Naomi's point of view
"How was the test, my lady?" Benji asked as soon as I exited the science lab. He leaned casually against the wall, but the moment he saw my expression, his carefree smile faltered. "Did something happen?"
I grabbed his clammy hands—hands I'd grown accustomed to holding despite the sweat—and we began walking. "The test was fine," I said, my voice distant. "It was easy."
He paused, giving me a concerned look. "You look... off. Did someone mess with you? I know you.A test is never a struggle for you."
I sighed, my thoughts racing. How do I even explain this? "Let's just get home. I'll tell you everything there."
As we stepped into the parking lot, we weaved through rows of cars until we reached Benji's gray Nissan Sentra. He unlocked it, and the headlights blinked at us like a signal. I slid into the passenger seat, sinking into the familiar warmth. Silence filled the car as Benji started the engine, pulling out onto the busy road.
The usual scenery flew past, but my mind was far from the traffic. All I could think about was that strange sensation from earlier—the electric jolt that ran through me, like touching a live wire. The tingles in my head, it wasn't just a shiver of attraction; it was something more. And the worst part? He felt it too. I could see it in his eyes, the way he recoiled before storming off. What was that?
We reached my driveway before I even realized it. Benji tapped my arm, pulling me from my daze. "Naomi, you good?"
I pushed my glasses up, feeling the weight of confusion pressing down on me. "Let's get to my room," I said, stepping out of the car. As we headed toward the front door, I instinctively reached for Benji's hand, but the moment our fingers touched, he yanked his hand away, rubbing his palm.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, eyes wide. "Why did you just shock me?."
I froze. "Shock? I didn't shock you, I have nothing on my hands, see. I raised my hand to show him that I wasn't testing any of my gizmos.
Benji looked at me with a frown, clearly unsettled. "Let's just go inside," he muttered. "You need to tell me what's going on. I guess it must be related to the electric shock I just felt."
I didn't argue. Today was already strange enough to now argue about stuff. Once inside, the comforting smell of my mom's cooking filled the house. "Hey, sweetie," she called from the kitchen, her voice warm. "Fajitas tonight!"
My mum is a beautiful woman to be honest. She had a light brown skin tone and a curvy body and she knew she had that model body, so most of her dresses accentuated her curves. She is an accountant, working in one of these tech companies. She is currently 8 weeks pregnant. Her belly isn't growing so much, it was hardly noticeable. Best of all she has minimal pregnancy symptoms. Just her pregnancy cravings that get disgusting and annoying sometimes. I just know her second trimester is gonna pack a punch.
"Smells great, Mom!" I replied, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl. After a quick rinse, I bit into it. "I'm heading to my room."
Benji was already there when I arrived, sitting on my bed with a rubik's cube in his hand. My room wasn't too big. It has plain white walls with chats of the periodic table, some great scientists and academic stuff. A double glass door leading to a balcony. I loved to sit there and cry when I was bullied at school. My study table sat just in the corner. It carried my macbook, books and my miniature inventions I built from scraps like old electrical gadgets and other materials I got from neighbours.
I took a deep breath and sat beside him, the weight of what happened pressing down on me. "Okay," I began, stealing his attention from the rubik's cube, "here's what happened."
I recounted the strange encounter with Ricardo—how the electric shock surged through me when he got close, how he stormed off right after, and how my head had been spinning ever since. Benji stared at me in disbelief before bursting into laughter.
"Naomi, come on!" he said between chuckles. "You're seriously saying this guy has powers? He's just a regular dude. It must be a coincidence."
I shook my head, taking off my glasses and rubbing my eyes in frustration but then I paused. Something was off. My vision… It was clear. I blinked a few times, glancing around the room. Everything was sharp, crystal clear, just like before my eyesight started deteriorating in third grade.
"Benji, my vision... it's perfect," I whispered, standing up in shock. "I don't need my glasses." Happiness consumed me, I was shaking my hands trying to grab him by the bicep.
He looked at me, tilting his head. "You're serious?" I took his hands, feeling the joy of seeing without glasses eat me up. I can now get rid of them and not look so nerdy.
"Completely," I said, still astonished. "I don't know how, but I can see without them."
Benji grinned, holding up two fingers in front of my face. "How many fingers?"
"Two."
"Impressive," he muttered, though he still looked skeptical. "But seriously, by your narration, I just put two on two together and I am thinking Ricardo's an android. My face twisted in confusion at his conclusion. That can't be right, he should be walking all "roboty".
"Are you on drugs?"
"Naomi, those are android Humans. They have been released to live among us since January. Though I doubt he's one of them, the possibility lingers on."
"You think he's an android?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "He looked way too… human." I folded my arm, virtually smiling when an image of his face popped in my head.
Benji chuckled. "Naomi, that's the point. They're designed to look exactly like us. Didn't you read the article I showed you about them?"
I frowned, shaking my head. "No…no entirely. I only skimmed through because my fries were more important".
"They're making androids that look, feel, and act just like humans. Maybe your guy is one of them but again just an assumption." He added.
I rolled my eyes. "He's too real. His eyes, his hair, even his body—how could all of that be built in a lab?" I argued, trying to refute his claim. It can't be true? Can it?
Benji shrugged. "You're underestimating technology. Anyway, it sounds like you could have just got a crush on Ricardo and are denying it but you know it's true. That might explain the sparky feelings."
I glared at him, but his grin only widened.
"Fine, laugh all you want," I said, turning to my desk. "I'm going to research these androids."
"You're going to fry your brain on them, aren't you?" he asked, lying back on my bed with a lazy yawn.
"Yes," I replied, typing "Android humans" into my laptop. "God knows what kind of effect that electric shock could have on me and the tingles I felt in my skull around him".
As I skimmed through the search results, I stumbled upon an article titled Project 104. that made my heart skip a beat. It read:
"Project 104 are three models of the Android Humans. They are described as the most powerful of the Androids. Due to their more advanced nature, their Italian-American creator, Gaston Russo decided to keep them from getting released or sold. He has vowed not to release them to the public until further testing.
I stared at the screen, my mind racing. I went out of the website and typed Gaston Russo into the search bar. His Wikipedia biography came up.
"Full name: Gaston Alan Russo
Age: 40 years old.
Children: None
Spouse: Daniella Russo
Gaston Alan Russo is an Italian- American based scientist famously known for his remarkable inventions. His latest is his Android Humans which were released January this year. His mum took him back to Italy when he was just 8 and schooled there in Milan until he was 24…
I continued reading until something popped up about some criminal charges he has faced in the past. He was imprisoned for five years for running experiments on patients by bribing doctors to use their patients to test his inventions without proper authorization causing…
Oh my Lord
… deaths in 10 hospitals in Milan and 5 in Vernice.
My mouth fell open while I read the article.