Chapter 28
Follow that Dream
It can't be this easy Scott thought as he looked at the face of his dreams and reread the monitor. "Androids made to order." Below that statement was the address and a contact number. "I have got to go see this in person." He said to the empty room.
Scott exited the hotel and had the doorman hail a taxi. Almost immediately a black and yellow cab dropped from the sky in a small spiral lining up with the street and, with a minor bump, settled into place at the curb in front of the doorman. The rear door swung open and invited Scott in. The mechanical voice asked for destination and the entrance door closed once Scott was seated and belted in.
"722 Munitions Blvd." Scott said as he slid his plastic card down through the slot. 'Munitions Blvd., that's just another clue to the mentality that I assume permeates this world's industry.' Scott added in thought.
The taxi lifted in a spiral then tilted forward and accelerated as it continue to gain altitude. The large monoliths styled buildings slid by the windows faster and faster as the taxi reached traveling speed. The taxi leveled off and merged into the heavy traffic that made up the designated commuting lanes. The monoliths had now fell far below the speeding, one way, caravan of vehicles. The passengers dashboard displayed the vehicles progress and particulars. Scott read the speed at six hundred twenty kilometers, the altitude steady at fifteen hundred and ten meters and the digital compass showing a heading of three hundred forty three degrees. They were headed North by Northwest.
It was twenty minutes of high speed bumper to bumper travel before the vehicle abandoned the heavy traffic and started its spiral down to the surface and Scott's requested destination.
Scott, watching the landscape as they descended, could see the mountains in the near distance. Sitting on the side near the top of the highest visible peak was a massive man made structure. The lower portion was not un-similar to an old mother earth castle he had seen in numerous videos of its historic past. There was an enormous barrel type extension that protruded from the top pointing toward the sky. It was simply so unusual that it held his attention and he turned his head maintaining eye contact countering the spiral of the ascending vehicle as it dropped.
'A weapon, could that be some type of defensive cannon?' Scott's thoughts raced over that possibility. 'I may be required to investigate that monstrosity simply to entertain my curiosity.'
With a silent bump the vehicle landed and Scott exited. The marquee was illuminated even in the full light of day. "Androids, Made to Order" blazed and blinked on and off almost cartoonish in appearance.
The showcase windows held several stationary people or the display of androids in different settings. Two were apparently male while the third was no other than the girl of his dreams.
Seeing her beautiful face again caused Scott to put the investigation of that massive structure on the back burner for the time being.
He entered the shop causing a small electronic buzz to sound somewhere in the back portion of the shop.
"Moment!" Someone shouted out from the back.
It was a couple of minutes before the back room shouter entered. His almost shoulder length graying hair was covered by a securing net. He wore glasses, a kind of bifocals that enlarged his, almost planet colored, green eyes. His form fitting cover all attire was bright and white, presenting the look of a factory worker who had been working in a clean room. The feet coverings were soft and would probably be called booties.
"Hello, I am Lukecaid, but you can call me Luke, how may I assist you?" He asked.
"Ok, Luke is it? I am Scott and I am curious about one of your products." Scott stated and then continued as he pointed at the showcase window. "Your female in the window, where did you get that beautiful face, is she someone's imagination or what?"
"Imagination, hell no, she is as real as the day is long." The smile had to be from the memory of being near that beautiful face. "She lives right here on Gradieur about thirty minutes away in the city. Her name is Andrea and, believe me, my manufactured results are a poor representation of her true beauty."
"So, you know her personally I guess?"
"I know her as the model she is, not really very personal. I just admire her from a distance, you know. I am no way the person that would fit into her life but I can dream can't I." Luke added with a whimsical smile.
"You know, I think I saw this lovely young lady in the hotel where I'm staying while in the city. She was entering the dining room one evening and I couldn't take my eyes off her. You are right about her allure, I was captivated."
"That is one of the reasons we use her appearance, even in my rendition, she will hold anyone's attention long enough to get the job done." Luke said matter of factually.
"And that job is?" Scott just had to ask.
Luke held his hands together momentarily, fingers touching almost prayer like, then he moved his hands apart and brought the fingers back to each thumb. He moved the hands away from each other as he spread his fingers open and simply said, "Poof."
"Wow poof is it? True her beauty is captivating but is it enough to hold the most alien cultures attention?" Scott, even though shocked at the thought of such a violent use of someone so lovely, curiously asked.
"Yes, well, that is a yes when combined with the broadcasting ability of her internal computer program." Luke slowly shook his head as he continued, "That mind bending broadcast knows no alien barrier, no matter what their makeup is, if they have a brain, it will work on them. It's the same program they use in the big machines, but you know, just not as powerful."
"Yeah, I was looking out the window on the way here. I saw this massive structure on the mountain. The big machines are formidable to say the least." Scott guessed saying as if he knew all about the large machines Luke had mentioned.
"There are about ten of those on Gradieur, separated by about a hundred kilometers each. They are quiet right now, but when they are powered up and synced with the others on our other planets, this undetectable net forms quite easily." Luke told him as if it was common knowledge. "We use that to induce the urge to land on our planets to shop for individual and global needs. The transmission produces a subliminal suggestive idea to passengers on any ship passing through that formed net. The urge is usually somewhat hypnotic to most."
"I don't understand, how could you know all of this?" Scott asked.
Luke moved up close to Scott and, slowly turning his head and looking around both ways, whispered. "I designed and programmed both, my androids and those machines."
"Seriously right? You did that and now you work here, here by yourself?" Scott was confused.
"The program is complete and doesn't require any maintenance or adjustments so they don't need me there anymore." Luke extended his hand out encompassing the shop with a sweep of his arm. "This shop is mine and I run it all by myself and that's enough for me."
Luke tried very hard to portray the fact that he was happy and comfortable with his station. Scott thought maybe he was trying a little too hard and somehow this caused Scott to have some doubt about Luke's actual feelings.
Scott, as if interested in a purchase, spent the next hour going through brochures and discussing prices. He promised Luke he would get back to him with his company's decision as soon as possible.
"I have no competition, my work is one of a kind. My product is made in adult and children of any species you need." Luke said as Scott left the shop to board the taxi that had responded to his earlier call. He waved goodbye to Luke as the door closed.