The logo on the sleek black box is unmistakable. Grass-green block letters scream at her from the lid: “GROW!”
2 – A Sudden Break from Sanity
K8
To K8’s horror, Jett takes the box from her, excitedly carrying it to her desk. “I think this is fantastic.” Like a robot, she follows his bobbing blond head and stares blankly as he opens the box and pulls out the memory chip. “Let’s see what Drunk K8 ordered.”
He’s enjoying this far too much. He waggles the chip in the air as if she might try to snatch it from him before plopping it down on the reader disk.Because she’s intensely curiousKnowing her resistance is futile, she watches her system scan his retinas. The lightbars spring to life as she peers over his shoulder. Then the blue scanner activates the moment it touches the surface, and K8 stifles a gasp. A database pops open on the main screen. Using his embedded m-volt synaptic transistor, Jett selects a file labeled “GROW Unit 3542-MSP-XXXXX-00023468 Three-dimensional Model.” K8’s stifled gasp escapes as the rendering appears.
“Zephyr, K8. He’s very rugged. You must have been in quite a state when you ordered him.” Jett must think the command Rotate, because the image of the manupartner spins slowly.
Nearly black hair that appears ridiculously soft. Dark lashes over closed eyes. The specification says she selected blue. It has full maroon lips, a day’s worth of stubble, veins snaking up its toned forearms, and—those hands!
“Wow,” she mutters.
“Do you think I could get my thighs to look like that?” Jett asks.
K8 glances down at Jett’s legs, which are solid, wiry muscle, yet a bit on the slim side. “Probably. You aren’t going to call me a hypocrite?” She braces for his reply.
He only gives her a sympathetic look. “I can’t believe you finally clicked Purchase.”
Maybe she didn’t. She wouldn’t put it past her FRIEND Lessa to press her thumb onto the signature pad on her behalf. “Let’s look at the contract.”
Jett opens the file and scrolls all the way to the bottom. There is the evidence. Her identification number in block letters forms a circle around her thumbprint, next to an image of her face, grinning for the retina scan. No Lessa in the background to pressure her.
“You’re going to love him. Everyone’s going to want to know how far back in the DNA samples you went to find this specimen. I’ll have to get the year for when I replace Decci.”
Jett’s words barely register as K8’s reality settles around her. “What do I do?”
“Oh, I forget you’ve never activated one. The instructions are simple. There.” He points to the owner’s manual file.
“No. I meant do you think I can return it? I certainly can’t keep it. It’s not like I have the unicoin to waste—IncredibleBill’s new Inside for Wintercollection will be out soon. There are several pieces I must have!” K8 swallows the anxious lump in her throat.
How does he not seem to notice the emotional crisis she’s been thrust into? Imagine if she were to activate the thing? After holding out on her dream of real human companionship for all these years—what type of person would that make her? It seems all it took was one drunken night of desperation and she cracked. If there were only one person who wanted her . . . but in eighty-six years, there hasn’t been anyone. Not for the first time, K8 works her way through the mental list of why this is the case. It always comes down to one thing: K8 must be unlovable. The GROW manupartner kit on her desk is the final, glaring proof.
Her jaw clenches. She is stronger than this. She can still find someone. Tomorrow, she will take the kit to GROW and demand her money back. Blame it on their manipulative advertising or—well, she doesn’t know, but she’ll review the contract and think of something.
“I can see your wheels turning, K8. You are not returning this beautiful specimen. If I had more time, I’d stay and force you to begin the grow process right now, but I have a Cell Tech facial scheduled.” Jett takes another moment to stare in awe at theatrocitymanupartner she’s purchased before heading for the door. Before it closes, he says, “I’m calling Lessa. They’ll make you activate it. Don’t have a meltdown!”
When the door clicks shut, she’s left alone with a single awful thought:What have I done?
After an hour of ruminating, K8 meets Lessa and their manupartner, Yansy, who stand by the airlock elevator doors that will take them down to the B level SAT garages for Tower CA25. Thank Zorg noone else is waiting in line for the building’s shared transports. The sooner this is over, the better.
When Lessa messaged, they didn’t mention K8’s misguided purchase, so when they asked her to accompany them to the GROW recycle station, K8 agreed. Better to keep busy. Knowing Lessa, they were probably so focused on recycling their manupartner, they didn’t even read Jett’s message announcingher sudden break from sanityher GROW purchase.
“Hi Yansy,” K8 says, wondering if Lessa has told it where they’re going. She knows Yansy will have no feelings about its fate. Still, she feels awkward riding with what appears to be a human to theirdeathdecommissioning.
Yansy gives her a lopsided smile. “Hi K8. I had a great time at your birthday last week.” It turns to Lessa. “My, you look delicious.”
Overeager indeed. A flaw in the design, she supposes. That is to be expected with some of the lesser quality manupartners, but not a GROW. But she’s heard a rumor that the company has been tinkering with its processes, trying to get a more realistic, emotive product. An edge that would elevate them above their two biggest competitors, ManuMATE and CHOICElover. Perhaps this minor flaw is a side effect of that tinkering.
Lessa arches an eyebrow, giving K8 aSee what I meanlook. They obviously checked the friendly and agreeable boxes when they ordered it. Yansy doesn’t register Lessa’s irked expression, however. Each manupartner is a bit of an experiment. The consumer selects the general qualities, then hopes for the best.
The scientist in her wonders what the kit in her unit would produce. She can’t believe the specimen she picked could act eager, but they say a manupartner’s traits and build are completely distinct.
Yansy guides them into the airlock elevator. “Something the matter, my love? Are you unsettled about your decision to recycle me?”
K8 bristles.No, K8. It’s not a real person. It is almost painful how often she has to remind herself of that.
