【=◈︿◈=】

Before Firestarter mission even begins, V already got a taste of Songbird's desperation - either in a scene where we visit "place that remids her of home" or through quite alarming message Song sends.

When V sides with Reed and activates the ICEBreaker, Songbird is being attacked by person who was supposed to come to her rescue. She placed her trust in V, who in return tried to knock her out and hand her back into FIA's hands. In this situation Songbird is being cornered like an animal and she has to bite back in order to survive - this is probably the most important thing we need to know about her character overall. She is a survivalist. She was pushed to her limits and now is ready to do anything in order to preserve the only thing she has left - her own self. (I talked about it in post about her sacrifices, so I won't repat myself again😅)

The moment ICEBreaker manages to slip through So Mi's defenses, she panics. She reaches out to the Blackwall in a desperate attempt to fight back, and loses control. This happens even when we side with her, but in that scenario she manages to pull herself back together. Here, on the other hand Song's on her own, betrayed by her allies and someone in whom she saw a reflection of herself, and she goes a little bit feral 👉👈

Something I have to point out - Songbird could've easily killed V in this scene, yet she chose to spare them. Hell, she even saves their life from Barghest soldiers, despite the betrayal. She doesn't want any kind of vengence. She focuses primarly on her escape and survival.

Songbird attempts to flee the stadium on her own while simultaneously fighting for control against the Blackwall. Once outside, she's classified as a cyberpsycho and is being captured by MaxTac (who is famous for killing most 'psychos) only because she collapses out of sheer exhaustion.

When V follows Songbird into the old Militech bunker, Song makes one thing very clear - she doesn't want to be followed. She doesn't want any more 'help' from V, Reed or Myers. Her original plan of getting to the black clinic was shattered and she has to improvise during quite dramatic circumstances. At this point, re-activating Project Cynosure is the only available option she has to save herself.

We can only guess that losing control and 'grip on herself' in Firestarter had greater consequences than we realise. Songbird descends into madness and V can't be sure if Song's talking to them or to herself.

So Mi tries to avoid any further conflict, activating lockdown in the facility. V is still not fully aware of the struggle for control Songbird faces and insists on pursuing her despite the warnings.

When V overwrites lockdown procedures it makes Songbird slip, she loses control again, and our fun with Cerberus Unit begins. It's clear that whatever entity from beyond the Blackwall lives inside So Mi, it is the one in control. Yet, Song doesn't stop resisting. She is very self-aware of hers and V's situation. She actively pushes back against AIs and saves V's life multiple times.

I will dare and say that V's life being in danger is the only anchor Songbird has to reality at this point.

By shutting down another terminals to get to So Mi, V is unknowingly disabeling support systems for the core where Song is connected. We are actively weakening So Mi in her fight against the AIs, making her lose the ongoing battle, and in doing so - her own self.

We can find multiple messages on terminals that are quite disturbing to say the least.

V survives the encounter with Cerberus Unit only because So Mi fought for them. To show you how much it actually means (and also how badass Songbird is) allow me to recall something - from other logs in the bunker we can learn that netrunners used to connect to the core with backup and still couldn't avoid fatal 'accidents'. And here is Song So Mi! - alone and weakened, resisting until the very end, because someone she once trusted was in danger.

This entire time Songbird wanted to protect V.

On a side note - I assume V can see Songbird's memories throught the facility as a side effect of the Relic connection - which, as a little reminder, is a very intimate one. Relic connected to V's brain was able to absorb their memories, senses and feelings. Songbird's connection allowed her to "see and hear" excactly what they do. No surprise then that it somehow worked both ways. Yet, based on what we see in So Mi's memories about her home, I wonder... Are these memories the ones that remain? Or the ones that are being taken away?

After all betrayals, desperation and panic, V finally has a chance to confront So Mi in probably the only place where she ever felt safe - a memory of her home in Brooklyn that is being devoured by the Blackwall in front of our eyes.

V has to face Songbird, as well as their own fate- one's self ceasing to exist. V sees how their own struggle with the Relic can end, and they have to ask themselves - am I truly that desperate for survival?

V's inevitable fate is being reflected in Songbird's story. She's just a step further than them, where she has only to options -either risk it all or give up. If anyone blames So Mi for that, please remember that our protagonist is doing the very same thing.

Despite it all, So Mi still seeks comfort in V - the very same person whom she trusted, who betrayed her, and who she fought so desperately to protect, at the cost of her own life - because what's happening to her is even more terryfing than death.

I'll keep this moment as this memory... [...] Before it all goes dark... for one last second, I'll know I wasn't alone.

When they reach the core, V has to chose Songbird's fate. After everything they saw, after hearing her beg for mercy, they can fulfill her last wish and finish what they started - what they're responsible for. They can allow So Mi to die as herself, aware that she's still, in whatever small part, a person.

Alternatively, for the promise of a cure, V can chose to 'spare' Songbird's life and return her to the FIA like a broken tool she is. She was always too valuable for the NUSA - by being a powerful weapon with too much knowledge, I think it's safe to assume that whatever broken pieces of her remained, they'd still be used for 'the greater good'.

Final thoughts

I stared at this wall of text for so long,I don't even remember what point I was originally trying to make 💀 I'll leave the interpretation of this questline for you. I can only add that I absolutely love (and hate at the same time) Somewhat Damaged - the design, the environmental storytelling, the ambience, voice acting, writing, everything. Fact that Songbird still cares about V in this path breaks my heart and I'll probably never recover from it :')

I could write more about this path - including my thoughts on the new ending - but I want to primarly focus on finishing my fanfiction right now. I'll probably get back to this topic in the future, but until then, I hope you enjoyed whatever this is^^ Ta-ta