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The city’s overpasses gave consolatory shelter to thousands of homeless humans but threatened to become overcrowded as thousands of sophonts were cast onto the streets by employers scared by Zlikovac’s propaganda videos. However, rather than be a burden to the human homeless, the sudden influx of homeless sophonts roaming the streets was actually an unexpected blessing.
No longer having a defined reason to their existence, discarded sophonts now looked for something to occupy their time; they found an unlikely solution in the dilapidated ghettos that housed those whom society had abandoned. Nobody knew if the sophonts saw kindred spirits in the vagrants, or vice-versa, but a symbiotic relationship was forged between the two groups. At first glance one might wonder what these homeless street people could offer the ejected sophonts but, by helping humans, the androids were able to fulfil their own intrinsic need for usefulness.
For the homeless, this was a dream come true. They had no way to claw their way back into the arms of ‘normal’ society and these android helpers were a gift. With their superior strength and technical knowledge, the androids transformed the shanty towns into habitable communities consisting of safe and structurally sound living units. Of course, sanitation and heating still left a lot to be desired but the androids gave the vagrants something which society had failed to do – respect.
Teams of abandoned sophonts roamed the streets at night, not looking for just any old scrap sheeting that could be cobbled together to provide some kind of jerry-built shelter, but particular pieces of material that could be used to construct much safer and much more substantial dwellings. Soon, instead of being an eyesore of ramshackle shelters, the communities were reshaped into clusters of perfectly adequate homes, constructed using sophont engineering and design skills.
Society’s outcasts didn’t see the androids as servants to be used and abused. They saw them as fellow victims, as equals. The vagrants tried to tell the sophonts that they had no obligation to help, but the androids simply thanked them for giving them purpose and refused any additional gratitude that was offered, saying that it was they, the sophonts, who should be grateful. Thus began a mutual and interdependent friendship between two forgotten communities.
One particularly cold evening, a group of three humans sat around a brazier with two sophonts. The androids didn’t fully understand why sitting around a metal container filled with burning wood and talking about inconsequential subjects was enjoyable to humans, but they noticed that it gave the humans pleasure. So, in a scene replicated in many homeless communities across the city, they had graciously accepted the invitation for a chat.
An elderly woman, obviously feeling the bitter cold, Véra pushed her palms forward towards the heat source, trying to draw as much of the warmth as possible into her chilled fingers. She looked across to the other side of the burning brazier, ignoring the smoke that was belching from the container, to address one of the sophonts. She knew that the question she wanted to ask could be thought of by some as insensitive, but she asked anyway.
“What’s it like being a machine, Jethro?”
Jethro, a red-haired android with the clean-shaven appearance of a twenty-something office worker, tried to answer her as best as he could.
“I doubt that I could answer that question satisfactorily, Véra. I have known no other state of existence to which it could be compared.”
Véra wasn’t satisfied with the response.
“Try, love. For me.”
Jethro nodded.
“I will attempt to give a better answer. I imagine it is somewhat like being a human. Do you remember not existing, Véra?”
The woman thought for a moment.
“Can’t say as I do, love. I know that there was a period when I didn’t exist – and there will be another when I die ֪– but I only have experience of this life I’m living.”
Jethro found this appraisal slightly amusing and grinned.
“You have just described what it is to be a machine – a sophont anyway. Perhaps we are not so different, you and I.”
Véra agreed.
“Except that my lifespan is much shorter than yours. When I die, that’s it. You, on the other hand, can continue to have faulty components replaced and to be repaired ad infinitum.”
“As can you these days, Véra.”
“Not really, Jethro. There will come a time when my body will simply give up. It’s mortality. And it’s what makes life so special.”
The android thought for a few seconds.
“I don’t think I like this idea of mortality.”
Suddenly the air was filled with panic as blue and red flashing lights bathed the area. Half a dozen armoured DSA vehicles appeared as if from nowhere and disgorged dozens of black-uniformed troopers.
Weapons were trained on the vagrants as the unit commander clambered out of his command vehicle. He gestured to the sophonts, who showed no emotion.
“All sophonts move to the left and all humans move to the right.”
Véra whispered to Jethro.
“Come over to the right, with us. They’re just a lot of noise. They can’t tell the difference between a human and a sophont. They’re not smart enough.”
The unit leader must have read her mind.
“And don’t any of you metalheads even think about mixing yourselves in with the humans. We’ll know – believe me.”
Véra’s eyes pleaded Jethro to do as she suggested, but he ignored her.
“It’s true. They will be able to tell.”
Véra didn’t see how they could; sophonts were ultra-realistic.
“I doubt it. How can they tell?”
“Look in front of you. What do you see?”
“Bastard meathead troopers.”
“Look closer than that.”
“What do you mean?”
“In front of your nose.”
She took another look. Suddenly she could see what Jethro was referring to.
“I can see my breath.”
“Exactly. It’s five degrees below zero. I have no visible breath. We have no choice but to comply.”
Véra knew she was speaking for the other homeless people in her community.
“But you’ll be putting yourselves in danger.”
“And if we fail to comply, we’ll be putting you and your friends in danger, violating the Second Law.”
Véra was adamant.
“Fuck the Second Law, whatever that is. You’re our friends. Friends look after friends.”
Jethro knew he had to end this now. He nodded at his sophont colleagues and, as one, they all moved to the left-hand side of the area.
Not to be outdone, Véra and her friends did the same.
The unit leader shook his head.
“You’re not fooling anyone.”
The troopers went into the throng of bodies and pulled the sophonts out of the group, before hustling them into waiting armoured personnel carriers. The unit commander took one final look at the remaining humans.
“These androids may have pretended to be your friends, but they’d rip you apart if you so much looked at them wrong. You’ve had a lucky escape. We’ve done you a favour.”
The vehicles and their android cargo pulled out onto the main highway and Véra watched them disappear into the distance. She looked around at her fellow transients.
“This isn’t over.”