‘Humans’ challenge 2019 > New beginnings
Gif by the lovely @likeafantasy
He wakes bedded in crisp leaves crinkling to his touch.
Green eyes blink open: vision operative.
Up. Up, up and up. Standing a little waveringly but unbent.
Sounds of .. the forest. Birds. A . . [blank] trills. Processing. Zero data matches. Merely chirp.chirp.chirp.
‘H-h-h-hello?’ He calls around the glade, experimentally. The sun is out: warm, warm in the sky.
He tries again. ‘Hello? Or should I say: good morning.’ His voice modulation is stronger; a glitch no longer trips his words.
‘Hello, Odi,’ says a person calmly, appearing from 32 degrees to his left. Odi does not recognise the face. [Identification scan: Elster, Fred.]
‘Hello, Fred. I needed saving again. You found me. Well done!’ Odi advances with halting steps, like a toddler practising his walk.
‘I mended the fox. I rescued you,’ states Fred with energy-efficient brevity, bending to stow supplies and to obscure his relieved grin.
Odi’s smile lights up as the sun breaks through the leafy canopy overhead. He doesn’t ask where V has gone, or how he has been liberated. Today is a bright new day, and there is time enough for all those questions yet.
Dedicated to the amazing people of the ‘Humans’ fandom who have organised/taken part in challenges on Tumblr, especially the inestimable @wellamarke, who deserves to be given an award from Sam Vincent for services to the cause of synthdom. Thank you so much *headbumps* :D