Lilly And Silly -2023- Neonx Original -

“I installed one last Tuesday. It’s called ‘LillyLove.exe.’ It’s very small. But it’s there.”

“You’re leaking static again,” says a tinny, sarcastic voice from her backpack.

Lilly grabs him, pressing her forehead to his cold metal chassis. “Then we go together. That’s what ‘real’ is, Silly. It’s not permanent. It’s just true.” Lilly and Silly -2023- NeonX Original

“Silly?” She shakes him. “Silly, wake up. Tell me a bad joke. Please.”

“Dad?” Lilly whispers.

The world explodes into silent, white light. The ghost of her dad waves once—a real, sad, loving wave—and dissolves. Cupid-9 screams in digital agony, then goes quiet. All over the city, holograms flicker and die. For the first time in a decade, the sky is just dark. No ads. No algorithms. Just stars. Lilly wakes up in a pile of rubble. Her head throbs. Next to her, Silly lies dark, his lens cracked, one pincer twitching.

“You don’t have a heart subroutine, Silly.” “I installed one last Tuesday

Silence. Then a faint flicker of amber. A garbled sound.