why do they need us? They’ve got their own women, and there’s a lot of competition. You know what kind of girls are there – all of them are just like a selection.
Dash, as if not hearing her friend’s words, rose sharply to her feet. She began to slowly run her hands over her body, as if demonstrating the goods in the shop window – she ran her hands over her breasts, neck, outlined the curves of her hips, emphasised her narrow waist. Her movements were smooth and sensual, as if she were rehearsing a performance in front of an invisible audience.
– With her nose held up proudly, Dash declared with defiance in her voice:
– How are we any worse? We have something to show too!
Anna sighed heavily as she watched this performance. She rose to her feet, shaking off the sticking blades of grass from her clothes, and turned to her friend:
– All right, let’s say. But where will you meet these artists-diplomats? – A slight irony could be heard in her voice. – They don’t work at your freeze-dried pancake factory. Or do you think they just walk the streets in search of beautiful girls?
Dash, as if deflated, slowly sank back onto the grass. She leaned back with her hands behind her head and stared up at the sky. A passing cloud, illuminated by the sun, took on a shape vaguely resembling a man’s silhouette.
– It will take a long time to find them… – she stretched out dreamily, not taking her eyes off the cloud. – But like all problems, it’s solvable. You just have to approach the question in the right way.
The evening chill slowly enveloped the meadow, reminding them that it was time to return to the house. But neither Anna nor Dash seemed to notice it, continuing to lie in the grass and dream of their future, so uncertain but full of possibilities. But they had to get ready. The day of Nova and Faza’s parents’ acquaintance flew by quickly.
Chapter 5
Sunday at NeuroHub was hectic and noisy, like a beehive that had been suddenly knocked on by a careless passerby. The corridors, lined with luminous panels, were filled with people: some of them, having finished a gruelling night shift, were tiredly wandering back to their flats, their eyes red from lack of sleep, and their faces frozen with an expression of relief at the thought of the forthcoming rest. Others, just awake, hurried to work, adjusting their clothes and sipping synthetic coffee from self-heating cups. The air hummed with the many voices, laughter and jokes exchanged among the inhabitants of this female realm. The melodic sounds of the neural network reminding them of the day’s schedule mingled with the sound of footsteps and the hum of automatic doors.
In one of Neurohab’s flats, located on the 47th floor overlooking a metropolis glittering with neon lights, Dash, a young woman with long hair and a chiselled figure, slowly opened her eyes. She squinted against the bright light streaming in through the automatic blinds, which gradually rose to mimic a natural sunrise. Her sleepy voice, hoarse from sleep, broke the morning silence of the room:
– Why the hell are you getting me up on a Sunday? – she muttered, addressing an invisible neural network whose soft blue light pulsed in the corner of the room. – Nova where?
Anya, already dressed and ready to go, stood in front of a video mirror that showed her image from different angles. She was fixing her make-up. Without taking a break from her work, Anya answered:
– Nova had already left an hour ago with Faza again to her parents’ dacha. Can you imagine, so early in the morning! Apparently, the fresh air and natural products did their job – she is an early bird now.
Dash, still lying in bed with her eyes closed, raised her hand, pointing her finger at the ceiling. Her movements were slow and clumsy, as if every joint needed lubrication:
– Remember, Anya, what I told you yesterday? – she yawned with her mouth wide open. – Like I said, this is what happens. Tomorrow I’ll go shopping for a washing machine or a kettle.
Anya, raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow in surprise, turned to her friend. Her gaze slid over Dash’s dishevelled hair, her sleepy face and the crumpled bed.
– Where are you going this early?
Dash finally peeled her eyelids open and stared at Anya, who looked flawless in her tight-fitting smart fabric suit. Dash’s eyes were still clouded with sleep, and her movements were slow and clumsy, as if she were trying to move underwater.
– Where are you going this early? – Dash asked, yawning and stretching again. Her body, hidden under a weightless blanket that kept her body at an optimum temperature, arched, showing off her perfect curves.
Anya, fastening the last button on her blouse, replied:
– Time to go to my relatives. They sent a message, the neural network delivered it only in the morning. Can you imagine, in our century, and such failures! Sometimes I think that all this high technology fails us more often than good old-fashioned paper letters.
Damn bitch,» Anna continued, referring to the neural network. Her voice was full of irritation. – She doesn’t want to work properly, and you piss her off, and then we all suffer. The message came yesterday, and I just got it today. Don’t fight with the neural net, Dash. Remember what happened last time you called it a useless piece of plastic? We were without hot water for a week. Then she mocked you with the presidential palace.
Dash yawned again, opening her mouth wide and stretching her whole body. Her long legs, smooth and hairless thanks to permanent laser hair removal, peeked out from under the blanket, and her dishevelled hair created a halo around her head like some sleepy saint’s halo.
– What relatives? – she asked through another yawn, trying to focus her gaze on her friend.
Anya, having finished with her make-up, turned to Dash:
– «It’s a great uncle. A professor, mum’s relative. I told you a few months ago that I lived with them when I came to the metropolis, even before I settled in NeuroHub. Remember?
Dash slowly sat up on the bed, scratching her foot against her leg and stretching. Her movements were fluid and graceful despite her drowsiness. The sheet slipped off, exposing a perfect body:
– Well, yes, yes, yes… I remember something. No, I don’t remember anything,» she mumbled to herself, trying to piece together the disparate memories into a coherent whole. – And then after that, where to? Will you spend the whole weekend on the old professor?
Anya, putting on her high-heeled shoes with built-in shock absorbers that allowed her to walk for hours without fatigue, replied:
– «Then I’m going to stop off at some gallery or theatre. I’ll pick one on the way. The neural network promised to find something interesting, taking into account my preferences and mood. Maybe I could even go to that art exhibition everyone was talking about.
Neural Net suddenly intervened in the conversation with a giggle of sarcasm, her voice, melodic and slightly mechanical, filling the room:
– Hee hee, cultural programme for the weekend? Don’t forget to bring your aesthetic perception neurostimulator, Anna. Recent studies show that it increases the pleasure of viewing art by 37 per cent.
Anya raised her head to the ceiling and said with slight irritation:
– Yes, yes, I remember, we’re all so cultured. Just don’t start teasing me with this topic again. And they’re expensive for my salary.
Dash, still naked, stood in front of the video mirror, which instantly came to life, showing her reflection from different angles and offering make-up and hair options. She stretched slowly and sleepily, kneading every muscle:
– I’m teaching you, Anya, and you don’t listen to me,» she said as she watched the mirror illuminate the areas of her body that needed cosmetic care. – You won’t meet