I couldn't tell if hours or days had passed when I woke up.
Through the years, the trials at the clinic had made me experience exhaustion, discomfort, pain, or dizziness, but what I was feeling now felt entirely different.
Slowly, my eyes fluttered open. My vision was blurry but I could feel I was lying on a bed in a poorly lit room. I held my hands above my face, trying to help my eyes focus faster.
It was strange. These were my hands but they didn't feel like mine. My skin, still a light brown, seemed to glow with a hidden shimmer below my skin. My nails, usually short and neatly trimmed, were now longer and thinner, catching the faint light of the room like polished glass.
I sat up, and again, my entire body felt foreign.
My back was unnaturally straight, my head lighter on my neck, and my hair... My fingers reached up, gliding through the small braids, as smooth as silk. I had never touched anything so soft before and for the next minutes, I couldn't help but keep touching them.
My eyes now adjusted to the faint light in the room, I realized there was a new set of uniform and underwear waiting for me, folded on the nightstand.
I got rid of the patient gown and changed into it. The uniform was a full bodysuit of the same metallic blue as the Love Machina neon light I'd seen glowing above the glass doors earlier. A thin long zipper ran from my navel to my collarbone, and as I zipped it up, I could feel the fabric sticking to every inch of my skin, molding to my body like a second layer. On the floor, I found a pair of white soft-soled shoes and slipped them on.
Just as I got back on my feet, someone knocked.
I was surprised for a second. No one would usually knock before entering my room at the clinic.
"Yes?" I hesitantly spoke, unsure how to address this situation.
A tall, dark-skinned woman opened the door and asked me to follow her.
She led me down a series of long glass hallways, my reflection following me on every surface.
I couldn't help but stare at myself. Was this makeup around my eyes? The face staring back at me was unmistakably mine, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that I was wearing someone else's skin. Every movement felt unfamiliar as if I were learning to walk in a body that wasn't quite my own. My steps seemed lighter, my posture straighter and my chin looked higher up.
"This way," the woman said, entering an elevator and pressing the button for the rooftop.
Something about her voice felt familiar. I glanced at her reflection in the elevator's mirror, wondering where I could have met her before but couldn't recall. She caught me staring at her but misinterpreted it, pointing at my fingers playing with a few strands of my silky braids.
"It's nice, isn't it?" she said, flashing a perfect smile. She stepped closer and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear as if admiring her work. "We used so much ammonium and kanenylon that I was scared it would all fall out," she added with a chuckle.
I shyly smiled back, not sure what to answer.
When the elevator doors slid open, we stepped onto the top floor. Everything, from floor to ceiling, was made of glass, forming a vast transparent bubble that offered a breathtaking panoramic view.
I had never seen anything so beautiful.
The blue sky stretched all around, giving us a free view of the mountain range in the distance on one side, and the Nations Belt on the other. We were so high in the sky, I could see small clouds gathering around distant buildings.
Completely forgetting about my surroundings, I walked straight to the nearest window, wanting to take it all in. Below us, more and more buildings and skyscrapers covered the grey dirt of the Belt, up until a point in the distance. Then, the tall towers gave way to smaller and smaller ones, down to the factories, warehouses, drone ports, and endless conveyor highways going in every direction.
All the clinics I ever worked were probably there, too little and too gray for me to notice in the landscape.
Looking from here, everything seemed gray and grimy.
Up until the desert.
The golden dunes rose like waves on the horizon. The natural barrier separated the gloomy landscape of the Belt from the mirage behind it.
My eyes widened in awe when I realized I could see it.
There, far in the distance, was New Yuan City.
I had only seen it in books and movies, never in real life. I had read its name on most devices and appliances at the clinic - Designed in New Yuan City. Assembled in the United Nations Belt.
People just called it the City.
It was still so far in the distance, you could barely distinguish the place itself. From here, it looked like a fortress made of glass and ice, with its tall white walls reaching toward the sun.
"Sade, are you not hungry?"
The woman had patiently waited for me and was now leading me to take a seat. The interior was just as wonderful, with dozens of plush seats arranged throughout the spacious room facing an imposing podium. I just realized that more women had arrived, each wearing the same blue uniform and accompanied by a personal escort like mine.
This one appeared again by my side, holding a large glass of water and a small plate of unfamiliar-looking food.
"Thank you," I said, already gulping down the water as I realized how thirsty I was. She watched me drink with a strange smile, her gaze lingering on my mouth. I kept drinking but looked away, feeling a bit self-conscious about it.
Then, I picked up a tiny pink and green rectangle-shaped sandwich and took a bite.
It was nothing like the boring sandwiches from the cafeteria. Each bite was an explosion of delicious flavors.
I almost hummed with contentment but quickly covered my mouth, looking down at my feet, trying to hide my reaction. I glanced to my sides and saw the other participants were enjoying their plates just like me.
My hand reached for another small appetizer, a yellow one this time, and I reminded myself to pace my eating. I didn't want to look like this was my first time tasting such delicious food. I tried to pretend this was normal, hoping it might help me feel like I belonged in this tall tower overlooking the City.
In one swift motion, all escorts quietly left our sides, moving to form a neat line on the side of the podium.
I admired the participants around me. The space between us was too large to talk, but it was just enough to examine each other. Looking at the shiny perfection of the hair on all these heads, it was easy to assume we had all undergone some physical enhancement.
I only exchanged glances with the two women sitting by my side. One had already finished her plate and I looked away, not wanting to embarrass her, even though I was still munching on mine to prolong its wonderful taste.
"Welcome, everyone!"
A man in a lab coat walked confidently into the room. All heads turned to him as he walked up to the podium.
"My name is Dr. Eze. Thank you for being here with us today," he announced, his piercing blue eyes scanning the room in a steady, commanding presence. "And congratulations to all of you for passing our extremely demanding recruitment process."
A small woman in high heels followed behind him, tip-toeing despite the tight skirt wrapped around her hips. Her vibrant red lips stretched into a wide smile to the crowd, her blond curls bouncing around her shoulders. Something about her felt oddly familiar, though I couldn't quite place where I'd seen her before.
They both faced us on the podium, a massive glass screen flickering to life between them.
"You've all been brought here today because each of you excelled in your performance reviews," Dr. Eze said as the screen displayed portrait pictures of the women seated in the room. I recognized a picture of myself with the current facial enhancement. I did not remember them taking a picture of me.
"You embody qualities such as high adaptability, exceptional problem-solving skills... and remarkable docility," he continued, as rings of performance data appeared alongside each profile.
I noticed several women straightening in their seats, their postures subtly shifting as though encouraged by the praises. I knew his words were meant to bolster my confidence too, but I felt so out of place. It was still hard for me to believe I had made it this far at all. I kept touching my braids, hoping it would soothe me, but the strange silkiness of them reminded me this wasn't truly mine either.
"Everything I share with you today is highly confidential," the man said, his hands clasped behind his back. His piercing blue eyes swept over our group again. "Your complete focus is essential to ensure the success of this mission."
I leaned over a little bit, ready to take in all the instructions. He pulled a high stool in front of the glowing screen as he continued:
"Love Machina Inc. is the most advanced tech company in the world. We've developed the pinnacle of synthetic beings—biologically indistinguishable from humans in every way... at least to the naked eye and touch, of course."
The screen flickered, revealing the silhouette of a woman. Animated lines branched out to the sketch, pointing at each feature: artificial neural networks, finely-tuned musculature for natural expressions, biological function mimicry...
The red-lipped woman stepped forward, gracefully sitting on the high stool before the screen.
"Appearance, emotions, abilities, logical and emotional intelligence..." Dr. Eze continued, turning toward her. He gently brushed a strand of her blond hair behind her ear. "Love Machinas are not robots," he said, tracing his finger along the curve of her face before tilting her chin upward. "They are the epitome of biomimicry."
My eyes widened as the implication of his words dawned on me. The man's admiring gaze shifted from the woman, a Love Machina, back to the group.
The machina looked at him, her pupils shuddering in what looked like admiration. That's when I realized: she was the one I saw on the advertisement display at the entrance, disappearing behind the red curtains.
"She blushes. She shivers and gets goosebumps. She laughs at my jokes... Oh, well, sometimes, she even laughs at me!" The man got a few chuckles from the group. "She also cries. She bruises. She bleeds." The man walked around the machina, his hand grazing on her back.
For a fleeting moment, the blonde's confident smile faltered. Her eyes, which had been fixed on the audience, darted toward the man beside her.
He caught her stare and offered a reassuring smile.
"She can even choke. And die," the man said, his eyes still fixed on her, the reassuring smile never leaving his face.
The woman's smile stayed in place, but her eyes betrayed a hint of doubt. I watched her closely, sensing a flicker of fear beneath her calm exterior.
"But it's artificial, of course," the man added, spreading his hands wide toward the audience. "Deep inside, beneath the synthetic blood and tissue... It's all high-tech hardware." He paused before shifting his focus to the group. "Now, a question for you... How much do you know about the mission you're here for today?"
A heavy silence fell over the rows. I sat up even straighter, the anticipation building. Finally, all the answers to my questions seemed just within reach.
"Come on, don't be shy," the man urged with that same reassuring smile, his bright blue eyes scanning from face to face in the first rows.
A hesitant hand rose in the first row.
"They told me I'll have to do... the job of a Love Machina," the woman said as if she wasn't too sure of her answer.
"Correct," Dr. Eze nodded approvingly, slipping his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. "Anyone else?"
Another hand rose.
"The mission is to offer companionship."
Dr. Eze gave another approving nod.
"Companionship, friendship..." His hand rested on the blonde woman's shoulder. "...or more."
I slowly nodded to myself, allowing the new information to sink in. Companionship? I could do this. Over the years at the clinic, I'd enjoyed helping the newcomers settle. This felt like a similar challenge and I was feeling confident I could assist them with this mission.
Only, I couldn't help but wonder... Why would they need us to replace their high-tech machinas? At the clinic, I knew better than to ask questions about the protocols we were testing, but at least, we always knew what the goal was.
"Here's the issue," Dr. Eze began again as if he had read the questions on our faces. "Our Love Machinas are so advanced... they're only made on demand. We have a government contract requiring twenty of them. It's a pilot program, a very important one for the success of our company," he lowered his voice, showing the importance of his words. "Except... We've got a problem. Rebels at the border are holding a crucial shipment of components from Nimarabad..."
I kept nodding, trying to make sense of it, but the terms on-demand, rebels, and Nimarabad didn't mean much to me. In these situations, I learned to feign my understanding.
"I know, it's shocking..." he opened his hands, his face looking dejected. "But I want to be fully transparent with you today. In parallel, our company is about to close the largest military contract in history," he went on. "To put it simply, the timing is not ideal. Our government partner can't know about our logistic issues... Not while negotiations are still underway. Trillions of yuan dollars are at stake. Every detail counts now."
He crossed his arms, pausing to let the weight of his words settle in. I couldn't help but glance at the women around me, wondering if I was the only one confused. My mind couldn't even comprehend the amount of money this was.
"Instead of delivering the promised Love Machinas, we're going to have to send humans in their place... for now," he concluded, spreading his arms wide to address the room. "Questions?"
A hand shot up from the first row.
"How are we expected to deceive them?" the woman asked, her voice clear and confident, as though she'd been waiting for the right moment. "Are you going to implant something in our brains to make us as smart as robots?" She flicked her long red hair back over her shoulder. "This physical transformation isn't enough to make us pass for super robots."
Dr. Eze's smile never faltered, but his piercing blue eyes narrowed slightly as they focused on the redhead.
"Super robots..." he repeated, almost to himself, his hand resting on his chin as though pondering his response. "We did create super robots in the past. When I started to work here, this company wasn't even called Love Machina yet... We had already developed the fastest, smartest human-like machines ever..." He slid his hands back into the pockets of his lab coat. "And yet, we weren't making any profit."
Once again, he walked alongside the blonde woman, still seated on the high stool for everyone to see.
"When it comes to love and friendship..." He gently took her hand, holding it as though offering a dance. "...we're looking for equals."
Their hands met, fingers intertwining.
"We're looking for a friend, a confidante, a partner," he said with a smile, and she smiled back at him. "No one wants a know-it-all," he added with a chuckle, glancing back at the group. "If you're asked to solve an equation or list all the elements of the Periodic Table... you can certainly try! But failing won't reveal your true nature. Love Machinas are just like us. They don't act like walking encyclopedias or supercomputers. They fail, they play, they dream, they laugh, they hope... And that's what makes them so special compared to a super robot..." His voice softened, growing more reflective.
The room seemed to hold its breath as he paused, scanning the faces around him.
"We've spent years perfecting them, making them feel more like us, making them feel real. Not perfect, not flawless... but real."
The man's gaze shifted back to the redhead in the front row. We were all enthralled by the passion of his speech.
"A Love Machina isn't about perfection," he said, his voice even softer now. "It's about connection. This is what we're striving for: an experience, a bond... Something that feels real."
His eyes met mine in the crowd, and I looked away.
"So just... be real," he smiled. "Be yourself. Be human. That's why we're confident you'll all succeed in this mission. You only have to be yourself."
The screen flickered, animated with new information. A circular map appeared, with pictures of the women floating around it.
"You will be sent to the homes of Category 1 citizens. All government contributors. You will become part of their daily lives... You'll be a nanny to their children, a caretaker for their grandparents, a best friend, or a partner in their lives..."
He pointed to various spots on the map as he spoke. I couldn't see where my picture was floating, but in any case, my attention was too troubled now to focus on the screen.
Did I understand correctly?
They were sending us to New Yuan City!
"Love Machinas are still rare. To anyone outside your owner or their family, we recommend you pretend to be human... Because, in essence, you are," he smirked. "If anyone outside your owner's circle asks questions, just act according to your owner's instructions."
Owners. I had worked with lab technicians, doctors, researchers... but never with owners.
The blond trainee I had met earlier entered the room with another man I didn't recognize. They stepped onto the podium and explained the next steps: we would be placed into artificial sleep, placed into travel pods, and sent to our respective owners' homes. Owners would either ask for our name or choose one for us. If they offered us to decide on a name, they recommended we use our own to avoid confusion. Once a week, we would attend a meeting with other Love Machinas.
"What are these meetings for?" the redhead asked again.
"Machine learning," the man answered. "We've noticed that Love Machinas learn quickly when interacting with humans... But they learn even faster when connecting with other machinas. They discuss, exchange useful information, and that data becomes new learning points for them."
I looked around and it seemed I wasn't the only one struggling to follow his technical explanation.
"If you see familiar faces in these meetings," the trainee continued, "ones you've met here today, you are expected to act as though you've never met them. Pretend you're meeting for the first time."
"All you need to do is talk with them, pretend to be one of them," the man added. "A Love Machina knows what it is... And it will treat you as one too."
"We recommend to learn from them as much as they will learn from you," the trainee took over. "Our products are praised for their emotional and situational intelligence... Maybe some of you could benefit from that."
She glanced down at the redhead in the front row, just as this one raised her hand again.
"And what will happen when you get the missing components?" she asked. "Won't they suspect something when we're replaced?"
"Physically, they won't notice," the trainee answered. "During today's transformation, you underwent modeling scans. Molds of your faces and bodies are already getting bioprinted now."
A wave of unease could be felt around the rows. I wondered what kind of mission these other women were working on usually for them to be so easily flustered.
"The rights to your image are part of the reason for your high compensation," she added. "As soon as we receive the necessary components, the new Love Machinas will be assembled and will replace you immediately."
The man with piercing blue eyes stepped back to the center stage.
"Naturally, they will have slightly different personalities from yours," he said, his gaze sweeping over the group. "They will get as much data as we can about you, like the way you talk, walk, laugh... But we all know it's not enough. So, we'll attribute the change to a rebel cyberattack, a necessary reset of our systems..." His eyes lingered on each face as if searching for a reaction, but no one flinched. "They will start fresh with your owners. But rest assured, our Love Machinas are very good at making someone fall in love with them," he added with a knowing smile.
They went on to outline a few basic rules for the Love Machinas, such as never endangering the lives of their owners, even if requested, through action or inaction.
"And finally," the trainee concluded, "you cannot disclose any information discussed here today. From the moment you enter your owner's home... You are a Love Machina. You are a newborn, starting a new life."
Just as it seemed the meeting was drawing to a close, the man with the blue eyes stepped forward once more.
"One last thing..."
His gaze swept across the room, lingering on each woman.
"Some of you will be sent to families to care for their children. Some of you will hold the hand of a dying patient. Some of you will become romantic partners..."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"Don't get attached to your owners. You will all be coming back. No exceptions. Be prepared for that."
🌱
It felt like waking up from a long, deep night of sleep. The kind that rejuvenates every single cell of your body.
A faint melody stirred me from my slumber. I felt the air around me freshen, enlivening my limbs. A few seconds later, the pod vibrated and opened. My eyes fluttered, then opened to a white condensation cloud floating around me.
None of these effects were strictly necessary, but they were part of the customer experience, as I was told.
The sparkly mist cascaded from the pod, rippling to the floor as it fell. I felt cold goosebumps prickling my skin as it trickled down my body. The pod was slightly inclined and my eyes focused first on the ceiling.
To the side, I spotted a large window. It reminded me of Love Machina Inc., with those gigantic glass panels that let in all the light. This window wasn't as impressive but I was intrigued by the view behind it.
A wide green wall of vegetation stood just a few feet beyond the glass. There was no view at all, just green leaves.
Eager to see more, I lifted my head out of the pod. My neck muscles felt stiff like I hadn't moved them in a long time. Slowly, I emerged from the fog, the room's warm air greeting the tip of my cold nose. It made me want to feel it all over my skin.
Behind the window, the leaves swayed with the breeze, almost as if they were greeting me. I admired the sight until a shadow moved in the glass' reflection.
I turned my eyes to the other side, realizing I wasn't alone.
A silhouette emerged from the condensation that had spread all over. I first noticed his dark eyes examining me.
The air had thinned around us and my whole body warmed up to this new reality.
"Hello," a deep, husky voice greeted me as if these were his first words of the day.
A man stepped forward, emerging fully from the mist.
"I'm V."
(new chapter coming this Friday, July 4th ☺️looking forward to your comments!)