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Unfortunately, some formatting did not get transferred to DeviantArt's text input. If you find some odd phrasing, some of it may be in italics. Please pardon this.

“Good lord, James. You just never know when to quit, do you?”

Stevenson stood at the doorway with his hands up in surrender. “Hey, let’s not jump to conclusions this early in diagnosis, shall we, Doctor?”

Redmond rubbed his forehead in irritation. “What do you want?” he asked, allowing his voice to project his exact emotion towards the once-again intruder. “My lunch break is in five minutes and I’d rather not miss it.”

“I know. I was going to invite you to lunch. I didn’t get to, last time, because I allowed myself to get too caught up in my passion. Come, there’s a sandwich place that I’ve wanted to try, and it’s always more fun to try new things with friends.”

Redmond glared coldly at the liar. “If you have nothing, I’d advise you leave. I’ve just finished a most challenging surgery and I am in no mood to play verbal ping-pong.”

The professor felt a small sizzle of impatience, but he suppressed it with a gusto so strong he felt like for a moment, he had achieved zen. “I am serious, Frank. Let’s go eat. It’s been forever since we’ve ate a meal together, and I know we are both busy men. May we not share a rare moment where we are both unburdened and hungry?”

“James - you lie through your teeth. I know that eye twitch of yours - it means there’s something you’ve yet to tell me. Perhaps,” he clarified icily, “you don’t lie by statement of untruth, but you certainly lie by omission. Now leave, before my day gets any worse that it has already been.”

“Okay, okay! You’re right. I’m - I was hiding something. Not anymore, alright? It’s not going to be just you and me. There’s a third person involved that I invited to lunch as well. They’re waiting in my car right now. Would you deprive them of your presence?”

The clock that hung above Stevenson’s head chimed one, officially marking the beginning of the hour-long lunch that Redmond had awaited. He sighed in submission. “Fine. But you’re taking the bill.”

Stevenson chuckled. “Says the Doctor who makes four times my income. Sure, my treat. Let us make haste, because the car isn’t a very comfortable place to wait alone.”

Redmond noticed a figure in the backseat of Stevenson’s car, and when the distance between them had shrunk enough for him to make out the features of the mystery guest, he elbowed the professor lightly. “I hope you don’t mean to force an arranged marriage on me.”

“Oh, no,” retorted Stevenson. “I dare not. She’s Aurora, a family friend’s daughter. An angel, if you’d believe it. She was just visiting me to see what life in college would be like. Why don’t you sit in the back and chat with her a little bit? She’s rather curious of the medicinal fields.”

Aurora was sitting in the leftmost seat at the back of the sedan, so Redmond opted to sit at the farthest right to avoid an awkward confrontation. “Hey there. I’m Frank.” He offered a hand to her, and was outright ignored. Redmond turned to Stevenson, who was inputting the sandwich shop’s location into the navigation. “We have a shy one here, don’t we?”

“Not shy at all,” he replied. “Look a little harder. You’re a doctor, aren’t you?”

“Don’t tell me you want me to diagnose her.”

The car gently swerved into motion, the steering wheel turning autonomously to bring the crew to their lunch spot. “Of course not, Frank. Take an extra-careful glance at her, not so much a stare, but not a casual blink either.”

He did. And he jerked around to face her in complete shock, when he figured it out.

“Stevenson.”

“Hmm? I am driving, you know.”

“You’re thumbing the steering wheel. Stevenson. What have you done?”

“What indeed?” There was amusement in his voice, enough to enrage the Doctor.

“You think this is a joke, James? Do you know what will happen if someone else gets their hands on it?”

“Now, now - she is a girl, don’t go hurting her feelings.”

“I’m not quite as worried as you are about pronouns.” The Doctor repeated, “Do you know what you’ve done?”

“I’ve got us to the sandwich place, that’s what. Let’s talk inside.”

Stevenson exited the driver’s seat and proceeded to carry Aurora out of her place in the back, while Frank continued to demand answers all the way to their booth seat. He barely took a moment to make his order before continuing the barrage of questions, some laced with insults, all of which Stevenson brushed aside until he had a sip of the iced tea.

“Frank. Stop. Take a breath, won’t you?”

“Take a breath?! I’m sitting at a table with -”

“Stop. Drink your tea before you do anything rash.”

“Really? Rash? I can think of a few things that are more rash -”

“Well then, go think about those things silently for five seconds, won’t you? I’d like to give you the briefest explanation possible so if you could shut up right about now, that would be great.”

Redmond threw his hands up in disbelief, and retracted them quickly as he realized he may have accidentally summoned a waiter to their table. “The floor is yours, then.”

“Aurora is my first, prototype Android. All the mumblings I’ve been having aren’t for naught, you see? You thought I was just ranting and talking gibberish for the longest time, but I’ve been busy instead. Last week, when I came to your office, I was nearly ready to have her out and about, but I couldn’t do that without your help. So I went to see if you might change your mind by some sheer coincidence, but your mind was set in mortar - so I had to bring a jackhammer to smash it out.”

Redmond had his face buried in his hands, and he whimpered softly, “What help were you trying to get from me? What could I do?”

“You have a name, Frank. You’re well-known in the medical field. Nobody would question you twice if you pointed at a man and declared him sick - and I need that power. Aurora” - who had been sitting silently next to Stevenson the entire time, staring at the little salt shakers on the table - “is real. She has a backstory, or she can have any story that I so please. I can twist her one way or another to woo people, you see? People simply see her as another person, which is her greatest strength, but also her greatest weakness.

“The problem with androids is the infamous Uncanny Valley, in which people more easily recognize behaviors that are incongruent with their expectations. If she turned her head the slightest way different, she would fall into that pit and her truth would be exposed at once. To avoid that, I selected only the smallest movements that were necessary to show her to not be brain-dead, specifically those involving the eyes, and I trashed everything else. So, right now, the only thing she can do is look at the world around her, and learn. She also hears, and can send messages to my slate or phone, but her only task right now is to prove that without wrongs to pick out, she is just right.”

“You’re insane, Stevenson.”

“So be it! Put me in an asylum if you have to. But she’s here, and even you yourself fell for her appearance - and that means I’ve succeeded. Yet, as I said, that is also her weakness. What if someone were to question her? Carrying her around the city or on campus is bound to draw unnecessary attention. And when that attention comes around, Aurora needs a shield to deflect it - at once.”

“And that’s where I come in?”

“Precisely.”

Redmond sighed resignedly. “I’ve already told you that I can’t help you.”

Stevenson ignored the last statement. “I need you to get her a medical band.”

“That’s illegal in more than thirty countries, and for good reason.”

“No one will check up on it if your name is attached.”

“But if they do check up on it, and my name is attached to it, then you will have cost me my entire career and likely the rest of my life. I couldn’t sleep at night knowing her cover could be blown at any moment.”

“Frank. Come on. It will not happen, not if you play with the loopholes a little bit.”

The doctor’s face became one of dismay. “You’ve planned it all out already, haven’t you.”

“Only naturally. See, I’ve studied the law books a little bit myself. Medical bands of what are known as Protected Individuals have a security clearance level - so as to protect the identity of some celebrity or other person who wishes to remain clandestine to the outside world. Grant Aurora a level four clearance - two below the real identities of double agents and two above Hollywood celebrities - and you’ll be set. No one but the highest government officials would be able to get any information from you, and if they try, then spill the beans to them. The power of Androidics will keep the entire foundation alive, Frank. It is - figuratively - an impenetrable fortress of security that I’ve set up.”

“But I don’t know the law, James. I have only twice in my life dealt with Protected individuals, and their lawyers took care of everything for me.”

“I can tell you exactly what to say, in any situation. ‘What is your clearance level?’ and then, ‘You don’t have the required clearance level for this individual.’ That’s all there is to it. The rest, just leave to common courtesy.”

“James, this is a lot of pressure-”

“I’ll do whatever I can to make sure they never ring you up or check the system. Even if it means throwing my reputation on the line, I would do it in a heartbeat. You’re the Queen to my King - the game may be lost if I lose my grip on Androidics, but I could not survive without your all-reaching power.”

“... I’ll need to think on it. And the process would take a few days, nonetheless.”

“Then think on it. In the meantime - these sandwiches look delicious. Let’s enjoy them.”

The meal continued with one customer happily chewing away, one not tasting anything over his uncertainty, and one examining the pepper shaker with vigor.

Description
Unfortunately, some formatting did not get transferred to DeviantArt's text input. If you find some odd phrasing, some of it may be in italics. Please pardon this.

“Good lord, James. You just never know when to quit, do you?”

Stevenson stood at the doorway with his hands up in surrender. “Hey, let’s not jump to conclusions this early in diagnosis, shall we, Doctor?”

Redmond rubbed his forehead in irritation. “What do you want?” he asked, allowing his voice to project his exact emotion towards the once-again intruder. “My lunch break is in five minutes and I’d rather not miss it.”

“I know. I was going to invite you to lunch. I didn’t get to, last time, because I allowed myself to get too caught up in my passion. Come, there’s a sandwich place that I’ve wanted to try, and it’s always more fun to try new things with friends.”

Redmond glared coldly at the liar. “If you have nothing, I’d advise you leave. I’ve just finished a most challenging surgery and I am in no mood to play verbal ping-pong.”

The professor felt a small sizzle of impatience, but he suppressed it with a gusto so strong he felt like for a moment, he had achieved zen. “I am serious, Frank. Let’s go eat. It’s been forever since we’ve ate a meal together, and I know we are both busy men. May we not share a rare moment where we are both unburdened and hungry?”

“James - you lie through your teeth. I know that eye twitch of yours - it means there’s something you’ve yet to tell me. Perhaps,” he clarified icily, “you don’t lie by statement of untruth, but you certainly lie by omission. Now leave, before my day gets any worse that it has already been.”

“Okay, okay! You’re right. I’m - I was hiding something. Not anymore, alright? It’s not going to be just you and me. There’s a third person involved that I invited to lunch as well. They’re waiting in my car right now. Would you deprive them of your presence?”

The clock that hung above Stevenson’s head chimed one, officially marking the beginning of the hour-long lunch that Redmond had awaited. He sighed in submission. “Fine. But you’re taking the bill.”

Stevenson chuckled. “Says the Doctor who makes four times my income. Sure, my treat. Let us make haste, because the car isn’t a very comfortable place to wait alone.”

Redmond noticed a figure in the backseat of Stevenson’s car, and when the distance between them had shrunk enough for him to make out the features of the mystery guest, he elbowed the professor lightly. “I hope you don’t mean to force an arranged marriage on me.”

“Oh, no,” retorted Stevenson. “I dare not. She’s Aurora, a family friend’s daughter. An angel, if you’d believe it. She was just visiting me to see what life in college would be like. Why don’t you sit in the back and chat with her a little bit? She’s rather curious of the medicinal fields.”

Aurora was sitting in the leftmost seat at the back of the sedan, so Redmond opted to sit at the farthest right to avoid an awkward confrontation. “Hey there. I’m Frank.” He offered a hand to her, and was outright ignored. Redmond turned to Stevenson, who was inputting the sandwich shop’s location into the navigation. “We have a shy one here, don’t we?”

“Not shy at all,” he replied. “Look a little harder. You’re a doctor, aren’t you?”

“Don’t tell me you want me to diagnose her.”

The car gently swerved into motion, the steering wheel turning autonomously to bring the crew to their lunch spot. “Of course not, Frank. Take an extra-careful glance at her, not so much a stare, but not a casual blink either.”

He did. And he jerked around to face her in complete shock, when he figured it out.

“Stevenson.”

“Hmm? I am driving, you know.”

“You’re thumbing the steering wheel. Stevenson. What have you done?”

“What indeed?” There was amusement in his voice, enough to enrage the Doctor.

“You think this is a joke, James? Do you know what will happen if someone else gets their hands on it?”

“Now, now - she is a girl, don’t go hurting her feelings.”

“I’m not quite as worried as you are about pronouns.” The Doctor repeated, “Do you know what you’ve done?”

“I’ve got us to the sandwich place, that’s what. Let’s talk inside.”

Stevenson exited the driver’s seat and proceeded to carry Aurora out of her place in the back, while Frank continued to demand answers all the way to their booth seat. He barely took a moment to make his order before continuing the barrage of questions, some laced with insults, all of which Stevenson brushed aside until he had a sip of the iced tea.

“Frank. Stop. Take a breath, won’t you?”

“Take a breath?! I’m sitting at a table with -”

“Stop. Drink your tea before you do anything rash.”

“Really? Rash? I can think of a few things that are more rash -”

“Well then, go think about those things silently for five seconds, won’t you? I’d like to give you the briefest explanation possible so if you could shut up right about now, that would be great.”

Redmond threw his hands up in disbelief, and retracted them quickly as he realized he may have accidentally summoned a waiter to their table. “The floor is yours, then.”

“Aurora is my first, prototype Android. All the mumblings I’ve been having aren’t for naught, you see? You thought I was just ranting and talking gibberish for the longest time, but I’ve been busy instead. Last week, when I came to your office, I was nearly ready to have her out and about, but I couldn’t do that without your help. So I went to see if you might change your mind by some sheer coincidence, but your mind was set in mortar - so I had to bring a jackhammer to smash it out.”

Redmond had his face buried in his hands, and he whimpered softly, “What help were you trying to get from me? What could I do?”

“You have a name, Frank. You’re well-known in the medical field. Nobody would question you twice if you pointed at a man and declared him sick - and I need that power. Aurora” - who had been sitting silently next to Stevenson the entire time, staring at the little salt shakers on the table - “is real. She has a backstory, or she can have any story that I so please. I can twist her one way or another to woo people, you see? People simply see her as another person, which is her greatest strength, but also her greatest weakness.

“The problem with androids is the infamous Uncanny Valley, in which people more easily recognize behaviors that are incongruent with their expectations. If she turned her head the slightest way different, she would fall into that pit and her truth would be exposed at once. To avoid that, I selected only the smallest movements that were necessary to show her to not be brain-dead, specifically those involving the eyes, and I trashed everything else. So, right now, the only thing she can do is look at the world around her, and learn. She also hears, and can send messages to my slate or phone, but her only task right now is to prove that without wrongs to pick out, she is just right.”

“You’re insane, Stevenson.”

“So be it! Put me in an asylum if you have to. But she’s here, and even you yourself fell for her appearance - and that means I’ve succeeded. Yet, as I said, that is also her weakness. What if someone were to question her? Carrying her around the city or on campus is bound to draw unnecessary attention. And when that attention comes around, Aurora needs a shield to deflect it - at once.”

“And that’s where I come in?”

“Precisely.”

Redmond sighed resignedly. “I’ve already told you that I can’t help you.”

Stevenson ignored the last statement. “I need you to get her a medical band.”

“That’s illegal in more than thirty countries, and for good reason.”

“No one will check up on it if your name is attached.”

“But if they do check up on it, and my name is attached to it, then you will have cost me my entire career and likely the rest of my life. I couldn’t sleep at night knowing her cover could be blown at any moment.”

“Frank. Come on. It will not happen, not if you play with the loopholes a little bit.”

The doctor’s face became one of dismay. “You’ve planned it all out already, haven’t you.”

“Only naturally. See, I’ve studied the law books a little bit myself. Medical bands of what are known as Protected Individuals have a security clearance level - so as to protect the identity of some celebrity or other person who wishes to remain clandestine to the outside world. Grant Aurora a level four clearance - two below the real identities of double agents and two above Hollywood celebrities - and you’ll be set. No one but the highest government officials would be able to get any information from you, and if they try, then spill the beans to them. The power of Androidics will keep the entire foundation alive, Frank. It is - figuratively - an impenetrable fortress of security that I’ve set up.”

“But I don’t know the law, James. I have only twice in my life dealt with Protected individuals, and their lawyers took care of everything for me.”

“I can tell you exactly what to say, in any situation. ‘What is your clearance level?’ and then, ‘You don’t have the required clearance level for this individual.’ That’s all there is to it. The rest, just leave to common courtesy.”

“James, this is a lot of pressure-”

“I’ll do whatever I can to make sure they never ring you up or check the system. Even if it means throwing my reputation on the line, I would do it in a heartbeat. You’re the Queen to my King - the game may be lost if I lose my grip on Androidics, but I could not survive without your all-reaching power.”

“... I’ll need to think on it. And the process would take a few days, nonetheless.”

“Then think on it. In the meantime - these sandwiches look delicious. Let’s enjoy them.”

The meal continued with one customer happily chewing away, one not tasting anything over his uncertainty, and one examining the pepper shaker with vigor.