The ceremony was almost angelic; at least that was what the crowds of congratulators told her, encircling like vultures. She hadn’t been able to resist switching to auto-pilot while the strings quartets sung, and the priest read their vows. The recording sat amongst everything else in her brain, saved to the cloud for anyone to access. He had wanted it that way, the thought of a thousand pairs of eyes looking through hers doubtlessly thrilling his leering mind. Katy let her thoughts wander silently past the crowds and over the rolling hills of Hollywood, showering hollow smiles to those who saw her. Calculating the best responses to their actions was easy, nothing more than an array of algorithms solved within mere seconds. Yet, they still considered themselves superior to her. Their elevated heartbeats fuelled the sticky sweet lies they lay at her feet.
“Hey baby doll, move your sweet ass over here for some pics will ya?”
Katy couldn’t suppress the inner shiver his voice loosened in her. The command left her core coated in slime, like the few strands of his slicked-back hair. She let him put an arm around her, his meaty fingers clasping her backside with painful pride.
“Smile my beautiful bride, let the world see what money can get ya.”
His breath was stained with tobacco and whiskey, clogging her throat as he pulled her closer. She looked down at him, his short toad-like figure pushing against her curves with hard desire. His tongue darted out, wetting his lips before he pursed them in expectation. Their first kiss as a married couple was planned and performed for the sea of paparazzi holding up their lenses in anticipation. Katy’s core froze, unable to switch off the nerves planted in her skin in time to avoid feeling the flapping slug of his tongue sliding between her lips. Lights flashed, cheers roaring through the crowds as a close-up of the scene flickered to life above them.
The party continued late into the next day. White powdered remnants of escalation dusted every surface. Pills crunched beneath Katy’s heels as she stepped over the heap of resting bodies littering the floor. Her body was covered in shades of yellow, black and blue, scratches covering her engineered skin. He had requested this, wanting the marks of his unyielding control and power to be seen, a reminder of how far he’d come. Pain receptors had been configured into her system too, the only AI whose skin could be stained by the hand of a human.
