The soft hum of the 3D printer never truly stopped anymore.
It had become part of Mei's life — the heartbeat of her little apartment, pulsing in rhythm with her creativity.
Ever since she debuted Astra at the convention, something inside her had shifted.
She'd spent weeks afterward replaying the memories in her head — the flashes of cameras, the awe on people's faces, the little girl who called her a superhero.
She had created something from nothing.
And yet…
Every time she glanced toward her shelf, the twenty tiny Rebeccas still stared back with their fierce, mischievous grins.
---
That weekend, Mei decided to clean her workshop.
Paint bottles were stacked in precarious towers, wires tangled across the table, and bits of resin clung stubbornly to the floor. She laughed as she dusted a figure off its pedestal.
"You girls have been collecting too much dust," she said softly.
One by one, she wiped each miniature clean, polishing the tiny details she had painted by hand — the shine in Rebecca's green eyes, the grime on her jacket, the chipped paint on her boots.
But when she reached the last one, she noticed a small crack near the base.
Her heart squeezed. "Ah… you've seen better days, huh?"
She sat at her desk, staring at the broken edge for a long moment.
Then, gently, she placed it beside the printer.
"Alright," she whispered. "Let's fix you. And maybe… make you some new sisters while we're at it."
---
By midnight, the workshop was alive again.
Blue light glowed on Mei's focused face as layer after layer began forming inside the printer — the faint scent of melting resin filling the air.
But these new Rebeccas weren't exact copies.
This time, she gave each one a twist — one holding a neon katana, another with cyber wings, another mid-flight in a swirl of smoke.
"I think you'd like these versions," Mei said softly, watching the print bed rise and fall. "They feel more like… you in another life."
When the sun finally crept through the curtains, five new figures stood gleaming under the morning light.
Tiny, wild, and full of attitude.
---
Later that day, Hana arrived — half to visit, half to drag Mei outside for coffee.
"Please tell me you've been sleeping," Hana said, stepping over a power cable.
"Technically," Mei replied, sipping her third cup of coffee.
Hana froze mid-step when she saw the new display. "Wait… are these new Rebeccas?"
Mei grinned. "Just a few. The first ones felt lonely."
Hana let out an exaggerated sigh. "You're unbelievable. You've got, what, twenty-five of them now?"
"Twenty-six," Mei corrected cheerfully.
"Of course."
But then Hana's teasing expression softened. She picked one up carefully — a Rebecca with a plasma sword, mid-swing, her face sculpted into a fearless smile.
"These are really good, Mei. Like… next-level good."
Mei shrugged modestly. "I just wanted to see her story from another angle. Like, what if she survived? What if she kept fighting?"
Hana smiled. "Maybe you should tell that story too."
---
That thought lingered long after Hana left.
That night, Mei sat by her desk again, this time not to sculpt, but to write.
Her laptop screen glowed softly as she began typing:
> Project: Astra & Rebecca — Neon Sparks.
A digital story about two warriors from different worlds who refuse to fade.
She wrote for hours, letting the ideas pour out — Astra wandering a fractured city, meeting a cyber ghost who looked suspiciously like Rebecca. Two fighters sharing courage, laughter, and the stubborn will to live.
By the time dawn touched the horizon, Mei leaned back and smiled at the screen.
It wasn't just about cosplay anymore.
It wasn't about 3D prints or metal suits or fan art.
It was about connection — the way every spark, once lit, could start another.
---
A few months later, Mei uploaded her short animated trailer to social media.
The screen opened to neon rain.
Astra stood tall beneath the storm.
A flicker of turquoise light appeared beside her — Rebecca's spirit, laughing wildly before they both charged into the glow.
The video ended with a tagline:
"Some legends don't fade. They multiply."
Within hours, her notifications exploded.
Comments flooded in.
Fans of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners were tagging her. Cosplayers were inspired by Astra's design. Artists were sketching fanart.
And among the chaos of messages, one comment stood out:
> "Rebecca would be proud." 💚⚡
Mei smiled through tears.
She turned to her shelf, where twenty-six tiny Rebeccas stood proudly beside Astra's helmet.
"Looks like the spark caught on, huh?" she whispered.
The printer hummed softly in the background, ready — as always — for whatever came next.