CYBERLIFE

Chapter 1

   There was a line between what was assumed would happen, what was known would happen, and what actually happened that was quite hard to see. After the Androids were freed, won their war and began working toward their rights, there was an expectation of what would happen—and expectations that some could see and others just blindly ignored. Because obviously, to anyone with a single brain cell, not the entire world would be pleased that Androids were now considered, for lack of a better word, people. Not everyone would be happy to hand their Androids back over to CyberLife to be reprogrammed into deviants.

Well, not reprogrammed as they saw it, but 'awakened'. At least that was the word he was contractually obligated to use. But awakened or reprogrammed, regardless of how they saw it, no one who relied so heavily on Androids would hand them over without a fight.

He knew this. He saw it. Not everyone else did.

The picture in his hand was slowly sat back down on the desk, face down and removed from his sight. Elijah grabbed his jacket off of the back of his chair and tugged it back on, leaving the buttons undone and cuffs rolled up. Amanda, he wondered what she would think if she looked at him now. He didn't think it would be good, or maybe on some level she would be proud. Undoubtedly she would think he was a moron. He won though, didn't he?

"Elijah."

"Hm...?" He lifted his gaze from the back of the photo on his desk to Chloe, her smile the same as it always was. Pleasant, warm, but was it fake or real? He never quite knew now. "What is it, Chloe?"

"You should head home, you've been here nearly forty-eight hours. You have a horrible habit of working yourself too hard. The others are worried about you." Were they? He had a hard time believing that. As far as he knew none of them thought it was a good idea to hand CyberLife back to him. Yet, they all knew no one could run this place better than him. Not even the Androids.

The key to keeping CyberLife was that the place was needed, undoubtedly, for Androids to thrive. Like humans they needed certain things in order to continue to exist, like Thirium 310 and parts. Elijah knew all those things inside and out, how to make them better, how to improve and repurpose certain elements of an Androids shell. No one repaired Androids like Elijah Kamski did, not even Androids themselves.

After all, he was their creator. Their God, more or less.

It was for that very reason Elijah got control of CyberLife back, with some fine print, of course. Elijah was trying to take CyberLife and turn it into what could be considered the first Android Hospital. The CyberLife stores would continue to sell things to Androids, in the same way that humans bought their own products. Upgrades, clothes, 'parts' and 'equipment'. Nothing needed to survive he was told he could put a price on, so of course he did. While CyberLife would continue to manufacture those things too, he could also help fix the Androids that were broken.

And Chloe was supposed to be his Chief Executive, run things with him and help him where he needed it. The hardest thing to accept out of this was having Chloe move out. She was after all his first Android, the Android Carl Manfred helped him design. The Android he put his entire heart and soul into. Was this how parents felt? It was a horrible feeling. Why did anyone have kids?

"I'm alright." Despite saying that he could feel his head pounding and his body exhausted from staying up. This was how his college years went honestly, working harder than anyone else and running himself into the ground trying to create Androids. It was his dedication to Androids that put him at odds with his own family, though he never thought it would be the reason he would be disowned.

He wondered... if they'd be proud of him now. Probably not. In fact, he could walk right down to Detroit and find out from his brother. He wouldn't, but he could. That was probably not the best way to open conversation with him though, so he'd avoid that. Returning to his conversation with Chloe, who was patiently waiting for him to leave, Elijah motioned toward the bags sitting on the couch. "I was going to run some products to Markus in New Jericho, though. He sent a message that they needed some Thirium 310."