The Machinations Of Greed

Pain

Why does this have to happen to him? Again and again. Does the world hate him? Is there something wrong that he did, which caused this world to despise him? To want him to suffer so?

He doesn't want to listen to this call. Yet something is telling him to. Something beyond his own existence. A... totality. It wants him to let it squirm its way into his head and settle down in his body.

//AIC_RECONNECTING;

Something appears in his vision, a message. His link with the AIC is being reformed.

"...It... hurts..."

A jolt of pain spreads through his entire body en masse, like tidal waves washing up on a rocky beach, crashing against the stones and the boulders, demanding further entry. And it hurts. It sears...

He can only say it again and again. That it hurts. If he didn't say it, then he wouldn't understand it. This is pain. And it hurts.

//ROM_57%;

It shoots through him over and over. He falls to the floor steps away from that machine. Crouched against the ground, forehead pressed against the cold surface as hard as it can be, a quiet grunt leaves his lips for the first time.

//OWNER_ACCOUNT_CONNECT... FAILED;

A message appears in his sight, and a gasp of air is sucked into his lungs, though he doesn't need it.

He immediately feels relief flood his brain, like the god rays of the bright sun shining down upon his body, exalting all that he is.

Ah, so that was it. The link was attempting a reform because the ATM machine assumed he wanted to confirm a transaction for his owner.

Looking back at it, A's eyes are wide with uncertain 'fear', almost like he's expecting it to jump out at him. To his surprise, it's stopped spewing out money. Regardless, he stands up, though he stumbles, and keeps his gaze locked onto it, before taking notice of the piles of cash.

He approaches, then quickly takes as much as he can of that money, pocketing it in his dirty trousers. At least a few dozen bills of a hundred dollars. How lucky.

He scans around the street, seeing that there's no one around, before continuing onwards, slowly recovering.

"...I must find a 'home'."

He thinks to himself. Humans have those.

"...A 'name'."

All humans have those.

"...A 'family'."

Humans have those.

"...A 'lov-..."

"Hey, you. You shouldn't be walking out in the rain dressed like that, you know?"

The voice of a woman calls out to him from behind, and he turns to meet her gaze. A woman passes through the door frame to a building on the left of him, the door itself closing behind her. Auburn hair, almond eyes, turtleneck sweater, black leather jacket, a pair of black straight leg pants, and black high heels to boot. She looks like she came straight from work, only bothering to put on a jacket because of the rainy weather.

His eyes scan her closely, taking in every detail about her just as she looks him up and down. Her pupils are dilated, and she's holding a bottle of whiskey in one hand, its rectangular, hazel glass glinting under the streetlight. Intoxicated, then. The building must be a bar.

"...Yes, I know. Thank you, miss."

He nods shortly, before turning to walk away, only to be stopped by her insistent, suddenly displeased tone once more. She seems annoyed by the simple fact that he didn't understand what she wants.

"...C'mere. I'll give you my jacket. I don't need it anyway."

He glances back at her, then to the road ahead, before hanging his head and doing as told.

She holds the bottle out for him to hold so that she can remove the article of clothing, and he takes it.

"Oh, and don't take Cyclica stuff."

She gestures with her head towards the circular symbol on his shirt, prompting him to lower his view to it.

"People will think you're an android. And you don't want that. Protests are already getting worse these days..."

She sighs, seemingly troubled by thought, finally having taken off her jacket. He returns her the bottle, and she hands him the jacket.

"...What's your name? And how'd you end up on the streets?"

She tilts her head to the side curiously, meeting his gaze intently.

"...My name is Adam, miss...?"

He says the first word that comes to mind. The one he knows. The name of the man who ended him once.

"Oh, how nice. My husband's name is Adam, too. I'm Evelyn Haywood. Nice to meet you."

"...Nice to meet you too, Miss Haywood."

He nods, putting a smile on his lips just as she does the same, before extending his hand out for a handshake.

"...See you around, Adam."

Evelyn does the same, and they both shake hands peacefully, though Evelyn is taken a little off-guard by the coldness of his hand.

"You too, Miss Haywood."

They both nod again, before releasing each other and stepping back, ready to go separate ways.

"Oh, and drop the 'Miss', okay?"

Is the last thing he hears from her as they turn away from each other and walk away.

"...How nice she was."

He remarks, then looks down at the symbol on his chest. She's right. Humans will think he is an android if he has this on his chest.

Grabbing hold of it, he yanks it off, tearing a bit off the fabric of the shirt off in the process, but still leaving it intact. Observing it closely him his hand, he read the word printed into the circle it's composed of.

'Cyclica'