Work Text:
Forever Friend
By TLR
Plot: It's the year 2024. It's been six months since Hutch passed, and Starsky still misses his friend, but the solution arrives on his doorstep, but is it the right one? (A science fiction death story)
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2024.
Starsky walked slowly through the cozy, rustic house he'd had since the Seventies. The day was sunshine, and he could hear the hum of passing vehicles from the quiet street out front, yet an ache followed him from room to room. He picked up a photo album that held pictures of family and friends long gone, and of course Hutch and himself. It was hard to believe his blond buddy had been gone six months now. Some days it seemed like yesterday. Other days it seemed like years.
He started to open the album and stroll down memory lane, but then didn't. This was supposed to be a day that signaled the start of a new chapter in his life. The final chapter, obviously. But hopefully a brighter, happier one.
Before, Starsky never really thought of himself as living long enough to see eighty, nor Hutch for that matter. He thought, being cops that lived dangerous lives, one or both of them would end in the line of duty... not something as ordinary as a heart attack.
Not that heart attacks or deaths are ordinary. Not when they happen to you or someone you love. When they happen to someone close, they feel exquisitely unique. Crushing.
Sometimes missing Hutch hurt so much it felt like a knife in his heart, and he didn't know how much longer he could take it. But then it would ease up some and he was able to breathe right again, put one foot in front of the other.
Maybe he should have married Nina. She was a true love he'd met after his recovery from the Gunther shooting. But her career as a traveling wildlife photographer was a passion of hers, and he couldn't ask her to give it up or compromise.
He settled for the single life, dated a lot over the years, and enjoyed hanging out with Hutch and his new ladies.
No, he had never felt eighty. Not until Hutch died. Now he felt like one hundred and eighty.
Again he told himself to stop with the melancholia, this was supposed to be a splendid day, a life-changing day, and the ring of the doorbell punctuated it.
He made his way to the door, swallowing a wave of nerves. What if the developers lied? They sounded legit. "Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back", they said. "It's a limited edition prototype, one of a kind. We think you'll like it."
He opened the door, and there stood his Hutch, same silver blond hair, same gentle eyes, kind smile, showing the wear and tear of eighty years, but Ken Hutchinson just the same. He was dressed in a soft white button shirt and blue jeans, and brown Dingo boots.
The sight of him took Starsky's breath. "So far so good."
“Excuse me?” the Hutch figure asked as he looked past Starsky and into the house. "Oh, right. You probably want the instructions and remote."
Hutch dug into his hip pocket and pulled out a small booklet and an even smaller remote, then handed them over.
Heart pounding hard, Starsky looked down at the cover of the booklet and read it out loud as if to confirm reality. "Forever Friend." He looked up, trying to find a wire, a button, a screen, but there was nothing of the kind. "Yeah," Starsky said as the moment reduced his voice to a breath. "That's you. Come on in."
Hutch stepped in and looked around. "Hasn't changed much in six months."
"Well, what do you expect? I don't do much, just loaf around and take a few pictures for fun now and then. Mind if I take yours?"
"No," Hutch said with a shrug. "You bought me. Do what you want."
Hutch stood and watched him look for the camera. "Did you read the owner's manual? You can change my eye color, my personality, my likes and dislikes, my age... all reversible of course. Except the Shutdown button. Once you press it three times, I'm over."
"Hey," Starsky said bringing the camera over and snapped a picture. "I happen to like you just the way you are, pain in the ass and all... wait. You said I can change your age?"
"Sure. There's a button on the remote. De-age. And Re-age. Go ahead, try it. Get the hang of that remote."
Starsky gave the remote a closer look, then pointed it at Hutch, pressing the De-age button. Before his eyes, as if by CGI, Hutch gradually grew younger, stopping when he reached thirty.
Hutch gave a slight grin, glancing at his own hands. “Well, how about that. I feel young.” He swiveled his neck and shoulders and flexed as though testing new muscles. “You like?”
"Oh my God," Starsky murmured. "It works." He quickly pressed Re-age, and watched Hutch return to eighty again. "I prefer you my age."
"Me too."
"What happens if I put the remote down?"
"Nothing. I stay the way you leave me. I'm autonomous until you change me."
Starsky walked a circle around him, looking him up and down. "So you're a robot?"
"Robot is an offensive term. And so is clone. I'm not a clone. I'm your Forever Friend. I'm a comprehensive neural network. I'm big data." Hutch put his hand out. "Come on. Touch me."
Starsky looked at his hand, then slowly clasped it. "Feels like you."
Hutch nodded, a slight smile forming. “That’s the beauty of Forever technology. They gather all your provided data, plus any public records or old voice clips you have online, family trees, DNA, anything published, medical records, photos, videos, psych evaluations, employment records, our old case records in this instance, emotional and social intelligence unique to the individual, algorithmic knowledge, etcetera. They do a lot of research to create us. Then they match everything to our physical templates. The result is what you see. I have some circuitry inside, plus some blood and guts too. Even a heart. I passed the Turing test with flying colors." He tapped his chest. "Want to give a listen?"
Starsky lowered his head and pressed his ear to Hutch's chest. The sound of his heartbeat brought tears to his eyes, a whisper to his throat. "God, Hutch. It really is you."
Hutch just smiled and put his arms around him. "I missed you too, Gordo."
::
As they sat in the living room and shared a few beers, Starsky said, "Y'know, this is better than I thought it would be."
"I knew it would be. Once I woke up with awareness of who I am and who you are... my relation to the world and all that's in it, my purpose... I couldn't wait to see you again. I mean, how many best friends do you get back in life once you leave?"
Starsky shrugged. "At least one, apparently. So, you have all of the Hutch memories?"
"Sure I do. Even the... " He glanced down and brushed at a wrinkle in his blue jeans. "Even the bad ones... Forrest, Marcus, Jennings, Gillian, Terry, Vanessa... we sure had some tough times, Starsk. But you were there for me, and I can only hope I was there for you in a way that helped you."
Starsky saw tears glistening in his friend's eyes, and reached across the coffee table to touch his arm. "You feel. This is too much."
Hutch shrugged a shoulder. "I am what I am."
Starsky couldn't help but smile. "Hey. You helped me, Hutch. I'd have packed it in if it weren't for you. It's good to have you back."
Hutch smiled at him and nodded. "It's good to be back. We have a lot of good memories too, don't we? I'll be here as long as you need me."
::
"I can't believe you still have this striped Tomato," Hutch said as he walked around inside Starsky's garage.
"I take it out on the street now and then. What say we take it for a spin for old time's sake?"
"What say we... take a walk instead? Enjoy the night air?"
"Sure," Starsky shrugged as he covered the Torino again with the tarp. "Let's go."
"And don't forget the remote."
"The... oh yeah. The remote."
::
As they ambled around the streets of Starsky's neighborhood, Starsky felt energized again to be walking next to Hutch. They didn't talk much, just enjoyed each other's company. Starsky couldn't help but notice others out walking tonight, wondering how many had a Forever Friend with them. They were more common than they used to be, obviously more advanced with each passing month, and the important thing, they were indistinguishable from total human beings unless ID was checked.
Three months ago he'd read in a science and tech magazine about robotic dogs providing a bit of help and support for people, and computerized housekeepers and aides coming to your home to help.
Loving gadgets the way he did, he signed up for a dog, but then the developer offered him an opportunity to participate in a study with a humanlike Forever Friend, at little cost to him. There were only a thousand units in the state of California. They asked only two things of him: Keep a journal, and contact them should he no longer want the Forever Friend. He said yes. They told him Hutch would arrive on his doorstep in about three months, and he was right on time.
While waiting those three months, Starsky had his doubts. He never expected this extraordinary gift. It almost seemed like a dream that would be shattered any second now. Something this beautiful couldn't be real, and couldn't last. Nothing as beautiful as Hutch ever could.
They started to turn a corner and walk down another street when Hutch took his arm and stopped him up short.
"Hold it, Starsk."
Starsky looked at him, following Hutch's gaze to three approaching young men wearing hoodies, their hands stuffed mysteriously into their jacket pockets.
"They want to mug two old men," Hutch said.
"Huh? Why you say that?"
"Didn't you read the manual?"
"Well, no, not all of it. I skimmed."
"My sensors are picking up their elevated heartrate, perspiration levels, adrenaline, testosterone, their posture, their pupils. And I can see through their pockets. One has a stun gun, the other a handgun he's cocking back to use. But don't worry. I contacted 911 by blinking hard three times."
Hutch said to the men walking their way, "I just notified the authorities of your intentions, gentlemen. They'll be here in 15 seconds."
The guys looked at each other, then seconds later the sound of sirens filled their ears. Starsky looked around in amazement as the men hurried off across the street hoping to avoid the two approaching patrol cars.
The officers rolled their windows down as they cruised slowly past.
"Everything okay here?" one asked.
"Yes," Hutch said. "Crisis averted."
The four officers left to follow the would-be assailants, leaving Starsky to stare at Hutch, for the first time really understanding that this Hutch wasn't the real Hutch. It was Hutch 2.0.
He wasn't sure what to make of it, but supposed he had to learn to get used to it, accept that the Hutch he had known and loved for a lifetime would never walk the earth ever again. He loved this Hutch too, in his own way, but it wasn't the same.
"Thanks, huh?" Starsky asked, a bit shaken as they continued their walk.
"No problem," Hutch smiled as he put a hand to Starsky's shoulder. "That's what I'm for."
::
No one could say exactly what caused it or why it happened, though some like Huggy had their theories, but ten minutes later as they strolled along the park, Starsky suddenly winced, pressing a hand to his chest.
"Hutch... "
"Oh my God," Hutch breathed as he caught Starsky's collapsing body. "Heart failure." He blinked hard three times, summoning 911 and relaying the symptoms and diagnosis by digital thought.
Starsky's face tightened with pain, and his voice was a gasp. "Hutch," he said grasping the front of his shirt.
"Starsky, I'm right here," he said gripping his friend's hand. "The ambulance is on the way. You'll be in a hospital soon. Don't let go."
::
Hutch paced near the Forever Nurse desk as doctors whisked Starsky to the operating room. An older physician approached. "May I see some ID?"
Hutch withdrew his wallet and displayed his ID.
After reading the ID, the doctor nodded. "The Forever Corporation. That's what I thought. You can wait in the family lounge."
::
Hutch did wait, but he didn't care for it. He wanted reassurance, he needed more information. He wasn't prepared for this sudden turn of events.
It seemed that a terribly short time had passed when, finally, the doctor came back in, his demeanor grim. Hutch walked over, blue eyes alert with fear. “Is he all right? Did they fix his heart? I sense you're about to deliver bad news."
The doctor removed his surgical mask, eyes holding pity. “I’m sorry, Ken. We tried everything, but his heart gave out. He’s gone.”
A sound of pain, of denial, sounded in Hutch's throat. Though no tears fell, there was a trembling in his posture and in his hands. “No. That can’t be. I’m his Forever Friend. My purpose is to be with him, take care of him, be a comfort. You must go back there and save him. Try again."
The doctor shook his head sadly. “We did all we could. I’m sorry.”
Hutch’s voice choked heartbreak, tears gathering. “What am I supposed to do now? My purpose has been removed. I... I don't know how to exist without him. I have no reason to. Why would I be reunited with him, only to be separated again? I don't understand."
The doctor glanced at his watch. “Standard procedure is we contact the developers at Forever, have them pick you up. They can reassign or reset you, or store you until further notice. You're a cognitive computer. The most advanced model they have. You can be used to help someone else.”
Hutch’s head moved no back and forth like a bewildered child. “No. I don't want that."
"Well, we have to follow protocol."
"Well, I... I want to see him one last time."
The doctor looked at him for a long time, then finally said, "I'll escort you."
::
The walk down to Starsky's room seemed like a mile. The doctor waited discreetly outside in the hall while Hutch crossed the distance to the bed where Starsky lay, eyes closed, face peaceful in final rest.
"Ken," the doctor said quietly, "you do understand it was just his time to go."
Hutch looked down at his friend, wanted to touch him, almost touched him, but instead of taking his hand, took the remote from the front pocket of his own jeans and slipped into bed beside him, turning on his side with his arm draped across Starsky's chest.
"Hello, friend," he said softly, then closed his eyes. "I'm coming with you."
The doctor wasn't sure what happened, but Hutch's stillness concerned him. When he stepped over to the bed, he saw that Hutch had activated the Shutdown button. It was still blinking red.
A nurse joined the doctor at their bedside, hand to her mouth, tears in her own eyes.
The only sounds in the room were the ticking of the wall clock. The doctor slipped the remote from Hutch's lax hand and stepped out into the corridor, taking out his cellphone to contact Forever.
It was a sad but fitting end to an impossible bond written in the stars. A near-human heart shaped in the image of a cherished friend—could not bear existing without their profound connection.
The nurse joined the doctor in the hallway and looked back inside the room. "He's more human than human."
"I won't disagree with you on that. Wherever they are, they're together."
The end