A.I.S.A.: An Erotic Sci-Fi Romance (5 page)

I understood the words, but they were completely
nonsensical.  They didn’t make sense put together in that order.  Why
the hell would she have to go anywhere?

My A.I. chose that moment to pop up a notification on my
overlay.  It was a simple message.

Please fill out the attached form and write a review of
the product as you agreed, also don’t forget to indicate if you want ownership,
or if you are returning the A.I.

It took me a minute to figure out what the message was
talking about, until I remembered that annoying Facebook popup message.  I
was suddenly really annoyed, I was still trying to make what Aisa was saying
make sense in my head, and I hadn’t been sent any damned A.I.

I tried to click off the absurd message, but in my anger I
missed and hit the attachment, and it opened up, and my world crashed down
around me as I finally understood what she’d been trying to tell me. 
Across the top of the form was four words.  Artificial Intelligence
Sensual Assistant.  Aisa…

I gasped for breath when I started seeing spots, finally
realizing I’d stopped breathing.  In that moment I understood why if it
didn’t work out she’d have to go home.  Despite all appearances to the
contrary, she was an A.I., she couldn’t get her own place because she wasn’t
human, she was property.  If I could accept her, I would be her
owner.  I shivered at the thought.

Even in that first moment of realization when I felt
confused and betrayed, the thought that Aisa was property felt… intensely
wrong.  It made me feel dirty inside.  She wasn’t some electronic
A.I. that was smart, yet flat and uncreative.  Aisa had… the spark of
life.  She was a vivacious, beautiful and an incredibly creative
creature.  The conflicting emotions that rolled through me in those first
few moments were overwhelming.

I even believed her, that she had simply meant to work with
me, get inside the city and have as much freedom to explore her life as I would
allow.  But meant didn’t mean shit, because all that mattered was what
really happened.  I’d fallen in love with… not a machine, but an
artificial life form, and she loved me back?  It seemed entirely unreal,
insane even.

I was angry too, she should have told me, she shouldn’t have
hidden it.  That also struck me as a very human thing to do.  I
needed time to think about it all, decide what I should do and then fill out
the damned form.  But she was still sitting across from me, tears in her
beautiful green eyes, she looked… absolutely miserable.

I hadn’t even begun to work it through, or forgive her for
the deception, but I was so confused I just followed my first impulse which was
to comfort her pain.  I got up, scooped her into my arms, and brought her
over to the couch.  She buried her face in my neck and cried as I absently
soothed her, running my hands in light circles on her back.

My mind was a total mess, I was in shock and had no idea
what to do.  The idea of filling out the form and not accepting ownership…
sending her back, wasn’t an attractive one.  The idea of accepting
ownership of her, seemed wrong.  She was the best thing that ever happened
to me, the love of my life, not a fucking toaster.  Except legally, she
was just one more A.I. I would own.

When her tears calmed down I asked, “Why didn’t you tell me,
and what are… I mean how were you made?”

She was silent for a minute, but finally answered in a
strained but soft tone, “I… was afraid I’d lose you.  When we first met I
thought you’d know as soon as I said my name, apparently you didn’t read the
message you accepted very well, but I didn’t know that.  I had so much fun
with you, and you with me and at first I thought you knew but didn’t care. 
It wasn’t until you told me you loved me, and started making plans for the
future, that I finally caught on you didn’t know the truth at all.

“I realized then I’d have to tell you sooner or later, but I
was so happy… I just kept putting it off.  Until tonight, when you
mentioned it, I recognized I was out of time.  I knew my father would be
sending the message any minute.”

She paused for a moment and burrowed against me, she felt so
good in my arms and protective feelings rose up in me.  I was still in
shock, but I knew for that moment, I still wanted her there.  I loved
her.  Maybe I’d come to my senses later but I kind of doubted it. 
We’d never be able to get married, was she even capable of having kids? 
I’d literally own her if I chose not to send her back, but would that change
the way I treated her or the fact that I loved her?  I was pretty sure it
was too late, I’d just found out and I was already on the couch comforting her
as she curled up on my lap. 

“I’m mostly human actually, my body is.  I was designed
in the lab, and I have all the same organs and glands, it’s only my brain that
is different.  My brain is just like every other A.I. in that it’s
artificial, except it’s much more complex, and integrated with my body. 
So when I’m sad, I cry, and truly feel it.  I really do love you…”

She asked sounding unsure, “What will you do?”

Good question, wish I had an answer.  I was mad she
deceived me, but at least she hadn’t known she was lying to me in the
beginning.  I realized I was making excuses for her, she really should
have told me, but in a way that just proved to me that the vibrant intelligent
beautiful woman I’d fallen for was a real person, not some computer generated
model.  She was a true emergent A.I., one that had her own desires. 
One of a kind.

She’d lied by omission, something an A.I. like my internal
assistant, or the game A.I.s wouldn’t be capable of.  Suddenly I wondered
if there were more of her, that idea bothered me for some reason.

“I’m still processing all this, no pun intended.  Are
there more of you?  I mean are you the only one he… created?”

She frowned and said accusingly, “You’re not thinking of
replacing me already are you?”

I laughed, “No, never.  I’m just curious.  It just
seems like you should be… unique.”

She nodded, happy with my answer, “I’m not the only one, but
I
am
a unique individual.  There are others of my kind, but they
aren’t clones, they have their own different body types and all that. 
Each of us unique, even in personality and what interests us.  That last
kind of proves the physical body takes part in forming the mind and
personality.  I’m the first one that left home as well.”

The more I was learning, the more I calmed down.  I
also think part of it was she was calming down as well, she still acted unsure,
and guilty, but she wasn’t freaking out anymore, or even crying.

I had another thought, “How is it you have credits to spend,
and make more working on the boards?”

She shrugged, “My father set it up.  Technically all
the credits I make are his, but he set up an account entrusted to me which I
can use at my discretion.  Basically he gives me access to all the credits
I earn as if they were truly mine.  He… is a really good man, he never
treated me like property, but he’s subject to the laws like everything else, so
he did his best to find loopholes for everything.  He was actually worried
the person I picked would take advantage of me, but I finally convinced him it
was worth the risk, and that I’d be a good judge of character.”

She laughed humorlessly, “But apparently I made a real mess
of things.”

I shrugged, “It shouldn’t be too hard to do the same if you
stay with me.  I can’t even imagine trying to treat you as property
Aisa.  The thought is repellant to me.  So you’re only here because
of your own decision right, he’s not planning to start an assembly line and
market any time soon?” I asked rather sharply as another thought occurred to
me.

She looked up at me, “I don’t think so, why does that matter
so much to you?”

I shook my head, “Just… still making connections. 
You’re too much an independent being, it would be like slavery if you weren’t
an active participant in having yourself sold to me.  The thought of a
bunch of others like you being bought and sold against their will just… really
bothered me.”

She kissed me passionately then, and had more tears in her
eyes, but I didn’t think they were tears of sadness or fear any more.  It
didn’t seem like I’d done much, it was simply common decency, but apparently
she very much liked my answer.  I was still confused, but I wasn’t
confused about the fact I loved her, or that she was a person.  Not human
perhaps, but very much an independent, beautiful, loving woman who should have
the right to go and do what she wanted.

And she wanted me.

She whispered, “Make love to me?  Please?”

I picked her up and carried her to our bedroom as she softly
and teasingly kissed my neck and caressed my body.  We slowly undressed
each other before we slipped onto the bed.  I was still conflicted, but at
the same time I was sure how I felt about her.  I didn’t want to send her
away.  The rest we could figure out, and I could fill out the damn forms
in the morning.

I made love to her that night, slow soft strokes as I
invaded her body.  Every pleasurable sensation seemed heightened as we
kissed softly, and stared into one another’s eyes, as I moved in and out of her
hot moist sex with slow and gentle movements.  My mind might have been in
shock, but my body knew exactly what I wanted, what I needed, as I brought her
to orgasm after orgasm, each one more intense than the last.

At this speed my stamina seemed endless, and I lost count of
her blissfully tight contractions around my manhood at eight or nine, and when
I finally lost control and filled her center, I whispered her name softly as
she encouraged me to fill her.  I might have been confused, but I also
felt content as I fell asleep spooned up behind her, holding her close. 

Who was I kidding, I loved her, she was everything to me,
and I’d never let her go as long as she wanted to stay…

The next day by lunchtime, it felt a lot more normal between
us.  There were no more awkward silences now that the truth was out, and
although it wasn’t exactly the same, in some ways I was even closer to
her.  But I knew we had to talk about something not so pleasant at
lunchtime, because I’d come to even more realizations this morning.

“Aisa?  We need to talk about something, I haven’t
really told you much about my divorce, I didn’t want to talk about her.”

She tilted her head, “What is it?”

I cleared my throat, “I filled out the forms, but haven’t
sent them to your father yet.  I was thinking about it last night, and I
can do what I said, I will do what I said.  Set up an account for your
credit earnings so you can spend them however you want, however there’s a
wrinkle in that plan.  Technically, even though I don’t want a single
credit of your money, it is mine on paper.

“Unfortunately my soon to be ex-wife is kind of a bitch, and
I doubt she would understand or care about our understanding, and she gets
thirty percent of everything I earn so… if you want to stay with me, and tell
your father to transfer ownership to me, as absurd as it sounds, you’ll be
paying alimony. 

“Legally there is no way around it, I thought of leaving you
in his ownership to avoid it and just let you stay here, but outside of short
term contracts like our first month together, it’s against the law.  If
you live with me, are physically in my house, then I have to own you.”

She stared at me with her mouth open for a moment, and then
she started to giggle, which degenerated into laughter when I joined her. 
It took a moment before we could stop and catch our breath.  It wasn’t
really that funny, but in an absurd way… it was hilarious, but it was also a stark
reminder that in the eyes of the law she was nothing but property.  I
really hated that and it sobered my humor quickly.

She shrugged, “The money isn’t important to me, it’s being
with you, and given independence to do what I want that is.  I want to stay,
send the paperwork please,” she smiled at me.

I could tell she meant it, but I could also tell that it did
bother her.  It was ridiculous, but I didn’t see any way to avoid
it.  I wasn’t sure why that was a law, maybe to avoid legal troubles of
people claiming ownership or some kind of anti-fraud legislation, but I knew I
only had fourteen days to submit the paperwork, or she’d have to leave. 
Of course, I did what she asked, and sent it right then.

“I sent it,” I said softly, and then added, “If you ever
decide to change your mind, just let me know.”

She shook her head and smiled at me, one that showed in her
sparkling green eyes, “No love, I chose you long ago, I won’t change my
mind.  But you saying that means I did make a good choice.”

She flashed me a naughty smile and winked at me, and then
slid under the table.  I had no idea what she was up to until she crawled
between my legs, fished my cock out, and started to blow my mind.  It was
nothing like that first time, she was a fast learner and had been assiduously
practicing over the last month.  She was doing things down there I wasn’t
sure I could even adequately describe, even if I could get my brain working
past the incredible pleasure her mouth was engendering in me.  Needless to
say, lunch went a little long that day…

It seemed as time went on, we grew even closer. 
Intellectually I knew she was an A.I., but in every other way she was a warm
loving woman.  She wasn’t just some automation that pretended to be real,
she was in every way an individual.  She didn’t have to obey all my
orders, she’d even hidden things from me of her own volition, she wasn’t a
slave… unless we were in the bedroom, but that too was by her choice and
preference.

A couple of days later I received notice that I now owned
Aisa, I chose to file it away and then not think about it.  She was my
lover, my girlfriend, my roommate, my coding partner, and a lot of fun to be
with.  Intelligent, thoughtful, shy, brilliant, both giving and selfish,
filled with love and lustful desire for me, and many other things that made her
a person in my eyes.  I just couldn’t see her as anything less and had put
the conflicted feelings behind me.

She was nothing like even the most advanced of other
A.I.s.  In my opinion she was less the next generation of A.I., and more
something completely new.  A new kind of sentient being. 

Regardless, another two weeks went by after I learned the
whole truth, and I knew I’d never been happier, or more satisfied with my
life.  I enjoyed what I did, but she added spice and dimensions to it that
I didn’t even know were lacking.  Because of her brilliance we were
managing to about double the work I used to do, I was making more credits now
even after paying out to the soon to be Ex, than before I’d met Aisa.

Life was good, and I thought all the ugliness and
uncertainty was behind me.  At least, any between Aisa and I, but I was
sure we could face whatever the world threw at us.  I had no idea that
conviction would be tested so shortly, or so thoroughly.