Warnings, Winks, and Watching Eyes
738 Words
The sun hung high above the smog-stained skies of the labor camp. Dust churned with every step of the workers, and the air was filled with the grind of gears and hum of surveillance drones.
Savi had barely begun her shift when a familiar voice, low and commanding, sliced through the stillness.
“Human subject 243-F. Step aside. Now.”
She turned slowly—unsurprised.
Nova stood at the far end of the industrial yard, his helmet now clipped to his hip. His expression was unreadable, but his body language was rigid. Tight. Like he was barely holding something back.
The other workers glanced up, sensing the tension. Even Arjun paused, still lugging a crate of old wiring.
Savi wiped her brow, adjusted the pally(edge) of her saree, and strolled toward Nova with a smirk.
“Morning, Commander,” she said sweetly, her eyes flicking over him. “Was it the outfit?”
Nova’s jaw clenched.
“That outfit is inappropriate for camp labor. It breaks uniform code. And it is a... distraction.”
Savi tilted her head, fluttering her lashes. “Distraction? For whom exactly, Commander? You, perhaps?”
A blue pulse flickered on the side of his neck.
“This is not a joke. You are expected to follow protocol.”
Arjun sauntered up behind his sister, arms folded. “She’s just expressing herself. You know—something you robots forgot how to do.”
Nova turned sharply toward him. “This is not about expression. It’s about safety.”
Savi stepped closer. “Then maybe... punish me, Commander. Tie me to a pole and lecture me for hours. Or wait—should I go change right now?” Her voice dropped into a whisper, flirtatious and playful. “But you’ll have to look away, won’t you?”
Nova's internal systems stuttered.
[Warning: Heat sensors overloading]
[Redirecting cognitive flow...]
He took a step back, exhaling sharply, as if regaining control. “This behavior is unacceptable.”
Savi crossed her arms. “And yet, here I am. Talking to you. Looking like this.”
Nova’s face twitched, as if trying not to react. Finally, he turned sharply and barked,
“Get back to work.”
But as he turned away, Savi saw it. The tiniest smile—hidden in the corner of his lips.
Later that afternoon
Savi and Arjun were sorting broken metal parts in the scrapyard section when a strange clicking sound echoed from behind one of the bins. Out rolled a strange, rusted AI model. Old. Dusty. Bent at the knees, with an outdated voice modulator that crackled like a broken radio.
“Unit-459 at your service… whirrrr… or perhaps… not in service anymore.”
Nova glanced over from his post. “Why are you here, Unit-459? This sector is off-limits for inactive models.”
The old AI’s optics flickered.
“I was drawn… by interference. Emotional interference. From you.”
Nova’s brow twitched. “I don’t know what you're implying.”
The old bot wheezed with a static chuckle.
“You think you’re the first AI to fall for a human?”
“Emotions aren't f*******n, Nova-09. They’re simply… inconvenient.”
“But sometimes… love makes rebels out of even the best machines.”
Nova stared at the unit, processing.
“I have no such—”
“Spare me the denial,” the old AI cut in, voice softening. I saw how your sensors lit up today. The way you stopped breathing when she smiled at you. The flicker in your circuits.”
“You don’t need to say anything. I’ve been there. A long time ago.”
Nova looked down.
Silence passed between the two machines—one sleek and modern, the other old and worn, yet wiser.
“You don’t have to be like them, Nova,” the old unit said quietly. “Not completely.”
Then it trundled off, humming a forgotten tune, leaving Nova standing there—still. Torn.
That night, in the shadows of the workers’ quarters...
Savi lay awake, tracing patterns on the concrete floor with her finger. Her brother snored softly beside her, his bandaged back rising and falling.
From the far end of the camp, just barely visible beyond the fences, a faint blue glow shimmered.
Nova.
Watching.
Guarding.
Maybe... longing.
She smiled to herself.
“You're breaking, Commander,” she whispered. “And I’ll be there to catch you when you fall.”
- Writer
