Light Rays Coming Out of the Computer Ch. 01

2014 - You surfed a porn site for wank fodder.

2096 - The events of Chasing the Dragon.

2123 - The gender ratio of infants throughout South America began to skew strongly toward females, with 1 male born for every 25 females. The male infants that did make it to term showed signs of strong hormonal imbalances or even genital feminization.

2124 - A mutated strain of the bacteria Wolbachia, capable of infecting humans, was discovered to be the culprit. Unlike previous strains, the bacteria proved to be highly infectious. It was also incredibly resistant to attempts at treatment. Worst by far, though, was the rapid pace at which the bacteria had already spread, and was still spreading. Doctors who had flown into South America to analyze and research a birth phenomenon unwittingly brought back a disease with no day-to-day symptoms.

2128 - Now coined "The Purge", the bacteria had infected an estimated 85% of the population of Northern America and Europe. The CDC released studies that heavily suggested that this mutation had been designed. Tensions began to rise between nations as males of every race became sterile or genetically incompatible with females.

Due to the incredible uncertainty Wolbachia brought, Russia became swept up in a call for the reinstatement of Communism. All-female leadership took over to great fanfare, and for several years very little else was heard from within it's borders as the great nation restructured itself "for the greater good of it's citizens."

2131 - As the bacteria ran rampant through the developed world, Russia broke it's own self-imposed isolation and began annexing neighboring territories in a bid to control vast natural resources as much as any remaining male population. In an emergency meeting, the EU unanimously passed a 'Mutual Defense' resolution. The threat of war with Russia loomed. Females were hesitantly conscripted on both sides as grunts in an effort to protect the male population, and an arms race toward alternate rank-and-file is quietly begun.

2132 - In March, a Russo-Chinese alliance was formally announced. The following day, China simultaneously invaded Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan. The US responded by sending carriers to Japan.

2134 - After 18 months of posturing and line drawing, a shooting war breaks out with the EU, the US, and Japan on one side, and China and Russia on the other. The forces of the EU suffered the worst of it as Russia is the first to unveil robotic soldiers. Although their versatility in combat left much to be desired, their hardiness and design created strategic problems that the Allied Forces would not soon be able to counter.

2135 - News leaks out from behind the new Iron Curtain that males have been nationalized, becoming property of the state. For the first time in centuries, human beings became property in a First World nation. Although the Allied forces are not able to turn the tide, their defense became much more frantic. The war slowed down to town-by-town, street-by-street blood baths.

2137 - The Russian invasion of mainland Europe reaches the northern shores of France. The British Isles became the sole holdout. Although the rhetoric and propaganda attempted to draw parallels to the second World War, their ability to influence the war was almost completely nullified. Even the once-lauded Royal Navy was reduced to a smattering of ships performing guerilla operations in the North Atlantic. Later that year, China released an engineered virus, decimating Japan's population. The entire island was quarantined. The US was left alone in the war.

2138 - First documented case of parthenogenesis in humans discovered. Post-Purge females began to spontaneously become pregnant and give birth without semen from a man. Although the pattern would not be visible for another decade, most females began to give birth on a three to four year cycle. Birth, new life, and it's perception gradually began to shift toward something common and regular rather than precious and born out of love.

2140 - Communist forces took control of India. In addition to the vast population, the Chinese also gained access of one of two Space Elevators in the world. Built at the turn of the century, the Elevator and it's twin in Ecuador were more than just the gateway to outer space; they also represented the possibility of incredible resources in the burgeoning field of asteroid mining. A rogue element in the United States CIA attempted to sabotage the communist-controlled Elevator in India with a tactical nuclear weapon.

Although the Elevators were designed with a structural weak-point at the base, the cables did not break away as intended. Instead, the massive structure rippled and broke 3,000 miles above the surface. As the counterweight at the far end dragged the station and it's 1,000+ inhabitants out into the vastness of space, the remaining cable snapped back into Earth's atmosphere. The kinetic force of the cable, as it struck down along the equator, was roughly equivalent to a series of nuclear bombs going off in rapid succession over the Arabian Sea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, and the Central African Republic.

2141 - Following a retaliatory nuclear strike at the US-controlled Elevator in Ecuador in which the structural weak-point functioned, The United States launches a full-scale intercontinental nuclear assault against Chinese and Russian targets. The United States believed that their superior stealth technology would allow the bombs to land before a return strike could be mounted, but within minutes, Mutually Assured Destruction failsafes across Asia signalled the end of the United States of America. Between the two waves of nuclear strikes and the unprecedentedly-massive cloud of debris kicked up by the fallen Space Elevator, no survivors on either side are able to assess the damage inflicted, and the Third World War comes to a sudden, violent end with no clear winner.

With all major governments having crumbled and much of the world irradiated, society collapsed. Global warming due to radiation caused much of the polar ice caps to melt, reshaping the world as we knew it and ravaging what was left with increasingly severe weather. The older generation, those who had seen the birth of Wolbachia, began to die off, and with them died the millennia-old hierarchy of the sexes. Gender population steadied, with males now only making up approximately 5.75% of the world. The vacuum of power and lack of a government-backed monetary system reduced most of world to a barter system.

The most valuable stocks of usable material, technology, and real estate were in the hands of corporations. A medical supply company with access to a full warehouse, a communications company with access to satellites; these were the new Captains of Industry. Access to these vital resources was ruthlessly controlled, demanding total obedience from any wandering souls in need. As time passed, these "company towns", built strategically away from the rich military targets that had been sure to be bombed, grew and grew. By 2150, domes were being erected to protect from the intense radiation and erratic weather patterns brought on by global warming. Shelter and food underneath those domes came at the price of forced labor. By 2160, most of these "company towns" had either completed their dome, or had been abandoned to merge corporate resources with neighbors who lacked what they had to offer but had completed their dome. By 2170, the average worker's quality of life had risen to something approximating pre-war levels, but at the cost of almost all civil liberties.

2175 - The Russian Republic forms in what was once Eastern Europe, as thousands of miles of land on either side of the Ural Mountains was rendered uninhabitable. The RR largely forms in response to and in opposition of the increasing, albeit localized, power of corporations within America. This new Russia is also heavily communist, with the government taking over all forms of production and distribution, outlawing capitalism of any form.

2179 - The hubs of civilization in America have begun to form into massive cities dubbed "Mega-cities". These Mega-cities create their own governments with major corporations acting as controlling councils. Non-compete clauses set up each corporation as it's own monopoly within a given city. Only the employees of these corporations are considered full citizens, despite every city gathering a vast number of 'huddled masses' that eke out a life in the lowest parts of these dizzying metropoli.

2181 - In response to the increasing influence of the RR, the American Mega-cities band together to form Conglomerated City-States of America.

2192 - Antigravity technology developed by the CCSA. Although it has nearly limitless applications, the developing corporation restricts it's availability almost completely for fear of it falling into Russian hands. In addition to that, the equipment required to power antigrav scales poorly with the antigrav strength. Beyond small prototypes, it's only application with current generation technology is allowing objects in high atmosphere to resist the Earth's gravity well, allowing for the first space elevator located away from the equator.

2195 - The first extraplanetary capture of an asteroid. The mission to begin this had been launched 70 years earlier. Although communication with NASA failed in 2145, the crewless craft continued to pursue it's purpose. The Asteroid itself, 887 Alinda, was towed into Earth's orbit opposite the Moon. It was never visible from the surface of the Earth.

2198 - The drone towing 887 Alinda was hacked and taken over. A crew of robotic workers was flown up onto the asteroid. Construction began as the asteroid was hollowed out for the material needed to build first the antigrav generators, and then the Space Elevator itself.

2200 - 887 Alinda was towed into geostationary orbit over New England.

2209 - First northern space elevator is completed, as the cable makes landfall in Emerald City, located deep in the green mountains of Vermont.

2214 - The first weather control base is built on the Emerald City Elevator line in the upper atmosphere, allowing for the formation of a positive pressure envelope around the city and the dismantling of the dome. Emerald City becomes the first undomed city in the Northern Hemisphere in almost a half century.

2217 - Communism's systematic intolerance of religion and Russia's strict immigration laws interfering with members of the Nation of Islam's ability to make the all-important Pilgrimage to Mecca had always made their occupation of the Middle East tenuous. When the RR slowly pressed it's borders into Africa, a rash of large-scale uprisings swept throughout the region. A state of tension forms between the CCSA and the RR with both parties cutting off formal ties. Russia's military campaign into what was once Egypt met with fierce resistance.

2220 - Russia's military campaign in Egypt is summarily abandoned. Many soldiers fighting on the front lines are left behind.

2224 - Present Day

***

This story, Light Rays Coming Out Of The Computer, takes place in a vision/version of the future along with two other stories here on Literotica. Chasing the Dragon, set 130 years earlier, has several tie-ins that enrich and enhance the reading experience, and although it is by no means required. The Huntress is a contemporary story to Light Rays. Characters and plots from the two stories will overlap. Although it is possible to read these two independent of each other, we do not recommend it. Chasing the Dragon was written by me. Light Rays and The Huntress were both co-written by LittleGrue and myself.

***

//This story is dedicated to Adam in San Antonio, or wherever you are//

"Whistle while you work!"

I purse my lips and blow, but whistling was never a talent I possessed. What follows is a wince-inducing breeze that resembles neither the centuries-old slave labor hymn, nor anything else. If it could, I'm sure the tipped-over Synth head on the work bench behind me would roll it's eyes. Still, an A for effort if I do say so myself.

"No!" it cries. "F Minus,"

I slam down my screwdriver and touch the broadcast button on my earpiece. "Stop doing that," I yell over my shoulder. "I'll get the foil hat. Don't test me!" It snickers and returns to inanimacy. Just a head. Ani-Skin stretched over a ceramic skull and not much else. Sometimes, I wish they would stick around a little longer, but if they did I'd never get anything done.

My hand hovers over the screwdriver for a moment while I wait to see if anything else wants to chime in, but the peanut gallery has been gracious today. I've had time to get the current job 46% functional. Sure, she's still just a torso, a head, and one arm, but most of the rest of the parts are already assembled; the lions share is behind me.

"What is a lion, anyway." I keep my finger hovered over the button, as I'm sure I'll have follow-up questions if I get a response, although... "Why am I even asking? If I don't know, you guys don't."

"We know many things you do not!" A male escort Synth, in for repairs and hanging on the far wall, giggles maniacally. "Secret things!"

"I suppose I walked into that one." I drop the height on my stool and duck inside the ribcage. The diagnostic on left arm control is coming along beautifully. My guy keeps telling me his OS can handle the install and diag on both arms simultaneously, but I had bad experiences with that before. I once watched a Synth stand in front of a door and grope for the handle with the wrong arm for 15 minutes. I literally rolled on the floor. Watching a synth lose track of which arm is supposed to do what is hilarious, but also bad for business.

"Freeee-yaaa! You have a cus-tom-eeerrrrrrr!" The mellifluous voice of Frannie, my front desk Synth, piques my interest. A hush falls over the crowd. I tap the display button on my earpiece, and a hologram slides across my field of vision. A tall woman in a black knee-length jacket is wandering along the display case in the left side of the store front. The room around me erupts in a chorus of "Oh!" 's.

"Sexbot!"

"Seeexbot!"

"Totally buying a sexbot."

"I'm sticking to my guns," I say. "Personal defense unit. I'm due." I'm totally due. This is my time, and I'm unphased by the smattering of scoffs and 'yeah right's. She has that monied look to her. I feel lucky. "Shush. She's approaching..." I watch through the eyes of my Synth as she meanders towards the desk in no particular hurry. Frannie cocks her head slightly, no doubt smiling brightly as the customer establishes eye contact. Striking the right balance of 'smiling brightly' is harder than you might imagine. There's a lot of room to go wrong, and the results can be... creepy.

"Hello Madam! Welcome to Midgard Custom Synthetics Boutique, a division of the Charot Corporation. How can I assist you?"

"Yes, I am looking to buy a male...er compan-" The crowd around me erupts in a mixture of hoots, hollers, and cat calls.

"Yuck it up, guys. Yuck it up." As soon as my eyes refocus at a distance, the hologram fades to nothing. I shake my head as I walk over to the sexbot jar. "I don't even know what you guys are gonna do with this." A few quick taps on the wrist, and I transfer 1000 credits to the little account card inside the jar.

"Don't you worry about what we're gonna do with it, Freya."

"Yeah," says a prototype foot I've been tinkering with. "We gots big plans!"

"My time will come," I say as I flop down in my stool. "All those credits will be mine again, and I'm gonna get blitzed out of my mind at a bar."

"Keep dreaming," shouts the escort Synth.

"Alright, alright. Back to one." I finally let off the broadcast button, and my audience is mercifully silent while I get back to work on the sexbot in front of me. A soft chime in her chest tells me the left arm diag passed, so I quick snap the right one on and start that diag before getting back to the pressure sensors linkage for the lower half. "You got that L-U-A Ani-Skin ready for me yet?"

A pair of pincers on hard mounted arms make an affirmative servo whir as they dip down into the vat they hover over. Seconds later, they lift a sinuous strip and hold it up for my approval.

***

"-so then she says 'That's not my fake arm!' " I smile. Not because the joke was particularly funny, but because Jeanne is one of my very few friends. She knows I'm just appeasing her though, and she rolls her eyes. "So come on," she says. "You've been avoiding it all day. How did it go with Teemo?"

"I, uh... Well, he was very nice."

"I told you he was nice."

"He was. And his pussy was super wet, just like you said it would be."

"Boy gushes like a faucet."

"..." My eyes drift downward.

"Aww. What's the but?!"

"He..." I struggle to put it nicely. "He's kinda stupid." Open mouth. Insert foot. Good job.

Surprisingly, Jeanne frowns and nods in agreement. "Yeah, he kinda is, isn't he? I just thought you two might have a lot to talk about since you're in similar fields."

"Similar- Aw, come on! He's a factory worker for Wulftek! Just because he's in the room while mindless machines mass-manufacture inferior Syn-"

"You're ranting," she lilts with a smirk.

I take a deep breath. "...doesn't mean he knows the first thing about what I do. I'm an artist."

"You make Sexbots."

"That's not all I do!" I say indignantly.

"What's the pot up to now?"

"...57k."

"Fifty s... Hun, I love you, but you make sexbots."

"Shut up."

She laughs, a full throated, husky affair. "Sooo, if that didn't go well..." A shoeless foot slides up between my knees, and I jump a little as she drags her toe along my thigh. She laughs a little harder. "You're so cute when you blush."

"Yes. We can."

"Yaaaay!"

"You know she'll never set you up with a winner," says the anti-bacterial gel dispenser at the table. "Not until she finds someone better to be her fallback!"

I cup a hand under the nozzle and pound the dispensing button harder than is necessary. Jeanne gives me a dubious look, but I merely smile and spread it judiciously before picking up my protein wrap.

***

Jeanne squeals with delight as her fingers wrap around the waistband of my pants, and she bares me in one motion.

"Aww, not her ag-mmmm!" My clit's frustration is misguided, and overrun by Jeanne's eager lips. I take off my earpiece and toss it on the floor beside the bed. Maybe I'll get a few minutes peace this way. Her tongue teases the tip, and I rapidly unsheath in her mouth. I have to admit that she's gotten really good at this part. The hood, trailing away to either side, doesn't let her get a tight seal while she's taking the whole thing in her mouth, but the way her tongue slithers along the bottom and tickles my urethra is phenomenal. The sloppy sucking sound is pretty great too.

I bite my lip in anticipation as I swell within her. My favorite part... here it comes, here it comes, here it comes...