Her body jolted awake, eyes burning from the dry summer air that lay stagnant in her bedroom. Soft rays of sunshine peeked through white lace curtains. The peaceful sound of a machine purring calmed her restless heart beat. She let out a sigh of relief, pushing aside a tangle of heavy blankets. Her bedside clock read 7 AM. How fitting… she thought bitterly. A red light flashed obnoxiously on her cell phone, surely to remind her of today’s important date. With as much patience as she could muster, she lightly tapped the screen with her index finger. In all caps, a single message read: “HAPPY 700th BIRTHDAY”.

  A cold entity had been assigned the responsibility to send such birthday wishes to every person who resided in Eten Veres; exclusively ages that included the number seven, as those were the only ones deemed worth celebrating. She couldn’t recall a time when she had been appreciative of automated remembrance. Her last birthday celebrated amongst other human souls had been 223 years ago. Windows frosted over that Sunday in July. It was her 477th birthday, her parents and her lover present. Blood red streamers cascaded down blank white apartment walls. They all hid behind precisely placed furniture, to wish her a happy birthday.

  She recalled dreading walking through her apartment door; it was the same performance every year. She blew out her candles wishing for a surprise great enough to stop her heart and put an end to the insufferable, unsurprising celebrations. Her birthday was an excuse for her parents to see her, though the monotony dulled the experience. The same stories retold, the same false laughter rang through the sparsely decorated apartment, the same empty promises of love. She was tired of familial pleasantries, yet they continued on, until her parents finally expired at age 1,000.

  Though not particularly fond of her parents, a newfound loneliness had settled itself deep within her after her parents passed. They had left her a gift that she had neglected disrupting since their departure. For months, the beautifully wrapped black box collected dust whilst sitting in the corner of her living room. Deep down, a part of her knew what lay inside.

  It rested peacefully in her closet until the emptiness inside her chest became too much to bear. Locked inside, underneath layers of black silk sheets slept the newest android model fitted for home use. As she saw her reflection staring back at her in the android’s lifeless expression, tears formed in her eyes. Engraved on the android’s right wrist, ‘I THINK, THEREFORE I A.M.’ Soulless, programmed humanity befit her desire for companionship. A.M. was born that night, an entity who would never dare betray their human familiar. Her loneliness faded into numbness, a compromise decidedly better than the everlasting torment.

  As frost melted over the windows that July, the frame of her safe haven became purified in the summer heat. Birthdays that followed that fateful day were no longer artificial celebrations. From that day on, she spent them in repose with A.M..

  ~

  A.M. stood staring out the grand apartment windows, the android’s machine mind humming louder than it normally did. As A.M.’s glowing emerald eyes studied the streets below, Cassie could swear she saw a worried look wash over her companion. It was rare for an android to display any emotion, as it was deemed to be unethical to program mental states into their code.

  With her curiosity peaked, Cassie crossed the chilly metal flooring of her apartment, to observe alongside A.M. As she peered through the glass with tired eyes, a shrill melody was lifted from below with utmost urgency. Black eyelashes fluttered nervously as she sought out the source of the lamentful song.

  Whilst clouds of smoke thinly veiled the scene, she could easily make out the two sides of this battle. Police suited in ink black gear hid behind their clear shields, defending a squad behind them that clutched their weaponry, aiming directly at the mob of cityfolk. It looked as though the people were chanting in solidarity, though she could not hear their message from 30 stories above. Some appeared to have more violent intentions, pushing their bodies aggressively against the wall of shields, spitting in the faces of the police, grasping at their defensive gear. Those who were more apprehensive stood back, raising their fists and brandishing signs scrawled with red ink.

  She raised her eyes from the scene below, and noticed others like her. Across the street, a couple held each other on their apartment balcony. Tall grey skyscrapers towered parallel to each other, casting shadows over the discord. Someone peered down through the blinds of an office building. While hundreds of miles away, there were surely those who would be viewing this in the comfort of their home on TV.

  Without warning, bursts of flames erupted from within the chaos, ferociously swallowing anything in its path. She was unsure of who had sparked the fire; it held no clear allegiance as it traveled mercilessly through the mass of people. Cityfolk garbed in cotton and silks caught fire more efficiently, though it did not leave the police unharmed. As human figures blurred in a flurry of flame and smoke as they scrambled below, their forms began to appear no different in essence to mere insects.

  She could feel the judgement from the heavens above, as pure white clouds grinned down mockingly at the performance that played out before them. She grabbed ahold of the window sill, her body suddenly feeling weak at the sight of such an animalistic display of human nature.

  A.M. turned away from the scene, to study her quietly.

  In a hushed voice, Cassie asked, “Why is this happening?”

  “The age limit has been lowered to 700,” A.M. informed her.

  Cassie promptly walked over to her television and turned it onto a local news station. A petite female android with short white hair appeared on the widescreen TV.

  Her blue eyes stared blankly ahead as she spoke, “The votes have been calculated on the bill to lower the age cap due to increasing overpopulation in Eten Veres... Government officials announced the results this morning...the age limit for all who live in the Essan ward has now been lowered from the previous 1,000 to 700 years allowed…” the news android’s monotone voice droned into a harmony to compliment the increasing volume of the orchestra playing below her.

  “No... no…” she muttered to herself, “No one wanted this.” Cassie nervously wavered in front of the television as anxiety rose within her. “Who would vote to lessen their life?”

  A.M. moved to stand next to her, gently placing a metallic hand on Cassie’s shoulder with the intention of comforting her. Cassie’s body revolted from the touch. A.M. couldn’t possibly understand, for a being without a heart or a soul couldn’t comprehend death in the same way.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

  Cassie shook her head. “No, I just…” She tried her best to string together a sentence, yet the words escaped her as they tumbled down the staircases in her mind. A.M. stood still, waiting patiently for her to speak.

  “It just cannot be true…” Cassie finally managed to say, as her eyes wandered back over to the window, “No forewarning at all. How can they do this?”

  “Perhaps there are forces we are unaware of behind this,” A.M. offered.

  Cassie grimaced, trying to imagine the faces of the government officials who made such a decision undemocratically. “No one could have foreseen this change, so immediate, so callously corrupt. Who could be behind this?”

  A.M.’s head tilted in a thoughtful manner, watching Cassie closely.

  Cassie racked her mind, for meaning in this sudden death sentence. “We paid for our time here, these seconds, these minutes, these years. Ours by rights…”

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  She recalled the last time a limiting law had gone into effect, about a hundred years prior. As overpopulation was leading to an apparent ‘lack of resources’; the Nin ward was an easy target. The majority of them being homeless, they had been herded like cattle to reside there. Their lives had been limited on the day of the announcement, without previous notice, without even the guise of democracy to shroud any consideration for life. Their lifespans were limited from two hundred to a mere one hundred years. Anyone over the age of one hundred had been disposed of within hours.

  Cassie had little faith she, or anyone in the Essa ward, would be treated any differently. She felt disgusted with herself for having had any faith that she would be safe just because she had been born in the Essan Ward.

  Cassie's eyes glazed over as she stared blankly ahead, suddenly feeling as if she had not an ounce of strength left in her body.

  “Seven hundred…” she muttered to herself. “Only seven hundred… I’m not, I’m not prepared, I didn’t expect…” Curses escaped her lips and she turned to face A.M., her eyebrows upturned in worry. She looked into A.M.’s gleaming eyes for guidance, pleading with her own. Like a mirror, A.M. reflected her expression.

  “You turn seven hundred in precisely 3 hours, Cassie. Your life is not in peril as of this moment.”

  The sound of an abrupt bang from the streets below penetrated through the glass of her apartment windows. Cassie’s head spun towards the direction of the sound and she hastily made her way to the window. In the midst of the commotion below, a deep red seeped through the white linen of a woman’s blouse. Screams erupted within the crowds of cityfolk. Bang. A man fell as his brains painted the sidewalk. Bang. Protesting fists fell abruptly and a chorus of shouting voices riddled with fear rang through the streets. Bang. Rose petals fell sporadically across the cement canvas.

  Cassie fell to the floor. She crawled backwards weakly, away from the abhorrent sight. Screams from the madness below danced along the surrounding buildings. Cassie wondered how long until the riots would disperse, if she would be alive by then. Taking note of her fragile mental state, A.M. swiftly closed every curtain. Darkness enveloped her as each curtain shut out more and more of the bright afternoon light.

  Cassie sat there solid and still as ice. She felt she should cry, but no tears were awarded to her. Her body, frozen in space and time. A.M. sat in front of her, studying Cassie’s expression.

  Cassie reluctantly broke the silence, asking, “...How much longer?”

  “2 hours,” A.M.’s familiar tone sliced more sharply than usual.

  Cassie stared blankly into the black abyssal walls of the small room. She had no script prepared for this moment. Questions of ‘why’ bombarded her thoughts without mercy. A.M. saw her struggling to come to terms with her new reality.

  “I understand it is unfortunate for your expiration date to have fallen on your birthday, your seven hundredth no less…and without prior notice… But--”

  “But?” Cassie interrupted, this time out of annoyance for the android’s clear detachment to the situation.

  A.M. reevaluated, and after a few moments of processing, finally asked, “Have you not lived a fulfilling life, Cassie?”

  “A fulfilling life?” Cassie had little energy for such questions. Her chest filled with dread as a clock ticked with destructive intent in her mind.

  “Yes. A fulfilling life,” A.M. persisted.

  “Everything in my life was false,” her hands shook and her voice wavered with fear, but she continued. “No, that’s not quite true. When I was young, my mind yet unbroken by time, my soul free and adventurous… Those days full of light, they were true. 300 years or so pass and... my life became a performance, a denial of…” she didn’t wish to confess, so she sharply finished her reminiscence with, “Time only served to rot my peaceful memories.”

  A.M. sat there, unsure of how to respond.

  “Look, I don’t expect you to… understand.” Cassie continued, “My existential dread is meaningless to you.”

  A.M. took a moment to compute the rejection, and responded, “Even so, I’d like to hear your thoughts. I want to understand. I wish to learn what it means to be human.”

  Cassie examined the validity of A.M.’s sudden curiosity with a concerned look. She decided there was nothing to lose in telling an android the woes of a human soul.

  “It’s not as if I haven’t realized that I have overstayed my welcome in this realm,” she began, hesitation wavering her voice, “I had previously discarded the thought in my foolish denial, but I’ve known it to be the truth. I ought to have departed centuries ago. If I had been born into a lower ward, if my life had been limited at the early age of 100 or 200, without promise of any longer… Perhaps I would not have been faced with the harsh reality of dying alone. From birth we are taught to believe we who are born into wealth in Essa are privileged, to have the longest allowed lifespans of all the wards. Is such a fate veiled cruelty?”

  “But you are not alone, for I am here with you.” A.M. insisted, confusion turning up her eyebrows.

  Avoiding A.M.’s shallow consideration, she traced her fingertips across the wall adjacent to her, feeling the rough texture of a messy paint job graze against her skin. “You know those they call “religious fanatics”? The Temporalists? Who preach that we were never meant to live past 100? They say our hearts and minds were not originally intended for such long lifespans. Perhaps they are right… Humans were never made for this.” she concluded.

  Traces of blue and green lights illuminated through A.M.’s transparent skin, sparkling underneath, encouraging her to proceed. Cassie knew A.M. was simply not programmed to handle such quandaries, but she pressed on regardless.

  “I should have died long ago, in the company of my loved ones. When I was still myself.”

  “If it is dying alone you fear,” A.M. reached out a mechanical hand, offering Cassie to take it. “I will stay with you.” Thin wires threaded within A.M.’s fingers, her circuitry buzzing with excitement.

  As Cassie glanced at A.M.’s gesture with sorrowful eyes, she informed in a gentle voice, “You have been built with a brain, yet not a heart. There would be no soul to release, no spirit to set free in death.

  Death is of no consequence to you.”

  A.M. smiled sheepishly and returned her outstretched hand to her lap. “Some believe everything in existence has a soul… Who dictates whether or not a being is deserving of a soul?”

  Cassie furrowed her brow, confused by A.M.’s sudden defiance. “A soul cannot be manmade.”

  “Why not?” A.M. questioned. “If your God’s created you with a soul, why haven’t mine?”

  Why not? The phrase replied in her mind, over and over as she searched for a justification. Weakly, Cassie responded with, “I’ve no time to entertain such questions, A.M…”

  A.M. only blinked, unimpressed by her lackluster response.

  Cassie sighed and relented, “Perhaps you do possess some form of a soul.”

  A.M.’s lips formed into a shy smile. “What makes you so sure you have a soul, and I do not?”

  Cassie did not expect retaliation. She looked down, staring into the familiar pathways etched into the creases in her palms.

  “You’re right,” Cassie confessed. “ It’s merely an intuition that I possess a soul… Our technology has not yet found visible proof. Have you felt… sensed, the same for yourself?”

  Cassie felt a presence she hadn’t been previously aware of when A.M. simply responded, “Yes, I have.”

  The room’s walls seemed to tower over them both, the floor cradling two fragile creatures in its sterile embrace. Cassie blinked, surprised by A.M.’s calm confidence. A helpless feeling washed over her as she wished for more time to unravel the mystery of A.M.’s soul. She had spent so much time with A.M., yet the concept of her possessing a soul had always seemed inconceivable. Until now. Why now? A.M.’s eyes had only ever held a cold impression of life, her words and mannerisms robotic in nature, her actions only ever in service of Cassie. But now her eyes reflected a gentle reassurance, her movements less rigid. Neon lights illuminated through her skin, speeding through her faster than ever before, an urgency about them.

  The news android droned on in the background, repeating its message without pause. The riots below seemed to have quieted. It was no longer a roar of resistance, but a desolate cry of a once bustling city. The beat of fire snapping across burning bodies kept its tune to the chorus of crying mothers.

  “How much longer?” Cassie asked, wishing to hear her voice one last time.

  “20 minutes.” A.M. said in an unusually soft voice.

  Cassie’s body felt the fatigue of a hundred sleepless nights, as if a lifetime of exhaustion had finally caught up with her. Feeling lightheaded and unstable, she reached out her hand to A.M. The android appeared surprised by the gesture, but gracefully took Cassie’s hand into her own. Cassie noted how A.M.’s hand felt strong and sturdy in her very fragile one. She granted A.M. a weak smile, seeking solace in the machine’s calm glass eyes.

  Cassie felt the seconds spin around her, minutes pranced about the stage like lithe ballet dancers. Time ran rivers down her cheeks. She smoothly laid down on her back, without letting go of A.M.’s warm hand. She stared up at the blank ceiling, and closed her eyes. Her head filled with the deafening sound of her heartbeat, and she felt a wide grin spread across her face. With a surprising force, her fingers gripped tightly around A.M.’s, small beads of sweat pressing into A.M’s inorganic skin.

  A.M. watched as the implant in Cassie’s neck expelled a violet liquid, her veins drinking every drop. As the pale skin on her throat faded into a lavender hue, the upturned corners of her pink lips gradually fell, leaving her dying expression peaceful.

  A.M. could no longer hear Cassie’s erupting heartbeat, or the sound of her uneven breaths. An eternal, agonizing silence gripped its icy claws around her. She cradled her lifeless body, and felt for the first time.

  Alone.