IV || [MxM, Sci Fi]

The Machine | 3

"If you don't break it into smaller lines, it looks smoother." Ray drafted an almost perfect circle with his pencil. He found this little lecture entertaining, even a bit funny, but did his best to keep a straight face when Iv watched his every move so closely. "It's easier to draw it with the auto curve on the tablet, especially the ellipses."

"But you do it freehand."

"Hah, I had quite an extensive, unnecessary practice. We had that sadist of a professor who accepted only hand-drawn blueprints... His punchline was, 'What if you're stuck on a desert island and all your fancy gadgets are dead,' - to think of it, why the heck would you need to draft tanks on a desert island? What an idiot... Anyway, I'm only proficient in the technical stuff, I can't draw anything else for good. But I hope this was still helpful."

"Special delivery!" Trent announced from the doorway. A packaged box landed on Ray's desk. "I heard someone's skipping lunches again."

"Oh, right..." Ray chuckled. "Thanks, Dad." 

Despite Trent being the youngest in the crew, everyone referred to him as 'doc' or 'dad', and the folks from neighboring missions started calling him that too. He was also the first person Ray met on Theseus, and that encounter left him mortified at first - Trent looked much like Collin, with the same towering physique, even the same dirty blond buzz cut. 

Except that Trent was the kindest person in the universe. Just like Amy, he was here for science, and was taking care of the greenhouse among the rest of things.

"Thank you for bringing it all the way here for me."

"Dream on. I came here for Iv."

"Huh?!"

"OK buddy, show me the patient."

Ray observed their lively discussion from his desk and felt like a fifth wheel. It was just the speculations about whether the irrigation system caught some mold or the plant needed a more lit spot, but the shift in behavior, and the fact that Iv could smile, left him bewildered.

Of course, he could smile. You read it in the manual. Androids were designed to look approachable.

But Iv wasn't acting approachable - he genuinely enjoyed Trent's company and their small talk, and the difference was striking. 

Long after Trent left with the plant, promising to bring it back in the best health, the lunch remained untouched. Iv was scratching on the tablet in the usual corner of the sofa, oblivious to Ray going through all stages of misery behind his screen.

"Maybe meeting more people would benefit him... He's been only around Damian and me I guess,...but the risk..."

The risk, oh for fuck's sake, Ray rolled his eyes. Iv was on this ship way longer than him. People were looking right through the android just as they did with the other bots - granted, any quirks could be written off as programming. Sometimes Max conditioned the cargo unit to cite Kierkegaard or tell lewd jokes, and no one batted an eye except for the displeased command, and Morrow who somehow never got tired of this shit.

Ray couldn't help but wonder why he was so concerned, - or rather, why he was so concerned seeing Iv so happy around someone. He never chose Ray's company in the first place or had any say in it. Probably never forgave him too.

A quiet 'crack' from the stylus hitting the floor cut through his thoughts. Ray jolted up - to see Iv frozen and staring into nothing.

"You okay?"

"This...this sound.."

"I don't hear anything...what's wrong?"Ray reached him in one jump, grabbing Iv by the shoulders. "Hey, snap out of it! What's going on?"

"No! Damian!...." 

Never in his life had Ray heard such a desperate scream.

Apprehension, and sheer terror, hit him, and he rushed to dial the bridge.

"Commander, we might be approaching something... I believe the same thing or event that damaged Damian's ship."

"Explain," there was a momentary reluctance written on her face, changing to full focus. "What should we look for?"

"A sound?..."

All at once Ray felt stupid. Was he making a fuss over nothing? Iv was just an...

Medical grades, Max's voice echoed in his head.

"Ultrasound! Scan for the ultra-high frequencies on board!"He heard Rachel ordering something to the bridge, but then Johanna's call cut in.

"We suddenly lost connection to our surface stations. The miners and drones appear offline, too."

"Distance from the are-" 

The comms cut off, and lights in the lab blinked; then an alarm broke out and silenced abruptly. Ray turned to his screen, just to see it distort and fragment like a kaleidoscope before it shorted out.