David / Walter / Reader
“It’s going to be a long decade” you thought as you packed your bag and got ready to leave the space station and to be transported to a planet had been discovered only a bit over a century ago. You were a member of a science team that had set out explore new worlds for possible colonization and after severe losses of lives during the previous meteor shower that had surprised all, you were facing ten years of solitude on a strange planet that you were supposed to explore. The goal of your mission was to find out exactly what kind of planet it was; the threats, the opportunities and so on, to perform scientific experiments and then report your findings to the space station that was on the orbit, going round and round and working as a pit stop for other space travelers.
There was a facility already built on a spot that had been reasoned to be safe and fitting in every way so basically everything was ready for you; all you had to do was to take your knowledge of science, your books and tools and get off from the space station, which was mentally harder than you had expected. You see, the thing was that originally you were supposed to be accompanied by a group of nineteen fellow-scientists, but now... since so many had died in the accident, the captain had decided that you had to go alone. The only company that you would have was the two androids that had set the facility, Walter and David.
You had heard that Walter was designed for physical labor, to follow orders and keep the surroundings safe while David, who was a previous model, was more of a thinker and capable of creating as well as feeling. Yes, David had been the best android model there had been but soon it had become clear that people felt uncomfortable around him because the model was too human-like and also aware of his... excellence, almost as he had realized that he with all his limitless capabilities was superior to his creators, the humans... and therefore the next model, Walter had been designed to be a little bit less... human. Not much, just enough to make him follow the orders better.
- (Y/N), are you all set? your boss came to ask you. You closed the zipper of your bag and nodded. Your supervisor gestured you to walk with her and then continued as you walked along the long corridors to get to the vehicle that was supposed to take you to your new home; the ground base.
- Now, your mission is to gather as much as information about the habitat as possible and send the data to us regularly. You will be accompanied by two androids who are well informed about their tasks and duties. she spoke and stopped at a locked door that led into the docking station of a small spaceship that was designed to transport people as well as goods between the space station and the ground base.
- Yes, I have read the report. you stated and watched your boss unlocking the door with her ID-card.
- You however have the authority to give orders to both of them, although you might encounter some problems with David who likes to think for himself. she continued and rolled her eyes. The door opened and you walked into the small vehicle that had been packed with necessary equipment, food and other things. You put your bag that hosted your clothes to a corner and sighed. “This really is it” you thought silently as you took a quick glance out from the tiny window at the planet that looked very much like Earth.
- Speaking of David... the boss said and cleared her throat. You turned to look at her and straightened your posture.
- He is quite delightful company for conversations and he finds it very stimulating to ponder around big questions such as the meaning of life and so on. she continued. The notion made you chuckle because you had never met an android before and you had assumed that they were... robots, very sophisticated and fine-tunes machines... but just robots nonetheless. You were expecting to basically get bored and miss human interaction so thinking about finding a conversationalist in David both comforted and amused you. “This should be interesting” you thought because you did not know quite what to expect.
- You may laugh now but I suggest that you’ll consider David and Walter as your equal. she stated because she had read your file and it had been mentioned there that you had never worked with androids before.
- But... with all due respect, Ma’am, they are... there to serve me... and the mission. you said nervously and then added after a pause
- Is it possible that my authority will be questioned?
- No, but you might hurt David’s feelings so I suggest that you will not consider him as either a robot or a machine. she answered and helped you to sit down into the seat and watched you putting on the seat belts.
- Walter however has been designed not to care, but I advise you to think them as your colleagues or employees, if you wish. she said and tightened the seat belts to hug your body tightly. It was going to be a rough ride through the atmosphere and therefore you had to be secured to your seat as well as possible. You jerked a bit when the belts were tightened and said
- So... Walter is the muscle of the operation-
- They both are highly intelligent, extremely efficient and very pleasant by their personalities. your boss said and checked the buttons, the screens and the switches of the control panel, although the vehicle was going to be controlled from the space station due to the fact that you were not a pilot. Just as she was about to step out and close the hatch, she turned to look at you and stated
- I imagine that it can get lonely down there... she said and took a quick glance at the planet. You swallowed once, hoping that your nervousness would not be too visible... Yes, you had thought about the possible feeling of loneliness and being a castaway ever since you had heard that you were supposed to go alone... and survive without human companion until the first settlers arrived after ten years... or maybe after fifteen, depending on solar flares and other variables.
- ...but you will find companionship in David and Walter. They have been informed about your situation and if you’ll allow them, they will take good care of you. she said. You shifted your gaze from the computer screens to your boss and looked at her with a confused look on your face.
- Well... as long as they keep me alive until the settlers arrive. you mumbled after shifting your gaze back to the blinking lights.
- Whatever happens down there... It is none of our concern. You are entitled to have a private life, as long as it does not interfere with your mission. she said and added “what happens on Gaia ZX56Y, stays on Gaia ZX56Y” with a smirk. Then she closed the hatch and left the dock. “What the hell” you said aloud and laughed nervously. If your boss thought that you were going to get into any kind of close or... intimate relationship with either of the androids... your employees, she was terribly mistaken, in fact she couldn’t be any more wrong! You were a professional and you had studied, trained and got yourself mentally prepared for this mission and therefore there was not going to be any room for any... additional activities. Besides, even though you had never even seen the pictures of either of the two andr- ... “I suppose I should say men” you thought, you were entirely sure that they couldn’t possibly be that charming or handsome that they would raise any unprofessional feelings in you.
The spaceship started to tremble and shake as it undocked from the space station and after few minutes you realized that you were flying through the space, heading towards the unknown. Sure you had seen pictures of the facility as well as the surroundings but it was completely different than actually seeing it for yourself and experiencing it with all your senses. You had closed your eyes to deal with the tremble better and now opened them since the vehicle was moving smoothly and your nerves were somewhat calm again. You looked out from the window and watched the space station getting smaller and smaller as you moved further away from it.
The spaceship started to shake again after many hours of speeding through the distance between the space station and your destination when it reached the atmosphere of Gaia ZX56Y, or just “Gaia” as you called it. You closed your eyes and hoped for the best because you knew that entering the atmosphere was always dangerous due to friction that oxygen and other gasses caused which caused the outer layer of the spaceship to heat up very much. Any small mistake or slightest error in the calculations could be fatal in this segment of the journey... the other critical point was the actual landing because there were small, yet fierce electrical storms in the upper atmosphere that sometimes blocked the signals between the space station and Gaia and you were trusting the pilots to fly the spaceship remotely. It meant that if the connection was lost in some critical part of the ride, you would most likely crash and burn. “No biggie” you thought and held onto your seat.
- I have control.
you heard a calm male-voice saying suddenly in an American accent. You had been listening to the radio chatter and replied a couple of times when you had been asked if everything was fine in the spaceship. They had of course an access to a constant, live camera broadcast so basically they saw you... and they were even able to read your vital signs such as heart rate and body temperature, but they couldn’t read your thoughts and therefore they had to ask and then make assumptions from your tone as well as your choices of words. Some people had a tendency of freaking out in stressful situations and do something irrational, such as attempt to control the spaceship by themselves without proper knowledge.
- (Y/N), you are in good hands. Good luck. you heard the captain of the space station saying.
- Alright, I’ll keep in touch. you replied and grabbed the arms of the seat even tighter because the vehicle was about to land in few minutes.
The spaceship slowed down radically and landed on Gaia more smoothly than you had anticipated, you were actually very surprised by that. You took a deep breath when your ride stopped moving and the screens were turned off one by one remotely by either Walter or David. You had been told that David had blonde hair and British accent and Walter had brown hair and American accent, apparently otherwise they were identical by their appearance.
You opened your seat belt and stood up, took your bag and just as you were about to open the hatch, you noticed it sliding open and a tall, well-build man standing at the doorway. He was wearing a dark bluish gray shirt that had a hood which was currently shadowing his face. You noticed that his shirt was partially wet and now that you paid more attention to your surroundings, you were able to hear rain drumming against the metallic exterior of the spaceship.
- Welcome, Miss. the man said with an American accent and you saw him smiling at you politely. “This must be Walter” you thought and when he offered you his hand, you took it to greet him with a firm handshake.
- Your bag, Miss. he said after awkwardly shaking your hand. “Oh” you sighed as you realized that he had not offered his hand for a handshake but to take your bag, which you then gave him immediately.
- The facility is nearby but I suggest that you’ll put on this raincoat. Walter stated and handed you a transparent raincoat. You put it on and then followed Walter through the rain into the facility. The spaceship’s door slid closed and the lights were turned off right after you had left the vehicle. It was getting dark because the thick rain clouds were blocking the rays of the closest star, which you insisted on calling “the sun” because it made you feel more like home in the new surroundings. The sun was setting anyway and therefore Walter had a powerful flashlight with him showing the way across the flat ground that was covered with gravel and grass.
- Welcome! David exclaimed when you entered the facility, or camp... base... your new home... whatever you wanted to call it. He had blonde hair just like you had been told and flawless British accent which made him seem like a person who was very precise about the way he presented himself; his articulation was perfect and if you had not known that he was not actually a human, you would have totally thought that he was... and Walter as well.
Walter removed the hood and smiled at you politely. He had brown hair that had a bit of red in them and ice-blue eyes that were contrasted by the slightly ginger hair and his pale, flawless complexion. David however had blonde, slightly longer hair, compared to Walter at least, and he had side parting hairstyle. He also had ice-blue eyes, pale and perfect skin. He was wearing a gray uniform while Walter’s clothes were more sporty-like. For your surprise David offered you his hand for a handshake and smiled a little when you shook his hand.
- Would you like us to call you Miss (Y/N) or Doctor? David asked with calm voice. You sighed and shifted your gaze elsewhere for a moment and said “uhm” as you tried to collect your thoughts. The truth was that David and Walter were much more handsome and human-like than you had ever imagined and since your head was still spinning from the landing and adjusting to the new surroundings, you found yourself unable to form your thoughts into words and smart sentences.
- Perhaps something else? David asked since you were not giving him any answer.
- My-my name is fine. you stammered and smiled politely.
- Very well, (Y/N). I am David and this is Walter. We are here to help you with anything and everything. David said and gestured you to follow him further into the facility.
- Nice to meet you both. you said and followed David through a long corridor that led into a part of the facility that looked somewhat cozy. “The living quarters... or the living room, if you may” Walter said and opened the door that led into your private room.
- This is where you’ll be sleeping. You have your own bathroom, clothes... everything you could possibly need. Walter added and carried your bag into your room. He put it on the chair that was by a table, or a desk and put on some lights. Your room had big windows that were now covered by long curtains and in the furthest corner there was a somewhat huge bed. You had expected to have a small, 80 cm wide bed like you had had on the space station and therefore you were surprised to be hooked up with a king-sized bed that looked very inviting after a long journey.
You had traveled with another crew from the Earth to the space station a couple of weeks ago. The journey had been long and you had used all time to study and complete doctorates in many fields of science while most of the crew had been in cryosleep. You however had been genetically engineered to meet the requirements of space travel and therefore you did not age anymore... or you did, but so slowly that you were going to basically be young and alive, if nothing killed you that was, forever. It was the main reason why you had been selected to go on this journey and you had been raised to be a scientist for the same reason. You however had not been told before reaching adulthood and it had taken quite some time to get adjusted and to accept your so called fate... but... time was the thing that you had, more than enough.
The rest of the crew had dropped you off on the space station where the other scientists had been getting ready for the mission. Unfortunately an unexpected meteor shower had damaged the station and killed many of the people that were supposed to join you... and the ones that had not been killed, had been reassigned to take care of the space station with the remaining crew. Now you were here, staring at your room, wondering whether it would be easy or not to settle in. You had been travelling for so long, so many years that you just wanted to build a home... get to work and then, after approximately ten years, the settlers would arrive and you could have a life... a real life, with people who were not sleeping in their capsules.
- I hope you’ll find the room comfortable. David spoke. You turned around to look at the tall men and stated that you were certain that it was way better than the cabin where you had spent most of the past seventy-eighty... wait... over ninety years.
- Where do you and Walter live? you asked after a small silent moment. It was clear that it was a new situation for the androids as well... to have someone else with them since they had been on Gaia by themselves for many years now, maybe a couple of decades, setting the camp, experimenting with crops and so on. Basically they could have done the scientific research as well, but your boss had wanted to bring a team of human scientists on ground because nothing topped human intuition.
- I live in the room, right next to yours. David replied and then continued with polite, yet firm tone that made him sound a bit arrogant
- Walter’s room is in the other side of the living quarters. (Y/N), we might look the same, but we are not one and same person and therefore we need our own space, our own separate rooms.
- I didn’t mean it like that... you mumbled apologetically. You understood immediately what it had meant when you had been told that David “had an attitude” but then again, he was so close to being human that it was almost scary; he had feelings that you might hurt by an accident and you were able to read between the lines that he was struggling between being the master and the servant because he knew that he was like a superhuman... with the difference that he actually was not... human. Anyway, David had been the master of this planet, Gaia, for many years and you hoped that he would get accustomed with his new role as your employee or a co-worker as soon as possible... and preferably without any drama.
David smiled at you and nodded as a sign that he had accepted your apology, although you had not really apologized and you were not even sure whether you had a reason to.
- Very well. I believe you wish to settle in now. There is plenty of hot water in case you want to wash the journey off. David said and continued just as he was about to leave the room
- The dinner will be ready in an hour.
- Alright, thank you. you said and watched them, Walter and David, leaving your room and closing the door behind them. You listened to them talking to each other in the living room and then it got silent when David continued into the kitchen and Walter went to the control room to check out the weather report.
You locked the door, just in case, and got undressed for shower. You washed yourself and got dressed in comfortable, rather casual clothes that you found in the closet of your room. You checked your messages and sighed because there were none... There had been none for weeks and it made you anxious and sad. The Earth had been in a quite bad shape when you had left and you were somewhat reluctant to think about the state of your home planet now... after nearly hundred years of your departure.
Besides it was a somewhat cruel fate to be a genetically modified person in the time when it was still basically an experiment that had gone right. It meant that you and the other test subjects were one of a kind and therefore you were going to outlive your friends and families... Not that it would matter anyway since you had been selected to go on this journey. But the undeniable fact was that even though the life expectancy of an average human had increased from approximately eighty years to one hundred and twenty, everyone you had once known was now dead... and the Earth, your beloved home planet, was not doing so well either.
- (Y/N)? Walter said and knocked on your door. You recoiled from your thoughts and wiped your cheeks since thinking about your family, friends and home made you always a bit emotional. You stood up and walked to the door, unlocked it and left the room.
- The dinner is ready. Walter said and gestured you to follow him into the dining area. The facility was rather big because it had been built for twenty scientists and the crew, Walter and David. Walter monitored you secretly when you walked with him and he could sense that there was something bothering you or something had shocked you emotionally, but he did not know how to ask about it. David was much better when it came to feelings and such things, although Walter understood them as well and even felt a vast variety of basic feelings.
- Ah, (Y/N)! Please, sit down. David said and served a pot of vegetable stew with three plates and spoons.
- I have been informed about your likes and dislikes, about your allergies as well and I have read many cook books to educate myself about the human palette. he continued when you sat down by the large dining table.
- The stew looks very good. you said when he served you some food. You had been eating mostly different kinds of canned or dried foods during your long travel and it was such a relief to have something freshly cooked to eat.
- We have farmed these vegetables by ourselves. Walter commented when you were about to take the first bite. You knew that Walter was not that big on feeling things, compared to David at least, but you were able to hear an undertone of pride in his voice, which of course was well-deserved considering that they had brought plant seeds from Earth and then learned through trial and error which plants survived on Gaia and which didn’t.
You ate with Walter and David, who ate food just like you for your surprise. You had been told that they had been designed to mimic human functions to the smallest detail just to make humans more comfortable to work as well as to live with them but you had had no idea that they would be so... human. You shared a not-so-lively conversation with your companions because you were somewhat tired from the journey; it was more mental tiredness than physical, it was a silent realization that this was it, the place where you were supposed to build your life. You thanked for the dinner and complimented David for preparing such a lovely meal and decided to go and sit outside for a moment. The rain had stopped half an hour ago and you hoped to see the starry night sky now because staring at the stars was something that you loved to do... but had not had the chance to do for such a long time. It was not the same to stare at the stars when you were in space yourself... You needed solid ground under your feet to actually enjoy it properly.
After getting a jacket you went out, although David had told you not to... alone at least. You sat on the stairs and watched the sky clearing as the subtle wind blew the clouds away. You stared mesmerized at the starry sky which had constellations that no one had named yet. It was a new world far away from home. You were so far away from everything that your sun, the big warm sun was just a distant dot in the endless vastness. You did not even know which one it was or if you were even able to see it on the sky that opened up before your eyes.
- It is right above those mountains. Walter said and sat next to you. “Huh?” you asked when you recoiled from your thoughts.
- The sun... if that was what you were looking for. he continued.
- Yeah. Thanks... Uhm, which one? you asked curiously. Walter leaned closer, put his hand on yours and guided you to point at the right star that had just appeared above the distant mountains.
- Do you miss it? he asked suddenly.
- I’ve been away so long that I cannot even remember the feeling of sunshine on my face. you said and sighed.
- You will feel it tomorrow, the sunshine of your new sun. The weather report promises clear skies for the next a couple of days. he replied with somewhat comforting tone. You nodded and stared silently at the horizon. Neither of you said anything for next thirty minutes; you did not have anything to say because it was finally really hitting you; you were here, so far away... on a strange planet that you had only read about before... and seen in the pictures... and your home, the Earth, you couldn’t even see it. Even the Mighty Sun was barely visible. Walter did not talk because he did not know if he were supposed to try coming up with topics for a conversation or if it was enough that he just sat with you.
- Have you ever thought... you began and then paused to organize your thoughts into sentences.
- Yes? Walter asked curiously.
- What will it be like to live forever? you continued and exhaled deeply.
- I think David would be better person to talk about such things with you. Walter answered with soft tone.
- But you are here now and I am asking you. you said and turned your head to look at him. You stared at his profile as he processed the question and tried to come up with an answer. The truth was that he had never thought about it before.
- Well, I am not really alive. he stated finally hesitantly.
- Sure you are. you chuckled and shifted your gaze back to the horizon.
- I think... he said and paused because he did not really have an answer to you.
- I have now outlived everyone I have ever known before my journey here. My friends, my... family. you stated and gasped after holding your breath for some time.
Walter did not comment. He knew that you had been genetically modified to age so slowly that basically you would never grow old but the truth was that since Walter did not have friends or family he was unable to really step into your shoes and say anything that would actually comfort you. Sure he understood the concept of having dear people around you and of course he understood what it was like to lose them, in theory at least, but he was unable to really understand your point of view because he had never loved anyone and he was not sure if he was even able to.
- I am sorry to hear that. Walter said because it was the only thing he could say. You sighed and stated
- I have been travelling so long-
- And now you have arrived. Walter interrupted you with calm voice, put his hand on yours and squeezed it gently as a sign of companionship because he monitored you and your body language, tone of voice and so on constantly and he had come to a conclusion that you needed to be assured physically about the support that Walter was able to give you, even if it was just as simple as holding your hand.
- This life, no matter how long or short, will be an adventure for us all. he continued softly.
You smiled a little and leaned onto Walter’s shoulder. You were tired from the journey and you just wanted to grow your roots here, build a life and feel the sunshine on your face. You were baffled that the androids were so... human-like and also charming and now that you were sitting alone with Walter, staring at the distant stars you understood what your boss had meant by saying that you had a right to have a private life as well... but... you would try your best to stay off from all the temptations because you had a mission to accomplish and you did not need any distractions.
Walter was surprised when you leaned on him. Sure he had been programmed to care for you and to look after your well-being but he had not expected you to get so close and comfortable so soon. He reasoned that you had done so because you were tired and feeling homesick... and it made sense; you had no one else to lean on but him and David... who was not here at the moment. But... there was also other thing that he had not expected; he had not expected you to be so... attractive and interesting. He knew that it was just the first evening but he had read your file and therefore he knew almost everything about you... in theory at least and therefore he was now curious to find out what kind of person you really were.
- No matter what, I and David will always be here for you. Walter said softly when he felt your head dropping as you fell asleep. He put his arm around you, lifted you up and carried you into your private bedroom. Yes, tomorrow was the first day of this adventure and you would feel the sunlight on your face again.