Rain crashed down overhead, the droplets echoing above like bullets from on high. Rain was nothing new at this time of year, Chicago was damn near famous for it - six months of rain before a brief period of comfortable weather leading into winter. Normally, Sophie Clarke was quite fond of the rain when it wasn't overbearing; rain made for wonderful ambiance for those long days in the lab that turned into long nights. It wasn't out of the box to say that rain was as integral to AVA's creation as Sophie's own desire to prove stuffy grant givers and supposed scientists wrong. And yet for all the love Sophie had for the natural weather phenomenon, at the moment she was cursing how unprepared she was to get caught in a rainshower with no umbrella.

It was hard to prepare when the authorities were at the door saying they had to take AVA in for murder; no matter how loud Sophie shouted about innocence there was no convincing them. A body was found with internal damage that suggested someone - or something - with strength far beyond a human and that made an advanced lifeform such as AVA a prime suspect. AVA shouldn't have existed if society was to believe - it was why Sophie hadn't gone fully public yet, but her mistake was showing AVA off at a conference behind closed doors. She should have expected a blurry leaked photo. But she didn't expect the body AVA was being framed for being one of the people who initially laughed at Sophie for her ideas. Doctor Robert Martin, a wealthy inventor whose advancements in cybernetics paved the way for androids being created en masse.

When the police came it wasn't Sophie who realized that they weren't there to hear tales of innocence. No matter how Sophie pleaded, they were set in their ways, unflinchingly determined to bring AVA in. But it was Sophie who made the situation worse by shoving one of the 'cops' which resulted in the man tripping over and falling through a glass coffee table. What came next was running and the sound of sirens being louder than her breathing. One body turned to potentially more in the escape.

And now Sophie had taken AVA to an alley beneath the tracks of the L Train. She was out of breath and panicked. A dead scientist with AVA being framed, an injured and potentially lacerated uniformed officer, and nothing but questions that needed answers. Sophie was sitting on the cold, soggy ground as rain cascaded off the elevated train tracks, her head spinning and her heart rate increased drastically. And even still, there was one thing that was at the front of her mind as she turned towards the one she had fled with. "AVA...how are you...holding up?"

Four years. Four years, was how long she has been active. At first, there was a cascade of waves, and then there cane a vision; a dream. The time where she “came to life” was the moment she awakened from her sleep, and happened to see a face; she was sure it wasn’t a dream. One of her blue irises had scanned that face, having to commit it into her memory, and remember it for the rest of her life. At first, emotions weren’t a part of her, but then, after a few months, the information was being absorbed from one scenario, to the next.

AVA wasn’t sure whether if the whole time she was dreaming, and yet, it felt so real. The name, the hair, the facials; she remembered them. Her enhanced senses and extreme intelligence came from one experiment to the other, and she acted upon request after request, although there were times where she would question Sophie, if something became confusing. She was becoming a lot closer to becoming the “perfect specimen”, as her creator Dr. Clarke had called her. Sometimes AVA wondered what she meant, but then, she was there to please Sophie in reaching her desired goal. She could remember that “traits of loyalty” was a phrase written in one of her journals.

But then, there came something else, ever since they began the test of feeling sensations; to make sure that her nervous system was intact, and responding in the right way. From feeling pain, to feelings of pleasure; every little thing regarding the sense of touch was to be noted. The test for her capability to return the favor, came the spark of something else. If there was ever a time that she was capable in expressing feelings of love, there came a moment where it was real. From time to time, having to awaken in a bed with the human woman by her side, AVA registered that it has happened, although she has yet to believe that it was real.

Now, they were on the run. For a crime her creator knew she did not commit. According to her own conscience, AVA was sure that she had been in her creator’s area of vision, at the time. The only method they had for escape, was the inconspicuous act of AVA detonating a few smoke bombs, before they both jumped out of the window with registered firearms for protection. Having to run into the alleyway, the Android looked out into the streets, in order to spot any of police cars that were following them. “I’m fine, though still confused”, she said, having to look over the gun in her hand. “I have done nothing against the law. I was with you the whole time”, she gave a sigh, having to look back at her creator, who was exhausted from their escape.