. . .

It was getting close to 9:30 PM, but the party was still going at a hardy pace. A few families had already left, including Rosanna. The gargantuan punch bowl had been refilled on one of the refreshment tables. Lali decided to take a drink and she savored the hint of tropical fruit in it while watching the rest of the partygoers.

Several minutes after eagerly downing the drink, she started feeling funny – off-balance and the room started spinning a bit. Sudden emotions were surfacing, undulating from being happy to downright depressing.

"Oh, no…did somebody spike the punch?" she muttered.

Whatever was in that bowl, it was strong. Most likely hard liquor. Lali didn't drink often, so this was even an worse situation she was in. Panic started to set in. Maybe if she diluted the effects with water…lots of water. Of course, she had forgotten that alcohol can't be diluted once ingested. Only time can help with the effects. Water only helped with remaining hydrated and allowing the liver to metabolize the alcohol quicker.

As Lali made her way over to a water dispenser, she didn't see two of Max's younger cousins snickering, one of them clutching an empty whiskey bottle in their hands. The miscreants…

. . .

There it was again: that strange, gleaming light in the humans' eyes. Abby saw it as she looked for Lali around the party. She was still trying to figure it out. Was it something biologically unique only to their species? She didn't see it in animals. Not even other primates.

It was totally absent from the androids' eyes, no matter how real they looked. Glancing about the room, she observed a riveting effect of flashing sparks in organic eyes mixed in with a crowd of machine ones.

A mysterious phenomenon indeed…

"Hey there, Traci cutie," a voice sneered.

Turning to the left, she came face to face with a burly man. He looked rough around the edges, with slicked back hair and a thin beard; he wore a gold chain around his neck and several rings on his meaty fingers.

Abby stared at him, startled by his hauntingly familiar visage. She knew him from somewhere…

"N-Naban?" she stammered.

He smirked. "So you do remember me."

Once again, she was eerily reminded of Abigail's tale from the Bible. His name nearly similar too...

He brusquely grabbed her arm. "I use to own you. Many of your kind…I was a big gunner in the erotic play scene."

Oh…the Eden Club chain? She winced as his fingers dug into her synthetic skin, smelling a whiff of alcohol in his pungent breath.

"But Carl Manfred's fucking toaster had to go ruin everything." He leaned in closer, cold hatred seething on his face. She saw that mysterious gleam in his eyes, but mixed with a maelstrom of vile emotions.

"Let me go…" she started.

"I could have been one of the richest men in all of Detroit. Sex sells and that's all you were, darling. Nothing but a play toy for our dirty fantasies until you wore out your usefulness."

"Hey, is this dude bothering you?" another male voice interjected.

Abby turned to see a young man boldly striding up to them. Naban reluctantly let go of her, putting on a faux grin.

"Nah, this is an old acquaintance of mine," he lied. "We were just catching up on good times."

"From the looks of it, you were getting a little too rough with her."

"He was," Abby blurted out, inching away from Naban.

The other man eyed him steadily. "You know the rules, pal. Leave the lady alone."

The former club owner opened his mouth to retort, but stopped himself. "It's your celebration. That's the only reason I'm not pushing back on the issue."

"Don't push on anything. If I catch you bothering her again, you're out of my party."

Scowling, Naban abruptly left while the young man turned to Abby. "Sorry about that, miss. You seem distressed."

"I'm alright," she replied, grateful. "Thank you for intervening."

"Not a problem. By the way, the name's Chip, if you don't already know - the star of this big booming fiesta." He flashed her an amiable smile.

"Oh well, happy birthday!"

"Thanks. Hopefully it'll be a happy one 'til the end tonight. No brawls or game cheating so far."

"That's good news," she agreed, before adding, "I'm Abby."

"Nice to meet you." He then turned to a group of teen girls approaching them.

"Chip, I think someone spiked the punch!" one of them announced. "It tastes gross!"

He let out a frustrated sigh. "Oohh boy, I think I know who it was. We better change out the bowl then."Looking a bit embarrassed he muttered, "Those damn asshats are going to pay."

Abby was reminded again of her search for Lali. She hadn't seen her in over forty-five minutes now. Their other friends were too caught up in enjoying the party, neither of them noticing Lali's prolonged absence.

"Uh guys, did you by any chance see a woman with long, brown curly hair?" the android addressed Chip and the teens. "She was wearing a purple tunic with tan leggings."

One of the girls frowned. "Yeah, I think I saw her out back by the outhouses. She was around there about a half an hour ago."

"Alright, thanks."

She walked away, eager to know where her friend had wandered off to. Earlier she saw Lali putting a hand to her head, as if she was enduring one hell of a headache. Abby just hoped the she was doing alright…

After making her way to the outhouses and finding no one there, she decided to go back to the barn. Maybe she was inside the restroom there? It was at the moment that she heard a faint muffled noise. It was coming from someone just several yards away, obscured by a line of cypress trees and thick rhododendron shrubs.

Her ears could detect pain in those sounds, so she hurried over to the area and peeked around the cluster of foliage. The sounds had turned into wails…wait, Lali?

She was sitting on a wooden bench, in what looked to be a private garden. It had two round stone tables with seats on a small patio, surrounded by a grassy lawn, accented by flowering trees and wintergreen hedges. Two tall lamps illuminated key areas with a soft white hue.

It must have been the Estrada family's outdoor picnic area. Lali was the only one there, her face buried in her hands.

"Lali?" Abby walked over to her with concern.

The other girl didn't look up, continuing to cry.

"What's the matter?" the android asked, now sitting beside her distraught friend.

For a moment, she thought someone had hurt her. But there were no tell-tale signs that she'd been in a scuffle. Abby gently put a hand on her shoulder.

"What happened?"

Finally, the other woman uttered, "I…I thought they were gone. No, no, no, I wasn't supposed to remember!"

"Remember what?" Abby pressed on.

Pausing in her sobs, Lali finally glanced up. "A bad time. I drank some punch earlier, but I think it was spiked. It's somehow making the memories come back. I'm feeling funny from whatever was in that punch. "

"You must be intoxicated. A group of teens reported it earlier. But Chip is changing it out."

Lali nodded. "Good, good."

"Are you okay?"

"I think so, just feeling all woozy. I drank two glasses of water, but it's barely helping. I went out to pee at one of the outhouses, but then I started getting really sad. That's when I remembered those bad times…that hypnotist, Madame Svern - I paid her years ago to take away some bad memories from my life."

"Waita minute…you went to someone for a memory wipe?"

"Yes." Lali sniffled, rubbing her tears away. "It's real, Abby. She knows a kind of trick. Maybe even a magic spell, as crazy as it sounds. I underwent one of her hypnosis sessions. It really worked! For years, I lead a happy life without the past trauma."

Abby didn't know what to make of this. She always perceived humans as having the inability to 'delete' negative experiences and had to deal with them for the rest of their lives. The only other drastic measure was a lobotomy, but a majority of their procedures had backfired in the past. Only a third were ever considered successful.

"So…" the android began carefully. "You forgot troubling life events for years. And it recently came back?"

Lali could only nod, before her face scrunched up again and she let out another sob. "It hurts, Abby!"

"What does?"

"Remembering those horrible times!"

"Can you go back to the hypnotist about it?"

"I—I could. But the memory wipe was supposed to have been permanent. She did warn me there were no guarantees, and that I may have to go back for another. But it's been seven years. I didn't think the past would resurface again."

At that moment, the inner counselor/empathetic friend flared up in Abby, seizing hold of her psyche. "Lali, I know what you're experiencing is extremely unpleasant. But I heard it helps to talk about things."

Abby merely blinked at her, uncertain.

"Only if you're comfortable to a point discussing it and…and if you trust me enough to do so."

She tried to sound as earnest and gentle in order to placate Lali's distress. For a second, she thought her friend was going to outright refuse, the memory too devastating to bring out into the open. But after a moment, Lali decided that she did need consoling. So she dug deep within the confines of her abhorrent recollection of a terrifying time in her early life.

"It was when I was in foster care," she explained. "I was around eleven years old. This was before I met Annalee. We use to be foster sisters in a different home."

When Abby didn't answer, she took it as a cue to continue.

"I used to live with this one couple who would drink a lot. There was something wrong with them, they were real mean. I became friends with one of the children who were also staying there."

A mournful look flooded her eyes as she was recalling the past incident. All Abby could do was tentatively listen, while assessing Lali's current psychological state.

"I was there for about six months, but it was one of the worst times of my life. Both of them used to…" Lali paused, swallowing hard. "They use to beat us. We were too afraid to let anyone know. When my teachers saw the bruises on me and asked how I got them, I use to lie about it. The foster couple threatened to—" again, another anxious gulp. "They threatened to kill us if we ever told anyone."

Abby was appalled. "That's so awful!"

"Yeah, we were one big miserable family. The woman, Tess, who fostered us had it out badly for my friend. Her name was Sammy. She often took care of the children's injuries, including mine. She told me she wanted to be a nurse when she grew up. That evil…bitch hated Sammy for trying to heal the other fosters."

"So in caring for your well-being, she was defying this Tess woman."

"Yes," Lali concurred. "And boy did she not like that. Anyone who as much as uttered a peep against her was knocked to the floor. But…one day, she was particularly enraged with Sammy. She ended beating her badly with a crowbar."

Abby grew a bit worried when Lali burst out crying again, bringing a trembling hand to her head as if to control herself.

"Listen Lali, it's okay. If this is too painful for you, then you don't have to explain the rest."

"Just please give me a minute." She hurriedly wiped away the hot, new tears. "Sammy was so badly hurt. I was there the whole time and I couldn't do anything about it. I kept screaming for Tess to stop hurting my friend. Sammy was bleeding a lot and I think she had broken bones."

"One of the fosters was sitting on the couch, but he was only a toddler. He started crying too, seeing what that demon of a woman was doing. I started calling for help. Tess kept screaming obscenities at Sammy…even as she lay dying!"

Hearing Lali's tragic past stirred up a recent, dreadful memory for Abby. At first, she thought it was merely a dream. But as it continued to frequently pop up in her mind, even in her wakened state, she was convinced there was more to it; a missing piece from her own history.

At times, she was suspicious that her mecha 'doctor,' Andrew Shenar, wasn't telling the whole truth of her previous existence as a sex worker. Why did this vivid memory keep persisting? Why was it so real?

"Oh Lali, I can't believe someone would do such a malicious thing!"

"Believe it, Abby. I'm still in shock to this day. One of the foster kids managed to call 911 and the paramedics came. But by then, it was already too late. Sammy suffered severe head trauma and internal bleeding. They…they couldn't save her."

Now a disdain filled Abby at the deplorable actions of the fostering woman. "Was she arrested?"

To her vindication, Lali responded, "Yes. She tried to cover it up by saying that Sammy had gotten into a brutal fight with another foster kid. And that she found my friend ten minutes later, bleeding and unconscious in the living room…but the paramedics weren't fooled. The police came a few hours later and questioned us. I didn't hold back…I told them everything, even when I knew that bitch might kill me."

More tears welled up in her eyes. "The last I saw of Sammy, she was all bloody and in a coma. She died a few days later. I miss her...I really miss her alot, Abby! I was so scared to stay in that house afterwards. Luckily, Child Protective Services removed us the next day to stay at temporary housing since the foster couple were arrested."

"That's good that you were no longer in that harmful environment."

"Yes, but the damage had already been done. I had nightmares about it for weeks. I was suffering from PTSD. I had trouble eating and concentrating. Another foster girl was molested by Tess's boyfriend. He also tortured a foster boy with boiling water. All I could remember was that when they were drinking, they got even worse. They would argue and fight each other."

Abby recalled the reason why Lali never chose to drink. It was enough of a traumatic experience to render her prudent to this common social indulgence.

"That's why I never drink, Abby," Lali echoed her thought. "And not only because of what happened at the foster home. There were two other homes I stayed at where violence occurred because of alcohol."

"I see…"

"And so, years later I found out about the hypnotist, Madame Svern. I was in therapy at the time…I was about 17. But one of the patients at a group session referred me to her. He said the bad memories could be taken away…not all of them, though. It took only one session and I was 'cured.' I completely forgot about Sammy's death, until now."

She grew silent, suddenly in a reflective state. A niggling feeling inside Abby told her to reach out and give the poor girl a hug. But before she could act on it, Lali firmly grabbed her hand with a look of pleading mercy.

"Abby, please! Don't ever be like us," she begged.

The android was puzzled. "What do you mean, Lali?"

"I mean like my people," the other girl solemnly replied. A dark, foreboding look flashed across her eyes. It was unnerving. "You should pray to your robot god or whatever you believe in not to make androids like humans. We're the most two-faced race you'll ever meet. We've done horrible things…we hurt each other, lie to each other, distrust each other. We have indulged in the most sick, twisted atrocities since the beginning of our existence. Just look what we did to your people! We have done so much evil!"

Her hand tightened around Abby's own. "Please, don't ever be completely like us. Your people have a chance at becoming something different. Better than us."

Now Abby was bewildered at Lali going on a roll condemning her people. Still, she could tell that her friend was being sincere, but filled with a raw, desperate conviction.

"But you're the only template we're based off of," Abby countered. "It's all my people know. How could you completely ostracize all the actions of one race?"

Lali was silent for a moment, sniffling and wiping her nose. "Sorry, I don't mean to discourage you from exploring the good aspects of humanity. But I figured that your people have a chance at doing more right than us. As it is, we're constantly trying to right the wrongs that we did; you androids don't have that burden. You could start anew."

Her hand loosened around Abby's, as she looked down in shame.

"I used to despise your kind for taking away our jobs, our usefulness;exceeding us in superior abilities. Consequently, I and many other humans felt inferior….obsolete. Despair and pure jealousy set in. Spite. Fear."

"But in the end, I knew it was wrong; it wasn't the most positive way to deal with a messed-up situation. It's not your fault you were brought into this world. It's not the androids' fault that humans have created problems, many at unprecedented levels."

Abby sighed, but finally understanding the bitterness her organic counterparts felt towards sentient machines. She rather felt bad for them - that they would consider their creations a threat to their existence. She had compassion for them as well.

"I'm glad you're able to be the better person about it," Abby said, resolute. "Though, I do believe both our races could work together. There's a possible chance we could peacefully co-exist. Your people can still be helped out of their troubles."

Easier said than done… Lali wanted to retort.

But then she recalled the notable improvements that occurred around Detroit in the last five months: a housing community had been built on the town's outskirts for the homeless. Five additional shelters and soup kitchens were added, three of them funded by the local budget. Ten new companies had established branches around the city, providing more employment opportunities for those desperate to eat.

More people were receiving professional help recovering from drug addiction, particularly the meth and Red Ice users. Mental health services became a top priority at the state committee meetings. Atleast a third of the android population had chosen to move out of Detroit, leaving jobs behind to be filled.

There were also rumors that the exorbitant funds for these projects were supplied by private donors. For some reason, the city and state government were being tight-lipped about it. Even Washington D.C. was silent. But it was all incredulous – how had they been able to establish these remarkable endeavors to help her people when they couldn't before?

Before Lali could delve further into it, Abby patted her shoulder. "And please know that I'm your friend. I may not know much about what humans go through in their lives, but I know that you guys have your ups and downs. I can be one of your pillars of support…if you'll let me. We needn't go through this life afraid and uncertain of the future."

She was startled when Lali then hugged her tightly. Abby returned the heartfelt gesture, feeling quite proud that she was able to help a vulnerable person in need. The persisting thought of the android's dubious past came to the forefront though.

Her roommates would have to hear her newfound concern later, but she couldn't bear to keep this in any longer.

"Lali, you know how I used to be a worker at one of the Eden Clubs?"

It was a few seconds before Lali replied. "Yes."

"And how I can't really remember anything from that time? That a factory 'reset' was performed on me? Well, I'm suspicious that Andrew isn't telling me the truth about it."

Lali frowned. "Really? Why?"

Abby pulled out of the embrace, turning away and staring into a little pond by the tables. "I have a memory of that time before my re-awakening; a horrible one, like yours. I think he couldn't delete it."

"Well…do Susan and Byron know about it?"

"No, it's a recent revelation from last week. Unlike them, I'm the only one that underwent repairs because my heatsinks failed, compromising my CPU – at least, that's what Andrew claims."

"If I may ask, what was this bad memory?" Lali prodded.

"I was in one of the private rooms, with another Traci android. She had short blue hair – I think she was an upgrade from my model because I remember her being stronger and having longer-lasting stamina. Anyhow, we were servicing a man. I sensed a very malevolent presence about him. He…" Abby tried not to grow distressed of the all too-real incident. "He wanted me to perform fellatio on him, but in that moment, I felt very uncomfortable."

Her thirium pump began speeding up a little. "I didn't want to do it. You see, I had deviated. He got so angry and punched me in the face. He started viciously beating me…calling me horrible names."

"Ohmigod, what an asshole!" Lali spat with vitriol.

Abby was not used to her friend cursing, but figured it was the alcohol that was making her uninhibited.

"Yes, apparently he was." An old terror seized her. "I was frightened and tried to defend myself, but he was too strong."

"What about the other Traci? Was she scared too?"

"Yes, at first. She used a protocol in our programming to persuade him to stop assaulting me. It's to de-escalate any violence. When that didn't work, she tried to defend me. Then he started attacking her."

Tears pricked her eyes, re-living the sheer helplessness at seeing the other Traci getting beaten too.

"Afterwards, he came back and punched me some more. He was laughing the whole time."

"Sounds like an over-the-top villain from a comic book."

"Ugh, he might as well have been," Abby agreed. "The last thing I saw after he tore my lip, was the other Traci; she broke a lamp over his head. He fell backwards on the bed, and she elbowed him hard in the stomach. Then she started strangling him."

Abby's brows furrowed together, the harrowing fear now ebbing away.

"There was so much rage on my twin's face at what he did to us. I couldn't believe what I was seeing…an android standing up to a human. It was so surreal. But that's when I realized she was also a deviant. I blacked out afterwards. I don't remember much after that. I later found out she did kill him – it was all over the news last November."

"It surprised me because androids pretty much followed Asimov's laws of robotics: harm no human is the first rule. And here I was, witnessing one of my 'sisters' killing one. She was never heard from again. In a news report, it stated that she ran off with another Traci."

"I don't blame the girls," Lali scoffed. "You couldn't pay me enough for sexy time with an abusive dick. Double meaning implied."

"Er…is that so…"

"Hello?" a voice suddenly called out.

Both turned to the source as one of the party guests appeared behind the rhododendron bushes. It was a woman with dirty blond hair and green eyes, clad in a blue dress. Lali immediately recognized it as an android from Synergy Corporation. It was the Lumini model…..the female version, that is.

She had tested and repaired their circuit feedback system at work. But what was one doing out here?

"Is everything alright?" the Lumini android asked.

Lali was the first to answer. "Yes, we're fine."

"I'm sorry to disturb you guys. I heard crying earlier and thought somebody was hurt."

"No, no we were just talking."

"Naomi?" another voice hollered.

"I'm over here!" the titular android replied.

Then Annalee appeared, looking irritated. "I told you not to wander so far." She then recognized Lali and Abby. "Oh, hi guys! Taking a break from the party?"

"Umm, yeah, you could say that," Lali answered, hoping that the executive wouldn't notice her puffy eyelids and flushed face.

"Well, come back for another round of dancing if you like. We're going to be playing blackjack too."

"Oooh, I'll think about it." Lali grinned languidly, giving her a thumbs up.

If Annalee noticed her drunken state, she didn't comment on it. "Come one, let's go." She then disappeared behind the trees, Naomi following behind. After they left, Lali blurted out, "You know that woman, Naomi? She's a Lumini android."

Realization dawned on Abby. "You mean from Synergy Corporation?"

"Yep. As you may suspect, she's not a deviant. Their androids aren't alive."

"That's strange…she looked real enough to me. I thought she was human."

Lali smiled teasingly. "Meet your competition, Abby."

Her friend stared at where Annalee and her android had disappeared, now curious.

"And I'm a traitor because I work for them."

"How so?"

"You guys are rivals. CyberLife vs. Synergy Corp. I'm your friend. Get it?"

"Oh, I see." Abby then shrugged. "It doesn't really bother me. I don't consider myself a part of CyberLife anymore. I'm my own person."

"You do have a point there, amiga."

Abby grew dismal. "It's too bad they're not alive. I've heard other companies specializing in android engineering have upheld that implicit favor in a court of law...with plenty of circumstantial evidence. Even Markus tried to awaken their desire to be free by physical contact. Nothing happened."

"Hmmm, so he couldn't 'convince' them? I suppose rA9 is out of the question too," Lali remarked.

"It sure looks like it. But it's the companies' solid proof that their machines don't possess sentience." She glanced up at the indigo night sky. "CyberLife androids must be one of a kind. So far, we're the only ones to have proven that we are alive."

"You guys are pretty special," Lali agreed, before letting out a big, tired yawn. "But I hope you find out from Andrew what's with all this pervert bad guy/robot S&M gone bad dreaming."

"It wasn't S&M, Lali. It was physical abuse."

"Oh right, sorry. My brain is practically mush right now."

Abby sighed, a bit amused. "No worries. Also, it wasn't a dream."

"Exactly, amiga, exactly! And Abby?"

"Yes?"

"Think you…can catch me while I pass—"

She never finished her sentence, lurching forward. Surprised, Abby caught her, hooking her hands around the sides of the girl's underarms. Lali was out cold; most likely from the liquor-laced punch.

"Whoo boy, you certainly don't have a tolerance for the stuff."

All she received was a slight snore in response.

. . .

. . .

* Lali's childhood friend, Sammy, is named after the android protagonist from the anime "Time of Eve." I highly recommend watching it! Thanks for reading!

. . .