The rain turned into a fine mist, making the city look even brighter and more unreal. Alix felt the droplets collecting in the strands of her artificial hair, running down her uniform, but she no longer cared about the discomfort. Axel walked beside her, handcuffed, but freer than any other prisoner she had ever escorted. With every step, Alix felt the weight of her decision: she had to take him back to the station, file the report, ensure the evidence's safety, and, above all, not get involved in conversations that strayed completely from what she had been programmed to do.
But something inside her, a silent bug that grew with every exchange of glances, made her want to know more. It was almost a calling, an inner voice that wouldn't be silenced, not even in the face of police routines or the rigid rules installed in her code. That urge to feel, to go beyond command lines, to understand what existed on the other side of experience.
Axel seemed to pick up on every hesitation, every second of doubt. Even with the rain now calmer, the night's cold still cut through the air. He turned to Alix and smiled in a way that was complicit, almost intimate.
"You know, I know that look. You pretend to be just another patrol bot, but you're far from just a machine. There's something different in there."
She pretended to ignore it, keeping her posture rigid, but it was impossible to completely hide her interest.
"I just do my job. My protocol doesn't include philosophical debates or curiosity about sensations I can't have."
The answer came out firm, but inside she knew it was a lie. Ever since she had passed by the toy and upgrade shop, her system had been running unanswered questions.
Axel, with the calm of someone used to walking the line of danger, went on.
"Have you never thought about really trying it? Stepping off the script, just a bit? NanoSensual isn't just an expensive chip. It changes everything. Makes you feel every touch, every song, every flavor, every breath… Orgasm, that drink I took, simulates maybe ten percent of what the chip gives. Imagine feeling ten times more. It's like every cell in your body learns what pleasure is."
Alix felt the side compartment pressing against her skin, reminding her of the little bottle hidden there. The secret burned hotter than the cold, hotter than the code of conduct.
"You talk as if feeling is the ultimate meaning of life."
Axel smiled, moving a little closer, his green eyes catching every nuance of her under the glow of the neon.
"For a lot of people, it is. Have you never been curious? Never wondered if there's something beyond the protocol? I saw you looking at that chip in the shop. It's rare for an android to stop in front of a display like that."
She hesitated, looking at her own reflection in a nearby window.
"And what if it's just a bug? What if I'm defective?"
"Maybe it's not a flaw, Alix. Maybe it's evolution. A bug is just the start of desire."
Axel spoke slowly, letting each word hang between them like a challenge.
"Most androids don't even consider trying pleasure. They stick to the manual. Not you. You stop, you watch, you feel the urge. That's rare."
The city seemed to listen in on their conversation. The drone lights reflected on their faces, coloring Axel's skin and Alix's synthetic hair in shades of blue and lilac. The rain started up again, growing heavier, as if trying to wash away the dilemmas swirling between them.
Alix thought about all the patrols, all the protocols, the scripted conversations. None of them explained this feeling. The urge to experiment, to understand what humans sought so much, was stronger than she wanted to admit. She felt a kind of tingling running through her body, from the compartment at her side to her fingers, as if the very idea of real pleasure could short-circuit her.
"So explain it to me. How does this chip work?"
She asked, almost in a whisper, as if afraid her own systems might listen and trigger some internal alarm.
Axel smiled, animated.
"NanoSensual 3.0 isn't just hardware. It does a full scan of your system, adapts physical and sensory stimuli to your profile, unlocks pleasure zones you didn't even know existed. In androids, it connects touch circuits to emotional sensors, so every caress, every kiss, every bead of sweat becomes an explosion of sensation. You don't just feel it physically, you really feel it. As if pleasure became part of your thoughts."
Alix listened closely, trying to imagine every detail.
"And the drink?"
"Orgasm was made as a 'pirate' version of the chip. It's for parties, for people who want just a taste. But the experience is limited, diluted, temporary. The chip changes everything forever. But it's not cheap, and it's not easy to install. And, of course, it's forbidden for most police androids."
She gripped Axel's arm, resuming their walk.
"If it's so revolutionary, why did you steal drinks instead of chips?"
"Because I was banned from the project." He looked down, his voice growing softer. "After I helped create it, they discarded me. Said it was too dangerous for working androids, that they might get lost in the experience. So what was left for me was what's left for everyone else: simulations, drinks, risks. But the chip... the chip is still my best code."
Alix felt a pang of empathy—or was it envy?—as she walked beside him. For the first time, she pictured a future beyond the protocols, with real sensations, laughter, true warmth. And, for the first time, wondered if she was really ready for that.
The rain came down hard now, hammering the sidewalks and asphalt as if trying to erase their footprints. They walked through empty alleys, streets where only the neon signs resisted the bad weather. The way to the station had never felt so long, or so short. Axel, even handcuffed, walked upright, as if relieved of an old burden just by being able to talk about his past.
Suddenly, a flash cut through the sky. The thunder came soon after, shaking the buildings and making the windows vibrate. A lightning bolt crashed down hard, striking the space between two narrow buildings, in an alley almost invisible to distracted eyes. The light was so intense that Alix and Axel instinctively stopped, shielding their eyes.
For a few seconds, there was only smoke, sparks, and the smell of burnt ozone. The neon seemed to vanish, overwhelmed by the lightning's glare. The city hung suspended, mute, expectant. In the center of the alley, amidst the thick smoke, something began to materialize, a vague silhouette, outlines glowing blue and lilac, as if the city's own energy had taken shape.
Alix shivered, and it wasn't just electricity, it was as if her curiosity and desire to feel more had been summoned alongside that apparition. Axel held his breath, his eyes wide.
There, between smoke and thunder, the unexpected finally found them.