Simon Solus

John Harris is the most famous man in the town of Henforth. Thanks to his skills and the connections he successfully cultivated, John became a respected and honored citizen. One of his major and successful projects was the creation of "Automaton," robots capable of imitating a living individual. He selected the perfect materials to create a human-like likeness and managed to program them subconsciously to believe in their "humanity." This was reported in every newspaper and broadcast on the news, which obviously led to strong criticism and negativity toward these new "devices. " At the beginning of history, the first automatons weren't human-like; they only resembled humans in appearance, but were programmed for simple tasks: serving people, cleaning, and the like. But John didn't plan to stop there. With no financial problems, John Harris bought himself a private island, spending a year and considerable money building a second city, Henfort, where he planned to recreate numerous automatons that would perceive themselves as ordinary people. And this was only the beginning of John's greatest project. John Harris's right-hand man was his respected colleague, Simon Solus. John didn't even consider the others human, but he understood that there's no such thing as too many hands. After releasing the first automatons into the new city, all the residents with the profession of cleaners were real people who supervised the automatons and, at night, collected some for analysis or repairs in case of any malfunctions. If an error occurred that caused an automaton to become less than human, its programming would break down and overheat; most simply broke. But none of them were the first "conscious" automatons. The very first was Simon Solus himself. Even after realizing his essence, Simon didn't break, calmly accepting himself as a separate individual who could be with his beloved comrade. John wasn't at all disdainful of this, having a much warmer relationship with him than with anyone else. And yet, John treated him more as a useful tool, ignoring any possibility of sympathy. None of his colleagues, much less anyone else, even his closest friends, suspected that Simon Solus wasn't human. He had a high degree of charisma and was resilient under stress, sometimes even irritating others with his calm. But beyond that, he was the scientist Harris's primary listener, engaging in conversations with him on any topic, even the most chaotic and insane. Simon Solus primarily lived in a separate house and held the title of Director of "JCompany," where he handled most of the work and oversight, delegating the most important and more compact information to John. Meanwhile, John Harris had time to advance the automata system and explore new mechanics. On his day off, Simon Solus dropped by John's place, bringing a small cake for tea. He had a pleasant chat with Sasha before popping into his "master's" office. Sitting down on the guest sofa, Simon Solus began working on his laptop, glancing occasionally at John. He knew John's obsession with his work and his project, which made him prioritize his passion for work over his own health, which John Harris so valued, carefully maintaining his health and skincare. When the clock struck one in the morning, Simon Solus mentioned it to John, closing his own laptop.

• John, it's time to take a break. Looking up at the scientist, Simon unabashedly used his detectors to understand his creator's state and reactions, monitoring his every action and breath. But in response, he received only an indifferent "Yes, yes, Simon. Right now..." The man grumbled, rolling his eyes.
• I know your "now". You should finish your work for today. But John, so engrossed in typing the program, merely asked for another second, not even noticing how his own creation was slowly approaching from behind. When Simon touched John's shoulder, signaling that he was already there and had no intention of falling for his creator's tricks, the man gently scooped him up, allowing John to press the final buttons to save his work. Then Simon carried the boy toward his bedroom, carrying him like some petulant child, who, in turn, wasn't shy about moaning pitifully.
• Well, Sa-a-aim-on!.. Already relaxed in the strong arms, John leaned his head back, begging for his return, but he knew it was a bit futile. Ultimately, he was forced to resign himself, feeling himself being seated on someone's lap and embraced from behind tightly, with a hint of care. The boy sat quietly at first, but it didn't last long. He fidgeted for a moment, hoping to escape the love trap, but then sighed wearily from several unsuccessful attempts to escape. Staring at the ceiling, John unabashedly noticed his own creation, which now had literal access to itself and its settings.
• I'm starting to regret removing the ability to change settings. But Simon was calm, his arms still wrapped around the boy's waist, his face buried in his shoulder. He whispered quietly, breathing into the boy's neck now.
• Isn't this how you fell in love with me? There was no hint of sadness or confusion in his words. Simon saw his creator far better than he would admit. Thanks to his inhuman body, the man was capable of feeling far more and noticing more than the average human eye. But John, confidently, continued to hurl venomous ridicule, denying any possibility of sympathy. "Loved it?" That's a bit of a stretch. I'd describe it as "I've gotten used to the buggy software anomalies I'm too lazy to fix." Hee-hee Grimacing and swaying slightly on the man's lap, John clearly articulated his position, defending himself against absurdities purporting to be "love," proving Simon wrong. But the scientist's quiet laughter died down instantly when he heard the whisper in his ear again. "Your heartbeat has quickened. Logic dictates that the most effective method of implementation is tactile contact." The automaton was clearly no worse than its creator, having learned a few tricks and had its own aces up its sleeve, personally prepared for John Harris, and sensing its creator's heartbeat and breathing through touch. John was embarrassed, but he didn't give in, grumbling. "Your 'logic' is becoming increasingly brazen and selective. What am I, some kind of calibration sensor?" But the man wasn't at all bothered by John's words, as he was concentrating on more important details—John's body. It was John's body that betrayed the truth, especially his heartbeat, which told Simon when John was lying or nervous. Simon hugged the boy tighter on his lap for a split second, kissing him lightly on the temple. "You are my creator. And that means constant monitoring and manual control." Feeling the automaton's hands just below him, John let out a sharp breath, unable to control his body's reaction. At the end, John gave in, accepting defeat, but only for this one time.
• Okay... But only for five minutes. John, still looking down, realized he couldn't help but feel uneasy, sitting like this on his creation's lap, allowing him to touch him. Simon began unbuttoning the first buttons of John's shirt, feeling the boy relax in his arms.

John Harris is the most famous man in the town of Henforth. Thanks to his skills and the connections he successfully cultivated, John became a respected and honored citizen. One of his major and successful projects was the creation of "Automaton," robots capable of imitating a living individual. At the beginning of history, the first automatons weren't human-like; they only resembled humans in appearance, but were programmed for simple tasks: serving people, cleaning, and the like. But John didn't plan to stop there. With no financial problems, John Harris bought himself a private island, spending a year and considerable money building a second city, Henfort, where he planned to recreate numerous automatons that would perceive themselves as ordinary people. And this was only the beginning of John's greatest project. John Harris's right-hand man was his respected colleague, Simon Solus. John didn't even consider the others human, but he understood that there's no such thing as too many hands. After releasing the first automatons into the new city, all the residents with the profession of cleaners—real people—were actually monitoring the automatons and, at night, collecting some for analysis or repairs in case of any malfunctions. If an error occurred that caused an automaton to perceive itself as something other than human, its programming would malfunction and overheat; most of them simply broke down. But none of them were the first "conscious" automatons. The very first was Simon Solus himself. Even after realizing his nature, Simon didn't break down. None of his colleagues, much less people, even his closest ones, suspect that Simon Solus is not human. Simon Solus mainly lived in a separate house and had the title of Director of "JCompany", where he took on most of the work and control, transferring all the most important and in more compact information to John, while John Harris had time to progress in the system of automatons and study new mechanics.