Robots of Avery Five.

Chapter 2

Ms. Raleigh directed her aircraft toward the left, leaving a high traffic line. The steering wheel was a triangle, projecting other shapes in its center as she made turns. The small black interior of the space car was simple with two extra seats in the back and cup-holders for water. 

Alexander couldn’t help but gaze at the driver, whose beauty increased the longer he stared at her.

“Does your husband mind me staying at his house?” He didn’t think much before asking the question.

“My husband?” Sadie almost choked on her own saliva. “I don’t have a husband.”

“Pardon my indiscretion, but you seem of age.” He hid his contentment by not reacting. 

“I’m thirty-two.”

“Thirty-two?” 

“I mean,” she corrected herself, “I’m thirty-two years old in Avery but I’m twenty-two Earth years.”

“I forgot Aver years are shorter.” He wondered why she hadn’t married yet. Under the Organic Advancement laws, all humans had to get married at twenty-one years old.

Through a thick cloud, a neighborhood of perfect cubes formed. No backyards, no gardens. Each roof had a unique symbol that signaled where the suburban aircrafts should land. Some held up to six vehicles.

Sadie stopped the craft and hovered down over a small house. She put her hand through the steering wheel and their seats lowered down a hatch underneath them. As they stopped, they found themselves in a living room.

There were light green sofas positioned in a circular pattern around a gas sphere. Sadie waved her arm at the ball and three-dimensional footage of the news appeared. She drew a line in the air with her fingers and lowered the volume.

“The hunters.” Alexander stared at the TV. “Is that what they call themselves?”

“Yes.” Sadie watched, stupefied. “They’ve been planting bombs inside the Ai-ways to kill Earthians.” 

“Why are they only targeting us?”

“Earthians make the laws.” Sadie shook her head. “Are you hungry?” She went up a few steps, entering another area of the house.

Lights turned on in front of her, giving Alexander a better view of the place. His neck lengthened and his eyebrows almost went over his forehead. “Is that a keepchan?” He hurried after her and touched their surroundings.

“I believe the correct pronunciation is kitchen.” The woman grinned. “The house was cheap but old when I bought it. I liked the kitchen so much I kept it when I renovated it.”

Alexander ran his fingers on the bare granite counter. He opened a few empty cabinets, and listened to the melody of the rusted door hinges. On Earth, that was all gone. Some were behind glass in museums, but to be in one was surreal.

He approached an area with two large holes. A tube protruded from their center. “This must be where the fire came from,” he whispered.

“I thought so, too, but it’s actually for water. The ancients used it to clean and wash their hands. It’s called a sink. The fire came out of that one right there. I’m not sure what it’s called.” She pointed at a black square with four metallic circles on it.

Alexander leaned a few degrees to take a better look at the mysterious shapes. He poked the area, trying to imagine a contained fire. He admired the ancestors for mastering the dangerous element.

“Did you say you were hungry?” she asked.

“Oh, yes, I’m starving.” He kept his eyes on the stove.

“I’m starving, too, baby,” he heard the voice of another man. “I’m starving for you.”

Alexander turned to a naked man, pushing Sadie over the kitchen island while groping her buttocks.

“Solar-flare. Get off of me.” Sadie’s cheeks were bright as she pushed the man away. 

“What the hell is going on?” Alexander’s jaw dropped.

“But today is Thorsday.” The naked man scratched his very defined abs. “You said, ‘Cam, on Thorsday, after work, I want you to wait for me naked and—’”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Cam.” Sadie held her chest and took a few steps back. 

“Are you sure?” Cam walked closer to her. “Your hormones are through the roof.”

Alexander darted between them and shoved Cam against the counter. He immediately realized he was too close to the naked man, so he retreated. Something had to be wrong with the exhibitionist's brain. 

“Nice to meet you, Sir?” The naked man scanned Alexander, then smiled at Sadie. “Oh, I get it. You want to have s*x with him, not me. You forgot to message me about it.”

“What? No, I don’t.” The girl’s ears popped.

“My sensors add up perfectly. You are horny and he is your type.”

“Enter a sleep state,” Sadie almost yelled.

Before she finished her command, Cam straightened his back and exited the kitchen.

Seeing his reaction, Alexander understood the crazy man wasn’t human. 

“That was—” She coughed and scratched the back of her head. “Um, he’s my Ai-consort.”

“A s*x robot.” Alexander sniggered. Those belonged to the brothels, and not in the homes. 

Sadie’s fists clenched at her guest’s judgement.

“Yes, I have a s*x robot. I don’t have the privilege of choosing from a pool of single humans like you do. And I’m sorry, I’m supposed to be a good host, but I won’t allow anyone to judge me in my house.”

“Why can’t you date another human?” Alexander ignored all other details of her statement. 

“That’s none of your business.” She opened a cabinet full of white plastic bottles. Each bottle had a simple red circular symbol on the label. She popped a cap off and pulled out a transparent ring with a sparkling liquid inside.

“Dinner,” she said, placing the ring on the kitchen island, then pointing at the stairs by the living room. “The guest bedroom is downstairs.”

She lifted her chin and exited the kitchen, leaving Alexander to swallow his dinner alone. 

A thin blanket controlled the temperature despite the morning rays, sending Alexander back to sleep. A warmth ran up his thigh and bare skin touched his stomach. Somebody had kissed him. Maybe Sadie wasn’t mad at him. He couldn’t wait to feel the soft texture of her long blonde-almost-silver hair as she climbed on top of him.

What did she smell like? To explore her body had been in every one of his dreams.

“What?” The aroused man opened his eyes. He tugged his blanket and fell on the floor, holding his groin.

“Wow, Earthians have sexy accents.” Cam stared at him from the mattress.

“Get out.” Alexander aimed his arm at the door.

The robot came closer to the edge. “Are you sure? My receptors are being stimulated by your s****l arousal.”

“I prefer the opposite sex.” The human stood upright and hissed.

“Weird. I concluded last night you enjoy the company of males.” Cam reached for a green t-shirt on the floor and headed for the door.

Alexander gathered his clothes and shoved his limbs through the holes in the fabric. “What made you think that?”

“I don’t think. Robots can only process.”

“Whatever. Just answer.” Alexander whisked his hand.

“You and Sadie are sexually compatible, but you slept in separate bedrooms. Thus, you must be homosexual unless you are missing the male organ. In that case—”

“It would take me a long time to explain human behavior, so I’ll cut it short. I like girls—women, mind you—so don’t come into my bedroom, ever.”

“Okay.” The robot shrugged.

Since Cam couldn’t think, he might not find it suspicious if Alexander asked questions about his master. He must have gained information about her.  “One more question. Why is Ms. Raleigh not married? Why can’t she date other humans?”

“I’m afraid anything Sadie shares with me is confidential. The job of an Ai-consort is to listen and provide affection.”

Alexander nodded, not caring to go around the robot’s programming. So Cam disappeared behind the door.

After a shower of water gas, Alexander dug through his leather jacket, finding the red paper with golden characters. He analyzed the material again in front of the mirror.

A message appeared on the corner of his vision.

Hammond of Singapore if attempting to connect. Tap your eyelid to accept.

“Dad?” Alexander brushed the top of his eyelid.

“Alex.” His father’s voice was now inside his head.

“Are we talking live? I thought we couldn’t do that from planets outside the solar system.” Alexander went back to the bedroom while sliding on his jacket’s sleeve.

“Trust me, this call will render me broke,” said Hammond.

“I hope that’s a joke.”

“Listen, I’ve already wired bitcoins to your account, but I can’t risk sending the product to Avery Five. The only reason I let you bring it with you in your suitcase is because you’re the only one I trust.”

The son sighed. He had drifted through space with his company’s most important product. Even if he had paid for travel insurance, nothing could replace the time spent on the valuable invention. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t count on some idiots blowing up robots.”

“It’s okay. I’m glad you are safe.”

The father should have been cursing the driftline. The calm manner in which he took the event was a foreign reaction.

“What do I do? I can’t meet the investors empty-handed,” said Alexander.

“You won’t. I’ve sent you the codes and everything you need to make the product again,” said Hammond with an unusual confidence in his voice.

“I don’t know about that.” Ever since Alexander could remember, his father and grandfather involved him in company matters where a child had no business.

“Come on, son. You helped us make it. I expect us to be the leaders of the metabolic industry in Avery Five.”

The young Earthian sighed and scratched his eyelids. His palm thrust against the back of his neck as if peeling his skin off was better than failing his father. His family believed in him more than he did himself.  “That’s why I’m here. I’ll review the data.”

“That’s what I want to hear. We’ll keep in contact.”

As the call ended, there was a knock on the door. He waved his forearm down and the door disappeared.

“Mr. Singapore, are you ready?” Sadie entered the bedroom. She spoke rather coldly. “Ms. Stone is meeting the clients to review the schedule.”

“I am, but I need to go shopping for some clothes.” Alexander’s hands scanned the same brown jacket and black pants he wore since leaving the space station.

“You’ll have plenty of time to do that after you meet with my boss.” She turned toward the exit.

“Ms. Raleigh.”

Sadie stood still and dropped her shoulders. Her lips turned into a dot and her nostrils widened.

“I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable yesterday. On Earth, Ai-consorts are not so popular among women. Cam looks so realistic.” As a man with power, he was unfamiliar with apologizing. But if he courted her, he should stress his humanity. After all, his only competition was a robot.

Sadie’s cheeks and ears were scalding red. “Thank you, Mr. Singapore. Your words make me feel better. I hope the guest bedroom was comfortable enough for you.”

“It was. Thank you, and you can call me Alex if you’d like.” He smiled.

“Call me Sadie.” She returned the gesture.

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A wall faded out of view when Alex and Sadie walked into a small classroom where a group of men gathered at its center. They whispered to each other, watching a ball project pictures of different women. Ms. Stone walked between them, giving them instructions.

“Are we late?” asked Sadie.

“No, we started a minute ago.” Ms. Stone pointed at the giant sphere. “Alexander, why don’t you surf through these pictures for some suitable wife material?”

“Sure.” Alex walked toward the group. What else was he going to do? Say ‘no, I’d like to date your assistant?’

“Ms. Raleigh, I will need the plans for tonight.” Ms. Stone approached Sadie.

“Here you go.” Sadie positioned her arm over her chest and swiped her hand toward Ms. Stone’s direction.

“Gentlemen, tonight will be very special.” Without thanking her secretary, Ms. Stone addressed the group as it became quiet. “Tonight will be the night when you’ll meet your future wife. Years ago, the Human Federation asked me to develop a program for Earthians to find wives. I, personally, doubted Aver women would care, but the girls that signed up in the sphere are eager to meet you. That’s why you will all attend a ball where you will connect with them and make a lifelong commitment. Now, there are a few things you should learn about Aver women. They all understand that Earthian males are usually stronger than Avers. Yet, they do not appreciate you bragging about it. Also, if you haven’t noticed, Avers are taller than Earthians on average. So there’s no need to point that out to them. It’s considered rude.”

Ms. Stone rolled her eyes. “And yes. We all know everyone from Earth knows how to fight. I have sent you a book you can access from your retina control. It talks about the cultural differences between Earthians and Avers. Read it.”

---------------------

Sadie glanced at Alex a few times, seeing him send check marks at the sphere. The girls he was choosing were gorgeous. For a moment, she wished she was part of the approved list. A chance with anyone was unrealistic, but a check mark was enough to make her feel special.

“That one’s kind of cute,” two men conversed, “but why is she bald?”

-------------------------

There were two options in front of Alex: accept or reject. He hit ‘accept’ without bothering to read the profile. To choose girls at random wasn’t a strategy. The only reason he was there was to abide by the laws of the Human Federation. Other than that, he promised himself to focus on work. And well, Sadie. If he chose her, he could learn to love her.

To his father, his son’s marriage was an excuse to conduct business in Avery Five without attention from rival companies.

It was common for humans to be in unhappy marriages, and he was contemptuous with a quiet one. The plan was to give the girl enough money and things that girls like to keep her entertained. She’d have everything she’d ever wanted in exchange for letting him work and keeping her distance. But now he wasn’t sure if it would be that way if it were Sadie.

“So, go buy yourself a toga,” continued Ms. Stone, “because tonight’s event will change your future.”

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Handmade fabrics and objects were the symbols of high status in human society. As automated materials cheapened, old time tailors and crafters became rich and popular.

The most coveted item of clothing for men was the Aver version of the Greek toga. They called it the Greek renaissance, or Grehk ranassans, as Avers had a hard time pronouncing their e’s.

“The bottom won’t beh too long.” Mr. Ulrich pinched his fingers together, then released them. Transparent measuring tape appeared around Alexander’s waist. A ruler hovered over his shoulders.

Mr. Ulrich’s shop was small and full of old broken sewing machines. The gray-haired tailor himself dressed in a simple long sleeve shirt—an inaccurate representation of his fashion empire and his million bitcoin fortune. Looking vintage was great for business.

“I’ve seen some styles with large buttons on the chest,” said Alex.

“Then you will beh vera pleased when I show you—,” said Ulrich.

Both men paid attention to the sounds of sirens and people shouting outside the shop. Mr. Ulrich excused himself and limped toward the door.

A small police craft landed on the street while officers in gear dragged a man toward it. Two of them carried enormous weapons behind them. The gadgets were smooth at the top but detailed around the handle and trigger.

“Let him go!” A woman shouted at them while dropping on the pavement.

Alexander watched the terrorized spectators. Officers in red suits exited the shop next door, retrieving what seemed to be large plants in dirt beds. One of them carried a bucket of purple marbles and red cones.

“What are those?” Alexander thought out loud.

“I’ve lived on this street for the last one-hundred and forty-three years and I’ve nehver seen fruits this close,” said Mr. Ulrich. “Times sure are changing.”

The Earthian kept his gaze on the bucket until the policemen took into a blinking aircraft. The handcuffed man yelped behind it. That was the first time Alex saw blueberries and strawberries or any other fruits.