A/N: Hey everyone! This is a reimagination of DBH's good ending, as seen through the eyes of the protagonist Sofia. Some things will stay the same, some will be changed. Regardless, I hope you'll like it!
Chapter 1 – Unwanted Neighbors
It's another one of those days where I feel like nothing is... real. On days like these, my mind tends to take over, leaving me in a state of oblivion. It's almost like I'm... empty in a way. Am I just dreaming all of this?
I have no idea when it started. Sometimes I feel like I've always been like this, only for pictures on my phone to remind me that I used to be a perfectly normal, happy person at some point in my life.
No... I know exactly when it started. My entire life as I know it collapsed on that one day – the day my boss called everyone to his office, as he had a "very important announcement" to make. Needless to say, we were all quite surprised to find an android standing there, staring into space. It introduced itself to us; I believe it was named Aron. All my colleagues were looking at it. They already knew what was going on. Our boss explained to us that he decided to decrease costs to ensure that the company would remain profitable. In other words: We were all going to be replaced. I remember walking home after the meeting. That was the first day, the beginning of this feeling of emptiness.
It's weird, isn't it? Everything was supposed to be fine. I was supposed to function. Yet, here I am, wondering what on earth I should do with myself. Normally I'd pretend that everything is fine and there's nothing wrong. At some point, however, it all comes back to me at once, leaving me in a state of doubt and sadness that could last days, if not weeks. In times like these I often wander around town to distract myself, as I know that staying at home will just make it worse. I just go somewhere, sit down for a while and observe. Ironically, this isn't something I'd usually do, but if it helps me to concentrate on something else, it's worth it.
It's raining, just as the weather forecast said it would. Now that androids do all the calculations, the forecast has become almost 100% accurate. I'm sad and it's raining. What a cliché. Feels like a bad movie. Speaking of movies, the cinema is just a few meters away. Along with the creation of androids came the public's increasing fear of an invasion or war. All the movie posters on the wall depicts some sort of apocalyptic scenario: Androids developing sentience and attacking humans, humans being enslaved by robots, humans replacing parts of their bodies with machines, humans waging war against androids from space… Probably isn't that far off.
I was quite young when CyberLife introduced the first ever android to complete the Turing test, which determined whether or not a machine was as intelligent as a human. My father has always been fascinated by all kinds of machines, especially androids. Perhaps it's because of him that I am so curious about them. Otherwise I might have joined the rising number of protesters in the city. Then again… they're the reason why I'm sitting here in the first place, so I think he would understand.
Okay, enough of this. I'll just go somewhere else. I stroll around the area. Almost every bar or shop has signs on them. "No androids allowed," I mutter to myself silently. In this part of town the resistance is at its peak. Androids are beaten up and damaged on a regular basis. No one cares about how they feel – if they are able to feel emotions at all. Most androids I come across just blankly stare at you with no expression at all. Others, such as service androids, are given a personality through their programming. To be honest… I somewhat envy them. Sure, they were crafted to obey those who buy them, but at the very least they don't feel pain or are overflown by their emotions. I can see why they are considered the ideal workforce.
I open the door of one of the bars called "Flesh & Blood". One of my father's old friends opened it up a while ago as some sort of protest. Up until that point, they were very close friends. The topic of androids, however, was something they could never agree on.
As with all the other bars around here, androids are not allowed to enter. It's not like they need to, of course. Their blue blood can keep them active for over a century without having to recharge themselves. That is yet another thing that is fascinating about them. My phone doesn't even last a day without the infamous "5% left" showing up on screen. To think that these machines could even surpass us…
"Hey, Rob!" I scream from the other side of the room. He is undoubtedly the tallest guy in the building. Not only that, but he's also the most… colorful one. There are many people with tattoos in here, but Rob pretty much covered every inch of skin that is visible. Despite that typical aggressive biker look, he's a really good guy. Whenever my father was abroad to write articles for the Tech Addict magazine, Rob was often the one who looked after me. I'd almost say that he is much more of a father figure to me, just because I share my best memories with him. He even showed up at my college graduation party.
He turns around and smiles as he sees me. "Hey there, Sofia! How are you doing?" I sit down on one of the bar chairs and look straight at him. "Could be better, honestly. Being jobless and all kind of gets to me, you know? I can't even remember what I've done today. Walking around, probably. I've sent out at least twenty applications and they were all rejected. Not to mention that I can only pay rent for another three months. What about you?" Before he can answer one of the waiters calls him over. Apparently there were a few androids nearby that were "just begging to take a beating". Gosh, I thought, I'd hate to waste my time with that. "You wanna come watch?" Rob asks. I slowly shake my head. "Nah, I'm not really into beating up… anything. It's way too stressful. You guys can have fun without me." With that, Rob and a few other people take off, singing one of the songs that they came up with one evening when they had one too many drinks again.
I order my favorite drink at the bar and look at the TV. Yet again they're talking about the worsening relationship between the United States and Russia – the two nations that have been rivals for decades. "Gosh, do we ever learn from our past?" A young man next to me takes a big sip from his glass. "I don't want a second Cold War to happen!" He keeps starring at the TV to concentrate on what the news anchor is saying. As the news went on, I quietly sip on my drink. They keep talking about this topic for far too long. "Do you guys know how long this is going to take?" I look at the tables behind me. All of them shake their heads. "I only know that they've been talking about this for the whole week." The man from before takes another sip from his glass, which is now completely empty. "And they'll probably keep talking about it for a while. How boring." He keeps talking and talking about the horrible past which we're thankfully not living in right now. "I don't think living in the present is that much better. I mean, look at us!" I point my finger at all the other humans in this room. "We've all lost our jobs! You, me, everyone in here! We're all being replaced by machines!" The last line makes me feel slightly uncomfortable. I actually don't mind androids, if you disregard the fact that they stole my job. "I mean, they're pretty cool, but… what are we supposed to do on earth if they are just a better version of ourselves?" That thought has been in my mind for quite some time. When androids are the perfect life form and can do anything and everything, then what are humans supposed to do? "I don't wanna think about it…" mumbles Matt, who is sitting on the other side of the table. "Maybe we'll end up dead like in 'Farewell Earth'. Or we'll have to live underground like in 'The Last Dawn." I look at him with a confused expression. "Wait, you don't know these movies?" he asks. I shake my head.
The next hour or so I was pretty much forced to stay and listen to him summarize all kinds of trash movies. In the meantime, Rob and the others come back and tell all the other guests about their newest adventure. They saw an android couple – he pronounces the world couple so loud that even our neighbors can hear it – and decided "spice things up" a little. By that he means that they threw self-made firecrackers at them. I'm pretty sure that they wanted to use grenades or bombs, but I'm also sure that they don't want to be behind bars anytime soon. Well… some of them at least.
"What'd ya – hick - do next?" A black-haired woman at the back of the bar, who is very obviously drunk, listens to Rob like he is some sort of saint. "What everyone would do, of course!" He slightly raises his left hand, clenches his fist and heroically punches the air. The crowd suddenly starts cheering and slamming their hands – or glasses - against the table. "You better pay for that one, Cindy!" Rob yells. A young woman with red-brown hair scratches the back of her head. "Sorry! I'll be more careful next time." Both of them laugh and chuckle for a little while before Rob goes back to the counter. "Sorry for the interruption." Just like before Rob looks at me with a smile. "About your job…" He pauses and thinks for a moment, then smiles again. "You're always welcome in our team. I know it's not what you want, but it's better than nothing, right?" Carefully he caresses my head, just like he had always done when I felt sad as a child. "Thanks, Rob." I pretend to pat his head, as the counter between us – as well as his height - makes it impossible to actually do so. "I'll try to find something on my own, but I'll keep it in mind, okay?" I take the last sip from my glass. Along with that comes what used to be an ice cube that slowly wanders down my throat. "Phew! That was refreshing! You really do know how to make amazing drinks." I hand the glass over to him. A simple "Thank you" is enough to tell him that there is no need for another drink. "I think I'll… patrol for a little while. You know, check what's going on in the area. If there's something you need, just give me a call, yes?" Rob nods. "Alright. Stay safe."
Only now do I realize just how much time has passed. The sun is just about to set, giving the sky an orange color. It won't be an hour until nighttime. "Ugh… I can't believe it's so late already," I say to myself and let out a loud sigh. Ever since I lost my job, something like a "daily schedule" doesn't exist for me. In the past, everything I did was carefully planned – even my hobbies and interests. There was no time to be spontaneous, since I wanted to get done as much as possible every single day. Well… at least I have the F&B. And the park. The small park near the town center is another meeting point for humans, although androids are much more tolerated since they don't spend much time there, especially around this time of day. In fact, I don't know anyone who goes to the park when it's nearly dark. I'd better be careful around there. I often go there, even in the middle of the night. So far, I haven't encountered many people – or androids for that matter. I only saw young people coming back from a wild night of partying.
The small lake near the park's entrance is incredibly clear. A few years ago the city asked CyberLife to provide androids to "bring the city to its former glory". They renovated houses, collected all the trash lying in the streets and took care of all public places, including the park and all the bus or train stations. From that point on, pretty much everything looked fine. However, that didn't mean that it all was fine. Just like in all the other sectors of the job market, androids replaced a large number of humans who ended up becoming unemployed. From what I've heard, the unemployment rate climbed up to over 37%. Needless to say, that is the highest rate ever recorded in the history of our country. Unfortunately for us humans, this number won't be falling anytime soon.
I sit down on a bench near the lake. Some ducks are slowly swimming around in the water. Man, I wish I had something to feed them. Watching them just doing what they want really calms me down. They don't care what time it is and don't have a schedule they have to follow. Although… even they have android copies. Why would we need animal androids? The only use I can think of is some kind of android animal zoo. After all, many zoos were dragged into the spotlight after it was revealed that they mistreated the animals living there. By using android animals, you can still operate a zoo and don't feel guilty about it. At least they don't get are already enough jobless around here. I look around. There is only one other person at the other side of the lake, just sitting there and doing nothing. Wait… why is there a person? I keep looking at the other side of the lake. "What the hell?" I whisper. Even as the sun goes down, it simply doesn't move. Minute by minute I grow more impatient. Oh screw it, I think and get up. This is one of these moments where my mind takes control again. However, this time it's out of curiosity rather than fear, anger or sadness. I just really want to know who that person was.
I keep walking around the lake, my eyes focused on that one bench just a few meters away from me. My heart beats faster with every step I take. What if they're dangerous? What if I end up being kidnapped? The voices in my head become louder and louder. Still, I am determined to go see that person. After walking halfway I can see them a little better. It's… a woman with standard height and standard shape. Her blonde hair is tied to a ponytail resting on her left shoulder. To my surprise she's wearing a dress, despite the fact that it's nearly winter. "H-Hello?" I ask her hesitantly. She immediately turns her head towards me. "What are you doing out here on your own? It's not safe." I walk closer to her - and stop abruptly. She's… an android?! As I look at her face a bit closer, I notice those strange LEDs near her temples. That is a clear sign that the woman in front of me is not human. Maybe that explains why it... why she hasn't reacted yet. I think I should find out something about her. "What's your name?" I ask her more confident this time. With her eyes still locked on me, she manages to smile a little. "I'm Chloe. I'm an ST200 model developed by CyberLife. What about you?" She slightly tilts her head to the side, expecting an answer. "I.. My name is Sofia," I stutter and raise my arm for a handshake. "N-Nice to meet you." Her smile gets brighter as she shakes my hand. "Pleased to meet you, Sofia. What are you doing out here at this hour? Humans require at least eight hours of sleep each day to function properly." The word function gives me goose bumps. Is that what androids "think" about us? That we need to function? I try my hardest to ignore the voices in my head. "I… I wasn't feeling too well." A bit reluctantly I sit down next to her on the bench. Just now I notice just how beautiful she looks. Great, I think, so the model business is the first to die. Not like I care about that or anything. "Being here really calms me down. There's no crowd, no noise. I can just be… myself." I dare to let my eyes drift to the lake for a moment. The ducks swim further into the lake's center. "It's just me and mother nature. Okay, sometimes there are a bunch of other people here, but none of them bother me. Here I can find some sort of… inner peace." For a few minutes the two of us remain silent. "I see. That's… interesting." Now Chloe looks over to the lake. "What about you?" I want to know from her. "What are you doing here? I mean… Who's your… owner, I guess? Is that what you call it?" As the word owner comes across my lips, I shiver a little. She looks so real, so human, and yet I know that she's just a machine. Still, I feel somewhat bad for her. She just does what she's told and that's it. Also, there's no one around to care for her.
Chloe looks back to me, her eyes slightly closed. "I… I don't know. I… I can't remember anything…" Her facial expression changes from neutral to… sad? "I tried accessing my memory, but… it's all gone." Seeing her like this almost breaks my heart. However, the rational side of my brain keeps telling me to be careful. It might just be one of her tricks. "How is that? I thought that androids have some sort of database for their memory? There must be a back-up or something." Now that I think of it, I always wondered where all the information gathered by the androids ends up. Surely they would do something with it. On second thought... I'm not sure if I really want to know.
I can't help but look at Chloe. I'm not sure how long she's been here, but it must have been a long time. Her clothes are worn out and dirty – she even has some cuts on her arms. Was she running away from something?
To lighten things up a little I decide to change the topic. "Anyway, we can't stay here. It's getting cold – not to mention that it's almost midnight." I quickly get up from the bench, turn around and raise my arm towards her. "If you have nowhere to go, you can just stay at my apartment. It's not the fanciest place you'll see, but it's enough for the two of us." Although I don't really have much, I'm sure that she will be safe in the area I live in. It's a rather quiet region at the eastern part of the city. In newspapers it's often advertised as the perfect neighborhood for those who seek a little bit of quietude. That, however, doesn't mean that there's nothing happening at all.
"Sounds good?" I ask her with a smile. Obviously I can never know what is going on inside that digital mind of hers. She does a great job at hiding any kind of emotion. Nonetheless… I can still see her hesitate. "A-Are you sure?" she asks, turning her head towards me. "I-I mean… I don't want to be a burden to you. Besides, we don't even know each other." Now she scans the area, as if to find a place to escape to. "I mean it, Chloe." To strengthen my point, I slowly walk towards her, kneel down and put her hands in mine. "You can stay at my place for as long as you need to." After a short moment of silence I get up again, her hands still in mine. I help her to get up as well. "We'll figure out what happened to your memories. I'm sure of it."
As we walk down the road together, I find Chloe closely observing everything around her. She seems like a child who had just discovered a secret place. Looks like she really did lose her memory. Poor her. "Tomorrow I can show you around the city if you like. I've got plenty of time. For now, though, we should keep moving. Normally it is pretty safe around here, but with all those deviants walking around, I'm not so sure anymore…" In recent weeks there have been more and more of those deviants – androids who have errors within their programming, which usually ends in them becoming aggressive and revolting against their human owners. The number of assaults and even murders has been rising, leaving the public in shock. Many people immediately returned their androids after the first deviant attack was discussed all over the media. Furthermore, the attack added more fuel to the fire of the steadily growing number of protesters. I remember Rob's reaction after the broadcast. "So these guys aren't just stealing humans' jobs, they want to kill us, too!" That was the moment when Rob bought a number of guns and started going to the gun range regularly. "Better safe than sorry," he told me back then. However, even with the number of incidents rising, I still can't bring myself to hate androids for acting this way. After all, humans commit crimes as well, they just don't have to worry about being executed afterwards. Maybe, I thought, maybe there wouldn't be so many incidents if we started listening to them.
Finally, I can see the apartment building in the distance. Most people inside the building are already sleeping, but in some apartments the lights are still on. To be honest, I hardly know any of my neighbors, except for those living right next to me. Therefore, I don't know what they're doing at this hour, and I don't really want to know. As long as it is nothing dubious, it is none of my business. "Overall, there isn't much happening here, so there's no need to worry about anyone finding you." I quietly open the door to my apartment. It's rather small and empty, since I'm not much of a fan of fancy decorating. The walls are painted plain white, with a few symmetric patterns painted in gray. The furniture is also white, whereas each of the few pieces of decoration had a different color. A vase full of fake flowers, some picture frames, two figurines - it isn't much, but enough to make you feel comfortable. My pride and joy is the humongous bookshelf near the terrace door where I put every book I own – even those from my early childhood. "Here we are! Make yourself at home." Chloe spends the first minutes inspecting each room. In the meantime, I take a glass out of the cupboard above the sink and fill it with tap water. Thankfully, the water pipelines are inspected and maintained on a regular basis, so there is no need to buy water in plastic or glass bottles. "You really like reading, don't you?" Chloe asks. "Yeah, I do." I join her on the other side of the living room. "My dad is an author for the Tech Addict magazine. I guess I owe him my passion for reading. When I was a kid, I always wanted to read the articles he wrote, even though I didn't understand much at the time. Well… okay, I still don't get most of it. I guess fantasy novels are still better to understand than scientific articles." I quickly glance over the selection of books on the shelf. "That's not the only thing I like, though. I also really like art, even though I'm really bad at drawing or painting." Some of the books are actually illustrated books by different artists. There is one book in particular that I am quite fond of. "Here," I tell her, "This is a book by Carl Manfred. He's a fantastic painter from Detroit." Chloe takes the book and browses through it. "His paintings aren't just randomly drawn pictures. Carl always leaves some sort of secret message in them, something to philosophize about." One painting in particular has caught my interest immediately. In its center is a majestic tree made of shiny metal that is standing tall as all the buildings around it gradually crumble down. The ivy on the walls is dried out, but still clinging to the concrete. Someone sprayed graffiti on one of the walls. It shows a young boy crying and a robot arm patting his head. There are many interpretations of this painting in particular – some optimistic, some cynical. From what I've heard, Carl drew this painting after he was gifted an android to take care of his fragile self. Apparently Elijah Kamski himself offered him the new prototype he just finished called RK200. Carl then gave him the name Markus. The android is described as rather quiet, but also very kind. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to meet either of these two.
"That's impressive!" Chloe states. It seems that she is genuinely interested in his works. "I wonder what he's like." She puts the book back into the shelf. "However, we should continue our conversation tomorrow. It's quite late." While I get ready for bed she makes herself comfortable on the couch and looks out the window. I tell her good night and make my way to the bedroom until she asks me something: "That's right, I forgot. What time would you like to wake up tomorrow?" She looks at me friendly. I almost forgot that she is an android who is supposed to serve us. "Uhm… How about 8 AM? That way I can get my eight hours of sleep and it's also not too early." "Alright then," she replies with a smile, "Good night, Sofia."
I crawl into my bed and pull the blanket all the way up to my chin. I know that Chloe is friendly, but her presence still makes me feel slightly uncomfortable. Calm down, Sofia. From tomorrow on you'll have plenty of time to get to know each other.
A/N: Yaay, the first chapter is done! DBH has been a huge inspiration to start writing again after I haven't written any stories / fanfics in years. There are so many endings and options to discover, but while watching videos on YouTube, I still thought of alternative routes that I'd like to implement into the story. Stay tuned everyone! :)