The elevator doors slid open revealing the underground garage, multiple parked cars on each side and as the silver doors came to a halt Alyx and Quinn both ran, their footsteps echoed off the concrete walls, running through multiple rows of cars searching for their exit, until Alyx saw the exit sign a few feet away from them.

Heading towards it, Alyx jumped over the bollards with Quinn following, quickly they made their way across the road and stopped under a tree, while Quinn catches his breath, Alyx looks up at the penthouse, the one he had been working in for over a year now.

Their life was now forever changed, Alyx knows that John will go after them, he would put the blame on Alyx for all the wrongs and sins he had committed especially for Clairs death, but that was beyond the point, saving Quinn and keeping him safe was now the main objective.

After Quinn caught his breath, Alyx started to walk into the dark empty park. There were a few lampposts giving a pinpoint light on the small road through the park. While Alyx lead the way he noticed Quinn stopped following him as he peeked over his shoulder.

Quickly Alyx stopped in  his tracks and turned around looking at Quinn.

"Why?" Quinn questioned Alyx breaking the  growing silence between them, "Why did y-you save me?"

Alyx didn’t have an answer, why did he save a human child rather than saving himself? It was an unanswered question not even Alyx couldn't answer at the moment.

Instead of ignoring the boy Alyx replied with a stutter, "I-I don't know..."

Quinn didn't meet Alyx's eyes and moved closer towards the droid, standing beside Alyx he sighed and broke the silence once again, “Any place we can go?”

Alyx stopped looking at Quinn and moved forward with the path in the park, as they reached the end and stood at a crossing lane Alyx scanned the area for a solution to Quinns questions. After Alyx scanned the area he spotted a small alleyway that could lead them to a safe place a few blocks from them.

Walking through the night Alyx and Quinn arrived at the narrow alleyway, it lead to an abandoned part of San Francisco which was long forgotten after androids where introduced to the public.

As Alyx lead the way through the narrow alleyway, Quinn followed him testing an android with his life, after reaching the other end the two were met with a slight none of them will ever forget, an abandoned subway station. Alyx looked at Quinn and said, “It's only for one night.”

Quinn on the other hand barely nods his head and followed Alyx down to the station, as they decent down the stairs, step by step the walls around them became damper, more stains and cracks on the tiles started to appear.

The air was thick and humid with a sharp scent of rust and mildew swept by Quinn's nose. Reaching the bottom of the subway the two were greeted with a sight that would go unforgotten, dim flickering emergency lights reflecting into the murky still water which submerged the railing of the trains.

Moss and lichen clinging onto the cracked tiles, and vines snake down from the ceiling where structural cracks allowed the faint streaks of light to penetrate the darkness. Broken signs hang at awkward angles, their faded lettering barely legible.

A subway car, partially submerged and encrusted with rust, leans precariously on the rails, its windows shattered.

"This would be a good place to hide out for the night." Alyx declared, and walked off into the distance in search for remaining supplies that could keep Quinn warm for the night.

While Alyx went off to find a few supplies, Quinn took a seat on the last remaining red plastic seats waiting for Alyx to return. While waiting the boy looked around from one end to the next until he noticed something shining on the ground.

Without hesitation he climbed off the seat and went to investigate, he knelt down and looked at the liquid, it was shiny and had a metallic colour to it. It looked like mercury but it didn't have the elements ability to shine. He wanted to touch it analyse it but before his hand could move towards the substance Alyx asked from behind startling the boy, "Found a few things that can keep you warm for the night.”

Quinn sighs and moved back to his feet and walked back over to the seat he had been sitting on previously. Alyx on the other hand took a seat beside Quinn after he placed the sleeping bag on the ground, his hands rubbing on his black trousers that were assigned to him like every other android.

Quinn looked at Alyx's hands and placed his head on Alyx's shoulder looking out at the half-submerged train cart, his breathing was stable, and his mind was still reeling from the events he endured.

"They were never happy," his voice echoed through the walls breaking the silence, "Mom was a drunk every night, and dad well... he was never happy... with anyone."

"I - I don't have memories of a childhood, past or history of parental guidance. I was created to follow orders, to assist and be... useful." Alyx paused looking out at the murky water and fiddling with his hands, "But now... I... see things I've never seen before, things I've never meant to feel... I feel it, I... don't know how it feels to have parents who hurts you or fails you, but... I know what it's like to be something more. To be free, from all of this hurt and... despair."

Alyx took another pause looking down at his fingers flexing them, "Maybe that's why I... saved you. Because I saw something in you, Quinn. Something that was begging to be let out and finds its own way."

He lifted his gaze and looked at Quinn, noticing that Quinn had fallen asleep on his shoulder, Alyx felt closer to the boy he felt as if they understood each other, gently the droid whispered to himself, "I don't know if I'll ever understand what it means to be human, but maybe... just maybe... I'll understand what it means to be alive."

~*~

Hours passed and the first light of dawn started to creep in from the broken ceiling forming a few shadows from the hanging vines. Quinn was still asleep in the sleeping bag Alyx had found in the station last night.

Now standing in the wrecked bathroom and looking at himself in the mirror, Alyx knew he had to change his appearance to blend in with humanity and get rid of his uniform. He knew the police would be searching for him just like the rest he saw in the news during his early days at the Reed household.

While he explored the cart last night, he founded a few things that would help him with his uniform dilemma and he also found a few clothing items which will help keep Quinn warm when December rolls in, if they’re not caught by the law.

He pulled his uniform off and pulled on the blue t-shirt he had scavenged with black trousers which didn't have the PIKO Labs Logo embedded into the fabric. He then pulls the grey jacket on zipping it closed and finishing the look he pulled a pair of dirty white shoes on.

After he pulled his new clothes on and placed his old ones back into the suitcase he turned around looking at himself in the mirror. Carefully he focused on his program which was now allowed full control, a luxury he hadn't experienced before. With slight concentration his eye colour shifted from blue to brown, the irises changing to match the natural hue.

Satisfied he activated his Adaptive Dermal Matrix System.

His skin tingled briefly as the ADM began to work its magic. He felt a small current flow through the electrodes beneath his synthetic skin, stimulating the tiny artificial follicles embedded in his skin. Within moments, a light stubble began to form along his jawline, his face slowly morphing as the system adjusted the texture and colour of his features.

The one smooth surface of his face now had a more human-like, rugged appearance. The hair began to darken, blending perfectly with the brown eyes he had chosen. For the first time, Alyx saw himself not as a perfectly programmed machine, but as something closer to human.

Alyx took one last look at himself in the mirror and left the bathroom with his old identity to fade away.

He has changed.

He wasn't a machine to serve anymore, but a human to live among those thing androids.

Looking out at the scene before him, at the sun and how it beamed through the open ceiling, he took in the air finally free from the orders, the tasks and unbearable words his owners would shout at him. He walked through the subway his steps echoing against the broken tiled wall. He looked at the stairs leading to the surface where the real world awaited them, but Alyx knew he couldn’t show Quinn’s face out in the open.

Before Alyx could take the first steps of stairs he was stopped when he heard something banging within the broken wall. He took a few steps back scanning the area until he spotted a loose board. Kneeling down, he leaned closer to inspect it and noticed a faint glimmer glowing from the opening.

Reaching out, he attempted to pry the board open, but it broke apart instead. An android—what appeared to be an Praxis-TX model series, the fourth generation of androids—suddenly bolted past him, only to collapse onto the stone floor moments later. The android turned to face Alyx; desperation etched in its expression as it pleaded for its life.

Alyx looked at the android on the floor then at Quinn who was looking from afar at the scene, he stood to his feet and walked over to the model pleading for his life. Alyx took in the few key details before talking to the droid: it was unmistakably the Praxis-TX series, still dressed in the tailored suit assigned to it.

Despite the grime caked over its slim fit and intricate lines, the craftsmanship of the suit was still visible. However, Alyx couldn't ignore the android's leg -- it was badly broken. The synthetic skin had been torn away, exposing the damaged internal components. The major arteries in the leg--the peroneal, tibial, and popliteal--were all severed, causing the flow of synthetic blood to stop. Only the peroneal artery remained intact, still faintly pulsing, trying to keep the system alive.

Alyx kneels down once again to the androids level and locked eyes with it, his communication systems synced with the androids, and he announced to the droid without speaking "Don't worry, I am just like you."

He could see the fear and paranoia in the droids face melted away into a look of relief and safety. "Tell me," Alyx continued through the silent data exchange, "What's your name?"

The android locked eyes with Alyx, replying through the shared signal, "Galen… m-my name is Galen. ”