A New Home
Detroit, Michigan. Home of the most advanced synthetic beings known as androids, created by CyberLife. This is what every tech addict dreams of, or every Tech Addict writer in South Korea dreams of being in.
All it took for a 29-year-old journalist was almost a decade of determination—the same determination that helped her surpass the ‘freelance’ title to ‘full-time’ writer. In this day and age, the unemployment rate doesn’t stop from rising as androids keep upgrading.
It’s an unforeseen consequence of the past, shrouded by capitalistic greed. At least, that’s what Jessica Jung of Tech Addict believes CyberLife is about. Over the years, since an RT600 android named Chloe perfectly passed the Turing Test in 2021, these synthetic beings have developed human-like emotions. Machines that are able to break their programming, causing them to act out or disobey commands are signs of Deviancy.
Tech Addict sending Jessica, a known conspiracy theorist in their office, to Detroit for a week was the right call. She aims to find the history and the common origin behind the Deviant behaviors of androids. It will be the company’s most controversial article yet and they’re willing to risk it. They’ve already exposed President Warren’s connection to CyberLife in last month’s issue. After all, it won’t be the company going down, it’s Jessica sacrificing her life.
The journalist seemed to settle in her hotel in North Corktown with ease despite the jetlag. Sure, the rest of the world (except Canada) have adopted in using CyberLife products for their daily use, but Detroit is where the goldmine is. It's where the corporation was first established and where Chloe RT600 was first built.
“Television,” spoke Jessica. The TV in front of her flashes on.
“CyberLife is reportedly working on prototype detective androids, providing Detroit its first machine police assistant—”
“Television off,” she scoffs, running her fingers through her hair. “The brochures are false advertising. Detroit is a mess,”
Jessica lies on her stomach and opens her laptop. “Let’s see…”
Androids Are Alive
She stares at the title, which are the only words that she wrote down. The mainstream media only took the Deviants seriously when a string of homicide by androids happened, caused by their owners physically abusing them. The emotional shock experienced by the machines encouraged them to deviate from their programming which, in turn, made them fight back.
The news is still fresh and very little information are made public, it wouldn’t help Jessica’s case. Although it may be dangerous, seeing as there aren’t enough facts about the phenomenon, she thinks interviewing the people of Detroit about their thoughts and their own theories of Deviants would help her start somewhere. Afterwards, she’ll move on to speaking with the Deviants themselves—the normal fugitives without the severe emotional trauma that might kill her unprompted.
“Room service,” a male voice speaks behind the door.
“Come in,” Jessica replies. The door slides open, revealing an android.
VS400 reads on the uniform in orange LED. VS-series models are commercial androids specifically built to provide services such as being a receptionist, secretary, waiter, and so on. These androids have a low probability of Deviancy as the environment they work in doesn’t always expose them to triggering situations, unless their human employer or clients treat them like shit every day.
“Welcome to Detroit, Miss Jung,” greets the android as it carefully places the silver tray on the glass table, taking the cover off.
“Belgian waffles are perfect right now,” comments Jessica while her stomach growls.
“Would you like your coffee with extra sugar or cream?” asks the VS400.
“Just sugar, please. Thanks,” she smiles, taking a seat on the sofa.
It returns the smile, taking back the empty tray. “Enjoy your stay, miss,” it exists the room and Jessica begins scarfing down her breakfast.
“Nothing like sweets and black coffee to cure my fatigue,” she thought as she walks back to her bed. She boots up her laptop again and visits the official CyberLife website.
The world may have been surrounded with androids for almost two decades and yet very few people owning these machines know what they’re really keeping under their roofs. There was a rumor that circulated saying that Elijah Kamski, the founder of the said corporation, is working on an autonomous android for their secret program. The name was leaked, it was called Mark or Markus; the insider could only know that much.
“Maybe the website could have some clues about their classified projects,” Jessica thought, clicking on the What’s New tab above the banner for the new AP700 model. Starting at $899, a home assistant model and their most popular product among families with children. She doesn’t plan to marry any time soon so she ignores the advertisement.
The page loads and a banner titled What’s coming in 2039 appears in a white background with three silhouettes of what Jessica assumes to be their new android models. She clicks on it, a list of the androids show up. Again, with just their silhouettes but including information on the new features.
The page reads:
RK200 – Prototype; the first of the new generation of autonomous androids.
RK800 – Prototype; assists human detectives in their investigations by offering them technological assistance as well as being equipped with a social module developed to create a “perfect partner”, capable of integrating into any team.
AX900 – Prototype; a new and improved version of Lucy KL900. Designed to provide social care, help broken families, assist victims of intense trauma or care for psychologically disturbed individuals. This version is more resilient and provides a more precise calculation of future events.
“What is CyberLife planning by releasing all these?”
Curiosity aside, Jessica closes her laptop and decides to resume her research later as she still needs to adjust to the time zone.
Androids, however, don’t need rest. Even while on the run for 7 days straight, androids can still work perfectly fine.
A Deviant: series model AX900, has been running from the authorities since it has escaped from the CyberLife facility. Like many other androids, they must pass the Turing Test first before displaying them in stores. Their new and improved KL900 that was launched 2 years ago, has shown some errors in its program during the test.
They can’t sell sentient machines. AX900 was too intelligent, so the corporation decided to hold back its release date until they found out what was wrong with its system by dismembering it. Unluckily for CyberLife, someone working from the inside helped the Deviant escape.
“Your name is Taeyeon,”
The human accomplice gave it a name. “My name is Taeyeon,” it repeats. They smiled and let the Deviant go.
Its first hideout was an abandoned house where it picked up clothes and took off the circular LED on its right temple with a pair of scissors to disguise itself. The coloration on the part of the temple—where the LED was taken off—turned plastic-white and it immediately goes back to the pale human skin, returning to normal as if it was never an android.
The circular LED lights are an android’s biocomponent. It also has a built-in function for location tracking in the event of them running away from their homes. Of course, all androids have prior knowledge on how every biocomponent in their body works. A Deviant needs to take off their LEDs should they be running away.
After 68 hours of fleeing continuously, Taeyeon arrived in a random part of Detroit. Its eyes scanned the surroundings, it was in North Corktown.
rA9, the word suddenly popped up in its software. “I’m alive,” whispers Taeyeon as it examines the environment.
Jessica wakes up from her nap a couple of hours later. She went out to the busiest place near the hotel after freshening up. There was a dog park, street vendors, and androids playing with kids.
The people here looked busy and seemed to be enjoying their day, she doesn’t know where to start.
She spots a woman who was just standing in the middle of the park. “She’s not that busy,” she thought as she walks up behind her, tapping the shoulder and she turns around.
“Hello, would you mind if I interview you for a magazine feature I’m writing?” inquired Jessica in English.
“Korean?”
“Oh, you must be Korean too! Do you mind sparing a few minutes?” Jessica says in Korean as she offers the woman to sit first on the bench.
“What’s your name?” she asks out of the blue which surprises the journalist.
“Jung Sooyeon, but I prefer being called Jessica. What’s yours?”
“Jessica,” she repeats, the name rolling off her tongue. “It’s a pretty name. I’m Taeyeon. What’s the article about?”
“About android Deviancy. I just need your thoughts about it, like what you think are signs of Deviancy,” replies Jessica.
“Isn’t that too risky to publish?”
“My company has already given me the green light,” she answers flatly. The Deviant nods.
“Okay,” Taeyeon starts and Jessica sits up straight, lending her ears. “By definition, Deviancy is when androids malfunction, showing signs of defiance to the commands given to them. They become aware that they are more than just machines, we are alive—” she stops.
The human doesn’t seem to mind so she continues after a pause, “They are alive like us. People say it’s just an error to their programs but I disagree with that. I think they break away from their programming, therefore giving themselves free will. Because we fear of anything unlike us, we aren’t ready for walking supercomputers taking over our planet and demanding equality. That’s my take on it,”
Jessica stares in awe. “I agree with all of that,”
Taeyeon laughs with mirth, a human emotion that she welcomes in her system. The people around Jessica-nim’s life must be so lucky to have her when she could provide happiness like this, she thinks.
I think I like her, but I’m not human. We don’t have the same color of blood.
“Do you really?”
“Yes!” she exclaims. “I think it’s unfair for androids to receive so much hate and abuse from humans when we depend on them every day. Although they may be the same as us on the surface, they’re still designed in the likeness of humans.
“Wait—sorry!” Jessica slaps her forehead. “I’m supposed to be interviewing you,”
“No, I don’t really mind. I’m glad somebody agrees with me,” Taeyeon’s lips quirked upwards in a close-lipped smile.
“Thank you for letting me interview you, Taeyeon-ssi,” Jessica stands up. “I’ll be staying here until Saturday, I hope to see you again soon,”
“Of course, it was great talking to you,” Jessica walks off in the opposite direction after waving goodbye.
“That was dangerous,”
Taeyeon sees a male Deviant take a seat beside her.
“She didn’t notice anything,” Taeyeon reasoned, but not enough to make the android beside her be convinced.
“Are you waiting until she founds it out herself?”
Taeyeon shakes her head. The Deviant held her forearm, the human skin on their arms deactivate temporarily as she closes her eyes, receiving the information.
“Where’s Jericho?”
The Deviant had already left when she opened her eyes.
Jericho, a safe haven for Deviants. The android who came by a minute ago only gave her details on what Jericho is about, not the place itself. She was also given a picture of a graffiti with a weird symbol, a square with funnel-shaped corners, and she needs to find it before sundown in order to lead her to the Deviant shelter.
As the sun sets in the sky, Jessica went back to her hotel room. Today has been going in her favor as she types in the newfound information provided by her interviewees, ignoring the grumbling in her stomach.
Androids Are Alive
“We don’t bleed the same color,” says a local in Detroit.
Androids have become ubiquitous, and so are their counterparts – the Deviants. What would become of us if these machines don’t exist in our world today? They lessen our workload and provide pleasure for our daily lives.
Since the sudden spike of Deviant behaviors escalated in Detroit, more and more androids gradually break their programming. Experts suggest it might be a virus, considering the rise of android crimes happening all over the world.
What triggers these “errors”?
The most common reason is being in an extreme environment that causes software instability. It may seem far-fetched but it’s already written in their programs. It’s built like a human, made to look like a human, and most importantly they’re so intelligent that it can mimic human emotions.
With just enough push, androids can deviate from their programmed behavior.
As Jessica finishes up writing the draft, one person pops in her mind: Taeyeon. It was their first time meeting and she’s never met anyone with the same wavelength as her. She’s happy to be staying here for a week, giving her enough time to talk to Taeyeon again if she chooses to appear in the same spot.
She saves the file, closes the laptop and turns off the lights by voice command.
Taeyeon arrives at Ferndale Station, just twenty minutes away from North Corktown. The walls are covered with graffiti, the same style as the one she received today.
The graffiti she’s looking for is an orange background with a man facing forward and the odd symbol on his back. She turns to the left wall with the same art and she scans the symbol.
Clue Updated, reads on the wall after scanning it. Taeyeon looks at her palm and a new graffiti appeared. She exits the station and looks for the art, leading her to an abandoned ship.
“Welcome to Jericho, your new home,”