Chapter Text
You finished up your day at work. You were exhausted from corporate meetings and dealing with some petty office drama between a few of your coworkers. You boarded the train to head home.
The train was mostly filled with other commuters like you. You saw a few familiar faces of people you crossed paths with on the way to and from work most days.
You saw a few synths scattered among the people on the train, one with bags of groceries for their human household, and one accompanying two children they had picked up from school to bring home to their family for the evening. You also saw a male synth with an adult woman, most likely escorting her home from work as a safety precaution. Some people, especially women, liked having a synth around in public to protect them.
You had just turned 40 last week. You lived alone and you took pride in handling everything on your own. You were good at your job, but the truth was you could use some help at home. You didn't eat the healthiest because you were usually too tired when you got home to feel like cooking, so you ordered dinner most nights. You also hated housework.
Nowadays synthetics were standard for such duties, but they were still relatively expensive. You had decided to go browsing in the store anyway, just out of curiosity. Maybe they have deals or specials, you thought.
It was Friday evening and there was a synth sales warehouse a few blocks from your apartment. So when you got off the train you walked toward the store to just take a look. You weren't planning on buying a synth just yet, but you could see what they offer so maybe you could afford a basic model soon.
You entered the building through the glass doors and were met with a large display room with shiny white floors and bright lights showing off the newest synth models from atop different platforms placed around the room.
A salesman in a sharp black suit with too much hair product and an overly strong scent of cologne greeted you with a fake smile and extended hand, "Good evening ma'am, I'm Jake. Is there any specific model you're interested in?"
You accepted and shook his hand and smiled politely "Umm, I'm just looking right now. It's kind of out of my budget at the moment, but I'm hoping to be able to get one eventually."
He nodded, "Oh I see, ya know there are plenty of people who can't buy a brand new model, that's why we also have older models that are previously owned and refurbished. I'm sure we can find a synth to fit your budget."
You still weren't planning on making a purchase tonight, but you decided to check out your options to help you plan and choose later. "Ok, I'd like to see what's available and what the prices are like."
"Right this way!" He led you through a set of doors into a different room that wasn't nearly as flashy as the first. The floors were a light gray color and the lighting was more of a yellow than the bright white of the initial showroom. But this sales floor had probably three times the number of synth models lined up in rows around the room, appearing to be grouped by some of their functional abilities and also physical features.
"So what kinds of functions are you looking for in your synth? What kind of duties are you wanting it to perform?" He asked you.
The few price tags you glanced over as you were slowly walking by the display of synths were still much higher than what you could afford. You started feeling disappointed that you would have to keep waiting awhile before you could get one.
"Uhh... mainly chores around the house, cleaning, laundry... maybe grocery shopping and some cooking too." You told him.
He went toward a group of female synth models, "You may be interested in our Susie model. It's one of the most common first line synths for household duties. Even though it's a very basic, less personable model, it usually serves the purpose of what many people are seeking."
You cleared your throat, "I'm uh, I think I'd prefer a male synth..."
Jake turned away from the Susies and looked at you, "I see... well we do have some of the older Max model available. They predate Susie so they're a bit more cold personality wise, but they can still handle most common household tasks. But since your preference is a male, I do just want to ask if you are also seeking companionship abilities in your synth? Those are limited to more specific models so I can show you some of those if you like. But they do tend to cost a bit more, with the enhancements. And they might also need more... customizations."
Your cheeks flushed in slight embarrassment. Everyone knew when companionship was mentioned regarding synths, it usually meant humans using synths basically as sex toys. Your love life was seriously lacking, so it wasn't too far off the mark for you to consider seeking a synth for that purpose as well... but that wasn't your intention. "Um, no, I just prefer a male... I just need help with stuff around the house." You said, trying to sound convincing... to him or to yourself?
He nodded, and proceeded showing you the Max model. It all sounded great but when he got to the price, it was still quite high to you.
"Unfortunately I'm going to have to hold off for now. But thank you for the information." You hoped he wasn't bothered that you had wasted his time when he could be selling to someone else.
"Well... hold on there. We do have our salvage department as well. Most of them are in pretty rough shape and might need parts repaired or replaced though. And they also might need reprogramming to function properly." Jake held out his arm, gesturing to another set of doors.
You figured it couldn't hurt to take a look, so you followed him into the next room. This room was dirty, dusty and dimly lit. There were synths scattered all around randomly, some disfigured and missing artifical body parts. You didn't know where to even start.
Jake let you browse on your own here, "Just let me know if you come across any that interest you, then I can look them up for you."
"Ok..." you replied, as you walked around some of the piles of salvage synths, looking for anything that caught your eye. You weren't finding much and also didn't really know what to look for. But as you approached a third pile, a glimpse of stark white, somewhat spikey hair, stood out to you. It looked different, unique compared to all the others you had seen...
You stepped closer to the synth. It was halfway sitting up, propped up against some random other salvage parts. You leaned down a bit, looking over it more closely. The face was actually quite handsome, you thought. It seemed taller than most average synths, the arms, legs and torso all looked longer to you. "What about this one?" You called out to Jake.
He made his way over to you, "Ah, this one is definitely a fixer upper. It's a very old model, maybe even close to the original line. But it was homemade... so it's one of a kind. But that can also mean glitches or faulty programming. It doesn't have any quality guarantee and we will program it as standard as possible, but it may have limited functionality because of its custom design. Also, it has a broken back... that could be a costly repair."
You still favored this synth for some reason... "Can you boot it up so I can talk to it?" They were kept in a standby mode when on display, or in the salvage department, completely shut down.
Jake activated the synth. It took a few moments for the initial cycles to run through, but then the synth's arms and head started flinching around a little and its eyes opened. Your breath hitched as it turned its head slightly upward to look at you and you first made contact with those eyes... You had never seen eyes like that on a synth before, or a man either for that matter. There was such an intensity radiating from behind them, they seemed to pierce right through to your soul. You were immediately transfixed with him.
"Hi..." you said a bit nervously, "I'm Y/N."
He continued to hold your gaze, "Hello, I am Kirsh."
Jake interrupted, "So with the spinal repair and memory wipe, that would bring the cost to..."
You didn't even hear the amount, whatever it was, you'd figure out a way to pay for it. Except... "Memory wipe? Do you have to do that? Doesn't that alter their personality?"
Kirsh tilted his head a tiny amount, still looking deep into your eyes.
Jake cleared his throat, "A memory wipe is standard on used models, to avoid conflicts with any prior programming."
Kirsh's eyes flicked over to glance at Jake, then returned to focusing on you. You sensed something more in them than just a synthetic being.
"Do you want a memory wipe?" You asked Kirsh.
He blinked, "I would prefer to retain my memory... if I have a choice."
"Yes, you do have a choice." You smiled a little at him. You turned to Jake, "Don't do the memory wipe. How long for the back repair?"
Jake gave you a look of disapproval, "Ok... but we can't guarantee any functionality then. It's a final sale, no returns or refunds..."
You nodded, "I understand."
"The spinal reconstruction could take a few days, depending on availability of compatible parts and availability of a synthetic surgeon." Jake said. "Once you sign the contract and make at least a minimum down payment, I can begin scheduling everything. And when he's ready we can contact you to come pick him up or we can program him to come to your address."
"Ok, he can come to me..." you replied.
Kirsh seemed to form a hint of a tiny smile as he spoke to you, "As you wish."
Jake deactivated Kirsh again and led you back to the first room to draw up the contract. All you could think about was Kirsh's eyes...