Fembot 2200

by M.J. Harkins

Roger Periwinkle hadn’t been this excited since he received the Haptic Lazy Boy 2178. The crate was voice activated and seemingly unwrapped itself in a sexy fashion. A panel tilted out presenting Roger with contacts and a haptic bodysuit. It took him a few minutes to get ready. Once the suit synced with the contacts and the box, the front panel lost its opaqueness, revealing the girl of his dreams. He had spent a few hours at the Fembot Clinic, getting scanned, going through vigorous exercises, and, under deep hypnosis, had a lengthy MRI of his brain and body. He had waited three weeks. She had arrived, and she was beautiful. Like the latest Italian sports car beautiful.

He knew it was an amazing simulation, but it was amazing. Best of all, whenever they made love, if he imagined someone else, she was someone else. Movie stars, supermodels, Orion slave girls, But the best was her anticipation of his every want. She prepared his favorite foods, nothing was undone, everything in its place. Always. She motivated him, she was his muse. He did anything he wanted, and she was pleased by everything he did.

Roger had the option of working from home whenever he could, and he did, now more than ever. While he worked all the chores were done and meals seemed to appear ate the perfect time. She seemed to know exactly when he needed to be alone, and just the right amount of attention and just the right times. It was a dream come true. 

You see, Roger only had dreams. He was one of those guys that never really had a relationship. He was too awkward, and moody, and picky, and demanding, and impatient, All the women he wanted seemed out of reach, aloof, unobtainable. This was the best of all possible worlds. The only caveat being the suit and the contacts. It was irritating at times to be in the suit all the time. The Lazy Boy was different. He never had to do anything, it was always inviting, no matter what he wore. She would find him there occasionally, playing games, watching videos, or just half asleep. At those times he’d get annoyed with her. He’d ask to be left alone even though he really wanted company. It became confusing for both.

He started spending more and more time at work. When he came home, he wasn’t hungry. He went to the Lazy Boy, or to bed. They had less and less contact. You see Fembots were only everything when you wore the suit and the contacts. The suit was the interface, the only thing she had to go on was the patterns they followed those first few months, and Roger became less and less predictable, until they started to become incompatible.

One day he came home intoxicated and smelled of perfume. She confronted him, and he became belligerent. They hadn’t taken vows; she was just a phase he went through. He had met a real woman that wanted to know about him, and there was no longer any place for her in his life. He asked her to disable girlfriend mode, and assume the role of a service bot. He downloaded various options transforming her into a physical trainer, and a conversationalist. He selected various cognitive modules that shaped his personality to improve his interpersonal skills. He shaped up and shipped her out. 

Roger went on to lead what he thought was normal life. He was a functioning member of a society that had guardrails, and patterns he easily fell into. The Fembot was returned to the Clinic. It was stripped down and refurbished. It had served its purpose. It had rewired an otherwise troubled soul, and, once the training wheels had come off, sent him out into the world. Humans were so predictable.