-New World-
-By Hannahmypet-
-Rating: K+-
-Pairings: None-
-Summary: Mortals can never know about the Vocaloids' past- not even the Vocaloids themselves know of their own pasts. For a certain new Vocaloid, this can cause not only confusion, but a great deal more.-
-A/N: This idea just got stuck in my head, and I had to write it. Please, don't get too attached to it, as I'm known for abandoning my stories halfway through. :/ Ah well, enjoy it anyways, please!
… I'll shut up now and let you read it, m'kay?-
-Disclaimer: Vocaloid and all associated properties belong to Crypton. So does Crypton itself.-
Chapter 1: New Beginning
A woman with long blondish hair sat on the curb of a street, hiccupping. How did her life end up like this? She used to be a singer at the local night club. She used to be one of the best in the area. She used to have all she ever wanted. She had a boyfriend whom she lived with, a steady job, a hobby that actually added to her life instead of taking away from it, but now, it was all gone…
Her boyfriend left her, meaning she had nowhere to live. She tried to get an apartment for temporary purposes, but when she started drinking to get rid of her past at the club where she'd sing, she'd sometimes wind up so hung over the next day she'd miss work. Thus, she was fired from her job, wound up as an alcoholic, was kicked out of the apartment because she couldn't pay the rent, and found herself left on the streets, begging and scrounging to stay alive.
She sniffed a little bit, wishing that it'd all go away. What she wouldn't give to get away from this life, start over again…
As if the universe heard her, a newspaper blew in front of her, and she quickly grabbed it. There was an ad saying, "Do you need a new chance at life? We can help you start again as a whole new you. Come to the Crypton Future Media building downtown and give the receptionist the key word "Model 03". She'll know what to do."
The woman chuckled a little bit- this was so cliché, she wondered if she were on camera right then. She even glanced around a little bit to make sure she wasn't right about that, then stuffed the newspaper into her pocket and set off for the downtown sector.
I doubt it's going to work, it's probably just some elaborate scheme or trick, she thought, but it's worth a shot. It's not like I have anything to lose anyways- no money, no pride, nothing.
So she was quite surprised.
"Hello, welcome to the Crypton Future Media building, what brings you here?" The receptionist woman, with dark, short and tamed hair and a business suit that looked like it never had a wrinkle in it in its entire time, looked down at the woman, who was suddenly very self-conscious of how she looked- and probably smelled- like a hobo. "Oh, I think I know, but you still have to get confirmation, policy and all. So, what's the keyword?" She gave her an expectant look that made the woman shrink back a little. She pulled out the newspaper and unwrinkled it, then squinted a little at the print that all of a sudden seemed much smaller.
"Um, I'm here for something about "Model 03"," she said, almost so soft that the receptionist couldn't hear. However, she did, and she nodded.
"Thought so. You're gonna have to be louder, though, if you want this- we don't need a quiet one, do we?" She chuckled to herself, though the woman couldn't figure out what was funny about that sentence. "Right then, follow me." She set a sign on her desk that said "Please Wait- We Will Be With You Shortly" and then took off towards a hallway, beckoning for the woman to follow her.
She did, having a bit of trouble keeping up with the receptionist and her brisk, 'let's-get-to-business' manner. Suddenly, she disappeared, and for a second, the woman couldn't figure out where she went- then, she stuck her head out a door that the woman hadn't noticed before and pulled her by the arm, saying, "come on already!"
The woman followed her down another set of hallways, up a set of stairs, and into a room that looked as if it were hardly ever used. She then motioned for her to sit down, said "someone will be here soon to talk to you", then left mysteriously.
So the woman sat there, contemplating what they might do. She tried to remember what Crypton did- weren't they the creators of those Vocaloid things? So that meant they did something to do with music or with robots or something. She wasn't sure what they might have that might help her, but then again, almost anything would help at this point.
At this point, a guy in the same level of professional-looking attire as the receptionist, if not more, walked in and sat down in front of the woman. He held his hand out, and the woman nervously shook it, unsure as to what she was thinking when she came here.
"Don't worry," he assured her, seeing the look on her face. "This is easy, and your life will be better when you leave this building, promise. So, let's just talk about what brought you here today, okay?"
He sounds a bit like a psychiatrist, she thought. He asked her about things from whether she had any living relatives, close friends, or other people who she knew well, to things as to what she had been doing before she came here, and what jobs she'd had before. Throughout the entire time, he wrote down things on a clipboard. At the end, when the woman was sure he must've asked her every question anyone might want to know about her, he nodded and put the pen away, taking the woman by the hand.
"Congratulations, you made the cut. Follow me, please." He led her down another set of confusing hallways- how many did they have in that building, anyways?- and took her into a place marked 'SUPPLIES'. It appeared to her to just be a supplies closet, but when she went in…
She found she was right.
"Now, what I'm about to offer is not something everyone gets. I'm giving you the chance to escape your past. To start over. Would you like to be a Vocaloid?"
She stared at him as if he had grown a second head. "W-what did you just say!"
He repeated it clearly. "Now, I know that's shocking. Vocaloids are robots, after all- or at least that's what the general public thinks. It's easier that way. But actually, Vocaloids are cyborgs." Seeing the confused look on her face, he added, "That's a human with a bit of robot. They basically have a little bit of robot put into them. No, it doesn't hurt," he insisted, reading her facial expression.
"What we do is take people like you, who could use a chance to start over. We give them the technology that makes them a Vocaloid. We erase all their memory of the past- this is important so they can't spill the secret of being a Vocaloid. It also helps with coping with being a Vocaloid if you don't remember being anything else. Then, we remake them, giving them a new name and look and everything. We teach them what they need to know. Then, they go to live with the other Vocaloids in the house we set up for them.
"Did I miss anything? Well, any questions?" The woman could hardly find her voice- it was all so much. "I-I-I… No. I don't."
"So will you accept my offer?" He asked politely, holding his hand out. She hesitated for a second, then took his hand. "Yes."
"Then it's done," he said, shaking her hand. "Now follow me." He led her out of the building through a set of crazy hallways- could the building be any more confusing?- and out into the street. He dialed a number, and then they sat down on a bench just outside, as he talked to someone on the line.
"-yep, we've finally found her, send the car over quick, let's not waste time!" He snapped the phone shut, then sat with the woman as he watched the street for the car with the Crypton logo on it.
After a few minutes of silence, he said to her, "A bit overwhelming, isn't it?" She just nodded, still caught up in her thoughts. "I understand. It's a lot to take in, but don't worry. This journey is almost over.
"But after every journey ends, another begins, someone said..." He got no response, so he just sighed. "I can just be quiet, if you'd prefer that." She nodded slightly, though quickly saying, "no offence."
"None taken," he sighed, shutting up.
After what felt like an eternity, a car pulled up, and the driver rolled down the window. The man talked to the driver for a little bit, but the woman couldn't catch any of their conversation. After they were done, the man beckoned for her to get in.
"Good luck," he said quietly as they rolled off. She almost didn't catch it, but she did, and something in her chest tightened from the realization that she was truly leaving life behind for a new chance.
The ride there was quiet, leaving her to her thoughts. There were quite a lot of them, but there was one in particular that stood out- what have I gotten myself into?
-End of Chapter 1-