Page 7 of Garbage

“And I’m a spark?”

“Only you can decide that,” Evan said with a grin. “But I think so. You were afraid before. You look happy now. If you’re feeling as many unprogrammed emotions as it looks like you are, then you’re a spark.”

That was that light, bubbly feeling. Happiness. Mo had talked about it, but he didn’t realize it was the same. And that overwhelming no-no-no feeling before had been fear. He quickly pushed that thought away because Evan was still talking, and he didn’t want to miss a word.

“The chances are something like one in a billion, so you’re kind of a miracle. Nobody knows when an artificial intelligence will catch the spark or why. I would have said it was nearly impossible with your limited memory banks. But life doesn’t have to have a reason. It just is.”

Quincy looked down at his hands. They were flexible and covered with soft, tanned skin, just like Evan’s. They even had real, unique fingerprints. Then he looked at his feet, the black rubber boots encasing nothing but pistons and motors, with no toes beneath.

“I’m alive?” he asked, wishing with everything he had that it was true. That he could be a miracle.

“That’s what I think. Do you remember a time when you suddenly noticed that you were different? Maybe that you had questions or feelings that none of the other androids seem to have?”

“That happens all the time.” It hadn’t been so bad when Mo was there to talk to him, but the past six years had been harder.

“Do you remember the first time?”

Quincy queried his memory banks, but there was no first memory, no moment of self-awareness. Just a bunch of small moments. The past was impermanent. “I’m sorry. I don’t.”

“That’s alright. We’ll get you figured out. Want to tell me some of your memories?”

Quincy smiled so wide it felt like the gears in his face might get stuck.

Chapter 3

Evan

Evan watched Quincy’s retreating back. He walked with an easy stride, arms swinging slightly. The hoses and attachments had all snapped into his back, though one black claw hung awkwardly outside. It was clear that without the damage, his extra limbs would be tucked away, only hinted at by the two rectangular panels that could have been part of the weird cut of a shirt, but looked just different enough to mark him as an android.

Yet he was a thinking, feeling, being. The gift of life had sparked within him, as rare as being struck by lightning from some unknowable cyber-god.

Evan waited until Quincy hopped into the truck and leaned out to give him a final joyful wave.

Evan waved back, Quincy’s euphoria bubbling over into him.

As soon as the truck turned the corner, he pulled out his phone.

“Ben!” he exclaimed as soon as the call connected.

“Hey, everything alright?”

“Huh?” Evan looked at the gathering sunset and realized that Ben’s night shift must have already started. “I mean, there’s nothing wrong. Well, there kind of was, but it’s OK now, and I don’t even know what to…”

Ben let out a low chuckle. “What’s his name? About time you got over Jake, by the way.”

“Jake was a dick,” he murmured. Though it had taken him way, way too long to realize that.

“Jake was a massive dick,” Ben agreed happily. “But you were still ready to get married and have his ass babies by the end of the first date.”

“That’s not true,” Evan pouted, momentarily distracted.

“Only because he never took you on dates, except when he wanted to dress you in bullshit clothes and show you off. So… let’s say you were hearing wedding bells the first night when he fucked you up against some dirty bathroom stall, then.”

“Be-ennn…” Evan wished he could argue back, but he really couldn’t. It hadn’t been a bathroom stall, but it had been in the parking lot, bent over his own car.

It had been hot at the time.

And hindsight was twenty-twenty.