Chapter 2
“Are you going to stay on that stupid thing all day, Eros?”
A woman that I don’t immediately recognize stands in front of me with her arms securely crossed. Her golden, silky hair bounces a few inches above her slender shoulders as she storms to the edge of my loft. Lips pursed, the expression on her face is one I’d be happy never seeing again.
“H-How long have you been here?” I ask tossing the network cable on the desk in front of me.
“What the hell, E? Do I mean nothing to you!?” she shrieks, stomping her way down the stairs and into the dining room.
“I guess not?”
“Gah! I am so stupid.”
Out of nowhere, her voice shifts from enraged to intrigued in less than a second as she gathers her belongings noticeably dramatic. It’s remarkable how quickly her tone changes.
She stops. “So.. What are we, then?” she asks batting her electric pink eyes at me like she has a moon’s chance on earth. Every hint of her rage now completely evaporated. Gone. Fucking psycho.
“We,” pointing to the pair of us, “are nothing.” She starts to interject, but I cut her off. “You,” pointing at her, “are now leaving.” I make the finger motion of a person walking in case she can’t understand me.
“So, last night meant absolutely nothing to you? I waited for you all day while you were on that stupid game, and this is how you repay me?” she cries out on the verge of tears.
“No one asked you to wait on me. That was your choice, you decided, all by yourself. Look, I’m going to give it to you straight. I’m not the dating type, sweetie. I will break your heart faster than I’ll forget your name - these are facts. You should know this, I’m a DeltaCraft pilot for crying out loud and a damn good one. I’ve got no business with a ball and chain holding me back.. I’m really not trying to be rude, but I have someone waiting on me and I’m already late.
She pauses, looks up wearing a devious little half-smile. “So, we’re friends with benefits?”
“Nope,” I quickly reply. “I’m not trying to be your friend.”
Her shoulders deflate.
“We are just fucking. That is it. That’s all it has ever been. That’s all it will ever be. Again, not the dating type.”
Hand to the small of her back, I physically guide her to the door. With one foot out, she looks up at me as if nothing I said had any effect whatsoever. Her lips part. “Well, hit me up when you get your mind right, E. Maybe we can hang out or something.” One of the straps of her blouse subtly slips off her shoulder. My upgraded eye spots my own bite mark on her neck.
“You’ll be the first I call,” I lie smiling as I make a mental note to never again invite- shit, what was her name again?
The receiver in my arm vibrates as a holo-image of Poth appears.
“Yo! What’s up, man?”
“Where the fuck you at??” he shouts.
“Running a little late. We’re still meeting up at the Ugly Mug to pregame, right?”
“I’ve already been here for twenty minutes, dude. Hurry the fuck up.”
“Is Oriyen there yet?”
“What?? He’s coming?” Poth whines.
“We haven’t seen him in nearly a century. A few drinks won’t kill you.”
“Fine, but you fucking owe me, dude. I get dibs on every piece in there tonight. You can have what’s left.”
I laugh a little louder than expected as I feel my eyes roll. Poth’s got nothing on me. “Like they’re going to be able to resist this charm long enough to even notice you.”
“The game is on,” he declares disconnecting before I have a chance to rebut. The green pixels that made up his face return to the network port embedded in my arm. He’s fucking helpless, but he’s my friend.
Scrolling through the endless list of food in the bioprinter, I push the touchscreen icon selecting CHICKEN MEAL #03. The bioprinter houses a genetic sample of every type of edible plant and animal saved. After you make your meal selection the printer uses the Lethe catalyst 2.0 to near-instantly gestate or grow your food. From there it cleans, cooks, and prepares your selection for you based on your customizations. A few minutes later it finishes up replacing each DNA sample used, disposing of all waste. Eternal life minus the mindwipes wrapped in any meal I desire for free. My stomach audibly turns just thinking about it. I’m fucking starving.
I make my selection and chow down. I’ve never tasted anything so amazing before in my life. Thinking that after every time I unplug doesn’t hold much weight, but right now nothing seems truer.
“Call Oriyen,” I say aloud, tossing the empty bowl on the coffee table.
“Calling Oriyen,” replies the radiant green light embedded under a thin layer of skin in my right arm.
A 3-D holo-image of a man appears above the light. He looks mildly irritated as he glitches into focus. A version of the same man rests on my desk in 2-D, framed beside a younger me.
His hair is darker than I remember. His suit is fitted and pressed as always. His face, rugged, growing colder by the year. These days I hear he’s more machine than man. I haven’t seen him in ages - at least three or four upgrades ago. I guess you need all the advantage you can get hunting for Lethe. It’s not an easy way of life. Only the most courageous volunteer to keep us safe.
“Eros, good to hear from you. How have you been, old friend?” His voice, mechanical. Professionally polite.
“Ahh, a lot of the same. How are things with you, man?” I reply.
“Couldn’t be better. What can I do for you?”
“I was just calling to check up on you. See if you wanted to grab a drink later. I’m meeting Poth at the Ugly Mug in an hour. You remember that place, right? You’re
