About a hundred years from now, in some mysterious metropolitan area in the United States of America. The streets buzz with futuristic electric cars and trolleys and trains, and the architecture of the buildings and skyscrapers are like something right out of a science fiction movie. People flood the sidewalks, and while the style of clothing is futuristic too, the basics of fashion remain the same, men wearing suits and women wearing heels and dresses.
ETHAN CLARK is single and hasn’t been involved romantically for quite some time despite his charming good looks and professional demeanor, he just isn’t that interested in people. His upper-middle class suburban home reflects his success at work. Ethan is dashing, dark haired and lean, nearing his mid-forties but his skin is still tight and there are very few creases in his face. Haunting classical music plays delicately overhead as Ethan prepares his stir fry dinner at the dimly lit kitchen island counter, where a stove-top with spider burners heats a wok filled with cut up beef and vegetables. On the burner next to the wok is a pot with noodles in boiling water. Ethan is cutting up peppers and other vegetables and putting them in the wok. He stirs the contents of the wok, then adds sauce and stirs it again. He strains the noodles in the sink and tosses a handful of noodles into the wok. He tosses the wok.
The haunting classical music continues as Ethan sits relaxed and content in his all too familiar solitude at the large dining table in his kitchen, eating his stir fry with a fork in one hand and holding a 10-inch transparent digital pad in the other. Inside the transparent digital pad are images and words. Presently Ethan is using it to play online chess.
Ethan finishes his night by taking a relaxing shower. Not to get clean. Just to relax and wind down for the evening. He comes out of the bathroom into his clean stylish bedroom wearing only his underwear. He gets into his large bed, touches the base of the bedside lamp which then turns off. He lies on his back with the covers only up to his waist. He stares straight up. His eyes wide open in the dark. He closes them. Then opens them. Then closes them. He does this a few times until he drifts into sleep.
The intelligent curtains open as the morning breaks, and the alarm clock gently chimes waking Ethan from his slumber. Ethan is lying on his stomach hugging a pillow that he’s got his face buried in. The chiming wakes him as does the sunshine. He withdraws himself from the sheets and erects himself out of bed.
In the kitchen Ethan makes himself some breakfast. He’s already dressed for work, wearing dress pants and a white dress shirt with a necktie flung over his shoulder and an apron as he fries up some bacon, crisp, the way he likes it. He scrambles up some eggs and scrapes them onto the plate with the strips of crispy bacon. Ethan pulls a dish out of the oven with seasoned hash browns. He spoons some out onto his plate and takes off his apron.
Seated at the dining table eating and reading the news headlines on his transparent digital pad. Headlines such as, “New Haven Philharmonic plays Mozart’s Requiem at Concert Hall November 18” and advertisements like “XJet, Timely Travel: Double the distance, a quarter of the time” and ads for various futuristic cars, even soccer mom vehicles and everyday use cars look like futuristic Lamborghinis. Ethan finishes up his plate and takes it over to the sink and rinses the dish and puts it in the dishwasher, then he rinses the pans and puts them in the dishwasher too and then puts a soap pod in and starts the dishwasher.
Ethan has his coat in his grasp as the garage door opens. He gets into his expensive luxury automobile, which we see is parked next to his working condition, black 1969 Chevelle. He starts the vehicle and pulls out of the driveway. The garage door closes behind him as he drives away.
The street is very clean, and the lawns are all well maintained. The houses are all similar yet unique at the same time. It is obviously an upper-middle class suburban neighborhood, and as for the architecture it is modern and futuristic, but the houses are considered retro because they were built many decades prior.
Ethan sits in the driver’s seat of this futuristic vehicle, it is not a self-driving vehicle, but it is AI equipped. Hands on the wheel he engages in conversation with the AI, named Michael.
“Good morning, Dr. Clark. How are you today?”
“I’m fine Michael, how are you?”
“Can’t complain.”
“That’s great.”
“Would you like to go over your schedule for the day?”
“Yes, please.”
“The current time is 8:47 AM. You will arrive at the underground parkade at approximately 9:40 AM. If you don’t dilly-dally, you should arrive at your office no later than 9:45. Your first patient is Luke Garner, Employee Android model A311. Luke will be arriving for his weekly flush at 10:15 AM. It’s Friday, so After Luke you have walk-ins until 2:00 PM, after which you have Gina Ferrara, Employee Android model C120 arriving at 2:15 PM for a firmware upgrade. At 3:45 PM, you have Randal Payne, Experimental Android model I450 for a spinal realignment... that is your final appointment for the day. You should be leaving the office no later than 5:30 PM, unless you stay to work on research.”
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“Thank you, Michael.”
“My pleasure, Dr. Clark. You are most welcome.”
Ethan’s medical facility is located in the heart of downtown, on the thirteenth floor of the Infinity Square Towers. The whole floor belongs to him. The elevator opens right into the waiting room where the opposite wall is one big window overlooking the bustling Infinity Square. There is a reception desk in the waiting area with no receptionist. Ethan handles that on his own, as the pace there is very relaxed.
In his personal office, which is sparsely decorated and has only one transparent monitor on a sleek desk with a comfortable office chair, Ethan puts on his white lab coat and takes his office chart, a 10-inch transparent digital pad from off its charging station and puts it in his jacket side pocket. He ties his shoelace and adjusts his necktie. He’s ready to start the day. He looks at the time on the screensaver on his transparent computer monitor, which reads “10:15 AM”. The digital pad in his pocket beeps. He pulls it out of his pocket and looks at it. It reads “Luke Garner has checked in.”
Ethan enters the waiting room, where he sees Luke standing at the window looking out at the view. Ethan holds his digital pad like it’s a clipboard in his left hand and the stylus in his right.
“Good morning, Mr. Garner.” Ethan says, distracted with his digital pad. Ethan taps the pad a couple times with the stylus.
Forehead and hand on the window, “I never get enough of this view.” Luke says.
Luke is an android. Most androids look indistinguishable from humans. Luke is one of these androids. His model is built to appear to be in his late twenties. He’s wearing a nice shirt tucked in, with a belt and nice pants. He’s Caucasian in appearance, with neat brown hair and perfect teeth. He is lean and fit.
Ethan looks up from his pad, “Breathtaking isn’t it?”
“It certainly is.”
“Well, shall we get started.”
Luke turns around, “Let’s.”
Ethan turns around and makes his way down the hallway. Luke follows closely.
Luke takes a seat in the treatment chair, which resembles a dentist’s chair. The lab feels very sterile and clinical, despite the presence of much stainless steel, hydraulic hoses, tanks, various metal procedure tools and machines and numerous transparent computer monitors. Luke untucks and unbuttons his shirt. Ethan stands beside him, taping the prep screen on a monitor. Ethan hands Luke the 10-inch digital pad.
“Fill this out, please.”
Luke presses his right palm against the screen that scans his skin print and auto-fills out all the personal, medical and billing information. Then Ethan takes it back and puts it back in his jacket side pocket.
“Thank you, kindly.”
“No worries.”
Ethan pulls out a hose that looks like a hydraulic line that he connects to a machine that connects to a hose that connects to a tank.
“Been eating well, I imagine.” Ethan remarks.
“You imagine correctly.”
As Ethan connects the hose to Luke’s belly button, it makes a suction sound and a click. Ethan flicks a switch on the machine the hose is connected to, a red light goes on and the flush treatment begins.
“Have you ever considered an upgrade? I could install a proper digestion system so you could pass food waste naturally. Save you the trip down here every week.”
“I looked into it. It’s too expensive, and my work won’t cover it.”
“How’s work?”
“Well, I’m a legal secretary. So, a lot of scheduling, filing, transcribing.”
“Sounds like a hoot.”
“Yeah, but it pays pretty well. Plus I get benefits. I couldn’t afford to eat the way I do if these flushes weren’t covered.”
“Hallelujah!”
Luke laughs and the monitor beeps twice and flashes once.
“Oh, shit!” Luke worries.
Ethan chuckles as he presses a button on the screen. “It’s okay. So, what do you like to do in your free time?”
“I’m a big meta-gamer. Have you ever gone meta?”
“Yeah when 3.2 first went live. I was a lot younger then, but I still didn't really care for it.”
“Maybe you were just running the wrong simulations.”
Ethan is monitoring the levels on the screen, “Maybe.”
“What about you doc? What do you like to do when you’re not fixing droids?”
Ethan avoids the question by focusing his attention on the monitor adjusting the flow chart, “Oh... you know.”
“Are you married?”
Ethan sighs, “No.”
“Girlfriend?”
“Nope.”
“I’ll stop now.”
“No, it’s okay.”
“You don’t have time for women? Work keeps you busy?”
“No, it’s not that I don’t have the time. I just don’t have the patience for dating anymore. And it’s not like I can’t find a date, it’s just impossible to find someone who has all the qualities you'd want in a mate.”
“Like what?”
“Thoughtful, kind, polite, proper values and manners, who will love you unconditionally... and whose loyalty stands the test of time.”
“Sounds like a pretty picture.”
The light on the machine turns from red to blue, and the monitor beeps once. Ethan flicks a switch and then disconnects the hose.
“All set.”
Luke sits up and dismounts from the chair, “Thanks, doc.” Luke buttons his shirt.
“Not a problem, my friend. So, what’d ya have in mind for lunch?”
Luke tucks his shirt into his pants, "Sushi."
