~Jean~
I stumbled through the dark alleyway while clutching my right side. Tiny sparking modules sizzled against my palm, showing just how damaged I was. To damage a special model like me was a difficult feat, even with their current tech.
"What a mess." I leaned against a dumpster and slowly took stock of my surroundings. 'Looks okay for a quick repair.' I thought to myself before sitting down behind the dumpster. It was going to have to do for now. At least, until I find a better place to hide and plan a proper escape out of this country.
My palm hovered just a few centimeters above the open hole in my side and light blue sparks ran over it. My half machine physique was the only thing that still kept me going.
The sounds of footsteps outside the alleyway where I was hiding alerted me. The footsteps suddenly stopped, and the air seemed to become tense.
According to my earlier diagnosis, this part of the city had no advanced protection services, and I had already taken control of the surveillance cameras on this side of the street, so it would be safe to come out.
I peered out of the alleyway, my violet eyes glinting against the light of day. The young man that stood outside the alleyway gasped as he saw me. He turned to run, but I held out a hand.
"Wait. Help me." I called out, and he froze. He turned to look back, and his already wide eyes seemed to widen even more when he finally got a good look at me.
"God... An android?" He gasped, then turned to look around. It seemed there was no one on the street because he quickly pulled out his phone. "H-hold on, I'll call the emergency services right now so they can help you." He said and tried to unlock his phone.
"No. There's no need to call the emergency services. I just need a place to stay for now. I can fix myself." I stopped him. I did not know how else to get to somewhere secluded without someone helping me. Drawing the attention of the authorities would be very bad.
"What?" The guys froze in place.
"Do you have a place I can stay the night. I will be okay by tomorrow." I asked him. His eyes went wide.
"Don't worry. I won't kill you. I just need your help to repair myself." I reassured him.
"Okay." He nodded and hesitantly approached me. He took off his hoodie and revealed another one underneath it. He handed me that hoodie to cover up my bare upper body. "Follow me. I don't live too far away from here." He said.
"Thank you." I nodded and followed him.
The air was chilly, and showed signs of snowfall starting back up again. It only took fifteen minutes before the young man stopped in front of a simple, small house. It was not much, but I was glad it was not part of an apartment complex. That meant that I would get more privacy in my time here.
"Er, I never did get your name. Or is it some bland batch number?" The young boy laughed hesitantly as he worked to open up the front door.
"Ah. Sorry about that. My name is Jean. I am an advanced Cyborg. But personally, I prefer being referred to as Jean." I said.
"Oh, cool. I'm Neo." Neo said as he pushed open the door. He held his hand out, and I entered the house before him. He closed and locked the door behind him before speaking again, "Welcome to my humble abode. It's a bit messy, but I was not really expecting any visitors." He laughed.
"Thank you for having me. For helping me. I will be out of your hair soon enough." I replied curtly with a nod. "Can you show me to your basement?"
"Oh, sure! This way." He replied quickly and motioned for me to follow him. The door to the basement was just around the corner, and when we got there, he opened it up, showing a short staircase that led lower.
"Thanks." I nodded at him before heading down the stairs. It was important to repair my injuries as quickly as possible, something that will take a couple of days at the very least. During this time, I would be at risk, but I intended to hack into all of Neo's things to make sure he did not call the authorities on me.
When I reached the ground, I made my way over to the corner before collapsing on the floor, my breathing strained. The damage to my robotic internals made it much more difficult to do things, and going without repairs would only make things worse in the long run. I needed to handle this now.
Luckily, I have a self repair function. But the self repair consumed a lot of energy. Sorry Neo, your power bill is about to shoot up.
I crossed my legs and leaned back, taking off Neo's hoodie, and the tatters that remained of my shirt, before closing my eyes and beginning the self repair function.
I had conveniently chosen a spot by a socket, so siphoning energy was not a big deal.
A low whirring sound came to life in the basement as the energy around me began churning, supplying the machines within my torso with an abundant amount of energy.
"Ah..." I sighed as the itch that tore through me began to subside. I decided to retreat within the confines of my mind for now and closed my eyes to get some shut-eye.