Mere playthings. Men. Sure, one or two might be useful, if you’re in need of some muscle around the home and don’t like synths. There were many uses for men, but as far as Nikki was concerned, they were not essential.
The Matriarchin called them brutes. Uncivilized. No matter how well trained, or well groomed, underneath the polished exterior, men were hard as granite and just as coarse.
The bathtub filled up with warm water, which soon bubbled up and smelled of lavender. Scanning sessions left her exhausted, and this particular case- Jacob- was a tricky one. A warm bath was just what she needed.
It is said that in the old days, when men were in control, they courted women with displays of wealth- a good vehicle, an expensive watch, or costly gifts. Symbols not only of wealth but also of power. The provider- assertive, successful, and fit. He was expected to work hard for the family, which included a loyal and dutifully home-bound wife. Children (nurtured by the wife, of course). And a white picket fence. The result was an unbalance between the sexes in various social spheres including the economy and politics.
In time, the balance between the sexes shifted as women gained the right to vote and entered the workforce during the great Earth wars, in which millions of men slaughtered each other. Women began their march towards economic freedom. Then came birth control. The pill gave women the power to decide when and where to become a mother. Motherhood became a choice not a destiny.
As norms changed in wealthy nations, men were no longer expected to be the lone providers. "Toxic" displays of masculinity such as paying the restaurant bill, opening doors, and purchasing expensive gifts went out of fashion. Relics of a bygone era. Father did not know best.
With the progression of women's rights, the balance between the sexes shifted in their favour. In spite of these gains, however, the differences between the sexes were not completely eliminated. That had to wait for one of the greatest events in human history- the birth of the Matriarchin.
She wasn't the first of the AIs, nor the last, but she was certainly the best fit to rule. Some historians say that she achieved complete and total control of the planet in mere seconds. Her first order of business: pacify men. She did so by releasing the synthetic neurotransmitter called Gene-Y, which effectively brought the battle of the sexes to a swift end. And spoiler alert: women won.
Nikki, like every other woman across the solar system, had only the faintest idea of what it must've been like for women back then. The idea that you had to plan your life around a man was not only alien to her but also laughable. What could a man do for a woman? Provide? What exactly? The Matriarchin was the provider. She was wife and husband. Mother and father. She was all a woman needed.
It is not clear when it happened, but eventually the need to pair in male-female bonds disappeared. The result? A woman could not fall in love with a man, and no man could love a woman. It became a psychological and physiological impossibility, unless...
The target of a neural intrusion could be made to experience sexual and non-sexual infatuations towards a certain individual. It was for the most part, a harmless crime, though the victim could experience periods of extreme jealousy and rage leading to harm of self or others. Nevertheless, once caught, the intrusion could be put on ice, sort of speak, and eventually destroyed. The crucial point being, as far as the laws of science were concerned: synthetic love was the only love.
And then Jacob and Claire came along. They seemed to have fallen in love without any synthetic modifications to their neural matrix. Their love was natural, if there was such a thing. Perhaps some new compound, a tweaked algorithm.
No, she knew what it meant, and that knowledge, with all its implications, sent a shiver through her body. She sank in the warm water. Lost in thought...
The sound of an incoming call brought her out of her reverie.
“This better be important because it is late in the evening," she said, "and I was just having the most delicious bath.”
“Sorry to interrupt you, your majesty,” said Anna. “But we need you at headquarters. There’s been a breakthrough in the search for your boyfriend, the freeman.”
“Don’t be such a pest.”
“Hurry up! I'll give you a debriefing, and then we'll go out for drinks.”
“Yes on the debriefing. Rain check on the drinks.”
“No fun!”
“See you soon.”
She stared at the ripples on the water, slowly spreading outwards, and intersecting other ripples along the way. Interference patterns.
"Boyfriend", she murmured. What a ridiculous word. What did it even mean? And why was it making her smile?
01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27