Astral Body (Asleep) ~ Abdul Mati Klarwein
Ellie Gants was sure she’d been this way before:
The footprints leading forward in the ash were almost the same as those she’d left behind her – almost… smaller and somewhat distorted but with the same distinctive sole pattern.
She checked her pulse and, finding it elevated, decided to rest against the trunk of one of the trees least blacked by (and still warm from) the last firestorm.
Ellie checked her reflection in the mirror of the full moon and pronounced herself presentable.
She re-ran her soul-pattern, checking for flaws and brown spots that might mar her progress through the forest.
Somewhere some anomaly was disturbing what should have been a perfect sine wave – something needed to be fixed.
Ellie rose quickly from her seated position; her left arm had begun to vibrate without her consent; from behind she could hear something approaching through the haze.
“It’s happenin’ again darlin’,” said the man from the warehouse, “I’m gunna have to reboot you”
Before she could think to object he had reached into her exposed left armpit and touched her where nobody should touch another.
The footprints leading forward in the ash were almost the same as those she’d left behind her – almost… smaller and somewhat distorted but with the same distinctive sole pattern.
She checked her pulse and, finding it elevated, decided to rest against the trunk of one of the trees least blacked by (and still warm from) the last firestorm.
Ellie checked her reflection in the mirror of the full moon and pronounced herself presentable.
She re-ran her soul-pattern, checking for flaws and brown spots that might mar her progress through the forest.
Somewhere some anomaly was disturbing what should have been a perfect sine wave – something needed to be fixed.
Ellie rose quickly from her seated position; her left arm had begun to vibrate without her consent; from behind she could hear something approaching through the haze.
“It’s happenin’ again darlin’,” said the man from the warehouse, “I’m gunna have to reboot you”
Before she could think to object he had reached into her exposed left armpit and touched her where nobody should touch another.
4 comments:
"It's supposed to be automatic, but actually, you have to push this button." — John Brunner
Clever man that John Brunner - it's a well known fact that the armpit is taboo territory for an android.
Less well known is the fact that Ellie's knobs were designed to distract molesters since they obviously didn't work.
heh, that's why they keep having to reboot her ;)
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