot companions following them. The city is large, with multi-story tall buildings, some towering hundreds of feet in the sky with smaller, more humble buildings on the outskirts.
            I was around the inner city. Walking down the sidewalk, I passed by an alleyway. I could hear music pulsing. People were laughing and talking. It caught my curiosity and made me turn to check it out.
            As I was getting closer, I could practically see every tidal wave the music was making. The stench of alcohol, sweat and sex was starting to take over. When I got to the door, there was a large bouncer checking for ID’s. The man was bald. He had a bit of a beer belly, but I could tell he had a lot of upper muscles. He wore a leather jacket with a black button-up shirt, black jeans, and military-looking boots. He had small bits of tattoos on from his chest poking up into his neck. When I approached him, he put his hand up.
            "Unless you’re here to entertain, your kind isn’t allowed here.” I should have guessed. Plus – it's not like I was hiding it. I poked my head around this beast of a man. Inside people were dancing, laughing, jumping around, drinks in hand spilling on the floor. Some taking advantage their robotic companions.
            They were models like mine. Voluptuous breasts, a pretty face, an hourglass figure, a body that no one could resist. Customizable. Add anything you want, right?
            “MAKE THE LOVER OF YOUR DREAMS!!!” ads all over town would blare out.
            I was made to be just like them. A toy for an owner’s pleasure, no questions asked. Just make sure you’re there when your partner calls you. Equipped with everything to help please whatever desire my human companion wanted me to fulfill.
            It wasn’t until I had enough. My companion was kind at first, but eventually she became hostile and started to tear me apart.
            My owner became increasingly aggressive with her... desires. First was the name calling and degrading, then came beatings. At first it would happen when she wanted to just have mindless sex, but then she started to beat me whenever it crossed her mind. One night, she attacked me.
            The synthetic tissue around my arm was torn off; certain joints started to lock up. I just couldn’t bear it any longer.
            After she had fallen asleep that night, I grabbed whatever I could and left. I was broken, my arm exposed to the elements. Wires and metals bars, all degrading fast. I collapsed into the street. Before I shut down, the last thing I heard was a car coming to a stop next to me. 
            “Do what you want,” I thought to myself. “It's what I was made for anyways...”

            When I came to, I was in a lab. It looked very... cozy. Crazy to say, but there was something different. There weren’t many engineers around. There were decorations of flowers and pictures of a family. Typically, I’d be in some repair pod, but this was almost like a bed. There was a blanket wrapped over me, and I had a simple nightgown on.
            “What happened?” I whispered to myself.

            “Oh, good, you’re awake!”
            I looked over. There was a short stalky man, with a white beard and large glasses. He had a funny waddle to him, and there wasn’t a hint of any menacing aura. If anything, it felt like... he was a father, almost.
            “When I found you, your arm was practically falling off. Many of your sensors, motor functions, and fancy features, such as your lights, were broken. Don’t worry, though, I’ve fixed everything and gave it all an upgrade.”
            I looked down at my arm. It had new metal plating, no more synthetic skin. It felt light but strong, almost military grade. I got up to walk around. My joints felt much smoother and more flexible. Many of the features that my previous owner had given me had been removed. My new lights were able to change colors, and with the sensors around my eyes and ears, I was able to see virtually everything. New modes would come up for me to choose from, such as night x-ray
vision. I could hear everything outside, from the wing flaps of butterflies to even the heartbeats of the people.
            “Thank you. For... helping me. May I ask, who are you?”
            “It was my pleasure, miss, and please, you may just call me Doc. Now, I've packed some things for you so that you may be able to start your new life.”
            A new... Life? I walked over and he had a case filled with stuff. New clothes, self-defense equipment, a portable charging station, and ID. It had an updated picture with the new improvements Doc had given me, and a sex, a race, a serial number and a name. My previous owner never gave me a name. All she would call me was “Android”.
            “Vayda Vail...” I said softly. I could feel a knot stuck in my throat.
            I got dressed, packed everything. Just before I left, Doc pulled me aside.
            “Vayda, if you need anything please come back to me. This is your home. I’ve helped many other androids here as well. I know what you were built for, but just because you built for one purpose, doesn't mean you have to follow it, okay?”
            I couldn’t believe how... nice he was. I gave him a hug, thanked him for his generosity, and made my way out.
            I sighed and looked at the bouncer. “No, I'm sorry, I just wanted to see what all the noise was.”
            “Well, get a move on then, android, you’re holding up the line.”
            I walked back into the street, looked at my arm, faintly glowing blue, water droplets dunning down the smooth shiny metal. I smiled and continued down the road.
            Maybe someday all of us will be free.