Page 29 of The Genius
“I recall us bantering a lot.”
“Sure, but it was friendly banter. You were my brainy sidekick and I was your…”
My eyes widened. “My what?” Did he know I’d had a huge crush on him?
“Your entertainment. You always commented on the stupid shit I did and we made people laugh.” Marco shook his head. “You used to have a wicked sense of humor, and now you’re cold and treat me like I’m a no one. I wouldn’t have taken you for a snob.”
“A snob?”
“Yeah, you know, too good to hang with a simple guy like me. So what if I’m still a mentor and you’re some big deal in the Motherlands?”
“I still have a wicked sense of humor. It’s just temporarily gone.”
“Why?”
Scratching my collarbone and avoiding his eyes, I searched for a plausible reason. “There’s been a lot of stress at work.”
“You work for Advanced Technologies, right?”
“Yes.”
“What do you do exactly.”
“I design products. One of my latest inventions was a beauty-bot.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Marco pointed to my hands. “I like the colors and the message.”
Holding up my hand, I spread my fingers. Each one had a small letter written in white on top of a marine blue background.
“Live & Learn,” he read.
“It’s a reminder.”
Marco lowered his brow and gave me a serious glance. “Shelly, the sex-bot I saw had something similar but not the same colors or message.” Marco’s attention was fixed on my face as if to read my expression.
I tried looking him in the eye to signal confidence, but the questions emanating from him made me nervous and I looked down and mumbled, “I told you that I don’t want to discuss it.”
“And I told you I want answers. I’m not going to let this go so you might as well tell me,” he pressured in a firm voice. “What do you know about the sex-bot? If they did this against your will, I’ll help you fight it.”
“I don’t need your help. I want you to forget about it.”
“Not happening,” he said and pushed out his jaw with a determined expression. “Why are you here? In the Northlands, I mean. I thought you lived in the Motherlands.”
“I’ve been here for some weeks now. I’m doing some research for Advanced Technologies.”
“What kind of research?”
I was never good at lying, so I sighed and stuck with the truth. “All I can tell you is that at the moment I work at the test and research facility on Mayor Street. Most of the ti…”
I was cut off when Marco interjected, “Mayor Street. That’s the place they test sex-bots.”
“As I was saying,” I continued. “Most of the time I analyze statistics to improve the experience for the end user.”
“On sex-bots?” Marco’s tone was full of disbelief.
I sunk lower in the seat, rubbing the bridge of my nose as if I could hide my face when I muttered, “Yes.”
“You work with sex-bots?”
