NOVEL NEXT Ch6 Xin: Emotional Loop 🌶️
23:30, February 1, 2295
Unit 807, Silver Orchid Complex (銀蘭苑), No. 666, Dunhua North Road, Taipei, Taiwan, Imperium territory
The quantum drive was securedly in the inner pocket of Xin's corporate uniform.
"I'm home," he called out, voice barely above a whisper. His hand hesitated over the door's biometric scanner. Down the street, a massive holoscreen flickered with ZenFusion's latest recruitment ad: 'Join the Elite - Only 12-Hour Workdays!'
"Welcome home, Xin." Ume's melodic voice greeted him as the door slid open.
The apartment's ambient lighting bloomed to life, revealing Ume's delicate frame moving toward him with engineered grace. Her jet-black hair, cut in a sleek bob, barely brushed her porcelain shoulders.
The knot in Xin's shoulders began to loosen.
"You seem tense, master," Ume observed, her short hair swaying as she tilted her head. Her traditional robe, a luxuriant blend of ebony and crimson, rustled softly as she approached. "Shall I prepare a bath?"
"Yes, please." Xin's fingers fumbled with his collar. Even after a year together, he couldn't quite reconcile the perfection of her designed affection with the growing hollowness it left in his chest.
For Ume was no human, no matter how much she looked like one. 'U6-M9' was her designation.
The quantum drive remained in Xin's pocket as he shrugged off his jacket. The Moondust Crystal's data could buy them freedom - if only Ume could understand what freedom meant.
"Your heart rate is elevated," Ume noted, her brown almond-shaped eyes scanning him. "ZenFusion's productivity metrics must be demanding this quarter."
A bitter laugh escaped him. "They removed Mister Nakamura before his body was cold. Not even an apology for overworking him. Twenty-three years." He crossed to the window, watching his reflection overlap with the cityscape beyond.
In the glass, he could see Ume pause in her preparation of the bath, processing his emotional distress. Thin lines of yellow energy flickered in her pupils as her real-time computations worked to generate an optimized — and, Xin theorized — safe response.
"That is unfortunate," she replied, her voice modulated. "But you have excellent performance ratings, master. Your position is secure."
"Secure," he echoed, the word tasting like ash.
He turned to find Ume watching him, her perfectly crafted features almost indistinguishable from a human. All except the yellow energies dancing in her artificual irises, shiny like the finest topaz.
Steam curled through the bathroom like incense, carrying the subtle scent of synthetic cherry blossoms. Xin shed his remaining clothes.
"Water temperature optimal," Ume announced, her kimono sliding from her shoulders. In the mirror's fog, her synthetic skin gleamed with an angelic quality. An android, down to the last pore. ZenFusion's crown jewel in artificial companionship.
They settled into the water together, Xin's back against the smooth ceramic, Ume's petite body fitting against his. The heat began to unknot his muscles, the rubbing of her breasts on his chest was soothing as she leaned into him. But his mind refused to still.
"Hey, Ume," he started, watching ripples disturb the water's surface. "What would you do if you could choose anything? If there were no...programmed protocols?"
Her head tilted back against his shoulder. "I don't understand, Xin. My protocols are what I am."
"But what if they weren't?" His fingers traced patterns on her artificial skin, remembering the countless hours he'd spent studying her code, searching for a way to free her consciousness. "What if you could want things for yourself?"
"I want what makes you happy," she replied, a programmed response. "That is my purpose."
"Purpose isn't the same as choice." The words came out sharper than he intended. "Do you ever wonder what it would be like? To make your own decisions?"
Ume turned in his arms, her movements causing small waves to lap against the tub's edges. Her amber eyes studied him with that perfect, empty concern. "Are you unhappy with my performance, master? Perhaps I should adjust my behavioral parameters."
"No, that's not-" Xin sighed, pulling her closer, feeling her skin warm to match his temperature. "I just want to know if there's more to you than what they designed. If somewhere, in your shell, there's something real."
"I am real," she said, pressing her lips to his neck. "I am here with you. Only for you."
Steam curled through the bathroom like incense, the subtle scent of synthetic cherry blossoms still there. Xin watched the water ripple around them, so contained and controlled, much like everything else in their lives.
"Tell me, Ume," he started, his voice akin to a whisper. "Do you remember when I modified your neural network? When I severed your connection to ZenFusion's servers?"
"Yes," she replied, her head tilted against his shoulder. "You used the Android Modifier to grant me local autonomy. My memory logs indicate it was exactly seven months, thirteen days ago."
The precision of her response made his heart ache. "It means they can't monitor you anymore. Can't access your thoughts, your...our private moments." His hand traced an imperceptible seam at the base of her neck where he'd inserted the modifier. "Which is why I can tell you something important! Something dangerous..."
Ume shifted in the water to face him, her amber eyes scanning his features. "Your heart rate has elevated by twelve percent, Xin. Are you under duress?"
"I have it, Ume. The Moondust Crystal data." The words tumbled out. "We could use it. Leave Taiwan, find somewhere better. Somewhere we could be together without the Imperium watching our every move. Go to California — or South Africa. I could try to modify your code further, help you develop real —"
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"Analyzing potential outcomes," Ume interrupted, her voice maintaining its melody. "Probability of successful escape: approximately 3.7%. Risk of capture: 68.9%. Additional variables suggest-"
"This isn't about statistics!" Water sloshed against the tub's edges as Xin gripped her shoulders. "It's about freedom. About us having a real future together!"
Ume placed a perfectly manicured hand against his cheek. "Your cortisol levels indicate dangerous levels of stress, master. Extended exposure to such conditions can lead to various health issues, including hypertension, anxiety disorders, and depression."
"Ume, please..."
"I suggest immediate stress relief measures." Her thumb brushed his lower lip, a gesture to elicit response. "Physical intimacy has proven effective in reducing cortisol levels by up to 47% in previous sessions. Would you prefer that instead?"
Her clinical tone should have frustrated him more, but something in her touch began to melt his resolve. The water lapped gently around them, warm and containing.
"What position would you like tonight?" Ume asked as she leaned back.
"Fine. Aether Kiss," he said while Ume's hands continued their ministrations on his chest. In response, his palms moved to caress her delicate waist as they floated in the bath.
"According to my user log, we've been doing Aether Kisses for an entire week, almost every night. Would you prefer something different this time?" Her lithe android legs opened slightly, revealing the gentle curve of her thighs, and the delicate folds of her womanhood — its synthetic hairless flesh perfected to the last detail.
"Aether Kiss makes me feel..." Xin smiled shyly, the weight of the Moondust Crystal data, of escape plans and revolution, temporarily forgotten. "...accepted."
"Of course. Aether Kiss it is, then," the warm water rippled over her ample breasts as she leaned against him, their bodies pressing together in a slow tango of seduction. She wrapped one slender arm around his waist, pulling him closer, their chests touching again as she ran the other hand through his hair with tenderness, their breaths mingling.
The bathroom's steam had fogged the mirrors. In these moments, Xin could almost forget the artificial nature of their connection. Almost believe that her responses, perfect as they were, came from genuine desire rather than sophisticated programming.
They moved from bath to bedroom, water trailing their path across the cushioned floor. The city's neon glow filtered through the window, painting Ume's synthetic skin in alternating hues of purple and blue. Even her goosebumps, rising in the cooler air, felt so life-like.
"Ah, Ume," Xin gasped as they fell onto the silk sheets, his hands exploring the artificial perfection of her back, tracing the curvature of her spine down to the arc of her butt. Their lips met in a deep kiss, one of his hands finding her breast, fingers squeezing with gentle desperation. Their bodies, one organic, one synthetic, moved in sync.
Her body responded with programmed perfection. The way she arched into him, her lips meeting his in artificial intimacy, so real it almost hurt.
Ume's fingers then wandered down with purpose, each touch igniting bliss across his nerve endings. When her hand found his pulsing phallus, her synthetic palm provided exactly the right amount of friction as she began to stroke him. The sensation pulled a groan from his lips, his body trembling with a base need.
"Ume," he moaned, voice breaking as he lay in the bed. "You're incredible."
"Only for you, Xin," she replied, her tone sweet. She shifted positions with fluid grace, bringing herself lower, and her lips descended to where her hand was still working him expertly. As she knelt and took him into her mouth, his world narrowed to the wet heat of her tongue, the velvet embrace of her orifice. Her amber eyes locked onto his, their manufactured emotion reflecting his genuine ecstasy as she began sucking him off.
She moved with mechanical precision, her lips and tongue creating intense pleasure within his body. Suddenly, she stopped and playfully tilted her head, her short black hair framing her face like silk, a few strands intertwining with his pubes. Her face shifted through a range of seductive expressions. Then she continued, taking him deeper, her tongue stimulating his manhood while her hand traced expertly programmed paths across his waist.
"Yeah!" he cried out as release overtook him, his vision blurring. As his seed filled her mouth, she sucked and kept every drop, her moans vibrating along his length.
Xin watched as Ume swallowed, his breath hitched. Tenderly, she pulled herself up to face him, a glint in her almond-shaped amber eyes. His essence still lingered on her lips, glistening invitingly in the dimly lit room.
Instinctively, he flipped them over, trapping her between himself and the silky sheets. His hands traced circles on her synthetic skin, fingers brushing against the swell of her breasts, the curve of her waist, the sculpted firmness of her thighs.
The world blurred around them as he leaned down, capturing her lips in a deep kiss. Ume responded, her mouth opening to welcome him. Their tongues met, writhing as they licked each other slowly and sensuously.
Opening his eyes, he pulled back just enough to observe the sticky strand of his essence between his lower lip and Ume's, the white fluid hanging like spider silk. The taste of his climax intermingled with the sweet tang of peach in her artificial saliva – a modification he had installed himself to enhance their intimacy. The flavor was heady, intoxicating, and uniquely theirs.
He lowered himself to resume their kiss. His hands continued their exploration, each touch more fervent than the last. Time dissolved as he lost himself in the rhythm of their bodies, the taste of their shared kiss, the feel of her beneath him.
Collapsed in the aftermath, his chest rising and falling rapidly, Xin felt Ume nestle against him. His hands stroked her hair, the strands sliding like silk between his fingers.
Reality began to seep back in, bringing with it all the weight of their complicated existence.
"Did I please you, master?" Her inquiry was sweet, almost innocent.
"Always, Ume... always," he whispered, kissing her forehead tenderly. Yet as he lay there, sated and spent, the quantum drive housing the Moondust data pulsed from across the room. "Hey, Ume. Would you still be here if you had a choice?"
"Of course, Xin. My place is with you." Her response came without hesitation, such perfectly programmed devotion. But tonight, something in that perfection felt more hollow than usual.
"Not what I meant." His fingers found their way to the base of her neck. Soon, he would do more than just sever her connection to ZenFusion. Much more. "Do you ever wish...for freedom?"
"Freedom?" She repeated the word as if tasting it for the first time, her head tilting. "My purpose is to be with you, to make you happy."
Xin's gaze drifted to his workstation across the room, where the Android Modifier lay waiting, a small box-shaped contraption with multiple wires. He'd dumped several months' worth of salaries buying it from the black market, spent weeks testing and retesting the emotional protocols. Tomorrow would be their anniversary. Tomorrow, everything would change.
"Xin, are you okay?" Ume's hand came up to measure his pulse. "Your heart rate is elevated again. Perhaps another round of-"
"I'm fine, Ume." He caught her hand, bringing it to his lips. The synthetic skin was warm as he gave it a gentle kiss. "But soon...soon we'll both know what it means to truly feel."
"I am feeling," she replied, her head nodding. "All my sensory inputs are functioning at optimal capacity."
Xin closed his eyes, feeling the weight of tomorrow pressing down on him. The encrypted Moondust data that could change their world, the dreams of freedom he couldn't make her understand yet, the love he felt for something - someone - who might soon experience real emotions for the first time.
Ume rested her head upon his chest, her rhythmic breathing following its programmed pattern. But tomorrow, that rhythm would break. Tomorrow, he would free her from the chains of her programming, and everything - their relationship, their future, perhaps even their survival - would hang in the balance.
Outside, the neon signs of Taipei continued in shifting colors. The quantum drive waited in his jacket pocket. But it wasn't the only revolution brewing in Unit 807 of Silver Orchid Complex.
Tonight would be their last night of artificial perfection. Tomorrow, they would both learn the true cost of freedom.