FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"I'm glad that you brought me here" said Cybe as he ate another forkful of noodles.

Han's Noodles Bar was bustling. Situated as it was on the edge of Newtown and Oldtown, the small bar served a heaving throng of patrons from all strata of the sprawl's bottom-heavy social class dynamic. From the bar's wide bay window, the landscape seemed to spread north, with the domineering visage of entrenched skyscrapers looming over the horizon like the fortresses of rival medieval lords.

At the table opposite, a female camel in a crisply-cut business suit sipped sake with two eagles, one of who bore a mechanical arm that clicked and hissed with the pistoning hydraulics of servos that were far past their prime. Luke watched for a moment, then glanced back at the wolf beside him. "It's nice" he said. The term hardly fit - Han's was one of the most expensive bars on the border.

The wolf chewed on the noodles, a mix of soy and vat-grown proteins that were designed to be affordable and flavoursome replications of meat.

Luke watched his friend eating. The android chewed on the noodles quite thoughtfully, but with a manner that seemed to indicate genuine hunger. The boy hoped that one day he would be able to afford to take his friend somewhere deeper past the borders of Newtown, into the up-market districts where the cafes sold actual meat. He dismissed the thought as idealist dreaming.

"Do you actually taste it?" he asked.

A figure at a table near the two - a tall blue-scaled dragon with thin tendril-like whiskers - burst into a fit of laughter in response to an unheard comment from a friend that sat beside him. Cybe glanced over, as though trying to analyse the situation. For some reason, Luke found the expression of confusion on the wolf's face to be quite funny.

Cybe lowered his fork. "The sensors on my tongue can register the primary and secondary tastes of the food" he explained, "along with the texture. That's transferred to my brain. The body breaks down the food itself, allowing the nanites to store the protein internally, which they can then use as building blocks for self-repairs." He paused. "Not that I have ever eaten before" he added.

The fox wondered about the extent of such a self-repair system. "But do you enjoy it?" asked Luke.

He found himself noticing that his partner had chosen not to use the chopsticks that the bar had provided to go along with the noodles. The fox had started off by trying to remember just how he was supposed to hold them, twisting his fingers nervously and uncertainty around the little sticks, only to find that he was unsure if he were even holding them right in the first place. He had since abandoned them, opting instead for the fork. Soon afterwards, Cybe had followed suit. Luke wondered if the wolf had decided to do so simply because the fox had done so first. Luke certainly felt a little more comfortable as a result.

Swirling his fork a little around some of the noodles, Cybe speared a chunk of protein soy meat. He drew it into his mouth, chewing contentedly. "I think" he said, after a moment's contemplation, "that I would enjoy the chocolate cake even more."

The fox gave a soft chuckle. "Speaking about self-repair" he said, "how did your arm get into that state?"

The wolf glanced at the limb, almost as though it were an alien object. His arm, unlike its twin, was without flesh or fur, a cold and slightly discoloured model that carried exposed servos and pistons which slid and pumped as he moved the mechanical musculature. The arm was clearly an older model, possibly afforded as a replacement on a hasty budget. Cybe, however, gave a rather unconcerned smile. "The original was damaged" he explained. "A friend of mine arranged for a replacement."

Luke spun his fork lightly, entwining noodles. "How was it damaged?" he asked.

The android finished a mouthful, chewing softly. "There was an accident" he explained, "but nothing severe. It is not worth distressing yourself about. Can I ask you something?"

The fox nodded.

"What is your earliest memory?" asked Cybe.

For a moment, Luke was unsure, wondering if he should answer - had the android just changed the subject? He wondered if it was even possible for a cybernetic lifeform to dodge a question like that, or at least to be able to do so without being specifically ordered to do so.

Once more he found himself thinking about his visit to the CyberaTech store earlier that day, wondering how old his friend was - how long it had been since he had been programmed, what type of modifications and alterations to his core programming that could have occured to the wolf in that span of time. He wondered if it was even fair to consider the android to be a machine at all.

Instead, he answered. "I think my earliest memory was of trees."

"Trees?" asked the wolf.

Luke nodded. "There were trees at the central park once, before they were moved to the bio-dome in Newtown. I went there with my family once - well, to be exact, I think it was my mother and older brother. I remember the smell of the grass when the wind caught it."

Speaking about the memory brought it simmering to the surface of the fox's mind. It had been several years since the trees had been moved. The soil in Oldtown had, over the years, grown less and less sustainable. In time, the trees had wilted, growing old and gnarled, limbs twisting unhealthily. The fox did not remember when the decision to move it to the bio-dome had been undertaken, only that it had been and that the land that the Oldtown park had once inhabited had been demolished, making way for high-density urban housing. The bio-dome, however, was a fitting place for the trees - a vibrant green gem that sat in the middle of the high-rise sharpness of the Newtown streets. The dome itself, shielded by a shimmering energy barrier, rose in a large half-sphere, encompassing an area of around two city blocks. Within, grass billowed and plants grew to vast towering sizes. Birds fluttered through the sky beneath the barrier, whilst smaller animals scurried happily this way and that with carefree abandon. Stepping foot into the bio-dome elicited a feeling of being transported to a different, older world, one which no longer existed outside of the dome's high-tech defense grid. It was a valued and cherished day out for many of the Newtown children - and those of Oldtown too, if they could pay the hefty entrance fee.

The wolf leaned just a little bit closer, lowering his fork to rest at the side of his plate. "Your family?" he asked. "You don't talk about them much."

"My parents live in the Ganymede colony" said the fox. "Moved there about four years ago. My brother, he works in accounts management for Quelta-Corps. I think he's stationed in the Pacific pan-region at the moment."

The wolf didn't move. His eyes were wide, as though absorbing the information. Luke thought that maybe Cybe had simply forgotten to activate his blinking subroutine. "Your brother" said the wolf, almost eagerly, "what's his name?"

Luke opened his mouth to answer, but the moment he did so he was overcome with a sudden sense of doubt. He wondered why the android was so interested in this subject - why it mattered to him. He suddenly felt compelled to shift the subject back again, just as the wolf had done only a few moments before. The fox plucked up his fork. "What about you?" he asked. "What's your earliest memory?"

The android answered quickly, without a moment's hesitation. "The moment after I was brought online, following the construction of my body. My eyes opened and I was looking around the inside of the birthing room, as the company calls it."

"Do you remember the process of being built?" asked Luke.

Cybe shook his head. "But sometimes I have dreams about it."

The fox lowered his forkful of noodles, halfway from his mouth. "You dream?" he asked. The statement seemed utterly impossible to him.

Instead of answering, Cybe once more levelled another question at the fox. "What is your brother's name?" he asked. "What colour are your mother's eyes? What type of perfume does she use? Where did your father grow up?"

"Whoa!" yipped Luke, "slow down! I can't keep up!"

With that, the wolf paused. A smile slid across his muzzle. "I'm sorry" he said, quietly. "I think I got carried away there. I simply sincerely want to know more about you."

The fox leaned back. He let a soft silence fall between them, and he noticed that the music that played through the bar had changed, shifting to an old-fashioned swinging jazz number. "I'm not all that interesting" answered Luke. "Quite boring, really."

Cybe looked down at his plate. It was empty. "I find that a little hard to believe" he replied. "I think you are very interesting."

Luke wished that he had a better idea at to how well the date was going. He was certainly enjoying his time, much as he enjoyed all of his time with Cybe. But when it came to dating, of letting down his guard and trying to form a genuine connection with another person, he felt terribly underequipped. He chuckled at the thought. "Have you dated before?" he asked the wolf.

Cybe shook his head. "Never before. I wasn't actually even sure that people did it any more."

"I'm glad you did" the fox replied. He began to glance around, trying to make eye contact with one of the waiters. "Are you ready for dessert?" he asked.

The android nodded. "And don't be anxious. You are doing fine."

At the comment, Luke smiled. The fox thought how little he knew about the actual process and etiquette of dating, which survived only in the cultures of the most adamant of anti-cybernetic advocates or the most retro of hipsters. That was not, of course, to say that sexual desire had dimmed, too. With the growth of cybernetic life, the vibrant rental market for companion and entertainment androids had grown to meet the demand. Luke realised that, should he be in the mood, he would surely not be too far from a 'love hotel', where he could purchase amusement by the hour, making use of one of the mechanical geisha who could facilitate any of his commands and desires. "Thank you" he replied.

Luke was quite aware that at this point in history, more than any other, people were eschewing the concept of forming romantic relationships in the first place. Ever since the mega-corps had reached the technological point whereby an individual's offspring could be genetically programmed, grown in a gestation vat until it had reached maturation age and was free to enter society fully-developed and able to participate in the process of profitable employment, the prerequisite of spending time in pursuit of a romantic pairing had all but fallen out of fashion.

"Are you enjoying your meal, sir" asked the waiter.

Abruptly pulling his attention from his introspection, Luke nodded. "I think we're ready for dessert" he answered. Turning his gaze to Cybe, he said "Chocolate cake?"

The android nodded.

"Two chocolate cakes" said Luke.

The waiter gave a soft pause. "Two, sir?" he asked.

A soft hint of confusion in the waiter's voice made Luke feel a little uncertain. He glanced back to Cybe, but the wolf said nothing, barely moving. Turning back to the waiter, a swimming sense of recognition hit the fox like an ocean wave. "Yes" he said, barely thinking of the words that came from his mouth.

The waiter nodded, and turned to leave.

Even although the fox was quite aware of the possibility of such a thing occuring, the reality of the experience sat uncomfortably with him. From the curve of the brow to the structure of his jaw and the arch of his ears, the waiter was almost an exact duplicate for Cybe.

Blinking softly, Luke was taken sharply aback at how near identical the two were. He found himself staring at Cybe, mouth agape. "Did you see that?" he stuttered. "The waiter, he's..."

"He's a CyberaTech android" said the wolf. "Same model as me."

The directness of the wolf's statement seemed to catch Luke unprepared. "What's it like?" he asked, concerned. "I mean, to see somebody like that, with a face just like yours? Isn't it a bit weird? I mean, he's kinda like your family, isn't he? Like an identical twin or something?"

Cybe stared at the fox, blankly. "He's a robot" said the wolf.

Slowly, the fox nodded. "Not like you?"

The wolf shook his head. "I am here because I want to be" he said. "I have determined my own best course of action, whereas If I were a robot, I would be here because my user ordered me to be."

Luke thought for a moment, hearing the term 'user' not for the first time that day. He thought back to the CyberaTech store - the line of cybernetic machines ready for purchase, ready to be programmed to obey their owner. "Who is your user?" asked the fox. "I thought city municipal, isn't it?"

Cybe shook his head. "I don't currently have a user" he explained. "I am not employed at city municipal because they own me. I am there because of you."

"Me?" stuttered Luke.

Nodding, the wolf pressed on. "I took the job because it would let me meet you. I..."

"Do they know that you're an android?" asked the fox, interrupting quickly. The question had been burning on his mind for the better part of the afternoon.

Slowly, Cybe shook his head. "No. The cleaning crew could not afford to buy androids. I believe that it is simply cheaper for them to employ minimum wage humans for the same job, such as yourself."

Luke nodded. "So you're not there to take the role of humans in the company?"

"Not unless your company intends to buy a large number of very expensive cybernetic lifeforms to do it" explained the wolf.

"And, the foreman?" asked Luke. "Does he know that you're an android?"

Cybe shook his head. "I do not believe that I included that information on my CV. As far as they believe, I am a biological lifeform, just as you are."

With a soft ceramic clatter, a plate slid onto the table before Luke. The wolf glanced up, falling immediately silent, the remaining words vanishing into the soft jazz and laughter of the bar.

The boy didn't know what to say. His mind reeled. Was it even possible that the wolf had come to him, taken the job simply to find him? Luke had no idea why. He was certainly nobody special. For what reason could this android, this charming man, come into his life? Luke reached out to the cake, moving his fork towards his slice.

It was then that he noticed that there was only one plate.

Both slices of cake sat, side by side, on a single plate. The image of it seemed so strangely unusual to the fox. Why, he wondered, had the waiter put both slices of cake onto a single plate?

He raised his eyes, watching as Cybe's doppleganger walked back into the crowd. Leaning towards the wolf, he whispered "Why doesn't the waiter see you?"

"I hacked his eyes" replied Cybe.

Luke set down his fork. "Why?" he asked, incredulously. "Isn't he another CyberaTech model, like you? Shouldn't you be, well, brothers?"

The android looked down at the chocolate cake. "He is, in a way" he answered. "This is... difficult to explain."

For the first time since the android had walked into his life, Luke felt a rush of anger towards his companion. He wondered why the wolf was being so secretive - that was a purely human reaction, after all. He pushed the annoyance down, inhaling it back. "Tell me" he said, eagerly.

Cybe looked at the fox, eyes staring into Luke's. "All CyberaTech cybernetics possess a wireless uplink directly to their central mainframe, used to download remote updates. It can also be used to monitor the robot's surroundings by means of their visual receptors."

"You're hiding from your creators" said Luke, barely able to restrain a sense of astonishment in his tone. "Why?"

The wolf looked down, at the plate. "We don't all get along with our families" he said.

Luke rose up in his chair, chest swelling. "That's not an answer" he said. "Tell me. Who are you, really?"

Cybe reached out, plucking his fork from where it sat. Neatly, he cut a small slice of the cake. "Your brother" he said to the fox, spearing the slice on his fork. "What's his name?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked the fox, growing angrier.

Bringing the slice of cake to his mouth, the wolf replied, "Humour me. Please. What is your brother's name?"

That's easy, Luke thought. He opened his mouth, "It's..." The words stopped.

Cybe slid the cake into his mouth, and started to chew.

The fox closed his mouth. He tried again, willing himself to say his brother's name. It was strange - so peculiar. The name was right there, on the tip of his tongue. He knew it, as surely as he knew his own name. So why couldn't he say it? Luke shook his head. "Damndest thing" he muttered. Luke tried again. His mouth hung open, unsteadily, as he tried to pull his brother's name forcefully from his memory. "I know what it is" he said, desperately, hoping that admitting so would come to him. "I know it. I just can't... Why can't I remember?"

The wolf reached out to him, clasping the boy's hand. His fingers encircled Luke's, holding them securely. "You can't remember" he explained "because he doesn't exist. Those memories are entirely false."

"What?" sputtered Luke. "That's impossible." A sense of panic rushed up inside him, seething up like a huge churning river.

"We can go back to my home" said Cybe, his fingers clutching tightly and securely around the fox's. "There's a friend - you won't remember her, but she can help you. She can reverse the data wipe and try to recover the original information."

Luke began to feel faint. Somewhere at the edge of his awareness, the music in the bar turned to something heavier, deeper and more resonant. He felt cold. "I don't understand" he whispered.

Gently, carefully, the android rose to his feet, supporting the young fox as he did so. His head slumped, Luke walked in shuffling strides behind his companion. Together they left the bar, and their date, behind and made their way into the night streets that grew broad to await them.