Artificial Happiness

"This is a memorial dedicated to the Workers who built this colony," Julia explained. "There is another one just like this on Mars. The CERS-Workforce was crucial in the effort of making the colonies into what they are today. Early attempts on colonization were very slow, costly and ridden with failures. Purely automated missions carried out by machines with sophisticated artificial intelligence didn't quite live up to the expectations, often failing in properly adapting to unpredictable situations. Manned missions with volunteers from Earth were no more successful. Regular humans had a hard time coping with the immense challenges to body and mind. There were plenty of accidents, various cases of illness or insanity and a fast decline in productiveness for every new team. The projects were on the brink of being abandoned. That changed with the advent of the CERS. Teams of Workers were engineered, conditioned and trained specifically for this purpose. Much more resistant to the physical dangers and almost immune to the psychological ones, the first teams were sent to the colonies about 25 years ago. It was a huge success. The Workers proved to be the perfect middle ground between a human's inventiveness, ingenuity and ability to adapt and a machine's resilience, effectiveness and stamina. Building on the primitive basis provided by the earlier operations, they conjured up the colonies with unbelievable speed. For that achievement they are honored here."

"What happened to the Workers who first came here?" Robert wanted to know.

"Most of them died, unfortunately. Even for them, the harsh conditions on a foreign planet were not without consequence."

"I thought so," Robert replied with a sorrowful expression. Julia regarded him with a look of sympathy but had no words to offer. They regarded the memorial for a while, before walking on.

While constantly moving from one place to the next, Robert never had a chance to observe the surrounding Workers for long. That changed when Julia decided that they had done enough exploring for a day and brought him to a pub she had been to before, the last intended stop of their excursion. The pair picked a quiet, somewhat isolated booth in a corner where they could not easily be overheard. The waitress who served their table really caught Robert's eye. She was a rather short, young red-head with fair skin and a really cute face. With a cheerful, almost giddy demeanor she was more dancing than walking between the tables while going about her occupation. Watching her was addictive.

When the waitress greeted her new customers, her smile was so brilliant and heart-warming that Robert was dumbstruck for a moment. He attempted to return the smile but it felt forced and shallow. It was ironic, despite being the result of intense conditioning and artificially induced emotions, her reaction seemed so much more sincere and genuine. When she walked away, Robert's gaze followed her, captivated by the sensual sway of her hips.

"You like her," Julia observed with a grin and yanked Robert out of his stupor.

"She is nice," Robert admitted. "But that is just because her CERS manipulates her to be that way."

Her expression became more serious. "Do you think that is wrong?"

"No," Robert quickly denied, not wanting to sound like he objected to the world view of the Naturals. "I don't know; it is just strange that she is so similar yet so different in comparison to me."

Julia nodded sympathetically as if she understood his sentiments. He doubted that she really did; he barely understood it himself; but he appreciated the gesture.

"Are they configured and educated like me?" Robert asked after a moment of silence in a hushed, almost conspiratorial tone.

Julia looked puzzled for a moment, until she grasped the true meaning behind his question. "You mean if they are as clueless about sexuality as you were?"

He hadn't intended to be so forthright about it, but in essence that was exactly what he was interested in. He nodded.

"I am not sure. Generally it's discouraged to give Workers any knowledge or emotions which are not necessary or beneficial for their specific occupations. So if sex is not part of her job, she probably has no desire for it. How much she knows about it, I can't say. It depends on what the employer considers as necessary. Most companies have very strict rules about the way Naturals are supposed to treat them. Staring and some innocent flirting is usually okay, but inappropriate touching, sexual advances or attempts of building an unprofessional relationship are mostly forbidden. Even with less strict employers, the Workers are mostly unaware of the motivation behind customers' indecent behavior, I think."

Robert nodded, somewhat disappointed. He let go of the subject, trying to wrest his mind away from the cute waitress. He and Julia had another snack, a dish of fries and artificial meat nuggets with chicken flavor. He found both to be quite agreeable. The beer Julia had ordered on the other hand was not at all to his liking. His inexperienced taste buds couldn't handle the bitterness. Not surprised, Julia took the beer for herself and gave him the cider she had ordered as a second beverage. That one he enjoyed a lot more. She advised him to take it slow though, since it was the first time he was drinking alcohol.

Shortly after they had finished their food and first round of drinks, a woman walked up to their table and greeted Julia enthusiastically. She was a Natural by the name of Amy and apparently the two women were long-term friends who hadn't seen each other in a while. Amy was mid-thirty, tall and stocky with long black hair, and a square face. The dress she wore was a lot less practical than the cloth Julia seemed to prefer.

"So who is this handsome gentleman?" Amy inquired looking at Robert. "Your boyfriend?"

"No, not at all," Julia clarified hastily. "This is Robert; we are colleagues, of sorts."

"Pleasure to meet you," Amy said, extending a hand. Robert quickly answered the greeting, nervous about suddenly having to interact with another Natural.

"I didn't know you had colleagues," Amy commented, placing herself in a chair at the table without anyone explicitly inviting her to do so. "Do you have a new job?"

"Not really," Julia answered. "I am still doing piloting assignments and the likes whenever something comes up. Currently I'm testing a new ship. Robert here works at VRW and really knows a lot about the vessel so they offered to send him along for explaining all the details and tracking the performance of the ship."

"Sounds nice," Amy commented. She turned towards Robert. "You must be quite the talent, getting a job at VRW," she assumed.

"So I've been told," Robert replied truthfully. "One might say I was born for it." As soon as the private joke had left his mouth he felt like it was a stupid thing to say. If Amy thought the same, she showed no sign of it. Luckily she didn't follow the topic any further.

For the next hour or so, the woman remained at their table and kept talking almost incessantly. At first she discussed some personal topics with Julia but in time her focus shifted more and more towards Robert. Much to his discomfort she kept asking him questions which he couldn't answer truthfully without revealing who he actually was. Both he and Julia wanted to avoid that at any cost so in a disorganized team effort they fabricated a construct of lies around Robert's life which became more and more difficult to maintain. Luckily Amy wasn't of the suspicious kind and didn't seem to care much for many of the details he provided, so if there were holes and contradictions in the story, she didn't realize.

The conversation was exhausting and made very clear to Robert, how very different his life was from that of a Natural. He couldn't make sense of half the things Amy told him. Creating plausible lies about one's life was really difficult, without knowing what was normal and acceptable.

At some point, she asked where Robert had grown up. That was a really tricky inquiry which could cause many potential follow-up questions he couldn't answer. Robert decided to attempt a completely different approach. Leaning over to her he said with a low, conspiratorial voice: "What if I told you, that I am actually a Worker, bred in a laboratory, owned by VRW, who secretly broke out of the factory and is now on the run?"

Both Amy and Julia looked at him in irritation for a moment. Then Amy erupted into high-pitched laughter. Robert smiled, happy that his plan for a distraction had worked.

"You really got me," Amy admitted once she had calmed down. "Acting all shy, solemn and secretive at first and then hitting me with such a punch line. The seriousness with which you delivered that was brilliant; you could be an actor."

"He really is quite the joker," Julia confirmed, visibly amused about the exchange. "When I first met him I thought he is just all about work and business, but I discovered a rather devious side about him."

"Oh I can imagine that quite well," Amy claimed with a grin. "Alas, I have to be on my way now; I have an appointment coming up. I hope we'll run into each other again soon." To Robert she said: "It was really nice meeting you. Let me know if you want to have a drink some time, so we can get to know each other better." She unceremoniously handed him a business card with her contact information on it.

Both Robert and Julia relaxed visibly once Amy was out of sight. Keeping up this charade had been quite a strain on them.

"What is that about?" Robert asked and held up the business card.

Julia smirked. "Amy is into you. She has a thing for younger men. If you want to have sex with someone, she would probably be your best chance."

Robert considered it briefly. He didn't quite feel the same desire for her as for some other women. But even if he had, there would have been serious doubts about contacting her. The conversation had made clear that the Natural's world was completely foreign to him. He didn't belong in it and was unsure how long he could fool people into believing that he did. More importantly, he didn't even want to fool people. He just wanted to be himself. Seeing how dismissively Naturals treated Workers, it was quite obvious that they wouldn't just accept him though.

"I don't think so," Robert finally replied with a solemn tone and they left it at that.

"So what you said about being a Worker who escaped from the factory and is on the run..." Julia carefully brought up a different subject.

"I knew she wouldn't believe me," Robert defended his actions, misinterpreting what she wanted to say.

"I know," she confirmed. "But what I am wondering now is: Are you? A Worker on the run I mean? I know you didn't really flee from the factory. The question is: Will you go back?"

The question took Robert by surprise. "I haven't really considered the possibility of not going back. Where would I even go? I have no money, no home and no family; as I have seen today, this world is utterly strange and confusing to me. No, I don't think there is any other option for me but to return."

"What about your CERS?" Julia prodded further. "Will you keep it as it is or go back to the previous settings? I mean you know about sexuality now; that was the objective right?"

"I am not sure yet. I will have to try it out. My expectation is that in my current state, the regular life at the factory will not be as pleasant as it used to be. So it is probably better to reset my configuration to default."

"Even the sexual inhibitor?"

"That would only cause me problems and frustration anyway," he tried to make it sound like an easy choice.

"Can you really just turn it off and not think about it again?"

That was another question he was not capable of answering. It hadn't been that simple in the past.

"I hope so. I have lived without any idea about sexuality for most of my life and it hasn't made me any less happy. Without those biological urges, there is little to miss about it I guess. It was mainly curiosity which made me explore the topic further. Now that I know what it is all about, I should be able to lay it to rest."

"Even without having tried sex for yourself?"

"Workers are not intended to have sex," he cast a longing glance at the passing waitress. "Maybe it's for the best. Not knowing what I am missing might make it easier to live without it for the rest of my life." Robert tried to sound convinced and confident about this prospect; with very little success.

Julia regarded him with an expression of pity. "There is still a way how you could experience sex before going back to the factory," she revealed. Robert was unaware of what she meant. She had made very clear over the last few days, that she was not interested.

"I have played with the thought but wasn't sure if it is a good idea," Julia started hesitantly. "Do you know what a brothel is?"

Robert shook his head.

"It is a place where people can pay to have sex. There are three such establishments on this station."

The thought that something like that existed hadn't occurred to him, but after seeing all the various ways for Naturals to pay for fun, he wasn't surprised. After all it was a form of entertainment.

"I don't have any money though," he mentioned the obvious flaw in the plan.

Julia waved it off. "Don't worry about that, I will sponsor you. In case you decide that this is something you want."

Robert thought about it. He felt bad about receiving even more money from Julia, after she had already paid for the entire day. However, he was also curious and after being surrounded by beautiful women all the time, also somewhat horny.

"If you really don't mind, I would like to visit such a brothel. I will decide whether I go through with it once I have a better idea of what I am getting myself into."

"Okay, fine; and just though you know: I have never been to such an establishment and I am not at all familiar with the business. I will take you there and be gone as quickly as possible. Afterwards you will be on your own."

That made Robert a bit more nervous but his mind was already made up. The two of them left the pub and made their way down the corridor of the ring.

"This must be the place," Julia announced when they stopped in front of a rather inconspicuous entrance with a neon sign reading "Venusian Delights" above it. "Among those I found on the local network, this one has the best ratings and reviews among the available selection. I don't know if people who rate brothels online can be trusted, but that is all I have."

The two of them stood in front of the brothel awkwardly, both rather uncomfortable about the situation.

"Are you going to come in?" Robert asked carefully. He really hoped that she would. His limited experience in talking to Naturals and the complete absence of experience with prostitution made him very nervous.

"I didn't intend to," she admitted. "But maybe I should make sure you don't get ripped off."

"I would appreciate it," Robert said relieved.

Hesitantly they entered the building. Robert was surprised to find out that the main room of the brothel looked a lot like the bars they had passed throughout the day. The main difference was the many astonishingly beautiful women in skimpy costumes acting as waitresses and barkeepers, dancing on podiums and providing company to the guests. He hadn't put much thought into it, but somehow he had imagined something different.

Robert and Julia had only taken a few hesitant steps into the facility when they were approached by a barely dressed woman.

"Welcome to Venusian Delights," she greeted with a brilliant smile. "Are you here to spice up your relationship?"

"No, we are not a couple," Julia established very quickly. "I am just accompanying my friend here. He has never done this before but he would like to find a nice lady to spend some time with."

"Certainly; you can take a seat, have a drink, take your time to find someone you like and get acquainted; or you can just approach the girl you fancy and get right to it; whatever you are comfortable with."

"Thank you, having a drink sounds good," Robert announced, needing more time to decide.

"Great, follow me." The woman guided them to a table.

Julia looked uneasy but there was also some curiosity in her expression. Instead of leaving immediately she took a seat next to Robert. "This is less shady than I expected," she pondered aloud.

"Why would it be shady?" Robert asked.

"Well, this business has a certain stigma to it. For a very long time many people considered it to be immoral; some still do. It used to be tightly entangled with all kinds of criminal activities and was illegal in many countries. In most human domains it is a legal, respected and well regulated trade nowadays. Society is a lot more accepting of this profession than it used to be. Still, it hasn't managed to lose the bad reputation entirely."

"So do you consider it immoral?"

"Not really; I wouldn't have brought you if I did. Still, it is not really my thing and sitting here feels kind of weird."

"Yeah, I am not completely comfortable about the situation either," Robert admitted.

"So do you want to leave?"

A part of him wanted to, but the more his gaze wandered through the room filled with all kinds of gorgeous women, the more a different part urged him to stay.

"I think I will stay here a little longer and see how it goes. But you don't have to stay because of me."

Julia was clearly not sure whether it was a good idea to leave Robert alone, but also eager to get out of the establishment.

"Ok, if you are certain, I will take a shuttle back to the ship. You know how to get there, right?"

He nodded.

Julia took out a credit chip, which contained a fixed amount of money and placed it on the table. "There should be enough on there. No need to spend it all though."

"Thank you." Robert picked up the rectangular chip and took a closer look at it. He understood the concept of money and knew how it worked, but he had never owned any form of currency himself. Workers received no salary or other form of income. Everything they had was provided by their employers.

"Ok, have fun." Very quickly Julia was gone and Robert was left a lot more uneasy than a moment before.

He tried to get over his anxiety by focusing on the reason for his presence. That worked surprisingly well. His conscious inhibitions were quickly overshadowed by his instinctive desires. For a while his eyes just kept darting from one passing employee to the next, extensively studying their pretty features. At some point his gaze inevitably got stuck to one of them. She looked a lot like the waitress he had seen at the pub earlier: Cute round face, long red hair, fair skin and a slim body. The curves of her shape were not as pronounced as those of many of her colleagues, but fit well to her relatively short, delicate frame. She was dressed a tad more modest in comparison to most of the others, which in Robert's opinion just added to her appeal. Her looks suggested that she was in her early twenties. A very lively, youthful attitude complemented the appearance. Just like all the other women, she was breathtakingly beautiful, but there was something which made her seem more sympathetic and approachable to Robert. He was instantly enamored.

His absentminded stare didn't go unnoticed for long. Their eyes met and she came over immediately.

"Hi there; you look lonely." She somehow managed to appear both coy and forthright at the same time. "Would you care for some company?"

"I would like that very much," Robert burst out.

That brought a delighted smile to her pretty face "Should I get us some drinks?"

"Sure," he answered. When he realized that she would also want to know what drink he wanted he quickly added: "Just pick whatever you like, I will have the same."