Authors: Sally Painter
“I hope to have the prototype ready for a
private demonstration in two months.” Randi paused. She could be ready in two
weeks, but wanted a time buffer in case she ran into any issues. She wouldn’t
present less than a perfect product. She took a deep breath and looked at
Ellen, trying to gauge the right way to approach her new boss since she had
some disturbing information to deliver. Randi’s secrecy had proved to be her
best defense against industrial espionage and she’d already discovered a spy
within the walls of Sexed Up.
“I knew I made the right decision when I
hired you.” Ellen squeezed her arm. “With your expertise, Sexed Up will pave
the way to a new future.”
“I’m doing my best to make that happen,”
she said.
“Here we are.” The doors opened and Ellen
tapped the ruby once more and stepped from the tube-like elevator. The upper
lobby on the executive floor had deep blue crystal floors with abalone walls of
light blue. All kinds of antiquated oil paintings depicting couples in the
throes of passion hung from the walls.
“So what are you calling him?” Ellen asked,
and Randi took the cue they were no longer discussing the reality of her work,
but assuming the façade of developing a sex toy.
“I haven’t named it yet. I wanted to see
what it can actually do.” Heat scorched her cheeks. She knew all too well what
he could do.
“Of course, you need more time to conduct a
few test drives. I’m sure you’d prefer to perform those in the privacy of your
home, so just let me know whenever you need to work from home,” she added in a
sultry voice that made Randi silently groan. Just because she designed sex
replacements didn’t mean she was a sex fiend as so many women assumed, although
after this morning she might become one.
“Typically, my products name themselves.”
“If this model is anything like Dan the
Man, we’ll be happy. That model is our biggest competitor for the middle-class
market.”
“He’s been my greatest achievement to date.”
“And the reviews still come in, after,
what—three years since that model was first released?”
“With four upgrades.”
“We’ll expect periodic upgrades for this
new model.”
“Of course.”
Randi was promptly introduced to her floor
mates, all VPs like herself, and then Ellen escorted her down the hall.
“This is my office. You’re always welcome.
I have an open door policy.” She nodded to the etched glass door at the end of
the open expanse. “And you’re right beside me.”
Randi looked at the crystal name plate.
“Dr. Randi Mayers, Vice President of
Research and Development.” Ellen ran her hand over the plaque. “Like it so
far?” she purred, and before Randi could comment, waved her wrist in front of
the wall panel and the door swooshed open. “Welcome to your new home.” She
stepped aside to let Randi enter.
“Welcome, Dr. Mayers,” the computer voice
greeted. “You have email waiting at your station and several calls to be
answered. I will await your orders.”
“Rest computer,” she commanded.
Her office was comprised of a wall of
windows and a desk with a blue leather chair overlooking the scenic seascape
outside. One area of the huge office was set aside for a lounge created by two
over-sized couches and chairs placed in front of a fireplace. Opposite this on
the far end of the room was a conference table and chairs. A small nook beside
her desk revealed a lighted drafting table and every electronic aid including a
state of the art holograph booth.
“It’s perfect.” She released the breath she
was holding and walked across the room, glancing about, noting the framed
photos of Sexed Up products.
Ellen followed her stare. “The women of our
world love us and since you’re going to need inspiration, I thought overlooking
the ocean would be a great place for you to do that.”
“It’s absolutely gorgeous.” She looked out
over the city and just beyond to the rolling Atlantic Ocean and pristine
beaches.
Ellen waved her hand over the sensor wall
panel and the hall door closed.
Randi couldn’t believe not only how far
she’d climbed up the corporate ladder, but also to have gained the attention of
the most powerful woman in the left-wing movement and founder of the Secret
Order of Restoration.
“It’s hard to imagine beneath all that
ocean was once a thriving city for as far as you could see,” Ellen said.
“I’ve seen Pre-Cataclysmic photos of North
Carolina in the museum. Still, for the ocean to come inland over two hundred
miles…all those cities covered by water. I can’t imagine what it was like
before Charlotte was a coastal city.” Randi shivered.
“Or what it was like when women didn’t rule
the world. Who could have foreseen such a natural disaster much less the
doomsday virus it spawned?” Ellen stood beside her. “Typically nature corrects
itself—” Her voice dropped with a sadness most women shared.
“I still don’t understand why the men were
the only ones affected,” Randi sighed.
“It’s sad that the only things we know
about men are from pictures and films in the museum.” Ellen shook her head.
“The sperm lottery is growing smaller each year with only one percent of the
world population being impregnated annually. We’re in a crisis but the public
doesn’t seem to know or care.”
Randi was like all women, created through
cloning the precious sperm donated prior to the cataclysm and the emergence of
the deadly virus. Sperm that only created females. She had a natural mother,
but her father was unknown.
“It was inevitable the sperm would be
cloned too many times and no longer viable,” Randi sighed. Over-cloning the
sperm was the biggest debate currently consuming the scientific community.
“It just steams me,” Ellen paused to tap
the ruby on her bracelet, “when I think about our world government and how
narrow-minded it is about funding research to recreate males, much less
outlawing it.”
“At least Sexed Up will make a difference,”
Randi said.
“How can anyone believe we can’t really
miss something we’ve never had? Forget the sex, what about procreation?” Ellen
shook her head. “As you know, Sexed Up has our lobbyists in the world senate,
but change takes forever.
“We fear by the time it’s finally decided
to resume genetic research for recreating males, it’ll be too late. We’re very
hopeful about your project.” She leaned over and touched Randi’s arm. “A cyborg
will shut them up and the women of the world will finally have something in the
flesh to defend instead of debating worst-case scenarios. It’ll open the doors
for more research and, hopefully, the eventual restoration of the male gender
to our species.”
“I think once women have that experience…”
Randi’s voice broke at the memory of her morning and she rushed to finish,
“we’ll fight to see males reinstated within our society.” Heated pulses
throbbed through her. It was clear her body definitely needed a real man, now
that she’d had a taste.
“Had the first attempts at genetic
manipulation not failed we would be living in that dream society, Randi,” Ellen
sighed.
“We’ve lost a lot of time. I’ve read about
the era when male re-creation was abandoned and then banned. Those rumors of
failed underground attempts using male genes preserved and cleansed still
resurface every few years. It wasn’t until your company provided me with the
pure male DNA sample that I knew they were true.”
“These fanatic right-wingers, who’ve gained
a foothold in our government, are intent upon bringing an end to our world.
They’re desperate to discover any underground labs,” Ellen said, growing quite
animated. “They want to speed up the end of all humankind except for their
elite group.” Bitterness laced her words. “They want to inherit our planet.
It’s not just rumors that they’ve built secret factories where they’re gearing
up to produce robots.”
“Robots?”
“Not sex replacements. These are being
designed for manual labor. Oh, they’ll keep a few human slaves to continue
running the world and see to their personal needs.”
“What?” Randi couldn’t believe it. She felt
as though she was living in a futuristic vid.
“It’s greed in the most twisted form
imaginable. Those few thousands who will survive want to preserve the dwindling
sperm reservoir for their own procreation. Here,” she said, motioning for Randi
to sit down at the conference table. Ellen sat down across from her and tapped
the emerald on her bracelet. A hologram materialized above the table, revealing
a document. “These documents were discovered a few months ago. The Board wanted
you to see them. It’s why we decided to aggressively pursue your research.”
Randi read the dossier, feeling as though
the wind had been knocked out of her. The documents were plans. Step-by-step
processes for neutralizing the government and taking complete control over the
population-growth program.
“They can’t do this,” she said, staring at
Ellen. Anger roiled inside her. Her stomach pitched in response and she covered
her mouth, afraid she might throw up.
“Not if you’re successful.” She touched the
gem again and the screen disappeared. Ellen leaned forward. “Now you know
what’s riding on your work. We’re fighting to save humanity, Randi. If you
succeed there will be so loud a public outcry, nothing will stop us. The timing
must be right before we make these documents public.”
Randi met the anxious look and smiled
stiffly. Her project suddenly took on greater ramifications. A powerful surge
of energy shot through her and she tightened her clasped hands. Pressing her
lips together, she fought the need to confess to Ellen that she’d already
accomplished her objective. Not yet. She wanted a couple more months to make
certain her product was perfect.
“I always play back a portion of the
interview on the first day, so my employees fully understand why they were
selected for the position. I want to play back a part of our interview, Randi,
and then I’m going to destroy it.” Ellen smiled and placed a round blue crystal
encased in a scrolled metal design on the table and tapped the stone.
A hologram opened in front of them
projecting life-sized images into the room. Randi was impressed with the
quality of the holograph image. She recognized the conference room on the main
floor. Ellen sat at the crystal desk and Randi saw herself enter the room, tall
and slender, dressed in a red and black business suit. Watching herself shake
hands with Ellen and then sit down in the chair across from the CEO, Randi
recalled how nervous she’d been.
She stared at her own image, searching her brown
eyes for any signs of nervousness, and was relieved to see confidence
reflecting in them. Her body language expressed professional assurance. So far
so good. Her brown hair was smooth, with no hairs out of place, and fell to her
shoulders in the popular sweeping style. Overall, Randi was pleased with the
image she portrayed.
“Let me fast forward to the moment I
decided you were the one to take on this project,” Ellen tapped the crystal
twice and then once more to stop at the frame she wanted. She sat back in the
chair with forefingers templed to her lips as she watched.
“My vision when I started the model…” Randi
watched herself speaking, recalling all the thoughts and nervous quivering
racing through her.
Holographic Ellen gestured for her to join
her at the fireplace where two chairs faced each other. She sat down across
from Ellen.
“I kept thinking that just because we
produce what once were considered sex toys that are now vital to our normal
daily lives, doesn’t mean we have to continue to create them as though they’re
only machines. Of course, I’m not talking about the handhelds but the life-size
models.”
Randi watched herself talking, animated and
excited about the possibility of doing something more challenging with her
work. She had no idea at the time how pivotal that desire would prove, or
because of her ideas she would be offered the job.
“I’m intrigued, please continue.” Ellen sat
watching Randi and from her current point of view, Randi would see the wheels
turning in Ellen’s mind.
“Historically, ever since the doom-virus
struck our world, female survivors said they wanted more than dildos or
vibrators and began demanding life-size robots, and that’s exactly what we’ve
given them. Clunky robots. So I tried to improve a woman’s selection by introducing
Dan the Man.”
“I have that model and am quite happy with
it.”
“Only because there’s nothing better on the
market.”
Randi smiled, recalling how ecstatic she
was about creating a lifelike man.
“My prototype will make Dan the Man just as
clunky as those models from even fifty years ago. For example, what if you
could have a model that didn’t sound like a robot?”
“I guess that would be nice, but I don’t
really require my bot to speak. I’d probably set him on mute most of the time.”
Ellen smiled slowly.
Randi now knew Ellen had been testing her.
At the time of the interview, Randi had been careful not to say the words “male
human”, since it would have landed her in jail. Instead, she’d tried to get as
close to her idea as possible, not ever suspecting Sexed Up had plans to pursue
more than even she’d imagined.
“What if the robot could respond to you and
even bring some romance into your life.”
“Romance?” Ellen leaned forward.
The hologram paused.
“That, Randi, was the moment I knew. And I
held my breath waiting to see what you’d say next.” Ellen smiled and tapped the
crystal. The interview continued to replay.
“And more than romance—react with human
emotions.” She watched the hologram Ellen. Her boss’s eyes widened. She was
hooked. “And forget about the enhanced rubber casing. This new model will have
skin so natural it’ll be warm to the touch and would sense that touch. I’m
talking about something more than a robot that simply fucks a woman. We can get
that with handhelds. This model will be the closest facsimile ever created to
that of a…well you know what I’m saying. This model will be programmed to have
certain tastes and dislikes. The owner can program any kind of history for him
and eventually, he might even be able to function in society.”