Poth sneers.
A surprisingly familiar face steps through his door.
“Tal! Did not expect to see you here.”
His robotic head snaps to me as Poth disappears towards the rear of his apartment.
“Honestly, I was not expecting to be here. Your friend insisted. He is a.. he is different.”
“Can I get you a drink or something?” I joke without being able to hide my shit-eating grin.
“Ha. Ha. Very funny, human,” he replies sarcastically.
“How do you know I’m human if you cannot know anything for certain?” I ask playfully.
“Ah, you remember our last conversation. That is very flattering, Eros.”
“You are the same Machina that I met at the Ugly Mug, right?”
He pauses for a few moments. Looking towards the ground he lifts his head and replies without emotion, “To tell you the truth, I don’t know.”
Here we go again. I must admit I do find a sick sense of enjoyment in getting him going.
“You don’t know???” I ask throwing my hands to the sky dramatically.
“In my defense, that is an extremely difficult question to answer. First, as per our previous conversation, how do we know anything for certain? I may be the same Tal or perhaps I am not. If I am, then we have another philosophical endeavor to conquer. Are we the same being that we were a year ago, a day ago, a second ago? I am not sure I am. If you can compare two things, those two things are not the same. Suppose you were to replace every brick of this tower, one by one. When you replace the last original brick is it the same building or is it a new one? Suppose you stored all the original bricks that you replaced and arranged them in the same manner as they formally were, creating another skyscraper. Which building is the original? I am not sure an objective answer exists.”
We both make our way to the white fuzzy sofa in the center of the room in unison. A tiger print rug is stretched beneath it. The network’s best anchor is hosting the special anniversary event along with a Machina woman. The woman’s model appears to be top of the line. In her suit, I can barely tell she isn’t human. I guess it doesn’t matter if she’s human or not. Anyone can report the news.
“I understand it doesn’t matter either way, how we label the building. We are all trapped, going through the motions until the singularity, until we can escape our code.”
“That’s kind of depressing, Tal.”
“There is a silver lining. We get to be aware.”
I step outside the glass wall and say hello to Sophia, trying not to be rude. She raises her glass slightly in the air to toast me without breaking her and Selene’s conversation. I have no idea what they are talking about. Something around one of the other women they know dating a Machina. Gossip.
Poth and Tal join the rest of us. I notice Sophia’s eyes all over Poth as soon as he steps out. She might be good for him. Maybe she can calm his ass down a bit.
A crowd is already gathering over the square outside Lethe Tower. Poth’s balcony is the best view in the city. We should be able to perfectly see Archer Lethe and all of his adorners from up here.
“Happy birthday, Olympia!!” echoes a drunken voice from a few flats below us.
Poth immediately responds.
“We’re fucking capital of the fucking world!!”
If toxic nationalism were a competition, he’d place first and third. I’ll never forget that night a couple of decades ago when Poth threw a guy through a second-story window for trying to burn a Lethe Corp flag. From what I remember, which can’t be too much
considering my inebriated state, the poor guy was complaining all night about the escalation of force by some of the Lethe employees, the Suits. Apparently, Lethe had recently changed some of their policies, which marked the beginning of all these protests. As soon as the guy ripped the black flag down, out the window he went. He wasn’t hurt too badly or anything. Poth was pardoned, of course. Being on Lethe’s side of the issue has its benefits I suppose.
“So, tell me about yourself, Mr. E,” demands Sophia peering at me from under her oversized sunshades.
All eyes on me now.
“What would you like to know, love?” I reply with the most charming grin my face can hold. Through my countless years of experience, I know first and foremost, once you impress the best friend, you’re golden.
“Are the rumors true?” she asks straight forward.
“What rumors?” I return.
“Womanizer, misogynist, self-centered… Look, I just want to know what type of man is going to be all alone with my girl. I can’t let her go off with just anyone.”
“I can respect that. The rumors are only half true. You see, my whole life I’ve been called shallow. Date a few thousand women and you’re automatically labeled a lady’s man. I don’t think that does the truth very much justice. Perhaps the real reason I was so unsuccessful in all those brief relationships is simply that none of those women were you, Selene.”
Selene just melted.
Sophia smiles adoringly as she tilts her head just barely to the side. Her hand over her heart. Got her.
Poth’s eyes roll to the back of his skull.
“What about you Tal? Have you ever had any feelings for someone? Is that even possible for you guys?” I ask.
Before he has a chance to explain, great white and red fireworks blast from all sides of the square, coloring the sky with beautiful shades of fire as the presidential anthem blares from the loudspeakers below. And so it begins.
The crowd around the stage has grown dense, in more ways than one. They’ve been waiting hours for their chance to see our fearless leader of Olympia. They suffer in the heat, sacrificing their comfort for just a glimpse. Their entire day
