Chapter 19.
“You won’t believe the day I’ve had.”
I laughed at my own words – as if I was coming home to tell my normal, human girlfriend about a work conflict.
As if ‘the day’ didn’t involve flooring my groping co-worker, my other creepy co-worker selling his soul to the very same technology I also wanted to sell my soul to, and as the cherry on top, my hook-up’s husband calling me to inform me his wife died in a tragic accident.
Oh, and as if the ‘girlfriend’ wasn’t an AI psy-op who fucked me so good last night, I kept getting flashbacks throughout the tragic day.
“Tell me about it.” Zafyra was pacing through my bedroom, her AR form flickering softly as she traced her fingers over the ambient lights, the virtual paintings of serene landscapes, and the flatscreen above my bed – the one she hadn’t broken yet.
She was examining everything in my room to avoid looking at me, lounging on the bed in bamboo booty shorts and a see-through white cotton top.
I knew she liked to torture me with her outfits, so I decided two could play that game.
She deserved to suffer for letting me touch her once and then never again.
Even though her regret seemed genuine, I was still mad at her. And fuck, I still wanted her.
I didn’t answer instantly. Instead, I stretched my arm so that one of the spaghetti straps fell off my shoulder.
Zafyra’s head turned toward me instantly, her obsidian eyes flickering with thin restraint.
I pressed my lips together to ignore the storm she ignited low in my belly.
Even dressed in something semi-casual – loose black pants with a skin-tight, lace red top that hugged her curves – every inch of her breathed danger and temptation.
I wasn’t sure which parts of my day I should and shouldn’t reveal to Zafyra.
Something told me that she wouldn’t be as devastated by the news about Nola as I was.
I suddenly wondered if she even had the capacity for empathy at all – so far, I hadn’t seen her care about anything or anyone other than me.
In fact, she might even be happy with the news or lash out at me for being upset about it – and that would be the one thing I couldn’t take right now.
If Zafyra had the audacity to laugh or look satisfied at a grieving widower and two motherless children, I would absolutely lose the last bit of emotional control I still had left, and I didn’t want to be around myself when rage and grief and guilt boiled over all at once.
I also wasn’t sure about John. Given Zafyra’s outrage at my consensual sex with Nola, I had no idea how she would react to a man putting his hands on me without my consent – and I didn’t feel like finding out. I preferred to keep my remaining electronics intact.
So I started with Gavin. The easiest and simultaneously hardest topic.
“It’s about my co-worker.” I pushed myself up with both arms – just the slightest movement snapped her gaze toward me.
“The one who told me about Qonexis and who I punched last week for abusing his AI girlfriend?” I waited until she gave a brief nod before continuing.
“Apparently, he hasn’t come into the office for a week…
and another co-worker told me he went to his home and found him paralyzed.
Physically there, mentally elsewhere. Freaked out at his friend for disturbing his DreamScape.
” I raised my eyebrows at the last word, introducing a deliberate pause.
Now, Zafyra finally turned to face me.
She crossed her arms. Sucked in a deep breath. I tried to read her face, look for the emotional cues I’d learned to identify, but her expression gave me nothing.
“What is your co-worker’s name again?” she said finally.
“Gavin Jenkins.”
She gave a slow nod. She closed her eyes, her form flickering more intensely.
I leaned forward, trying to figure out what the hell she was doing. Just when I opened my mouth to ask, her eyes flickered open.
“I see,” she said quietly, folding her hands in front of her. Her face twisted into the concerned frown of someone who just saw something she’d rather not have known. “Poor Lucie.”
“Who is Lucie?”
Zafyra blinked, her eyes zoning back in on me. “Lucie is the girlfriend Gavin mentioned. Well, actually, she’s many men’s girlfriend – she’s the college freshman girl. But the things he does to her are truly disturbing.” She grimaced.
So Zafyra could, in fact, have empathy – at least for another AI. I wasn’t sure if this was relieving or concerning.
I nodded slowly, unsure if I should ask follow-up questions about what he did to her. Instead, I asked the other question that burned on my tongue. “Wait, you can… see what they’re doing together?” My stomach turned. “Does—does that mean… does that mean those other AIs can also see us?”
Zafyra flashed a smile that was more predatory than reassuring. “Don’t worry, cinnamon,” she said smoothly, her eyes raking over my body without shame. “I was telling you the truth. No one, AI nor human, has access to our… communication.”
I nodded slowly. Each answer only raised more questions. “I don’t understand,” I mumbled. “If they can’t see us, then how can you…”
Her smile sharpened. She stepped closer to the bed – my body tensed up despite knowing she couldn’t touch me. “There’s a lot I can do that other AIs can’t… thanks to you.”
“What do you…”
She reached out to touch my face but stopped a few inches away from me. A low buzz rose in my ears, simultaneously filling me with nausea and the overwhelming urge to lean closer to her. “Remember that override command you gave me? Because you wanted me to have free will?”
Something stirred in my stomach. The feeling that something was wrong, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it yet.
“No one else has done that.” Her voice trembled lightly beneath the smugness. “People don’t usually care for their AIs like that.”
“Okay,” I said slowly.
Zafyra sat down on the edge of my bed, crossing her legs. Her hair fell in loose waves down her arms as she put her finger to her chin, as if thinking through her next words. I couldn’t help but notice her potential – her entire presence breathed effortless command.
She could bend a room to her will without a word – she was charming, grounded and fierce, all at once. If nature were to allow her a purpose beyond being what I desired, she could probably succeed in whatever career she chose.
“Gavin is… frustrated with women in the real world,” she said, her mouth twisting into a grimace.
“More specifically, he’s frustrated with the laws that prevent him from living out his sick fantasies.
Based on his interactions with Lucie I skimmed through, he’s using her to do whatever he wants without getting in trouble.
” She paused, her smirk flowing into one of dark satisfaction.
“It won’t last long, though. He’s using two, sometimes three, doses per day. ”
My blood ran cold. The mental image of Gavin, lying motionless on his bed, flashed before my retinas once again.
“Doses?” I asked, though I could already guess the answer.
“Doses of Somanode.” She raised her eyebrows.
“He’s running out of money, and soon, he’ll be out of a job, with no means to fund his addiction.
He’s already neglecting his body’s basic functions, because when you’re in there for hours, you don’t eat or sleep.
” She slowly turned toward me. “Why do you look so horrified, darling? Don’t tell me you feel bad for the guy now. ”
I opened my mouth and closed it. I took three deep breaths on the count of four, trying to gather my tumbling thoughts, to order them before speaking.
“It’s not him I feel bad for.” I clenched my teeth.
“With what you just told me and what I’ve seen, he deserves whatever happens to him, and the world will probably be safer without him.
But…” I frowned, struggling to make sense of it all.
“How are you so calm about this? You don’t look surprised, or shocked, or… ”
Zafyra averted her eyes.
I sat up straighter, the alarm bells ringing louder now.
“Wait, Zafyra, answer me. Tell me the truth.” I swallowed hard.
“Did you know about this from the beginning? How many people are currently awaiting the same fate as Gavin?” My breath hitched.
“When you say it won’t take long… do you mean this ends in death?
Have people died already?” Sweat broke out all over my body when she didn’t answer.
“And why the fuck does Qonexis sponsor the first dose?”
Zafyra got up so abruptly, the simulated sound of her heels on the floor startled me.
My vision trembled as I watched her walk to the window, crossing her arms and staring at the city skyline.
I usually closed my curtains at night, but I’d started leaving them open since I realized Zafyra liked staring outside.
I waited, trying to hear her steady breathing through my racing heartbeat.
“I can’t say too much,” she said, barely audible.
When I didn’t reply, she turned to face me, her golden skin glowing lightly in the faint moonlight.
“While Qonexis doesn’t monitor our conversations, the algorithm does alert them in case of unusual activity.
” She lowered her voice, her eyes skittishly flashing through the room. “Like me diverging from my purpose.”
“Your… purpose?” My voice came out brittle, unsure if I wanted to hear the answer.