Chapter Text
It is the year 2044, the supposed year of humankind’s height of civilization. Technology became a way of living that almost ninety percent of the population on earth were either cybernetically or mechanically altered; giving advent to the progression of artificial intelligence and the capability of "jacking" the human brain directly into the Net, allowing access to the vast and infinite landscape within cyberspace using the technology called “interfacing”. This also gave rise to the existence of fully functional androids and cyborgs, some nearly indistinguishable from humans. Because of this technological evolution, protocols have been set up to prevent chaos from ensuing both in the physical world and in cyberspace. To this extent, various covert factions were implemented across all countries to maintain that order. Many assume that at this pinnacle in humanity’s advancement, criminal activities would have ceased to exist and the seething violence within man’s blood would become merely a thing of the past. But not so; the world had only become much stranger and the dark seeds within humankind only found new ways to take root. With the world so radically changed, one question remains: How would one define, what being human is?
The 3D Screen came to life and the bluish light cast a dull glow over Logan’s face as he viewed the report while driving his patrol vehicle. He did not really need to drive using his hands had he hooked up his jack data connector to the controls. It was because essentially, he felt the need to be visceral; to feel his hands grip the steering wheel and feel the flow of control come from his corporeal being, rather than have himself be whisked off by the convenience of his electrical impulses. Although the report was brief, a robotic female voice spoke through the speakers to stridently bring the message to home.
[Central Control commencing data relay: Dispatch in need of assistance. Two officers down. Berserk Android between West and Main. Still at Large.]
"Give me coordinates-"Logan said brusquely.
Instantly, the screen flashed with the information he needed, the digital codes marching down the viewer at high speed. To a normal human with no technical inclination whatsoever, this would have seemed like mathematical gibberish but since Logan's brain and body had been artificially modified with the latest technology, he was able to understand the meaning of the codes and headed off to the location indicated. His jaw tightened as he drove. He hated the fact that he had to depend on Central Control's AI. How he wished for the old days, when a digital touch screen scanner was used by the police force to receive broadcasts of any crime within the vicinity and officers communicated with each other instead. He thought with bitter irony that he had come to despise all this technology...and yet he still relied on it. Hell, he did not know which one he hated more, himself or the smug certainty of the AIs he encountered.
He did not want to dance around it, but he knew this hatred came about due to what he had become: an enhanced human and his body was almost seventy percent augmented; not because he had any choice on the matter but because this imposed technology was meant to save his life. It came to the point that he was compared to a cyborg and had been shunned by some of his fellow police officers, who only had basic upgrades. Eventually, and much to his chagrin, he had to upgrade even further as his skill-set grew and his work in cybernetic ops became more dangerous, especially when dealing with crimes involving Androids. This may have caused him to pursue rampaging or criminally insane 'Artificial Beings' relentlessly as a means of taking out his rage on them. But, he didn't want to think he was that secular. Surely there was a higher purpose that spurred him into this state. Even though his brain was surrounded by the toughest alloy and nearly all his human skeletal structure was all but gone, replaced by metallic enhancements called Adamantium, when it comes down to the grit of it, he still felt human. He had a mind of his own, emotions, senses and perhaps he had something called a soul. The idea of a soul was not completely his, but was an influence of his work partner.
He shook his thoughts off because he was mulling over his semi-cyborg existence once more and had Jean Grey been around, she would have teased him over it again. Jean was his partner in Cybernetic Security Special Ops. The only part that was enhanced within her was her E-brain. Other than that, her entire body was completely human. She was not around at the moment because she had taken a temporary leave. She had been going through some difficult divorce proceedings with her ex-husband, Scott Summers, a cop from a different division and her time was mostly spent in court; aside from that, she was forced to deal with packing her belongings and clearing out of Scott's house. He wished that she would get it all done soon so he could see her face again. He missed her a lot, more than he had let on. He had secretly harbored feelings for her, but he had never dared to voice them out. They flirted on occasion, but it was mostly Jean doing the teasing on him and it was all for amusement of course. He had come to accept the fact that they could never have a relationship because he was mostly made up of cybernetic parts. He wasn't bad looking, but he thought she would never be attracted to the likes of him. Not when he was like this. Still, he had high hopes that it would all change, once she is officially divorced. They were perfectly matched anyway, both in their line of work and their mindset. It was like some sort of balance, a yin and yang between them. He was all brawn; she was the brains of their operations. She had the human touch; he was the machine element. She played the good cop, he was the bad cop, stereotyping be damned.
He finally arrived at his intended destination. It was a seedy location, what would be considered the Red Light district. Even with synthetic beings, the oldest business seemed to have found a niche in the market to ply their trade. There are humans out there, who had that type of inclination, be it a male or female Android. In this day and age, it had become even more prolific than buying the services of a human prostitute. Pros outweighed the cons, so to speak. The Androids are sterilized in such a way that they would not harbor any sexually transmitted diseases. There was also that tantalizing fact that the sexual experience with them is more heightened...enhanced somehow. And the added bonus was that they will do anything asked of them, uttering no complaint. He would not be ashamed to say he went to such a place before and bought the services of a 'sex bot' or two just to experience what every hot-blooded male was buzzing about at the pubs. The only downside: when he fucked one of those Sex androids, expecting the thing to bring him to heights of never before experienced sexual ecstasy, he found himself staring into their blank and lifeless eyes and it made him lose whatever sexual excitement he felt in the first place. It felt like he was fucking one of those blow-up sex dolls, something plastic and without life. It felt unreal. Various methods have been attempted to try and improve this hindrance, but to no avail. Anyway, only a small portion of human patrons have such reservations, like him. The rest only needed a quick thrill and the trade eventually thrived on them.
It would be a rare type of bird if there was still a human prostitute out there. He heard of high end human prostitutes, but even they are enhanced in some way to make them desirable to their refined clientele, purists who deemed human sexual congress above the commonplace 'bot-banging' that had become the norm. Ordinary humans nowadays, desperate ones who could not afford enhancements would profit more in selling their organs than to sell their 'flesh'. It was that kind of situation and it had rather gruesome ends. He had seen cases wherein a corpse would be discovered, deposited along with some refuse, stripped and harvested of all their usable organs and viscera; that only pieces of torn limbs, gristle and wide open guts were all that was left and they could not even be identified anymore. Mostly these were immigrants, who did not have "Tags", which would have helped to identify them. The government was well aware of this situation yet it still remains rife. But, that was not Logan's line of operation. He dealt with Cybernetic Security. He could do nothing to rectify that situation unless there was some change within the upper echelons that handled that side of the bureaucracy.
His line of work was important enough in itself. Cybernetic and AI Crime. Mostly he handled the violent and difficult cases with Jean and their success rate had been high, that was why they were both promoted to Special Ops, giving him free reign to override any local police jurisdiction and take over cases, if he determined they fell under his category. He and Jean not only handled the 'Berserk' Androids under the bylaws of Moral Code 3, they are also tasked with the criminal persecution of any violence done to Androids and Cyborgs as well. Ridiculous as it may seem, that was part of his job. So far, no Android or Cyborg had come reporting to them even though Jean thought it was odd since in public, she could see that some Androids were treated 'inhumanely'. Logan had said disparaging and sarcastic remarks about robots that they would bicker over that one thing, because their ideas clashed when it comes to the treatment of Androids. Jean would be concerned for their welfare, while Logan would tell her they don't have actual thoughts and feelings so they would not have the capacity to understand her compassion. His argument was that all these Androids are programmed only to serve, without true regard for morality; they are even programmed to pretend to feel. If they malfunction and behave in any violent manner towards their human owners or any other human being for that matter, Logan would be sure to deal with them accordingly, with the satisfying aid of his gun.
"Even if they are synthetic beings, on a certain level they have been imbued with life...with some capacity to think and feel. I have spoken to a lot of them and they have displayed a range of emotions you never would have thought possible-"
"Jean, I know to some extent, select models were developed with that type of advanced AI system; those that were given the capability to study human behavior and have 'curiosity codes' installed in them, but its just all programs and codes! God, I hate those especially!"
"Why would you say that?"Jean said, offended.
"Those types are too curious for their own good! They are programmed with self-awareness and independent thought processes. I encountered one of those and had the fellows at the bar not restrained me, I would have torn that Android's face off-"
"You had an argument with an Android?"
"The fucking asshole was being snide with me and yeah don't smart off that I was asking for it!"Logan said testily.
Jean had laughed it off then. He felt an ache in him at the thought of her. Had she been around, their fellow officers would have been more civil with him. That was one other thing he had to put up with. The other officers were openly hostile towards him...simply because he had been given special treatment over the rest and now he got promoted. He grew tired of trying to explain that he had the upgrades only after his promotion, not before and that he was cybernetically enhanced to save his life; that it was the Chief's decision. It made no difference to them. They were all aware that almost all of his body had been modified with expensive and state of the art modifications. That was what embittered them, not because he was half a cyborg. Still, they made this their means to try and browbeat him, much good it did them. He did not give an iota of a fuck what they thought of him as long as he gets the job done. He stepped through a throng of people who were attracted to the violence that had happened on their street. Their eyes hungrily held fast to the narrow alleyway which was cordoned off by the police and surrounded by heavily armed officers. Logan saw two other officers by a police vehicle and he lumbered over to them. Both policemen frowned at the sight of him. Logan was wearing his Black leather Jacket with the yellow piping. His gun was in his shoulder holster and a big cigar was stuck between his lips. His countenance was carefully expressionless, but his eyes conveyed that he was not to be intimidated.
"Status Report-"Logan said abruptly, dropping the cigar to the pavement and smearing it down with his booted foot. Both officers looked at him distastefully, but they informed him that the "Berserk" Android had remained in the same spot in the alley way.
"Casualties?"Logan said as he lifted an eyebrow. He knew two officers were down, but he did not know their condition.
"The Android murdered his owner, Sir. Crushed the man's head while they were having sexual intercourse in the safe house. We have two officers in the alley way, both dead when they tried to apprehend the thing-"One of the officers said sourly. Logan did not say another word. He took out his old fashioned S&W Pistol and prepared to walk down the graffitied alleyway, which was lined up with garbage and lurid posters. The officers were unimpressed as they both watched him in silence. Switching his cybernetic visual upgrades on for night vision, Logan eyed the corner of the dark alley. His amplified line of sight gave him a gruesome view of a dead policeman, whose head was shattered into a pulpy mush upon the dank and piss-smelling cement. Logan lifted his gun up, in case the Android popped up and attacked him. Going further down the dirty and narrow alley, Logan now had a visual on another corpse; this one was torn limb from limb, the head missing. There was so much blood splattering the walls about him that the alley had the semblance of a botched paint job or an abattoir. So much red. And then he saw the robot perpetrator. It had the appearance of a fair young man, the build of the body slight yet muscular. Logan found the sight of this synthetic being curious because it looked so human. He could even rightly say it must have been a very costly model. The realistic-looking skin and the wavy dark brown hair. The face was extraordinary, especially the blue eyes. The eyes looked sad and despondent as they regarded him, synthetic tears flowing down its flushed cheeks. There was also desperation in the Android's expression as he kept on holding Logan's gaze. But Logan's appraisal ends there. Between the young man's feet was the severed head of one of the officers, mercifully covered by the standard officer's mask and helmet. The Android's entire front was covered in blood, obviously not his and most of its chest had exposed fiber-optic wirings. There were signs it attempted to mutilate itself. It stood before him, naked. The Android staggered towards him, holding its hands out imploringly. Logan held his stance, waiting for the robot to make its move. It suddenly uttered a strange plea from its red lips.
"Stop. Please Stop-"
Before Logan could say anything, the Android went soaring up the air gracefully and tried to land a flying kick to his head. The force of it was so strong that when the android's foot missed its target, it collided with the cement wall and tore off a sizable chunk from it. The robot kept attacking him, all the while saying those same words it had uttered earlier. Logan blocked more of the blows and then he grabbed the Android's leg and slammed it to the ground. Bits and pieces of its body flew all about and it screamed like a tortured animal. Then Logan shot it in the head, finally stopping it's violent rampage and killing it.
"-although the design is that of a service robot, its composition elevated it from other sub-standard models because of its complicated and intricate form; the Charlie X model is capable of real emotion due to an illegal 'ghosting' feature added to its function. Meaning, a robot that acts like a human because it has its own personality originating from a 'ghosted' programming, which was successfully copied from real human subjects. Suffice it to say, the android itself has the bodily workings of the said species. For this reason, its engineers developed Charlie X primarily to engage in sexual union-"
"-This model has the latest fiber-optic technology and an artificial intelligence shell with applications from bio-engineering, enabling it to have neural pathways that the robot could shut down or amplify at will. Imperfections and quirks added to its design only serve to humanize it. The proprietary software from the manufacturer has a self-reformatting feature should the product become compromised, i.e. infected with a virus, illegally accessed or 'hacked'; mutilated or severely damaged to prevent copying or replication. The model also has a fail-safe programming that prevents its use as a weapon or to harm its owners per implemented by Moral Code 3-"
"Shall I go on, Sir?"David asked the Chief Executive Director of the Cybernetic Security Special Unit, Sebastian Shaw. Shaw let out a sigh and turned his attention instead to Logan, as the other stood before his desk. Logan was the epitome of a brooding, seasoned cop. His face set in that familiar pugnacious expression he reserved for just about everyone. He looked human, but underneath his skin, it was a different matter. He and Logan clashed on several occasions because the other had willfully disregarded some of his orders. He supposed he should be thankful because Logan worked best when left to his own devices. Only Jean Grey could keep him in check, but she could not do so now due to her personal affairs. Logan spoke in a gravelly tone.
"Fail-safe programming my ass! That fucking 'bot broke every law of Moral Code 3 and you're telling me it's ghosted? How is that possible?"
Everyone in the room were well-aware that most Androids or Cyborgs out there are made with low grade materials due to the cost it would take to maintain them. If the model was intricate, meaning the more it looked human, the more the price on it hikes up. In the chain of robotics, the street-sweepers and maintenance bots don't even have 'skins'. They look like a common robot, with no thought processes of their own, only designed for the tasks they were developed for. Next in line are common service androids, those that are given semi-human qualities to make them more 'presentable' and 'lifelike' for their human masters. They have skins, but of course for cost-efficiency purposes, the skin would have either a colorless or silvery pallor, because realistic skin is expensive and they wore fake eyes and wigs. Still, some service bots are given a human appearance for 'recreational' purposes like Sex Androids, but then they have low AI functions, which made them so expressionless and blank. At the top of the chain was the 'true' android. These models were given a human appearance and installed with 'self-aware' programs that allowed them to function with their own thought processes. Their development was complex in that they are given the capacity to form their own opinions, to have ideas and perform deductive reasoning to help their masters. The only thing that separated them from the other robots was that Moral Code 3 was heavily instilled in their programming, which allows them to have the higher reasoning and logical thinking of a human being, but preventing them from harming their masters in any way. In short, that kept them from being completely human. What shocked Logan, and he was rarely shocked if at all, was that how was it ever made possible to ghost a 'human blueprint' onto a Sex android like the one he encountered?
Ghosting onto Androids gave disastrous results as was garnered in past experiments, that ghosting became illegal unless sanctioned by the government. Both he and Jean were given that full capacity. He was allowed to ghost himself onto other Cyborgs or Androids because it helped them solve crimes and suppress violence. Most common service bots and true androids don't have a highly developed AI so he and Jean can easily ghost or hack into them if they wanted to but only for a short period of time. Ghosting gives them autonomous control, while remote hacking allows them to override a robot's AI and have it function for them, but with limited capabilities than if they 'ghosted' into a robot's shell. The crimes they encounter where Androids commit murder or become violent were either because of an internal malfunction within the model or if the model was actually hacked to do so, like the one he encountered just now, which was fully ghosted. Downloading an entire human consciousness onto a blank android and storing that consciousness in there would fry an android's false neurons and cause it to rampage. Hence, the reason why ghosting was banned. Jean said something about it that rang true when they had a discussion about ghosting.
"You can't put a soul into a machine, Logan. It's not normal. The human soul would reject it as an abomination and the robot body would think the same. Sure, we can download our consciousness temporarily into machines but to have it stay there for an eternity...well, think about it. Only someone with an impossibly strong mental functioning or someone really crazy can do that. Personally, I'd go insane if I become a machine-"
Logan then knew that this would be a good enough reason why she would never date him. She may have this compassion and respect for Androids and Cyborgs alike, but to be seeing a half-cyborg? It would just be his luck if she even allowed him to touch her hand. Logan thought about what she had said while he glared at his superior. Sebastian Shaw was a slight man, who wore expensive dark suits and he always looked like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was thin-lipped, his turned-up nose seeming to appraise Logan as he stared back at him from his clasped hands, resting his chin upon them while he kept his arms propped upon the table.
"Hard as it is to believe Logan, this model was beyond our scope. The android was developed on a floating fortress in the skies by the Genosha Company and it is the most expensive model of its kind to date. It was made with the same technology that was used upon your body-"
"What?"Logan bristled at the comparison.
"You may not be aware of this, but I have attempted to contact their CEO and the people behind that company. Unfortunately, I was not given an audience. I was only given a written E-memo explaining that their models are top of the line and that any malfunction was due to some human error. It was also highly implied on that memo that the government has no jurisdiction over them, nor do our state laws since their facility is located, offshore-"
"Bullshit!"
Shaw lifted a placating hand."There now, Logan. We just need more Intel on this matter. David was kind enough to dig up something on the Charlie X model, but I am afraid we are hindered in our capacity to research the developers themselves. What I advise you to do at this point is to get analysis from our forensics team and see if they find anything on that decommissioned android-”
"Can't you pull some strings with your government buddies? Two policemen have been murdered! That damned bot also plugged its own master. Who knows if they have other models out there that have gone batshit insane!"
"Much as I hate to admit it Logan, the government sector can only do so much. It will take months of deliberation with the UN authorities as to what grounds we have in trying to access Genosha's location and information. I will handle the official part of our inquiry in that respect. And just to give you a head's up, there are other ghosted Charlie X models, but so far, there have been no reported incidents other than with this android-"
"Christ almighty! You and I both know what a ghosted can do!"
"Yes. Therefore, we must prepare ourselves. The more information we can gather, the more chances we have in preventing any android rampaging. I will send you an E-report on all the information we have about Genosha-"
"Fine then! I'm going down to McCoy's. Anything else you want me to check into?"
"No, but I advise you to take David with you. He will be your temporary partner until Ms Grey's return-"
"What the fuck! You want to team me up with an Android?"Logan said truculently, flinging a hard glare at the robot. Shaw regarded him with calm finality and did not say anything more on the matter.
David, like the Charlie X model, was a true android, but was developed by Lehnsherr Industries, a government patsy in Logan's opinion because they deal mostly with military technology and warfare specifically for the government's use. The name Lehnsherr was synonymous with government dealings. David was their newest model. David was given the higher thought processes that Logan had loathed in his 'kind'. He looked like the perfect being. Nordic, with blue eyes, blond hair and a very handsome profile; designed with a tall and slightly muscular build. His expression was pleasant and very human. He wore a gray button-down military inspired uniform and he stood straight, his hands folded behind his back. David spoke amiably.
"No offense taken, Sir. I assure you. I completely understand your response-"David said in that pleasant and deep voice common to his model.
Logan of course detected a hint of sarcasm in there, due to the way David regarded him with challenging eyes while still carefully holding that polite smile on his face. That smug assurance...how he hated it all! Logan gave an injured sniff and left the office of his superior, not waiting to see if David will follow. The automatic doors parted to let him out and he stalked towards the elevators. Sure enough, David was right behind him and had followed him into the elevator, a small smile still pasted on his face. David was Shaw's assistant. He had only been with them for a few months, but he had proved himself to be highly efficient and very useful in research. Logan knew he had no choice but to tolerate his presence. There was only so much defiance he can give Shaw and he knew the android would help him in some way.
They went down to the forensics lab while Logan studied the E-report inside of his augmented brain regarding Genosha and Charlie X. He read the file through with distaste. Charlie X - A Male Sexual Service Android. The clients, according to data analysis are affluent old foggies and middle aged men; closeted homosexuals more likely keeping the robot in secret. The robot's styling could be changed, as well as the hair cut and expression, but they somehow prefer to leave the boyish design as is. The robot was smiling like a real human from the e-picture that was attached to the file. He saw the price of the model and he determined that only filthy rich buggers can afford this one. It cost that much. The model was marketed as being the most realistic sex partner one would ever meet and it could convey emotions to the client's preference. Logan stopped reviewing the report when they arrived at Hank McCoy's lab. Hank was also partly augmented like him, but with basic upgrades. Hank was one of the guys at the station that did not feel jealous or bitter towards him. He has enhanced eyes and an E-brain. One of his arms is also cybernetically enhanced.
"Hello Logan! Been a while since I last saw you-"Hank greeted him cheerfully and turned to greet David too from the operating slab where he stood before the decommissioned Charlie X android.
"David! My assistant David 7 just stepped out for his break time! He mentioned you both played chess recently and that you won-"
"Oh yes, do send my regards Sir!"
"Can't believe my own David lost! I insist on a rematch!"
"I shall do my best to try and oblige that, Sir. However, I have been assigned to a case with Mr Logan-"
There are about seven other David models working in the police station and Logan thought all of them are insufferable in much the same way, aside from the fact that they all looked exactly alike. Logan grunted a response and looked down at the operating table. His recent kill. The Charlie X that had lost control of itself. He had blown the thing's entire face away that there was none of that beauty left. He can't even associate this thing with that smiling young man from the picture. He knew the owner of this Charlie X was a mob boss who was secretly into boys. The man had kept this robot hidden from everyone else in his safe house in the red Light district where the robot eventually went on a rampage. Now it lay here on the slab, just a pile of metal and fiber-optic heap.
"Enough of the chit-chat boys. Were you able to access its AI core?"Logan asked Hank pointedly.
Hank shrugged."There was extensive damage to the core, but I was able to retrieve some final electrical impulses from it. It was quite strange-"
Hank went over to the robot's head, hooked up the probe wiring and activated his electrical monitoring equipment on to the forensic analysis console. There was a blip on the screen and a 3D sound modulator came on. Then they heard the robot's voice; it was repeatedly calling out the same words Logan had heard it say in the bloody alleyway.
Stop, please stop-
Logan admitted that was what the robot had uttered to him before he shot it. It had sounded like a real young man, begging for whatever was being done to it to stop.
"What the hell does it mean?" Hank said with his brow furrowed.
"It means nothing! It went berserk and killed three people! I don't give a shit what it was trying to say-"
Hank gave another non-committal shrug at that."I tried to access the software in the inner layer of the core, but it started formatting the moment I did that. David told me I should have given him the opportunity to hook his interface into it-"
"Would it have made a difference?"
"It might have. But it was too late-"
"So what else have you got for me?"
"The technology implemented to make this android was just astounding! Almost similar to the military grade technology used on you and the Davids. How a privately owned company had gotten access to that information is highly suspect-"
David was bent over the ruined android and was perusing it himself. He was documenting every piece of it for analysis later without being told. He reached out and touched the android's open palm. He knew what the android looked like before Logan had destroyed it. He was of course, the one who found information on it from some obscure internet site after all. It was marketed discretely and only to select clients. He noticed the serial numbers on the exposed metal pieces.
"Mr McCoy, have you been able to run a trace of the serial numbers on this model?"
"My David thought the same thing. We traced it to some factory in England. But when I tried to search for more information on the factory, it appears to have been closed down-"
"For how long?"
"A year I think-"
David looked over at Logan and nodded. They both thought the same thing. Genosha might have had a hand on its foreclosure to prevent any further trace from going through. That was another dead end. Logan was about to say something to David when both of them received an alert via their E-messaging. A series of murders have just taken place simultaneously and in ten separate locations. The cause of death: Android related, traced to the Charlie X models. Just what Logan had been dreading.
"Shit! Let's go! We'll take the closest location-"Logan cursed under his breath and both he and David left Hank in a hurry. Logan received a flood of downloads on the file being compiled, real-time, of the murders. The murdered men were mostly government officials and politicians and one prominent movie producer. Several of them are high profile business men. The reason why they determined the murders were done at the same time was that all the Charlie X's simultaneously uploaded a video of the murders they committed and sent it to the police data base via residential surveillance cams. It's like they all had the same intention of killing their masters at the same time and showing it to the authorities. Why the Charlie X's did this was quite baffling. The media will be having a field day and Genosha will have a lot to answer for. Logan watched with sickening horror as images of the uploads were sent to him.
One video showed that a Charlie X was in bed with a politician while having sex and it suddenly grabbed the politician's head in its hands and crushed it effortlessly; the corpse's blood forming a large pool in the middle of the bed. It then started to mutilate itself by tearing at its own torso and pulling violently at all the wirings, like how the first Charlie X had murdered its owner. The next video showed a business man being relentlessly chased by a crazed Charlie X android down a flight of stairs. The man tried to shoot the android, but to no avail. When the android got to him, it tore him limb from limb, gutted him and threw the entrails all over, after which it tried to mutilate itself but the man's personnel shot it down repeatedly in the head and it slumped over, lifeless, on top of the dead man. The other videos were just as sickening and gruesome.
"Fuck it! All hell has broken loose!"Logan said as he drove his patrol vehicle at high speed, with David sitting on the passenger seat next to him. Both of them are processing the information that was sent to them. The police were already at the nearest location of one of the murders. They already disabled the android before Logan arrived. They were only able to do so because the android had completely ravaged itself and did not put up a fight when they shot at it. Reports coming in informed them that all the other androids were either decommissioned or had committed suicide.
"Sir, we have secured the perimeter. We're bringing in forensics and the medical mobile unit to take care of the rest-"One of the men informed him.
"Good, I'm still processing all updates. It seems we are all too late-"Logan began, but then he stopped. One report had come in and it startled him. It seems one politician actually had two Charlie X androids and one of them is still alive and whole. The men were awaiting his orders on what to do with it. He sent out an e-alert to all police personnel in that location.
"Don't let it escape! Don't harm it unless it's necessary! I want to take it in myself!"
Logan gestured to David."You got that? We have a live one. If what Hank is saying is true, can you access its AI before it formats itself?"
"Yes, I believe I can-"
"Good, let's go there! We have to find something that will implicate Genosha in all of this. I'm sure it would have damning information we can nab them with-"
Everything that happened next had happened so fast. Logan wasn't even able to get some rest yet and he felt bleary-eyed and tired. He had been awake for more than 24 hours after this chaos had erupted. It was some time before they got to the politician's location and Central Control's AI briefed him in on what the status was. He had watched the video of this particular politician again. Only one android had done the murdering and not the other one. The video showed that this politician was in his kitchen. The maids were screaming in the background as the android attacked it's master and began gutting him, making the politician squeal horribly; it took all the sharp kitchen utensils it could grab, then the thing started gouging the politician's eyes out and clawing out his guts and all his organs, all the while it stabbed the man's genitals until there was nothing left of a man in that pulpy, bloody mess. There was no sign of the other android ever coming in to aid in the murder.
[Central Control commencing data relay: Suspect Android decommissioned. Second Charlie X android is within the perimeter, immobile. Awaiting update.]
As a safety precaution, Both Logan and David wore protective gear and had their guns up. They entered the mansion. The maids and servants were all outside and safe. The rooms were all designed in a luxurious and elegant manner, in muted browns and cream colors. Logan and David both quickly made their way into the kitchen and they saw the unrecognizable corpse lying in a steaming pile of guts and surrounded by its own spreading blood. The decommissioned Android was close by. It was covered in blood and its back had been shot at numerous times. It was sprawled out like a dead human being, lying on its stomach but the only difference is that it did not bleed. There was only a bluish and clear liquid trickling from its wounds. The blood that splattered its body came from the dead man. And then they saw him. The live Charlie X, who quietly regarded them from an area close by the sink. It did not look like it was intending to go berserk like its counterparts. There was blood smeared on its cheek, like a bloody hand had touched its face.
"Are you here to kill me?"The Charlie X asked them gravely. It looked resigned to its fate. Still, it did not make a move to try and attack them. It stood there, composed and dignified, its chin held high. Both Logan and David regarded each other then they looked back at the robot. Logan pointed his gun at it.
"Get down on the floor and put your hands behind your head. Do it! On your knees, now!" Logan barked out and the Android complied slowly. As Logan approached it, the Android that had been lying lifelessly on the floor suddenly sprang to life and tried to attack Logan, clawed hands held out. David came swooping forward to protect Logan using the ingrained combat skills installed in his programming but the other Android roared and threw him off. It was incredibly strong. No wonder it took a lot to subdue it. David went crashing into one of the cabinets and just when they thought the Android meant to harm Logan, the rampaging thing threw Logan away as well and kneeled before the other Charlie X instead.
The berserk Charlie X regarded its other self silently. It lifted one bloodied hand up and stroked the calm Charlie X's cheek once more. Then it stopped and began clutching at its head, moaning, as it tore at its own hair and flesh, sending chunks of itself flying all over the place. It began weeping, clutching at its own chest, tearing at itself, as if to tease its own entrails out of its metallic chest.
"Real! I'm real!" It wailed. Then it just gave out and died, kneeling before the other Charlie X, its head now bent over its lap, unmoving. The other Charlie X started crying and it reached for its other self that had gone berserk and held it in his arms. The young man lifted its head up and looked at Logan and David as they gathered themselves. The Charlie X released its dead brother and surrendered to them. Just to make sure it won't go on a rampage like the rest, Logan placed a stunner jack connector to its interface ports, right at the back of its neck. The Charlie X immediately lost consciousness and slumped forward. David offered to carry it outside of the premises and as they headed for Logan's patrol vehicle, they came under gunfire attack from outside. Logan and David shielded themselves using their vehicle, same as the other policemen who tried to shoot back at their attackers. Logan recognized the vehicles as the ones used by mob men. After all the violence they had encountered, they had to deal with this one next! It didn't take much guesswork to know why the mob was involved. They must have found out about the intact Charlie X they have with them and wanted to take it from them forcefully.
"Keep firing, men! Hold your positions!" Logan hollered at his own men and then he sent a report to Central Control to notify their station that they are under attack and to send reinforcements. Moments later, after the heavy exchange of gunfire, help came. Two helicopters came into view and they had heavy artillery with them. They decimated the mob men using MGs. After the smoke had cleared and they checked for the casualty of the day, Logan determined a lot of the policemen were injured and three of them were killed during the barrage. There were twenty mob men and all of them are dead. Logan gave his orders via E-messaging to all police personnel, commending them on their work and announcing what had just happened. Mobile Medical was immediately sent forward to tend to the injured and gather the corpses. He also logged a full report with Central Control. Afterwards, Logan and David got on one of the helicopters to head to headquarters along with the unconscious Android. It was safer this way. Logan looked down at the android lying in one of the seats, shaking his head in dismay.
"All this trouble for sex bots! What has this world gone to?"
David wisely kept quiet and when they arrived at the station, they took the Android into one of the probing rooms. The purpose of this room was to analyze robots, to screen them and to determine that any threat installed within them were removed or firewalled. The robots sometimes get taken apart piece by piece by the probing machines, depending on the level of danger that they may pose. The Charlie X was treated in much the same manner and its AI was heavily firewalled. While the probing machines took care of that part, Logan took a nap in one of the lounge rooms. He had David stand guard on the Android, advising David to rouse him when the process was done. Logan had been so worn down by everything that he deserved a bit of sleep.
The Android sat in the interrogation room before them, smiling faintly as Logan began asking the questions. David sat on a chair next to Logan, logging the responses of the Charlie X. Logan asked the first question that had been on everyone's mind.
"All the other Charlie X's went berserk and killed themselves, except you. Why?"
The Charlie X shrugged in his seat, keeping the smile on his face and answering the question with another question."Why not?"
Logan glowered at him. He could not believe that this Android actually looked like...he was toying with them. He wanted to smash its pretty face in for that, but he controlled himself. Looking at this thing, he could not believe that it would look so harmless now. It looked like a real young man. The human similarity was striking. He was pale, with a soft and natural blush on his cheeks; he has large and deep set blue eyes that look tender and limpid under the harsh fluorescent light. His eyes were his best feature. His nose was slightly hooked, with a faint spray of freckles over the bridge of it and he has cherry red lips over a rounded chin. His facial expression was so life-like and natural; it was just unbelievable that this was actually an Android. The wavy dark brown hair even looked real and the young man's body was designed so he looked slight yet muscular. He was not tall; perhaps he was designed that way to enhance his boyish appeal further. Logan would even dare to say his design was better than David's because he moved about like a real person, whereas David sat stiff and straight in his chair. And there was this vestige of robot-like physicality in David, even though he looked as human as this Charlie X. The Charlie X was slightly slouching in his seat, arms propped up on the table defiantly.
"Don't play games with me, you asshole! A lot of innocent people are either injured or dead because of your model! Questions need to be answered here! So I'm asking you again, why are you different from the others?"Logan growled out as he leaned closer, staring at the Android menacingly. The Charlie X's expression fell and he looked dismayed, even fearful. He placed his palms flat on the table, imploring them with his eyes.
"I don't know why I'm like this! But I tried to tell them to stop! I couldn't change their minds no matter how hard I tried! I told them it was not worth it! They just won't listen! They just wanted to be free of it because they couldn't take what was being done to them!"
"You were actually communicating with them remotely? And you knew they had planned these murders beforehand?"Logan said, his eyes widening.
"They were like me! My kind! Do you think I would just abandon them like that and betray them? All I could do was to try and stop them but I failed!"The Charlie X said in an anguished voice. Logan just glared at him in a disgusted way, not at all moved by his emotional theatrics. David still sat there quietly, his eyes intently focused on the young man.
"Well there you go then! You're an accessory to multiple murders! Under Moral Code 3 you are-"
"Fuck your stupid laws! I don't care what you do to me anymore! Incarcerate me! Decommission me! Do it! I don't care!"The Android cried out shrilly and then it started crying. Logan had never seen robots cry realistically like this before. These were the only models capable of it. It was still astounding to see, given that he had seen another Charlie X cry, the one he killed in the alleyway.
"Wait. We can help you out with that part. Listen, I don't think you are familiar with the process of making a deal-"
The Android lifted its wet eyes up to regard him, wiping at its face and looking hopeful."What do you mean?"
"Give us all the dirt on Genosha, we'll make sure you get a lighter sentence. You'll be free in a few years and you can live on with the rest of your existence-"
The Charlie X nodded at this slowly, looking thoughtful and then he looked up at them, his expression resolute."Alright. I'll tell you everything I know-"
"Good! I'll have you sign up a statement for that. Do you have anything else to add to it?"
"I also know where Genosha's main base of operations is. I can give you the coordinates-"
Now it was Logan's turn to finally smile. He was going to get his way after all. It was a good thing they were able to retrieve this Android. He knew that since this model knew a lot about Genosha's dealings, its existence was in danger. He would have to speak to the Chief about it and see if they could set it up in a safe house for its own protection. He was thinking about all these other things and preparing E-documents that he did not notice the Charlie X was staring straight at David, a smile coming back to its own lips. It leaned forward slowly, tipping its head in a beguiling way.
"Who's your friend here? He looks hot!"It purred out silkily and began to giggle, blushing and looking both coy and seductive at the same time. David was not put off at all. He began to introduce himself.
"I'm David. Pleased to meet you-"He reached out to shake hands with the Charlie X model.
"Hmm, nice grip. You can call me Charles by the way. Charles Xavier-"Charles was stroking David's hand now, circling his fingertips upon David's skin. Logan found himself surprised yet again. An Android giving a name to itself!
"Very well, Charles. I would appreciate it very much if you would take your foot away from my nether region-"David said calmly and Charles started giggling again when he saw the look of immense shock on Logan's face. From under the table, Charles had been trying to use his foot to stroke David's unresponsive genitals.
'What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to seduce David? He's an Android like you!"
"Oh yes, I'm aware of what he is. I'm just playing around-"Charles said sweetly and sat back in his chair, holding a self-satisfied smirk on his face and then he leaned forward confidingly, his eyes playful.
"I didn't know service Androids like you would have a cock, David. I was told your models didn't have any. I'm glad I was proven wrong-"Then Charles started laughing because Logan was the one that was flustered and blushing at what he had heard. He stood up quickly from his chair and flung a disgusted glance at him.
"Seriously! Are you really like this?"
Charles propped his chin in his palm as he kept leaning on the table, looking quite pleased with himself."I can't help it. I was designed this way-"
Even though David had been quiet and calm before them, inside of himself, his curiosity programming kicked in. He was extremely fascinated with Charles Xavier and wanted to study him; to understand his workings and his design, to know how he was able to achieve human-like emotions. This was as close to a feeling of excitement as he could muster. Charles tipped him a knowing wink, as if he knew that David was interested in him and David found himself smiling back at Charles, thinking of all the possibilities if he could get him alone so he could study him in private.