Lizzy took in a deep breath of the strangely sterile air as she stepped off the wagon, the absence of earthy farmland scents amplified by the sleek skyscrapers that reached towards the light, airy clouds. She stared up at the incredible city before her, so awestruck by the scale of it that she failed to realize how tightly she’d been clutching her father’s arm.
A short, black-haired girl hopped excitedly in place on the sidewalk, beaming Lizzy a friendly smile while she waved hello.
“Hi! I’m Alex! It’s great to meet you.”
Smiling back shyly, still latched onto her father’s arm, Lizzy waved back in greeting.
“Hello, I’m Lizzy.” She took a deep breath. “I can’t even begin to handle this place!”
Alex nodded, her dark curls bouncing a bit.
“That’s understandable, don’t worry. A lot of farmers [newcomers] do tend to get a bit overwhelmed, so we’ll take things as slowly as you like. After all, you haven’t even seen the real heart of the city yet. Just you wait!”
With a start, the girl bopped the side of her head with her hand as if reprimanding herself and turned apologetically to Lizzy’s father.
“Sheesh, I’m sorry! I’m a bit frazzled today, I didn’t even greet you! I’m sorry about that, I didn’t mean to be rude.”
The man shook his head gently with a small smile, his long beard brushing against the front of his coat.
“Please, do not worry about it. My name is Abraham, but I’m afraid I’m not staying anyway so it makes little difference. I made my decision to stay in our community many years ago.”
Lizzy fought the tender lump in her throat, tears welling up as his words reminded her of his impending departure. She threw her arms around him, her skirt billowing gently in the breeze as she hugged him farewell.
“I love you, father!” she said, struggling to maintain an even tone in her voice through her tears, “Do remind mother how much I love her, too, and give old Anna an extra apple for me!”
The man’s tanned forehead crinkled with amusement.
“Easy, now,” he replied, patting his daughter firmly on the back and squaring her shoulders. “The last thing you should be worrying about right now is a retired plow horse and her food--but, yes, I will. You have a whole world to explore, my dear. Enjoy it. Although, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hope for you to return to us soon.”
Lizzy squeezed her father’s hand one last time and the two of them exchanged their final goodbyes. Composing herself with a deep breath as the carriage pulled away, the bright-eyed Amish girl turned to face her new guide.
Alex perked up from her respectful silence with a smile, ready to begin their first tour. Lizzy smiled back, bracing herself for an afternoon that she was sure she’d remember for the rest of her life. However, no amount of excitement or anticipation could prepare her for the sturdy, metal arm that reached out to grasp her bags. She jumped back with a startled yelp, and Alex spoke up immediately to offer encouragement:
“Oh, don’t worry! The robots here are great, they’re always ready to help. As I’m sure you read in the introductory brochure before you arrived, they’re programmed flawlessly to perform our more boring and difficult tasks with a smile.”
The robot’s facial display lit up right on cue with a grin emote.
“I am G-163, but you can call me G1! Welcome to the city! I will show you to your room,” the machine announced with a cheerful voice, immediately heading for a nearby set of glass double-doors.
“I . . . may have misplaced my brochure while I was packing my things,” Lizzy admitted to Alex while they hurried after the robot’s lively pace and entered the building together.
Alex insisted that it was nothing to worry about as they passed through the vestibule and into the lobby, but Lizzy was too breathless to answer her. The massive building that towered above them looked even more beautiful from the inside, with warmly-glowing lamps on every floor that created an inviting atmosphere. Perky, potted plants encircled the welcome desk where Alex stopped to check in with a sharply-dressed robo-clerk, and flowering vines accented a crystal-clear fountain that splashed refreshingly in the middle of the lobby.
As her eyes drifted upwards, she saw the occasional person popping in or out of the many doors that dotted each floor. She couldn’t help but reflect upon how different it was from the farmhouse she’d left behind, but her train of thought was soon interrupted by Alex tugging on the sleeve of her dress.
“Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to look at the scenery in a little bit! But for now, we’ve got to get you to your room so that you can change your outfit before we go out for your first day. Plus, you’ve got to be famished after that long trip, so we’ll get some food too.”
Nodding wordlessly as an excited grin spread across her face, Lizzy followed her guide into a nearby lift. Lizzy noticed how soft and quiet the sound was as the lift gently brought them up to the tenth floor--for some reason, she’d expected it to be louder.
Alex smiled as the lift’s doors opened and they stepped out into a warmly-lit hallway.
“Check it out!” she said as she pointed towards one of the many doors that lined the hall. “You’ve got the third door down from the elevator, so if you get lost . . . don’t expect any sympathy from me!” Alex winked as Lizzy chuckled nervously.
“Don’t worry, I’m just teasing. But here, it’s time for you to meet your VA.”
“My VA . . .,” Lizzy repeated, vaguely remembering having heard about mechanical assistants from older girls who had returned home.
Alex nodded as she knocked on the door, which immediately swung open to reveal a small, rolling robot that stood around waist-high. The robot rolled back and forth slightly and then spun, waving hello with a cheerful grin emote on its facial display.
“Hello! I will be your house robot for the duration of your stay!”
Alex chuckled a bit at Lizzy’s wide eyes as they stepped into the cozy apartment and the little robot closed the door behind them.
“Alright, kiddo, it’s lesson time! When you’re in VR, you control your Neuropod with voice commands by talking to the AI that executes the commands. So, when you’re in VR you’re talking to a virtual assistant, or VA. In virtual reality, that’s just a disembodied voice that performs commands for you--everything from changing game settings to logging you back out of VR.”
Lizzy nodded slowly, her feelings towards VR still murky.
“Don’t worry,” Alex said as she noticed Lizzy’s apprehension, “I know this sounds like a lot, but we’re getting to the fun part: You get to pick your VA’s name!”
Lizzy’s face perked up.
“Oh, really?”
Alex nodded with a smile.
“Yep! It’s named Neuro301 by default but you can change it to respond to anything you want. I’d just recommend avoiding common names of people and objects, otherwise you’ll keep getting your Virtual Assistant’s attention without meaning to which is super annoying.”
“Ah, I see! Uhh . . .,” Lizzy stalled as she rifled through a few ideas in her head, feeling somewhat awkward. Scrambling to fill in the blank with something on the spot, she blurted out the first name that came to mind.
“Annabelle!” Alex nodded.
“Annabelle? Well, sure--that’s cute! I mean, I’d say that should work fine and I don’t think that would come up by accident very often, so that’s good. Neuro301, change your name to ‘Annabelle’.” Lizzy looked up with surprise as a calm voice piped up from the house robot and asked:
“Change personal assistant name from Neuro301 to Annabelle? Say ‘confirm” if you want me to keep the name Annabelle.”
“Go ahead: Your VA will learn to respond only to your voice profile and commands as you use it, so you do the honors!” Alex urged. Excited, Lizzy spoke:
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“Confirm!”
“Confirmation successful. I will now respond only to the name Annabelle.”
Lizzy nodded to the robot, biting her lip.
“Uh . . . Alex? I’m sorry if this is a silly question, but . . . didn’t you say that this was for VR? Will the robot be in VR with me?”
Alex’s warm eyes lit up with a smile.
“That’s not a silly question at all! In fact I was waiting for you to ask.”
Alex put her hand on top of the house robot’s head and its facial screen displayed a surprised emote.
“This house robot is the physical manifestation of your VA. Remember that your Virtual Assistant is an AI--Artificial Intelligence. That AI can talk to you either through your VR pod if you’re logged in or through this little guy here. Or, should I say, gal,” Alex corrected herself with a sparkle in her eye. Lizzy smiled.
“So, Annabelle is in the VR pod only if I am too? And then, the rest of the time, she’s here in this robot? So, it’s sort of like how God was still in heaven even while Jesus was here with us on Earth?”
Alex tilted her head from side to side as one side of her mouth quirked into a smile.
“I guess you could say that, yeah! It’s sort of similar. All you need to remember is that, whether you’re in VR or sitting in your kitchen with your robot, you’re still talking to Annabelle.”
Lizzy nodded, her confidence finally drawing her dimples to the surface.
“Got it!”
“Great!” Alex said, “now, I hate to be off so suddenly but I’ve got a quick errand or two to take care of. Plus, you need some time to check out your new apartment and get acquainted with Annabelle, after all. I’ll be back to get you for mealtime!”
Lizzy nodded and gave a quick wave. Annabelle did the same with her small, metal arm.
“Alright, see you soon!”
#
After investigating the soft bed and the roomy fridge, Lizzy fought against the temptation to grab one of the quick snack packs as she remembered Alex’s promise of an upcoming meal. She finally changed out of her plain frock and into the comfy athletic outfit laid out for her, noticing how different the new clothing felt.
A quick rap on the hotel door snapped Lizzy’s attention away from the sharp figure she cut in the mirror in her new lilac-colored joggers. She scurried to answer the door and was met with Alex’s broad smile once again.
“It’s early dinner time!” the guide announced brightly. “Why don’t we try out this little cafe I know? The view from there is spectacular, and so is the food.”
Lizzy eagerly stepped out and closed the door behind her, excited to see more of the city--and to put an end to the growling that had started in her stomach. After the elevator descended and they stepped outside the building, she found herself overwhelmed all over again by the greatness of the city before her. Robots bustled jauntily to and fro on all kinds of unknown errands, while little handfuls of human citizens dotted the cityscape and intermingled with the machines.
There are fewer people here than I expected there to be, Lizzy thought to herself as she followed her guide down the pristine sidewalk, twisting her head around to see as much as she could at once. Before long, the pair of girls reached the cafe, and Lizzy was far from disappointed by the view that Alex had mentioned before.
Several latticed, metal tables topped with translucent sun parasols rested on a patio overlook that showcased the winding streets and lofty skyscrapers in the valley below. Lizzy watched in awe as the shadows of fluffy, white clouds drifted peacefully over the cityscape, driving home the sheer vastness of it.
“Here--if you think the view is great, check out the menu!” Alex handed her a slim device filled with tantalizing images of foods she’d never seen before. It felt strange to touch the impressively smooth screen and see the pictures spin by with so little effort.
“I’m . . . not really sure what any of this is, even though it does look good,” Lizzy said, her tone unsure, “Do they have any chicken?”
Alex paused in the midst of adjusting her halo of black curls, a slightly uncomfortable expression on her face.
“Um . . . well, no. There’s no meat,” she explained, “We don’t use animal products here anymore. It’s completely unnecessary. But, here! You might like this.” She reached out and, with a few quick taps of her delicate fingers, pulled up an image of a thick sandwich with bright greens, tomatoes, and some kind of yellow patty. Lizzy felt uncertain but still a bit intrigued by the total absence of meat on the menu. She’d heard rumors about meat substitutes before, but she had no idea how they would actually taste. Nevertheless, she offered up an optimistic smile and nodded her assent, tapping the touch screen image for the first time. Now was the time to try new things, after all.
The minutes passed by quickly while she and Alex chatted about the farm and what little she’d heard about the city before the onset of her rumspringa. The next thing she knew, another cheery robot presented her with a very fresh-looking sandwich on a thin, metal plate.
Lizzy wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised by her first bite all the same. The texture was firm but smooth, and the flavor of the patty blended perfectly with the fresh vegetables.
“Mm!” she exclaimed, meeting Alex’s brown eyes with a delighted stare while she chewed, “This is actually really, really good!”
“That’s great,” Alex replied with a titter while she picked up her own sandwich, “But you might want to swallow it first before saying so!”
Lizzy gulped down her bite of food, ready to apologize for forgetting her manners, but the guide waved her hand dismissively.
“Don’t worry, I’m just teasing, it’s fine. You need to eat up, after all, so that you’ll be all ready for your surgery.”
Lizzy felt as if the world ground to a halt and she froze, her sandwich halfway to her mouth.
“Ah . . . surgery already?”
“Of course,” Alex replied, turning her head and lifting her curls to display what appeared to be some kind of metal socket on the back of her neck. “You’ll need it for the VR, obviously.” Lizzy’s alarmed and bewildered expression must have jogged her memory, and she quickly explained:
“Right! You lost your brochure, I remember now. Well, anyway, it’s nothing to worry about! It doesn’t hurt at all while it’s being done, and you’ll get a numbing spray to use later on when the local anesthetic wears off, too. The whole process is very safe and clean. It’s also unavoidable if you want to log into the Virtual Reality chair and experience worlds even cooler than this one,” she added with a wink.
Lizzy wasn’t entirely sure if she was ready for something so invasive, especially on her very first day in this massive, new city. New clothing and food delivered by walking machines were one thing--but, surgery? Despite her apprehension, she managed a tense smile as she lifted her sandwich the rest of the way to her mouth.
“I see. I’m . . . just let me think about it for a while before I decide, okay? I don’t have to get it if I don’t want to, right?”
“Well, of course you don’t have to get it,” replied Alex with a short laugh as Lizzy took another big bite of her sandwich. “I can’t see why you wouldn’t want to, though.” She gestured to the spacious patio around them, where only a couple of other tables were occupied, and then to the sidewalks inhabited primarily by robots.
“Surely you’ve noticed how few people are out and about, right? That’s because most everyone is inside and busy having fun! VR is where it’s at.”
Lizzy contemplated her words, considering the options while she ate. The idea of undergoing some kind of surgery that would allow her body to connect to an electronic device was creepy. But so far, everything in the city seemed surprisingly peaceful and gentle, no matter how foreign or strange it was.
“Have you ever gotten hurt using the VR?” Lizzy asked.
“Oh, no!” Alex answered, “I’ve never once had issues with the technology itself--the worst that’s ever happened is that a game I picked turned out to be kind of boring. Well, that, and the fact that some people can always find a way to be rude. Other players can sometimes be sore losers or make some nasty, sexist comments, but you just have to avoid them when you can and move on. In terms of the chair itself: You can choose how much you feel, how loud the volume is--pretty much everything. There are tons of other safety measures in place too. Seriously, don’t worry about it at all! It’s just Virtual Reality.” Put slightly more at ease, Lizzy gave a wry smile.
“All the same,” she said, “I think I’d like to explore this reality a bit more first!”
#
As Lizzy got comfortable that evening after an afternoon of strolling through the city with her friendly guide, she couldn’t help circling back to how remarkable it was for robots to be so widespread--and so active. The city was nothing like her farmland home, where tasks kept her busy from sunup to sundown. In this strange utopia with endless time on her hands, Lizzy hardly knew what to do with herself.
There were no farm animals to tend to, only the occasional pet. And, if her current impression was accurate, there were hardly any jobs for humans to do, either. If a plant looked a bit wilted, there was a robot in attendance to water it. If a bit of trash made its way onto the sidewalk or street, a robot was happy to pick it up and whisk it away for recycling.
Lizzy couldn’t help but wonder how people kept themselves busy in such a peaceful, beautiful, perfect world.
I guess that’s why Alex brought up the VR: There isn’t really anything else to do, she thought to herself. Carefully, she reflected on all the details that her guide had given her while she described the wonders of Virtual Reality. The options seemed just about endless: Lizzy could go anywhere she wanted, from the sound of it, or even visit a vast array of other time periods.
As she changed into some silken pyjamas made from silky fabric, softer than she’d ever felt before, she weighed the pros and cons logically.
If I were to get this surgery and go into VR, then I’d be able to try out pretty much anything I wanted without anything serious, or even real, at stake, she thought to herself. Alex had stressed how risk-free the surgery was, thanks to the incredible precision of the medical technology in the city, and Lizzy couldn’t help but start to feel like it might be worth it in order to open the door to so many more possibilities.
Besides, she thought to herself as she began to braid her hair before bed, It doesn’t look like there’s much else to do for fun around here besides looking around. And I don’t have to go back into the Virtual Reality if I end up not liking it.
Finally, she concluded that she couldn’t short-change herself by allowing fear to keep her from experiencing what was sure to be the greatest wonder yet.
“I’ll do it!” she exclaimed aloud to her reflection in the mirror, clapping her hands together for emphasis. Her triumphant grin faded a bit as she realized how alone she was, with no one to share in her excitement. Normally, she’d be hugging her parents goodnight at this hour.
Battling an edge of heaviness in her heart, she squared her shoulders before climbing into bed. She didn’t have time for melancholy.
Tomorrow was going to be an important and exciting day.