Track 3: Soul Breeze

Miku was still blushing as the elevator stopped at their destination. She had relaxed somewhat during the ride down, regaining some of her previous professional demeanor, but was not entirely back to normal. Hideki did his best to pretend nothing had happened, as much for his own sanity as respect for her. As he had done for years with Chi, he tried to remind himself that she was a persocom: a machine, not a person. It worked as well as it always had, which was to say not at all.

When the doors finally slid open, they found themselves in a landing little larger than the elevator. The rest of the floor was cut off by a steel door marked "authorized personal only beyond this point." the small black box of an RFID sensor was bolted to the wall next to it, a red LED on its surface glowing. The small dome of a security camera was mounted above it, and another was mounted in the ceiling above them. Miku waved her hand over the device, then tilted her head up to look into the lower camera. After a moment the red LED blinked, and with a whine the door slid open.

"This floor is one of the more secure parts of the building," she explained, "Only six or seven humans have access here."

As they reached an intersection in the hallway a blonde boy rushed past them, followed shortly by an equally blonde girl. They were so close in height and appearance that they had to be twins, or at least made to look that way. Hideki recognized them; they were the two vocaloids from the display in the lobby.

The girl called out, "Len, give it back!"

"Catch me then!" the boy replied.

As they disappeared around the corner, the girl called out, "Kaito! Len took my hairbrush and won't give it back!"

"Who was that?" Hideki asked.

"Kagamine Len and Rin," Miku explained, "They were created to be a twin act, but do a lot of solo performances as well. Len can be a bit of a brat sometimes, but really he's a good brother." It souned to Hideki like she was reading from a website bio.

The Vocaloid stopped at a door sealed by another RFID sensor. At another wave from Miku, it opened into a large room.

The lab could not have been more different from the office they had left above. There was no clever disguising of modern technology here, no tasteful wooden veneer to present an image of luxury; it flaunted its nature openly and proudly. The brushed steel and molded plastic of the walls gave it a high-tech, futuristic feel. Most of the illumination came from recessed panels in the walls and ceiling which bathed the space in pale light. It reminded Hideki of the medical bay out of a science fiction spaceship.

In one corner sat a circular desk which wrapped around a high-backed office chair. A line of coffin-shaped operating tables jutted out from the side wall, each one set below a computer monitor. Shelves were inset into the walls between them, their contents protected behind sliding glass panels. Every available surface was cluttered with papers, wires, robotic limbs, circuit boards, and other objects less describable. Cardboard boxes sat stacked one on top of another, each labeled in thick black marker. A persocom's metal skeleton stood on a pedestal to one side, an umbrella hooked onto one arm and a scarf thrown carelessly around its neck.

The only tidy area was a small section of the desk, where a display or impromptu shrine had been set up. A fully articulated doll sat in a glass case, its gold and white outfit resembling that of a valkyrie or knight. A small nameplate on the bottom read "Athena."

A woman in a white labcoat stood over one of the operating tables. Her curly, mahogany-colored hair had been pulled back in a loose ponytail which threatened to burst free at any moment. She looked to be in her mid thirties; age lines had just begun to form at the corners of her eyes and edges of her mouth. But those lines simply seemed to enhance her charm, giving her a settled, mature look.

A persocom lay on the table, most of its frame covered by a white cloth. The woman was up to her elbows in its chest cavity, holding a penlight in her mouth for illumination. Next to her, folding out of the wall, was a surgical tray. A series of tools and components had been lined up tidily on its surface.

Miku called to her. "Mother, I'm here with the two men who are looking into the theft. Boss says we should cooperate with them completely."

The woman set down her tools and penlight, then removed a pair of anti-static wristbands. She gave a curt bow. "I'm Dr. Suzuhara. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Hideki bowed. "Motosuwa Hideki, and this is Kokubunji Minoru. Sorry for disturbing you."

Dr. Suzuhara waved away his concerns. "It's no trouble at all. Frankly, I could use a disturbance."

"Is everything alright?" Hideki asked.

The doctor shrugged. "No different from normal. The higherups want me to build another four Vocaloids and have them up and running by next quarter. Say they want more dedicated Chinese-language singers." She wiped her hands on the edge of her coat, leaving dark dark grease stains on the white cotton. "They don't seem to understand that these things take time."

"All that on top of our normal maintenance checkups," Miku added, "Mother works very hard to keep us running."

Hideki gestured to the line of components arranged on the tray. "So then these parts?"

"That's a Vocaloid," she replied, "Or rather everything you need to build one." She pointed to each of the components out in turn. "A Yanaha VOC-4 vocal chip, that's the core of the whole thing. High-reliability speech system to take the strain of extended singing. Bluetooth radio, so that they can interface with the special headsets they wear in concerts. Humanlike ears, for added realism."

"I hope you'll forgive my rudeness," Minoru interrupted, "But I'd like to examine the Vocaloid affected by this."

"Oh, yes, of course!," the woman replied. She wiped her hands on her coat again, crossing the previous grease stains with even more grease stains. "I'm keeping her over here. In the corner."

The last of the line of operating tables was occupied by a humanoid figure under a white sheet. Dr. Suzuhara pulled back the covering with the reverence one would afford to a human corpse. She shuddered. "I hate seeing one of my children like this."

Hideki and Minoru bent down to examine the table's occupant. The persocom underneath had been made to look several years older than miku, perhaps 20 or 25. Her black hair was cut into a chin-length inverted bob cut. Her outfit was little more than a black tube top bra with a strap over one shoulder and a pair of black jeans. Neon purple eyes stared blankly up at the ceiling. The details were that of a more primitive persocom than Miku; skin less elastic, eyes less detailed, fingernails too perfect. A cable ran from a port behind her ears to the overhead monitor.

"Who found her?" Minoru asked.

"That was Kaito." She quickly corrected herself. "I was the first human that found her. I was asleep when Kaito called me and said she wasn't responding. Apparently, she had plugged herself into a diagnostic terminal here in the lab. At about that time, the network persocom recorded an enormous amount of outbound data traffic."

The feeling at the back of Hideki's mind returned. Something about this entire situation didn't feel right. A persocom's data was not just their programming and memories, it was their identity. He knew the vocaloid was not human, but It was almost as if someone had taken her soul.

Minoru gestured to the monitor. "Would you mind if I do some diagnostics? Maybe I can find something."

Dr. Suzuhara nodded. "Sure. Hang on, I know I have a keyboard and mouse around here somewhere."

The doctor walked over to her desk and began pushing things aside. Hideki winced as he heard various objects clattering to the ground. Papers fluttered in every direction, settling like autumn leaves. After a moment, she held up the devices in triumph.

"If you'll excuse me, I'd like to talk to some of the other Vocaloids," Hideki called over to her. "I'm not really talented with this sort of thing, but I might be able to learn something from them."

"Fine with me," she replied.

"Some of them should probably be in the lounge now," Miku offered, "At least those not out doing concerts or photoshoots."

"Lead the way then."

"Mr. Motosuwa?" it was Dr. Suzuhara. new creases had formed on her forehead, twisting her face into an expression of worry. "Please bring her back safe. I can't bear to think what might be happening to her right now, even if it is just her data."

Hideki thought about the doctor as Miku led him to the lounge. Her comments had not been lost on him, how she talked about her creations. She thought of the Vocaloids as her children, as living things. More than anyone, she should know that their actions were entirely dictated by programming. Still, they were so incredibly lifelike. Perhaps to her they were alive.

Miku led him almost to the complete opposite side of the building. They passed by doors embossed with nameplates, storage rooms, and at least one bathroom. Miku seemed at ease once again, walking confidently ahead of him.

The lounge was an open space the size of a large coffee shop. Posters and golden vinyl records hung along the walls. Couches, chairs, and tables were scattered throughout, some in clusters, other by themselves.

Their way was blocked almost immediately by a female vocaloid with leaf green eyes and matching shoulder-length hair. She had a similar build to Miku, resembling a girl of sixteen or seventeen. Her outfit reminded Hideki of an orange creamsicle; bright orange with white accents. Between her low-cut, midriff-bearing jacket and short shorts, It also seemed designed to show as much skin as possible without being too immodest. A pair of red and white goggles had been pushed up to the top of her head.

The green-haired girl approached Miku, stopping only when their faces were inches away from one another. Miku cried out in surprise. "Gumi!"

"You've brought someone back with you," the girl said accusingly. "He looks like a cameraman. What happened, did you have a photo shoot and take a fancy to the photographer." She gave Hideki an appraising, almost predatory gaze.

"N-no!" Miku denied. She was blushing profusely. "I'm not you!"

"Well, Maybe he's still here for a fun time. Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Mr. Motosuwa, this is Gumi. She's a friend, sort of, and one of the most popular of us," Miku sighed. "God only knows why for either."

"It's because I'm like you but sexier," Gumi retorted.

"I'm here to look into the incident with Lola," Hideki finally managed to interject before the two could continue.

Gumi looked disappointed. "Oh, I see. Well, come on in I guess."

The twins he had seen before were there, not making eye contact but seated beside one another in the same chair. A blue-haired Vocaloid, modeled to look like a man Hideki's age, was reading a book. Two others, a man with a long violet ponytail and a slim girl with a reddish-brown bobcut, sat at a table playing a game of shogi. Perhaps a dozen others were scattered across the lounge, Their rainbow of hair colors creating a technicolor sea. A quick appraisal told him that he was the only human in the room.

"How many vocaloids are there?" he asked aloud.

"Dozens," Miku replied, "And more all the time."

Hideki spoke up. "Excuse me, I'm here looking for information about Lola. Did any of you know her well?"

The blue-haired young man replied. "Meiko and I could probably answer that for you. We were V1s like her originally."

Hideki took a seat next to the blue-haired Vocaloid. "May I ask your name?"

"Kaito," the Vocaloid replied.

"You were the one that found her, weren't you?"

"That's right. I'd damaged my wrist onstage and went to the lab to have it fixed, not realizing Mother was out. Lola was slumped over, connected to one of the diagnostic terminals. I thought that she'd crashed or encountered a virus. Of course, I called Mother right away."

"Is there any reason you can think someone would want to take her data in particular?"

Kaito shrugged. "Not really. She's never really evolved beyond being a V1."

"What do you mean?" Hideki pressed.

"When we V1s were made, we were nothing like Vocaloids are now. It was a very different time back then. People didn't think of us as idols or musicians. We were a technological curiosity: a tool people could rent when they did not have singer for an album or an event. It wasn't until Miku made her debut that the public really took an interest in us."

Miku blushed and fidgeted. "Kaito…"

Kaito continued. "Mother created her to be more than just a backup singer; She was a pop idol in her own right. People loved her, and before long started taking interest in the rest of us. Really, it was she that saved us from eventually ending up on the scrap heap."

Miku cut in "Stop, I'm embarrassed!"

Kaito gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm just telling the truth. After that, they started giving us the same sort of software that they gave her: defined personality data, social media functions—all sorts of things."

"So, what about Lola? Didn't she get the same sort of upgrade?"

"Mother had a much harder time expanding on her programming, and it was never entirely successful. Even for Meiko and myself, it wasn't until we were transferred to V3 hardware that the process was complete."

"And Lola never got that," Hideki concluded.

"She wasn't popular enough, so she was never upgraded past V1, and she couldn't get more popular because she hadn't been upgraded."

"Sounds like she was trapped in a vicious cycle."

Hideki fell silent as he watched the other Vocaloids in the space. The more he watched them, the less they seemed like persocoms of any kind. Their interactions seemed so natural: very human even though he was the only human present. Programmed behaviors? Hideki wondered about that.

Finally, he stood. "Thank you for your help. I think I have a good idea where to start now"

"Is there anything else you need?" Miku asked.

"Not for the moment," Hideki replied, "Thank you for all of your help."

Miku heasitated. After a moment, she blurted out, "If you need anything else, feel free to come back at any time."

"Thanks," Hideki replied, "I'll see you again sometime."

The teal-haired Vocaloid gave a nervous smile. At the door, however, her expression soured. "You saw nothing, got that? I have a reputation I need to protect, and I can't have you spreading rumors that I show off…those to everyone I meet."

he raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Not a word, don't worry."

her smile returned.

As Hideki reached the elevator, Minoru approached from the direction. Before either of them said anything, the young man handed Hideki a plastic ID card. "Dr. Suzuhara had these printed off for us. We've been given full access to this floor."

Hideki took his. "Find anything interesting?"

"The person that did this was thorough enough to do several passes of overwriting to ensure the data can't be recovered. I also checked the network for methods of entry. This building's system is run and protected by an IBN Talos-13 persocom. No average hacker could have done this; whoever stole her would need a working knowledge of Z/architecture, along with a dozen other things."

"I don't think she was stolen," Hideki mused. "I think she ran away."

Minoru stared blankly at him. The moment lasted just long enough for Hideki to think he had said something stupid. The younger man finally replied, "Hideki, I don't think I give you enough credit. That's exactly right."

"You think so?"

Minoru nodded. "It's the only explanation for why they requested our help, yours especially. If this had been a simple theft, it could have been handled by the police, or a PI firm. It has to be your experience with Chi that they need: talking to persocoms as people rather than appliances."

Hideki asked, "So they want us to, what, have you find her and then have me talk her into coming back?"

Minoru frowned. "It seems that way."

"Why didn't they just tell us then?"

"Perhaps they don't fully believe that's what happened," he mused, "Or perhaps they just don't want to admit it. This company's industry is built on the Vocaloids acting within their image as idols. To think that they might not have complete control would be unsettling to say the least."

As the elevator doors closed behind them, Minoru made eye contact with Hideki, a serious expression on his face. "Since you're going to be investigating this with me, I'm going to warn you right now. You're probably going to see some very strange and disturbing aspects of persocom users."

"Don't forget that we pulled Chi from some pretty difficult situations," Hideki replied.

Minoru sighed. "A sleazy webcam show and an obsessed fan are the least of our concerns. Persocoms look and feel almost exactly like humans but they aren't, and they aren't afforded the same protections we are. In situations like that, the darker side of humanity tends to show itself. Most people are harmless, but there are some…"

Hideki gulped. He was not sure he understood what his friend was implying. He thought he had seen every use for Persocoms. Some used them as nothing but machines, some saw them as companions, some even had sex with or married their persocoms. And now apparently persocoms were entertainers. What else was out there? Hideki was not sure he wanted to know the answer. He had to be ready for anything, he guessed.

"I understand." Hideki hoped he really did.