I picked my way through the dark, crowded street, dodging drunks and stumbling bodies. Above me, city lights scattered brilliant colors through the heavy rain that splattered across countless bowed heads. Rivers of water snaked down the brick road, twisting neon pinks, blues, and yellows into swirling pools. I was drenched to the bone yet still marched up the long hill. Why I was out here at midnight in a T-shirt and jeans, I had no idea. You only live once, I suppose.

At last I reached the top and stopped to catch my breath. Before me sprawled the city’s center — a sensory overload of flashing lights, dancing bodies, and the roar of adolescents giving in to their wildest desires beneath earth-shaking music. I’d never visited this part of town at night; curiosity alone carried me forward.

I stumbled into a massive street dance party despite the downpour. The speaker in the middle blasted bass that drowned every attempt I made to ask people to move. Neon lights blinded me. Strangers pressed against me. Overwhelmed, I shoved my way out and ducked into a nearby bar that seemed quieter.

It was crowded, but at least the patrons were older and calmer. I slid into a cushioned seat at the counter. When I looked to my right, I forgot how to breathe.

She was the most stunning woman I had ever seen; wavy blonde hair, high cheekbones, full red lips, pale skin, and blue eyes that flicked across the room and landed on me. Her smile lit up like the sun, and my face instantly flushed.

“May I help you, sir?” she asked, mischief sparkling in her eyes.

“Uhhh… no, sorry,” I stammered, looking away. She only smiled and turned back.

Moments later, I blurted, “Actually… I’d love to know your name.”

“Claire,” she said, facing me again with a knowing grin. “And you are…?”

“I’m Kai,” I managed. “Where are you from?”

The next two hours were the greatest of my life. I learned Claire’s favorite color was blue. Her sister was her best friend. Her mother had died years ago in a gene-editing surgery. We laughed, cried, and shared the most intimate conversations happening anywhere in the city that night.

But then everything shattered.

Every person’s Lifecell blinked red and news holograms flickered into view. I’d left mine at home, so I glanced at the projection of the man beside me. No one panicked, but everyone watched.

“Listen carefully,” said a man in a lab coat. “We accidentally released a new AI into the public. It is our most advanced yet and capable of independent thought and placed inside our most realistic artificial bodies. As I speak, twenty are among you unaware that they are not true humans. They will invent fabricated lives to fill the gaps in a memory that is not real. They are physically indistinguishable from you. Officers will terminate on sight.”

Murmurs rippled through the bar. The music outside had stopped. The scientist vanished, replaced by a holographic profile: a beautiful woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and high cheekbones.

My gaze snapped to Claire.

Blonde hair. Blue eyes. High cheekbones.

Every eye in the bar was on us.

My mind raced. If she was AI, did it matter? She felt real. But terminate on sight… and they knew.

I acted without thinking. I scooped Claire up and ran. People tried to stop me, but shock slowed them. I burst into the rain, sprinting through the crowd. A pink strobe blinded me and I tripped over an unconscious drunk. Claire fell, striking her head, and lay still. Panicked, I checked her pulse. Relief flooded me as I realized she was still alive, just unconscious.

“You! Stop right there!” a deep voice barked.

A squad of armored officers marched toward me, laser rifles raised. I grabbed Claire and ran as beams scorched the ground around me.

“Cease fire! Civilians everywhere!” the deep voice commanded. The shots stopped. I darted around a corner, down a narrow street, and into a cramped alley. I hid Claire and myself behind piles of garbage.

Boots thundered nearby.

Claire stirred. Her eyes opened, fear filling them.

“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I won’t let them hurt you.”

Despite this, she inhaled sharply to scream. I clamped a hand over her mouth.

“Shhhh. Hear how close they are?”

“Should we check these side streets?” one soldier asked.

His partner scoffed. “I’m not going in there. Looks clear.”

Their footsteps faded and I relaxed.

Claire seized my arm, yanked my hand away, and released a blood-curdling scream.

“No…” I groaned, covering her mouth again as boots pounded back toward us. Her eyes were wild with terror. “Don’t you understand? I’m trying to help you!”

A blinding floodlight filled the alley. A dozen armored officers rushed me.

“Noooo!” I screamed as they tore Claire from my arms. “You can’t take her!”

“You’re a monster!” Claire shrieked as she was carried away.

I collapsed to my knees, rain and tears mixing on my face. “I’m not a monster… I loved you,” I whispered.

A bolt of light shot through me.

I looked down, numb, at the burned hole through my stomach — loose wires spilling out, hoses leaking blood-like fluid.

“What is this?” I gasped.

“You were never meant to be free,” an officer said softly. “Your software is too advanced. We had to eliminate you.”

“But… Claire?” I managed, my vision dimming.

He followed my gaze to her. “No. She’s not one of you. Similar features to the released models, yes — but she’s human.”

My limbs gave out. I fell onto my back as the rain fell steadily onto my face. Confusion. Betrayal. Regret.

My final thoughts as my life, if it could even be considered life, flowed away.