'BZZT'

The timer in my head went off. My eyes opened slowly. All images were receipted and taken into view and perspective. Startup complete.

I got up and stood before the slightly untidy bed before me. Effortlessly I quickly neatened it.

Startup complete.

"Whew!" I sighed. My startup sequence takes a while for my real self to kick in. I hated feeling all mechanical and robot-like. I touched my wrist and a holographic watch rose from it. 7:00 am. "I'm late," I said softly. I remembered that other androids were at my house. Well, those other androids were my Caretaker Units (CU's). Still, cannot risk it.

I went towards my closet and selected uniform on the touch-pad installed for it. A little whirring confirmed that my uniform was coming around. I quickly grabbed the dress shirt and khaki pants and hurried on the blazer. My shoes had already been on. I had not remembered why though.

I finished getting ready and went down the stairs. Down the stairs to an empty house. I went for the kitchen and there, on a single island with granite counter-top, was a holographic simulation of my CU's.

"Curo. Good morning. You have slept in again. While this is odd android behaviour, we have decided not to pay it any concern. Recharging pellets are in the microwave. Also, return. To the Abode early this afternoon, we will be attending a function at the Nexus."

And with those words, the holograms vanished. An Abode is a house, that androids live in.

Wait, did they just say they were going to the Nexus?!

The Nexus is the centre of Andropolis. It is where all the Advanced Model Androids (AMA's) work. It was the governmental, scientific centre. It is also where my uncle works. He is the Leader Unit of Andropolis. He doesn't cater to know anything about me though. I didn't expect him to.

You see androids kind of move to a different beat. They are programmed not to feel. They can only emote the basic emotion: fear.

Any android who feels more than that is an AMA or is in the process of becoming one. See, you can purchase feelings at the Nexus. That's if you have acquired qualification and funds to do so. It is a difficult process, this is why the majority if Androplis are Common Androids (CA's).

I re-checked my watch again. "Oh no!" I said, a bit too loudly. I was really late now. I hurried outside, grabbing my hoverboard on the way out. The city's image struck my digital retina, and admiration ran through my circuits.
The first thing that popped out was the tall, prism structure that was The Nexus. It shone a brilliant and radiant reflection of light all over, like a huge searchlight. Then, looking down were the Abodes. Normal Abodes were also white like the Nexus, and cuboid in form. My Abode was a normal Abode. Then there are Anodes that AMA's have. Because they have unlocked creativity, they had the choice to change their Abode's appearance. So, I saw a few colours popping up here and there.
The street. A perfectly ruled, equal length stretch of road that went every crevice if the city like a white serpent.

I sped off to school, dodging androids walking lamely around me, and some who gave me apprehensive looks. Those were AMA's. My school was the only school in Andropolis. It was also the only structure built off level-ground in the city. Yes. I had to board straight up a hill. I trekked to the top, only to be confronted by the security guard.

"Unit 110. Curo. You are late again I see," the tall, 'muscular machine said before me.

"I am aware sir, my apologies," I said as plainly and as lifeless as I could.

He snickered and said," You think I need your apologies? You're the one who should be sorry - for yourself! The Vice-principal wants to see you!" He started to laugh hysterically.
Authority Androids were really annoying. Their programming allows them access to emotions. Ugh!
So I passed the annoying AA and walked to the prison I called a school. If you knew how it looked you would understand the prison statement. The building was made out of old brick and mortar, regular shaped and all. Everything there was lifeless and dead silent, apart from the occasional announcement through the intercoms.

I made my way to the top of the hill and approached the large double door entrance. Then my vice-principal appeared, right on the other side of the old wood doors. Her small, blue eyes pierced into mine, sending an irregular sensation of coldness throughout my unit.

"You are not early, Curo," she said. Her eyes swept from my face to my feet, then back up again. "It is entirely irregular for a unit such as yourself to have this type of behaviour. One more tardy report and I will be forced to send a recommendation to the Damaged Units and Computer Analysis Station." With those, plain, attitude-filled words, she spun around and paced into the school.

I could not be recommended to the Damaged Units and Computer Analysis Station (DUCAS). That was where malfunctioning androids went to be 'repaired'. But none that have gone have ever returned to my belief. I wasn't malfunctioning. I was just different.

I can't let this happen to me. Fly under the radar, Curo. Under the radar.

I walked through the halls only to see my two friends, Xley and Ronu. I called them friends because I could. To be honest, I could not have been friends with anyone at school. No one. Not one person. As I explained before, androids only have one emotion. Fear. You see, so this leaves them looking like the undead when they are not exhibiting that one emotion. So, I lived in 'zombie-land'.

Ouch!
System Error: Grammatical.

That happens anytime I say something grammatically incorrect. Its annoying as anything.

Back to my 'friends'.

"Hello Xley, Ronu." They returned the greetings, as would all CA's do. "Did you two complete the assignment for Matrix And Technology Hypo-Studies?" I asked. MATHS. Such an easy subject.

"Yes, we have," Ronu answered, "without any help from you." That was supposed to sound harsh and shady, but it didn't. It sounded blank and emotionless. No expression or anything. It often bothered me that they were like that. That we were like that.

System Error: Grammatical.

Hey, it didn't hurt me that-

Ouch!

Never mind.
We all entered the classroom. It was a small group of us. The Teacher Unit was on his desk, fiddling with the cords of the projector. After he had completed his task, the presentations began. The assignment was a group assignment, where groups had to create a Matrix Realm. I didn't participate. Not because I couldn't. Because I didn't want to. So Xley and Ronu showed the teacher the Matrix Realm they made, while I just stood there.
When class finished, or grades were uploaded to our systems. We got an A (as always). Then it was off to the next class. Varied Acquired Language Integration. VALI.
The class was already full when I entered. Our tables were already set with our learning devices, and the TU (Teacher Unit) was looking a bit frustrated and uninterested.

"SmartSpecs on students," she said, picking up a remote. We did as told, and she clicked on the goggle-like headpieces in front of us. SmartSpecs were the way androids learnt. Was there any other way? I wouldn't know, this was how I knew things to be. The way the SmartSpecs work, as that it flashes information across our retinal receivers which then transfers the information to our CPU's. It was great for me. While everyone else went at a nor.all speed, I went faster. A few years back, I'd discovered that each SmartSpec had a speed-dial-up on it, which allowed you to adjust the speed of outputting the information. So I turned it up a notch. I placed the SmartSpecs on my head and began 'learning'.

Images of some foreign people came up, and, then audio kicked in. Words and phrases of a language we had never studied before filled my ears. I could feel the data transferring to my CPU. It was a weird sensation, really. Like being tickled on the back if the neck with a feather. How did I know how that felt? I had pillows. Things happened.

NEER! VERK! BOOM!

The SmartSpecs made a weird noise, almost destroying my ears. Everything g shut down. Images stopped, and after the deafening noise, so did sound. The shock delayed my movements, as I slowly tried to remove the headpiece. When I was about to take it off though, something else happened. New images came on the screen. Images of an abnormal looking g chip. It was black, silicon I supposed. It had circuits running through it in awkward curved lines. The images flashed so quickly, my retinal receiver found it difficult to attain everything. The soft bell rung and all the SmartSpecs auto-closed.
I didn't get much from what happened. What was the chip? Why did I see that?
Then another piece if data loaded in my mind. It must have been a delayed response in my CPU. It was an image of the Nexus.
I didn't know what it meant.
What was that chip?
Why did I see it?
Why is it so important?
And what did the Nexus have to do with it?

Then I pieced it together. I still didn't know what that chip was. But I knew it was somewhere in The Nexus. And whatever it was, it must have been important. Important enough for me to find out why.
One thing was for sure. I had to get that chip.

System Error: Grammatical.

I ignored the uncomfortable pain. I was focused on the Nexus, in all its splendour. I would be there soon.

Soon and very soon.

(A/N: SO....? WHAT DID YOU THINK? WAS IT HORRIBLE? IT PROBABLY WAS, IT'S MY FIRST TIME WRITING SOMETHING ABOUT..... WELL ROBOTS. SOMETHING THAT'S A BIT CLOSER TO THE REAL WORLD THAN I'VE EVER BEEN. SO, UMM... READ... ENJOY AND VOTE. PLEASE SUPPORT THIS AND MY OTHER BOOK THE POKEOLOGY OF LOVE.
MWUAH. BYE.