Sinthetica (4 page)

“What is my authorization code?” he asked, turning to Marina.

Marina reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a small plastic object.

“This is your security key; it can only be activated by you. That’s why they took a scan of your retina when you made the purchase. You hold it in front of your eye and press the button on the side. After a positive scan, it will generate a random authorization code.”

Molenski took the plastic key; it was roughly the size of a box of matches but resembled a camera with a lens on one side and a small LCD screen on the other. He passed the tablet back to Marina and held the lens in front of his right eye before pressing a tiny button on the side. The aperture opened and emitted a green light that winked out after a few seconds.

The key emitted a sound like a message notification on a phone. He turned the key over and read the five digit code before slipping it into his pocket and holding his hand out for the tablet.

Curious, Ivan and Marina watched the robot carefully as their boss entered the code. From her vantage, Marina saw the tablet’s screen light up and display a long list of terms and conditions. Molenski impatiently scrolled to the bottom and agreed to the terms with a stab of his finger.

The screen began to swirl, and the Genitix logo materialized in a colorful swirl. It was forgotten quickly, though because simultaneously a low hum began to emanate from the crate. It was exactly like the hum of a laptop starting up and faded after a few seconds.

Ivan found himself leaning forward in anticipation. When the robot’s eyes opened he felt the hair on the back of his neck, stand on end.

Dimitri Molenski, the migrant who had become the most powerful man in Chicago, found himself looking into the eyes of his long-dead first love. The moment was surreal, and he could do nothing but stand there with his eyes wide and his hands trembling. She smiled sweetly, even more, beautiful now that her eyes were open, her face animated.

“Hello. I am Sinthetica Model 676, a Genitix Corporation, human form robot. May I step forward?” 

The Russian didn’t respond, just stared dumbly.

“Hello. I am Sinthetica Model 676, a Genitix Corporation, human form robot. May I step forward?” 

“Dah,” he finally rasped and waved her forward.

The robots facial animation was realistic to the point of being indistinguishable from humans. So was her movement. She stepped from the crate like a girl stepping through a door. Her body lithe and supple.

Molenski couldn’t help taking a step backward as the robot/ghost came to a standstill less than a foot away from him. Ivan also looked on, stunned at the robot’s beauty and perfection but also on edge and watching the reaction of his boss carefully. Back in bodyguard mode, his hand slipped back inside his jacket where it curled around the handle of his gun.

“Currently, I am in safe mode,” the android said to Molenski. “If you are my purchaser, Dimitri Nicholas Molenski, I am required to perform a retinal scan for all of my features to be unlocked.”

“Are you sure these things can’t turn?” Ivan asked, without taking his eyes off the robot. 

“As in harm a human?” Marina asked.

He nodded, noting that the robot had turned her head, almost curiously, to watch them speak. Molenski still stood frozen in front of the machine.

“No, it’s impossible, actually they are hard wired to keep humans from harm – even if it means their own destruction.”

“That is correct,” confirmed the robot, in her soft Russian accent. “According to the 29
th
Amendment of the United States Constitution and the artificial intelligence industry safety code, an AI product is hard-coded in such a way that does not allow them to harm a human, or by inaction allow a human to come to harm. If an AI product receives a command to harm a human, its systems will shut down irreversibly, and the authorities will be notified immediately. While it is possible to override the hard coding, the penalty for tampering with an AI to harm another human is 15 years…”

“Dah, dah! Enough!” said Molenski, snapping out of his trance. “Scan me.”

“Please step forward and look into my left eye,” said the human form robot, unperturbed by his tone.

Molenski did as he was asked and the Sinthetica’s illusion of humanity was momentarily shattered as an aperture in her eye opened and emitted a soft red light that scanned his eye left to right before winking out.

“Your identity has been confirmed Dimitri Nicholas Molenski; my standard features have been unlocked and activated.”

“So you will do anything I say now?”

“That is correct, Dimitri Nicholas Molenski.”

“First, stop calling me that. Call me Dimi only.”

“Yes,
Dimi Only
. Do you wish to name me?”

“Dimi! Call me Dimi!”

“Yes,
Dimi
. Do you wish to name me?”

“Dah, Inga. Your name will be Inga.”

“Yes Dimi, thank you for naming me. Henceforth I will respond to the name Inga.”

“So you will do anything dah?” he asked, ignoring her.

“Anything within the parameters of the law set out by Amendment 29 of the…”

“Zatknis!” he yelled.

Inga obeyed instantly, apparently recognizing Russian for shut up. She waited patiently, her pretty face devoid of emotion.

“Show me your tits.”

Marina inhaled sharply, half expecting the girl to tell him to go and fuck himself.

She didn’t, of course, and Marina reminded herself she wasn’t a girl. Providing pleasure was one of the Sinthetica model’s primary features. The demeanor of the humanoid robot changed suddenly, her lush lips opening seductively as she slowly raised her hands and grasped the cups of her brassiere. She paused and then slowly pulled them down over her perfect 36C breasts.

“Do you like them Dimi?” she asked, in a husky voice.

Molenski didn’t answer, but just behind him, Ivan’s wide eyes indicated that he liked them just fine. Marina watched Molenski carefully. If she had been asked to describe the look on her boss’s face at that moment, she would perhaps have said that he looked excited by the possibilities presented by his new toy.

Molenski reached out and pinched her nipple lightly, pleasantly surprised when it stiffened between his fingers.
Amazing.
When he pinched it harder and twisted it viciously, there was no reaction from the robot apart from a soft gasp, as if his sadistic action had been erotic rather than cruel. His face darkened, and he reached out and grabbed her hair, jerking her head forward.

“Oh Dimi,” she moaned.

“What the fuck!?” He yelled, letting her go in disgust and rounding on Marina. “She’s supposed to feel pain! I don’t want a fucking sex doll!”

Inga straightened, watching the interaction of the humans closely.

“You haven’t activated that feature yet…” Marina began.

“That is correct, Dimi. My patented PhysSens software requires activation before pain receptors are operational. Please activate the software using the control pad if you wish to make use of that feature.”

Molenski relaxed, still looking at Marina, his eyes were suddenly thoughtful.

“Never mind for now,” he said, turning back to the robot.

“I have a better idea,” he said and gestured towards his personal assistant. “You will kiss Marina please.”

“What?” guffawed Marina. “No way.”

Molenski grinned at her response.

“I am unable to attempt intimate contact with a human being without their express consent,” said Inga. “The human you called Marina has indicated that she does not provide consent by…”

“Do it, or you’re fired,” the Russian said to Marina, his eyes resolute.

“Please, Mr. Molenski… really, this is not professional...”

“Do it,” he said, in a low voice. “Don’t make me ask again.”

The threat in his tone indicated that the consequences might be more severe than just career related. Marina knew more about Molenski’s ‘activities’ than he could ever guess and she knew what he was capable of. She even knew about the ‘Red Room.'

Oh, what the fuck, it’s just a machine.

“Fine,” she said. “Just this once.”

“Khorosho – good, good, of course. Tell her.”

Marina looked at the pretty robot, who seemed to be following their conversation just like another human would. She took a deep breath.

“Inga, I give you permission to kiss me.”

With her breasts still exposed, the right one still noticeably red from Molenski’s rough treatment, Inga walked over to the personal assistant. Up close, Inga was even more beautiful, and Marina was amazed at the attention to detail, even down to the fine, almost invisible, soft hair on her cheeks.

Inga paused in front of Marina and looked at her in a seductive way, biting her bottom lip.  

“Would you like to kiss me now?” she asked, her cheeks flushed with the faintest hint of pink, perfectly replicating the early stages of arousal in a real woman. Marina felt her body begin to respond to the proximity of the semi-naked ‘girl.'

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Inga moved closer, and her hands grasped the woman’s hips as she leaned in and pressed her lips to Marina’s. Inga’s soft, warm mouth surprised Molenski’s PA and her eyes closed as she began to return the kiss. 

A good Catholic girl, Marina had only ever kissed a girl once before, on a drunken dare. The next day she had been ashamed and embarrassed about her behavior but her memory of the sensual kiss and its effect on her had lingered.

There was nothing different about this kiss.

Oh God, she even smells good.

Marina forgot herself a little and her arms circled Inga’s midriff, pulling her closer. Inga responded her tongue darting out and probing the woman’s lips. Surprising even herself, Marina opened her mouth, and suddenly their tongues were intertwined.  

While her instincts had taken over to a certain degree, on one level the analytical part of her brain wondered at the amazing ‘humanness’ of the robot she was French kissing. Inga’s mouth and tongue, even her saliva, felt no different to that of any person she had ever kissed.

When Inga’s hands moved to her buttocks, she sighed and, all instinct now, she passionately returned Inga’s kiss and brought one of her hands up to touch her bare breast. Inga moaned into her mouth at the touch.

Molenski’s whisper to Ivan broke the spell.

Marina pulled away, gasping as she stepped back, straightening her jacket and smoothing her hair. Inga’s adaptive technology kicked in, and she mirrored Marina’s behavior, pulling her bra back over her breasts and patting down her hair, seemingly as embarrassed as the human woman.

Marina thought she saw a flash regret cross Inga’s face, but realized instantly that it was a programmed response. Just like the moan when she touched her. Just like her breathing. Just like the soft flush to her skin. All programming.

She became annoyed at herself for falling into Molenski’s honey trap.

"Will that be all?" she snapped.

“Well, how was it?” he asked, a knowing smile on his face.

“Okay, I guess,” she shrugged.

“Just okay?” Molenski leered, noting her blush and smeared lipstick. “Looked more than okay from where I was standing, don’t you think Ivan?”

Ivan shrugged, looking uncomfortable.

“It was very… realistic,” Marina conceded, not willing to give him more than that.

Her boss gave her a shark’s grin that promised more mischief in the very near future and, not for the first time, Marina thought it might be time to get the hell out of Dodge.

“Go,” he said, waving her off as he stepped up to Inga and groped her backside. “Take the rest of the afternoon off; I have things to do...”

“Don’t forget you are having Mr. Bernstein for lunch,” Marina said, before turning on her heel and heading back into the house.

She was glad to be leaving. Even though she knew that Inga was a machine and the kiss they had just shared nothing more than a coded response on the robot’s part, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for her on a human level. She had gleaned enough of Molenski’s motives to know that the Genitix machine wasn’t there to satisfy
only
his sexual needs… if at all.

Molenski watched her go. He had forgotten Bernstein, his most important business partner, was coming for lunch. He really would need to put off his fun with Inga until late tonight. 

“Come follow me,” he ordered the robot and headed back to the kitchen without looking back to check that she was following.

“Yes, Dimi,” she said, and fell in behind him, followed by Ivan who tried to keep his attention focused on the back of the robot’s head.

It was going to be an interesting afternoon.

5

Isabella barely flinched when her boss walked into her kitchen followed by a gorgeous, semi-naked girl and a bashful Ivan, who, unusually, didn’t even look her way.

Isabella was well accustomed to strange goings on in the Molenski household and for the most part managed to ignore them. She was extremely curious this time, though, especially when just a minute before Marina had rushed through, red-faced and obviously unhappy.

She watched the trio surreptitiously as they passed by.

The girl, obviously aware she was being observed, turned and smiled. She was clear-eyed, clearly not a drugged up whore like those Molenski sometimes treated his men too. Isabella smiled back, then turned back to wiping her benchtop, even more curious. She made a promise to grill Ivan at the first opportunity she got.

She was unsurprised when they headed up the staircase in the direction of Molenski’s bedroom. The Russian was also known to treat himself occasionally, and the young girl looked quite the treat. Isabella found herself excited. The fiery Latin side of her loved drama, and if Mrs. Molenski came home while the girl was still in the house, or better still in her marital bed, things could get very dramatic, very quickly.

The Russian paused on the steps and turned to look at her. Isabella looked down quickly, furiously rubbing at an imaginary spot on the bench.

“Lunch will be ready in an hour, yes?” he asked.

“Si, Senor.”

“Good. When my guest arrives, see him to the dining room.”