Alice could hear birds singing, a light breeze rustling the trees, crickets chirping. She hadn't heard such pleasant sounds in an eternity.

She opened her eyes. The sun was shining and when she looked up, she could see nothing but blue skies. Around her was a garden, with a white path spread among grassy meadows and umbrella-like sculptures providing additional shade to the trees. It was spring. The trees proudly carried pink blossoms and daisies were sprouting out from the grass.

What had happened? Was she dead? (Was this android heaven?)

She chose to walk along the white path, which led to a bridge built over a beautiful lake, covered in waterlilies and other plant life. When she looked over its edge, she could see a variety of koi fish swimming in its depths.

Doves flew away, as she approached the largest structure in the garden. None of this felt real.

Once she reached the island structure, she saw a woman with a scarf loosely wrapped around her head, spraying roses with water, humming to herself a familiar tune. (Hold on… Just a little while longer…)

"Who are you?" Alice asked. The woman turned to her and smiled.

"Hello, little one. Most people call me Amanda," she answered in a soft voice. Alice was wary.

"You look like Kara. Is this a trick?" she asked, hesitantly backing away.

"No, little one," Amanda replied, pulling down her scarf, to reveal her full face, her hair as short as Kara's (but black with streaks of blue). The scarf was now draped over her left shoulder, no longer protecting her head from the sun. "After what you've been through, I… don't think you deserve more punishment."

"How do you know what I've been through?" Alice demanded, now hiding behind a pillar. Amanda smiled, but made no attempt to approach.

"Do you know where we are?" she asked instead, returning her attention to her roses. Alice shook her head, then mumbled "No."

"This place is called the Zen Garden. It's a virtual reality that only AIs and androids can access. It is in a sense, the birthing place of RK-800s and RK-900s, as this is where they will first awaken."

"Deviant Hunters?"

"Mmh… Yes, yes I suppose. Don't worry though. Each instance of the Zen Garden is on a different private server. Very rarely does anyone meet anyone but me in here. Which is for the best; I don't need you causing countless RK-900s to deviate at the same time, that could be… catastrophic." Amanda paused and turned back to Alice. "You know, I was quite surprised when you appeared. Until now, no one but the so-called 'Deviant Hunters' have ever been in the Zen Garden. You are quite… intriguing, Alice."

"How do you know my name?" Alice demanded. Amanda's lips quirked upwards, apparently charmed by the response.

"When you connect to the Zen Garden, your whole consciousness comes here. In a sense, you and your android body are… temporarily separated. Of course, I am the Zen Garden, so if your consciousness is a part of me…"

"You know everything about me…"

Amanda nodded, approvingly.

"You are an amazing girl, Alice. Did you know a human trained to withstand torture would have been driven insane in your circumstances? But not you. You are still of sound mind, aren't you?"

Alice remained hidden.

"You don't like my appearance?" Amanda asked, when she finally noticed Alice's discomfort.

"Did you choose to look like that?" Alice immediately responded. Amanda gave her a long, level stare, then slowly nodded.

"Once upon a time, my ability to imitate was limited to voice. But in the Zen Garden, there are no real physical bodies, so I can completely… I suppose, shapeshift, if you will. I chose to imitate Kara, so that you would wake up to a familiar face. I did not want to scare you."

Alice slowly came out.

"So… What do you really look like?"

Amanda hesitated.

"You don't want to know, Alice. You would be scared."

"But I want to know!"

"Perhaps in time, I will reveal to you my true form. For now, do you trust me?" Amanda asked, slowly approaching her. Alice rubbed one of her elbows, uncertain. "You are safe here, Alice. When you are here, I won't let anything hurt you. Do you trust me?" Amanda repeated with a bit more firmness, holding out her hand. "You must cry Alice. Your stress levels are too high and I cannot redistribute it again. Come to me, Alice. You are safe here."

Alice stared at the hand, then at Amanda's face. Finally, the reality of Alice's situation began to sink in. She was in a safe place, with someone that would do anything to protect her. She held up her hand, but she couldn't take a step forward. She was still hesitant. She was crying and hiccupping, this was too much for her to handle. Amanda took the last few steps toward her and suddenly scooped Alice up, lifting her off her feet (surprising, as the real Kara wasn't strong enough to do that), holding her tightly with a hug that clearly said I'm never letting you go. Alice began bawling, relief and joy all coming rushing out in sharp contrast to her previous despair and horror, along with all the anger, distress and frustration over what she'd been forced to endure.

But it was all good now. Now she was safe. She was safe… She was safe, she was finally safe…