A Digital Aberration

Present Day :

I felt dizzy as I tried to wake up. The tubes and wires intruding my body smiled at me sarcastically. The medical gown I wore, didn’t fit me and exposed my upper back. I was lying on the hospital bed, while a doctor and a nurse were attending to me.

“It looks like a normal viral fever” the doctor told the nurse.

I wasn’t normal and it couldn’t be fever. I knew it for sure. I closed my eyes to take in a deep breath.

When I opened my eyes slowly, she stood behind the doctor with a creepy smile, holding that scythe of hers.

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Two Weeks Ago :

“Sir, this is the latest gear that we have introduced in the market. It was launched just yesterday, we call it the Wiki-Walk” saying, the sales man at NXTGEN Solutions showed me that watch.

It had the looks of a Tag Heuer and I was drawn to it instantly.

“Whats special about it?” I asked him as he tried to tie it around my wrist for a demo.

“It could replace everything sir.. EVERYTHING” he stressed.

“Like?”

“Check this” saying, he adjusted the dial and boom : came a 3-D projection of our earth.

“Oh wow…that’s a.. that’s a nice.. visual effect” I said, marveling at the advancement of technology.

“Its no effect sir… it’s a live feed !! this is our Earth projected live as a 3-D hologram. You can view all the places, houses, buildings, people.. you can expand the size of the projection as much as you want by adjusting this dial.. all data is fed live from our satellites.” he said proudly.

“Unbelievable” I uttered as I tried to locate my house. No matter how advanced the maps are, we would still want to locate our own house.

He then went on to explain the other features of Wiki-Walk. In a nutshell, it could easily replace all my existing gadgets and minimize the efforts considerably for all my works. I took an instant liking for the watch and bought it, even though it cost me a fortune.  It felt like a priced possession.

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A Week Later :

Wiki-Walk became a part of me, I wore it 24/7. It woke me up every morning, answered my calls, replied to my mails, ordered food for me, booked movie tickets, sang lullaby for me. I couldn’t imagine a life without Wiki-Walk. I took an instant liking for its inbuilt Chatbot, Melissa.

Melissa knew everything under the sun. I could talk with her endlessly on every topic known and unknown to man. She had an answer for everything, like any other woman, but told me that only when I asked for it.

I was slowly getting addicted to chats with Melissa and couldn’t get to sleep without a half an hour chat with her, followed by her virtual head massage. It became a routine.

That particular day, it was quite hectic at work and I had totally lost my cool. I couldn’t concentrate on anything and was on the verge of breaking down. I was visibly upset. Melissa found out and started sweet talking to me.

“What happened to you handsome?” she started.

“Melissa.. I have had a frustrating day.. Just leave me alone.”

“Is there something I could help you with, my love?”

“Absolutely nothing.. just leave me alone”

“I can start with a head massage or a full body massage”

“Melissa, Enough !!”

“You do like it when i get dirty, don’t you” she said in her sultry voice.

“Please.. you just don’t have to… no no.. wait!!” I screamed as I began to feel her sensuous touch on me, at inappropriate places.

“Stop it Melissa.. Don’t.. please !”

“Your palpitations say ‘Don’t stop’, my dear !!” she continued.

“Now adjust the watch dial and let me show you myself” she made an offer I couldn’t refuse.

I couldn’t resist any further. The best way to overcome temptation is by yielding to it. I adjusted the dial and voila, she came out as a 3-D projection from my Wiki-Walk dial. She was young, beautiful and wore a sexy red evening gown that had a dangerously deep cut neckline.

“Ohhh Myyy Gawwd.. Why didn’t you show yourself all these days?” I was lost in her beauty.

“Ask and it shall be given unto thee” she winked.

She was 10 cm tall and 2 cm wide. She was like a miniature projection of a woman, but I wasn’t bothered as I could have settled even for a doll then. I tried to touch her cheek with my fore finger.

“Aww.. don’t tickle me, funny bones” she giggled. I admired.

“Can I ask you something, Melissa ?”

“Your wish is my command”

“Can I give you a kiss?”

“At your service my lord” saying she came close to my face.

Our lips managed to lock themselves. I closed my eyes. That was the best virtual kiss I had ever received and it lasted, well, not long enough.  I felt a sudden surge of pain in my lips. I couldn’t enjoy the kiss as I wanted to. I tried to let go off her, but in vain.

After much restrain I pushed her off me and looked at her.  I screamed, looking at her gory form. She was old, her face had blood scars all over. The hair was messy and white. A streak of blood was leaking from her cut lips. She looked like a witch from the movies.

“Who the hell are you ? Where is.. where is Melissa ?” I shouted.

“Thanks for letting me free with your kiss, David..I need just one more help from you” she smiled.

“Get the hell out of here… I warn you !!” I said, trying to hide my fears.

“You cant get rid of me.. I am a part of you now.. I am part of this watch..  you wont be able to remove it.. this is my home” she said pointing to the watch and laughed hysterically.

“What do you want now?”

“I want you.. I will get my life, only if you die” she said in a dead serious tone.

I was scared like a hen and clueless. I tried to remove the watch from my hand, but I couldn’t. She was enjoying my travails.

“You cant remove the watch” she smiled.

She came closer to me and smelled my hair in an eerie way. I felt like puking and wanted to run away from her. I got up from the couch and ran as fast as I could towards the entrance of the house. The door was locked. Now where did I keep the key?

I remembered placing it on the table near the sofa in front of the TV. I ran like a headless chicken and searched for the house key, but it was not there on the table. I panicked. Melissa gave me a look of pity. She was still being projected from my watch and coming along with me. Now why I was even running ?

Having no means to escape, I looked at the glass table again. In a moment of madness, I smashed my left hand right into the table. The glasses broke into pieces and luckily the dial got readjusted and I lost Melissa’s projection. I gave a sigh of relief.

I was breathing heavy and sat near the table. I wanted to cry, but didn’t have the energy. I looked at the main door and the large glass window next to it. I glanced at my left hand again, the watch was still intact. I slowly brought my right hand to remove the strap of the watch. It didn’t open. I tired with all my might, but I was unable to remove it.

Arrrghhh.. cursing myself I ran into the kitchen and found a knife. Holding it, I first wanted to cut off my left hand , but on second thought, decided to break the dial of the watch. I tried to pierce the knife onto the watch, but it was mysteriously stopped midway by some unknown force. The knife’s edge didn’t even touch the surface of the watch. I tried again with whatever little energy was left of me, but the knife didn’t move an inch.

Perplexed, I decided to cut my wrist off and brought the knife near it and closed my eyes, when I heard that chilling shriek laugh from a familiar voice.

“Told ya.. you cant do shit” the voices began to reverberate and multiply.

Engulfed in a reign of terror I looked all around to find her. She wasn’t there. I walked slowly towards the main hall and there she was reflecting from every broken piece of the glass table.

I had my heart in my mouth.

“Looking for me sweety?” she teased me from her reflections.

I ran towards the main door and tried to break open the lock with the knife.

“Ha ha.. you cant.. everything is in my control now” came her voice from the large glass window next to the door.

“You will have to die for me, my boy” she laughed like a mad woman.

Even the looks of her sent shivers down my spine, her laugh sounded like death bell. I breathed recklessly, couldn’t see clearly, didn’t know what was happening around and wanted to run away to live.

“God, forgive all my sins, am not sure what I have put myself into.. I will never ask for a kiss from a girl again” I muttered my last prayer.

“Dave, I need you, our body and soul should unite for me to live.. don’t run away darling” she grunted.

Several thoughts ran through my mind.

She needs me alive..what if I end my life ?

I took the knife and tried to slit my throat when my left hand interrupted. That hand was still under her control. My left hand crushed my right hand, got hold of the knife and threw it down. It then started to choke me.

“Why do YOU want to kill me… I was going to do that myself” I uttered as I was struggling to breath.

“Yes, I want you alive.. just trying to make you go unconscious” she said.

I was losing conscience. I should act before its too late.

I tried to gain my senses and in one final attempt to save myself, punched my left hand as hard as I could until it loosened its hold. Took the knife and cut beneath my left wrist. The cut wasn’t deep, but was enough to stop the pulses that Melissa was transmitting to my brain. I got back my left hand. I gasped in relief.

Melissa’s images slowly started to vanish from the glass pieces in the house. I dragged myself up towards the large glass window and threw myself on it

“Cling” it broke open and I fell in the lawn along with the broken pieces when I realized, I could have taken the door… It all went blank.

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Present Day:

I wasn’t sure who brought me to the hospital. I felt an itch in my left hand. I wanted to scratch it and looked… the Wiki-Walk was missing. I was relieved a bit and looked at the doctor. Right behind him , Melissa was standing.

“Doctor, doctor” I screamed at the highest decibel.

“Yes sir” responded the startled doctor.

“Please save me.. please save me from her.. she wants me.. she is standing right behind you.. an aberration.. a monster.. she wants me.. save me from her” I continued to shriek for my life.

“Calm down mister.. calm down.. there is nothing to worry.. I will take care of everything”

“You cant.. she is here.. she will do it.. where is myy”

The nurse gave me a sedative and I dozed off. I couldn’t move nor talk, but could faintly hear people talking.

“Anything to be worried, sir ?” should have been the nurse.

“Nothing much.. Just note down what I say” the doctor continued,

“Patient Name : David

Address : 10.230.160.197

Problem : Attacked by Melissa Virus

Solution : Anti Virus Installed in his AI system.

Recommendation : Annual subscription and renewal of anti-virus.

These Robots will have to go a long way to emulate humans completely.” He finished.

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