Ch2

Rehearsal ended after midnight, the old theater smelled of aged wood, the kind of place the city tolerated because tourists occasionally paid to see ‘authentic’ performances. Lucian lingered on stage, script in hand, replaying his own lines in his head over and over. Even in his head he was starting to feel clumsy. Every time Kai had spoken, the words out of his mouth were like he

summoned every great actor that every lived through him for his performance.

Kai stayed behind too, despite having canceled their noodle plan they still planned to walk home together, sitting on the edge of the stage, legs swinging over the orchestra pit. “You were good tonight.” Kai said.

Lucian smiled ruefully. “I was adequate at best. You were perfect.” He sighs as he looks into the rows of seats. “Again.” He shakes his head. “It’s like you never hesitate, like you’re not fighting with your body to make it do what you want.”

Kai went very still as Lucian kept talking, frustration spilling out. “I don’t know how you do it. Every gesture, emotion, step, timed like you have the entirety of theater history to pull from in your head. I’m over here scraping by on instinct and whatever I can manage to get my brain to remember and you’re just… It’s just-” He sighs, looking into the pit, part of him wanted to jump in and drown in the darkness. “It’s demoralizing, man.”

A silence stretches between them, then Kai’s voice, when it came, was careful, quiet as if not to alarm his friend. “You really don’t know do you?”

Lucian turned. “Know what?”

Kai stared at the floorboards for a long moment, debating over something. He stands up slowly, as if trying to be careful with the words he’s about to say.

“I died eight years ago, Lucian. Car accident on the way to my first major audition at twenty-one years old. They brought me back, I’m a… continuation. The body was built, memories and habits implanted, and I have-” He taps the small, almost invisible port behind his ear. “Constant access to everything through the link. I can bring up any scene from any performance in a fraction of a second and use it. That’s why I’m ‘perfect’.”

The words hit Lucian like a slap to the face. He took an involuntary step back as the theater suddenly felt like it dropped ten degrees. He swallows hard before he manages a few words, coming out harsher than intended. “You’re… Not real?”

Kai flinches at the accusation. “I’m real. This body is mine, the memories up until the accident are not from this body but they are still mine, I am still me. I thought you knew, most people figure it out pretty quickly. The way I never get tired, how many acting styles I can shift into. You kept talking about how perfect I was…” He runs his tongue over his lips and Lucian's eyes glue to the action, hyper aware of Kai’s movements in this moment. He wasn’t human, his lips couldn’t get dry, was this still acting or a habit from when he was alive?

“...I thought you were being ironic. I didn’t realize until these past few days how much you actually hate things that aren’t authentic or well… real. But I am real, just not flesh and blood like I used to be.”

Lucian swallows hard again, trying to swallow the betrayal as it burns hot in his throat like a searing piece of iron from a forge. All those late night talks about the art of acting, all of the times he’d open up about his passion for acting, how inadequate he felt next to Kai, all the moments he thought they were connecting as two actors struggling to make it into bigger roles. All of it felt empty now.

“You let me think we were the same.” Lucian makes an effort to steady his breathing, his voice low and shaking. “You let me agonize over my flaws while you were cheating this entire time. Jesus, Kai… I showed you my worst insecurities and you just-” He runs a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. “You smiled and played along, encouraging me that I could be as good as you when you have your perfect little archive in your brain, computer, whatever feeding you lines.”

“I meant what I said, Luci.” Lucian gives him a look hearing the other use his nickname, it was enough to let Kai know that he lost the right to call him that. Kai corrects himself. “I meant what I said, Lucian, I really did, still do.” He steps closer, his usual charisma gone. “You talk about old films, the old world, like it’s sacred. When I was still flesh and bone, I loved it too, everyone felt more alive, and I still love it. I want that, I’ve wanted it for years.”

Lucian watches with steady eyes, allowing Kai to continue. “I can’t just turn the link off… Legally at least. But I don’t like that everything feels borrowed, like nothing is really mine. I thought if I stuck around you, some of that ‘realness’ would rub off, somehow erase what I am now.” He looks Lucian in the eyes. “I feel alive again when I hang around you, like I’m not just a bunch of metal and wires. Like I still have a heart that beats and that I can act as me and not as an amalgamation of data.”

Lucian breaks their gaze and pressed his palms into his eyes as if he could push the feeling of being overwhelmed through his skull. The theater felt too quiet, he could sense the air itself listening, the subtle, ever present hum of the city's invisible systems that tracked every citizen,

every conversation, every moment of everyone's lives. No one spoke openly about it, but everyone knew. Step too far outside the smooth flow of things and it… adjusted.

Kai notices Lucian glancing around, uncomfortable with the turn of this conversation in a public space. Kai gets close and whispers, hardly audible even to Lucian. “Help me break the link, I want… I want to be more human again. To use my own memories like you do, to make something that is mine, even if it’s messy and bad.”

Lucian looks at Kai with wide eyes, glancing around more, waiting for something to happen, to punish them for exchanging such words. But nothing came, so he takes a deep breath and asks Kai, his voice just as low. “Are you sure?”

“I can’t keep living like this.” Despite the softness of the plea, it was laced heavily with desperation. Lucian stared at his friend, this thing that looked and sounded like Kai but wasn’t. Not fully, but he only knew this Kai, never met the original.

“You could destabilize.” Lucian warns, knowing what they’re talking about, it not just illegal but dangerous. “They say it can make you shut down, lose memories.”

“I know.” Kai whispered. “I’m willing to risk it.”

-Later that night

Back at Lucian’s prop shed, the tension thickened. The shed was built outside on top of dirt with nothing but wood, the only place they had privacy from the ‘security’ built into buildings. Lucian cleared the floor and laid out his scavenged tools. Kai sat on a stool in the center, head tilted forward, the small port behind his ear gleaming under the lamp.

“Ready?” Lucian asked, a specialized tool in hand.

Kai nodded. “Do it.”

Lucian carefully reaches into the port, holding his hand steady as he hooks onto a small wire. He tugs at it and Kai’s body tenses up.

“Wait!” Kai tries to put his hand up as a stop signal but it jerks, fighting his will. “I think something activated when you did that.”

Lucian doesn’t have time to respond as Kai loses control of his arm and it snaps out, slamming Lucian against the wall. “Shit, Kai! What the hell?”

“Sorry, that’s not me!” Kai’s voice breaks as he attempts to still himself. “I think you’re being perceived as a thrEAT! MOVE!”

His body moved on its own, lunging forward, Lucian barely dodged as Kai’s fist smashed into the wall, splintering the wood. Kai's face twisted in horror as his limbs rebelled. “I’m sorry!” Kai shouted as his leg kicked out, catching Lucian on the thigh. “It’s a protective protocol, I can’t control it!”

“Protective protocol to kill?” Lucian glares and Kai sighs.

“To eliminate the threat, could mean kill. Wasn't on my mind making it, meant for people trying to shut me down.”

The shed descended into chaos. Lucian grabbed a bundle of old stage ropes and chains from his collection of props. He tackled Kai to the ground, wrapping the chains around his torso and arms as Kai thrashed.

“God, Luci, I’m so sorry. Please don’t-” Kai’s elbow cracked against Lucian’s ribs and Kai winced as his friend grunted in pain but kept trying to get him tied up. “Please don’t hate me.” Kai looks at Lucian with what can only be described as puppy eyes, they would have been at least somewhat effective if it didn’t come with a headbutt to the jaw, rattling his teeth. “I’m so sor-”

“Shut up.” Lucian grunts as he manages to get the chains tied to a heavy radiator pipe, not typical for a shed like this but Lucian worked here in the winter too so he had it installed. Hard to work with frozen fingers.

Kai’s upper half taken care of, sorta, Lucian grabs some stage curtains and binds Kai’s legs, knotting them tightly. The continuation bucked wildly, shoulder hitting a shelf, causing books and various props to crash down, hitting Lucian in the head. Every strike came with an apology, despite how unhelpful it was for Lucian's focus.

“Kai I’m going to try again now that you’re…” He watches Kai continue to attempt breaking free, tied up in more ways than one. “As calm as you’re gonna get it seems.”

“I’m sorry, just try and get it done fast.” Kai pleads, wanting the ordeal to be over so he could be back in control of himself again.

Lucian nods and approaches with the tool but Kai manages to bunny kick him square in the stomach, the bundled curtains not doing much to soften the blow. Lucian falls to the ground, gasping, another kick connecting with the side of his head, snapping it against an exposed nail in the wall.

Pain exploded and Lucian felt warm blood trickle down his temple, but instead of another kick, Kai froze mid-motion, body locking up. “Conflict in protocol.” He whispered horsely, eyes still as he read the words upon them.. “Injury detected, medical protocol activating for friend: Lucian Vale.” He smiles. “Glad I made that protocol, it’s conflicting with the preservation one that you activated. I can’t move so disconnect it, Luci, hurry! No clue how long I'll stay frozen.”

This was the chance, Lucian lunged forward, ignoring the blood running into his eye. He took the tool and he reached back into the port, hooking the wire, pulling at it. Kai’s body twitches from the action before Lucian pulls the wire free, causing Kai to go limp in his binds.

For ten terrifying seconds, the only sound was Lucian’s ragged breathing as he stared, wondering if he just killed his best friend.

Then Kai’s eyes fluttered open, they were concerned as they looked around. “It’s…gone.” He whispered. “The constant noise, it’s just me now.” He laughs despite still being tied up. “You did it Luci!”

Lucian unties him with trembling hands, Kai stands but trips on the rope. Lucian caught him, for the first time, he didn’t have something analyzing everything to make sure he moves with perfect grace. They decide to sit on the floor amid the destruction, broken props, scattered books, drops of blood here and there.

Kai looked at the cut on Lucian’s head and reached out hesitantly, fingers gentle now. “I hurt you…” he said, voice thick with guilt. “I’m so sorry, Luci.”

Lucian touched the wound. “You wanted to be human, it only took my blood, sweat and tears.” Kai gave a weak, shaky laugh. “You didn’t cry.”

As if flipping a switch, Lucian's eyes fill with tears and Kai stutters as he scrambles to think of the best way to comfort his friend, not able to internally google ‘How to comfort someone when they cry’.

Before he manages to decide on something Lucian sticks his tongue out as he rubs the tears from his eyes. “That’s for beating me up.”

“Luci!” Kai gasps in disbelief. “You were acting?”

Lucian shrugs and Kai laughs, patting his back. “I told you, you’re a great actor. And now we’re going to be on the same playing field.”

“Not yet, I have to heal first from fighting a robot.”

Kai chuckled. “Fair.”