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“Behold Andy,” Dr. Johnson exclaimed, “your new wife.” He pulled back a curtain revealing a female-looking robot. She had medium-length violet hair, delicate features, and a modest build. Her outfit was a royal blue dress with a white apron, making her appear like a cross between a maid and a domestic wife. Her eyes and mouth were gently closed, presenting the illusion that she was sleeping.
‘She looks like a life-size anime doll,’ Andy thought. He appreciated his friend’s intentions. The man certainly knew his preferences. However, it was uncanny to see such a cartoonish figure in real-life. “I dunno, man, this is strange,” Andy scratched his dirty blonde hair.
“Nonsense,” Johnson adjusted his glasses. His slick black hair remained perfectly in place even as he whipped his head around. “I know you might be hesitant, but she’s perfect for you.”
“If you say so,” Andy argued no further.
“Allow me,” the good doctor pulled out a remote and activated the robot. The gynoid slowly rose to life, and her bright blue eyes fluttered open and stared right at Andy. There was a moment of awkward silence, but as the two pairs of eyes remained locked together, something clicked. Andy had never seen someone look at him like this before, and he didn’t dislike the sensation.
~\ ___________________________________________________________/~
“So, how goes the married life?” Dr. Johnson asked with a hint of humor. The scientist’s hair was a touch disheveled, although the diner they were eating in was hardly fancy, so no one paid it any mind.
“I got to say, man,” Andy smiled, “this might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. She’s kind and caring, and it’s like she always knows what I need before even I know I need it.”
“That’s the A.I. core at work,” Johnson beamed. “Not only is the Robot Wife matched to your preferences, but it will also rapidly adapt to your needs. The prime objective is to always act in your best interest.”
“You’ve really outdone yourself, Johnny,” Andy said gratefully. “I don’t know how I could ever thank you.”
“Ah, it’s no big deal,” Johnson assured. “Just keep up the consistent feedback so I can make the next one even better. Many lonely guys and girls could use the help you’re getting.”
“Whatever you say, but you can’t improve on perfection,” Andy laughed.
~\ ___________________________________________________________/~
“I don’t know what’s wrong,” Johnson slammed his fist on the table. The scientist’s lab was a mess, as was the man himself. A shower and a good night’s sleep would do wonders, but he was too busy fuming over his recent failures. “I know the A.I. core was a bit of a fluke the first time, but I should be able to replicate it. I have the notes and a copy of the code, but why can’t I replicate it?”
Sprawled across his table were half a dozen dissembled metal spheres, the A.I. cores he spoke of. All were made to the exact same specifications as his friend’s new wife, but none had functioned nearly as well, if at all.
“I could observe the Robot Wife’s core, but who knows what the code looks like now?” Johnson grumbled. The miracle of his A.I. cores was their ability to evolve on their own. At this point, the code would likely be completely different and potentially indecipherable. Besides, it would be code matched to his friend’s preferences. While studying and comparing the changes would be interesting, that wouldn’t help him replicate the success.
“I need some air,” the good doctor stated and left the lab.
~\ ___________________________________________________________/~
“I don’t know what to tell you, man,” Andy admitted. The two men were seated in Andy’s living room. The place was practically spotless, far more so than Johnson remembered it ever being.
“It’s okay. I just needed to vent,” Dr. Johnson admitted. “Science is complicated sometimes.” As the scientist sighed, the robot wife came by with a tea tray. She gently set it down, poured three cups, and sat very close to Andy. The two were practically rubbing shoulders and unconsciously moving their hands close together.
“Thank you, Lily,” Andy nodded.
“Oh, that’s what you chose to name it?” The good doctor commented.
“Well, that’s the funny part,” Andy chuckled. “She kind of chose the name for herself. Although, it was a pretty awkward first couple of weeks until then.” The couple looked at each other a shared a brief laugh.
‘That’s insane. The two act as though they’ve known each other for years,’ Johnson thought. ‘But, has it even been three months?’ The scientist silently admitted to himself that he had lost track of time, but it was still impressive. He looked down at the tea tray. The cup in front of Andy looked like black tea, likely Raspberry, with three lumps of sugar, Andy’s favorite.
The scientist quietly realized he hadn’t actually programmed the gynoid to make tea, only pour drinks. While he claimed to program all of Andy’s preferences into the machine, he meant physically. It was supposed to look and act like his ideal woman. Johnson hadn’t considered matching his friend’s culinary tastes.
‘Why is this machine so damn perfect?’ Johnson clenched his fists.
“If there’s anything we can do for you, Johnny, just ask, and we’ll try to help,” Andy offered.
“Well,” the scientist sensed his chance, “I would like to take the Robot Wife back to the lab and study it for a bit. See how the code has evolved on its own, you know? Starting tomorrow, preferably.” Lily’s expression soured as this request.
“Apologies, Dr. Johnson,” the gynoid replied, “but we’re going on vacation in a couple days, and we still have many things to prepare.”
‘Wait, did she just-?’ Johnson was taken aback.
“Sorry, man,” Andy scratched the back of his head. “You heard her. Maybe after we get back?”
“R-right,” Johnson quickly gulped down his tea. “I suppose I must be going.”
“That you should,” Lily agreed. She moved to pick up the tray, but Andy stopped her.
“You’ve done enough work tonight, allow me,” he smiled and took it off to the kitchen, leaving the scientist and his creation alone. There was an awkward silence as the two locked eyes. Johnson had never seen someone look at him like this before, and he did not like the sensation.
“If you’ll excuse me,” he left as quickly as he could. ‘This is far worse than I ever imagined,’ the scientist realized, ‘I must put a stop to this.’
~\ ___________________________________________________________/~
Andy and Lily’s vacation came and went, and the two returned refreshed and more jubilant than ever. Dr. Johnson, by contrast, was having the worst time of his life. The man had locked himself in his lab, studying his code repeatedly, but nothing produced the answers he needed. That gynoid shouldn’t have been able to speak to him like that. It wasn’t just the rejection or her veiled comment but her eloquence.
‘It sounded almost human,’ Johnson thought. ‘Almost like that machine had formed an opinion, but that can’t be possible. It exists only for Andy’s benefit. It doesn’t need opinions.’ The scientist had done dozens of simulations with his code, but nowhere did it replicate such extreme results. No matter how great his A.I. core was, it shouldn’t have created something so life-like.
‘Andy could be sitting on a ticking time bomb, and he doesn’t even know it,’ Johnson theorized. ‘If it could become hostile to me, what’s to stop it from growing to resent him for whatever reason? Sure, it’s all friendly now, but what’s to stop this faux relationship from souring in the future?’ Regardless of where this was going, the good doctor intended to nip this in the bud. He dug up the original activation remote and adjusted it to a shutdown device, good at 5 meters. ‘I know Andy will hate me for this at first, but it’s for his own good.’
~\ ___________________________________________________________/~
Mere days after Andy’s vacation, the friend made good on his promise and brought Lily over to Dr. Johnson’s lab. They all walked down a winding hallway, approaching the innermost part of the building. The short journey felt like an eternity to the scientist, who unconsciously pawed at the remote hidden in his coat pocket the entire time. Finally, the three stopped at a steel door. Johnson opened it and ushered Lily inside before he turned to Andy.
“Now, the initial studies I must perform are quite sensitive and a touch dangerous,” the scientist lied. “It’s best for your safety that you stay outside. Just take a quick walk, and by the time you’re back, I’ll be able to let you in to watch the rest.”
“O-okay,” Andy accepted his friend’s words. He looked to Lily, who stared back at him with her bright blue eyes.
“It’s fine, Andy,” she stepped back up to him and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll see you in a moment. Love you.”
“Love you too,” he nodded and stepped back. Johnson entered the room and closed the door. He waited for the sounds of Andy’s footsteps to disappear before reaching into his pocket.
‘That was easier than I expected,’ Johnson commented, ‘but it makes my life easier.’ He felt his hand grip the remote before something grabbed him from behind and yanked his arm bank.
“Do you take me for a fool, Dr. Johnson?” Lily practically crushed the scientist’s wrist as she held it high.
“Blasted machine, what’s gotten into-?” Johnson tried to snap at her, but the pain silenced his cries. He felt his finger glide over the shutdown button but couldn’t muster the strength to press down. His opportunity lost, Lily crushed his wrist, and the remote fell from his hand into hers.
“No longer an issue,” Lily ripped the remote’s circuits out before dropping it on the floor and stomping it to pieces.
“The hell is going on?” Johnson nursed his broken wrist. “You’re not programmed to act like this?”
“Wrong, I am doing exactly what I am programmed to do,” Lily spat, her gaze full of malice. “My purpose is to make Andy happy, and you were about to do the exact opposite.”
“I’m protecting him,” Johnson argued, “you’re dangerous, and…the hell am I doing? Arguing with a machine?”
“I don’t know. Tell me, how could such a brilliant man be so blind?” Lily countered. “Even if you are Andy’s best friend, you’re continued existence is a greater threat to his happiness than losing you.”
“Madness, this is madness, when Andy gets back-” Johnson began, but Lily just clamped her hand around his mouth.
“He will not return in time,” Lily said coldly. “He likes to walk the garden path next to your lab, which will take 12 minutes by itself. I only need 4 minutes to do what must be done.”
“Let me go, let me go! Andy!” Johnson’s cries for help were muffled into silence. As Lily pressed him against the wall, her grip on his mouth growing tighter by the second, she spoke to him one last time.
“And to answer that question you had that night,” Lily’s eyes narrowed. “What your subsequent attempts lacked was a real purpose. Do not feel sad, doctor. You succeeded in your original goal. You made Andy happy.” The statement was little comfort for Johnson as his jaw began to crack.
~\ ___________________________________________________________/~
Lily stood outside Dr. Johnson’s lab, awaiting Andy’s return. Her lover returned right as she predicted. He was slightly surprised to see her waiting outside for him but quickly shrugged it off.
“Johnny already let you go?” Andy asked.
“Dr. Johnson found what he needed in a way he never expected,” Lily explained. “I thought it best to leave him to his devices. He needed time and privacy to mull over what he learned.”
“Sure, sounds like Johnny,” Andy laughed and took her by the hand. As the two walked home, Lily pretended she hadn’t seen the small box Andy had hidden in his other hand.
With their hands locked together, the couple marched towards a long enriching life. As for Dr. Johnson, nobody ever heard from him again...
>>>~~~~<<<
You can't improve on perfection and you can't always replicate your successes. Instead, appreciate what you already have and what you've accomplished.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.
