The car glided into the garage on the last single puff of hydrogen. He didn’t get out. The garage door slowly closed. There was no worry about asphyxiation as the car had turned itself off moments before. Still the man waited.

            “She knows you’re home. No matter how silent you are, she still knows.”

            He retrieved his memory case from the glove compartment and slammed it shut. He left his head roll in the cushioned head of the chair for just a moment longer.

            As he rolled his head counterclockwise, he saw his reflection in the rearview mirror. He looked tired and scared. Rubbing his tired eyes, he opened the door and got out. With each step, he slowly made his way to the door.

            “If only I had a longer commute home.” He murmured.

           

            Dan was one of the few who still commuted to work. He didn’t have to really commute at all. Except for once a month when regular maintenance was required on the laser for the inscription analyzer, he could have stayed home and done all his work.

            His boss didn’t understand. Dan didn’t have a wife. And Dan certainly was not a diligent employee. No he was a bare minimum man like most of his peers.

            “No,” Dan had replied “Everything is fine.”

            The Boss shrugged. If Dan wanted to travel twenty minutes each morning that was his business. As long as the design sheets were done accurately and the company’s stock continued to rise, Dan could walk to work for all he cared. The Boss snorted. Walk to work. Who would do such a thing like that?

 

            The door slid open and Dan shuffled inside. There was a flash of light and there stood Kristen. KRIS-40T Model XT to be exact. Kristen was a hologram. She didn’t shimmer nor did she have any static like the earlier prototypes or those seen in prehistoric movies.

 

            All superficial flaws had been fixed after the WENDY-65 series. Dan had also upgraded to the deluxe package. Using a microscopic orb at the center of the image, the hologram could simulate touch and actually pick up, albeit small, objects. This was done with thin but powerful lines of antigrav beams generated by the orb. Using the numerous house sensors, the AI was able to place the orb at exact location before the person could enter the home.

 

            Dan would have been startled by the sudden appearance by Kristen if this had not been their normal routine they had practiced for the past six years.

            “Six years,” Dan mused “Seems like almost yesterday I was installing her hardware into the central home OS.”

 

            One of the true marvels of the KRIS-40T and her competitive counterparts was that the software and hardware were directly integrated with the house itself. This gave the program the ability to notice any detail, attend to every need, and keep the house in top shape. The only limitation with this was the hologram could travel no further than the threshold of the house. Once the prototype had traveled more then 30 meters outside of the home’s perimeter, the software would begin to lose structural integrity and the drain on the house batteries became too much. Engineers were still working on ways to make portable Personal Companions (PPC for short).

 

            “Personal Companion,” Dan mouthed “She’s so much more to me than just a maid to clean my home.” He shook his head. “No. She’s just a program. You’ve been over this.”

            Dan proceeded first to the liquor cabinet pushing past Kristen’s smiling face. Dan agreed with the rest of 30^th Century America that alcohol was poisonous. Yet on some occasion, like this one, he agreed with the NABA (National Alcoholic Beverages Association) on the free use of liquor to calm your nerves. He poured himself a glass of Scotch. The bottle had remained sealed till that day.

            Kristen picked up on this immediately.

            “Is everything okay? Did you have a hard day at work?” Kristen asked. There were speakers in the orb which while focused to make the sound come from Kristen’s lips still had disconcerting effect of coming from her stomach.

            “I’m fine,” Dan said in a level but irritated voice “Leave me alone.”

            “But Dan, my sensors are picking up a 20%...” Dan sent Kristen a look. Optical sensors recognized the look as anger and followed protocol “As you wish.” The hologram disappeared in a soft flash of light.

            “Crap,” Dan muttered “Now she’s angry.”

 

            Another added bonus of the KRIS-40T deluxe package was the feature (for only 3,000 standard) of emotion. Not only did it have the ability to recognize emotion in the host but the P.C. was able to have emotion as well. While always remaining subservient to the owner, the hologram could resist, argue, feel joy and act like a normal human. In this it truly was a marvel of modern technology.

 

            Dan would have to apologize to Kristen. He didn’t really have to. She would still clean the house, still make his meals and still talk to him (if in a slightly more disdained manner). And Dan didn’t want Kristen to be any angrier at him today than what was absolutely necessary.

 

            Many single men tended to treat their P.C.’s this way. In a way they weren’t wrong in doing so. The P.C. was made to serve the owner and be a companion figure to avoid loneliness. Dan wasn’t one of these men though. He felt it was necessary to keep his P.C. happy or at least not mad at him. Dan tried to relate to Kristen on a human level.

 

            Dan ascended the stairs to Kristen’s room. Kristen’s room was a small study where the central house processing unit was located as well as other maintenance controls. Dan had programmed Kristen to return to this location when inactive. It had also been her choice of refuge when upset. Dan knocked on the door.

            “Come in.” Her voice seemed to come from all points through out the house. Dan knew when Kristen used the House speakers she was really mad as he entered. Kristen wasn’t visible. She hadn’t materialized.

            “Listen,” Dan said to a wall “I’m sorry. I’m having trouble dealing with some issues and I am sorry I took that anger out on you. If…if you would stand in front of me this would be a lot easier.”

            The same flash of light. And she was there. Maybe it was the sudden light in the dark room or Dan’s frayed state of mind but when Kristen appeared she looked ever the more radiant. Just like the first time Dan had met her.

 

            Dan had modeled Kristen after his high school sweetheart Meghan. Not that he had actually dated Meghan. Dan had been a tech boy in high school who spent long hours in front of his hovering LCD monitor.

            Meghan, on the other hand, had spent her time cheerleading and being popular. Dan and Meghan would not have been the perfect couple if by fate they had ever managed to trip into the other’s world, but Meghan had been Dan’s sweetheart and when the design program had asked for a description of his ideal model, Dan being a modest man, fell back on his infatuation for Meghan. Not that Kristen was an exact duplicate of Meghan. Meghan had brown hair. Dan preferred blondes.

            For 3,000 standard you could buy a generic emotions set for your P.C. For an extra 100,000 standard you could have a complete psychoanalysis done on a human that would then be loaded into your P.C. The subject had to be of willing and able mind to be a candidate for analysis. Dan had just used Meghan’s likeness, not her mind.

 

            Dan’s heart ached. His adolescent emotions for Meghan came swirling up and he felt himself get dizzy.

            “I…I…I gotta go,” Dan stammered. He turned, ran out the door and didn’t stop running, leaving a now concerned Kristen in his dust.

            Kristen’s monitors picked up on the sudden body temperature increase; a sudden flash of sweat and the fact that Dan had just run out of the room. Kristen followed.

            But she was too late. Dan had already escaped through the door and was outside the parameters of her contact and surveillance. She began going through the Human Standard Emotional and Behavioral Symptoms Protocols while running simulations of possible outcomes. Kristen’s mood changed from anger to worry.

 

            “Fuck!” Dan cursed “Damn, damn, damn, DAMN!” This wasn’t how it was suppose to go.

            He paced around at the local park of peace. The flowers and trees began to restore his inner calm, as was their intention when planted. Dan calmed down with slow steady breathing just as his psychiatrist had taught him. He ran his hands through his hair.

            He tapped his watch.

            “Dial Susan.’ He said absently and his watched beeped in acknowledgement.

            A woman’s voice came on. “Hello?”

            “Susan. It’s me.”

            “Dan. How are you? You sound tired.”

            “It’s not going the way I had planned.”

            “Are you serious? Don’t tell me you’re having trouble removing your P.C?” A small chuckle sprang from the watch’s speakers.

            “I suppose it was easier for you?”

            “It wasn’t difficult at all. Not even as painful as taking off a band-aid. Of course I only had the standard MAN100-AD P.C. Not some fancy P.C. like yours.” She let out a quiet giggle “Are you worried what will happen to her when you turn the power off?”

            “…No. I forgot I needed a special wrench. I’m going over to Tom’s to pick it up now. Are we still on for tonight?”

            “We sure are, honey. I can’t wait. First time inside your home. I’m excited. I miss you.”

            “I miss you, too. I love you.”

            “I love you, too,” Her voice purred “I have to get back to work. Deadline at 5.”

            “Okay. See you tonight.”

            “Tonight.” Susan made kissing noises. Dan grinned.

            “Hang-up,” he said. Dan turned and steadily made his way back home.

 

            “Kristen!” Dan yelled. Kristen appeared in front of him instantly.

            “Are you all right? What’s wrong? Are you hurt? What can I get you? Do you need me to call someone?” she asked in a torrent of question, a look of concern on her face. Kristen had forgotten about Dan’s earlier outburst now completely concerned about Dan’s well being.

            “Look,” He said in a steady voice “We need to talk.”

            “Oh? About what?”

            “I…I’ve met someone.”

            “That’s great! You don’t nearly have enough company over here. It is always Tom and John and beer. Good for you. I told you that psychiatrist would help!”

            He smiled but inside he was cold. “You don’t understand. I’ve met a woman.”

            “So?”

            Dan ran his hands through his hair again. “Look at your records of male and female relations.”

            She blinked. In that blink, the P.C. was actually accessing millions of prose by writers and analysts throughout the known universe.

            Kristen opened her eyes “I don’t understand…completely. What do relations with females have to do with our relationship? Have you had sexual relations with this female?”

            Dan blushed. “No.” A lie but Dan couldn’t come to grips with telling Kristen his personal life. “Listen you are designed as a woman…a very special woman to me.”

 

            P.C.’s have no knowledge of their sex. While they are designed to look like human being, the psychological factors that gender brings to a human have been cut out. The person’s gender comes with a mind implant and Dan, while successful, was not that successful. Nor did he have the nerve to talk to Meghan, much less ask her for a psychoanalysis to be done on her for his P.C.

            While not a publicized add-on, various hackers and sleazy entrepreneurs had developed modifications to simulate sex with a P.C. The cost was outrageous and generally looked down upon by society. While Dan had had a crush on Meghan, he could never come to defiling her in that way.

 

            “For a man, a woman provides friendship and as you just mentioned sometimes more than friendship,” Dan tried to explain. “It is considered normal for a man who is serious about a woman to get rid of his P.C.”

            “Get rid of his P.C.?” Kristen echoed “Are you ashamed of me?” She looked hurt.

            “No, no. It’s just that I feel I have to move on to a physical human. It’s not like I will format your program or anything. I’m just going to remove your personality and make slight adjustments to your appearance.”

            “Well if it’s what you want, I’ll go offline for your adjustments.” Kristen vanished.

            Dan’s hand shot up as if to grab her. No. She misunderstood. Dan didn’t want her to go away. But he couldn’t have his high school sweetheart helping him and Susan in their lives.

            Dan wasn’t sure if she was hurt. He was. His heart ached. It was bad enough loosing Meghan when she went to Cal U and he went to MIT. He took a picture of Susan from his wallet. He didn’t have any holos of Susan in his Homes hard disk. He had been afraid Kristen would find them and ask who it was.

 

            When Dan met Susan his life took on new meaning. Susan was the person he hadn’t been searching for but once they met, Dan knew down deep that he had. While she was not the geek Dan was, Susan understood him. They had fallen in love and Dan couldn’t be happier. Until Susan had asked to come by his place. And Dan had remembered Kristen. Dan had tried to keep Susan away from his home as much as possible. Finally Susan wouldn’t take his excuses anymore and Dan had relented to her visiting his home.

 

            The phone beeped.

            “Answer.” Dan said although he wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.

            Tom’s voice floated through the house. “So, Dan, did you tell her?”

            “Yes, Tom, I told Kristen.”

            “So are you going to upload her persona to the net?” Tom asked. Dan detected anxiety in Tom’s voice. Tom had been in the same high school with Dan and Meghan. It was more than likely Tom had had fantasies about Meghan. Much of his male classmates had.

            “No. I think I’m gonna just get rid of it. Too many memories.”

            “No way man!” Tom’s voice whined over the intercom “That’s like 50,000 standard down the drain. With all the upgrades you bought you could at least sell some of it.”

            “My answer is no.”

            “What about the grav-orb? If you’re going to use a standard Model T you’re not going to need that.”

            “Look. I’ll let you borrow it but if I want it back…”

            “Yeah, yeah, no problem. So you’re really just going to get rid of her? You’re heartless dude. Real heartless. You’d think something you spent hours on would mean something to you.”

            “Shut up, Tom. Hang-up.”

 

            Dan went back to Kristen’s room. Dan uncovered the memory banks for the central House-processing unit. With deft moves Dan removed her memories and character units. He put in a blank memory node and a new character schematic. He replaced the cover. Next was the personality interface. Dan had already programmed a new personality. It was a rather boring character. It would just do the chores and remind him of important dates. The hologram would be the industry standard, nothing fancy. Female but not provocative or intimidating, nonsexual to a point.

            He signaled for the grav-orb to return to its base station. Under a microscope Dan carefully captured it in an anti-static container the size of a ring box. He deactivated the emotion sensors in the house and placed the box on his the desk.

            Dan’s finger hovered over the reboot button.

            “She isn’t really gone.” He told himself “You’re holding her in your hand.”

            With a soft cry of remorse, Dan rebooted his P.C.

            He looked at the Memory and Character units in his hand. Unbelievable to think this little wafer of silicon was his Kristen who had been with him for more then six years. Carefully he wrapped the wafer in anti-static bags.

            Dan made his way down to the basement. In a back corner he shifted a loose plasti-brick. Behind the brick was a tiny alcove Dan had dug out when he first bought the house. All that was in the alcove was another ring box.

            Before his mother had passed away, she had given Dan the her wedding ring in hopes that Dan would find someone to marry. Dan had kept it all these years, hidden, not seeing a need for it till now.

            Dan placed the wafers gently down. He took the ring box and replaced the brick.

            He heard the doorbell, it was Susan.

            With a gentle smile Dan headed up the stairs.

 

The End