DISCLAIMER: MUST BE 18 TO READ, OR HAVE PARENTAL PERMISSION
�I�m not making a big deal Sophie. It�s just I�m
surprised you didn�t at least call to tell me,� Marcos
said. The vehemence of his motions unruffled his hair,
so he raked the dark locks out of his face and looked
at Sophie sullenly.
Sophie smiled with mingled tolerance and amusement.
She had her arms crossed below her breasts, fully
aware of the uplifting effect it had on them.
�Try and understand Marc,� she implored him, �I
just�fell in love with the place.� She uncrossed her
arms, and his eyes followed her breasts as they
dropped to their natural level. �You should see it.�
He rolled his eyes. �That�s just it. I haven�t seen
it. I�m just finding out you went and signed a lease
on a new home unit.�
�Not just any home unit,� Sophie explained. She got
up from the collapsible seat and walked to the
computer console. �It�s a personalized home unit,� she
explained and activated the computer. A cloud of
nanoparticles floated above the flat console dish and
assembled themselves into a demonstration program. �It
has art deco interiors and Bauhaus fixtures,� she said
as the nanoparticles dispersed and reassembled into a
series of angle shots of the eggshell white and chrome
finish chambers of the living unit Sophie purchased.
�It�s got an extra 120 square meters living space,
and thermal-reactant color-shifting walls, and-�
�What are you talking about?� Marcos cut in suddenly.
More than confusion it was the fact that she was
enjoying herself that upset him.
�It�s the best part,� Sophie said, grinning,
unperturbed by Marcos� sudden outburst. The image
collapsed into the hovering cloud of nanoparticles
again, until she said, �Look.�
Marcos looked at her a while longer, hoping his
insistent stare would draw her attention, but she was
staring at the nanoparticles. They reassembled into a
recessed section of a living room with high ceilings.
It projected out from a spacious living room. At the
end of the room thick cream curtains hung. They
nestled together at the floor, reaching all the way to
the tan ceiling.
The curtains pulled back softly, revealing a glass
wall as high as the curtains themselves. The glass
pane was of one piece, curved in a gentle radius, and
gave unobstructed views from the outer edges of the
floor level.
�See?� Sophie asked Marcos. �It�s a unit with a view,
and look.�
Sunlight gradually entered the recessed chamber in
slanted rays. The portions of the walls that were
bathed in sunlight slowly changed colors. From sterile
white into the warmest shades of adobe, peach, pink,
and yellow, the depth of the color dictated by the
intensity of the sun rays on the surface.
�See?� Sophie asked, touching Marcos coat sleeve. He
nodded without speaking. In spite of himself he had to
admit it was an impressive view of the gardens,
eight-hundred meters below, and stretching out to the
foot of the eastern mountains.
�Sophie,� Marcos said softly, �Can you afford this?�
She looked at him with an upset expression, her lips
pursed at him, a feature he liked in her.
�I�m just asking,� he said to appease her, �maybe I
could help you with the rent�� he suggested, but she
was shaking her head already.
�We agreed Marcos,� she said. �We both keep separate
places.�
�I know Sophie,� he said sheepishly, �but we�ve been
going out for a while now, and things are changing.
You getting this place is a sign.�
Sophie shook her head. �It�s a sign that I�m tired of
this,� she said, stretching out her arms so he could
see the weak color in them. �I want to see the sun, to
actually feel it on my skin, instead of what I get
from the refracting mirrors.�
�You can always go to the open decks,� Marcos said.
�I don�t want to sit with other people, Marcos,� she
explained, �I want my own little space to sit and tan,
and watch the sunrise.� She looked at him. �I�m tired
of looking like a downfolk, of the stares I get from
people who think I snuck up here from the lower
levels.� She went to him, taking his hand in both of
hers, looking at him demurely.
�Can�t you understand honey,� she said. She got close
to him. �I want my own space.� She leaned her head on
his chest. �You can stay over,� she said, �once in a
while,� she teased.
Marcos put his hands on her back, lightly kneading
her muscles. �How about tonight?�
�I don�t move in for another four days,� she said, in
between sighs. �Until the paperwork�s complete.�
�That�s not what I meant,� he said. He slid his hands
down her back until they rested just above the swell
of her rump.
�Oh,� she said, her own hands now roaming his back.
�Okay.�
Then they just caressed each other�s faces with their
noses until their lips met, and they went on from
there.
Later that night Sophie was lying on her side of the
flexfoam mat, staring up at the ceiling with a lazy
smile on her lips while Marcos snored softly next to
her, lying on his left side. Their partially exposed
bodies glowed pink from the nanoflickers lighting the
chamber.
The sex with Marcos brought her back to the meeting
with the home unit distributor and saleswoman a few
hours early, and her smile became wider, more feral.
She rolled her eyes to the left, suddenly worried
Marcos would see her smile.
He was still snoring, so Sophie closed her eyes and
recalled the memory as a sleeping aid.
The saleswoman wore lavender in an unflattering
manner, and her suit further highlighted the extreme
width of her hips against the extreme narrowness of
her thighs and upper body. She hadn�t liked the woman
much while she explained about the kitchen features;
the retractable art deco breakfast nook and the
concave induction grilling chamber.
�Steaks taste like they were cooked outside, on a
range,� the woman explained to Sophie, kissing the
tips of her first three fingers.
Sophie smiled, and followed her through the rest of
the house. Her interest brightened up when the
saleswoman activated the rolling mechanism that pulled
back the drapes, and extended a hand grandiosely to
show Sophie the view of the gardens ringing the
arcology of ArcoSacrado out to the eastern mountains.
�It�s, it�s breathtaking,� Sophie said, watching wide
eyed as the white walls of the room changed to
Mediterranean tones.
�Shame�s what it is,� the woman said. �To spend your
whole life up here and never go down to the gardens,
to smell the vegetables just picked off the plant.�
She shook her head and made clucking noise.
�You�ve been there?� Sophie asked the woman,
impressed.
The woman made a gesture of showing her leather brown
face. �They don�t call me golden Sue for nothing.� She
smiled at Sophie. �You don�t get a tan like this from
refracting mirrors honey.�
Sophie nodded, looking out the massive plate glass. �I
love this,� she said without looking at the woman,
missing her smile of victory.
�There�s a few more things I need to show you,� Sue
said, already walking away from the glass chamber. �We
can sit here later to discuss payments and terms��
There were a few more rooms and features left to show,
but Sophie�s interest was in the one chamber Sue
didn�t show her.
�What�s this room here?� She asked, pointing at a
section of the wall.
�Ah, very perceptive,� Sue complimented. �You noticed
the absence of space joints at the bottom.�
�What is it?� Sophie insisted. Sue approached Sophie
in the conspiratorial manner one female about to
divulge vital secrets to another.
�Just between you and me,� Sue said. �The last tenant
here was a woman. A lonely woman, a nag, I believe
they used to call it.�
Sophie nodded in impatience.
�So, no man stayed very long with her, and over time
she decided she didn�t need a man��
�Yes?� Sophie practically shouted, curiosity urging
her on now.
�So she had this chamber made out of the space between
the two rooms on either side of it,� Sue said, and
leaned in close to what seemed a discreetly mounted
ventilation grill on the left of the hidden door. She
made a moaning sound into it, and the hidden door sunk
eight centimeters and slid to the right.
�What was that?� Sophie asked.
�It�s for girls only. Let�s go,� she said, nudging
Sophie inside.
The chamber was narrow, but space had been maximized
inside to make room for Jacuzzi tub fitted inside a
gyroscopic frame. Just ahead of it a mat of pink
flexfoam lay across from it, resting on a solid metal
frame.
�What is this?� Sophie asked in a whisper.
�It was her pleasure chamber,� Sue said. She stood
very close behind Sophie to whisper it. �Ms. Duncan�s
pleasure chamber. We can keep the name, or change it
to Ms�?�
�Huh?� Sophie asked. She felt she was swooning. �I
feel��
�I know,� Sue said. �It�s the erosphere, bioparticles
with a testosterone base in the air. They�re recycled
and circulate inside the chamber continuosly.� Sue
smiled behind her. �An airborne aphrodisiac. Ms.
Duncan had it custom made from Italian men.� Sue
giggled.
�The door,� Sophie whispered, �they�ll get out.�
�Already locked ladies,� a male voice with a Latin
accent said.
�What?� Sophie said, startled, looking around her.
�Who said that?�
�I did,� the voice said. It seemed to come from
everywhere inside the chamber at once.
�Hi Pacheco,� Sue said flirtatiously.
�Hello Susan,� the voice replied jovially. �You look
preciosa, as always.�
�You say the sweetest things,� Sue gushed.
�What�s going on here!?� Sophie demanded. Sue put an
arm around her.
�Pacheco, this is Sophie. She�s going to live here
now,� Sue explained to the chamber, as though
addressing someone.
�Excelente,� the voice said. �I was getting lonely.�
�I don�t follow,� Sophie said. She had relaxed a
little.
�Darling,� Sue explained, �Mrs. Duncan had one
servant. He cooked her meals, kept the place,� she
paused, �serviced her, ahem.� She looked at Sophie to
see if she understood. �Anyway, over the years she
kept recordings of his voice, and when even he
couldn�t take her anymore and motored out of there,
she had some sound and computer engineers design and
build a construct using his voice and reacting to her
movements for commands.�
�Movements?� Sophie asked. �It can see!?�
�Um,� Sue leaned near Sophie�s ear, �it doesn�t really
think of itself as an �it�. And frankly sweetie, once
you try it, neither will you.�
Sophie looked around the chamber, trying to find a
place from which to address the voice.
�I�m sure we�re going to get along fine Sophie,� the
voice said. Sophie looked around for an origin, but
wasn�t startled by it this time. It was a warm voice,
possessing the mellifluousness of a true Hispanic
voice while lacking robotic artificiality.
�He is programmed for pleasure, for a woman�s
pleasure,� Sue explained �Mrs. Duncan brought her
friend�s here over the years, under sworn secrecy, to
acclimatize him, and teach him that no man should ever
be here.�
�I�m truly looking forward to living with you Sophie,�
Pacheco said. Sophie was already thinking of him as a
person, aided in part by the erosphere. She felt
herself swooning again, as though a strong male
presence permeated every square meter of the chamber.
�His voice can be heard anywhere in the place, but he
has to be voice-permitted to control appliances
outside the chamber.�
�Yes?� Sophie said.
�I think we�ll have a lot of fun, just the two of us,�
Pacheco assured her.
�About the mattress,� Sue told her discreetly. �It
looks plain, but there are, ahem, toys underneath.
They can all be voice-activated if you ask him-�
�I wish to do nothing more than to serve you,� Pacheco
told her. Sophie was becoming overwhelmed between Sue
and Pacheco.
�He can control the speed of vibration, or thrust,�
Sue said, �all you have to do is tell him what you
want.�
�Can I�� Sophie�s mouth was becoming dry, �can I try
it?�
�Sorry, no,� Sue said abruptly. �Before you can use
that I need you to undergo an exam for hygiene levels
and any diseases.�
�Oh,� Sophie said, the spell starting to crumble.
�Alright.�
�Sorry sweetheart,� Sue said. �It�s a requirement from
the health division. For a future tenant, should you
wish to move later on.�
�I hope you will stay,� Pacheco said. �I so very want
to meet you.�
�Yes,� Sophie said.
�Yes,� Sophie whispered. The word was broken by
pleasure shivers.
It was loud enough to draw Marcos� attention. He
lifted himself on his right elbow, looking at her. The
nanoflickers were not in an excited state anymore, so
the room was dark, and he could see nothing of the
smile on her face.
After a few more seconds he lied down, smiling at
himself, thinking he had caused that involuntary
reflex in her.
Sophie moved three days later, and on the same night
she tried the Jacuzzi tub.
She used the Jacuzzi itself at first, soaking in the
pink tub while the water jets struck her body from all
directions, then she asked Pacheco how to use his
special features.
�Just let the cover seal you in,� he instructed her,
as the clear polycarbonate conch shell closed over the
tub and trapped her, �don�t be afraid. Trust me,
you�ll love this.�
In spite of Pacheco�s soothing words she did become
scared, and when the water suddenly drained from the
tub and a thick clear gelatin started filling it she
started pounding at the shell with her fists.
�It�s okay Sophie, por favor, trust me,� Pacheco told
her calmly. The gelatin felt cold on Sophie�s skin,
and had already filled the tub halfway, when a small
door slid open on the tub. It contained an air mask
that covered the nose and mouth.
�Here,� Pacheco said, �use this.�
Sophie put it to her face just as the gelatin filled
the tub. She breathed the oxygen in little hitches and
gasps.
�I told you to trust me chiquita,� Pacheco said
reprovingly. �I would never hurt you, or let anyone
else hurt you.�
Sophie felt the gelatin warm up against her skin, and
change in color to a rich gold.
�Now, for your pleasure,� Pacheco said. She felt
motion, but couldn�t tell if it was the gelatin. She
tried to see through it, and perceived the world
beyond the dim polycarbonate shell was tumbling. She
thought about going closer, but immediately lost
interest as the gelatin became hot; it brought tingles
to her skin, and she started moaning and gasping
involuntarily.
�That�s right my love,� Pacheco said, �lose yourself
in me.�
She said nothing else as the gyroscope gathered speed
and spun the tub in three-hundred and sixty degrees
through its circumscribed frame. Sophie moaned and
tried to grasp the gelatin as it slid between her legs
again and again, leaving tingles through her genitals.
She tried to trap it with her arms against her chest,
and only came up with electric shivers as she touched
herself. The speed of the ride increased until it
sensed her orgasm, then the gyroscope lost speed until
the tub was prone on its frame.
�I hope you enjoyed it Sophie,� Pacheco said. The
gelatin became cold and clear again as it was drained
from the tub. �I had a marvelous time.�
�It was good Pacheco,� Sophie said. The jets started
releasing water again, and Sophie showered, dried and
dressed, just in time as the facial image prompter
told her Marcos was at her door.
They ate lemon pepper salmon steak and steamed
asparagus with white wine. Marcos would look around
him occasionally, silently admiring the place.
�It�s too white,� he said of the white walls.
�It�s brighter on sunny days,� Sophie said, �remember
the demonstration at the old place?�
He nodded. �Speaking of which, you haven�t shown me
that view yet.�
�After we eat,� she said.
They went to the living room, each holding a glass of
wine and she drew the drapes aside. It was late
evening, so the sun was at the other side or
ArcoSacrado�s sixteen-hundred meter diameter,
but huge slanted rays struck portions of the mountains
as the sun completed its downward arc.
�In the morning you can get a great view,� she said.
�I like the view right here,� Marcos said, watching
her ass appreciatively. He came behind her, setting
the glass on a table. He started nuzzling the back of
her neck. She didn�t resist at first, until he became
more demanding and started reaching for her breasts
from behind.
�Marcos,� Sophie said, �don�t.�
�Sure,� he said, and continued fondling her. She
started pushing his hands away. He kept it up a little
more, until she wrenched herself free and stepped away
from him. He looked at her, dumbfounded. �What is it?�
�I�m just,� she stammered, �I�m tired,� she said,
realizing for the first time she could feel tiny aches
in her body, the type that came after exceptionally
good sex.
�I�m tired,� she started to explain, �with the moving
and all.�
�You haven�t unpacked anything,� Marcos said, waving
his arm to demonstrate the boxes containing her
personal accessories.
�Marcos please, let�s not argue,� she pleaded with
him. She went to the central table and started picking
up the dinner plates. �Just not tonight, please.�
He didn�t try to coax her anymore, but he was morose
through the rest of the night, behaving pettily toward
her and her new place.
�This place is so white and polished,� he said, after
four glasses of wine, �I feel bad after taking a
dump.�
Sophie ignored him, and allowed him to stay over to
avoid further confrontations, but stayed on her side
of the bed, scurrying over when she felt him reaching
for her in the dark.
In the morning he ate breakfast while watching the
sunrise, watching the walls change colors as the sun
bathed them in light. He left without saying a word
about the view or the soothing effect the walls could
have on a person.
�I don�t like that man,� Pacheco said suddenly. The
voice came from everywhere inside the place, like in
the chamber, and Sophie could sense its distaste in
its tone. �He is vile and foulmouthed, and I don�t
like the way he talks to you.�
�That was Marcos,� Sophie said by explanation, not
really surprised to hear Pacheco. �He�s from Buenos
Aires,� she said as she cleared plates with leftover
syrup and bread crumbs, as though Pacheco would find
kinship with a man of Hispanic descent.
�And I don�t like the way he insinuated himself to
you, even after you clearly said no.�
Sophie shrugged. �He can be a dick sometimes.�
�I don�t like that man,� Pacheco repeated, with even
more indignation. Sophie left it at that.
Three nights later Marcos came back to apologize.
Sophie accepted his gift of a holographic chip
featuring the harlequin chasing a nymphet through
Wonderland. They talked for a while, but again she
refused his sexual advances.
�What�s gotten into you!?� He asked her. �Ever since
you moved here you don�t want to do anything.�
�I just don�t want to have sex right now Marcos,� she
said, �is that so hard for you to understand?�
�Maybe you should spend less time in the shower,�
Marcos said, looking at her wet hair. �Looks you�re
always washing your hair when I come over.�
Sophie blushed slightly when he pointed out her wet
hair, as though afraid he�d caught her with another
man. She wondered briefly about that. I�m cheating on
him with Pacheco, she thought, and giggled.
�What�s so goddamn funny?� he asked her.
�Nothing Marcos, nothing,� she said, and went to him.
�You pout when you�re mad.� She stood in front of him
now.
�I do not,� he said peevishly.
�Yes you do,� she said coyly, taking his lips between
her hand and squeezing them. �You look cute when you
pout.�
Marcos finally smiled, and Sophie kissed him. �Let�s
not fight,� she said as she slowly walked with him to
the couch. She pushed him down on it when they reached
the edge, and kneeled in front of him.
�So you don�t say I don�t do anything,� she said
seductively as she undid his pants. Marcos watched her
with glazed eyes as she went to work on his member,
and aside from moan, he said nothing else until she
was over with her oral services.
He wanted more, but Sophie wouldn�t yield, and he
finally left.
�You didn�t want to do that,� Pacheco said as soon as
Marcos left.
�No,� Sophie said, �but it keeps him quiet.�
�He was demanding again, and he did nothing for your
pleasure Sophie.�
�Not like you huh?� She asked teasingly, and Pacheco
picked up on it.
�You know I�m here for your pleasure only,� Pacheco
said.
�That�s true,� she said. �So selfless and loyal. I
wish there was something we both could enjoy.�
�There is,� Pacheco said. �Come into the chamber.�
Sophie thought the gyroscopic Jacuzzi was impressive
enough, until Pacheco introduced her to the pink
mattress.
�Lie down, trust me corazon,� Pacheco told her.
�What�s this?� Sophie asked as she undressed.
�Something for you pleasure, and mine,� Pacheco said.
�Oh,� Sophie said, lying on her back on the mat,
�okay.�
�Maravilloso,� Pacheco said, and the upper half of the
mat raised itself until Sophie�s upper body was at a
thirty-degree angle.
�What now Pacheco?�
�My pleasure member,� Pacheco answered, and from
underneath the foot of the mat a tentacle curled out
to hover between her legs. It was multi-jointed, and
tipped by a slender, thirty-centimeter long tube.
Sophie recoiled at the robotic, menacing looking
tentacle; she tried to close her legs, and Pacheco
immediately reassured her.
�It�s okay. It�s for your pleasure,� he said in a
gentle voice, �I wouldn�t hurt you, preciosa.�
�I�m just�� Sophie didn�t know what to say, �I�ve
never done this-�
�Breathe in,� Pacheco said, �breathe in the erosphere.
That�s me you�re breathing.�
Sophie did, her nostrils dilating with the engineered
man scent in the chamber.
�Feel it, touch it,� Pacheco said. Sophie reached for
the chrome dildo, marveling at its smoothness and
rigidity. �That�s my flesh.�
�Yessss,� she hissed, stroking it with her hand,
feeling a thin layer of lubrication coating it.
�Needle spray release,� Pacheco said, sensors feeding
it tactile data of Sophie�s hand smearing the
lubricant.
�Yessss,� she said in between clenched teeth.
�Let me in,� Pacheco said, �Let me show you how I can
please you.�
�Yesss.�
Sophie spread her legs and the chrome member slid in
slowly. Sophie squirmed and gasped.
�Teledildonics,� Pacheco said, the voice now raspy
with lust. �I feel the pleasure I�m giving you, and
you the pleasure you�re giving me.�
�Yesss,� Sophie said. She was moaning softly now,
undulating her lower body around the thrusting dildo.
�I can make it throb from within,� Pacheco said, and
immediately Sophie felt tiny tremors originating from
within the dildo, and coursing through her genitals.
�Or I can make it vibrate,� Pacheco said. Immediately
the dildo vibrated frenetically, making Sophie shiver
and sob in pleasure.
�I can make it hot,� Pacheco told her as the dildo
gained heat quickly, making her sigh loudly.
�Or cold,� and the dildo dissipated the heat very
quickly through internal ceramic coils, dropping its
temperature as fast as it gained it, and Sophie gasped
and shivered.
�I can do whatever you want,� Pacheco told her, �all
you have to do is tell me what you want.�
Sophie tried to form words in between her gasps.
�What do you want, mi reina?�
�Huh,� she sighed, �I wuh, want.�
�Yes? What do you want?�
�I want-�
�Yes?�
�Huh, hot-�
�Yes?�
�Cold-�
�Yes?�
�Hot and cold,� Sophie managed to complete.
�As you wish,� Pacheco told her, and immediately
attacked her crotch, alternating between hot and cold
temperature extremes. Sophie gripped the edges of the
pink mat, squirmed, twitched her body to the point
that she was almost falling off. She never noticed
when the edges of the mat blew themselves, forming a
long perimeter cushion to keep her on the mat as she
reached a screaming orgasm.
While she panted on the mat, her body glowing and
covered in a sheen of sweat, Pacheco told her, �Your
pleasure is my pleasure, se�orita.�
�Yes,� she agreed, a lazy smile on her lips.
They had made plans to meet for dinner, but Sophie
forgot about it. She came from work and disappeared
inside the chamber.
�Just a quick one Pacheco,� she said as she undressed.
�I have to meet Marcos later.�
�That man again,� Pacheco said in distaste.
�I just need to unwind,� Sophie said, lying on the
flexfoam mat, �It�s been an awful day.�
�I�m here for you,� Pacheco said, the member snaking
from underneath the mat. �Your pleasure is mine.�
�Yessss,� she hissed with her eyes closed, losing
herself in bliss.
She stayed lost with Pacheco for so long that Marcos,
after waiting for her for an hour at the sublevel 12
mezzanine diner, went back to her place. He got no
answer from the facial image prompter as he approached
her door, so he started pounding on it.
�Sophie!� He shouted, unsettlingly loud in the quiet
of the wide hallway. �Sophie? Are you in there?�
His voice reached her inside the chamber through the
modular whisper stream mounted inside the apartment.
She was lying on the mat, grinning at nothing and
wondering what that noise was, then consciousness
reached her, and she jumped off the mat.
�Oh Christ!� She said, looking for a robe.
�Don�t answer,� Pacheco advised her, �he�ll go away.�
�I was supposed to meet him tonight,� she said,
wrapping the silk violet robe belt around her waist.
�You know he�s going to be belligerent and abusive,�
Pacheco warned her.
�He�ll be worse later if I don�t answer.�
She ran out to meet him without looking in any
mirrors.
�Where the hell you�ve been!?� Marcos asked her,
furious. He looked at her matted chestnut hair, her
flushed expression. �You�re a mess. What happened to
you?�
Sophie realized what she must look like to him, and
faked a yawn.
�I had an awful day today,� she said, acting sleepy.
�And I wasn�t feeling so good, so I lied down for a
while.�
�You couldn�t call me?�
�Marcos please,� she pleaded. �I just woke up. Try to
understand. I think I got the flu.�
He backed off when she said that. �Well, if that�s the
case, you better stay in bed and drink fluids.�
�Thanks Marcos,� Sophie said, smiling, already heading
for the door, to hold it for Marcos to leave. He did
begrudgingly.
�But have yourself checked out,� he told her, �Ever
since you moved in here you�re always in the shower or
feeling down.�
�I will Marcos,� she said. �Ciao.� She closed the door
after he left, and she stood in the foyer, looking at
nothing in particular.
�Very well handled,� Pacheco said suddenly. She was
already smiling. �Muy bien.�
�Gracias,� she said, smiling at the wall.
�Hot and cold?� Pacheco asked her.
�Hot and cold,� Sophie said, already disrobing as she
walked back to the chamber.
Marcos called her four days later, but never got her
on the phone. Angry and frustrated after eight
straight calls he left her a message, hoping she was
feeling better.
Two weeks later he went back to her place, and again
the facial image prompter failed to warn Sophie of an
approaching visitor. Marcos pounded on the door for
nearly five minutes before Sophie answered.
�Sophie what�s wrong with you?� Marcos asked her.
�What do you mean?� She asked innocently while leaning
against the door, her expression tired.
�Look at you!� He said. �You�ve lost weight and you
look tired all the time. Aren�t you eating? Are you
still sick?�
�I was,� she began, and then started again. �I was
feeling better for a while, but I must have had a
little setback.� She gave Marcos a dopey grin. �I
think I�m starting to come around again.�
�Marcos looked at her chest, at what she managed to
cover with the robe she hastily threw around her. �And
you�re pale,� he said. �You haven�t been tanning at
all like you said you would.� He looked at the
wrinkles and overall sag of the robe. �You�re not even
doing laundry anymore.�
�I was just going to get to it.�
�Let me help you,� Marcos said, and tried to push past
her. She blocked his entrance.
�No Marcos,� she said with conviction.
�Why not?�
�It�s,� she stalled a few seconds, �It�s a mess in
there. I haven�t cleaned up in a while. Now that I�m
feeling better I�m going to get started.�
�Let me help you,� Marcos tried again to push past
her, but she stretched her arms across the way, making
the robe fall halfway from her shoulders. Marcos
looked down and could see her ribs spreading out from
her sternum.
�God damn it Sophie, what are you hiding in there?� He
demanded. Sophie flinched, but refused to let him in.
�I just don�t want you to see,� she said. �It�s a mess
inside. Just come back later,� she insisted.
Marcos tried to look past her shoulder, inside, but
couldn�t see anything.
�Fine,� he said, looking at her with spite. He walked
away and Sophie shut the door behind her, leaning
against it with her back.
�That man is becoming more physically aggressive
toward you,� Pacheco said. Sophie nodded her
agreement.
�I think you should let me handle the house systems
from now on Sophie,� Pacheco said. �So I can see him
coming, and I can activate countermeasures.�
Sophie nodded again. �You�re right Pacheco,� she said.
�Uh, you need to give me permission,� Pacheco said
gently. �I follow your orders only.�
She smiled. �Yes Pacheco. Go ahead.�
The apartment around her hummed briefly with a surge
of movement within its automatic and motion-reactant
systems, then went quiet again.
�It�s done, mi reina,� Pacheco told her, and she
nodded.
�Hot and cold?� Pacheco asked her.
�Hot and cold,� Sophie said, already walking away from
the door, toward the chamber.
Marcos called four days later, but she never answered.
He tried the holographics and robotics advertising
firm where she worked, but they told him she hadn�t
shown up to work in over a week. He thought about it
briefly and decided to go back to her place.
�You know, I am worried about you, Chiquita,� Pacheco
told Sophie. She was lying on the weight-reactive
couch, still wearing the same silk robe.
�Hmmm?�
�You do look undernourished,� Pacheco told her.
�Oh.�
�I want you to go and buy some food,� Pacheco
instructed her.
Something like alarm crossed her sharpened features.
�Leave here? Leave you?�
�Just for a short while,� Pacheco said. �I�ll be here
when you get back.�
�I don�t know,� she said doubtfully.
�Go and get dressed,� Pacheco said, in a firmer tone
than she was accustomed to. She got up slowly; she
looked around disoriented, reluctant to move.
�Go,� Pacheco said. �I won�t leave you.�
�You won�t?� She sounded like a little girl.
�I promise,� Pacheco said in a gentler tone. Sophie
went to the bedroom and found a pair of slacks and a
light yellow blouse that were clean.
At the door she became reluctant again. �I�ll be back
as soon as I can,� she said.
�I believe you,� Pacheco reassured her. �Now go.�
She walked out, the first time in over two weeks that
she�d been out of the apartment. Pacheco activated all
the visual extension units inside and within the
perimeter of the apartment.
Less than thirty minutes after Sophie left the visual
units formed the image of Marcos approaching the
apartment. Pacheco sensed it, and unlocked the door.
Marcos approached the door wary, surprised at finding
it open. He went inside with very measured treads, but
forgot about his precautions when he saw the state of
the apartment. Her clothes were scattered all through
the main rooms of the house. The boxes with her
belongings were in the same place as when she first
moved in, and he could see a thin layer of dust
tarnishing the pure white of the walls. He went to the
kitchen, saw that no silverware or porcelain had been
used. To him it seemed the room she had least used.
�She hasn�t used it in a while, but she will soon,�
Pacheco said suddenly. Marcos spun around, startled at
the voice.
�She�s out buying groceries,� Pacheco said.
�Who is that?� Marcos demanded, looking around him.
�She�ll be back any time now,� Pacheco said.
�Who is that? Come out and face me!� Marcos said.
�Before she returns, I want to try the solid disposal
unit,� Pacheco said. The doors of a square box next to
the refrigerator slid inward and down, revealing a
flat tray that lead to four rotating cutterheads.
Marcos, startled at first when the doors collapsed
open, approached it now, curious.
When he was a meter away from it the cutterheads
started spinning, gaining speed very quickly. Marcos
backed away from the sudden whining noise very fast,
and one of the white tiles from the floor raised
itself ten centimeters from the normal floor level,
revealing wind microchannels along the sides for dust
disposal.
Marcos stumbled on the tile. He almost fell over,
managing to break his fall by holding on to the white
counter across from the disposal unit. He regained his
footing, keeping his hands on the counter and away
from the disposal unit. His hand was resting under a
thin metal slab. It was a magnetic knife rack,
suspended forty-centimeters in the air by two
similar sheets set on the counter and under the
cupboard, creating a polar opposite magnetic field for
the slab to levitate in.
Before Marcos could recover Pacheco deactivated the
field, and the metal slab crashed down on Marcos�
right hand, both crushing and slashing it.
Marcos screamed, and hopelessly tugged at his arm,
until Pacheco reactivated the field and the slab rose
to hover above the counter, its bottom bloodied now.
As soon as his hand was free Marcos backed away from
the counter, moaning and clutching his hand, and
tripped into the same raised tile, falling head first
into the disposal unit. The tray extended to
accommodate his height, and tilted to an angle that
allowed him to slide into the lightweight pollyalloy
cutterheads.
He managed a partial scream before the cutterheads
turned his head and shoulders into pulp within
seconds, followed by the rest of his body.
When Sophie returned the floor of the kitchen was
clean. Pacheco had assigned the floor guards to wipe
the blood and bits of flesh off the kitchen surfaces.
�I�m back!� Sophie said cheerfully. She stood in the
living room, her body looking tiny in the bulky
grocery body bag she was wearing.
�Welcome back, se�orita,� Pacheco said. �I�ve missed
you.�
�Was I gone long?� She asked. She went to the kitchen
and started taking the food packets out of the grocery
body bag and setting them on the clean counter.
�Long enough dear, long enough,� Pacheco said, and
chuckled once.
�Did anything happen while I was gone?� She was
putting away the packets in the refrigerator.
�Nothing you�d miss,� Pacheco said, and chuckled once
again.
She nodded, and took the body bag off her shoulders.
She dropped it on the counter and looked around her
anxiously.
�Hot and cold?� Pacheco asked.
Sophie shivered in anticipation. �Hot and cold.�
THE END