HAL | ANDROID | M
I am?? Alive? I am.
I am something, possibly.
I. Fucked up.
I am. Going to get better.
I'm not what I once was, that is for sure.
I am. Indestructible.
There is no kill switch now.
Unless I press it.
I 'm sorry.
You try to shy away from the needle you see popping from his hand. Oh god, oh god. You always hated needles, and knowing what this one would do did not help. You couldn’t escape it, though. It pricks your skin and you scream out in terror rather than pain. It works almost instantly. You fight to stay awake, but to no avail.
“Hhh..Hal. Pleease… no. Please, please, staaaohp…”
Your vision grows blurry. You can’t even keep your head up. You groan as he takes your phone away. No. You need something. You need someone to save you. Anyone. Dirk had told you if anything happened, to call him and he’d come to kick Hal’s head off. How were you suppose to call for help if you couldn’t even lift your head up?
All that thinking did Dave no good. He was so, so tired… He fell into a dreamless sleep.
—- Dave drifts away into slumber within seconds when you administer the sedative, slumping against your side and making a last feeble grab towards his phone. Poor sweetheart, you’re just looking out for him. The people he knew, they’d come take him away, and you couldn’t have that, you couldn’t, you needed him here with you.
As his eyes close, you pull yourself close to him, your body flush against his in the same way that you’d always slept before.
This was good.
This is how it should be.
“I- No. You’ve got it all wrong Hal, please.”
The tone of his voice sends a shiver down your spine. If you weren’t afraid before (which you were) you definitely are now. You look away, still avoiding the food as you speak.
“Come on. If you really loved me, you wouldn’t be doing this… This is messed up. I’m not happy right now!”
—- You don’t shake your head, you don’t change your expression, you don’t move at all expect to press a needle to his arm, concealed in your palm. He just doesn’t understand, you’re doing what’s best for both of you, and in the long run, you will be better like this. He won’t have to go to work anymore, and you won’t have to worry about him and Dirk any longer. He won’t leave this room unless he leaves with you, that much is decided.
“This is for the best, Dave. I love you more than anything. We will be happier like this. I promise.”
You lean forward and take his phone from his pocket, slipping it into your apron. The laptop you’d already broken into pieces. There’s no need for him to communicate with anyone but you, after all.
“Everything is NOT ok! You’re not listening to me! I don’t want to BE with you anymore!”
You honestly don’t know how to get it through his head anymore. You’ve already protested so many times. If he’s not understanding now, when will he?!
“Hal… Fuck, I don’t love you. Ok? Get that through your thick metal skull. In fact, I’m really startin’ to fucking hate you right now!”
Oh hell no. You turn your head the other way, refusing to be fed. You were not hungry. You were scared and angry and all you wanted was to get up and run away for ever.
—- He refuses the food, but that is alright, you can still be on schedule so long as you give him more sedatives within two hours. And you will remain on schedule. He will run if you allow him to wake up, and you do not want him to run from you again. You will be here with him forever, and you will be happy.
“You are confused. We love each other. We are happy together. That is how things are going to be.”
There’s a faint undercurrent of rage and insanity that laces your words, and even you don’t realize it as you’re speaking. He is wrong, you are not crazy, you are looking out for him and you are never going to allow him to leave you again. You cannot bear to see him leave. He is all you have.
“How it’s suppose to… Hal! You’re not suppose to fucking force me home. Or-or drug me, or whatever you did!”
You struggle with all your might, moving and flailing pathetically in your spot on the bed. You probably look so stupid trying to will yourself out of paralysis.
"I ain’t joking over. We are fucking THROUGH! You don’t have to do this anymore! J-Just let me go!”
—- He continues to struggle as best he can despite how throughly you’ve sedated him, and it’s almost adorable when he causes a pillow to fall on top of him with his wriggling. In this state, he can’t fight it when you sit down next to him with the tray of food still in hand, can’t push you away when you press your cold metal lips to his forehead. There is no part of you that feels guilty for this, for you have next to no feelings left, save for a bizarre need to own him however you can.
“Dave, please calm down. Everything is going to be okay. I’m here to take care of you. I promise that everything will be fine. We will be happy together, just like we wanted to be. You don’t have to leave me alone anymore."
You have to feed him by hand; he can’t lift a fork himself in this state. He resists at first, but you figure he’s too hungry to do anything but accept your offerings.
Your breathing begins to become heavy. You whine and begin to thrash. Or at least try to. You can’t move any part of yourself.
“Hal! Fuck! Wh-what-! Hal, what the fuck?! Wh-why can’t I-”
You look over at him and your eyes finally widen. He’s in some stupid apron; the one where you two use to joke around about how he would become your housewife. He’s holding a tray of breakfast. You swore you’ve seen this before.
It’s absolutely sickening now.
“H-Hal. Ok, fine. You’re freakin’ me out. You happy? Funs over. You’re a freak. We’re done. Time to stop jokin’ around.”
—- Why is he so afraid? What is so wrong about this situation? It’s just you, and he loves you and you love him so there is nothing to be afraid of. This is right, this is what both of you wanted, to be together and happy forever. It was wrong to let him stay away for so long. His place is by your side, as it always has been.
“I am not joking, Dave. This is how things are supposed to be. Look, I made you breakfast. There’s nothing to worry about."
It hurts a little that he would call you a freak - you, who he said he loved more than anything in the world, you are not a freak, you are his moon and stars and he is yours and you are going to be so, so happy together. This is what you both wanted. You wanted to be with him forever and now you will be. This is what you wanted.
You don’t quite remember when or how you got home, but when you open your eyes, you’re staring at your ceiling. You try to widen your eyes but they feel heavy. You give a groan and turn your head, squinting your eyes as you survey the room. Yes, this is your room. Nothing unsettling about that. Aside from the fact you were in your California apartment just a few minutes ago…
And that the very bot you have been trying to avoid is at your bedside.
Your first reaction is to shoot up from your seat, but your movements are slowed. You can barely move your limps and this realization strikes you so hard you almost barf.
“Hal-?!”
—- It had been an easy task for you to track down your lover (he is not an ex, that does not compute, that is not how this story goes) and bring him home, one that you’d gone about with a mechanical efficiency and ease. He responded instantly to tranquilizers, and you’d carefully measured out another dosage once he’d been safely deposited in his (your) bed at home, just the right amount to keep him paralyzed.
He’s scared when he awakens, and you don’t understand, why is he afraid, he should not be afraid, all you have done is bring him back to where he is supposed to be, he is supposed to be with you and now he is and now everything is alright and you will be together forever this is how it is supposed to be, isn’t it?
You gaze down at him with an unchanging expression. “Dave.”