Chapter 2

She was lying motionless on the bed, her good eye fixed pensively on the ceiling. The position of her body was a bit unnatural. Her hands were hanging limply by the sides of the bed, her feet bent inward in puppet like fashion. Only her head gave some sign of life.

"Are you comfortable?" I asked.

"Maybe. If I am not comfortable, I can't feel it. I am paralyzed now," she replied

"There must be something I can do for you."

"Don't worry! I will be fine soon. By the way, you know where the kitchen is if you get hungry."

I nodded.

"Do you feel embarrassed about the way I look now?" she asked.

"No, no, but somehow ... I need to help you.

She gave me a weak smile and continued to examine the ceiling with her good eye.

"Could you please bring me a glass of water?" she said.

I stood up and hurried toward the kitchen. When I got back, I put the glass on a low table and sat beside her. Her body felt limp and surprisingly tender in my arms as I lifted her into sitting position. Supporting her back, I brought the glass to her lips. She moistened them, and glanced at me. I waited as she sipped some more water, then lowered her gently down again.

"Do you really care for me," she said.

"No, I just want to fuck you," I said nervously.

Her good eye filled with amusement, the other remained disturbingly dead.

"There is something appealing about you," she said.

"My mother used to say the same thing," I said with a smile.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Peter."

"I am Nicole. I was named after a famous actress who died in 2068 at the age of 101."

"Cute name!"

"Do you want to know what happened to me?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied hesitantly, wondering why she asked me this.

"I want to tell you my story so that you can understand what I really am."

I remained silent, unable to find proper words.

"The police said it was a technical problem, but I wasn't so sure. I think the board computer got hacked. The navigation system of my car started to behave funny ... and I crashed into a bridge. The speedometer indicated 267 mph. That was the last I saw before the airbags knocked me out. I regained consciousness when they tried to get me out of the car. My body felt alien, as if it was ... transformed into something else. I had to bear the sight of my left foot resting comfortably on my breasts. The paramedics somehow managed to ... unfold me."

"Nicole, I think you should rest and forget..."

"I want you to know. So, I was transported to the hospital. When I woke up two weeks later, I saw my body stretched by traction apparatus. And I felt the pins that held my broken bones in place. Every now and then, some kind of mechanical device whirred to life, changing the position of my body. In these moments, I felt like dying. The doctor said that I had broken 43 bones, that my spine was severed, and that my kidneys and liver were replaced. He let me know that my body won't be functioning properly anymore unless they upgrade me. I agreed. The worst of all was that they had to delete part of my memories."

Her left eye welled with tears, as I squeezed her motionless hand. She gulped a couple of times and tried to smile.

"Why are you torturing yourself like that?" I asked," You must stop thinking about the past!"

"I just want you to know that I am not an ordinary girl anymore. Sometimes, I behave strange, and sometimes I have big problems.

"You want to scare me or what?" I said merrily.

"Aren't you scared yet?"

There wasn't any sign of playfulness in her voice.