Like a statue, Christina sits in meditation in the living area, in a lotus position, wrapped in silence. When I brush her shoulder with my fingertips, she is already smiling, already aware of my presence.
I walk to the balcony and scan the Free Zone, a sprawling cityscape visible for hundreds of miles through my bioelectric eyes.
I think a thought: pay a visit to the Pleasure Zone. Christina stirs, sensing my intention.
With a wish, I summon the AeroGlider, and within moments, it hovers in front of the balcony. Moments later, Christina is by my side.
She takes my hand and I follow her through an opening in the balcony into the vehicle, and with another wish, I direct the AutoPilot to move through Sector Zero, which it does smoothly and swiftly, over and above the Free Zone, toward one of many entrances to the Pleasure Zone.
On this day, I am pleased by the sight of ominous clouds gathering on the horizon: a special treat from Weather Control, whose preference these days for sunny skies seems too persistent for my liking.
Perhaps someone at Weather Control has caught wind of the threat that faces the last vestiges of our humanity.
