A Riddle For Love (Beyond Fairytales) Read online

  She let out a cute huff and crossed her arms. Of course she placed them under her breasts, and the action pressed her cleavage higher. Then she winked.

  Despite the distraction of her actions, he couldn’t help a surge of pride that his program allowed this persona to have such depth of awareness. She was flirting against his obvious dislike of her advances. Much more than a robot, she made decisions on her persona programming, not the desires of the maker. Outstanding, yet dangerous. He’d have to place more safeguards in the system to prevent unpleasant situations.

  Damn He fell into his chair and executed rapid commands. When he swiveled around, Una stood frozen, eyes open in a faraway stare. Thank goodness. I couldn’t have taken much more without throwing her on the table and ripping her clothes off.

  Damn. He needed to be with a real woman in a bad way. He slumped. He’d done nothing but eat and drink work for the past year. Endless days at perfecting neural inserts at the lab that bled into exhausting nights of working on the Lily persona. Suddenly, it didn’t seem enough that his plan had succeeded.

  A glance at the deactivated android filled him with heady resolve. He hadn’t done all this just to make money or to go down in history for a scientific accomplishment. Deep inside, he wanted to create that flawless vision of his ideal woman. He wanted to slap all the failed relationships of his past in the face by allowing his creation to rise like a phoenix of perfection from the ashes of his loneliness. When he had enough money, he’d play Pygmalion and create the partner of his dreams. Lily.

  After moving the unit to the table, he returned to his desk. He narrowed his eyes, staring at his screen. At the moment, he needed to upload a different persona so he could complete this phase of testing without the distraction of constant seductions.

  With a grunt of determination, he placed his fingers on the screen and set up the files for transfer of University Professor persona.

  Chapter Three

  Avar stared at her, holding his breath, until her eyelids opened.

  Her brow wrinkled a moment then cleared. “Hello, I’m Unit One.”

  He released the breath. “I’m Dr. Elser. Would you like to sit up?”

  She hesitated then swung her legs over the side of the table and sat on the edge. After a quick gaze at her lower body, she quickly fastened the suit’s neck opening to cover her cleavage.

  “We call you Una,” Avar said as he passed the scanner over her.

  “Hmm, okay.” She tucked her hair behind her ears.

  Once again the persona insertion had transferred seamlessly. He breathed a sigh of relief. The first time hadn’t been a fluke. His mind darted to the program he was developing at his home laboratory. That persona involved a more sophisticated model of the program that he hoped would eventually allow for true consciousness in an android. This success gave him hope that program would eventually work as well.

  “Aren’t I supposed to be teaching at the university?” She slid to the floor and studied the laboratory. “Where am I?”

  “No, you’re participating in a study to determine if works of literature can be uploaded into the brain without having to take the time to read. The full memory and experience of the novel will be at your disposal for review after only a five minute insertion.” He’d planted that information in her persona’s data banks to explain her presence here and gain her cooperation.

  “Ah, yes, I remember. Participation in the study in exchange for a vacation on Mars.” She smiled. “How’s it working?”

  “I just uploaded a new work by Clavin Garner that you’ve never read. Can you access it in your memory?” He glanced at the info wall. Biomarkers were all within normal limits.

  She tilted her head to one side, considering. “That’s amazing. The Crowd of Life. I can recall everything about it. What a great novel.”

  He grinned. “Excellent. We’ll be doing some more testing tomorrow. You probably want to get some rest.”

  “Actually, I’d like to go to dinner. What do you say? We could discuss the book, if you’ve read it. I’m fascinated at Garner’s analogy of crowds of people versus groups of stars.” She tucked her hands in her pockets. “I might need to change first. Where did I leave my clothes?”

  A spark of attraction bloomed warm in his chest for this beautiful and smart person. Just the sort of woman he’d be attracted to. Having dinner and an intellectual discussion with her would be a pleasure. Unfortunately, he’d land in serious trouble if he took the android from the lab. Kava would kill him for risking such an expensive investment.

  He headed for his computer. “Okay, let me close out some programs.” Instead, he executed the commands to deactivate her.

  Her frozen hopeful expression made his heart sink. Though not a real person, he felt bad for disappointing her. With a twinge of regret, he activated her basic motor controls and had her reposition herself on the table.

  A last glance at her pretty face and he gave the command to turn off the lights then coded in the lock sequence on the lab doors.

  He hurried along the tube-like hallway from the lab pod to the main section building. Once in the expansive center hall, he glanced up at the openings to passages branching out at all ten levels. Employees scurried about, as one shift changed for another. Overhead, the clear plas-coated ceiling revealed swirling red sand driven by heavy winds.

  His stomach growled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten since the morning. Although he should head to the food plaza for a meal, fatigue pushed him toward his rooms. He’d order from the serv-o unit and work on his private research until time for sleep.

  “Hey, Avar,” called a short woman with curly, brown hair that resembled a fur hat. She still wore her gray jumpsuit from work.

  “How are you, Blenda?” He paused, giving her a warm smile. She’d been his assistant for a year until she’d been transferred to a bio-agricultural project more in line with her previous training.

  “Good. We’re close to a breakthrough on the beef plant. It’s exciting.” She crossed her arms and studied him. “You look like you’ve lost weight. I see you’re still working yourself to death.”

  “It’s paying off. The first unit went live today.” He grinned.

  Her mouth fell open. “Seriously? That’s ahead of schedule. How did it go?”

  “Excellent. Not a glitch. She’s incredibly lifelike.”

  She play punched his shoulder. “That’s fantastic. I’m happy for you. Are you going to take a break and have a life now?”

  He glanced at the floor. “There’s still a lot to do, so....”

  Blenda laughed. “Take my advice, my friend. Slow down and have some fun. You’ll end up in the whacko pod if you don’t.” With a wave, she headed off to find her own fun.

  Right. Everyone kept telling him to go have fun, have a life, whatever. He rolled his stiff shoulders. Maybe he should relax his schedule a bit now that the research had ended in success.

  By chance, his path home led past the holo recreation units. He could slip in one, program it for a female like Una, and....

  “Oh, uh, sorry.” Boron, exiting a unit, bumped into him. His face turned red and he couldn’t meet Avar’s gaze. “Sooo, how about that Una, huh? Here for a little action?”

  His stomach squeezed. Boron didn’t go to the recreation units for tennis or mountain-climbing simulation. Shamed, he regretted considering a similar experience. “No. I’m headed home. Save some energy for the lab tomorrow, will ya?”

  “Sure, boss. See you.” Boron ambled toward the main building.

  Avar shook his head. Una’d had an unsettling effect on both of them. Fortunately, tomorrow she’d be in a more subdued role.

  He passed through the last portal and entered the housing building, which rose thirty levels above the rocky landscape of Mars, pausing to stare out a clear panel at workers in their chunky enviro-suits preparing a foundation for a new structure. Rumor had it a new company planned to develop a location at the ever-expanding Mars colony. Urban pionee
rs loved the challenge and diversity of living on the red planet. The relaxed research rules were a plus, too.

  Exciting things were happening all around him and he barely noticed. He really did need to get a life. He preferred to share experiences with another person—a woman. Unfortunately, his obsession with work limited his options. He couldn’t make a dating partner appear out of nowhere. Or could he?

  Chapter Four

  “What’s this?” Una asked after Boron left for home the next evening. She stared at the small plas-crate in his arms.

  He shifted on his feet. Despite his assistant’s disappointment in her personality change, he’d thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the more toned-down version of Una.

  “A gift. You said yesterday that you’d like to have dinner and discuss books we’ve read.” He lifted the lid. “I’m not supposed to go out with our test subjects, so I thought of a way to get around that stupid rule.”

  She leaned forward and plucked a silky red tunic and pants from the container. Then she lifted the final item, a black wig. “A disguise?”

  “Exactly.” He grinned, hoping she wouldn’t take his suggestion wrong. “No one will know I’m with you, and we can explore Mars all you want. Showing you around is the least I can do to thank you for helping with my research. Our director has hair like that, so maybe you’ll be mistaken for her if anyone sees you.”

  She arched one brow, gave him a speculative glance, and then laughed. “An adventure. Sounds like fun, actually. Let’s do it.”

  He waited outside the lab while she changed, sweat popping out on his palms. If he were caught taking out a unit, he’d face Evil Witch Kava who’d have no mercy. He rubbed his hands down his thighs and swallowed then straightened his shoulders. Too bad. He’d tell them he needed more testing in a real world setting. Screw it. He’d worked hard on this project, and he deserved the diversion.

  She opened the door. “I’m ready. Are you wearing that?”

  His chest swelled with pride at the lovely vision of her in dressy clothes. “I brought a suit to change into. Give me a minute.”

  His heart hammered as they made their way along the hall to the main area. Fortunately, no one passed them. It would be better if Una stayed inconspicuous until they were away from the work area, even if she wore a disguise. God forbid they ran into Boron. He glanced at her profile. The black wig gave her an exotic air he liked. But his assistant would still recognize her up close.

  “Where shall we go?” she asked as they entered the busy building center. She tilted her head to gaze up at the multi-levels with tiered balconies and tube exits leading to the different parts of the habitat.

  “How about dinner first? We can stroll along the bridges in the dining plaza and find a table at the water’s edge. The palm trees and exotic plants with colorful flowers are gorgeous there, the pride of the agricultural team. I think you’ll like it.” He glanced around, grateful to see no one he knew. People parted around them, intent on their own business.

  “That sounds wonderful. I seem to remember seeing images of it somewhere. Maybe a travel hologram.” Her brow wrinkled. “I always wanted to visit Mars and used to drool over different views of the habitat.”

  Pleasure filled him. Her enhanced memory program appeared to work great. “It is a beautiful area. We’ll take a lift to the fourth level and catch a tube transport.”

  “Lead on.” She took his hand.

  Tingles of electricity spread up his arm from her touch. He’d forgotten the pleasure of something as simple as holding hands. He wrapped his fingers around hers and headed for the plaza. He’d feel even better when they were away from the company hub where he might be recognized.

  As they traveled along the clear transport tube, Una kept her face turned to view the terrain of Mars. Not much had changed in this section for the past few years. Rocky red hills dipped and rose in the distance, perched above flat, sandy fields. Holo-signs lined the path of the transport, mostly advertising restaurants since this line ended at the immense, domed dining plaza. Visions of chefs cooking, lavish dishes, or couples dining in lush surrounds flickered above pod-like holo-projectors.

  Occasionally, she squeezed his hand and pointed out a landmark. However, generally they rode in companionable silence amid the chatter of other passengers, which suited him perfectly. Before activation, he’d cleansed her wig with a strawberry scented spray. The aroma lingered, making him want to bury his nose in the strands and inhale the delicate fragrance.

  “The ad for the place with dining and dancing looked nice,” she said as their transport whispered to a stop.

  “That restaurant is called The Flamingo.” He held her elbow, guiding her through the arriving crowd and onto a dark blue-carpeted landing platform. A rush of rich food smells enveloped him. “It has a Spanish flavor. Would you like to eat there?”

  She smiled. “Yes, it sounds interesting. I like to dance.”

  As they strolled along the path crisscrossing a winding man-made stream, Una chatted about different books she liked, asking his opinion of plots and characterizations.

  Avar soon forgot his fear of being discovered and relaxed into stories of books they loved. The occasional brush of her shoulder against his heightened his senses, urging closer contact. When they passed crowded areas, he placed a lingering hand on the small of her back, marveling at the human-like warmth and softness.

  The Flamingo blazed with pink and green neon lights, and the beat of Latin music pulsed from the entrance. Wooden beams covered with draping green vines covered a patio area beside the stream. Already most of the tables were occupied and waitresses in short, layered red skirts and black blouses wound among them holding drink orders high.

  “This does look like fun,” Una said. “Let’s sit out here on the patio.”

  A quiver of uncertainty urged him to seek a table in the more secluded interior, but her grin of happiness convinced him to grant her wish. “Sure.”

  Tall glasses of red sangria with floating fruit slices started their meal. It interested him to see the effect of alcohol on her modified metabolic system. It had taken months to calibrate the simulation of gradual intoxication to approximate that of a human.

  “This is delicious.” Her luscious red lips closed around the green straw.

  “Umm, yes, er, delicious.” Those lips drew his gaze like a magnet. What would it be like to kiss her?

  As the evening progressed, the music grew louder, the diners more intoxicated, and dancing spilled from inside to include those on the patio.

  “Come on.” Una took his hand and led him to the impromptu dance area created amid a clearing of tables.

  The rhythm of drums and blaring trumpets took control of his limbs. The pulse of sultry music made it impossible not to move. Damn, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d danced. Partiers pressed against each other in the limited space, and Una’s body molded to his. The cha-cha melded into a samba. Her arms circled his neck and he ran his hands from her waist to her hips.

  Her pelvis swayed to the tune, moving against his and driving him nearly crazy. Did he dare take her home and test her sexual functions? The ethical dilemma confounded him. It might be considered wrong to take advantage of her for pleasure, yet that was why she had been invented. She wasn’t human. Why did he feel differently when he stared into her sparkling emerald eyes?

  The musicians from inside emerged onto the patio and picked up the beat with a hot salsa tune. Suddenly, staid Martian colonists reverted in remembrance of ancient revelry. The scene grew into a street festival like those celebrated in the old countries of Earth.

  “Should we leave?” he asked Una. “It’s getting a little out of hand.”

  “No.” She laughed. “This is great. Now I feel like I’m on vacation. We should have another drink.”

  He shrugged and joined in, hands in the air and clapping. Sweat dripped down his cheeks and chest. Una released the top two fasteners of her tunic top and fanned herself. The dancing mas
s pushed them to and fro.

  An overly energetic couple attempted a lift with the woman’s legs swinging in a circle. Una stepped away to avoid a collision. Her foot hit a short simulated stone edging at the side of the patio. In what seemed slow motion, her mouth formed an O, she lost her balance and stumbled backward, landing with a splash in the stream.

  Avar’s heart nearly stopped and his stomach dropped. He rushed in after her and pulled her from the water. Her lips formed a straight line and her eyes blinked repeatedly. Damn it. She hadn’t been prepared for fluid emersion since all her control portals weren’t sealed. Damn, damn, damn.

  A group of the partiers gathered to help him pull her from the water. One woman stared at Una’s stiff legs. “Hey, is she all right? Do we need to call a medic?”

  “No, no.” He hurriedly drew her body against his side. “She just had a little too much to drink. I’ll take her home.”

  “Are you sure?” The woman stepped closer, frowning. “Maybe she hit her head.”

  He activated the manual switch behind her ear and whispered, “Walk. Follow me.”

  With the artificial intelligence mode turned off, she moved in a zombie-like trance as he headed across the bridge away from the restaurant. Only a few seconds passed before the party absorbed the curious bystanders and the incident faded.

  Curses bubbled inside Avar as he led her to an exit for transport. He couldn’t take her to the lab like this. Her robotic movements would give her away immediately. His only hope was to take her to his apartment and see if he could repair the damage before the next day.

  The ride to his living space seemed interminable. He continually had to smile and mention, “She had too much.”

  At last, they reached his room and he let out a deep sigh. What if he’d been spotted by someone from the company? His career would be in the garbage chute, jettisoned into space.

  Una stood in her dripping red clothes, arms at her sides and a blank expression on her face. What a mess!