"Is it really not wrong?" I questioned Alex, my voice laced with disbelief, "We earned $500,000 in just a day?"Alex replied with diplomatic caution, "Yes and no," his eyes avoiding mine as he weighed his words carefully. "Indeed, we netted about $500,000 in a single day. However, I must allocate a portion of that for reinvestment towards our future objectives and new innovations. So, in essence, you could say you're left with $500,000 a week for your personal account."Overwhelmed with gratitude, I embraced Alex, the relief washing over me like a gentle wave. "Thank you, Alex," I murmured, my voice soft and filled with emotion. "Suddenly, I feel so much lighter. It's as if I'm finally healing."Alex chuckled, a light, infectious sound. "It turns out a substantial sum of money can be quite therapeutic."Following that revelation, our AA Media consistently dominated the streaming movie industry, effortlessly outpacing other platforms. Life settled into a comforting rhythm. The morning
My heart was pounding, a rapid drumbeat of anticipation and nerves, as I opened a list of adult virtual world dating options. Among the options laid before me—Human partner, a mix of Human and AI partner, or an Artificial Intelligence only partner—I felt drawn towards the latter.The truth was, communicating with Babel native speakers always felt like an uphill battle for me. Their thoughts raced ahead, conclusions reached with a speed that left me bewildered, as if every conversation was a complex math problem waiting to be solved.I believe if I talked to 100 of them, none of them would be attracted to me in a romantic way. So do i.With a curiosity, I pressed the 'trial' button, opting for a setting labeled as 'vintage Earth'—a quaint term for what still felt very much like the modern world to me. Suddenly, I found myself in a bustling bar.Around me, people were drinking, singing, and reveling in the joy of the moment. Twenty individuals, a blend of males and females, brought the
Alex.When dinner time arrived, I walked out from my virtual capsule toward the dining table. Today seemed special; there was no light, only darkness punctuated by some dimly lit candles, making me wonder, 'Does Aurora want to have a candlelight dinner?'What a romantic occasion it appeared to be.I found her sitting on the couch, enveloped in the shadows."Turn on the light," I said to the house system controlled by artificial intelligence, and suddenly the light turned on. But when I saw her eyes, swollen from tears, I instantly knew something was terribly wrong. She looked at me, her eyes a tumultuous mix of anger, sadness, and betrayal.My instincts kicked in, warning me I wouldn't leave this room without facing a tremendous fight. I braced myself, ready to navigate the emotional minefield with as much caution as possible. It felt like I had to defuse a ticking bomb with the utmost care."Aurora, what happened?" I asked, trying to make my voice as gentle as possible."How dare you
I quickly said, “Of course I never do such a thing. I already have no time for my research, to look for money for us. How can I have time for that kind of wasting time?” My voice was tinged with frustration, the weight of my responsibilities heavy in my tone.Aurora nodded, her eyes searching mine for sincerity. “Alright, I will believe in you.”“Thank you, believe in me. I will never lie to you,” I assured her, my heart pounding with the hope she understood.Suddenly, she stopped, her expression shifting. “Kathleen just sent me a message asking why we fired him,” she said, her fingers flying over her floating screen, typing a rapid response.“And what did you answer?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.“Of course, I fired her because she had sex with you. Even in the virtual world, I still don’t approve of that,” Aurora replied, her voice cold and sharp like a winter breeze.I chose to be silent sometimes when a woman is angry; it's better to shut my mouth.“Alex!” Aurora suddenly yelled,
Aurora Alex hadn’t come back home and he stubbornly hadn't called me yet. He was still an *asshole*, always protecting his workers, those he had affairs with. Was it so hard to just fire them? He could find other workers, couldn't he? Did he think his research was more important than me? I looked at the ball floating around me; this was the central unit of the system, the artificial Intelligence, we called it Linda. I knew Alex might still be watching me through that ball. “Linda, I don’t want you to monitor me all the time.” “But, Mrs. Aurora, I have a job given by the master to check on your health periodically, to ensure you are well,” Linda responded. “Enough with that!” I snapped, suddenly filled with rage with the artificial intelligence. “I command you to stop monitoring my health. If Alex wants to check on me, he should fire his workers and come himself.” Linda suddenly stood more upright, and the light on it started blinking, signaling a connection to Alex. After conveyin
Alex. Life and death are something that was really out of our control. We couldn't control how the baby made her movements inside the mother’s womb; it was just fate that we didn't have a baby at this time. I had already read everything and understood about ‘fetal demise due to umbilical cord torsion’, it is not something human could control. It was just fate and not our destiny to have a baby. Even though I had already prepared a name for her. Even though I had already wished and prepared everything for her. Even after I dream for her to grow big, pretty and marriage with her lover. Even after what I did, I knew it was useless. My tears I couldn’t hold it again. Maybe it was just the best arranged by God. Where would people go when they died? I didn’t know. But I knew that wherever I went, lived, and died, I would remember and always remember I had a daughter, even though she was only with us for 7 months. She was still my daughter, and I would find her when I died. At least for a
Aurora I hate this life because it doesn’t spin in the direction I want. I want everything to be according to my will. And because it doesn’t revolve around me, I try to force it to spin even harder. I want Alex under my control, to fire everyone I dislike. I hate it when Alex doesn’t listen to me, I despise Babel, and I hate it when my daughter died. I want to be in control of everything. I know something is wrong with me, but I can’t seem to stop this intense desire to control, and maybe in the process, I’m losing everything. Yet, the anger inside me hasn’t even subsided. In the living room, Linda showed me the recording of Alex’s video. “Aurora, I am sorry. I can’t tell you this face to face because I’m afraid we will end up fighting again and hurting each other," Alex’s voice came through the speakers, weary and resigned. "I found the gate two days ago. And I think you better return to Earth. I know you hate Babel and you can’t learn to love it nor try to find joy in it.” Alex
A year had passed. Trudging towards the police station, my appearance was akin to a homeless person. The relentless consumption of blue pills over the year had significantly reduced my body weight. Real food had become a stranger to my palate for too long. As I approached, an artificial robot glided towards me, scanning my face before greeting, “Welcome Mr. Alex. What can I help you with?”Feeling a deep unease, I confided, “I feel like my soul is in danger; can you protect me?” I was aware that the Babel system offered some form of sanctuary.The robot queried, “How long do you wish to be protected? We can offer one day of protection per year for every citizen of Babel.”Hesitating, I requested, “Can you protect me for two days?”It responded, “Yes, we can, but you will be using your entitlement for two years' worth of protection.”“Alright,” I consented.“Please follow me. Starting now, we will temporarily erase all your data from the Babel system so you will be untraceable by anyon