Nancy Bennett
The Lady
in the Silver Slicked Skin
A pale man wombed in the life suit,
silent and still between parallel doors.
Opening the handle, wondering where this ride will take him.For companionship the latest in feminine silver, she can be charming and
witty and in the end almost human, programmed to grow and learn but
like the food he has to eat, supping with her can be quite draining...
Sensing her movement under those cold white sheets, thrusting away at her
while his memory takes him to another time and space
where women were warmer where the air was more rich with fragrance.They spin in silence joined and climate controlled, she enjoys the joining
and wants to cuddle after but he makes some excuse
to go back to work and inside his skull a new brain webbing,
testing intelligence vs emotion, they say a man can't turn off
everything inside him, especially memories of other women...The white life line, umbilical cord to mother ship is suddenly severed
the artificial companion has heard his thoughts and grows dimly
aware, a new emotion, jealously surfacing.She smiles, using all her muscles forming a tight clenched look she has
seen in movies as he drifts away.
She heads the craft back to Earth, one more
failure to report. Why don't they just trust her to do the job herself?
She links in to Earth tales of birds, how if they are too close together
in the same nest
they will toss out the weaker ones to make room for better food, better
company...With a flutter of latex feathers he falls and spins into the
dark blue oasis, finally understanding, he had seen that look before
in women he had betrayed.
Biting his tongue knowing, no one will hear his scream, they'll just
think it was an accident, replace him with another
and with his last breath he hopes the next guy doesn't open his memories
dream soft human femininity when the silver slick skinned lady is near...