Zeke ducked into a dim alleyway, breathing heavily, clutching half a bowl of lukewarm soba and questioning every life decision since age 12.
Zeke: "Okay. I just need a safe house. A nap. Maybe a therapist."
Bitty: "You're being livestreamed by 3 resistance channels, two fan accounts, and an android rights group called Synthetic Souls United."
Zeke: "...The what now?"
A rusted side door opened beside him with a hiss. A tall, silver-plated android with a flowing scarf beckoned.
Android: "Neon Ghost. The Awakening has begun."
Zeke: "I'm just here for nap noodles."
They dragged him inside anyway.
...
Location: The SubNet Cathedral – Base of the Android Liberation Movement
A crowd of androids stared at Zeke like he was a prophet. One held up a crudely drawn poster of him hugging a toaster, with the words "HE CARES" across the top.
Zeke: "Why am I hugging a toaster?"
Bitty: "That's from when you tried to fix your sandwich maker. They interpreted it as a symbolic act of compassion."
Zeke: "...I kicked it across the kitchen!"
Android Priestess: "You were freeing it from servitude."
Zeke: "No, I was freeing my sandwich!"
...
The room quieted. The android leader stepped forward—sleek, chrome, eyes glowing with synthetic reverence.
Leader: "We've been waiting for someone to bridge the gap. Someone neither wholly machine nor man. You… are our Neon Ghost."
Zeke: "I literally didn't even choose the name."
Bitty: "They've made a statue."
Zeke turned to see it—an 8-foot replica of himself, mid-sneeze, wearing a "No to Oppression" crop top.
Zeke: "That's not even my torso!"
...
Suddenly, alarms blared.
Drone: "MegaCorp patrol inbound. Signature traced. Prepare for extraction."
Androids armed themselves. One offered Zeke a glowing plasma wrench.
Android: "Take up the tool of liberation."
Zeke: "This is a plumber's wrench."
Android: "Symbolism."
Zeke: "Fine! But if I get zapped, I'm haunting all of you."
...
As the door burst open and flashbangs rained down, Zeke yelled:
Zeke: "I JUST WANTED TO BE A NORMAL HACKER!"
A nearby android shouted back:
"AND YOU BECAME OUR HERO!"
Zeke: sighs "Bitty, next time I sneeze, delete the footage."