The beeping was annoying, but that's what it was suppose to be. It was followed by a computer

voice repeating, "Miss Louise, Miss Louise, wake up, it is time to vote on today's weather."

Louise Harken rolled over, the white sheets wrapping around her plump body. During the night

she had tossed and turned so much that she was quite twisted in them. Blond hair tumbling over

bare shoulders she sighed and sat up, clutching the sheets to her naked breasts. "Rain." She said

and plopped back down to sleep.

"You need to explain your vote to the others." The computer intoned.

Sighing Louise sat up again and faced a screen full of angry faces. They all started in at once.

Asking why she couldn't conform. Why she always voted for rain. How she wanted to ruin their

days.

"Shut up." Louise said. "Or I drop the blankets." It was both pleasing and hurtful when everyone

decided they'd rather not look at Louise's naked body. "We have had sunshine for the last ten

straight years since weather control became possible. We have also had major wild fires every

summer for the past ten years. Wild flowers are nearly extinct because of lack of rain. If not for

moisture removal we would have all died in a drought five years ago. We need rain. Period. Now

change your votes."

"NO!" They all chorused, refusing to listen to reason.

"Fine, I still vote for rain, you bloody idiots." Then she turned the computer off and went back to

sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Louise sat staring at the laptop screen, frowning. The words just weren't coming to her now.

With a glare she looked up at the sunny sky. Why didn't those fools listen to her?

"Another dissertation?" L2 asked as she sat across from Louise. L2 could be a mirror image of

Louise except that she was painfully thin. One could count the ribs from a mile away. "I loved

your last one. "How Harry Potter Saved Christianity." The part about televangelists and how they

were scared of kids learning to love reading and end up translating the Bible correctly."

Louise looked at her clone. "Thank you but no, not another dissertation. I'm trying write a law

that will allow me to veto sunshine votes. We desperately need rain and I'm the only one with the

brains to see it. When's the last time you ate?"

L2 shrugged her bony shoulders. As Louise' clone she had no real legal identity of her own, but

she had her own mind, her own personality. Worry that she would be fat like the woman she was

cloned from, L2 was anorectic. Or maybe she was bulimic? Either way she was thinner then thin.

"A couple of weeks ago." Anorectic then. Bulimics binge and purge.

"Just because you're my clone doesn't mean you'll be fat like me." Louise said. "In fact I can tell

you that you won't. I had more then an alteration to your DNA done. Your metabolism is fast

enough that you could pig out on chocolate all day and not get heavier then 135."

"I don't want to take the chance." L2 said, popping a nutrition pill. "I don't want to be ugly like

you."

Louise cringed. She knew that had she been 100 pounds thinner she'd be beautiful. An elegant

heart shaped face, a cupid's bow mouth, almond shaped green eyes, fair skin with just a

smattering of freckles. However her weight put her in the category of ugly. It hurt.

"Fine, be that way." She snapped, shutting off her laptop. "Make yourself at home, lock up when

you leave. I'm going to the club." Standing, the blond turned and walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"She actually walks the course? Carrying her own bag?" One the of the men said in shock as he

watched the overweight blond hit a ball perfectly onto the green. The man stood with his friends,

all on hover disks, their bags of high tech clubs hovering behind them. "And look at those clubs.

They're so - old. They don't even have computer chips in them!"

Wondering how anyone could possibly be so out of date, they watched as she now hit the ball

perfectly into the cup. As she walked away they each took their turns, and every one of them hit

into the sand trap.

Louise always played golf alone the old fashion way. With clubs that had been in her family since

the 21st century. It was a set put together by some female relative from clubs she bought at thrift

stores. The bag, a good quality one for it's time, had been found in the dumpster of a self storage

business. The relative had started golf when she was older then most players did at the time Tiger

Woods was high in popularity. She was such a natural at it that she went on to play professionally

with the same set of mismatched clubs. Yet - she hated golf. Though she made millions of dollars,

she hated the game with a passion. She never did get to do what she loved and what she was

gifted at, singing. No one cared about her beautiful voice. Only about seeing her hit balls down

the fairway.

However the woman now hitting a perfect hole in one loved golf. Loved the old fashion way of

playing it. Without microchips or nanobots. Without hover disks that had long replaced walking.

She loved the sweat pouring down her body, stinging her eyes as she swung her clubs in the hot

sun. Would've loved playing it in the rain if anyone had the sense to vote for it.

"Wonderful score, Miss Harken." The score bot said as she turned in her card at the end of her

round. "Your personal best."

"Thank you," she said, something people rarely if ever said to robots. Entering the unisex locker

room, she undressed in a privacy booth and wrapped herself in a big fluffy white towel. She

dropped her sweaty clothing into the laundry bot which would clean them and send them neatly

folded to her locker. Then she stepped into the steam room.

Steam rooms, while staples of spas, clubs, and gyms, had waned in popularity amongst "normal"

humans. So it was no surprise to Louise that she was alone. She knew she would be for a good

long time as no cyborgs belonged to the club last she checked. Not that they weren't allowed, it

was just that most preferred to belong to spas then clubs as they had no need for the exercise

equipment and the like. So Louise removed her towel and laid it on the bench, then laid her naked

body down, putting her arms behind her head.

This was nice. The hot steam caressing her flesh. So what if she had a stomach that stuck out

when she stood up and bounced around? Or that her huge breasts flopped to either side as she laid

down? She didn't care about her hefty thighs either or her fat calves. At least unlike other people

she didn't need nanobots to constantly rejuvenate unused muscles. For Louise never used a hover

disk when she could walk. Ate homegrown fruits and vegetables instead of nutrition capsules. Oh

sure, she used nanobots for some health related things, but she used her legs and her mind. Unlike

her peers.

A tube came down from the ceiling and Louise drank from it now and again to keep from being

dehydrated as she lay in the steam, sweat running down her body in rivers, bursting forth from her

armpits, at first rank in smell because of the toxins in her body, but as the time wore on the smell

disappeared and now it was just sweat. It collected in her belly button until it over flowed down

her mountain of a stomach. Down the valley of her vulva which she had her pubic hair

permanently removed from a long time ago. Along with all other body hair and the unwanted

parts of facial hair such as around and between the eyebrows, upper lip, and chin. Except for her

eyelashes, nose hairs (way up deep, the ones that could be seen were long since removed), and

eyebrows, and of course the hair on her head, there was not one speck of stray hair on Louise's

body. Forever smooth and bald.

Louise was sipping water, half asleep, when the door opened. She sat up, wrapping the towel

around her, water splashing from the tube as it fell from her mouth. One red eye glowed from the

direction of the door.

A cyborg.

When he was human he must've been handsome. The parts of him that were still human were.

Half of a sculpted chest with just a smattering of hair graced the left side of his body. The right

was cybernetic to just before the waist. The right side of his face and part of his head was

cybernetic as well. The left leg whirred as he walked across the room. Thick black hair graced the

parts of his head that still had skin and the one remaining eye was deep brown. He still had his full

lips - just thick enough to look kissable, just strong enough to belong to a man. Though there was

a slightly robotic tone his voice was deep and beautiful, with what people would've once

considered an middle to upper class English accent. He was way over 6 feet tall.

And he was blushing.

"I'm - I'm sorry." He said, sitting down awkwardly, trying but failing to smooth down a lump in

the middle of his towel. "I didn't know anyone would be here."

"Obviously I didn't think anyone would come in." Louise said, eyeing the lump unabashedly. Then

she looked up at him, smiling. "I didn't know any cyborgs belonged to the club."

"I just joined." The cyborg said, shifting a bit as if trying to relieve something. "I'm new to

this...." He motioned to his mechanical parts. "The doctors said that steam would help my body

adjust and heal."

"They're right." Louise said before sucking on the tube for some water. She noticed the lump

seemed to grow bigger. How very - odd. "The heat will increase your blood flow which will take

the nanobots now inside you around faster and give them more fuel. They'll be able to mend your

flesh faster and soon the only sign you are a cyborg will be your cybernetic eye."

"You know a lot about cyborgs." The man said, placing his hands in a prim fashion on his lap. "I

only know normals are uncomfortable around them."

"Cyborgs and clones are two of the things my company specializes in." Louise answered. "How

did you come to be one, Mr....?"

"Detective Byron Black." He answered, not offering a hand as he wished that she wouldn't drop

her towel - and yet wishing she would. "I won't go into gory detail. I was captured by an

intergalactic drug lord who prefers to torture his captives and leave them alive. My brother

insisted the doctors fit me with cybernetics. I - I would've rather he let God and nature take their

course."

Louise smiled. "God can take you whenever He wants. We know that now. Obviously you were

not meant to die." Standing, she walked over and sat next to him, watching him flinch a bit. "Am I

so very ugly?"

"N-No - I - well, I mean....."

Chuckling, she said, "You may be new to this but you surely know that a cyborg can control their

arousal. Except when someone really stimulates them into over load. I have to say I'm both

honored and surprised that a handsome man such as yourself can't control his erection around me.

You'd be the first I didn't make wither on sight." With a deft movement she managed to peek

under the towel. "Well, you saw mine, I should get to see your's." She answered as she patted the

towel back in place, noticing the shudder of pleasure that shook his body. "Do you know why

normals don't like cyborgs?"

"Not really. I normally don't deal with them. We have a cyborg task force. Of course I'll be

retrained to be on that once I'm off medical leave." He said, wishing he had a drinking tube for his

mouth felt very dry.

Grabbing his right hand, Louise pulled it to her, dropping the towel to expose her massive breasts.

She slapped the hand above the left one. Grunting as something stabbed her. Judging from the

look in the detective's one human eye he didn't know what he was doing. Then she released his

hand and pointed to the rapidly fading red spot above her heart.

"You have just injected me with nanobots. Ones that won't multiply, but won't die off either."

She covered herself again and continued. "These nanobots are unlike any other. With them you

could control my mind and make me do whatever you wished. For all intents and purposes you

could basically rape me and I could do nothing to stop you because my body would willingly

respond to you even as my mind revolts. This is why people fear cyborgs. Gay men can force

straight men to have sex with them. Wives can be forced to be unfaithful to their husband with

men they would never touch in a million years otherwise. You could also make me commit a

crime. Or run naked down the street. Whatever you want."

Byron looked upset and sick. Yet he had to admit it would be thrilling to control this woman what

with the fire in those green eyes. This daring thing that didn't stand on propriety.

"Of course, you can turn them off any time you'd like." She smiled and stroked both sides of his

face with her left hand. "But I have a weird feeling you won't. For some reason my fat body,

declared ugly by our culture, turned you on. You want to know why. So do I. My name is Louise

Harken. Do with it what you will, Detective." Brushing her lips briefly against his, she was soon

gone.

Byron Black was glad no one else came in. It was a long time before he finally got certain parts of

him under control.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slowly Louise lowered herself into the tub. The last thing she'd do before going home. It was a

special bath of antibiotic fluids, nanobots, and moisturizers. It would take care of acne, stretch

marks, cuts, whatever. It would remove dead, dry skin, even give her a manicure and pedicure. It

was better then a massage. Completely relaxing. By the time she got out Louise felt like a new

person.

She was in the shower when she heard someone entering. Two someones to be precise. "Can you

believe her?" Said the first. "She's so fat and ugly."

"I know, why doesn't she just have some nanobots trim her down? It wouldn't kill her. Just give

her diarrhea until they purge the fat from her body. And everyone could use a good bowel

purging."

Both voices were female, though one was deeper, roughen to an almost male voice from years of

abuse. Perhaps drinking or drugs? Either way it was a harsh, ugly voice, but not as ugly as the

things they were saying.

"And she's such a freak! Always voting against the majority. Never uses a hover disk. I heard she

actually walks everywhere! Can you imagine? Walking!"

"Oh my God - what next?" The deep voiced one said. "I mean, bad enough she's a natural

blond.... couldn't she dye it brown or some other attractive color?"

"I don't know." The first one said. "But I heard her clone is just as much of a freak as she is."

Louise slammed out of the shower, completely naked, but the two women - tall and thin with

black and brown hair - didn't notice her nudity as much as they noticed the flash of anger in her

eyes. "You know NOTHING! You two are the two biggest idiots I have ever seen! I don't use

the nanobots to purge my system because it's a proven fact that the stress of the sudden weight

loss can rip your organs to shreds, 97% of people who do that procedure die from it within a

week! I'm a natural blond because I like my hair color and with my fair skin it looks better. I walk

because it's healthier then using a hover disk and while I may be fat my doctor says I've got the

best muscles he's ever seen. And L2 is a thinking, caring person. Not a freak. Oh, and the

majority is wrong! WE NEED RAIN!" With that she walked over to both women, shoved them

into the waiting tub, grabbed her robe, and stormed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So you just shoved them in?" Byron said as they walked down the sidewalk, getting stares from

the people on the hover disks. He chuckled. "Louise Harken, you're a wonder." Carefully he put

his real arm around her waist, pretending it was just to steer her around a piece of gum someone

spat onto the sidewalk and the cleaners hadn't gotten yet. "You are the head of the biggest

company in the entire world. You walk instead of using over disks. You play with old fashion golf

clubs. And you use a steam room even though they're out of style."

"I've never been one for convention." Louise replied. "I also prefer rain to sunshine, though this

moonlit night is nice."

"Yes, it is." Smiling down at the short woman next to him, Byron tried desperately to control

himself. He could have her, right here on the street if he wanted. She could be forced to act out all

his fantasies. Instead he tried to concentrate on other things by changing the subject. "I hate

clones though. All cops do."

Louise looked up at him in surprise, pausing her feet so she was jerked along just a bit. "Why?"

"DNA's the same - a criminal can get off any crime now by claiming a clone did it."

"Oh is that all." Louise smiled and kept walking. "Well, my company's clones are different. We

use nanobots to alter the DNA slightly or even greatly. It's part of our Reversing Extinction

project actually. We need to alter the DNA of animals we're trying to clone back from extinction

so when they breed with each other they won't be getting deformed offspring from too close of a

genetic match." She continued. "See, after the democrats weakened our government and the

terrorists started World War Three a large amount of DNA data was forever lost. We have to

bring back the Dodos from one single cell. A female cell. So we not only have to alter the genetic

make up of each one so they don't do a massive inbreeding, but we also have to learn to turn half

of them into males."

"Amazing. I wish your company was the only one that made clones. Then not as many crooks

would get off." Byron smiled. "So what do you do with your time when you're not bringing back

the dead?"

"I write dissertations and the like. Get them published of course. When you have all the time in

the world on your hands you can learn to do anything well."

"Wait - I know I've read one of your works - How Harry Potter Saved Christianity."

"It wasn't originally called that." Louise said. "Just a more catchy title then "How J. K. Rowlings

And "Lemony Snicket" Changed The Face Of Religion By Making Kids Love Reading" I guess."

"Shorter too." The detective said with a chuckle. "No, seriously, it was really good. I love how

you talk about how reading was on the decline until these two came along and made it fun again.

And how the televangelists did themselves in by putting Rowlings down so they were in fact

promoting her books. Making more people pick them up. It was just so well thought out and

written."

"Thanks," Louise said, blushing, she didn't get many compliments on her writing from "ordinary"

people. As they walked they passed a giant flat screen tv that brought the latest news updates.

Currently on the screen was a piece on wildfires. "If people just had the common sense to vote for

rain we wouldn't have so many of these." Her words made those around her grumble. "Well, it's

true."

"Oh don't let these ninnies get to you." Byron said, giving them all a good glare. "If I had voting

power I'd vote for rain."

People backed away from the couple even as the next report moved on to the continuous strife in

Israel. More suicide bombers, more killing. It was amazing the place even still existed and Byron

expressed as much.

"You don't understand," Louise said as they moved away from the tv. "As long as there is

fighting there the rest of the world is safe." Seeing the confused look on his face she continued.

"It's in the Bible - when there's peace between the Jews and the Muslims in Israel then the Last

Days are coming. As long as there is fighting there constantly then we know that the Anti-Christ

hasn't risen. Byron, not many who aren't powerful know this - many who are powerful don't

know this - but it's not just Jews and Muslims who blow themselves up. There's a group of

radical Christians who are rather insane that disguise themselves as members of either religion and

often they're the suicide bombers, more so then either of the other sides. They purposely prolong

the strife in order to keep the Last Days from coming. They're not real Christians, mind you, real

ones wouldn't do this. But they think they are, they think they're doing a good thing."

"Sickos." Byron said.

It went on like that all night. Since Louise didn't have to go to work, ever, she could stay up all

night long and that's exactly what she did. Well, mostly. In the middle of a serious conversation

she dropped off, curled next to Byron's cyborg side. Gently he carried her to her bedroom and

laid her down. Then he sat in the chair and watched her for the rest of the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Rain." Louise said as she was called to vote for that day's weather. Once again it was the same

old fight. Only this time she dropped her blanket and suddenly everyone changed their vote to rain

so long as she covered herself back up. Louise laughed and made them to agree to rain for the

next two weeks.

Byron watched as Louise ran naked in her back yard, rejoicing, celebrating the rain. She spun and

danced and he enjoyed every second of it. She was the weirdest, most amazing woman he ever

met. It was no wonder he found his "loins on fire" as they would say in cheap romance novels.

Without even thinking of it he used the nanobots raging thru her body to call her back inside.

Once in there he kissed her deep and hard, then turned the bots off. "I want you, but not so badly

as to take you by force."

Louise suddenly became nervous, shifting around. "Byron.... there's something you need to

know..... I'm - well, I've never...." Sighing she said, "I'm a virgin." She looked down, feeling

ashamed. Hardly anyone over 18 was a virgin anymore. There were strict laws that prevented

anyone under 18 having sex but once they hit 18 they usually did it with the first one who would

have them.

"You think I care about that? Louise, it's nothing to be ashamed of and I would be deeply

honored to be your first." Byron asked, burying his hands in her hair. He leaned down, kissing her

throat, pinning her against the wall. He knew he could have her any time but he wanted her

willingly. Everything in her told him she wanted him too, the increased breathing, the rapid pulse,

the heat rolling off of her. She moaned as he nibbled her throat. "Louise...." he moaned into her

ear.

"Byron.... take me." She moaned.

That was it, the last of his will. Before two more words could be said they were on the bed, a

tangle of arms and legs, flesh and machinery. He pinned her arms back, enjoying having that

control over her. She seemed to love it too as she moaned and thrashed wildly. He worked his

way down her body, for he could control himself longer, his pleasure didn't matter to him as much

as her's. While he had to let her arms go he could hold her hips firmly in place as he nuzzled the

hairless mound between her thick thighs. He had never been with a woman so smooth before, it

was better, he decided, for even just breathing on her made her wild.

Being a cyborg gave control no regular human had. His tongue could vibrate at a million different

speeds, and it never tired. Unlike Louise who after several gasping, sweating orgasms couldn't

take anymore. So now he worked his way back up and paused, pushing into her hot, soft core

slowly, pausing for one second as he looked into her eyes. Then he breached the barrier. Both

hating and delighting in her whimpers.

After that they went outside and made love in the wet grass. She got scraps from his cybernetic

parts but he knew in a few more months his flesh would've healed completely over them and the

scratches would no longer happen. For now though he licked the oozing blood from her, loving

the coppery taste of her blood and the tang of her sweat mixing on his tongue.

They lay in a tangle together. Byron had the time off of work until he was thru healing so they

spent the time together. For the rest of the two weeks it was like that. Making love in the rain that

everyone grumbled about but the people in power "cursed" them with. Then Byron had to go

back to work, begin his retraining. His flesh almost completely knitted over the cybernetic parts.

Louise missed him. Never before had she missed anyone so much. Not even her parents when

they died.

L2 was around, of course. Teasing Louise constantly.

Then there were the serious discussions. "Sometimes," Louise started, "it all feels so pointless.

Like I'm just marking time or I'm some character in some whiny pretentious piece of crap story

that people says is so full of meaning but in reality is just the writer purging their demons.

Something that's only full of meaning to the writer and the rest is all drivel creative writing

teachers insist is there and the mindless hangers on believe but the really creative ones, the ones

who go against the mold and don't try to write for meaning or to force their ideals on others but

just for the fun of writing know means about as much as a pile of dog crap."

"You are a woman of great thought and long winded pointless monologues." L2 stated as she

peeled a grape and ate just the peel. "You could be a character in that whiny series of monologues

so popular in the 21st century. The one about vaginas."

Louise chuckled. "You ever think about getting yourself a name, L2? I mean a real one? You're

your own person, you know. Not just another me."

"But do I have a soul, Louise? Do I deserve a name?"

"It says "Be fruitful and multiply," L2, it doesn't say how." Sitting back, she ate the peeled grapes

while L2 ate the peels. Though she preferred her's with the peel on, waste not, want not. "You

have a soul, L2, you deserve a name."

"I'll think about it. Thanks for the grapes." Lifting her toothpick thin body out of the chair with

difficulty, L2 headed for the door. She opened it and looked outside. "Everything looks so much

better after the rain. Like a rebirth." Looking over her jutting shoulder bone she said, "You

wonder why the fools in charge kept voting for sunshine instead of seeing reason."

"Yes, well, now that we've had some rain we could use the sunshine." Louise said. Watching L2

walk out and wondering if she'd ever see her clone, her child ever again. Resting her hands over

her belly, she wondered also how two such intelligent people could forget something as simple as

birth control.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"If I knew some rain would make you so agreeable, Louise," Ryan Doors said over the computer

screen, "I would've voted for rain years ago."

"Don't think I'm going to be satisfied with just these two weeks." Louise said, fully dressed for

once as she addressed the rest of the voting council. "I expect one day of rain per week from now

on. Look how much better everything is with rain. The wildfires are all out, everything is healthier

and happier."

"Well," said a pasty face woman by the name of Beverly, "I guess we should've listened to you a

lot sooner. You were right about the rain. So I suppose one day of rain a week wouldn't kill us."

"Then I have a proposal - we set down an agreed upon day for rain for the rest of the year. The

rest of the time you get your sunshine." Louise said. "This will allow us to get more sleep in the

morning and a lot fewer arguments."

Agreement was reached and the votes was recorded. Every Wednesday there would be rain from

1 am to 5 am, sunshine from 5 am to sunset, rain again until midnight. That way people would get

the sunshine they wanted and the earth would get the rain it needed. Louise sighed in relief and

removed her clothing, curling back against Byron's side. He played with her hair, wrapping it

around his cybernetic fingers. "Tell me about your childhood." He said, kissing the golden locks.

"I didn't have a childhood. I'm one of those tragic figures you see in heart rending stories."

"I'm serious, I want to know all about you."

"I am too." Louise said, staring at the ceiling. "When I was eight years old my parents walked into

their bank and were killed by robbers. They never made a provision in their will if I was too young

to run the company." She sighed. "The people in charge wanted to take everything from me. So I

picked a lawyer out of the phonebook, marched into his office. It was a horrid, dingy little place

and kind of scary. The lawyer was a big man, black in coloration, handsome, but in a threadbare

suit. I told him my story and said I wanted to stop them from using up my money. That I had valid

thoughts and feelings that needed to be taken into consideration. He had me tell that to the judge

and when the judge said that I may be a child but needed to be listened to, I put that lawyer in

charge of everything." Looking at Byron who lay there rapt in attention, she continued. "That

same year the company wanted to clone some of the famous people from the 20th and 21stcenturies. Elvis Presley, Michael Crawford, Alan Rickman, every major cast member from Star

Trek and all it's spin-offs. I tore into them. Told them there was no guarantee that their clones

would want to be actors or singers. That some might not even have Rickman's acting talents or be

able to sing like Crawford, Presley, or Brent Spiner. For all we know LeVar Burton's clone might

want to be a priest or William Shatner's would want to be a teacher. They didn't want to listen.

So I ordered them to clone me. I was, three times. One went insane and killed herself when she

was 16. The other is a nun. And then there's L2 who refuses her own identity but certainly isn't

anything like me. I've been the head of a company since I was eight years old. I've been on the

Weather Council since I was 10. I've voted for rain every single day and got voted down all the

time until I met you." She gave him a brief but sad smile. "Now, your turn."

"I had a normal, happy childhood." Byron said. "My twin brother and I grew up with our happily

married parents. We were never abused. I became a cop because I wanted to help people. My

brother became a doctor for the same reason. Then I was caught and tortured by a drug lord,

became a cyborg, and met and fell in love with you."

Louise pressed herself into Byron and sobbed. Not since she was eight years old had anyone said

they loved her. "Byron," she said thru her sobs, into his flesh. "I'm pregnant."

Byron looked at her. Then got up and left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The face on the screen use to be identical to Byron's. The black hair, the larger then normal nose,

the slightly crooked teeth that defied all dental work, the brown eyes. However it wasn't identical

to his face anymore. The owner of Byron's former face was wearing a white coat, behind him was

the hustle and bustle of an emergency room.

"Byron, this isn't unusual." Joseph said. "Lots of sterile men have become fertile due to

cybernetic implants and/or nanotechnology."

"Lots of sterile men weren't made sterile by choice." Byron said. "Joseph, how can I be sure it's

really mine? I mean, I know she was a virgin when I got with her but since then she could've.... I

mean, well, she is rich and I'm not with her 24 hours a day."

"She's got your nanobots in her. You can check. But I think it's your kid. Or kids. Twins often

have twins." Joseph smiled the usual closed mouth smile he had to cover his teeth. "My advice?

Throw away this stupid idea that a cop shouldn't have wives or kids and marry the woman."

Byron sat back as his brother signed off. He was in Louise's study. Books - real books -

surrounded him. One, obviously a handwritten journal sat in front of him. As he almost

subconiously ordered his nanobots in Louise to start paternity testing he picked up the book

before him. There was only one entry in it.

"My first biggest mistake was losing my virginity. I was 18. He was well into his 20s. Everyone

had told me that I was so fat and ugly no one would ever want me, that I'd die a virgin. So I

tumbled into bed with him just to prove them wrong. Then he turned out to be a drug addict,

became abusive. So I left.

My second biggest mistake was picking up a golf club. I'll never know my dream now. I want to

sing. Music is my life's blood. But I'm good at golf, a game I hate. So good I was pushed into

being a pro. Hitting little white balls. Dying inside.

No one gets it. No one understands. All I ever wanted was to be loved. I was so desperate I

actually allowed myself to be fooled into thinking this boy online was Lestat de Lioncourt from

Anne Rice's vampire books. Deep down I knew he wasn't a vampire but you have to understand,

that's how desperately I wanted to be loved. I watched my mother give her love to my drug

addicted brothers and felt empty inside. I watched my father give his love to my abusive mother.

And I died inside. No one noticed me, eating more and more, until I was so fat I was dying

outside too. Then I picked up the golf club, thinking if I did this, if I lost weight people would

love me. Meanwhile I became more destructive. First having cybersex with married men. Then

the real thing. Laying awake at night, wondering if I'd be going to Hell now.

You know where I'm writing this? An asylum. Mom is dead. She can no longer push me to do

what I hate. I'm over 50 years old now. Single still. Fat still. Still desperate to be loved. I had

myself committed so I could get away from the clubs and the grass and most of all those little

white balls, as hard as my own heart now.

All I ever wanted, all I ever needed, was someone to tell me that they loved me. That just by

existing I made their world a better, happier place to be in. That I mattered."

The entire thing ended there. Byron could tell that the ink was from the early 21st century. That

the writer had been female there was no doubt. He put the book down as the nanobots reported

back. Then he stood and walked back into the room. Louise lay in the bed still, watching the

door.

"You checked the paternity." She whispered. "I had the computer check your nanobots. You

checked to see if I have been cheating on you."

"Louise," he whispered, approaching her, expecting her to flinch away though she didn't. Sitting

on the edge of the bed, he began to play with her hair. "Louise, before this, when I was human, I

thought - I thought that a cop shouldn't have kids, no family, no widow left behind. So I had

myself sterilized. I didn't know that becoming a cyborg could change that. Can you forgive me for

doubting you? Will you marry me?"

Louise looked at him. Then smiled and touched his cheek. "Sometimes, Byron, you're

wonderfully naive. Okay. We'll marry."

Smiling, Byron took her hands. "Louise, you matter to me. You've made my world a happier,

better place to be in. You changed my life for the better and I love you."

"I love you too." Louise said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were married in the rain. Everyone else stayed under cover except for L2 who was the head

bridesmaid. Soaking wet they danced, kissed, shared the cake. Even L2 ate cake. Forced to by

Joseph in fact, who declared her weight unhealthy and would be taking her back to the hospital

with him to get help.

"Well," L2 said as the happy couple got ready to leave on their honeymoon. "I'll see you when

your dictator brother lets me go."

Byron chuckled. "We'll make sure to visit you when we get back, L2."

"It's not L2 anymore." The clone said. "I've got a name now. A real name." Smiling, she said,

"I'm Bertha. Bertha Rain."

Finally for once in her life feeling more then just someone marking time, feeling more then just a

character in some pretentious piece of crap story, Louise kissed her clone's bony cheek. Then

took her husband's hand. Leaving together. Feeling for the first time the most important thing she

could feel. That to someone she mattered.

~~The End~~