Penelope

“Tomorrow will be better.” Pen took a deep breath as she stood on the floating dock watching the waves move it slightly up and down. She wanted so badly to  jump in and swim around in the lake, but she knew her parts would malfunction and she would end up as scrap metal in the junkyard the next day.

Yes she looked human on the outside, but on the inside she was nothing but a computer. A sad, lonely computer that just wanted to form a human connection. Since arriving in town she had found a job in an IT Firm, “Nova IT” where she sat in front of a screen and wrote code for future security applications. It was the only time she didn’t have to dumb down her intelligence to the human world and where she felt she belonged since arriving in Illinois. 

“That’s a beautiful sunset isn’t it?” A husky voice said from behind.

Pen looked over her shoulder, examining her files for the best human response. “Yes, it is beautiful.”

The man had dark brown hair that had a few loose strands hanging in his face and looked as if he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days. “You know I noticed you here the other day around this time, and was wondering if you were ever going to jump in.”

Pen looked down and shook her head. “I don’t swim.” 

The man nodded and walked over towards Pen. “It’s overrated anyway. Plus people through their trash in the water almost every weekend while they are partying on their boats.

Pen looked into the man’s eyes that were silver like the rocks next to the river. For a human his looks were far superior compared to other human men she has seen. “Do you swim?”

“I do, but only when it gets dark so I can be by myself.” The man extended his hand. “I’m Fallon, by the way. What’s your name?”

Pen looked down at Fallon's hand and sent a quick command to her CPU to shake hands with him. “My name is Pen.”

“Is that short for Penelope?” Fallon let go of Pen’s hand and stuck it inside his jean pocket.

“No, it’s just Pen.” Pen’s mouth drew in a line, thinking of her creator. When she was complete he named her Penelope 1.0, she was created to be his companion with emotion software installed so she could pass as a human in front of his friends and family. Penelope did her best to be the best companion for her creator, but it seemed she was more created to be his punching bag more than his wife.

“Alright, Pen. Do you want to grab a cup of coffee with me?” I was about to head to my favorite cafe that’s not too far away from here.

“I’m not hungry or thirsty.” Pen could feel the weight of being an android weighing down on her and her social life.

“How about lonely?” Fallon said as he winked his right eye.

“Okay.” Pen smiled as she walked alongside Fallon down the dock. She knew from television that these types of encounters usually didn’t go well for females, but since she couldn’t feel physical pain she took her chances.

….

“Would you like anything, sweetie?” The blonde waitress poured coffee into Fallon’s cup while staring at Pen from the corner of her eye.

“No, thank you.” Pen said staring at the plate of breakfast food on Fallon's plate.

Fallon took a sip from his coffee cup and looked straight at Pen. “So, are you from around here?”

Pen shook her head. “No, I arrived in town 30 days ago.”

Fallon raised his eyebrows. “Where are you from originally?”

“I’m from New York.” Pen said feeling the weight of her past on her back. She hoped her creator would not come looking for her, but knowing how controlling he was she was prepared to handle him.

“Why the sudden move? Are you running from something?” Fallon asked, cracking a playful smile.

“How did you know?” Pen asked feeling like she had been caught.

“I didn’t...I was just….what are you running from?” Fallon had a confused interested look on his face.

“I’m running from a man. A man that I had a relationship with.” Pen said with a straight face,being careful of using the words creator.

Fallon put his hands together in front of his face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

“It’s fine. It’s nice talking to someone, I hardly interact with anyone.” Pen said not breaking eye contact with Fallon.

Fallon smiled showing his perfect white teeth. “Well you are welcome to interact with me anytime you’d like.” Fallon rose up from the table and laid some cash down. “It’s about time for my night swim, I would invite you, but you don’t swim.” Fallon smiled playfully and grabbed a marker from his pocket. “Let me see your hand.” 

Pen hesitated to give Fallon her hand, but didn’t want him to leave and never be able to touch him. Her hand reached out to meet Fallon’s and he put the marker to her skin and began writing. Pen wished she could have felt the sensation of the marker gliding across her palm, but all she could do was imagine what it would feel like.  Fallon let go of Pen's hand and slid the marker back into his back pocket. “I hope to see you again, Pen.”

Pen looked at her palm and saw Fallon’s name and number written across. She quickly programmed his number into her memory card and smiled as he walked out of the diner. For once in her life she felt as if she was human.

….

It had been three weeks since Pen had met Fallon, and her life went from being a lonely android to an android that had someone that cared about her. Though she was happy she couldn’t help but feel the feeling wouldn’t last, and her days will be non existent once Fallon knew what she really was, a robot that could never give him what a human could.

Pen put on her figure hugging black dress as she prepared for her date with Fallon. Tonight she was going to tell him about her past and the truth about what she was. 

Pen walked to her door to answer the call, she prepared a script and saved it to her documents on how she was going to deliver the news to Fallon. Fallon turned the doorknob to see her creator in the doorway.

“Penelope, I’m so glad I finally found you.” Her creator said as an evil smile appeared in his face.

Pen closed her door which was stopped by her creator’s hand.

“That’s no way to say hello, Penelope. Without me you wouldn’t be here right now. “ The creator walked into her apartment coming toward her as if he was a lion about to pounce on his prey. 

Pen took steps back and prepared for the worst. She knew things were going too well and wouldn’t stay quiet forever. “Please, leave. You can create another Penelope. You don’t need me.”

“You thought you were so clever. Getting me drunk and leaving in the middle of the night. You didn’t think that removing that one tracker from your head would throw me off your scent. I just had to look at your internet history to figure out where you were.” The creator inched closer to Pen, to the point she was backed up against the wall. “I saw you with that other man in his house. He seems to like you very much and you seem to let him do anything he wants to do to you.” The creator held a screwdriver in his hand and pressed it against Pen’s neck. “You belong to me.”

Pen took her hand and gripped it around his wrist. “I don’t belong to you anymore.” With her other hand she picked up a letter opener off the table next to her and stabbed it against the creators shoulder. 

“Ahhhh, you little whore!” The creator then dropped the screwdriver and grabbed his shoulder to yank out the letter opener. 

Pen grabbed the screwdriver off the floor and stood above the creator. “You need to leave.”

The creator laughed. “You think he’s going to love you when he finds out what you truly are? You are nothing. You can’t give him a normal life.”

Pen nodding knowing what he was saying was true, but she rather be alone, than be with her creator forever. “It’s time for you to leave.”

The creator yanked the letter opener from his shoulder and stood up. “No, you are mine.” He then stabbed the letter opener into her neck, which caused her to power down.

….

“Time to wake up darling.” A man’s voice called out as Pen powered on.

Pen looked around the room to notice she was in a gray room with machines and metal instruments on a tray next to her and no human in sight. ”How did I get here?”

A man with gray hair appeared to her left. “Fallon brought you here.”

Pen looked confused, the last thing she remembered was her creator turning her off in her apartment. She didn’t understand how she did not end up back with him in New York. “What happened?”

Well from what I gathered the man in your apartment attacked you and Fallon knocked him out and brought you back here.

“Who are you?” Pen asked, looking at his long gray beard.

“I’m Dr. Stevens and don’t worry about the man that attacked you he will no longer be able to find you, I wiped any and all connections he had tied to you.” Dr. Stevens said as he flashed his flashlight into Pen’s eyes.

“You know...I’m not human? Does Fallon know as well?” Pen asked looking into his kind green eyes.

Dr. Stevens laughed. “We both know.” Dr Stevens sat down on the chair across from her “Pen, how do you feel about becoming more than a robot, how about becoming a human?”

“That’s not possible.” Pen said, feeling confused.

“It is.” Fallon said coming in from the shadows. “ I used to be a robot.”

By: 

CJ

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