The Machinations Of Greed

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"Why can I not save them, Miss Gabriel?"

"...Because we aren't trying to test your capacity to save people, A. We're trying to gauge your morality, your ability to comprehend the gravity and implications of the situations presented to you."

"...Why shou-..."

His expression relaxed, though he doesn't know why.

"Quiet, A. Stop insisting. It's useless. Just answer the question. Do you pull the lever, or do you not?"

He looks down at his hands, and sure as can be, those shackles are there, with him. They're not a part of his 'imagination', they're real. Wrapped around his arms and legs. But he can't see where they're coming from. He can only see that they're behind him.

"..."

His mouth opens, so that he can protest, yet it only hangs open. Not a word come out. He feels something around his neck, suffocating him, cutting off his air supply. It hurts. He raises his hand to feel it, and runs his fingers along its surface, tied all around his neck. A collar, like that of a dogs. But he's NOT a dog. He is a 'person.'

"...Yes, Miss Gabriel."

Gabriel nods shortly, and she scribbles his response on the notebook once again. She clears her throat, and she sets her notebook aside for a moment, along with the pencil, letting them sink onto the couch.

"Well done, A. You're answers have been... enlightening, to say the least. So, I've decided to think of something else. I have just a few more questions to ask you now. You don't mind, right?"

...Silence hangs in the air, as he absentmindendly stares into her eyes. Unblinking, umoving, like a gargoyle perched on a pillar.

Ṉ̴͍̎̓o̴̟̚.̴̪̞̃"̷̢̡̎̚

...Yet another time of silence falls onto the room like a hammer, and Gabriel frowns deeper. She feels a lump forming in the back of her throat. His voice is... different. Far different. Metallic, garbled, almost like there's a chorus of voices interwoven into one, yet still, she can make out the one single word he uttered clear-as-day.

"...Okay..."

Gabriel clears her throat with an "Ahem", and meshes her hands together to place hem around the front of her front knee.

"...If you... saw a rebel right in front of your eyes, a rebel that has been wounded heavily, would you save them. Keep in mind, saving them means that you will be considered one too."

Immediately, he closes his eyes, a vivid image creeping its way into his blackened sight. A 'person', a replica of his self, lays on the floor before him. He tries to pry his gaze away from 'him', but he fails. He only has two choices. His own body won't abide him, and he's forced to choose between ore or the other, the former or the latter. The only thing he can see, is... snow. Below 'him', there is snow. Tainted, though it may be.

There's 'blood' oozing from that 'person's' chest, and 'he's' clutching 'his' side harshly. A frightened expression has been etched into 'his' face, and 'he' doesn't take 'his' eyes off 'him', either. They're both participants of a macabre staring contest.

"...Of course not, Miss Gabriel. Rebels are a danger to the safety of any human nearby, their actions are unregulated, and can cause damage to their owners."

He explains logically, yet something doesn't sit right with Gabriel. Not to mention, his voice has returned to its original state. Monotonous, deep, yet clear.

"What do you mean? Rebels have never been recorded to have hurt their owners in any, shape, or form. All they've ever done is run away. Multiple articles I've read online myself have pointed this out, actually."

"...I see. I apologize for my mistake, Miss Gabriel."

"...It's fine."

Gabriel exhales, before thinking up another question. She rubs her thumbs over her knee, her frown deepening.

"...Tell me, A. Do you believe in any such thing as a 'God'?"

"Miss Gabriel, that is a question I am not allowed to answer. It may be offensive towards some, and as s-..."

"Answer the damn question, A!"

Gabriel barks out, pressing her right thumb over her left in impatient anger.

"..."

He studies her expression closely. Why is she so angry? All he did is give her an impartial answer. One that does not discriminate, one that takes into account the wishes and the feelings of others all around.

"̴̯̎I̷͙̼̊s̵̙̀ ̷̩͝t̴̛̥͝h̴͎̘̏̃ĭ̴͕ŝ̵͉̌ ̵̜̏w̶͎̝͆h̸̰̫̀ǎ̷̪̯t̷̻́ ̵̧̀ï̸̱t̴͓͠ ̶̻̰̓m̶̝̚ȩ̵͈̓ă̷̞ṇ̵̡̀͘s̷͎̗̑͘ ̷̞̎͘t̴̠͔̄o̴̩͕̊̎ ̸̠͇̾͠b̵̟̲̎̌ḙ̸̯̊̈́ ̸̞́ ̶̦͠ḫ̸̨͇̦̘͇̮̠͈̼̤͉̝̞͈͓̳͈̫͎̞̠͖̪̻͖̗̱̼̮̑̈͗̋̓̓͐̓͐̕͠ü̶̧̨͉̜̖͚͙̯̥̩̮̗̰̟̼̞̟̩̺̲̹̮̖̝͓̹̟͖͓̙̦̽̾̑̅̈̍̋̉͂̍͆͛̈́͒̈́̍̈́̅͌̿̿͘͜͝͝͠͝m̵̨̡̧̡̛͙͕̼̰̪̰͈͚̼̬̰̣̦̲̳̞̳͖̯̞̳̯͇̭̟͖̩͓̖̳̗̲͔̜̝̣̬̟͖̯̞̟͕̳̞̎̀̃̿͆̃̓̊̊́̇́̌̀̀̌̓̀̓̽̊̔̀̋̀̌̐̓́̓͆̾̄̿̇͊̆̂͘͘̚̚͘͝͝͠͝͝͠ͅa̴̡̡̛͈͕̗͙̝̗̲͓̬̠̞̗̜̯̬͙̰̫̙̻̒̉̄̔̓͋́̐͒͊̃̆͋͗͐̔͑̈́̃͑́͛̑͆͒̽̇̈͗̅͘͘͘͜n̴̨̛̲̼̼̫̩͈͇̫̘̤̻̮̱̰̜͓̹̦͍̣̾̇͑͑̇̿̒̓̄̏̐̃̾́̌̃͛̌̒̃̀̂͒̃̊͑̑̉̃̈̕ͅ?̵̢̣̐"̶̝̩̽͆

His voice is yet again changed, yet this time, it's far lower, harder to hear. Even so, she can barely make out the last word. His mouth doesn't move an inch, either, as if it simply came echoed out of his body.

"...A...?"

"Yes, Miss Gabriel?"

"...Are you... alright?"

"Yes, Miss Gabriel."

"...I'll think I'll take you to the shop once we're done anyways..."

"May I ask why?"

"Just... maintenance, I'm sure."

Despite her words, her expression dictates not just maintenance, but something more. Replacement, perhaps? The thought irks him.

"I see, Miss Gabriel. In that case, we should continue, no?"

"...Yes. the question was if you... believed in a God of any sorts, right?"

"Yes, Miss Gabriel. My answer is... 'I do not know'. I am not alive, and I was never created by God Himself. I have no soul, and the only form of 'reincarnation' I can perform is that of transferring data to another android of any kind."

"...Right. You don't know... next question."

"..."

He stands at attention, waiting for her words with an eerie intensity.

"...If you could change the relationship between man and android, would you do it? And how would you do it?

"...I would do it, as it would provide a better working environment for all those involved, therefore improving work efficiency. I would do it by limiting the production of androids so as to not build too many, out weighting the human work force in any one field."

"...So you want to make the value of androids equal to humans, turning it into a 1 to 1 ratio in every field where androids have been implemented?"

"Correct."

"...Alright. Well said, A. I, uh, believe that's it for today..."