Your footsteps echoed on the concrete floor as you followed Ralph through the darkness. You weren't sure exactly where you were, but the smell was putrid. You wondered if these dark tunnels were connected to the sewers. Ralph giddily walked in front of you, each pace out of rhythm from the last. "Belle-Isle... Belle-Isle..." He muttered as he eyed strange passages and turned corners. You hoped he knew where he was going. For all you knew, you'd walked right into some kind of trap. The thought of that made you feel nauseous.
"This feels like an adventure, doesn't it?" He muttered. "An adventure!!"
"Yeah..." You replied nervously, trying to block your nose from the smell.
"Ralph hasn't had a friend in a long time... no, Ralph hasn't had a friend in years!" He continued, "Sometimes Ralph tries to make friends with the rats in the alleys, but of course, they don't understand Ralph, no, not at all!"
Ralph's words about friendship struck a chord with you. The truth was, you had never really had many friends either; that was, until you began working at the Detroit City Police Department. Before that time, you had always been so focused on studying and working that you never really had the chance. You felt sad as you thought back to that time; before you had met Connor and Hank.
"Thank you for taking me to Belle-Isle Ralph. I hope it's not any trouble..."
"Oh no, not at all! Ralph is happy to help a friend," You could hear the giddy smile in his voice. It was a wonder that this same android had tried to kill you an hour earlier. Ralph continued, "Ralph wonders why you want to travel to Belle-Isle. Ralph doesn't like the humans there, no, Ralph thinks they're nasty!"
You hesitated. You wondered that if Ralph knew the truth, he may try to stop you. You decided to say it anyway.
"Well... if you really want to know, I'm going to Cyberlife."
Your suspicions were correct. Ralph paused mid-step and you ran into his back.
"Cyberlife?" Ralph murmured. The cheeriness of his voice was long gone. "No... Ralph doesn't want you to go there..."
You gazed at Ralph's back. "W-Why not?"
"Because... they'll kill you," He turned to face you. His LED turned red. "But... you can't die... Ralph doesn't want you to die..." He grabbed your shoulder in desperation. "Don't go!!! Ralph doesn't want you to go!!" He gripped your shoulders tighter until you thought it would bruise.
"Stop it!!" You shook your shoulders out of his grip. "Please..." You looked away. "I don't want to go there either Ralph, but I have to..." There was a silence after those words. All you could hear was the sound of slight dripping, from somewhere far away.
"Why...?"
"Because someone very important to me is there..." You felt the tears beading in your eyes. "I have to find him... because... because if I don't they may kill him too."
Ralph seemed torn in his thoughts. He reached a hand towards you and then pulled it away. His LED flickered from red to amber and back again. Then he nodded solemnly, in understanding, continuing walking.
"Ralph understands... These are dangerous times after all... very dangerous," He muttered. "Ralph knows you mustn't be out in the open... the humans are searching... humans are looking... Ralph overheard them outside the alley..."
"They're looking for me?"
"Ralph wants you to be safe... Ralph'll help you get to Cyberlife. But Ralph mustn't be out in the open either... Human's are searching for Ralph too."
"That's okay... thank you Ralph." You smiled at him genuinely and he smiled back.
Up ahead, light shone through a grate above your heads. Leading up to the grate was a ladder jutting out from the concrete walls. You watched as Ralph took the knife from his hand and placed it between his teeth. Then he slowly began to climb up the ladder towards the grate. Cautiously, you followed him. At the top, he used the jagged knife to pry the grate off. Then he returned the knife to his teeth again and pushed the grate aside. He stuck his head out the top, then looked back at you cheerily, pulling the knife from between his teeth.
"It's here!! Belle-Isle is here!! Ralph found it!" To your surprise, Ralph climbed out of the hole.
When you reached the grate, you peered out first. It looked like the back streets of Belle-Isle. Residential houses dotted each side of the street, and close by, you could see taller buildings jutting towards the sky. You could see Cyberlife Tower above them all. There was no doubt about it; you were close.
Cautiously, you clamored up the rungs of the ladder and out the grate. Morning light was beginning to peak over the horizon, casting a glow over everything it touched. Seeing Ralph in the full light now, he appeared more fragile and timid than the terrifying android that had tried to attack you.
"Ralph can't take you any closer..." He turned to look at you solemnly. "Ralph is scared... He doesn't want the human's to hurt him again..."
"That's okay..." You smiled. "Thank you for taking me this far." You eyed the Cyberlife tower looming into the sky, feeling nauseous in the pit of your stomach. No... it wasn't okay. But you hoped that the more you said it, the more you might be able to feel it.
"Oh, Ralph'll miss you!!" You gasped as Ralph crushed you in a hug. "Ralph doesn't want you to go..."
"I have to go Ralph..." You whispered.
"Oh, oh, Ralph knows!!" Ralph suddenly let go, and thrust the jagged knife into your hands. "Take this... take it, take it."
"B-But don't you need it Ralph?"
"Ralph'll be fine," He muttered. "Just as Ralph always is." You continued to hesitate in taking the knife. "Go on, take it!!" He repeated. "Take it, TAKE IT!" You flinched at his sudden harsh voice. You took the knife and instead of putting it in your pack, you tucked it in the belt of your jeans. You still thought it would be best not to tell Ralph you had a pocket knife and gun on you this entire time. Ralph smiled and you felt a little guilty.
"Then, I'll return this to you," You passed him the torch. "Thank you again for all your help Ralph. I should go now..."
"Ralph is glad he could help..." Ralph smiled at you. Somehow, in this moment, he seemed like any other android. You smiled at him, waved and turned to walk away.
"Ra9..."
You turned back in surprise; but Ralph was already gone.
---
Elijah Kamski sat in his cushy office as the CEO of Cyberlife. He sipped the last remaining drops of red wine out of his glass, and held it out. Without needing to say anything, a gorgeous android with long blonde hair and a midnight blue dress took the glass and refilled it, carefully placing it back in his hand. The CEO eyed the papers scattered across his desk. He picked up one, reading the familiar name on the paper and smiled knowingly. He was interrupted with a knock at the door.
"Come in..."
The door opened and in the doorway stood his most impressive creation; The RK900, the latest prototype. It gave Kamski a calculating gaze with its knowing steel eyes, as if it knew everything yet was curious regardless. Kamski nodded at it.
"RK900... this is a pleasant surprise," Automatically, the blonde haired android held out a tray, and Kamski set the glass on it. Kamski rose from his chair to stand at his desk. "What brings you here on a morning like this?"
The RK900 simply stood there for a moment, then finally spoke in a voice seemingly devoid of any feeling. "Amanda was the one who sent me. She informed me that... 'she' may be coming here soon..."
"Ah yes... Amanda was always very insightful, wasn't she?" Kamski turned to face the window at the back of the room. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back. "The tracking device was destroyed, but I know she will still find her way here soon enough. She might be intelligent, but not intelligent enough to know when she should stay away." He chuckled at that. The RK900 didn't even twitch. Kamski slowly turned to look at the android again, whose LED had turned red.
"If you're that concerned, why don't you send someone to get her?"
The RK900's LED switched back to amber; then to red and back again. Kamski leaned on the desk, a slight smirk appearing on his face. He tapped his temple, in exactly the same spot where the RK900's LED was.
"Those memories must be painful to you. All those thoughts... those... 'emotions'... it must be enough to almost make you feel deviant, or want to at least."
"There is no possible chance of becoming deviant. These are only excess memories from my predecessor."
"Ah yes... the RK800... what was his name again?" He paused, chuckling dryly. "Oh... 'Connor'." He took his wine glass off the tray and sipped at it. "You need not worry... that deviant won't be causing you anymore trouble. All you have to focus on is your mission."
The RK900 silently agreed, but from his continuously flashing LED, Kamski knew that the memories were still on his mind.
"I'm certain she has traveled long and far enough. Human bodies are quite weak you know. Quite... fragile." Kamski placed his glass down again and walked towards the RK900. "There are still active models of your predecessor, aren't there? I'm certain they would be able to complete one more mission before they are deactivated..."
The RK900 didn't remove his gaze. Kamski smirked, silently challenging him to a staring contest, until Kamski gave up and removed his gaze.
"Well... this time, I'll leave that decision up to you. What will you do I wonder?" Kamski paced back to his chair and sat down. "Regardless of what you decide, the wheels of fate are already turning. I am certain of it." He leaned back in his chair, the light from the window illuminating his features and the android in front of him. "Yes... she'll be here soon enough."