THE WORLD WITHAL – A SCI-FI STORY
As I entered my twenties, I faced a daunting task: crafting the perfect woman. In our society, young men learned the art of creating their ideal partners from the elders. However, I, Timothy, struggled to perfect mine alone.
The creation process came with three sacrosanct guidelines, the first which instilled the most trepidation. The rule was to never destroy your creation, especially when they carried the life you had imparted. Witnessing peers’ creations devolve into destructive vessels, I intensified my apprehension.
“I mustn’t fall victim”, I said to myself.
The second guideline however pertained to the brain, shaping it to your taste. My father’s mistakes still lingered, a cautionary tale. He had designed my mother to embody love, neglecting the importance of reasoning and parenting. Her promiscuous lifestyle ultimately led to her downfall.
“Another thing I mustn’t do”, I checked my list.
The third guideline concerned capacity which means allocating brain storage. Each creation was allotted a limited one terabyte, a complex constraint that sparked debate.
The affluent nevertheless were allowed to afford more but as an average individual, I was deprived. Desperate to provide my creation, Lisa, with a superior mind, I considered pilfering my mother’s dormant memory chip and erasing its contents. It was against my father’s wishes but who cares? This would grant Lisa a total of two terabytes, a prospect that both thrilled and unsettled me.
“Mona-lisa,” I whispered, initiating my creation.
Inside the database management, I quickly joined fellow adults eager to craft their ideal partners. Temerity gripped me nonetheless as I entered my designated room, key 607 in hand. The government as usual had made provision for all my necessary ingredients which was common but standing before my vessel, my mind trembled.
“Green eyes,” I instructed the computer immediately, which carved Lisa with precision.
The result: an unsettling facial structure, accompanied by an unwarranted comment, “Nice choice.”
“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” I snapped.
“Hands like mine but more feminine,” I gestured at the rude AI.
The computer scanned and made it possible although this was the emergence of my first error .
“Not like this!” I scolded it, realizing changes were irreversible.
“Don’t you see that there’s a scar on my right hand”, I almost smacked the android. “Couldn’t you have subtracted it?”
“Sorry,” it replied, its apology hollow.
“Features like Mylo Offspring…..now!” I smirked, referencing the celebrity. “We don’t have much time.”
It nodded and went to work immediately as Mylo’s body figure was a covered structure I craved in my woman. It was also unattainable for rumours had it that her creator was a certified scientist.
“Are we done?” the android asked.
I took a moment to admire my creation, scrutinizing every detail.
“Small, soft lips,” I murmured, comparing them to mine.
The AI turned to me. “And her brain?”
“Two terabytes,” I replied, eyes shut in fear.
“Two?” it confirmed.
“Yes,” I screamed. “How daft is this thing?”
“No issues intended,” the android said, inserting a chip into Lisa.
Using my mother’s memory chip, I had bypassed the storage limit.
“Done”, it drifted away but Lisa awoke at an alarming speed.
“Wait! Not yet,” I looked away, fearing rejection.
I wanted her to see me at my best not as her creator. It could mess with her definition of us being equals. “Timothy”, she approached me naked and warm. Her curious eyes glances from side to side trying to take details of her environment.
“No, not yet,” I stepped back. “You can’t see me like this, Lisa.”
“Lisa?”, she laughed. “Who is Lisa?”
My heart sank without hesitation.
“It’s me, your mum,” she hugged me tightly from behind. “I’m so glad you brought me back son.”
Horrified as hell, I rushed to the android. “No! No! No! I want her gone. This is not what we bargained for.”
“Against protocol,” it responded coldly. “Your mother is a malware.”
Desperate and enraged, I scattered the instrument desk. “I know that, you dummy but I can’t marry my mother! Isn’t that against protocol as well?”
The android shut down immediately, disappearing into a wall.
“Suit yourself sucker”, it mocked me. “You brought the terabytes. Against protocol too.”
“Wait”, regret overwhelmed me. “Don’t go. Let’s sort this out.”
“Sort what?”, Lisa stood before me, smiling without pity. “You get what you want.”
“Stay away from me”, I tossed a tool at her but she caught it with ease.
“Room 607”, the sirens suddenly began to wail. “Malware breach!”
“What are you?”, I turned to my mother with my face all red and with tears. “What do you want from me?”
“You’re not daft, are you?”, she responded with that change in voice. “I am everything you just heard. A mal-ware.”
