The diminutive android looked around in alarm, fixing her cat-eared squad mate a puzzled look. This was an unusual statement for Rika. While they worked well as a team, the ever-curious bio-engineered young woman did not seem as interested in machinery as she was in humans and their customs. She was designed to be interested in learning and specifically to one day live among humans as fully integrated members of society. Compared to her two android companions, who had not been given any reason to do things differently at all throughout the multiple centuries of their existence, humans were spontaneous, contradictory, complicated and generally a lot more fun for a life form with the mentality of a kitten to be around. Rika had a mild hero worship complex around Wren that they still hadn't successfully weaned her away from but Demi was largely uninteresting.

 

"If I can answer, I will," asked Demi. Then, hopefully, as she loved any excuse to play around with the company vehicles, she added, "Would you like me to teach you how to drive the Landrover?"

 

Rika shook her head, "It's about, um, etiquette. Among androids. Specifically, why do androids have a concept of privacy? Or why do some have one and others don't, and why in only certain situations? For instance," she continued before Demi could react, "I saw you refuse to install components within sight of the humanoids that required you to expose your internal workings. However, I have never seen Wren behave in the same manner, nor have I seen you refuse to take off armour plating or headgear in company or express any other signs of a societal code. Chaz believes it is to with your ability to identify as female but this does not make sense to me, as Chaz himself is a man and he refuses to undress in front of others."

 

"I do not identify as female. My small, curved body type is designed to enable me to most effectively fit inside a variety of small service hatches and booths when I need to reach inside a system's nucleus and interface with it directly. My hair is long so that I can tie cables to it and keep them out of my eyes," she explained, "It is humanoids who view me as female."

 

"Then why have a modesty code?"

 

"I do not have a modesty code either," corrected Demi, "I have security protocols that restrict who I can show my internal workings to. A Demi model android is a proprietary design considered to be a Government secret. After all, I am compatible with the highest priority control systems on the planet, including systems that maintain the conditions required for humanoids to survive. If someone were to reverse engineer me and make a copy for themselves, it would jeopardise all life on Motavia."

 

"Oh, I get it now!" Rika beamed.

 

"Truth be told, I do not like people to even have this much information. I do not like the thought of them getting this idea into their heads, possibly attempting such a thing and risking everyone even if their copy doesn't work. I do not trust other androids all that much. A lot of them have been corrupted over the years due to wear and tear, maliciously hacked by Dark Force, or were even never disconnected properly from systems they think are still linked to Mother Brain. I only really trust yourself and Wren."

 

"That must take a lot of trust, if the whole of Motavia's at stake. I'm really happy that you think that highly of us and our friendship!" 

 

Rika's grin was innocent as a child. Sometimes Demi envied her that sense of wonder about the world. She was still young for an android but that made her several hundred times older than Rika, who was, despite her adolescent appearance, only recently produced, albeit with a core of basic information about the world subliminally fed into her mind at high speed while she was growing in the vat. The difference between them was immense and yet they shared so much in common as the height of Algol technological innovation and the only continuing legacy of the Second Era that could in any way be considered positive.

 

Yes, we need to trust each other, Demi decided, and we need to stick together.

 

"Are you sure you would not like to learn how to drive the Landrover?"