by Bruce Boston
First published 2001
Engineers craft a girl from digital components, shaping her with deliberate care. Her creators give her the breathless quality of someone arriving late to thunderous applause. She carries the archetypal wonder of anticipated arrival, designed to captivate crowds through her very presence. The architects focus less on her words than on the simple fact that she speaks at all. Yet questions emerge about her true purpose. What drives this careful construction of artificial femininity? The girl may demand payment in the form of a lost dominion, suggesting her creation carries unexpected costs. Boston explores the intersection of technology and humanity through this digitally born protagonist, examining what happens when engineers attempt to manufacture the perfect woman and discover their creation has her own agenda.
Genres: science-fiction, 21st-century, artificial-intelligence, cyberpunk
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: artificial-creation, unexpected-agenda
16 pages · Paperback · Miniature Sun Press