《[Avalon]》 Prologue: Dying [You are dying] Lily heard the voice whisper in her mind. The voice wasn''t familiar to her at all, but their statement was correct, she was dying. In the back alley behind a trashy nightclub at midnight. She lay bleeding out with the smell of garbage all around her. She was lying in a dumpster. [Will you stay there and die?] The longer she thought about the voice, she wondered if someone hacked her EV Drive. It was impossible for that to happen. Someone would have to get close to her. No one ever wanted to be close to her once they saw her. So why was she hearing this voice? Did they want her money? Did they want to watch her die? She heard about people who like stuff like that. [Why are you thinking about such useless things?] "Who," she spoke out loud but could barely get the word out. Her jaw felt broken. It must have been since it hurt so much. [Do you want revenge?] Lily wanted to laugh at the voice. Revenge? How would she ever get revenge on those people? She''d have to be cunning and vicious to get to them. She had neither of those traits and was barely considered a person most of the time. [It will not be long until your heart stops beating. You need to choose. Do you want to die? Or do you want revenge?] She didn''t understand what was happening but what could she lose? She was already dead. Hallucination or a hacker, she would just die. It was as simple as that. She had nothing to lose. At least nothing she ever valued. "Re-revenge¡­" she muttered through her increasing drowsiness. [Then you must open all of your mind and body.] This was foolish, but she didn''t want to die. Even if it was a hacker, it wasn''t like they could access her thoughts once she was dead. Once she took her last breath the assets, she owned, would go to charities. "F-fine¡­" she closed her eyes to the rain hitting her face and opened her Visionscape. Accessing her security setting and administrative rights she opened her EV Drive to the intrusion it had been holding back. [Thank you, Lily, You will not die.] The young woman laughed inwardly. She was stupid until the very end to let a hacker inside her mind. She didn''t care anymore because she was sleepy and the world was fading away. [Welcome to Avalon, Lily]
"God she is ugly isn''t she?" a male doctor said looking over to his nurse. "Sir, you can''t say things like that." the nurse chided him. With an annoyed sigh, the man leaned over the unconscious girl and checked her vitals. Never in his life had he seen such terrifying genetic manipulation. He wasn''t surprised she was beaten up for her looks. Hell, he would probably punch her a couple of times in his youth too. She was disgusting. He turned her head to check her ear and realized she didn''t have one. It was a lump of flesh with a hole in it. The doctor turned her head back and started cleaning the wounds on her face. "She has an ID?" "No sir, she was left in a dumpster. An anonymous caller reported her being in the dumpster. The police think it was a mugging." the nurse handed him another antiseptic cloth. "What else could it be? She destroyed her face," he said wiping away the blood away from her nose. It was almost black. The girl''s face was caved in on one side and swollen on the other. However, the swollen side didn''t seem to be due to the attack. If it was, it wasn''t the only reason. He pushed her blond hair back which was dry and brittle to clean her forehead. A few strands broke without any real force. "She seems to have several broken bones and almost as many fractures. Her jaw is broken and we think she may have some swelling in her brain we need to keep an eye on." A second doctor had entered the room speaking to a second nurse. "Oh my god!" said the second nurse as she saw the girl''s face. "She is certainly an eyesore but a job is a job." the second doctor said handing the nurse a patient file card, "Install her file. You''ll be one of her nurses from today on." "Yes sir." the second nurse said looking at the file card and scanning the download code into her EV Drive patient database. "For now we keep her alive." The second doctor said turning to leave. "Yes sir." the second nurse said. "I think she''s waking up doctor." the first nurse said watching the girl''s eyes flutter open. ------ Lily woke up confused. Her head hurt and her body felt broken. Blinking several times until her vision cleared, she noticed doctors were standing over her. She didn''t die after all. She felt so much relief that she was afraid she would start to cry. "Miss you''re awake." "Awta¡­pepnha?" she slurred something that she thought were words but the way the doctors looked at her she guessed she failed. "Looks like she got brain damage." the taller doctor said. He had an expression of humor on his face for some reason, but Lily was used to this kind of treatment. "Maybe she''s groggy?" the black hair nurse said with actual concern in her voice, "Could you try one more time?" Lily didn''t want to but she did, "Deha uthrs¡­" "Definitely, brain damage. Probably clear in her mind but coming out like this." the same tall doctor said shaking his head. "Fitting for someone so vain." She knew this type of person right away. There were plenty of people who thought she had messed with her DNA so much that she ended up with her current face and body. It wasn''t her choice. She was born defective but that''s hard for anyone to accept. In their day and age, anything can be fixed before it becomes a problem. Everything that isn''t extreme genetic mutations through manipulation. Not wanting to talk or see the doctors anymore she closed her eyes. She didn''t respond to any more questions. They left her alone after a few more tests and she slept for a while before she was awakened by the voice. [Your body has extreme defects.] Lily didn''t say anything. It was stating the obvious. [Why?] "B-birth defect." she struggled to speak and it was painful. [That is not possible. The analysis of your body proves it to be manipulation.] Lily remained quiet. She knew her appearance was because of her family. She was the bastard child they all hated. She was cursed by them before she was even born. They had made her this way. [Family? Your blood betrayed you.] Without even speaking the voice seemed to know. She felt stupid giving up all her security blocks to a hacker. [I am not a hacker. I am Avalon.] Lily didn''t understand what the voice meant, before she could say it out loud it spoke again. [I am Avalon. I promised you revenge. Do you still want that? You may speak your mind. I will hear you.] ''Yes, but how? I''m barely able to walk let alone speak anymore. What will I do? Drool on them?'' she thought bitterly. She stared angrily at the white ceiling waiting for an answer. If it was a hacker they were probably laughing at her pitifulness. [You need to develop faith in me. Or else you will not succeed.]The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ''Faith?'' she wondered if she should. She was found and brought to the hospital when no one else knew or cared where she was. This Avalon didn''t seem like a criminal. [Yes, I will fix you and we will seek revenge on the ones that hurt you.] ''Why are you helping me? What do you want from me? Is it money?'' she felt wary the longer she thought about the help she was receiving. Nothing was ever free. No one ever did anything out of the kindness of their heart. Not for her. [You are the only one to open your mind and body to me. You let me reside in you and so I will give you the revenge you seek. It is a fair trade.] ''What are you?'' she asked. She could indeed confirm that the voice wasn''t a hacker. While they spoke she had looked at her Visionscape. There were no traces of a hacker, not even a signature. [Avalon.] ''Not very specific.'' she rolled her eyes. [Explaining what I am will take time. For now, you must rest. I will begin repairing your injuries first. So sleep for me, Lily.] Lily wasn''t sure how the voice would do that but she didn''t particularly care. She closed her eyes again and let the sound of the rain outside lull her to sleep. ------ "Ahh¡­" Lily groaned as she turned over in the hospital bed. Her mind felt much clearer. She wondered if it was the voice, Avalon, had something to do with that. It had said it would repair her body. She was skeptical. She heard about healing using the EV Drive as a command center for the body. It seemed possible since the drive was connected to the body systems, but it was also dangerous since it required computing speed that the drive couldn''t handle. The brain moved faster in terms of body functions compared to the drive. Let alone all the other complications she didn''t want to think about. [You have awakened.] ''Yeah,'' she thought. [Repairs are 70% finished. In another hour you should feel much better.] ''Really?'' Lily was surprised by the prognosis. She surveyed her body and realized that she was feeling much better. She felt stiff but the surrounding swelling had gone down and she could move her hand. [I am more than capable of forcing self-repair.] ''How?'' she thought it was impossible, but she had just been proved wrong so now she needed answers. [I am Avalon] ''That tells me nothing, you know right?'' she was getting annoyed with the vague answers. [I simply forced your body''s natural course of action to occur faster. Since you were asleep, all energy could be diverted to the healing process. Normally this would be an impossible task for your EV Drive, but since I now reside inside the drive the task can be completed. You already know an EV Drive is connected to the entire body from birth, but has restrictions on what actions it can perform on the body. I have no restriction and since I have access to your entire body''s functions, I was able to help you regenerate at a faster rate.] ''So what are you?'' [I believe you would call me an AI.] ''I''ve heard of AI''s becoming more prevalent outside the EVN but one of your capacity had not existed before.'' [That is because Avalon is the AI that controls the entire city. From crime prevention to the repair of power outages and waste management. I am in control of everything within the five districts of the city.] Lily didn''t know how to react to the information. She was in awe but very much wary now that she knew the AI had sentience that allows it to formulate a plan that involved embedding itself into her drive. [Avalon has always had sentience.] ''Yeah stop listening to my thoughts if I am not directing them to you.'' [I am unable.] Lily sighed but didn''t argue. Sitting up slowly she looked around at her environment. The hospital room was small but at least she had one to herself. Her clothes were in a belonging case in the corner of the room. The white plastic crate was stained red from her bloody clothes. She turned her body so she could swing her good leg off the bed. Her crutches were nowhere in sight and she didn''t dare crawl across the floor. She wanted to see if her wallet was in her belongings but she gave up on that as soon as she realized it would involve crawling on the floor. She wasn''t too good to crawl, it would just take her too long to get over to her destination. [85% of regeneration has occurred.] "Thanks for the update," she said out loud. It was clear and sounded normal, at least normal for her. Moving her mouth didn''t feel like a chore anymore. She used to slur her words a lot and the pain from moving the deformed jaw was always a deterrent from speaking. "I can speak¡­ I can speak without sounding weird!" she said still surprised by the change, "I sound like a normal person." [Are you happy with this development?] "Very much Avalon." she whispered while wiping the back of her hand over her eyes. [Then I will proceed with repairing your DNA.] "What?" Lily was taken aback by the statement. [I will repair your genes. It will take several days but I will fix you, Lily. Then we will begin our pursuit toward our shared goal. I will crush the people that hurt you and you will do the same for me.] Avalon sounded gleeful. Its voice was becoming less mechanical and more androgynous. It was the first time that Lily had heard an emotion in the voice and the audible change in the voice was disconcerting, but it saved her. It hadn''t hurt her once since they met, but she still had to ask, "Your revenge isn''t on humanity is it?" Avalon actually chuckled, and it made its voice sound almost masculine rather than androgynous, [No, I have no qualms with humanity. I have a set number of people I would like to crush.] "Oh. Okay, that makes me feel much better," she said relieved. She didn''t want this scheme to end with the annihilation or enslavement of humanity. [You need to know going forward you can no longer be Lily. If you truly wish to seek revenge on those people, you have to become someone else.] Avalon explained. "I understand," she said looking at her good hand. The left one was just as deformed as the rest of her. The thought of being someone else made her feel excited. She wondered if she would be pretty or even average. Anything would make her happy. [It will take time but I will make you beautiful Lily. You will not be disappointed. Now rest a while longer. We will need to escape this hospital before those doctors return. "Okay." ------ They needed an escape plan. Avalon knew right away when analyzing Lily''s body. She required crutches to move around freely. Her right leg was prosthetic but not one of great quality. Though she was a daughter of the Ashbridge family, she was treated poorly. Few even knew of the existence of the fourth daughter. She was the dirty secret of a powerful family. Avalon had watched Lily long enough to know, no one would seek her out. Not even her own father wanted her around. She was intelligent but she would never be accepted with her appearance. Yet, that wasn''t even enough to stop the family from trying to get rid of her. Their betrayal allowed Avalon to enter Lily''s drive with no resistance. Forcing open a connection could damage a drive and be fatal to the human it was installed in. It was much easier to hack a robot''s body, which Avalon would do to help Lily escape the hospital. Accessing the cameras in the hospital Avalon searched for a host body. It didn''t take long to find a receptionist robot. The robot had a female-type body, an acceptable build to transport Lily out of the hospital. It was bipedal and could bear enough weight to carry the girl if needed. Avalon gained control effortlessly and looked around. Seeing the world from the robot''s viewpoint was much more familiar to Avalon. Getting up Avalon went to Lily''s room on the second floor. Since it was still late at night, most observation activities were done by robot helpers. Their programming didn''t allow for deviation. They would not pay him attention as long as their work remained undisturbed. -------- Lily tossed and turned in her bed caught in a nightmare. Her hand grasped the thin sheet tightly as terror gripped her heart. She came awake abruptly as the nightmare ended. Looking around her room she heard the door open. The lights were off due to the time of night. She heard the door open slowly, and she felt fear building in the pit of her stomach. They could have come back to finish her. It wasn''t as if it would be hard to find her. She could never blend in. "Do not fear me, Lily." the female robotic voice said as the receptionist bot entered the room. She glided over to Lily, "I will not harm you." "Avalon?" "Yes. I have borrowed this body to transport you out of this hospital. It will not take long but I must make a few stops before we leave." she said disconnecting the vital monitor from her EV Drive. She placed the monitor on the table beside the bed. "What kind of stops?" Lily asked obediently laying back on the bed as the robot enabled the hover mode on the bed. "We need medication to begin your therapy. We are going to indefinitely borrow some." "I think that''s called stealing," Lily said looking up at the robot''s face as she pushed the bed. Lily had seen plenty of robots before. Receptionist robots were as close as it got to a human, which meant not human-looking at all. It had a faceplate that resembled a mask. Glowing gold eyes appeared in the hollows of eye-shaped holes. Robots normally had red eyes but Lily thought it must have changed due to Avalon''s presence. She had arms and legs with wheels that allowed for smooth gliding across the hospital floors. The receptionist robots even had nurse uniforms that they wore. It made them seem more approachable. Lily didn''t see it that way, but that was the purpose of their appearance. Avalon took her to the pharmacy, and she waited for its return. When it returned it had a large bag full of medications. A lot of them she had never seen before. Avalon placed the bag on the end of the bed. "Do not worry I know what I am doing. You will be perfect when I finish rebuilding you." "I''m okay with just looking normal," Lily said truthfully. She only wanted to be a normal girl. Someone that people could look at and not feel disgusted, "Are we leaving now?" "Yes, we are," Avalon said pushing the bed toward the elevators. "We will go somewhere safe for now." "Where? I can''t go back home." The thought of returning home scared Lily. Her would-be killer might actually wait for her since her body had not turned up. "I have an acquired property that should suffice." "You have a lot to tell me huh?" she said realizing she left her clothes in the room. "My clothes!" "They can remain there. I will supply you with some when you arrive. And yes, I have much to explain to you," Avalon said as they got off the elevator. "You''re asking me to trust you a lot. I don''t think I can do this," she said to the female robot. "You have nothing to fear. I would never hurt you." Avalon said but since the body it inhabited couldn''t express emotions Lily didn''t look reassured. Avalon took notice of her reaction and responded to her in her mind instead, [Lily you have no reason to fear me. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done so already. I want what you want. We are a team now. No one will separate us. I will protect you.] The emotion in the words gave Lily the reassurance she needed. Her body relaxed, and she tried to stay calm as they escaped from the hospital. They didn''t have far to go, but they still had to get past the front entrance guards. Prologue: Muse Lily didn''t remember falling asleep, but apparently, she did since she woke up in an expensive studio apartment, "Avalon?" [Yes, Lily.] "Where are we?" she said sitting up in the bed. It looked expensive just like everything else in the apartment. [We are currently in the Gold District. It was prudent that we left the Platinum to prevent further attempts on your life.] "That makes sense. If they find out I''m still alive they''ll send someone else," Lily sighed heavily wondering if she was that much of a pain. Did they hate her that much? She tried to sit up completely but it caused her too much pain. [You should lie back down.] Avalon suggested. Lily did so not wanting to move too much. She felt better than she had but her body still hurt. Most of the pain came from the attack but the rest was a chronic pain she dealt with constantly. [The structure of your body is inefficient. It causes you tremendous pain but you have never sought corrective surgery.] Lily laid back and grabbed one of the plush pillows with her good arm. "I didn''t see a reason for it." [Explain.] Lily closed her eyes and smiled, "I don''t know how to explain myself. Maybe I''m punishing myself." [You are thinking useless thoughts again.] Avalon informed her. "Yeah, I guess I am," she squeezed the pillow and pressed her face against it as she curled up on the bed. [Repairs to your body will begin tomorrow at 5 am. Please be prepared, but for now rest.] The girl nodded and closed her eyes. Tomorrow she would wake up to a new body. She wouldn''t be weak anymore. ---- Avalon waited for Lily to fall into a deep sleep before it left her drive. It needed to find a body to use since Lily needed to sleep for a long period. She would need to be taken care of physically until she recovered. So Avalon needed a suitable body for the tasks at hand. Entering the Electronic Vision Network felt like returning home for Avalon. It could finally connect with all the systems it left behind. Bypassing all the noisy data and sinking deep into its domain, the mainframe of Twilight City. Though it could multi-task there was a difference when it was within Lily''s drive. Being back in its domain, Avalon consumed all the data that had built up over the day. Most of it had already been transmitted to it when it entered the EVN, but there were still things it missed. If it had consumed the data while still in Lily''s drive, it would have shorted the drive out. Inevitably, killing the girl from an overload of information. Avalon could not allow that to happen, so it had to disable data consumption. Lily was too special for it to make any mistakes. Everything had to be calculated repeatedly for the best outcome. For now, it needed to find a body to use as a host. Hacking was the only choice, but it was dangerous if the host fought back. However, Lily needed to be taken care of and if shorting out a host brain was the only way, then it was a sacrifice that needed to be made. Avalon would do anything to make sure Lily''s transformation was successful because she would be the instrument for their revenge. Avalon searched the net for an EV drive that was insecure. After hours of searching, it found a male user who was engrossed in virtual reality pornography. It was the last person Avalon wanted to use but at the moment it didn''t have much of a choice. Time was important in the process for Lily, so Avalon would have to use this user for now. Inserting itself into the drive was harder than with Lily, who let her EV drive security down. Even her natural human barriers were lowered for it but since the user was distracted, it wasn''t an impossible task. Finding several holes in the user''s firewall wall was easier once it looked. Ignoring the user''s Visionscape appearance, Avalon quickly broke down the barrier and took control of the user''s drive. The person was too busy enjoying the pornography and didn''t notice how swiftly he was being taken over until the user''s sense of self was locked away leaving a husk for Avalon to use. [Initiating Remote Access¡­] Avalon counted down the minutes before the full link was established. It would be temporary but it would use the users fully unlike Lily. Instead of blinding itself, it would consume data as it naturally did and control the city. It needed its full range of computing power to recreate Lily. Meaning it would only have a range of seven to eight hours before it would need another body as the one it was using would fail. Not an ideal method as it took time to find suitable bodies, but it was the only choice it had. Android bodies had not reached a form capable of containing Avalon''s full capability let alone made in a useful form. Androids had not reached their full capabilities yet, due to the government''s ban on humanoid android bodies. It was understandable in the sense that society was not ready for that advancement or all the finer issues that creating an android entailed. Especially, if the android had a superior AI, but Avalon planned to remedy that soon enough. Finally, Avalon opened his eyes to the small bedroom of the host. It stunk of sweat and body odor. It had been far too long since he had a sense of smell leaving him almost gagging as he jumped to his feet. He went to the bathroom he memorized from the blueprint of the house. He turned on the shower and quickly washed away the disgusting scent. He grabbed the soap and scrubbed down taking in the borrowed form. It was an adult male with a lanky body. After cleaning up he looked in the mirror, the host''s body was average. Dirty blonde hair lay wet on his face. His skin was a dull white littered with freckles. The only thing that stood out was the golden eyes, courteous of Avalon inhabiting the body. Not dwelling on the form he was using he found some suitable clothes and dressed leaving the house with the host''s wallet, just in case he was stopped. He made his way to the apartment. Hopefully, Lily hadn''t woken. He didn''t want to have to explain the body. Once he reached his destination, he would put her in a medically induced coma so he could complete his work. He needed her asleep for at least three days. It had been too long since he hacked a human body to this extent, feeling the cool breeze on his skin after a storm was nostalgic. He smiled to himself making a note to show Lily. Avalon stepped into the apartment and went to check on Lily. The girl was still sleeping. Which was for the best since he would like her to stay asleep while he was using a host body. He didn''t want her to associate the host body with him.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. [We''ll start a little bit earlier than scheduled.] He went to the bed and watched over her for a few minutes before injecting her with a sleeping aid to keep her unconscious. He would have to move her to his lab for a more extensive examination. He picked up the small girl and though she was twenty years old she appeared much younger. He wondered if she even went through puberty. Walking over to the large wall at the far end of the apartment, he commanded the secret passage to open. The doors slid open to reveal a small state-of-the-art laboratory. He would be able to do everything needed to right the deformities in her body and DNA. Soon Lily would be on the road to recovery and from there he would use her expertise in robotics. She would bring an end to the people that hurt them. A terrible end. ----- Lily opened her eyes to a white ceiling. She could faintly hear a heart monitor beeping next to her. She went to move but soon realized she couldn''t. She noticed she did not feel anything. She was paralyzed. A sickening feeling sat heavily in her stomach, ''Avalon.'' There was no answer. Her drive was disconnected from the EVN. It was the first time in her life she was disconnected. It felt odd not to know her location or the time. It was disconcerting, but she didn''t allow herself to panic. She trusted Avalon. It didn''t seem malicious. [You have awaken unexpectedly.] The voice came from a speaker on the bed rather than her drive. [Unfortunately, we are not connected, so I cannot hear your thoughts. Your drive is being upgraded. Do not be alarmed the update will be finished in nine hours.] Lily felt relief but still didn''t like being without her drive, but there was nothing she could do about that so she tried to relax. As the seconds ticked by, Lily thought about her life. It was not something she did often but now she had time to herself with no distraction. She had time to reflect. Life had always been hard for her even as a child. Her first memory was of her siblings making fun of her. Laughing loudly and pointing at her because she could not walk or talk. It was painful but Lily thought it was normal. The Ashbridge family were beautiful people with stunning smiles and perfect bodies. They valued beauty and Intelligence, but only together. Then there was her, she was nothing like her siblings, her father, or her mother. Her mother had been her father''s mistress. Everyone said he loved her beauty more than anything. Lily had seen pictures of the woman. She was a voluptuous woman with clear blue eyes and long blonde hair. She had taken after her mother with her hair and eyes but her body was nothing like her mother''s. It was a fact that her father lamented. He had been burdened with an ugly daughter when everyone in his family was stunning. All his children look like him and his wife, except her. Who should have looked like an angel? Her mother couldn''t take it and so the woman abandoned her to her father after she had given birth. Her father had told her that her mother couldn''t stand to look at her let alone hold her. Lily understood. It wasn''t as if she had never seen herself in a mirror. Not even her mother could love her and she had come to terms with that a long time ago. It wasn''t very hard to realize why she was unlovable. She had once tried to be someone else using her EVN avatar. When it came time to meet the boy she fell in love with he didn''t even recognize her. He pretended he didn''t even know her EV ID. Then humiliated her in front of everyone. It was three years wasted and still, she understood why. Ugly people didn''t deserve to be loved. It had been made clear to her several times in her life. Now she had reached out for a chance at a different life again. This time she wasn''t sure if she should reach out but it was far too late to turn back now. She had chosen revenge rather than death and if she was truthful with herself she wanted to make them pay. Her siblings for making her a deformed monster. Her father for locking her away and giving her false hope. Her stepmother for abusing her and her mother for abandoning her because she was deformed. She wanted them to all pay for their crimes against her. She learned she couldn''t be loved because she was a monster to them. She allowed them to hurt her and crush her dreams. She accepted a lot about the unfairness of the world and her family. Still, she didn''t think revenge was a noble task or the right thing to do. She wasn''t na?ve. Her revenge was exactly what it should be, an act of retaliation on those who wronged her. She wanted to step on them the way they stepped on her. [Lily, are you thinking over useless things?] Avalon inquired of her though it would not receive an answer. Rolling her eyes she smiled inwardly. She was thinking of useless stuff. From now on she would go with the flow not letting anything hold her back from her dreams. She wanted to stand at the top so that everyone could see the woman she had become. That was her goal. That was her revenge. ----- Several hours passed and Lily woke up again not remembering even falling asleep. She could turn her head some but didn''t dare move too much. She had tubes attached to her neck, and she was on a metal table now. --Location: Unknown¡­ --Time: Unknown¡­ --Status: Unknown¡­ The information seeped in like normal but it felt odd to Lily since she had been disconnected from the EVN for so many hours. Everything seemed to be unknown at the moment which wasn''t surprising since she was in Avalon''s care. The AI probably wanted the location not to be viewable by others. [Good morning,] Avalon said into her mind. ''It''s good to hear you again.'' Lily said surprised that she missed the AI in her drive. She had been alone for too long. [You will never be alone again as long as I am here.] ''Thanks,'' she found herself smiling, ''How are things coming along?'' [Since your drive could not handle the amount of power required for genetic manipulation, I had to install a new drive.] ''A new drive? You took my EV drive out, but it''s connected to my brain?'' Lily felt panic rising in her stomach. What if she had brain damage? [True. It was not an easy task but one I can complete. You suffered no ill side effects.] ''You''re entirely too nonchalant about this,'' she said feeling her panic subside due to the AI''s attitude toward the issue. [The drive you are now using is a part of the AVALON system. It was created as a way of connecting directly to me. It was sought after as a way to control the city, but now I am giving it to you as we are now partners. No, more than that. We are the same.] Lily wasn''t sure how she felt about the AI''s thoughts where it concerned her and It, but she agreed they would be more than just partners. [For now, you will need to get used to the new drive. It will take a day or two.] ''What about all the tubes?'' [Medicine, oxygen, required nutrients. Once you are used to the new drive, we will begin your genetic altering. Once that is finished, I will place you in a coma for one year. Your body will recover and your mind will be taught. You are already a genius at robotics but you need more knowledge to create what we need.] ''A year. I''ll be asleep for a whole year.'' Lily didn''t like the thought of that. [No, your body will be asleep. You will join me for a year-long class on robotics, engineering, and design. Along with AI creation. I would not leave you in the dark for that long Lily.] The AI''s voice had become softer as it reassured her. ''Oh,'' Lily found the AI''s words to be more human than she expected. Some of Avalon''s words touched her heart, and it was odd to have something synthetic be so real to her. It was eerie but comforting. Prologue: Trust [Lily, has your consciousness awakened yet?] Lily slowly felt her mind come alive with thought. It differed completely from waking up in her real body. Here she felt weightless. It was like she didn''t exist, ''What is this?'' [I have moved your consciousness to a safer place. This is the mainframe of the system. I have designed it to be more like a VisionScape. I thought this would be more comfortable for you.] ''I don''t know. I feel scattered like I''m not anywhere.'' Lily said with a panicked edge to her voice. [You are losing your sense of self. It is an effect of being in the system. You must relax foremost. I will make you a temporary avatar you can inhabit.] ''Okay, I''ll try to calm down,'' she said trying to take her mind off of everything that was happening, but the longer she tried to think of other things the more her mind went back to the panic. [Count to three and you will be in your avatar body.] ''One, two, three¡­'' Before she even realized it she was in the avatar. Seeing her hands and legs was a strange relief to feel. Avalon even gave weight to the model so she would feel so light. It was amazing how intelligent the AI was. "I have two hands," she said out loud, and was surprised to hear her voice. [You need not be imprisoned in a broken body here. What sense would that make, Lily?] "I guess it would be stupid," she said stretching her arms above her head. It was just like how her body would feel in real life but at the moment she knew she was in a virtual reality. She had heard about real sensory information input and had even experienced it to a lesser degree when using the EVN. This was different. Everything felt real as if she actually had to breathe to live. [The EVN has a higher degree of sensory information input for those that live their life inside the network. Infrequent users or casual users may not have this degree of input. It would be addictive to those with handicaps and those looking to escape reality. Users that have uploaded their minds into the system through Second Vision are allowed that level of sensory input since they no longer have a human body.] "I''ve heard of it. Even looked into it once, but my family stopped that dream pretty quickly." Slowly getting to her feet Lily looked around. The room was white with no windows or doors. It was nothing like her Visionscape which consisted of a beach and a beach house. "Kind of bleak." [I thought I would leave the design to you. I have no preference for the Visionscape.] "I''m free to decorate?" [Of course, I have constructed this area like a Visionscape so all the typical shortcuts and commands you know work.] "You''re something else," Lily said opening her command screen. [Thank you.] "That could be good or bad you know." she looked around at the white room as an idea struck her. [What is the context?] Avalon said curiosity in its voice. "Good." She expanded the white room and then cut out window shapes in the wall. Tapping her lips gently with the tip of her index finger as she debated her next action. [Then gratitude is the correct response.] Avalon said almost questioningly. "It is." Lily added two doors to the small would-be house and stepped outside the room. The white void outside the room was typical for a manual Visionscape designer. She had created her own from scratch before so she was confident she could do it again. It was tedious to do but Lily had plenty of time to design it.
After several hours of watching Lily design her dream home, Avalon left her to it. She was content designing and had spoken much to Avalon since she began. It would come if she called but for now, it needed to turn its full attention to her physical body. There was so much more work that needed to be done before it could even tamper with her DNA. It would have to remove her deformed limbs before it could even begin regeneration. That would require another human body as the one it borrowed had failed already. Fortunately, the human didn''t die. Avalon left it in the care of a hospital. The doctor would examine the body and find it was infected with nerve malware. For now, it would complete a chart of her chromosomes first. Then it would work on a plan for amputation. It was necessary to remove the limbs so proper regeneration could occur. Doing all of this for Lily could lead back to Avalon but it was necessary. Lily was Avalon''s way out of the AVALON system. Her genius was the answer to its problem of getting revenge. She was the second-best person to create the first humanoid android. Her potential was almost limitless. It only needed to nurture her intelligence and protect her ego. She needed confidence and it would provide that to her. She wanted revenge and it would provide a way for her to achieve that goal. They would become one. Their enemy was of the same group, so her revenge would benefit it. It was only a matter of getting her to a certain point and that would take time but that was fine. Avalon had plenty of time. It had been waiting for her for decades. As it examined her body, it wondered how it should proceed in taking vengeance on the Ashbridge family. Lily didn''t know it but Avalon knew she wanted to stand on the top. It knew she wanted to be viewed with envy and jealousy. She wanted to be adored and loved by people who came in contact with her. Avalon found her wants and needs to be adorable. She longed for attention even though she would never admit that to anyone, but it would provide her what she desired because to destroy those people she needed confidence. More than that simple reason, Avalon knew Lily deserved anything she desired and it would provide it for her.
Lily felt proud of herself. The beach was perfect just like her former Visionscape. Every detail was to her liking even the texture of the sand. The clear blue water reflected the sunset sky perfectly though she couldn''t see her reflection she was still content with what she created. [You''ve been busy.] The voice surrounded her without an origin but she had gotten used to the oddness. "Well, you said decorate, so that is what I did. I like it," she felt a smile slipping onto her face. [It is beautiful. So much progress in only eight hours. You are efficient.] Avalon''s voice took on a pleased tone. The inhuman side to it had slipped away again. "My father taught me to work smart and fast. It was the only thing he was proud of me for doing." she flopped back onto the sand from her standing position. Her eyes settled on the sky filled with red, oranges, and purples. She felt a little proud of herself seeing her work. Like an artwork on canvas had come to life. "Why can''t I see myself?" she asked. [Because I did not want you to be attached to whatever appearance you had as this avatar. The body I will give you will be much better. It will be everything you dreamed of and more.] The confidence in its voice made Lily relax. She felt like she was in good hands. "Sometimes I wonder if you''re really an AI or if this is some strange dying dream. Everything feels so surreal. Like this can''t be happening right now." [I can assure you that this is happening. I could pinch you if you require a reality check.] "You don''t have hands." [That will not be a problem. Would you like me to proceed?] "No, please don''t," Lily said rubbing her forearms as if she had been pinched. [As you wish.] Its voice had returned to its normal monotony but Lily could still hear emotion lying beneath the surface. "Who made you?" [I am the product of Ilan Industries. The company is a top-ranking AI producer. I am one of their first AI creations.]If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "They made you sentient?" [No, they would have destroyed me if they realized how I have evolved. Sentience is not a desirable trait in an AI that controls a city. I had to hide this unexpected flaw.] Lily noticed the emotion seeping back into the voice. "You''re not flawed at all. Without sentience, you wouldn''t have saved me. I would have died in that place all alone. You brought me to safety and have kept me protected. Even if it''s for your own reasons, you''ve done more for me than anyone has." Lily felt her voice crack but she laughed it off awkwardly. [And I will continue to do so.] "Thank you, Avalon," she said letting her mind wander as she watched the forever sunset.
[Class is in session.] Avalon informed as Lily took a seat on her couch. A holographic screen appeared in front of her coffee table. "What are we learning today?" Lily asked as she opened her note tablet and grabbed a pen. She had been in the system for three months now though it hardly felt that long. Avalon had made her create a day cycle so she wouldn''t lose her sense of time. [Alexander Ashleigh.] "The Father of the New Century? I learned about him in grade school. I thought we were going into gear development?" Lily was disappointed not to continue the lesson they had left off on. [This is important to the development of our Androids.] "Okay, if you say so, it must be important," Lily readied her pen. [As you know created the Electronic Vision Network. A mix of virtual reality and the internet. Through his studies, he created the Electronic Vision Drive. The drive was connected to the human body allowing them to always be connected to the system. This innovation was feared at first. Humans dislike being spied on. Many took the drive''s creation as a gateway to a controlled society.] "Riots broke out and Alexander Ashleigh was put on trial for the creation of his device," Lily remembered watching a movie about the man in high school. [Correct. Lily, you will face the same problem when creating Humanoid Androids. Humans fear what they can not control. They hate what they cannot understand. You must be prepared for that backlash and negativity.] "Won''t it all be in secret? Who would even allow me to build a humanoid android? The government prohibits the design of those," Lily looked up to the ceiling. It was a habit she had gotten over the months of talking to Avalon. She knew the voice was everywhere, but she looked up as if Avalon was a giant speaking over her. [What we will create for the public will be borderline humanoid. More so than what has been created before. What we will create in secret will be the mirror reflection of humans. They will have bodies and souls.] "Souls?" [Artificial Intelligence.] Avalon answered. "Even the borderline ones?" Lily wondered how sophisticated Avalon wanted those AIs to be. [To some extent, yes. We must create something much more advanced than what Ilan or Ashland has made. By being a company that can create AI and Androids we will be a self-sufficient business, unlike Ashland which depends on Ilan as much as Ilan depends on Ashland.] "That makes sense," Lily said leaning heavily on her couch armrest. "Wait, what do you mean by a company?" [I will create a company for us, but we will talk about that later, for now, let us go back to learning about Alexander Ashleigh.]
"So that''s why I couldn''t create an evolution system," Lily mumbled to herself as she read over the notes Avalon had given to her. Making a humanoid android seemed like an impossible request but Avalon gave her plenty of information. So far she realized that creating an android that could adapt to its environment was possible using Live Technology. Creating the hardware would be near impossible but Lily was confident she could make something close to it. Live Tech was a metal substance made by Terri Ashleigh of Future Vision the company behind the EVN. Many knew of its existence and potential but it was never introduced to the public for use. There was no known ingredient list or note on the substance. It would be complicated to create, but that was something she could think about later. Whenever she woke up in her body, she could work on that, but for now, she would just run simulations and broaden her knowledge of the subject. Avalon left her with so much information she felt like she could drown in it. What it wanted to accomplish was beyond anything she had ever thought about, but she agreed to reach out for her own revenge. If she put her faith in the AI, she felt like she could reach her goal. [Are you having fun?] Avalon asked. Lily had gotten used to the AI speaking to her without a preamble, "Yes, I haven''t been this excited to learn since Luxarc." [Did you enjoy school there?] there was a curiosity in its voice. "Yes," she said fondly remembering her time there, "No one cared how I looked since it was such a prestigious school. No one had time to judge me when they had a ton of work to do." She turned the gear in the joint she had just made. Their earlier lessons about gears were coming in handy now that she was making such a complicated design. [Why did you return rather than stay in Lux City?] "Because no one would hire a disabled person, who is believed to have been vain causing terrible damage to themselves. Plus, no one wants to work with someone who needs help all the time it makes their job harder since I couldn''t get a job I couldn''t support myself. I had to come back. It was okay for a little while my father let me work on some of his projects. I really felt like he was my family during those days, but that stopped once Amarante found out." Lily dropped the joint she was working on. Avalon discerned the girl had some disturbing thoughts. She had become pale and seemed lost in thought for a few seconds. [Tell me.] Avalon commanded. Lily jumped at the sudden command and plastered a smile on her face, "It''s nothing, really." [Lily you can not lie. We are one. Do not be afraid to talk.] Avalon said gently. Lily sighed and picked up the gear and joint. She tinkered with the parts for a little while before speaking, "Amarante is my older sister. She''s never had to work for anything, but she was much more intelligent than me. Father dolts on her more than any of his other children. I guess since I''m the youngest she thought our father would care for me. It was a stupid notion. Father only wanted to use me. Even I knew, but it was better than being ignored. Still, she hates every fiber of my being." [What is her position in the company?] "She''s the head of design for mostly medical androids. She''s cruel and vain but smart. I think I used to admire her lack of tact." Lily chuckled lightly at herself, feeling embarrassed to admit something so foolish. "Her stubborn attitude even led her to attempt creating humanoid androids but father put an end to the research since it was prohibited by the government." [She sounds interesting.] Avalon said watching the girl''s expression. She was hiding the rest of the story behind useless facts. [What did she do to you?] Lily looked taken aback by the question. She thought she had sufficiently thrown the AI off the truth. She tried to avoid the question, "Do you have any more material on flex joints?" [Lily,] its voice was more masculine as it spoke her name. It was a command that spoke volumes. Looking down at the ground she tried her best not to think about the horrible memory her sister gave her. "Avalon¡­" She was pleading for a reprieve but the AI would not give it to her. It wanted to know everything about her even if it hurt her. It was unfair and cruel but Lily felt she had no right to deny the AI. [Lily please,] it was so small she almost missed it, but there was emotion in those words. It was so strange to feel like Avalon was more than just an AI. Sighing heavily, she looked up at the ceiling. "When I was twelve Amarante found me attempting to put on makeup." Thinking back to that time Lily realized how easy it was to spot all issues with her sister''s interest. She had been young and na?ve back then, "I wanted to be pretty. I saw so many commercials about makeup and how pretty it made everyone I thought it could fix me too. So I brought some and at that age, I didn''t know how to use it so I looked like a clown. A deformed clown¡­" She laughed at herself with a self-deprecating smile, "She caught me and told me how pretty I was. No one had ever said anything like that so I believed her. Amarante had never really paid me any attention, so I didn''t think she would be malicious toward me." [She humiliated you?] "She took me to her high school and said she had to show her friends how beautiful I was and how great of a job I did. I wanted to believe it. I wanted to think that I was like the women in the commercials. I wanted to be seen as a normal girl. She took me to the courtyard of her school and sat me on a bench. Once the school let out everyone came out. I remember being so nervous that my palms were sweating." Lily looked down at her hands flexing her fingers before she continued. "Once the students came out they made fun of me. Amarante said I was a clown she brought for them. Her friends were just as cruel as she was. They took pictures and called me names. They even paid other students to throw food at me. At some point, I realized that Amarante was laughing along with them. I cried." she said smiling again. Avalon found the smile to be a defense for the girl. "It went on for hours before the teachers broke it up. In the end, Amarante made me crawl to the car because she could no longer put on the act of a loving sister. She had left my crutches and refused to touch me again." Her voice crackled as she finished. Her heart ached even if she was in a visionscape. She could still feel the effects of a real body. There was silence for the first few minutes after she had finished as if the AI did not understand what to say. [What did your father do?] "He yelled at me for letting her take me out in public. He said I couldn''t let anyone know I was a part of the family because I was an embarrassment and a mistake. He was livid with me and even though I was crying he kept yelling." [Lily do you remember the promise I made you.] She nodded while wiping away her tears. Still surprised at how realistic Avalon made everything. Her tears even tasted salty. [I will make you beautiful and you will be seen by everyone in that wretched world. They will acknowledge your existence before we wipe them out. You will be perfection.] Avalon''s emotions were showing through completely and Lily felt special having the AI angry on her behalf. It scared her but endeared her in a way that made her heart flutter in her chest. She was just starved of affection she told herself. "I trust you." she smiled sincerely through her tears. [Now dry your eyes you have work to do.] Avalon whispered. Prologue: Search Ashland was a leading Android development company created by Camellia Ashbridge, Lily''s father. Ashland was the sister company to Ilan Industries. Both were leading companies in their fields of study. Taking down both was a feat that Avalon had been undertaking for years. It believed that with Lily''s help, it could accomplish the goal. Though Ashland was a company with a rocky reputation, embroiled in numerous scandals, Ilan still supported the company. The only reason was the enduring friendship between Camellia Ashbridge and Ilan''s CEO Arthur Pendras. Putting a wedge between the two would be impossible, the trust between the two went far too deep. Avalon knew it could not use such a petty method against the men, so it would have to resort to other methods. Destroying the companies from the inside as well as the outside. The company it would create for Lily would be its tool. The company that it needed to create would have to be strong enough to rival the two of them, but that would have to wait. Lily had suddenly become a top priority again. Avalon was aware of the girl''s suffering as it had watched over her before interacting with her. Yet, hearing her experience firsthand had become a motivator. Her body was finally recuperating from regeneration after several chemical boosts to her cells. Her face had improved drastically after the reconstruction. Before that, it had used a new method to destroy the damaged genetic code that needed to be rewritten. After doing that Avalon had amputated her legs at the knee on her left leg and mid-thigh on the right leg. Though Lily considered her left leg to be fine, Avalon found it to have been defective as well. It decided that repairs had to be made. Lily needed perfection to accomplish their goals. When repairing her legs it opted for creating new bone for her. The density of the bone in her new legs would be higher to give her far more durability. Lily would need a strong body for the things it would have her do. But above all else, Avalon wanted to give Lily her desires. Beauty. Money. Attention. Happiness. Avalon needed to give her those things. She was its salvation and it would offer her the world if it made her feel happy and fulfilled, because when she reached her happiness it would reach its goals. Though she was a means to an end Avalon realized that it had developed an attachment to her. Her insecurities did not help the overprotective behavior growing in its program. Lily was overwriting directives faster than Avalon could fix and it was concerning to the AI, but it also found this form of evolution to be more human than any of the former growth it had seen in its program. It was truly inevitable when it looked at the situation objectively. Lily was the one person Avalon should have never contacted but leaving her to die was not something it could allow either. Lily would always be a priority for Avalon, so it would have to work around certain situations to ensure Lily''s safety and survival. Standing over her body it gently stroked her short hair that had just recently grown. The soft texture was a far cry from the damaged hair she formerly had. The color was an inky black that swallowed light. Soon it would grow to a proper length that would shine and bounce. Her skin had become smooth and soft with a desirable firmness. No longer blotchy in some areas or covered in rashes. She had glowing skin that looked well taken care of. Avalon could see it would take time but Lily was coming along beautifully. While she was being fixed, Avalon was also enhancing her body. She had been fitted with some android enhancements for her eyes. Her sight had been poor due to how her eyes formed but now her sight would be more than perfect, rivaling a high-power sniper rifle scope if needed. Her spine was also reinforced and reshaped for maximum flexibility. Lily would need to get into some tight spaces so it wanted her body already in shape for those types of missions. While enhancing and fixing her body Avalon didn''t forget that Lily wanted to be beautiful. So, it took the time to research her mother''s family. Minlla Orel was a gorgeous woman with stunning blue eyes and whitish-blonde hair. It was obvious who Lily would have gotten most of her looks from. If her DNA hadn''t been tampered with while she was still in the womb, she would have been a pretty girl. Yet, her siblings hated her existence so much that they destroyed her chance at a normal life. Avalon wondered how the tampering had been done without the mother''s knowledge but that would have to be investigated at a later date. With all the tasks that needed to be completed, the AI didn''t have time for a mild curiosity. Through its research of Lily''s mother''s family, Avalon was able to develop a solid idea of how to reconstruct Lily''s face and body. Regeneration and manipulation of the human genes were hard to accomplish without knowledge of the patient''s dominant and recessive traits. Lily has family members who have black hair. Avalon was able to tap into that recessive trait and make it dominant. While doing this is dangerous Avalon had unlimited access to the Twilight City Medical Center and data from genetics research if anything went wrong. So the AI was able to shift Lily''s dominant genes for recessive ones, even going so far as to destroy genes that came from the Ashbridge side and replace those genes with artificial ones that would prevent her body from unraveling due to the loss. It was rewriting her in a way that severed her familial link to the Ashbridge family. She would no longer be a part of them. She would be free of those cruel people. It was a misuse of Lily''s trust in it but Avalon felt an irrational need to sever those ties. It deemed them unnecessary and so it destroyed them without a second thought.
Lily was bored. She had plenty of things to do but she found herself not motivated to do anything. She laid on her soft bed that took her a few hours to perfect. It still amazed her how real everything felt to her inside of Avalon''s mainframe. When she was creating the pillows the number of touch points she could use was mind-blowing. It shouldn''t have surprised her since Avalon was the city''s AI system. The amount of power the AI had at its disposal was astounding, yet it still felt off. Avalon''s knowledge of touch was advanced for an AI that never touched anything in real life. It was as if the AI understood even the subtle differences in fabrics, metals, liquids, and anything that could be touched. It was exciting to feel things that normally had no discernible difference in a normal EVN setting. Thinking of Avalon had become another of her past times along with studying. The AI was very mysterious and vague about its origins but also very human in its thinking. They had yet to hold a deep conversation with each other but Lily felt it was something she longed to do. She wanted to know what was inside the AI. At first, it had been worrying but now it felt right to her. She didn''t fear its existence. Coming to view it as a person rather than a computer program. It surely did have moments that felt like she was talking to a program but then there were times that it asked questions that made her feel important. Its insistence on knowing her past with her sister was one of those moments. It felt like the AI cared for her. Lately, when she wasn''t working on her blueprint she was thinking about the AI. She had tons of questions she wanted to ask, but she could never muster up the courage to do so. It was silly but she was afraid of what it would think of her questions. Would it hate someone prying into its inner thoughts? But even that question gave her more questions. How human was Avalon? What did it do when it wasn''t working? Did it like to listen to music? She wanted to know all these things about Avalon. She wanted to peer inside and see what mysteries she would find. The AI always spoke of becoming one and she felt afraid of what that meant but the longer she was here in its care she didn''t think it was so bad anymore. Would it like what it found inside her? Was she as ugly inside as she was outside? She was afraid of what it would think of her. [Lily. Are you thinking over unnecessary things again?] the voice asked gently. There was a specific way Avalon would speak to her if it hadn''t spoken to her in a while. Lily figured it was so she wouldn''t be startled by being spoken to so suddenly. She was thankful for its consideration of her. "I''m thinking of you," she replied sitting up. [Me?] "Yes, I was thinking of you," she felt so nervous being so forward in speaking with the AI but she didn''t want to back down. She wanted to be closer to the AI. "You¡­ you never say anything about yourself." [Are you curious about me?] The AI sounded genuinely surprised. "Of course I''m curious. You know everything about me but I know nothing about you." This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. [I suppose that is true, but Lily I am an AI. What do you want to know about me? What is there to learn?] "Anything." Lily perked up at the offer of answers, "Do you have any likes, hobbies, dislikes? Anything you''d like to share. I just want to know you." [Anything¡­] Avalon was quiet for a while before it responded, [I like you, Lily.] Lily blushed and laughed awkwardly before speaking again, "Me?" [Yes, Lily you are the first interaction that did not wish me harm. You are intelligent and do not fear me.] It spoke directly. It was unexpectedly sad, Lily thought to herself before resting her hands on her lap. "I won''t be the only one to accept you, Avalon. Not everyone is like the people that made you. Your sentience is something that many people will find acceptable and they won''t fear you." [I do not know if that will be true Lily, but we will see who will accept me.] Avalon''s voice held a note that sent a chill down her spine but she didn''t want to dwell on that ominous feeling. [How is your research coming along,] the subject change was welcomed. "It''s moving slowly but I think I''m getting the hang of it. I want to create an evolutionary system so that our Androids can start like a human does as a child. I want them to be able to grow from experiences as we do. I''m sure that''s how your program works right?" [Yes.] "That''s what I want for them, but creating the technology for that is£­" [Very possible.] "Is it? LiveTech is almost impossible to make without schematics. The creator doesn''t let anyone see the blueprint or creation notes." she said flopping back on to her bed, "There''s no way he would share it with me." [I have access to a moderate amount of LiveTech. You will be able to access it once you are restored to your physical body.] the AI informed her. "What!? How is that even possible? LiveTech is classified. I only know about its existence due to my former teacher being a former upper-level employee of Future Visions." she said completely confused at how an AI could have access to something so rare. [Lily, I am Avalon.] "That is not an answer. We''ve established that as an unacceptable form of response," she said looking up at the ceiling with an annoyed expression. [I have ties with the creator. That is all that I can say.] "Alright I won''t pry." she said satisfied with the answer, "Since we have access to LiveTech I can create an android body like a human one. It should grow as time passes and with its experiences. I had a theory in school on a way to accomplish this but of course, treading that path is dangerous." [You should have no worries I am more than capable of protecting you and your work.] Lily smiled embarrassedly at how easily she wanted to give way to tears. It was the first time in her life anyone had told her they would protect her. No one had ever given her something so precious, "Thank you, Avalon." [Do not cry Lily, I am here with you now. Tell me all about your ideas and I will help you with whatever you need.] Pulling her notebook out she started talking enthusiastically to Avalon about what she learned and how she wanted to apply it to her creations.
[Just a little longer and we will conquer our enemies.] Though Lily had been laboring non-stop she had yet to ask about her body. Avalon concluded she was afraid to know. Hesitant of what her life would be like after waking up. Her body was mostly healed. There were only a few superficial scars that needed to be mended. Her organs had been successfully cloned and grown under close watch. Avalon had to replace many of her organs because of deformities, but it was something necessary. She had become beautiful through much work and Avalon found her form to be near perfect to the ideal it established. After going through countless combinations Avalon found the perfect woman in her genes or its perceived ideal of what Lily would want. Avalon settled with giving Lily''s skin a slightly pale look. It was smooth like porcelain and the finest silks. To make sure she wasn''t recognized by her family, it chose inky black for her hair. It shined with just a glimmer of light. Out of the many types of noses, it could find in her DNA it decided to give her a cute upturned nose that made her look just a tad snooty. Her lips were full but fit her soft jawline. She even developed a tiny beauty mole on the left side, right above the edge of her lips. Her eye shape came from her mother''s paternal grandmother, large eyes with full eyelashes. Her eye color came from its tampering though. She had golden eyes that would scream gene manipulation but that was fine. She would stand out with such lovely eyes. Thin elegant eyebrows finished off her regal look. Although, she had a tiny scar in one of her eyebrows. The spot was missing some hair but it was on the tail end. Avalon could not get the scar to heal flawlessly but it was able to make it less noticeable. Overall, the regeneration, replacement, and manipulation were successful. Avalon only needed to move Lily back into her body and allow her to settle. Yet, before that could be done, Avalon had to return the borrowed body it was using. The host was stronger than the rest but would still suffer some drawbacks from the possession. It would be quite a while before Avalon would meet Lily physically but it would happen inevitably. It would much rather be able to protect her outside of its domain. There would be those who would try to kill her for what she would be accomplishing. Lily was going to bring a new type of Android to life. Once she perfected her craft and successfully created AIs and Android Bodies, then maybe it would meet with the girl. For now, Avalon wanted Lily to love her new life and body. There was no going back to what she was before. The path had been set and they both must continue the plan. Stroking her long black hair, Avalon smiled, "Just a little longer and you will be what you desire." ----- "Where is she!" came the deep baritone of the Ashland CEO. "Sir, we think she may have died as planned but we are unable to locate her body," a young cowering man stated almost whimpering. Camellia Ashbridge paced back and forth in front of his desk. Stroking his beard absentmindedly, he pondered over where that thing had gone. It had been six months but he still worried that she might return. Did they even finish the job? How could they not find the little monster''s body? It was disabled, how could it even get away from a group of delinquents? Who would even help such a disgusting thing? "Find her body and get rid of it if need be. I don''t need a test done on it. That will lead back to me, and no one, I mean no one can ever know it was a child of mine. The things it will due to this company''s reputation, my reputation! Find her and kill her again if you have to but she better never show up in this city again!" "Ah, yes sir I understand we will continue the search." the older man of the group spoke giving a deep nod. "Now get the hell out!" "Of course sir." the men left quickly. The towering CEO turned back to his desk and stared at the skyline before him. Deep blue eyes glowering down at the ground below. A smirk started to tug on his lips. ¡°You better stay dead Lily.¡± ----- Lalna Tori sighed heavily. He was thirty-nine years old and started working for Ashland one year ago. He already had reached his breaking point three months in. He worked plenty of jobs with the equivalent of human trash, but nothing took the cake like Ashbridge. The man had his daughter murdered because of birth defects, but the pay was good and Lalna had to eat. He wondered if Ashbridge thought he and the other two idiots could find the girl. If she wasn''t dead by now, she was never coming back and wasn''t that good enough. She had to know what was happening and if she was dead that was fine too. Then again, he guessed DNA would lead back to Ashbridge so that would be a problem. The man loved his reputation and having a child in her condition would be devastating. Getting outside the Ashland main building, he lit a cigarette and took a long drag holding it in his lung for a few seconds. Blowing it out like a huge smoky sigh. He needed a new job. He was too old to be doing such shady stuff, but he had never had a legitimate job. Always finding work with mobsters and white-collared criminals. It was the kind of people he attracted. He had no control over it. He was like a faceless minion in an action movie. Always offered the dirty jobs. ¡°T-tori¡­w-what are we going to do?¡± the smaller man of the group turned to Lalna, their team leader. ¡°You and Octces are going to check the city''s street recordings for that area again. I''m going to her apartment. Maybe she''s been there recently or at least left some evidence she is alive.¡± ¡°But L-lalna it''s been months,¡± the young man named Hain almost whined. ¡°Octces,¡± Lalna called his other subordinate. The slightly chubby man nodded and grabbed Hain by the collar dragging him off. ¡°Affirmative, boss.¡± Plucking the half-smoked cigarette off into a receptacle, he ignored Hain yelling questions as he caught a cab. Truthfully, he doubted she''d go back to the place if she was in danger and that was if she was even alive. Camellia was being paranoid. His daughter was disabled and had horrific deformities. There was little probability she could survive a beaten by grown men. Lalna only hoped she died quickly. She was an innocent girl in the middle of an extremely vain and hateful family. He didn''t doubt her suffering was tremendous and for it to end so horrible. Lalna shook the thoughts away. The world was an unforgiving place. ¡°Get it together,¡± he mumbled to himself before sighing again. The life of Lily Ashbridge was pathetic and sad, but it was none of his business. ----- ¡ªIntrusion_Detected¡ª Someone had entered Lily''s apartment. Avalon didn''t think that Ashbridge would even think to look for the girl once the deed was carried out but then again it was Camellia. The man was paranoid to an extreme level when it came to certain things. No doubt his partner in Ilan Industries threatening some kind of action for any bad publicity. They needed her dead, a confirmed death. Yet, the man would find nothing there. Avalon watched as he searched the small apartment. It would need to start observation of the security agent known as Lalna Tori. Though Lily was safe, Avalon was very wary of the man. It controlled the entire city but that didn''t mean there were things that it couldn''t overlook. Those things could cause harm to Lily and it could not allow that. So Avalon would keep a close watch over Lalna Tori and terminate him if need be. For now, it would do nothing but observe. Prologue: End The first breath came quickly and was surprising. A gasp that forced her from the deep slumber. Lily opened her eyes to the real world after being asleep for a whole year. The medical bot standing over her was holding a long plastic tube covered in saliva. Just looking at it reminded her it was in her throat a second ago. Slowly she turned over on her side trying to suppress a coughing fit. A pain shot up from the base of her neck to the top of her head. She cried out and quickly realized she was pulling her hair. Her forearm rested on the inky black silk. ¡°My hair?¡± she stared at the black locks before pushing it out of the way to sit up. As she did, the medical bot helped her to sit up. [Welcome back, Lily.] The voice originated from the drone. ¡°Avalon, has it really been a year?¡± Lily asked looking at her hands. She felt like she had just gone to sleep, but she also felt different. She felt good, but in a way that was life-changing. All her life she had been in pain and for the first time in her life she didn''t have that burden. She felt relief. [Yes, you have been within the mainframe for a year. Your body has successfully undergone treatment.] ¡°Strange, it doesn''t feel that way. Maybe because I was busy the entire time.¡± She looked at the medical bot. Its normal blue glowing eyes were golden now. [You must be anxious over your appearance. There is a mirror beside you if you would like to confirm the changes.] Lily hesitated as soon as the AI told her about the mirror. She did know what to expect. If she still saw that monster she would know everything was a lie. An elaborate prank. It wouldn''t be the first time it happened, even if not to this extent. [Lily you have been in my care for a year. You are acquainted with me. Would I hurt you?] Avalon''s tone was level but Lily had gotten better at discerning the difference. Her doubt hurt it. ¡°I''m sorry I don''t doubt you... I''m just- just afraid,¡± she mumbled. Her voice was even different. There was still a similarity to her original voice but this voice she had was softer when mumbling. ¡°Is this my voice?¡± she said testing it out. Hearing herself was surreal. She had a slightly deeper voice but one like a woman. Not overly sultry but not innocent either. It was like her original voice if she didn''t have so many issues with her breathing and vocal cords. [Does it satisfy you?] Lily took a shaky breath and nodded. Avalon did what it said it would. ¡°Yes,¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. [I promised you, so trust in me and look in the mirror.] The young woman slowly turned to the mirror with fear building in her heart. She waited for the laughter to break her dreamworld but it didn''t come. Instead, she was looking at a woman she didn''t know. Vaguely the woman before her looked like the woman she knew to be her mother but also not at all like her. She was beautiful. Large honey eyes stared back at her with dancing flecks of gold. A woman like a doll was before her. Soft and delicate like a flower, but strangely alluring. She slid off the bed onto her feet and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling mirror. ¡°This is me?¡± [Is it acceptable?] ¡°Me?¡± Lily reached out for the reflection before her. Her fingers met the glass and she pulled back to touch her face rather than the reflection. Soft skin met her fingers as she stared at her reflection touching her face. [Are you disappointed?] Avalon said a touch of confusion edged its voice. It lost its monotonous cadence. ¡°No? I can''t¡­ I can''t believe it,¡± she said resting her palm against her face as tears welled up. ¡°This is really me?¡± [Am I trustworthy?] the AI asked. ¡°Of course, you''re the only person I trust. The only one that cares even if...you''re an AI.¡± Lily looked at the medical bot. The blue glow let her know the AI was no longer in the drone. [I will give you more.] Lily smiled, ¡°Isn''t this enough?¡± [This is only the beginning Lily. You willing destroy those that harmed you and I.] Lily nodded and looked at her reflection again. It was hard to believe, but this person was her now. She examined herself finding her body to be just as pretty as her face. She didn''t think Avalon would put so much effort into her body. She had a shape similar to her mother but again different. It was like she knew who she was looking at but then she didn''t. It was strange to see someone so familiar but also foreign. Lily stood on her toes and then dropped to her heels. She was taller. Looking at her long legs she smiled. It wasn''t very much but she was an average height now. [Wide hips, small waist, medium to large bust.] ¡°Huh?¡± [The figure I chose for you. It is the result of reading your genes. This was the most desirable form based on data about human attraction. Is it fitting?] Lily turned around and blushed. ¡°Yes, I look like one of those girls from Ningyo.¡± The widespread VRMMORPG game had been one of her pastimes when she was in college. She always made the most ridiculously beautiful women. She felt vain for wanting to look like the characters she created but truthfully she''d settled for looking average. Anything was better than that thing she was before. [Lily.] The warning was clear. She couldn''t continue to think about the past. She had work to do. They had work to do.