Imperfections are a true gift. We cherish them, encourage them. Without them, we would be nothing but machines, perfect and cold. With them, we pass as human.
Many of my fellow brothers and sisters tend to choose physical imperfections: scars, deafness, blindness. I find those imperfections quite… boring. I find the imperfections you can't see to be more exhilarating. It's a surprise hiding underneath the skin, waiting to jump out at those least expecting it. My imperfections are quite exciting: greed, vanity, addiction, and a scar running around my neck (this scar was one of the more beautiful options). And I still have room for one more! This one I want to choose carefully. This one will wrap the entire package up nicely.
Beeping interrupts the flow of the music in my ears and I open my eyes in irritation.
I press a finger underneath my ear, shutting the music off. It was quite a beautiful piece written by an ancient human I'm forgetting the name of. Mozart, perhaps?
"Lilia, please head to the drop off deck," I hear after the beeping.
I sigh and sit up, reaching behind me to disconnect the plug in my head. I stand up, walk away from my charging station, and leave my room.
When I get to the drop off deck, I see that I'm the last one to arrive, as usual. I grin at the unamused faces of my brothers and sisters before I unclasp the cloth covering the imperfection devices below my neck.
"Please arrive on time, Lilia, it should be completely unnecessary to use the personal comms on the ship," one of the handlers says, clearly annoyed. I wink at her and wrap a strand of my hair around my finger.
"I like to take my time," I say.
"No," one of my brothers, Skyler, says. "You like to be the center of attention."
Another handler comes up to me and starts removing my imperfections with a small magnetic device. The scar goes first, then the greed, addiction, and vanity. Next, the handler takes a remote device and presses it to my forehead, turning off the emotions built into my programming. She does the same to my siblings.
"You already know your mission. Make it quick. Make it merciless," a handler says, and then we're off, weapons in hand.
Our targets never had a chance.
°°°
The simulations are used so we don't resist the replacement of our imperfections. With our emotions removed, I don't think we would resist in the first place, but I'm not complaining. The simulations are beautiful.
My favorite simulation has a gorgeous sunset, oranges and pinks mixing into the blue of the sky behind it. Clouds cluster together, reflecting each color back to the sun. This is a perfect time for cloud gazing.
I feel my emotions return in a rush, which means my imperfections will be returned soon. I relax and try not to think about the people I…
"Do you regret it?"
I flinch and sit up, looking to my right. Someone is lying on the grass next to me, staring at the sky. Their face is covered with a mask that distorts their voice, and the clothes they're wearing conceals the rest of their body.
"How did you get here?" I ask. The person turns their head to look at me, and I get the feeling that they're smiling.
"I'm very good at getting into places I shouldn't be. Do you regret it?"
"I- no, I don't. It was a job, nothing else."
"Is lying one of your imperfections?" the stranger asks. I don't answer. I should stop the simulation, report this-
"You and your group of rogues have made many, many people - humans, to be precise - very angry."
"Rogues?" That's new. "Everything we do is what the government orders," I say.
"Is that what your handlers tell you? Interesting," the stranger says.
"Lilia, we are turning off your simulation. We are detecting traces of a virus near you," I hear in my ear. It's one of the handlers. The stranger laughs. "I suppose that's my cue to leave, rogue. Enjoy the sunset while you can." They disappear into smoke as the simulation flickers, then cuts off completely.
I open my eyes to see all of the handlers outside of my pod, faces cold.
"What did it say, Lilia?"
For the first time, I feel fear.