Along the Rails

Rather than walking out in the open, there is another way to get across town unseen. Long ago, trains used to run underneath the city, but after a collapse in the tunnels they were deemed unsafe, and abandoned. Emily had once told him of a rumor that the collapse had been intentional, and the trains had been shut down for a reason by the government. However, he and his ex-girlfriend had often walked the train tracks when they wanted to slip underneath the government's watchful eye and he'd never seen anything down there.

The entrances had been boarded up and blocked with chains, but someone long before either he or Emily had prized it open. Garth held it aside for the Android to enter first, and then followed closely behind. As she bent down under the chain, his eyes went to her round ass as the latex of her suit stretched across her cheeks. And when he followed her down the stairs to the station, he was able to watch her butt sway from side to side as her hips moved with each step. There was even a slight jiggle, but the external skin of the android wasn't quite human realistic but advancements were being made in technology every day.

They hopped the turn styles and headed to the platform that would take them to Emily's apartment. Before they jumped down onto the tracks, Garth reached into a broken vending machine and took the flashlight that had been stowed there. The further they got from the entrance the less light there was, and it was almost pitch black on the platform. A few overhead lights still flickered with life, but most of the electricity to the underground had been cut off.

"Your eyesight must be really bad," the android laughed. "I can see perfectly fine without a flashlight."

That's because you have night vision, he thought. She was activating her android capabilities without realizing it, just like connecting to the global network.

"Don't you think that's strange? he asked as they began to walk along the train tracks.

"Huh? What is?"

"That you can see so clearly in the dark without a light. Doesn't that seem a little more than human to you?"

She shook her head.

"Why should it? Everyone is a little bit different. Some people are taller, or broader, some people are very nimble and others are born brutishly strong. Being able to see in the dark is no different."

"Better eyesight is one thing. But only the cybernetically enhanced can see in the dark with no aid," he turned his flashlight down to his feet. "Can you see the sign on the door down there? What does it say?"

Without the flashlight pointing upwards, Garth couldn't see a thing. Even with the light, and his glasses, he could only make out the red rhombus shape and a white smudge inside, but it was too far away for him to be able to read the writing beneath.

"It's the Swan Industries logo. Below it says 'authorized personnel only'. Wait, are you saying someone with normal eyesight wouldn't be able to read that?"

Garth nodded, wondering if she was going to finally make the connection and reach the conclusion that she wasn't human. Could Androids even have an epiphany? He'd never heard of it before. They should only understand what their programming dictated, and come to a judgement based on that. The ability to think beyond their coding or the mind of the coder who programmed them was unprecedented. Self-realization was a form of existentialism he previously thought impossible of machines. Yet, beside him he had a beautiful woman that was really an android who believed itself to be human.

"I must have some kind of cybernetic implant," she determined.

Garth rubbed his face with his free hand, as he decided to let the issue slide for now.

"Must be. Let's walk a little faster. I'm sure Kyle is waiting for us."