Work Text:
Rain drizzled perpetually from the dimly-lit sky and shadows danced with the pulsing neon-soaked city lights.
A man wandered through the miserable noisy ghetto streets, an outer part so deeply forgotten by the what the gigantic led billboards called, “City of the Future”.
The color of his leather coat mirrored the obsidian night. His eyes, deep brown-eyed, mesmeric, though human, were hardened by the traumas of his profession. As an underground replicant terminator, he navigated this labyrinth of glimmer and grime with a practiced ease. His steps were purpose-driven once. Not anymore.
Deep into the night, a digital projection flickered into existence. The image was striking—a young man, as big as the abyss of the sky, with an otherworldly grace, his features sharp and ethereal. He was naked, his body bent on his two knees, covered in a pinkish hue. The android killer stopped on his tracks.
“Good evening.” the hologram’s voice was soft and smooth, carrying a tone of both familiarity and distance.
“You look lonely.”
The human smirked, the edge of his lips curling upwards. “That’s a greeting I haven’t heard before.”
The being’s purple-neon eyes studied him with curiosity. “It’s not just a greeting,” he said, leaning forward slightly. “It’s an observation.” He points a finger at his presence. “You seem to carry a burden, a weight that is not easily shed.”
The other chuckled darkly, leaning into an electricity post nearby so he could take refuge from the rain. He took a pack of cigarettes out of the pocket of his coat. “That’s one way to put it.”
“Most people come to this part of town to escape, to forget their troubles for a while. But you… you come seeking something different,” the hologram continued, his gaze never wavering.
He tilted his head, in a gesture both mechanical and endearing, his eyes filled with genuine inquisitiveness. “What is it that you’re after?”
The human sighed, puffs of blue synthetic tobacco smoke fleeting in the drizzle.
“I’m not entirely sure anymore. Maybe I’m looking for a moment’s peace.”
The program’s expression softened, his digital eyes reflecting a depth of emotion rarely associated with his kind. “Peace is fleeting. Like a mirage in the desert. But even a moment of it can be enough.”
The retirer’s gaze fell to the hologram’s face. “You talk very poetically for a hologram. Very human-like.”
The projection’s smile was enigmatic, a blend of melancholy and hope.
“I am not human. But I can understand, or at least, perceive what others are feeling.”
He then stared at the desolate night.
“I have been with several people. My programming is, unfortunately, locked into sexually servicing men and women and giving them whatever they want. But I’ve been their solace and their most unexpected place to find answers. We, holograms, are reflections of desire and fantasy, but we can also become something more.”
He chuckled. “I guess that’s what you people call… “my purpose”.”
The projection now faced the tall man in a leather coat.
“What’s yours?”
The hunter listened attentively, sucking long smokey puffs out of his cigarette.
“My purpose was to kill replicants. Now… I'm not so sure. I’ve retired more reps than I can care to count. Each one is a ghost of someone’s dream.”
The program observed. “What drove you to do that?”
The human’s eyes met the hologram’s once more, the weight of countless memories and unresolved conflicts settling into his gaze. “I don’t know. A sense of duty perhaps, or a need to understand what makes me human. What makes me different from those I retire.”
He continued: “Well, I didn’t find any answers, obviously.”
The blade runner took a deep breath, the roughness of his exterior momentarily giving way to a glimpse of vulnerability. “But maybe life it’s not about finding answers. Maybe it’s about finding mirages in the desert — a fleeting moment where things feel… clearer. Simpler.”
The digital giant laughed. “Now look who’s being all poetic.”
The other responded in an amicable chuckle.
The air was thick with the scent of rain, synthetic roses and lingering smoke.
The hologram smiled, his expression softened. “I exist to provide solace and connection. But by doing so, I find a purpose that transcends my programming. Perhaps that’s what makes me different.”
There was a silence between them, filled with unspoken words and shared understanding.
The program’s eyes reflected a simulated warmth. “In this fleeting moment, I can offer you some clarity, if you want to.”
The human smiled.
“My name is Mingyu.”
“My name is Minghao.”
Mingyu raised his hand and pointed his finger at the hologram. “To fleeting moments, then.”
Minghao did the same. His index finger, as big as the universe, touched the terminator’s, tiny in contrast, in a manner of acknowledging each other, a silent toast of two bodies in the neon rain.
“To the fleeting moments that matter,” he replies, his voice a soothing balm in the smog-chocked chaos of the city far away.
As Mingyu stares almost lovingly at the hologram, the weight of his world seemed to momentarily lift. In a world of endless possibilities and hidden truths, amidst the ceaseless rain and neon glow, he had found a being who was, in many ways, as lonely as he was.
And, for a while, that was enough.