It was too much.

Zed was asking too much of me. 

I always thought I'd go much further than this to protect and help an android, should I ever meet one. But it was a lot easier to climb on a college desk and have a big mouth, than to walk on the side of a dusty road with an android and get your hands dirty.

"It's alright if you don't have an immediate answer," Zed spoke up after several seconds of silence. "I know I ask a great deal of you. Think about it." 

I frowned at him. "Hey, I'm no coward."

"Oh, I know you're not a coward." Zed smiled playfully. "I've seen your search history and, woof, you're into some quite--

"Hey! Don't bring that shit up," I hastily cut him off. "You can't go digging around people's search history and talk about it! Fuck." 

"Sorry, I forgot you get flustered easily."

There was still a broad smile plastered on Zed's face. He was teasing me, and I scowled. 

"That's easy for you to say. Can you even get flustered?"

Zed shrugged. "Don't know," he replied. "If I can, nobody succeeded in doing so, so far."

"Yeah, that's because we can't access your search history," I grumbled. "This isn't about search histories however. What you're asking is huge and different. I won't turn you or another android in to authorities, but creating a new gyndroid body? That's a whole different ballpark. Next to breaking int the vault, I'd get a double life sentence. Besides, Zekiye knows about you now." 

"I want you to be safe," Zed said. "If we plan this carefully, the chance you'll get caught is very slim."

I scoffed and pointed at the entrance to the vaults behind us. "We already got caught. At least one person will be able to trace this back to me, and she might just do that if I step one more toe out of line."

"That is true."

Zed blinked. His eyes glazed over. His face went blank, void of emotions. Suddenly, he was a lot more machine than human again, and it was in stark contract with his lighthearted teasing from a moment ago. 

I stopped myself there, catching my own bias. I had to stop making comparisons, because I wanted to treat him like I treated humans. Besides, people did this. Shift moods and suddenly get lost in thought. Alan sometimes did, too, when he was imagining different scenarios of the future in world economics. 

Zed blinked, and he became lifelike again. He'd finished thinking. "I ran some scenarios. They are more favourable for you if I disappear now," he said.

The logical decision would be to agree. But I wasn't my brother thinking about the bigger picture, nor an android so I glared at Zed for jumping to conclusions. 

"I said I wasn't going to be stupid, okay. I didn't say you should disappear." 

"It is what you mean, however. And perhaps, it's what is best for both of us." Zed cracked a smile. "It was nice talking to someone after all that time. I'm going to miss you, Cam. Thanks. I appreciate everything you've done." 

"Hey, hold on a second--" 

Zed didn't let me finish my sentence. He turned his gaze towards the city in the distance and started running. 

"Zed! Wait!" I yelled after him. "What about your connector? It's still broken!" I ran after him, but it was a losing game from the get-go. He was much faster than I was and he didn't get out of breath like I did. The distance between us became larger and larger, until I was finally forced to stop running. 

I doubled over with my heart near jumping out of my ribcage and panting. Zed's form disappeared into the distance and once he'd reached the city there was no way I could find him again. Not easily, at least. 

Zed was gone, and he'd literally left me in the dust.

I was still trying to wrap my mind around our very abrupt goodbye when I reached the front door of Alan and my apartment. Was this really goodbye, just like that? This was such shit. How was he even going to repair himself without my help? 

I was already in a bad mood, but walking in on Alan editing some marketing materials for the Singularity War festival really was the cherry on top of a huge crap cake. 

Alan was so engrossed in his work, he didn't hear me approach and look over his shoulder. The design itself was slick and catchy, I'd give my brother that. Its message, however? Disgusting. Androids and gyndroids marched in a line in the background, an endless stream to the fire, all of them all with blank expressions. Machines marching toward a field soaked with the blood of humans.

It was a poster for a VR-show, aimed at educating interested parties on what the war was like. Of course, only renegade androids which had turned against their creators would be shown. There would be no mention of loyal androids like Zed, who fought on humanity's side because that didn't fit the narrative. That didn't fit the strict laws forbidding all citizens to ever create humanoid robots again. 

"That's real pretty, Alan," I spoke up, making Alan jump.

"Christ, Camilo." He glared at me over his shoulder while he locked his screen so I could no longer see the poster. "When did you get in?" 

I ignored Alan's words. "Your poster's a bit one sided though, don't you think? What's that word you use when I mention war hero droids? Ah, yes, propaganda. Great, to see that first thing when coming home." 

"You done?" Alan crossed his arms and glared at me. "You wouldn't have had to see it if you didn't sneak up on me like a criminal." 

I tensed for a millisecond at the word 'criminal' and immediately made myself a walking target.  Alan had cyborg implants for eyes sometimes, I swore. Especially at moments when I really, really wanted him to get lost. 

"I know that look on your face," Alan accused me. "What did you this time, Camilo?"

I abruptly turned on my heels and headed to the kitchen. "Nothing. I didn't do anything, alright?" 

"Yeah, I wish you did something," Alan shot back, making me roll my eyes as I got a glass from the cupboard poured myself some water from the tap. That comeback was ancient and all chewed out. 

"You have that guilty looking face. Fess up." 

I put the empty glass down on the counter a bit more aggressively than I needed to, before facing my brother. "Alright, fine. I ate all the chips last night. That's all."

"Bullshit." 

"Not as much bullshit as your posters on androids for the festival."

I pushed myself past Alan, purposely elbowing him in the passing.

"Hey, what's with you today?" Alan threw his hands up in the air, frustrated. "I wasn't trying to shove it in your face, alright?"

I kept my mouth shut about the topic, teeth pressed together, as I plopped down on the couch. It didn't matter whether I saw or not, that wasn't the point. 

"Check the cupboard, there's more chips there," I said, pretending Alan hadn't asked anything after I 'admitted' I ate all of our snacks.

Alan sighed, tired. "Camilo," he started, but he never got to finish his sentence. A loud banging on the door disturbed our conversation. 

I immediately jumped up from the couch. Alan and I looked at each other, our argument instantly forgotten. 

"Seriously, you did something didn't you?" Alan hissed. 

There was a loud banging on the door again. This time, the impact was so hard, little flakes of paint came twirling down from the walls.

"Camilo Rey!" A voice I didn't recognise boomed. "Open the door!"