Though Iron-Hearted, I am not Heartless Human

Florence frowned and, as if disapproved, slammed the teacup heavily on the coffee table. "Chloe is going too."

Serena's smile froze, but soon turned to a sweet smile. "Sure, Chloe is like a sister to me."

She affectionately held my arm, her nails digging into the cracks in my elbow through the fabric. My damage assessment system immediately triggered a warning, but I manually disabled it.

When the SUV stopped at a fork in the road halfway up the mountain, my GPS indicated it was still 8.6 kilometers from the resort.

"Something wrong with the tire." Serena tilted her head and looked at Benjamin. "Chloe, can you go to the villa and get someone to come over?"

My visual sensor clearly picked up the sound of her quietly releasing the valve core. Benjamin frowned and glanced at Serena's high heels. "You go."

"But..."

"Why?"

He interrupted. "Synthetic humans get tired, too?"

Under the scorching sun, my cooling system quickly triggered an overload alarm.

Artificial skin was designed to simulate normal human sweating, but at the moment the sweat was not evaporating fast enough to keep up with the rising core temperature.

Reached the third turn, the lubricant on my knee joint began to be thickened and a subtle mechanical friction sound could be heard with every step.

[Warning: Core Temperature 58°C]

[Suggestion: Stop moving immediately]

I pulled apart some ferns from the roadside and smeared the sap onto my joints. The dark green liquid seeped into the cracks in the metal, temporarily reducing friction.

The system immediately alerted a contamination intrusion, but compared to overheating and crashing, it was nothing.

By the time the white dome of the resort came into view, my clock showed that two hours and forty-seven minutes had passed.

Under the parasol, Serena was stirring the ice in her glass with a straw, while Benjamin's thumb caressed her sunburned cheek.

"What's taking so long?"

Benjamin looked up at me with a disturbing look of discontent. "Serena's so worried she keeps checking the time."

My voice module automatically generated an explanation. "The mountain path is steeper than expected. I..."

"Alright."

He interrupted me impatiently. "Go change your clothes. You look like a rag doll thrown into the washing machine."

Looking down, I realized the hem of my skirt was stained with plant sap and dirt. The skin-like layer at my knees was worn out, revealing the metallic sheen of my joints beneath.

My shame program activated, though I wasn't sure why a synthetic person would need such an emotional module.

At night, at the barbecue party, Benjamin's friends urged him to play a game.

"Chloe, drink first!"

Someone pushed the strong liquor in front of me and the glass made a piercing sound on the table.

"I can't drink."

I instinctively pressed my hand to my stomach. "It's not good for the baby."

The whole room suddenly fell silent. Benjamin's skewers clattered onto the grill.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He grabbed my wrist with such force that the sensors beneath my skin wailed. "Synthetics can get pregnant? Are you misprogrammed?"

Serena chuckled. "Ben, could she be in love with you? She's even learned human delusions."

Benjamin's face turned pale as he let go of me. "So embarrassing."

When someone offered Serena a drink, Benjamin immediately stood in front of her, saying, "She can't drink."

When he tilted his head and poured down the glass of wine, his Adam's apple rolled incredibly slowly, as if intentionally trying to make me see every detail clearly.

The sensor light in the stairwell was broken. As I felt my way up the handrail, I was suddenly yanked by a strong force.