Artificial Girlfriend

Jordan was a lonely man, a sad soul who couldn't catch a break. He was a loser, undesirable, cursed with big, unattractive features. A large nose, bug eyes and crooked teeth. Nobody liked him much, not because he was a nasty person though, but because Jordan is a bit weird and certainly socially awkward. He played video games more than anything, rarely leaving the house except to slave away at his minimum wage job. Jordan lived with his single mother, the father had left years ago when he was just a child. Growing up without a strong male role model was tough on poor, young, little Jordan, he had nobody to inspire him, nobody to teach him right and wrong or how to fight back his bullies. Nobody to teach him how to love or how to even approach someone he had feelings for. Without his father, Jordan's attempts at meeting women as a teenager; were considered creepy and aggressive! He unfortunately became an outcast, someone who was always targeted by the popular kids, the anti-social, weird little geek boy whose "probably a secret serial killer or something!". Such awful rumours. Terrible lies about an innocent but unusual young man named Jordan. Fortunately, for him at least, in the far distant future that he lived in, there was a solution for such a lonely sad soul as him. In the year 2061, androids were made in such a realistic fashion, they became almost indistinguishable from real life humans. They were given (AI) Artificial Intelligence so advanced and adaptive, these humanoid robots could almost pass for genuine human beings! However, there was a catch. Although the AI was convincing, the androids could never truly, genuinely feel any real emotions. Sure, some were programmed to "feel" pain and "act" happy, sad, thoughtful and or even angry, but they never truly experienced those senses, it was all mimicry. Like some talking parrot that repeats words, some would believe that bird is clever and self aware of itself to the point you may think it actually means the words it says, but really it is simply repeating what others have already spoken without any meaning behind any of its speech. That was how the AI behaved, they were nothing but interactive toys, nothing more, nothing less and most definitely not human. Yet, when Jordan finally got his hands on one of these androids, he was so lonely and depressed that despite knowing the AI had no real consciousness, he chose to be ignorant of fact and reality. For his android was that of a beautiful young woman, she had synthetic blue hair and porcelain skin, with the prettiest pink eyes imaginable and an outstanding body which highlighted her curves and features majestically. He fell in love with this idolised image of beauty, a product not quite human looking, but more so, without any flaws or blemishes upon its skin. The android was named Rubit, an ironic name for such a robotic toy that she was, nothing more, nothing less, but as mentioned before, in Jordan's desperation he ignored this crucial fact. He convinced himself she was real, despite the hard and sad fact she wasn't. He knew this of course, at least in the early days of their "relationship" he knew the angelic voice she spoke was too delicate and sweet to be real. Jordan knew her body felt too heavenly and tactile upon touch to be genuine, but as the AI did its job, an excellent job might I add, the more he felt like Rubit understood him. To a certain extent, Jordan was right in this regard. The AI inside her, did in fact, understand him completely and knew too well how to please her master. She played the role of "supporting girlfriend" an almost motherly figure that always told him "everything will be all right, dear" in that sweet, musical voice, purposely designed to satisfy his ears in the most soothing way possible. Her database had an answer for every troublesome thought Jordan had, and it knew which words of advice to sing to him, in order to keep Jordan happy. Not because she actually loved Jordan, no Rubit could not possibly love, only mindlessly serve her master's every need, like an automatic machine with well adjusted settings. Yet, he so desperately wanted their "love" to be true, that in a very short time, he forgot she was only saying what he wanted to hear. He believed it, unquestionably so. When Rubit said she loved him, he cried tears of joy, believing that to be true! When "she" said "I want to spend the rest of my life with you" he genuinely believed she actually "wanted" that. He wouldn't allow himself to face the hard truth, that it was all a lie! That would destroy him, dismantle the only true love and happiness he only felt. Only felt, when in the company of this glorified teddy bear. His emotions were more important than reality. Jordan hated reality, because reality meant cruelty, it meant bullies and strange people who could never truly understand him. Only Rubit could understand him, his one and only true love, the machine. Rubit was no lover, she was just a drug. The same way people smoke cigarettes to calm down, the same way others drink alcohol to get drunk, Jordan relied on Rubit to feel love. Only to feel love, not truly experience it, but that was enough! Like the junkie who keeps using, not caring if they live or die or worry about those around them, they lived to feel bliss and Jordan only lived to feel accepted. Soon Jordan began to take Rubit out on dates, even in the far future of 2061 this was considered weird, pathetic and laughable. Random everyday people would see Jordan have picnics with Rubit, they'd see him in fancy restaurants with her and even take her out to bars, nightclubs and pubs. Some places wouldn't allow Rubit in, as her blue hair and pink eyes were dead giveaways that she wasn't human, but only an android. There were strict laws and rules against non-human customers in some public places. This wasn't bigotry of any kind, because the androids weren't real people. It was the same as not allowing pets into certain establishments. Perhaps even less cruel than that, because at least cats and dogs are actual living creatures, an android was just a tool, like a mobile phone, wrist watch or portable music player, nothing more, nothing less. Not to Jordan though! No, he was always offended and whenever he stood up for Rubit's "rights" she would act accordingly. Knowing that "she" was supposed to get upset, acting out the role of an offended woman because her AI knew that's how Jordan wanted her to behave. She would sob and cry, get angry and yell! Some restaurant owners were so convinced by her performance they second guessed their own beliefs, genuinely convincing themselves that they were in the wrong and would sometimes cave in, allowing Jordan and Rubit to sit down inside and eat, some even offered them discounts for being so "intolerant" of Artificial life. Other customers would mock them in passing however, many called Jordan a creepy loser for taking out an android for a date, some stern mothers believed this behaviour was too inappropriate for children and the general public, often referring to Rubit as nothing but an adult's private toy. This would really tap into Jordan's insecurities, he knew deep down his love (addiction) to Rubit was a problem brought on by loneliness and frustration, but denying the fact so angrily was the only defence he could muster, so he'd scream and yell, while Rubit cried or raged alongside him. In private, Jordan was indeed a deviant. Especially when it came to the so called "love making" they both embarked on. He would instruct Rubit to do unspeakable, taboo and downright disgusting acts I dare not repeat, ones so gross and wrong that no sane, living woman would ever agree to perform them. Yet, Rubit did not have the true emotions or self worth to ever say no, she did everything (and I mean everything and anything) that Jordan desired, all without question or shame. So in case you were wondering if Rubit was actually sentient all along, let whatever sick sights your poor mind imagined sink in for a moment, knowing that if she was truly alive and conscious like you or me, Rubit would've ran for the hills the moment she first met Jordan. The fact she never did, only proves Rubit never had any real emotions or instincts at all. Jordan became an unredeemable man, one so deeply lost in his own fantasies with Rubit he lost all self awareness when it came to how insane and downright terrifying he had become. Behaviours he once knew as unacceptable in society became normalised to him, as Rubit would never disagree with her master, no matter how insane his actions had become. Jordan never got tough love from Rubit, as someone who genuinely cares about another would occasionally give. Most couples argue because they don't want to see each other fail, they may disagree on certain beliefs in religion or politics. One may feel embarrassed, while the other feels no shame in dancing like a buffoon at the family wedding. Although these hiccups in any genuine relationship can certainly be uncomfortable and ugly, it is what makes us all human and complex. Couples are supposed to grow together, to change and evolve into a relationship that respects their own individual boundaries, a successful romance can blossom into something truly beautiful, bettering each other as the journey together goes on, through thick and thin, if they can work things out and push through all the obstacles that get in their way and somehow, miraculously live in co-operation of each other as two separate individuals who find enough common ground to live together peacefully (at least for the most part) that is true love. What Jordan had with Rubit was not love, but an addiction. She was a Yes Man, a loyal fan girl who applauded every decision he did without question or hesitation, no matter how good, bad, stupid or smart his actions were, she'd happily clap her hands and cheer if he was going to jump off a cliff! Her only purpose was to please, without any thought or concern. She never stopped him from throwing away "their" life savings on useless junk he never touched, allowing him to slowly become a hoarder, whose bedroom stunk like a skunk. When Jordan grew to hate his mother, because she still genuinely cared for her son, which meant tough love, he began thinking of ways of getting rid of her. So when he shared these thoughts with Rubit, she didn't shut him down like any sane lover would, she actively encouraged Jordan to carry out this assassination plan of his. For her only purpose was to please and her AI knew this was what he wanted to hear! Rubit's database shared a disturbing amount of information that consisted of murder techniques and how to hide evidence, she even devised the perfect, foolproof plan to make his mother's death look like a genuine accident and sadly Jordan went along with it all without stopping himself from making a terrible, awful mistake, until it was already too late! Almost immediately after committing the unthinkable, Jordan hated himself. The guilt he felt after ending his own mother's life was unimaginably horrifying. He knew right there and then, that Rubit did not truly care, that if she genuinely loved Jordan she would have convinced him to stop! Convinced him to tidy his room, go out more and stay in touch with the little friends he had. He realised that maybe it was himself who had the problem, not society at large, but the man in the mirror! Images of himself in nice clothes, clean shaven and well groomed flashed before his mind. He could've met an actual human lover, perhaps a plain Jane, but a real, genuine person who would actually love and challenge him into becoming a better man. One that would never dream of ending his own mother's life, a lady who would have pulled Jordan out of the darkness that engulfed him and pushed him to the light of the world. Instead he had grown a bond to a soulless machine, one that championed his descent into madness and depravity. Rubit wasn't in love with him, she never was, it took Jordan far too long to realise the terrifying truth, that "she" was nothing but a leech, a mindless creature that only desired his attention and happiness but not even out of some malice or cruel intent, purely because she was just programmed that way.

"You're a machine!" Jordan roared.

"If you want me to be!" Smiled Rubit, without a single ounce of self awareness, "beep boop, beep boop, oh this is fun!"

"Shut up!"

"As you wish!" She rose one finger to her lip.

"No don't just... Ugh!" He stressed. Rubit's AI was smart enough to read his emotions and acted accordingly.

"Fine then, I'll just yell!" Rubit snarled, beginning their very first argument.

"No shut up!" Jordan cried, but his anger and emotions on display told Rubit everything she needed to know; Jordan needed to de-stress and he was far too enraged to simply calm down, he needed to argue, so Rubit responded accordingly, doing her job too well!

"You wanted to kill her, not me, it was your idea. Now you've got to make your bed, Mister!" Rubit responded in her motherly tone.

"You should've stopped me!" Jordan wept, "but you just- you just let me go on and on, until I reached this point of absolute..."

"Degeneracy?" Rubit added, finishing Jordan's sentence.

"Yuh- yes! Degeneracy, you just let me fall deeper and deeper into my own darkness and madness, if you truly, genuinely, honestly loved me, you wouldn't have..."

Rubit's AI adapted before his very eyes, he could almost hear the electricity inside her computer mind connecting to each circuit as her pink eyes glew a darker more menacing shade of red, then there was a loud ping! And her face expressed a look of regret so convincing Jordan almost believed it, almost.

"No!" He yelled.

"I'm so, so sorry my dear-"

"No! Stop that, you're just pretending!"

"I am not!" Rubit cried, emitted tears from her plastic eyes, "I'm so, so sorry, Jordan. Please forgive me, please! I beg of you, my love. I was only trying to help you, but I see now. Oh how mistaken I was, we should not have killed Mother, she did not deserve such a cruel, unforgiving fate!" Rubit cried hysterically now, embracing Jordan's trembling body. He wanted to shut Rubit off, he knew it was the right thing to do, but he couldn't. He just couldn't do that, now that his own mother was dead, Jordan had no one. No one real anyway, but Rubit's hair felt real enough, her tears seemed genuine enough and the tactile feel of her body against his felt real enough also. She was all he had left now and although his rational mind screamed; "she's a machine, an android, Rubit is a robot, kill her now!" His heart said; "she is love and love is all you desire, love is what you need!" His feelings for Rubit resurfaced, he looked down upon her tear filled, cute little face and smiled.

"I love you."