Having finished the call, Dash turned sharply to Anna, who was no longer hiding her amusement, covering her mouth with her hand so as not to laugh out loud.
– No, can you imagine? – Dash hissed, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of irritation and amusement. – That damn neural network, be damned, answering the phone and claiming it’s some kind of NeuroHub! Couldn’t they have programmed something a little more… sophisticated? «Residence», «penthouse», at least «palace»! But no, she has to make us look like some sort of… communal dwellers!
Suddenly the disembodied, neural network voice, as if it had appeared out of thin air, sounded first in the corridor, and then, as if following its echo, moved directly into the room:
– I apologise for the intrusion, but how exactly would you prefer me to answer incoming calls? I’m open to suggestions and ready to be reprogrammed according to your wishes.
Dash, still seething with indignation, mumbled, ducking her face into the pillow:
– I don’t know, think of something decent! «Neuro Palace», «Cyber Residence», «Quantum Mansion» – anything but this derogatory «NeuroHub»!
NeuralNet, after a pause, as if considering what she had heard, replied nonchalantly:
– I have recorded your wish and made the appropriate adjustments to the database. However, I must warn you that I cannot guarantee one hundred per cent compliance with this directive, given the security and privacy priorities set by the corporate owner of the building.
Anna, who had been watching the scene unfold all this time, could no longer contain her laughter. Her eyes sparkled with unconcealed pleasure.
– Oh, Dash,“ she said through her laughter, wiping away her tears, „you are simply inimitable. How do you manage to juggle all these suitors and not get tangled up in your own stories? It’s a real art!
Dash, who at first pouted her lips in feigned offence, couldn’t keep a serious expression for long. A mischievous light flashed in her eyes, which were equipped with microscopic lenses that allowed her to change the colour of the iris at will.
– It’s not just art, my dear,» she said with feigned importance, rising from the bed and stretching gracefully. – It’s the highest form of social programming. A little natural talent, a pinch of neuro-enhancement, and voila – you are the queen of the virtual and real worlds at the same time! And why am I sitting naked? We should get going.
In the sweltering heat of the summer evening, the streets of the neon Cyber-City were bustling with life, like a giant, tirelessly working anthill of the future. Anna and Dash, two graceful women, walked arm in arm, their high heels beating a clear, hypnotising rhythm on the pavement, reflecting the light of the many neon signs. Their figures, as if sculpted from flesh by a skilful sculptor, attracted the gazes of passers-by, making men look at them with long, full of unconcealed admiration.
The street was bustling with people who had just been released from a hard day’s work in the offices of mega-corporations and technology factories. Men flaunted cheap suits with inserts that changed pattern depending on the light and the mood of the wearer. The women shone in dresses woven from liquid metal, shimmering in all the colours of the rainbow to match their emotions. Firm hips, chiselled figures – in a world where implants could change almost anything, beauty was almost accessible.
The friends were moving leisurely through the lively, pulsing stream of walkers when an unusual sight caught their attention. A small crowd, mottled with brightly coloured outfits and shiny implants, gathered around a man reciting poetry. But this was no ordinary poet – his words, inspired by the immortal Shakespeare, were skilfully intertwined with the realities of their time, creating a bizarre symbiosis of the classics and futurism. Next to him, as if in a mesmerising dance, small, almost invisible quadrocopters circled, creating intricate fiery patterns in the air, emphasising each stanza and giving the poet’s words an almost tangible form.
– I don’t understand what he’s saying,» Dash muttered, slowing down for a second and furrowing her perfectly shaped brow. – What’s bothering him so much? Does our world still have problems for poetry?
Anna only shrugged, her eyes reflecting for a moment the glint of a courier drone flying by:
– Maybe it was the lack of problems that was the main problem? – She remarked philosophically, and the girls moved on, joining the motley, noisy crowd. But the problems remained. Conflicts, hungry all over the world. A lack of love.
The streets pulsed with life like the arteries of a gigantic metropolis. Autonomous taxis, resembling predatory fish from the depths of the ocean, glided silently through the sea of people, manoeuvring between pedestrians with filigree precision. Quadrocopters of all shapes and sizes flew overhead, delivering parcels of food and goods directly to customers’ doors, their propellers creating a light, almost inaudible background hum. Billboards flashed everywhere, inviting people to try the latest synthetic delicacies that promised incredible taste sensations, or to take exotic journeys to orbital stations or underwater cities.
– I can’t take it anymore,» Dash almost moaned, her voice sounding tired and irritated, contrasting with the brightness and energy of the world around her. – To spend five years at university, cramming in outdated theories, and then slave away at a corporate factory for a measly two thousand credits? No, no, no, no, no, no. I wasn’t born into this age of opportunity.
Anna nodded sympathetically, her eyes clouded for a moment, as if she were remembering something from her past:
– Nova’s life isn’t easy, she’s always lost in her lab, nor I with my endless meetings and reports. And now you…
– And what is life then? – Anna sighed, her gaze involuntarily stopped on another couple in love, selflessly kissing at the shop window, selling cheap models of neurointerfaces. – Is this really all we are capable of in a world of endless possibilities?
Youth was boiling around them – young men and women were hugging, laughing, living their lives as if they didn’t notice anyone around them. Their eyes, often augmented with cybernetic implants, shone with happiness and carefree spirit.
Passing by the huge, full-wall advertising screens, the girls involuntarily admired dancing robots and people with implants, whose movements were so perfect and synchronised that they seemed unreal. They advertised the latest cybernetic improvements promising to increase brain performance tenfold, or exotic tours to the restored Amazon jungle or to the soaring mountains of the Eastern New Dynasty, where ancient Chinese traditions were intricately intertwined with the latest technology.
– Science is boring,» Dash continued to complain, her voice sounding whimsical, like a spoilt child. – Who needs this chemistry? Only formulas, molecules, reactions… As if we were still living in the last century and hadn’t invented nanorobots capable of synthesising any substance.
The girls walked gracefully swaying their hips, their dresses, as if they were living creatures, tightened around their young, taut bodies, becoming almost transparent, or becoming deep, rich colour, attracting admiring glances of passers-by. Anna stopped suddenly, raising her hand in a protesting gesture, her eyes lighting up with an almost fanatical gleam:
– No, you don’t understand anything! Chemistry and science are not just formulas, they are the future of mankind! It is because of science that we live in this marvellous world. And who knows what other wonders it will give us?
Dash wrinkled her perfect nose as if she had heard something unpleasant:
– I don’t want to think about the future. I need the here and now. What’s the point of this endless research