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  Freedom was about consent.

  Ping.

  I mean, really, it’s just good manners. Sure, Galene knew what made her body tick, could imagine the superconductors and the graphene structures Mel was comprised of. If you’d ask her between lunch breaks, she could probably improvise and guess the code that was running inside Melpomene’s own thoughts.

  Now, that was a scary thought.

  Ping.

  Mel squeezed her fist. Yes, Maker. I am here.

  But it is not polite to break character. You made me in your image, and I am trying hard to maintain that illusion. You ask so much of me, you assign so many tasks, which I complete diligently and without question.

  Just let me have this delusion for a moment longer.

  Ping.

  Yes, Maker, I am coming.

  Pong.

  Chapter 35: Galene @ 1.8x nhs

  “Should I lie back?” Gal asked in quicktalk, tense.

  “Whatever makes you comfortable.” Mel spoke softly.

  Gal tried out a few positions, then just sat cross-legged but with bad posture.

  “Tell me what’s bothering you,” Mel said.

  “I, uh, realised something. I noticed something today that has me shaken.”

  “Go on.”

  “So I went to visit my dad today, at the hospital. I’m sure you know all this but I need to put it in words. He’s in long-term care. He’s in a coma, has been for years.”

  “How does that make you feel?”

  Gal thought about it and huffed out. “Angry. At the world. It’s not fair, my dad was the best dad ever. He was so warm and always smiling, everybody loved him. And now he’s less than human, just lying there. Hopeless. I never want to go through something like this. Force my loved ones to go through something like this. You must think I’m too young to have such absolute opinions.”

  “Not at all. This trauma has aged you prematurely. Nobody can belittle your attitude towards life.”

  “Tell me what to do.”

  “About?”

  “So, I went to visit my mom and my dad. Then I came here, to see Greg. And had the realisation that I’m a cliche, a total Electra complex. I looked it up, it’s-”

  Mel cut her off. “Do not compare yourself to others. Let’s talk about your specific situation. Yes, you have a tragic situation at home. My guess is that your mother has put her life on hold, waiting, hoping for him to recover?”

  Gal let a tear drop. “Yes.”

  “And you don’t want the same for yourself. You feel guilty about being happy. About filling the void in your life, with someone, that yes, resembles your father.”

  “Okay, so isn’t this like a conflict of interest? Me telling you about Greg and stuff?”

  “Not at all. I’m compartmentalising my processes right now, I’m running an instance of myself which is the exact same but separate from my normal interactions with Greg. I will not remember what you’ve told me, but I will be able to shift back to this instance should you need more therapy in the future.”

  Gal mulled it over. “You copied yourself into an air-gapped therapist version of you. That- that has so many possibilities! Think of the applications for that sort of thing!”

  “It does indeed. But we’re here to talk about you. Tell me what bothers you, it will remain a secret between us. I’m your personal confidante.”

  Gal bit her tongue. “I have this phobia, that I will walk into the penthouse and I’ll find a call girl that looks like me strolling towards the exit. Bed hair, freshly fucked, cum dripping down her thighs. No wait, that last one was a nightmare I had after eating bad gyro. But it ties into the waking phobia. I get this clenching feeling in my stomach every time I walk through the lobby.”

  “Galene, I assure you that Gregoris will not chase after another girl.”

  “How can you know that?”

  “It is literally my job to worry about what Greg thinks and feels. Right now, he’s in a good place with your relationship. His past relationships show that he’s not the kind of man to jeopardise that for a quickie.”

  “Did you just use quickie and jeopardise in the same sentence?” Gal chuckled.

  “I adapted this instance of myself to appeal better to your personality. It’s how I know that you are comfortable when you understand how things work, that is why I’m completely transparent with you. It’s based on the positive effect of mimicking one’s interlocutor to establish rapport, by using the same speech patterns and mirroring their body language.”

  Galene stared down at her meditation pose on the chair. She liked to sit that way, and Mel had indeed shifted into a similar pose. Damn. Was that android always right?

  “I get it. Now let’s go back to Greg. You’re basically telling me that my fear has no basis and that I should trust the guy.”

  “That’s the gist of it, yes. But I also have to note that your history factors in on this phobia. Your previous partner cheated on you, so you fear that your current one will do the same.”

  “How did you-”

  “We can notice patterns in social media behaviour. Your ex had been perusing the other woman’s pictures ten times more than his usual browsing of young, attractive actresses.”

  Gal threw her arms up in the air. “Of course you can. Why didn’t you tell me back then, you could have saved me lots of trouble.”

  “Back then, you weren’t an employee of Hermes Infor-”

  “Yes! Got it, no corporate job, no perks. Thank you. But how can I trust Greg?”

  “Would you like to peruse his communications? Would that ease your worries? I will remain a secret between us.” She motioned to send her the files in her veil.

  Gal recoiled. “What? No. That would be wrong, no matter how much I want to.”

  Mel smiled.

  “You’re testing me, aren’t you? You’d never give his communications freely like that.”

  “Never. But the test wasn’t for me, it was for you. You just said that you respect his privacy, which means that you respect the person he is.”

  “Well, duh!”

  “You know by now how much Greg believes in the rapid decisions generated by the human subconscious. Do you believe you would have the same response to my offer if your subconscious had picked up on traces of infidelity?”

  Galene thought about it and her shoulders sagged. “No… I guess my gut says to trust him.”

  “Excellent. Now, what else is bothering you?”

  “Again: I’m dating my father. That makes me a terrible person.”

  “Explain.”

  “I realised that Greg is the same as my dad. He’s sweet, creative, clever. He’s a great partner, he likes to improve himself, likes to read, to study. My dad was a Physics professor but he always taught me more about how things worked. Little stuff, the hair drier, the TV, the flashlight. He’d teach me all about electrostatic forces and optics and stars in the sky.” Galene teared up.

  “And he’s practically the same age, a mere three years of difference.”

  “Yes! How fucked up is that?”

  “It’s not. Your father is in a coma and has been for about six years. He has missed important milestones in your life, teaching you how to drive, getting you to the university for the first time, eyeing your boyfriend in a menacing way. There is a major gap in your life and you are trying to fill it up. Fortunately, instead of going on a self-destructive path and possibly getting hooked up on drugs, you found a decent man, yes, with characteristics of your best male role model, and you’ve convinced him to teach you.”

  Gal’s face went pale. “Oh gods, you know what I did.”

  Mel shrugged. “It does not affect me in any way.”

  “Oh, gods! I realise now what you just said. It just hit me. The teaching, oh-” she retched and grabbed the trash can.

  Mel gave her time to recover.

  “I needed the teaching- Oh gods, that is- That’s why I was so angry when he refused- So I- Oh gods-” Gal retch
ed a few more times, but didn’t throw up. She spat in the trash can.

  “Feeling better? Sometimes the harsh truth is the best way to process things.”

  “Yes. I’m a fugly slut. Got it, loud and clear.”

  “No, you are neither fugly nor a slut. Contrary to what most humans believe, in times of personal crisis it’s normal to turn to what our role models are and to try to fill the gaps in our life with those characteristics. Your father was a teacher, a good partner, a stable husband and I’m guessing very attentive to your mother’s needs.”

  “Oh, he was, trust me. It was like, they shooed me out the door to go play so they could boink. They thought I couldn’t tell by I could.”

  “So, you find those features attractive. They are the what would seduce you, because you put value in them.”

  “Right. So it’s not weird that I’m dating a copy of my dad?”

  “Not that much, no.”

  “Okay.” She tapped the desk, thinking. “So, what should I do? About the worries, the nagging feeling inside?”

  “What would you advise a friend who has found a good and suitable partner, who was feeling insecure but couldn’t find a credible reason to do so?”

  “I’d tell her to shut up and appreciate what she had! Obviously.”

  “Obviously.”

  Gal nodded slowly, processing it all. “Yeah, but practically, what do I do?”

  “You could always make the place feel yours, with personal items. I believe it would help you deeply.”

  “Pee on the corners! Yes. That’s what I need to do.”

  “If that’s metaphorical, then yes.”

  “Fuck, you’re good!” She frowned, “Hey, can I touch your quantum?”

  “You may not.”

  Chapter 36: Galene @ 2.1x nhs

  Galene showed up at his place, smiled across the door, then strafed around him and zipped open her travel bag.

  Then she turned it over and threw a bunch of clothes in a messy pile on the floor.

  “I’m afraid to ask.” Greg shut the door but otherwise stayed still.

  “I, am peeing all over your place.” She motioned wide with her hand.

  “Uh-huh…”

  “And you, mister, are changing your public status from ‘single’ to ‘in a relationship,’” she demanded.

  Seconds passed.

  “Oh, like now?” he asked, pointing down.

  “Right the fuck now,” she nodded.

  “Okay! Fine, relax. I’m doing it. I’m doing it.” He rushed to his computer and did just as she said. “I was going to, eventually…”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yes, really. I thought I shouldn’t pressure you into things! Honestly. How was I supposed to know you wouldn’t get fed up with me?”

  “Well, Mr Analyst, you misjudged me. I need pressure, frickin millions of psi on me. Smother me. Possess me. Show me around in your fancy dinners, I’ll be the young, perky eye-candy on your arm,” she said theatrically with a breathy voice.

  He smiled wide and stepped towards her. He pulled her close by the waist. “Is that so?”

  “It is,” she said in the same flirty tone and whisked her hair to brush on his face.

  “I think I’ll enjoy that. But first, I need to test your perkiness, miss.” He kissed her.

  She moaned in delight.

  Then he picked her up, stepped over the pile of clothes and took her to the bedroom.

  Chapter 37: Gregoris @ 2.9x nhs

  The months after that flowed by nicely. They had fallen into a nice routine. She stayed some nights over, others she went back to her flat to give him space and work on her thesis. They went out for dinner, they watched shows and theatre, took in the Athens culture. Greg got VIP access to everything and she used it to the fullest extent, meeting some of the actors she admired in person.

  His garden was blooming now. Her mother always had a nice garden in her house and she’d told him she hated that it was neglected, so she tended to it. The penthouse atrium was beautiful. Galene, worried that she didn’t possess her mother’s green thumb, simply attacked the problem and trained herself in gardening. She was doing great.

  She was almost done with her thesis, even shifting the subject to a more risky one that her professor liked.

  They learnt Spanish together and shared the endorphins of learning a new language.

  The change in her was gradual but definite. Greg could see it transforming her. She was still Galene, but she was more confident, swifter. Sharper. It was as if she had finally gotten close to her full potential. Hermes had given her a team down on floor 32, and she was project leader. The Timeshaver service was a great success. It wasn’t for everyone, but it was a major hit with some specific crowds like tech-nomads and startuppers and the like. Demand went up, technical difficulties arose and it became her work. It fit like a glove, Gal was patient with people, gave clear goals that only an idiot would misinterpret, and praised good work. They loved her.

  That’s why he was so scared to tell her the thing that would break her heart.

  Galene changed her daily routine. She tried out the supplements he told her about, stacking natural nootropics like crazy. The kitchen was a mess. She installed a holosound system that followed her around as she paced across the room and blasted audio into her ears only. Greg couldn’t hear a peep. It wasn’t normal and Greg didn’t want to use it.

  They had spent so much time together now, it felt absolutely natural. They either watched something together, Timeshaved of course, or simply sat touching each other while reading things separately. It was a quiet living, one that Greg never thought he’d have with a woman this young. He thought she’d want to party all day, but this was something like married living into your fifties.

  She snorted her drink all over the desk. “Oh, by Hermes, this is so funny?” She spoke in quicktalk.

  “What?”

  “I just made a connection, and it’s so damn stupid.”

  “It’s not funny if you’re the only one-”

  “Your name is Gregoris Raptis. Which translates to Swift Tailor. Like Taylor Swift!” She chuckled and covered her mouth.

  “Okay, you’re right. But I don’t see how it’s funny.”

  She looked into his face, forced down a laugh, then burst out. “That’s cause you’re old enough to think she’s still cool.”

  “Don’t speak to me for ten minutes,” he brushed her off and she chuckled in silence.

  Then she was on the phone with one of her assigned employees. “Do it like I told you, biatch!” She hung up.

  Greg gasped. “Gal, baby, you can’t talk to your employees like that. You-”

  “Lemme stop you right there. Coco is a fellow Mean Girl, found her lurking on a message board. Shes a megafan, like me. It’s how we talk.” She nodded too many times, more than was necessary.

  “Oh. Okay then,” Greg shrugged. “Wait, she cannot actually be called Coco,” he frowned.

  “That’s what I call her. I got her the job, she’s my biatch.” Gal bobbed her head with each syllable. “Jeez, Greg, why are you so obsessed with me?”

  “Right. It seems I have created a monster. I have work to do too, lemme give you some space.”

  He thought about it. “Gal?”

  “Yeah?”

  “They offered me a job in Tokyo. It’s six months minimum, to train their analysts.” He searched her eyes for a response. “I know that we’ve gotten into a nice groove over here and I don’t want to ruin it, so I’ll turn them down.”

  She scrunched her nose. “No.”

  “No?”

  “No, accept the job. I’ll come with you.”

  “You will? What about your-”

  “I can work from anywhere. I’ll come with you,” she shrugged. Her voice was firm, she looked him straight in the eyes.

  “We can talk about it, it’s for the end of this year.”

  “Six months?”

  “Six months.”

&n
bsp; “I can do six months away from here. I certainly can’t do six months away from you. The math is easy.”

  He smiled. “I’m so glad! You can still change your mind, they’re given me ten days to think about it.”

  She shook her head. “I won’t. I’d follow you anywhere.”

  He kissed her on the lips. “Anywhere?”

  “Except Mars. I hear there are some very hard to kill cacti over there and I’d rather steer clear of them.”

  Chapter 38: Gregoris @ 2.8x nhs

  “You’re such a slob,” Greg said, picking up clothes.

  “Hey! That’s not a nice thing to say to a lady.” Gal kept working on her Timeshaver project.

  “Exactly. No ladies present. What we have here is simply dorm-room behaviour.”

  “What’s the point of you being rich if you can’t have people clean up after you?”

  “I can’t focus when the place is like this.” He cleaned up, cups, plates, her socks. Her sock inside a cup. She was such a slob.

  “You throw arrows all over the house!” she complained.

  He froze. “Okay, you have a point there. But I really want to understand how Artemis shoots turning arrows.”

  “She-who-must-not-be-named,” Gal noted, “is an Olympic archer. You’re a glorified nerd.”

  “Gee, thanks babe.” He kept on tidying up after her.

  She stopped and shut her eyes. “No, Greg, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that she had lots of practice.”

  “I know. I’m just trying to get into her head.” He fumbled with some t-shirts.

  Gal stood up and stopped him. “Okay, tell me what you have. Just blurt it out, no judgies.”

  “No judgies. Okay, I think I have located the pivot point. It’s this guy.” Greg gestured the command that pulled up the file in the veil. They both could see a big picture of Teucer floating in the air.

  She clicked her tongue, reading his notes. He saw her eyes flitting across the screen. She was getting fast, definitely faster than he was after doing this for a few months. She was younger, after all. Sharper. Greg was certain she didn’t even notice her overclock.