What defines a human?

Doubt.

"Did you call him?" She asked her father impatiently.

The old man nodded "I did."

"...and?!"

"He's flattered Amanda but he doesn't want that kind of spotlight right now."

She sighed dramatically "but..."

"Amanda..." her father warned her.

"Fine! I'll just use an old interview." She exclaimed and turned on the tv, scrolling through old videos until she found the one she was looking for.

"They can't develop any form of desire or consciousness.." she quoted the man in the video with a frown and peered at Markus who was watching the old news rapport. "What's your thoughts on it Markus?"

"There's so many of us." He said in a whisper.

"Yes, but no one like you" she mumbled "you're one of a kind."

Carl lifted his head and studied her intensely, as if he could see the conflict in her.

"I am a prototype gifted to your father, Mr Kamski and Carl are old fri-.."

"Yes I know!" She interrupted with a irritable tone and pushed her plate away from her, crossing her arms in front of her chest like an annoyed child.

Her father still studied her and with a calm tone he decided to push the subject forward. "What do you want to ask him anyway."

"If they can evolve."

"Well you have the answer right i front of you dear." He snickered and looked up at Markus.

She looked at them both for a while before she excused herself and left the room. She wandered out into the garden and took a deep breath of the crisp morning air.
She closed her eyes and tried not to be overwhelmed by all the thoughts spinning inside her head.

"You want your coffee in the garden Amanda?"

She opened her eyes and nodded, "Thank you Markus."

He entered the garden and walked up to her holding out her favourite mug and the tablet she used when she worked on her articles.

"Can you read me your latest work?" He asked with a curious expression.

She took the tablet and opened the file with her recent work. "There's going to be an election soon."

"For a new president?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a favourite?"

"Well, I've always wanted a female president." She smiled.

"So you vote on gender and not facts?" He asked surprised.

"No Marcus, I vote with my heart and not my head."

"How is that different?" He said perplexed.

She snickered "its complicated."

"That's your standard phrase." He said as the wrinkle appeared between his brows.

She rolled her eyes and motioned him to follow her and they both sat down on the garden bench.
She cleared her throat and started reading out loud.

"The way you vote, the way you live, the way you protest, the pressure you bring to bear on your government, has an impact way beyond your borders.
That is your privilege, and your burden. If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped change. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: We have the power to imagine better."

"You wrote that? It's amazing."

She peered at him and smiled "no."

"No?"

"A woman called J.K Rowling did."

"So you used her words?"

"Yes, she was a very intelligent and influential woman."

"I see, but why don't use your own words?"
She pondered the question for a while and shrugged a little "I don't want people to forget about her."

They sat quiet for a while before the android hesitantly started talking. "How do you explain a desire?"

She thought about it for a moment. "A feeling of something you want. Like today I had the desire to sit in the garden instead of the office.

Markus studied her and she could se the LED light by his thimble pulsating in yellow instead of the normal blue light. "Then he's wrong."

She looked up at him and met his eyes. "Who?"

"My creator. He said we don't have desires."

"But.. you do?" She asked with a doubtful tone.

"Yes." He stated calmly "I wanted you to read to me."

"Okey, but why?"

"Because I've missed it."

She peered down at her mug of coffe then quietly took a sip before placing it in the grass by her feet to be able to take his hands in hers. "You're right... and he's wrong."

He nodded and peered down at their hands thoughtfully. Amanda gently leaned closer to rested her head on his shoulder. "I've missed it too."

He glanced down at her but didn't move. "Then I don't understand."

"Understand what?"

"Why you avoid me."

She sighed and fingered on the delicate fabric of her shirt sleeve. "Its..."

"Complicated?" He filled in.

She sighed again "No, I'm just super busy now with work." She lied.

"Yes, I noticed."

"And my head is full of ideas and work and.."

"It's fine. You don't have to explain."

"No, your wrong." She sat up straight and looked him in his eyes "I should have, your my friend which means I should let you know what's up with me."

He looked curious at her for a while. "We're friends?"

She giggled "Well, of course we are!"

"So what does friends do?"

"Hmmm... well they help each other, some times they cry together , mostly they makes each other laugh. But ... what I'm trying to say is, a true friend supports the other no matter what."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being my friend."

"Anytime Sweetheart ." She gave him a cheeky wink and got up to walk inside, leaving Markus alone with a half full coffee mug in the grass. He gently picked it up and held it for a while, inspecting the lipstick on it.

"But does friends lie to each other..?" He mumbled low to himself.