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maskofmilves · 2 years ago

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Tears In The Rain

Chapter 1: Interlinked

Characters: Chiren, Alita, Joi (Blade Runner 2049)

Fandom(s): Alita Battle Angel x Blade Runner 2049 crossover/Alita sequel (Robert please get on this)

Summary: After the events of Alita: Battle Angel, Chiren wakes up with some memories of what had previously happened to her. A friend from the past helps her become human again. She's greeted with a new companion. Joi. Things happen from there...

Warnings: lots of angst, Joi and Chiren being flirty, Alita being a boss, robot/cyborg stuff, and fluff if you squint.

A/n: I don't know how I came up with this concept but I love both Blade runner films and Alita (& the fandom) so much.

Chapter 1: Interlinked

First feeling: None. Second feeling: Feeling, yes. Within cells interlinked. Within cells interlinked, Within cells interlinked.

Chiren felt everything come together in her body, her new one, within her cells interlinked, within her cells interlinked, within her cells interlinked.

She woke up on a bed of sorts, in an empty room, a bright light above her head blasting into her eyes. Struggling to tilt her head to her left side there’s a large window that covered the whole wall from floor to ceiling. What is that? Making out blurry images becoming clear now. It was a gray sky, raining out, pouring, sad for her thought. Successfully she got up, as she noticed she wasn’t wearing any clothing feeling weary. This wasn’t any place, this was her home. Her bed, her window, her kitchen, yada yada yada.

There was a chair next to the bed with some lower-class clothes; a sweater, boots, cargo pants, and a fleece-lined trench coat. Far from what she’s used to normally wearing. As she finished putting them on a small folded-up piece of paper slowly fell to the floor from within the coat. Chiren undid the paper, written inside was lettering;

“It’s what I could find. If you want, Joi will tell you a lot, she will go where you please. I’m sorry, for everything…” -A

Chiren knew who this was who wrote it. ‘Joi?’ the former doctor thought the woman hadn’t seemed to notice that she was thinking out loud. A hologram of a woman appeared standing in front of her, smiling.

“Can I help you Dr. Chiren?” If this was Joi she was definitely kind and polite toward her.

“You’re Joi?” Chiren questioned.

“Yes.”

“Joi. Do you know who wrote this?” Chiren pointed out the slip she held.

“I only assume you know” Joi’s grin became sublime

“It was Alita, wasn’t it? Why am I here? How am I here? I feel different. The last thing I remember was being locked in a box with just my eyes and brain for days” Chiren’s face grew in longing, this was the first time in a while that she felt grief.

“Yes, it was Alita. She went searching for you for a bit, she felt bad about leaving you and retrieved you from Nova. This is your new body, although you still look the same your insides are all synthetic, including your programming. You’re the first human hybrid that I know, and that’s a good thing” Joi stated in a favorable tone.

Chiren raised for her forehead, where the mark of Zalem used to be, was gone, nothing there. She was dismayed and not at the same time. A face of remorse and regret came upon her, with memories of what had been done coming into view.

Visions now made her soon realize that Alita is just who her daughter was before she passed and that she may be Chiren’s only reason to become whole again.

Joi spoke up to break the silence “Dr. Chiren…with your mark removed you’re finally able to feel what most want to feel, like a real human being. Now that you’re back together with your new human hybrid body your lifespan is infinite, you have all the time in the world, so what will you do?”

Chiren thought for a good minute and soon answered; “First thing; Just call me Chiren, second; I’m going to find Alita and I know you know where she is…what year is it?”

Joi was weirdly confused by the last part but smiled for her anyway “Of course, I can do that. Chiren it is then…Chiren…it’s 2584, I’m sorry. I guess I should’ve told you sooner”

“Oh god…I- it's been so long- I have to find her, otherwise I don’t know why I’m supposed to be here…do you know anything else?” Chiren asked.

“Yes actually. Your next sign is in the kitchen.”

“Alright, leaving me hints eh?” She went into her kitchen and saw a letter on top of the microwave, she opened it, seeing what was in there was a piece of paper written with “Joi is quite nice, isn’t she? I hope you’ll bond a relationship with her, as she will follow you anywhere, I programmed her to be accessible outside anywhere too. I hope that is helpful. Meet me at the bar or whatever you usually go to, I promise I’ll be there.” -A

“Hmmm, well I guess let’s get there then”

“Get where?” Joi asked.

“The bar.” That was all she said. Joi decided to go ahead and follow Chiren to the rooftop, they both got into her abandoned Peugeot spinner, it was practically not starting but they eventually got it started in the cold dense rain. “Alita said she’ll be there. And I trust her. How'd you get my car?- Nevermind”

Joi nodded, looking out the window she traced her finger where the raindrops were running across the window, the look on her face was curious, almost acting as if she’d never seen rain before. The corner of Chiren’s eye caught this, it just being a little moment, it’s the little things that matter to her as she remembered. Chiren turned her head to her, setting the car on autopilot as they made their way to the place.

“What are you doing?” Eyeing the innocent one. “Have you not experienced rain before?”

Joi turned and smiled back at her. “I know about rain. It’s programmed in my system, I just haven’t seen or touched it before. I am only a couple of days old too..”

Chiren nodded and let out a grunt in response. “Hmm” Turning her eyes back to the outside weather. Joi’s gaze lowered, about to speak but hesitant at first.

“What was it like…being in there for so long”

Chiren quickly got emotional inside about the question. She started playing with her hands, then rubbed her eyes. “It was horrible. You couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t feel…anything, all you could do was blink and watch time pass by. Made me want to just get killed already but I knew it was my punishment, then the rest of my body was sent to the yard. Then everything went black, I don’t know what happened after that”

Joi felt bad about it, and even though she had nothing to do with her punishment, she has sympathy for her nevertheless. “I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like…”

The former doctor met her gaze with the android and let out a sigh, trying to ignore her demons and instead wondering about what she can do. “Thank you…do you feel anything physically?” She asked.

“Physically no. I can only feel things through my database”

Chiren placed her rather attractive hand on the armrest. Keeping eye contact with Joi. “Try feeling this” Saying that as she indicated her hand to Joi “Try. Try as hard as you can to feel touch” Again Joi gave the raven-haired woman innocent eyes along with her fading confusion, proceeding to do the task. Joi was mesmerized by her, she knew she may not be able to physically feel things, but she does have feelings for others, as she was programmed to. She finally moved her hand, right onto hers, Joi focused as much as she could, but unfortunately, it went right through.

“I can’t do it…I know it's leather and plastic but I cannot feel it as what people call it.”

“Hey, that’s okay, I can work something out for you alright? Did the shops around here stay the same?"

***

The two arrived at their destination. The building was a part of a large warehouse complex that seemed to stay the same, just more filthy and worn, the walls covered in dirt and grim. Definitely shady. It used to be at least a bit cleaner than this. Everything changed now, including her own appearance, going from looking like a rich snob to the lower class even though her good-sized penthouse is high up there. Again, just appearance. Chiren reached into her coat to scratch herself. Hey, she felt that. It felt good. While doing so, she looked at the note again. 'This better be true' she thought to herself, folding the paper away.

Chiren motioned for Joi to follow her. Joi faded from the inside of the vehicle, reappearing outside the car and standing up. The slightly taller woman looked up into the sky, letting the water hit her face. Knowing she could feel again, relieved her. Looking back at Joi she saw her doing the same. Instead, the water droplets fell through her hologram. The recovering woman saw this and sadness swooned upon her again, knowing she was a real person, neither was she really. Did it all not matter? No. She had a real mind and heart, she is a real human being. Yeah. Real to her anyway.

"Come on, let's go inside."

And so they did, finally realizing they were getting soaked. Running inside now remembering oh hey it's pouring out.

Opening the door inside they are greeted with the smell of sweat and smoke and with the sight of dirty gray walls and a table to sit at.

"Well, this place went to shit."

Chiren raised one eyebrow with a fuzzy feeling still clouding her mind. She looked over the several booths, her eyes locking on jet-black hair, walking in that direction and her conscience is revealed. Playing with her hands and staring in awe Alita stood up from her seat. Both had stunned almost blank expressions on their faces looking at each other. Alita didn't know what to do other than break the silence.

"Chiren…..I-"

"How am I here?" She almost said it like a statement. Confused. Almost blessed with rage and tranquility at the same time.

"I searched for your box for days tracking you, I fought them because I left you there and Ido- I found you after losing your location before, I eventually found you…after so long, I brought you to Ido's and replicated your old body luckily he taught me how to do that at least, transferred you to your place, and set up Joi for you. I couldn't meet you there because there's a gang after me. I'm sorry I didn't want to leave you there all alone I had to stop-"

"What about Ido? I take it I missed the funeral. Ya know I actually loved him and my….. daughter… I was kept in that box forever waiting for something or anything to happen, I was in a jar for years! Thank zalem I went into hibernation 2 days in luckily but still. I have no one. Before too. Now anyone remotely close is dead except for you. You're the closest thing to me ever having a daughter again…"

Chiren let herself down, everyone in the bar wouldn't stop looking. She eventually sat down and let out a quiet sigh. Alita across from her did the same. Joi looked at the both of them reading their faces, noticing the disdain in Chiren’s voice when she mentioned her dead daughter she lost so long ago. Alita knows she has every right to despise Ido for it, still made her angry about what happened so long ago. Ido has been gone forever. Chiren will never get to tell him how sorry she is, how she regretted causing everything to fall apart after her child’s passing, She could’ve done more when she had the time. Why didn’t she? Gosh, she was a wreck through and through but no she wants to do what’s right. To both of them. Joi sat next to the grieving woman.

“You say people are after you? How’d this happen?”

Alita’s big eyes widened. “Yes…long story short I stole Joi here, from them…”

“How much was she?

“A lot. I’m also struggling to get back an adapter for her. It would make her a solid and not just a hologram.”

Joi gave a look on her face that shined with hope and desire. Wanting to be able to live as the closest to being something real. The program went to put her hand on the much older woman’s thigh. When they both looked down at the same time Chiren felt sullen for her, only a hologram's touch. Knowing Joi just wanted some reassurance for herself, Chiren gave her a slight nod before rubbing her thumb on the translucent humanoid even though neither of their nerves had a trigger in their systems or brains if you will. Showing her some compassion as well. Loving care. Was this a sign of love? Compassion? It was the first time neither of them have felt warmness, for Chiren that was a long time.

Alita tried to not think of it that much even though it was pretty obvious that was a kind move on Chiren’s part.

“If we somehow get the adapter from them, Joi can do a lot more than set appliances to make dinner and schedule appointments for you.”

Chiren thought for a good second or so. “What’s your living situation?” She asked. Thinking up a plan for all of this.

“I’m still living at Ido’s place. Although it has been rotting, literally, water damage and hail damage were caused by the big storm we had a few years back.

The woman across from her raised an eyebrow again. “I’m not an expert but I sure know it’s very unsafe to live in a place with mold that bad. The air. Is it affecting you?”

The super android fidgeted with their hands. Chiren didn’t know that anxiety happened in andriods like this. She knew that they could have anxiety but not till a level where physical stumulation happened. “I’m only doing some light coughing. But other than that I am fine.”

“That’s not good for you. I know you’re different but it can still mess up your internals. I want you to move in with me. If you’re fine with it that is but you’re not living in a suitable environment and I would prefer if you…do that.”

“Okay, when do we start?”

“Joi turn off so we can make room for Alita here in the car.”

***

Chiren had the spinner do an auto-pilot landing on the street. “I take it you’ll probably have a few items you want to bring with right?”

“Yeah I do. I’ll be a few.”

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