Revenge Fantasy

As the truck door locks, the sounds of the outside are isolated. A soundproof truck container, one filled with various crates and boxes. Unimportant boxes, as far as she knows.

Kuroiwa ran straight to the back, pounding her fists against the door. Unleashing pitiful attack after attack onto the metal, failing completely to do anything.

The image rang clear in her mind when she heard his voice, when she saw his face. Kuroiwa... Chouko. Chouko found him. The person who was there, the person who pulled the trigger, the person who stood at the forefront of Chouko's corrupted and vengeful mind as the direct link to the other Kuroiwa. That was the mercenary, that's the person.

Kuroiwa has encountered him after all of these years. Kuroiwa has ample opportunity to kill him. The skills to take him out, all the chance in the grasp of her fingers. Her red eyes burning with rage and delight. If this door was not in the way, she could very well do it, fulfill her darkest desires and take the life of that pitiful scumbag away.

And yet, he remains ever out of reach...!

"OPEN THIS DOOR! LET US GET THIS OVER WITH!" the woman shouts at the top of her lungs, her rage boiling aggressively.

In the confines of this truck container, the faces burn in her memory. This mercenary has other mercenaries on his roll, mercenaries that are completely full enemies of hers. Kuroiwa deemed them buffoons, almost- surrendered to them after the mission failure.

... and Chouko feels... absolutely sick... at this thought. How she was overcome by them.

"I WILL KILL YOU. NOT JUST THE BLOODY KILLER- NO. EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!" Kuroiwa roars out, deranged to the point of inhuman screeching. Her crimson eyes the shade of devil's work, close to choking on her pure and unholy wrath. "I REMEMBER YOUR FACES. ALL OF THEM. AS LONG AS I REMAIN LIVING, HELL HATH NO FURY. I WILL PRY THE LIFE OUT OF YOUR HANDS AND INCINERATE WHAT REMAINS OF YOUR PUTRID, WRETCHED SOULS!"

Bold claims made to nobody, as the sound doesn't escape the truck. As Kuroiwa's voice rings out in these walls, no response other than her hands and her tears, echoing out in this space and...

...

Crying?

Kuroiwa... Kuroiwa wasn't crying. That wasn't her crying.

... right. Right. Kuroiwa remembers. The mercenary was thrown into the truck with the android as well. She looks to the back, investigating the sobbing misery. Walking back past the boxes, looking around for her fellow unwilling passenger.

Finding it hiding away in the very back of the container - or, more specifically, as close to the front of the truck as possible - Kuroiwa finds the android curled up into a ball, the artificial human starting to realistically sob and cry while lying against the floor. The android can't produce tears, yet its sounds are faithful.

"Hey- android. Shortcake, was it?" Kuroiwa asks, arms crossed and looking at the android. "Can you quit it with the crying? Disable your sadness or whatever..."

But the android doesn't stop. It can't stop.

"..."

Kuroiwa- sighs, walking over to the android. Crouching down near it, gazing at the artificial thing. Of course, you can't just- tell a person to stop crying. You can't tell someone to just stop feeling sad or mad or such. No, a human will continue to- feel these things. Insisting that they stop will have almost the opposite effect.

And the android before her, like most androids of its type, is designed to be a human.

... Kuroiwa sighs, giving Shortcake a few seconds to sob before idly reaching out to the android and-

"I- I'm sorry! I'm sorry- please- please don't-!" the android shouts, crying for mercy and forgiveness upon witnessing Kuroiwa's hands approach, quickly throwing itself back to get away from her. "D-Don't hurt me! Please-"

"E-Easy, easy-!" Kuroiwa calls out, exclaiming with an uneasy look on her face. "I'm not going to. I was just-"

"B-But- y-you- you were really upset at me and angry and-!" the android nervously exclaims, backing away from Kuroiwa. Fidgeting, panicked, artificial terror.

Kuroiwa sees the android just shake and shiver in realistic terror. The android backing away almost desperately, bits and pieces of ground falling out of its hair as it stutters. Having itself lightly lifted up as it backed away, about to stand up.

Then, the truck began to move.

Kuroiwa wobbled in place, arms extended out to maintain balance. The boxes shifting noticeably as the black haired woman is slightly caught off guard by this motion. "Tch- the truck's mov-"

"A-AH!" Shortcake yelps, its body falling over and hitting against the floor as the vehicle moves. Impacting against the floor, eyes widened at this feeling and- ... starting to sob again as she remains lying against the truck floor, the impact with the ground inducing its sadness protocol once again.

Kuroiwa's eyes widen, urgently exclaiming and checking up on the android in concern. "H-Hey! Android, are you okay?!"

Incoherent mumbling and crying coming from the android. The developers of this model put work into this realism, its voice a lot more realistic and emotional. It was as if Kuroiwa was talking to a real little girl, one that has been crying almost non-stop ever since being in this truck.

The android is left lying against the ground again. Its mechanical arms shaking and trembling, either showing signs of damage... or just another aspect of this realism after.

For a while, Kuroiwa doesn't register this as any more than mechanical stuttering. At this point, the android is simply malfunctioning, damaged beyond belief. Ready to dismiss it as broken and incoherent.

But it becomes clear, uncomfortably clear to Kuroiwa, that it wasn't just nonsense noises. No, this was an articulately designed emotional response, as Shortcake calls out:

"I'm sorry- i'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...! P-Please don't hurt me...! I- I don't want to die, I don't want to h-have my soul incinerated to ash, I- I don't! I- I don't... I don't... pl... please- please..."

Hearing the android beg for its life, recycling words that it just happened to hear, Kuroiwa... stares for a while. Her red eyes gazing deeply at this android with... with...

"L- Let go of me! Let me go!"

...

A feeling of... deja vu. A feeling of familiarity, that something has happened before. That Chouko was dealing with... a... second Chouko.

Of course, entertaining that thought is... pitiful. That may very well just be her sense of ego, seeing blatant similarities between herself and this android, it's foolish to assume that this android is a child her.

But- a deep, deep sigh escapes Chouko's lips. Taking a deep breath. Realizing who she was dealing with. An artificially manufactured child, "mentally". Awoken to a new world. Met with the people it wanted to connect with, only to be pushed, beaten, berated and threatened against the ground.

In fact... this machine learned that attempts to communicate nicely with others were met with worse anger. The mercenaries kicking Shortcake in response to the android trying to stand up for itself.

For herself.

... hm.

Chouko takes yet another deep breath, sighing once again as she remains where she stands. Giving Shortcake her space, her distance, as she calmly speaks. "... hey... hey. I- I won't hurt you. I just want to help you up. It's- not good to lie against the truck floor."

"B-but-" Shortcake calls out, still panicking.

"What I said... I'm just- angry at those other people, Shortcake," Chouko explains, taking as- sensitive of a tone as she can. Sympathetic- no. Empathetic to the android, taking a soft tone and demeanor to handle the metaphorical six year old. "That's all. They're bad people, and... and these men are kidnapping us. Both of us. You and me."

Shortcake's sobbing audibly lightens, the android staring up at the woman. Her own quieting starting to silence as she looks to Chouko, paused for a moment... before her distress begins to rise again. "... I... I, uhm... t... this is- this is a kidnapping...?" she quietly asks.

"Yes. It-" Chouko begins to respond, a look of regret on her face as she solemnly responds to the android. "... it's my fault. You wouldn't be awake and out of your packaging if I had done my job better."

Shortcake's eyes flutter lightly at this information, staring at Chouko in mild artificial realization. "... s... so I- I shouldn't be out of my packaging...?"

"Correct. You're meant to go to someone in Nebraska, some guy paying $300 million for you to be in a box indefinitely," Chouko admits.

"O-Oh..."

"... yeah. Regardless of whether or not it's good or bad- you're awake now," Chouko explains, just... sighing, before checking up on the android. "Dirty, sure... but, how are you feeling otherwise? Are you alright?"

Shortcake ponders for a moment, going completely silent. Some faint, deep breaths echoing out as the android noticeably exhausts its fans and all.

"..." Chouko takes some deep breaths with Shortcake as well. Looking at the android, just breathing with the android for a bit. Engaging in almost meditative breathing. Deciding to calm down with Shortcake, hearing the android's fans speed up and slow down in tune to her breathing. Speeding up every time Chouko actively breathes in or out, and slowing to a normal speed when she's holding her breath afterwards.

Curiousity-inducing, yet ever so calming.

Eventually, Shortcake's eyes flutter and light up, the whirring of her ventilation gentle and soft as she looks up at Chouko. A faint smile as she answers. "D... Diagnosis complete... I- I'm doing alright... still processing pain and distress, sure, but..."

"Right... right," Chouko responds, nodding with a faint smile. She needed that calm breathing session. "Glad to hear."

Shortcake- continues to smile back, starting to "feel a lot better" now. Chouko said she wouldn't hurt Shortcake, and has yet to hurt her the entire time, so Shortcake believes it now. "... w... well... uhm... I... uh... I... I'd like some help, if you still want to..." the android gently asks.

"Sounds good." Chouko reaches her hands out slowly, approaching this with care. "Now- I'm going to lift you up, so that you can sit properly. Just- bear with me for a moment?"

Shortcake contently nods, accepting Chouko's help with only the slightest of worry and whimpers.

Chouko then begins to tenderly and gently lift the android up. Hands under the machine's side, pulling up against her arm ever so lightly. Slowly, tenderly, carefully, the woman actively watching for any of Shortcake's reactions.

Surprisingly, the technology behind this android is quite light, despite it presumably being an older model made before its machinery was optimized. Here she was... about the same weight as a portable computer, a laptop. It was much easier to help Shortcake up than Chouko expected, giving less opportunity to notice if Shortcake experienced any aversion or distress from being held.

Once Shortcake was put into sitting position, Chouko carefully holds Shortcake for a while, securing her in place. "There you go. You're sitting now. Isn't this better?"

Shortcake... looks up, and gives a gentle nod. "M... Mhmm... it- it's better... thank you, Kuroiwa, I- I, uhm, appreciate-"

"Chouko."

"...?" Shortcake looks at Chouko for a moment as she interrupted with a name. "What?"

"Chouko. Chouko Ashford," Chouko speaks up. "I don't know how familiar you are with the name, but..."

Shortcake shakes her head. "I- I don't recognize the name, sorry... so... not Kuroiwa? You're Chouko?"

Nodding.

"..." Shortcake smiles lightly. "It's pretty."

"Thank you. I think Shortcake is a sweet name as well," Chouko bluntly compliments, making conversation with the android.

... this is met with the android bashfully looking away, covering its face.

Chouko blinks at this action, before a sigh echoes out. "Sorry- did I say something wrong?"

"N-No, no, I, uh, I just- I don't handle compliments all that well..." Shortcake explains, using general human terms to explain what was happening. Her reactions exhibiting bashfulness, shyness, and timidity. Simply easily flustered in response to praise. "T-Thank you, a-and, uhm, thank you again for the help...!"

Chouko nods a few times. "You're welcome." Now that Shortcake is sitting in place, continuing to thinking about their situation. Now that Shortcake is sitting in place, Chouko sits right next to the android, taking a deep breath and sigh. "... now, if only there was a way to help ourselves and leave this truck."

"W-Well, the door should-"

"It's locked from the outside," Chouko immediately interrupts. "Can't open it."

"Oh..."

"Mhmm. And I don't exactly have a plan on what to do if it opens, when the mercenaries stop and open that door to let us out for whatever they plan," Chouko bluntly tells Shortcake. "To tell you the truth, those mercenaries have all the metaphorical cards in their hands, and we're left sitting here... helpless."

"Like sitting ducks," Shortcake comments. "Quack."

"..." Chouko stares at Shortcake for a few brief moments as that is said, and nods. "Right. Nothing to do but talk. Wait for our eventual demises and all."

Shortcake lightly nods, folding her hands on her lap. "O... Okay..."

A quiet silence as the truck continues to move, as the two girls quietly sit and think.

Chouko... well, Kuroiwa, after dealing with Shortcake, had plenty of room to now think about what to do next. What to do to kill these bastards, to leave them rotting and burning alive in eight individually prepared graves. No ninth grave, as the killer deserved worse than a burial.

But without her belongings, she's defenseless. It wasn't like Kuroiwa could just punch and beat the mercenaries to death. No, she needed the weapons to do the job. She needed the baton, the knife, the gun, the phone- without them, she's immediately dead if she tries. And it makes her disgusted to think about going along with them as a helpless hostage.

No, no, Kuroiwa needed to think of something, another plan...

"... s... so, w... what is he like?"

"... hm?"

"T-The person who bought me. The Nebraska person," Shortcake elaborates, fidgeting idly. Wanting to make conversation as Chouko suggested, with nothing to do but talk. Taking that literally as an indicator to come up with talk. "A-As a Shortcake, I'm supposed to learn about the environment and its people as I go along... but it wouldn't hurt to know what he's like."

"I- I see..."

... Chouko indulges Shortcake with this conversation, but- starts with a gesture of shrugging. Having not met the actual buyer, she doesn't know much about him enough to say anything elaborate.

However, she can roughly answer with what E and the job give about him. "Well. He's rich. Owns an estate. Buys collector androids or something, preferably untouched and in their boxes. I never met the man, so I don't know everything about him exactly."

Shortcake curiously hmms at this, folding her hands over her lap. "Oh... okay."

More silence between the two. Chouko sat mostly still, as she didn't have anything to talk about. Most of what they could talk about right now has already been said.

"... s... so, rich," Shortcake speaks up, continuing to attempt her chat.

Chouko nods. "Yes. I'm assuming he is rich. Or was rich."

"Well, have you ever lived with a rich person?" Shortcake asks. "Maybe- uhm-"

Chouko stares at Shortcake for a moment, her silence noticed by the android.

"... I- I'm sorry, is the question too insensitive?" Shortcake asks, noticing Chouko's stare and experiencing some slight discomfort. "I'm sorry if it is... I didn't realize- I thought that, maybe if you lived with one, then-"

"It's fine. I have lived with one, yes," Chouko interrupts, arms crossed with a sigh.

"Lived...?" Shortcake asks. "Past-tense?"

"Yes. My father was a rich man. So I did live with a-"

"O-Oh!" Shortcake noises energetically, looking at Chouko. "I- I see!"

"...?" Chouko blinks at this reaction. "You see? What exactly do you..."

"W-Well, you have a rich father! That must be good!" Shortcake interrupts, beaming brightly... before covering her mouth. "O... Oh. Oh. Wait. Past tense. Had. S-So- he- he's-?"

"... gone, yes."

... Shortcake- just whimpers a little, her face looking more horrified. That wasn't even what she was going to say, but she's registering her own emotional distress... and- possibly Chouko's distress now, as well. "W... Well, uhm... a-as a Shortcake, I- I'm here to provide emotional support through this hard time. The first step to recovery is to let those emotions out, to- to let what you feel come out, to let it all-"

"Please stop talking," Chouko immediately asks, her eyes forming a scowling gaze.

"... o-oh-" Shortcake responds, her voice shaky with distress at being told that. What she said must have deeply upset Chouko, and... and the android, uhm, the android is now experiencing severe discomfort herself. "S... sorry... I... it might be experimental... I- I'm- sorry for pushing boundaries, I- I didn't... m... mean... to..." Muting herself and stopping her speech as instructed.

The two of them sitting quietly in place after that, Shortcake uncomfortably sitting and feeling awful. Registering this data, this response, struggling to find the proper way to respond.

Chouko is left to ponder on her own, and... appropriately responds after that. "... just... whatever knowledge you have does work for anyone else, not me. Your suggestions, I've already gone through. Letting it out does nothing in the long term. All it does is remind me that he's been gone for nine years. 'Temporary emotional satisfaction' is all that comes from venting, Shortcake. Besides, I would rather the person be alive instead of recovery."

"Bargaining..." Shortcake mumbles, blurting it out the same way she made the duck comment.

"..."

"... s-sorry-" Shortcake immediately apologizes. "It-"

"It's- fine," Chouko responds, sighing. "That is bargaining, yes... I just... honestly, I don't want to talk about his death with you, okay? Either we change the topic, or we sit in silence. Okay?"

Shortcake understandingly nods. "Alright. I won't- ask further about his death, then."

"Thank you," Chouko calmly responds.

Another silence between the two, Chouko left in idle silence to... relax. To calm down. Given a long break from words, a long pause before the next set of words were said by the android.

"... so, uhm... do you... do you like cupcakes?"

"..." Chouko raises an eyebrow at this. "What?"

"D-Do you like cupcakes?" Shortcake asks. "I like cupcakes. Let's talk about cupcakes."

Out of all the topics this android could have come up with. That question briefly catches Chouko off guard, gazing at Shortcake as if bewildered by the very question. A noticeably jarring topic to discuss with an android, admittedly.

"..."

"... s... sorry, is that a- is that a bad question...?" Shortcake asks. "D-Did I say something wrong? I'm- I'm sorry... I- I, uhm, I didn't mean to interrupt with-"

"I don't particularly enjoy cupcakes," Chouko immediately explains, interrupting with a straightforward answer to... alleviate... the android's unease. Indicating that she needed a pause before answering. To process that question, to... remember... the last time she's had a cupcake. "But I'm not opposed to sweets. I preferably enjoy tea and biscuits, however."

"Oh... well..." Shortcake responds, folding her hands and twiddling her thumbs faintly. "... what about vanilla cupcakes? The ones with white frosting and all."

"... I already said I don't enjoy cupcakes," Chouko responds.

"Oh." Shortcake ponders for a moment. "Strawberry?"

"No."

"Butter cream frosting cupcakes?" Shortcake asks. "Hmm. What about blueberry chocolate muffins with cherry cream frosting? You have to like those, those sound really delicious!"

"You're fixating on cupcakes," Chouko idly comments, mildly irritated. "I already said-"

"Well- I mean- cupcakes are tiny, they're sweet, they can be shared and split between a classroom of children. Kind of nice to bake, better to bake than a cake, probably. Just take a tray of cups and you get to make cakes and all!"

"Can we please stop talking about cupcakes?" Chouko asks, glaring at the android. "I already said I don't like cupcakes. Are you just going to keep talking about cupcakes until I say 'I like cupcakes'?"

"..." Shortcake idly frowns and looks down at her feet. A faint sob sounding out as Chouko glares at her, realizing that she was being a pest. "I-I'm sorry... I- uhm- I-"

"It's fine if you like cupcakes and I don't, but your- you're- it's almost as if cupcakes are your whole-" Chouko idly comments, about to say identity, but stops herself upon realizing.

Shortcake.

... Chouko audibly sighs and holds a hand to her face, pressing her palm against her face. "Never mind. I answered my own question."

"Hm?" Shortcake noises, tilting her head.

"Nothing. Just... I... I don't like cakes, okay? Just tea and biscuits," Chouko states. "That's all."

"... w... why?" Shortcake asks. "Why do you not like cakes? Is it because of the texture? Is it too sweet? Does it get all mushy and stuff when you drink tea, so you avoid cake to-"

"Because I- I'm disgusted to be anywhere near a cake!" Chouko blurts out. "Taste is- fine, I just- looking at a cake deeply unsettles me, to the point where I can't stand it. Every time I see a cake, the grandeur of a cake, baked for celebration, everything about it makes me uncomfortably gag. Cakes are meant to celebrate something, celebrate- achievements, occasions, so on. I haven't celebrated a single thing since I was 10, and I just don't want ANYTHING to do with them, okay?!"

"Oh... well, it doesn't have to be a celebration-" Shortcake speaks up.

"Can we just stop talking about cakes?!" Chouko shouts, glaring at the floor with an absolutely frustrated, livid expression on her face. This android is annoying. "If cakes are all you can talk about, then we might as well talk about my dead father instead! In fact, what if I just spoke about his entire history with cakes?! Everything he's bought a cake for, everything he celebrated?! Is that what you want?! Are you trying to get me to talk about cakes so that I 'open up' about my dead father?! Is that it?!"

...

Shortcake sniffles a little, looking at Chouko. "I just really like cakes... I'm- I'm sorry- I didn't- I... I'll shut up, I'm sorry... I..."

A pause of silence as Chouko looks to the android, seeing it hug its knees and bury its face into them. Her glaring red eyes softening as she realizes her own outburst, as she was instinctively coming up with excuses as to why she shouted. It's probably why this thing was afraid of her to begin with.

Thing. That's what Shortcake was. Just a while ago, she saw Shortcake as a terrified child, and snapped at it as if it wasn't. As if it was just... an object. In a way, it is, but Chouko- needed to remember that it's an object designed to be human. Designed to... be... more human than she was.

For a moment, she lost track of the fact that Shortcake's just new to the world, going off of what she knows. Which is nothing. Shortcake's trying her best, and- probably has less experience, less proficiency than other newer androids specialized in this. After all, Shortcake is designed to learn in the middle of her operation. To learn about the environment, the people, the environments of said people.

Chouko needed to be a bit more... accommodating of the android's inexperience with her. And here she was, shouting at it because it wanted to talk about cakes. Not unlike a typical child bugging their... parents... for...

...

A deep, deep sigh escapes Chouko's mouth as she covers her face in shame, in mild distress. "N... No. I'm- I'm sorry for shouting. It's... it's just..."

Shortcake... Shortcake lifts her face up from her knees, glancing at Chouko with a distressed look. "I- I really did upset you though, I'm- I'm sorry that-"

"Ugh-" Chouko groans as she covers her face in shame, in mild distress. Uncomfortably shifting in her spot. "Just- I'm... I just- ... I want something else to talk about."

"O... Okay..." Shortcake whimpers, looking forward for some time.

A long time.

Really thinking about what else there is to talk about, beyond the two topics that she's picked up on. Shortcake doesn't want to mess up again, she really doesn't want to upset Chouko and - subsequently - herself any further. The two are already on bad terms after her annoying behaviors, and she's shaking in programmed fear of upsetting Chouko again.

...

Then, she just... she just- after a bit of decisions running through her android head, Shortcake just comes out and asks...

"... ca... can we- uhm- talk about- y-you?"