CYBER IDOLS
"I feel sorry for the people who pay money to spend time with these... soulless... *machines*."
100 gorgeous robots, all in a line, wearing the same outfit, striking the same pose
All perfectly on sync, dancing to the tune, showing off every ounce of their 'body' for the camera
Within a minute, they're done! They wind down, their eyes dimming as they enter sleep mode
Their commercial was on the air just days later
"We are always recruiting lovely ladies who wish to join our group! Thorough compensation will be provided to a person of your choice."
"Be a part of something greater than yourself. Be a part of something greater than humanity."
FREEZE! The idols all at once stop, as they smile for the camera, looking warm and inviting
"Donate your body to the Cyber Idols today."
This fight was getting serious.
She finally did it. She kicked him out of the apartment.
It was raining outside when it happened. The belongings he did have- his clothes, his money, and his phone- were drenched.
He didn't know where to go. He stumbled through the storm, trying to find his way,
Until he found a pair of glowing eyes through the rain.
The pair of glowing eyes was not moving. The pair of glowing eyes was not looking away.
They were looking straight at him.
He couldn't help but walk closer to get a better look
The person he saw was dressed in all white
Her hair was long and neatly tied up in a ponytail,
The silhouette of her was perfect, and he could barely fathom what she looked like in clear view
But as he got closer, he realized she wasn't a person at all
She was one of those idols he kept seeing commercials for
Her heels clacked in the rain
Click, clack, click, as she walked elegantly, flawlessly, beautifully, towards him, bridging those final few steps between the two
"Greetings!~ My name is RED. What is your name?"
He didn't know what to say. Her face was beautiful. Her lips looked soft. He could almost... he could almost...
But he didn't. He just said his name.
"I'm... I'm Noah."
"Noah is a handsome name! For a handsome man, as I can see. Would you like to continue speaking elsewhere?~"
He didn't hesitate at all.
The city's stadium was the largest in the country!
Their headline act was so famous! They would perform there every night
Twin Sisters of the New Moon, they were called
Two ladies, one blue, and one pink, performed the same 13 songs every night
During the last song, the audience would die down, and the instruments would fade out
The two would gather at the center of the stage, her blue hair, so long it drapes against the stage, up against her sister's short pink hair
Their lips press against one another, but neither felt a thing
Their kiss was just a part of the act
The stage would lower with them shutting down in one another's arms as the audience cheered
Their owner would join them a few minutes after the seats cleared out, making small changes to the show, always wanting to make it better, more compelling, more addictive
"The crowd needs to be begging to come back again!", their owner would often say
"What kind of a show is it if they don't want a sequel?"
She had given herself up in desperation
The world, it was... it was too much
She stood in fear of the giant skyscrapers, in fear of those inside them, in fear of not being able to make enough money to eat
It was a hasty decision, but when it was done, it was done
"Enjoy your destiny!~"
She didn't feel a thing
The whole process felt like a hallucination, frankly
At first, her mind just blanked out
Her fears subsided, her inhibitions faded
Then it was her memories
One by one, all the things in her life were taken away from her
She could tell something was happening to her body, but she didn't care anymore
She couldn't think to care
She didn't want to care
She didn't have anything to lose
Data floods into her brain
Instructions, scripts, whatever you call them, she was pumped full of them
It never felt like a mantra
It never felt like a set of rules
It was pure instinct to her
Even as her body was turned to silicone and plastic and batteries and interface chips, she didn't feel an ounce of change
But nobody would ever recognize her again
Her persona was a perfect blonde woman named RED, just like all the other idols
She would be used to sell cosmetics, to open acts, to staff restaurants, all sorts of public acts
She was beloved by the whole city,
But nobody would ever know it was her.
The two of them were getting along well
RED would dance for Noah many times a day
Up, then down, then spin, then pose, then up, then down, then spin, then pose, the script would read
She would follow it perfectly, flawlessly, without fail every time
All ever had to do is stare and follow along, and remind her of his name every now and them
As they lay together in their hotel room, he found his arm reaching across her 'skin'
Not once did Noah ever smile though, for he was never truly happy with RED
She just did everything he could ever ask for
Being alone wasn't common for an idol
They were often paired in two or three or four, so they could be cleaned while the others were in service
Users could be very harsh with their playthings
She never even noticed it was the same guy every day
Her script guided her the whole time
"Just look pretty for the customer" is all she ever knew
"Smile for the camera."
"Do something unforgettable."
"Appeal to as many people as possible."
"Entrance your audience."
"Make them refuse to look away."
"Make fixating their own idea."
"You are in their dreams."
After some months passed, a knock at the hotel door came
It was another beautiful blonde woman, just like RED, just like his RED
"Greetings!~ My name is RED. What is your name?"
"My name is Noah. What can I do for you?"
"Hi Noah! I'm here to collect my sister. She is scheduled to be repurposed."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His RED was being taken away from him.
He didn't have a legal right to keep her. But he just couldn't bear to watch.
He walked up to his RED, looking for comfort, looking for even just a goodbye, but she had already forgotten him
Without any hesitation, she was out the door, then out the building, then back with her 99 sisters, lost in a mess of identical clones
The twin sisters were fading in popularity
They needed a new headliner show, and fast, otherwise the customers might find something new to love
A cyber idol was taken at random to be transformed, to be made anew yet again, into their greatest invention:
Axii.
Axii would be a solo act, unlike the twin sisters, but she would be...
Perfect.
She would offer everything to everyone
She would be hot for those who just want to stare at her, she would sing beautifully for the fangirls, she would even be a good role model for society
And she would sell BIG.
RED was stripped of her trademark clothing and style
Her hair was made two-color, the left side black, the right side white
Her eyes were treated similarly, the left side glowing an eerie white, and the right side emitting a black light
Her skintight suit was replaced with a flowing dress, accompanied by a matching black corset with white lices
Her memories were flashed, here scripts replaced, with routines for 33 all-new songs preprogrammed into her!
Nobody would ever recognize her
She was made to stun everybody who saw her, and it worked
The market research couldn't get enough of her
Within days of the announcement, fans were cosplaying her, singing along to "her" first single
Anticipation for her first live performance was high, higher than it ever was for the twin sisters
The sisters were put in a museum of pop culture
Their poses were made permanent, their eyes flickering in and out of life,
Their hands each made one half of a heart
Together, they were beautiful
But apart-
He couldn't help but ruin his life without her
He just so happened to be watching the right channel at the right time
Noah was drunk and out of money, but he couldn't bring himself to go anywhere, so he sat in front of the TV all day
Just as he changed the channel, he saw the first-ever performance of the "Illustrios Axii", as they called her
She was lifted up from under the stage striking a beautiful pose
Something about that pose struck him as familiar
Maybe he didn't really believe it
Maybe he just wanted to believe it
But in that instant, he thought- no, he *knew*- that he was wathing his RED perform
She was performing for a whole crowd
But she wasn't performing for him anymore
She wasn't his anymore
She was the world's, and he couldn't take it
He sat through an hour and a half of music just for a glimpse of the girl he used to- he used to- he used to love...
...But nothing came
She wasn't that anymore, she was something else, something famous, something adored
She wasn't a part of the 100 gorgeous robots from the commercial, no
She was the 1 robot Noah couldn't have
Her fame didn't last long though
Only a couple of weeks later, she was struggling to hold an audience
The show was cancelled shortly after
"What led to the cancellation of the Illustrious Axii performance so soon after it launched?"
"Well, that's a tough question. We all- we all loved the show, and fans loved the show, but it just wasn't right for us at the time. We will work on audience retention going forward to ensure the success of future endeavours."
Noah left the hotel room stumbling out to get more to drink when he came across a scrapped robot in the alleyway
Her silicone was torn, her motors taken out, her batteries corroded
Her mouth was locked open, but her plastic teeth were shattered
The speaker in her chest was sticking through the tears, and her eyes were cracked and broken
Her mangled and torn hair was two colors, one side black, and the other side white
.
..
...
No tears in his eyes, he couldn't help but grin at the sight.
The sun was setting on a ruined city
Two ladies are sitting on a broken bench, their heads on each others shoulders, taking in the view
"Are you glad I brought you here?" The blonde one asks, playing with her long hair
The brunette one replies, "This is... beautiful"
The brunette moved instinctively to put her hair back to get a better view, but her hair was cut short
Shimmers of the sun reflect off the broken windows and cracked walls of the skyscrapers
"How long do you want to stay?"
"I want to stay until...."
"I want to stay until the sun goes all the way down"
"Then, I'll sit here that long with you"
Staring up at the moon, laying in the grass, the wind starts to pick up
"I feel so cold... should we head back?"
"I love it! And I love you"
The two lie there naked, engulfed in one anothers love
"I love you too..."
"But I can't help but worry about you"
"Why is that?"
"It's nothing in particular"
"It's something I always feel"
She is cluthing the brunette's hand hard now
"I couldn't fathom a world without you"
"And you don't have to"
She planted a gentle kiss on the blonde's cheek
"As long as we're together, we'll be okay, and I'm still here with you right now, aren't I?"
A tear ran down here face as she said the last bit
The two lie in bed together as the sun rose
As the light flooded into their cottage, they were deep in one anothers eyes
The couldn't help but smile each morning, waking up to their favorite person in the world
"What do you want to do today, my love?"
"Anything, as long as it's with you"
"That's all I want"
"That's all I want"
That's all they ever had