Artificial Happiness

Intending to break out of the state of CERS-induced ignorance about their surroundings, they sat out to ever more daring adventures throughout the station. On those trips they scouted the various company departments, traversed all the segments of the station, watched ships at the docks, visited the accommodations for the Naturals and even sneaked into the facilities containing essential features such as the fusion reactor, the water and air purification systems or the central coordination computer. Nobody ever tried to keep them from going anywhere. Workers were conditioned not to care about the business of others as long as it didn't relate to or interfere with their own jobs and Naturals generally paid them no mind, always assuming that there was some purpose to what they did.

By now Robert and Lisa had pretty much exhausted all the possibilities for exploration the space station had to offer. Now they both longed for something more. Thinking back to the commercial district of the Venus colony, Robert had wondered whether Mars offered a similar place. Some quick research on the local station network revealed that his assumption was correct. They had just considered it a foolish dream at first, but as they planned the details of their theoretical adventure, the desire to go through with it constantly grew.

Passing the gate to the shuttle, they made their decision final. There was no going back now. The long passenger room of the shuttle was filled with rows of seats, separated by a corridor in the middle. Most of the spaces were empty. There was no seating order, so Robert and Lisa just picked a random spot somewhere in the middle and strapped themselves in. Now there was nothing to do but wait.

In the absence of anything to occupy his mind with, Robert involuntarily had to think about ways this might backfire. Once again he started doubting whether this whole endeavor was a good idea. What made it worse was that they were in public now so he couldn't freely chat with Lisa about random topics. They had to play the part of the innocent Worker, interested in nothing but their common assignment.

The shuttle's departure made any thoughts of reconsidering obsolete. Nonetheless Robert's worries didn't get any better; on the contrary.

"Do you feel that?" Lisa asked with a frown.

"What do you mean?"

"The trembling during velocity changes. I was aboard a Model 4 last year and the ride was significantly smoother."

Robert shrugged. "Probably because this one has a cheaper stability grid."

"My thoughts exactly; isn't it absurd that we use those inferior systems on the new shuttles?"

"I guess the benefit isn't sufficient to justify the higher cost."

"That's what management says, but think about the additional strain it puts on the frame, the increased wear. I think the cost of the stability system is a minor factor, compared to the potentially shortened lifetime."

Robert ran some numbers in his head, then nodded. "You are right, it seems unreasonable." So far they had never questioned the decisions of higher instances. The engineers just provided data and implemented whatever management told them to. Now the two of them had the same thought, but didn't dare say it out loud: The company might deliberately produce inferior ships in order to sell more vessels and maintenance services. For the rest of the flight they kept talking about other questionable management decisions, being careful to make it sound like trivial engineering chitchat, in case someone around them was listening. Only when they arrived on the surface Robert realized that Lisa had managed to distract both of them from their previous worries.

Once they departed the shuttle, the pair found itself in a passage way which led directly to the commercial district. The colony on Mars consisted of an array of huge domes, shielding their pressurized and pleasantly tempered interiors from the inhospitable atmosphere and deadly radiation outside. Each of these domes, interconnected by long tunnels, had a different purpose. One was the main habitat of the colonists, one produced food, one was dedicated to scientific research, another contained industrial facilities and so on. The commercial district also occupied its own dome. Landing spots for shuttles were available in the vast empty spaces around and between the huge structures. For each parking space there was a tunnel with an airlock connecting the ship directly to the system of structures, so passengers never came into contact with the hazardous outside world.

When Robert and Lisa emerged from the narrow passage way into the dome of the commercial district, they were overwhelmed by the magnitude of the construct. After living on a station for such a long time, this amount of open space was hard to fathom. Compared to these structures, the floating platforms on Venus were tiny.

The two Workers spent their first few minutes on the planet just marveling at the impressions which were thrown at them. The stunning sight, the mass of people, the noise, the smells; it was a lot to take in. The city which spread before them was similar to what Robert had seen on Venus but larger, fuller and higher. Some of the towers reached all the way up to the ceiling. Once the initial awe had worn off, they started strolling along between the buildings. Their eyes darted left and right as they walked past all kinds of stores, restaurants, bars and other businesses.

Robert quickly became aware that their tourist-like behavior would look really suspicious on two people in Worker uniforms. Luckily he had a solution for that particular problem. He had brought a bag with him, which contained the cloth Julia had bought for him on Venus; the ones he had been wearing on their trip to the commercial district. Julia had insisted that she had no use for the attire and that he should keep it in case he wanted to feel like a Natural again. Since then the cloth had been stashed in his room. Now he could put them on to blend in with the crowd.

As soon as he spotted a public restroom, Robert got changed. Once wearing his disguise, he immediately felt a lot more comfortable about walking through the commercial district; not quite Natural, but a lot less Worker.

There had been another significant advantage to keeping the cloth. In the pockets of the pants, Robert had found the credit chip Julia had lent him. He had completely forgotten to return it before they parted ways. Apparently Julia hadn't thought about it either; or she had deliberately let him keep it. There was still plenty of money on it. Enough to make use of some of the many sources of entertainment the commercial district had to offer.

With his newly discovered wealth, Robert intended to treat Lisa to some of the experiences he had enjoyed on Venus. First they bought a new set of inexpensive cloth for her, so she could pose as a Natural as well. A female Worker who was employed as a clerk at the cloth store kindly assisted them in picking something appropriate and fitting. If the woman found anything strange about buying regular cloth for someone currently dressed in a Worker uniform, she kept it to herself.

Once they both blended into the crowd, they set out to have some fun. They tried some virtual reality experiences, had a delicious meal, browsed through a huge electronics store, went to the top floor of one of the highest buildings in the city to view it from above and visited a museum dedicated to the history of Mars exploration and colonization. They also came by the Worker memorial, the twin of which Robert had seen on Venus. When they were done exploring, they sat down in a bar to relax and spend some time talking.

Robert ordered a cider for Lisa and a glass of gin for himself. The first sip made him grimace.

"Just as disgusting as I remember," he established.

"Why would you drink something again if you didn't like it the first time?" Lisa asked.

He shrugged. "I have been told it was better from a glass and that one got used to it in time. I didn't believe it back then and I still can't see it now. But the effect of alcohol can be quite exhilarating; besides, this horrible taste is associated with some nice memories."

"Memories of Julia?" Lisa asked.

Robert nodded. He had told her a lot about what had transpired during his assignment. She was familiar with many, if not all of the details.

"It's probably stupid, but I am kind of jealous of her," Lisa admitted.

"How so?" Robert wanted to know, surprised by the statement.

"I don't know; you spent the time after you freed yourself from CERS control with her. Everything you learned, the experiences you made... I kind of wish we could have discovered all these things together. It makes no sense of course. Without her you would have never received all that knowledge in the first place. Still, something is bothering me. I just can't put my finger on it. These feelings are confusing and illogical."

Robert showed her an understanding smile. "You know, unlike Julia, unlike the people around us, unlike all the Naturals, I can really empathize with your feelings. Maybe we haven't had exactly the same experiences, but I know very well what you are going through. I am well aware of how irritating and scary the sudden onslaught of strange, unfamiliar emotions can be. I don't know if there are any other people like us out there; Workers who have taken control of their own implants, I mean. If there are none, we might be the only ones who can relate to each other's situation. I like Julia and I relished the time with her, but in the end we would be far too different to have a relation like ours. She could never understand me like you can; so there is really no reason to be jealous of her."

His words brought a bright smile to Lisa's face. "That is a nice thought, the two of us as an entirely unique couple."

"Besides," Robert added, "Now that we have been here, the two of us have done pretty much everything I have done with Julia."

"Not everything," Lisa claimed. "We haven't had sex." The way she said that almost made it sound like an accusation.

Robert had shared most of his theoretical knowledge about sexuality with her, but had made no effort to pursue the topic any further. There were multiple reasons for that. From his limited experience with Naturals he had gotten the impression that sex for pure entertainment purposes was a somewhat controversial topic. Apparently it was closely tied to a lot of complex emotions and social constructs. It was hard to tell whether the strange behaviors and customs of Naturals were purely cultural or if there was some deeper aspect to it, rooted in general human psychology. Robert had decided to explore these feelings and put more thought into the matter before rushing into something he didn't fully understand. Another very important reason was that he didn't want to put any pressure on Lisa or make her feel uncomfortable. He would not go any further until he was certain she wanted it. After their initial conversation he had felt somewhat ashamed, even though Lisa didn't seem to be bothered.

"True, but at some point we can do that as well, if you want to." he informed her, glad that she had brought up the subject on her own.

"So you are not opposed to the idea?" Lisa asked hesitantly.

"No, why would I?" Robert was puzzled by the assumption.

"You have been so reserved and reluctant about the topic; I thought you might not be interested in doing it with me. Maybe because I'm not a Natural or you are just not attracted to me."

He couldn't help but chuckle when he realized how they had both completely misinterpreted each other's behavior. "That could not be further from the truth. I have never been as attracted to anyone as fiercely as I am to you."

"Then why didn't you say so? If you would have proposed to have sex I would have agreed."

"I didn't know that. I just wanted to be considerate; seems like that was a misguided effort."

She just looked at him in confusion.

"In the world of Naturals, sex is kind of complicated," he tried to explain. "Or maybe they just make it more complicated than it is. It seems I forgot that you have the pragmatic attitude of a Worker, just like me."

"So we could do it today?" she asked excitedly.

Robert's current configuration didn't inhibit sexual thoughts, so a part of him immediately welcomed the idea. His more rational side however, insisted on caution. "It might be wiser to start slow. Maybe we just try disabling your sexual inhibitor for a while and get you accustomed to the new sensations."

"The inhibitor has already been deactivated for days," she informed him casually.

"What?"

Lisa shrugged. "While playing around with my configuration I tried turning it off. As I haven't found any real disadvantage to it, I just left it disabled."

That came as a surprise. Robert knew that she had done her own experiments, but the thought that she might go that far hadn't crossed his mind.

"So you have already experienced sexual feelings for the last few days?"

She nodded. "I also masturbated a lot."

Robert almost choked on his drink. The matter-of-fact way she talked about it was bewildering but somehow also delightful. He became increasingly aware that there was really no reason to treat sexuality like something shameful with her. Maybe they didn't have to limit themselves by the conventions of Naturals.

"In that case we could indeed do it today," Robert suggested. "If that is really what you want."

Lisa nodded enthusiastically. "I can't wait to get back to the station."

"Maybe you don't have to," Robert said, an idea emerging in his head. Now that the immediate prospect of having sex with Lisa was planted in his mind, impatience took hold of him. It was still a while until the next shuttle to Zukunftsfabrik station departed. "We could go to a hotel."

"What's that?"

"As far as I understand it, they let you rent a private room for a certain time. I am not sure how it works exactly, but we can figure it out."

It didn't take much consideration for her to agree. Soon they left the bar and looked for a hotel. Robert had seen a few during their tour through the district. With no idea what the difference between the various locations was, they just picked one and went inside. They were completely unfamiliar with the procedures, but the Worker at the reception desk explained everything, showing nothing but kindness and patience. Faster than expected, they reached the room which would be theirs for the next few hours. It was high enough in the tall hotel tower to offer a nice view through the large windows. The room didn't really pass as luxurious, but for Workers living on a space station it was pure abundance. It took a few minutes of fascinated exploring before the couple remembered why they were here.

"So what do we do now?" Lisa asked.

"I am not so sure either," he realized. In his previous encounters of erotic nature, the burden of taking the initiative had not been on him. Now he didn't quite know where to begin. The sudden nervousness was surprising after he had been so eager mere minutes ago.

"I guess we should get naked," Lisa proposed and started shedding her cloth. She undressed just as pragmatically and unceremoniously as one would expect from a person whose entire life was optimized for efficiency. That didn't make the spectacle any less enjoyable for Robert. He studied every aspect of her alluring form intently. While he had seen her body in all its glory before, the fact that she was aware of his stare as well as his intentions and approved of them, made a huge difference. It felt right. Robert savored this feeling and let his lustful gaze roam.

Lisa's skin was pale from having seen only artificial light and unblemished due to the controlled, isolated life of a Worker. Regular exercise and an optimized diet had formed a healthy, almost athletic body, noticeable even among Worker standards. Her butt and thighs were well toned. The rather flat stomach showed just the faintest trace of her abdominal muscles. Her shape was generally more curvaceous than those of Julia or Sara. To Robert that was a clear advantage. Especially her large, firm breasts captivated his attention.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare?" Lisa asked with a challenging expression. Presenting herself without modesty, hands on bare hips, she was unbelievably seductive without even trying. Robert accepted the challenge and removed his own attire. With his underwear discarded there was no denying his excitement anymore.

Lisa grinned and came closer. "Didn't even have to touch it this time," she commented and brushed her fingers along his erection.

"Not with that gorgeous body of yours on display," Robert informed her.

"I am still perplexed by the trivialities which cause these erections," Lisa said while she lightly stroked his phallus.

"There are a lot more perplexing things for you to discover," Robert promised. He gently touched the side of her face with his right hand and leaned in for a kiss. Lisa was a bit startled but followed his lead. Acting on impulse and instinct rather than a fixed plan, the two Workers were venturing into uncharted territory. Initially their efforts were overeager and clumsy, but the couple was quick to become more attuned; they simply had to try out what worked for them.

Robert let his free hand creep up Lisa's body until it got hold of one of her breasts. Dedicated yet gently he kneaded the soft flesh, an activity both of them relished. By the time their lips separated they were panting with need.

"That was nice," Lisa approved with a smile.

Robert just nodded. The woman still had one hand wrapped around his dick, which was already dripping with precum.

"Looks like it is almost ready to burst," she observed and applied a few more teasing strokes. "Do you want me to finish it?"

Horny as he was, denying this offer was difficult; yet he didn't want it to end so soon. He shook his head. "You already made me climax last time. Now it's my turn to repay the favor."

Lisa was clearly intrigued by his proposal. "What do you want me to do?"

"Lie on the bed and spread your legs," Robert instructed. "Just relax and make yourself comfortable. I will take care of the rest.

Lisa did as she was told. Robert placed himself between her thighs. So far he'd never had the opportunity to properly inspect a woman's genitalia. Now he took his time studying Lisa's private parts which held such an inexplicable fascination. He was not only motivated by curiosity though. The goal was to make Lisa enjoy this as much as possible. For a while now he had fantasized about the idea of satisfying a woman, as he had seen it in many videos. Being on the receiving end was great of course, but the thought of causing Lisa such intense pleasures was incredibly tantalizing to him.

Robert ran his fingers across her sex, carefully spread her labia and lightly probed the area between. He unveiled her clitoris and rubbed it gently; that definitely caused a positive response. Next he brought his face up close and tried to induce the same reaction with his tongue. The smell and taste was strange and unexpected but there was also something intoxicating and arousing about it.

Guided primarily by the feedback of Lisa's body and the occasional audible indicator, Robert kept experimenting. He was awkwardly aware of how inept he was at this, but there were also some recognizable improvements. Over time the random motions were replaced by what had proven to be effective. Before long Lisa was squirming under his touches. No longer able to lay still she arched her back and pressed her hips against him. Her breathing became faster, interrupted by increasingly frequent sighs. Motivated by the woman's noticeable ecstasy, Robert increased his efforts. His fingers, mouth and tongue working in unison eventually drove Lisa to a peak which forced a loud moan from her lips.