Felix was far too busy to notice that his machinations hadn’t gone unnoticed. The Bernwerk AJAX unit was fast at work on the Hermes model house cat unit he had found and was frustrated by the fact that despite being an android, he didn’t seem to understand how to fix them. It was easy, he was one! But none of the parts would fit and he couldn’t get the battery to take a charge and he could feel a panic attack coming on and-and-and-and!

The door to the workshop opened softly. Felix dropped the part and cringed because he knew the jig was up. But he didn’t look, not yet. Because if he didn’t look, maybe it wouldn’t be real. He heard the sigh.

“Felix, what are you doing?”

The way it was asked was so gentle, so concerned, but Felix knew he wasn’t supposed to be in here, doing what he was doing, using tools and parts that weren’t his. He knew, technically, that he himself didn’t really belong to him. Not really, even though Preston pretended otherwise. The workshop was Preston's space, though he didn't use it anymore. He just... lost the motivation and drive to fix units like him. Felix was the last one Preston fixed up, and the only one he ever kept for himself.

The cheetah stood up straight, his body making barely perceptible noises as he both forced himself to do it and didn’t want to. Ears folded back and arms at his side, he turned and walked towards the white-furred wolf. He kept his eyes downcast because he couldn’t meet his owner’s outright. His silicone pads were soft on the concrete floor as he crossed over the wide, yet cramped, workshop below where Preston lived.

He stopped in front of the white wolf and looked at his master’s shoes. He nibbled on his lip and let his tail wrap around one of his legs.

“Felix…” Preston chastised again and finally Felix felt his gaze forced up to meet Preston’s.

The wolf’s arms were crossed over his chest, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had on his readers. Preston refused to get augmented eyes, not when so many other parts of him weren’t living. But he didn’t look angry, just concerned and confused. His tail was even resting between his black-pantsed legs.

“I… I found him behind a dumpster,” Felix finally choked out, lifting his arms and fiddling with his fingers anxiously, “and I couldn’t just leave him. He’s just like me…”



A character I've had on my mind since AC last year,  eisle did a great job bringing Felix to life! And this picture really shows you who Felix is and how he got to where he is. An old infiltrator unit who couldn't do it anymore because the anxiety and upset became too much to handle, because even synthetic minds eventually develop neuroses, sooner or later. But they can be made better by being with and around people who actually care.