LITERAL REMAINS

David sat in a cafe across the street from the dealership, sipping at a coffee with just the right amount of sugar and milk mixed into the steaming brew. He had deliberately set his mind that he would not be on time for his appointment. He dawdled at his apartment, taking his own sweet time, leisurely pacing himself. He had woke early, and was showered and dressed an hour before his alarm was set to go off. He was excited, but he didn’t want to appear excited.

Having finished his coffee, he checked his watch for the time. He would only be five minutes late. He had hoped for fifteen, but he just couldn’t wait any longer.

David dropped a two dollar tip on the table and left. He crossed the street at the corner and walked back down to the dealership. Before going inside he took a quick glance around.

The showroom was cool, both temperature wise and aesthetically. Lots of smooth lines, and shiny chrome, and silver statues. But no matter how attractive and modern the architecture and the decor, David’s eyes were drawn to the floor models.

His heart thumped in his chest.

This year’s models were on display. Fresh from the assembly line, ready for purchase. Reds, blondes, brunettes–lined on the showroom floor, naked, arms at their sides. Their eyes were dry and vacant because they hadn’t been activated yet. And to show that their skin was new and improved, susceptible to touch and environmental changes, the cool air squeezed their nipples.

Some of the models were bald, shaved heads and pubes. Some were European imports with extra underarm hair. They ranged from thin (displayed at the front of the lines) to a few extra curves on to the back of the lines where the more Ruebenesque models were displayed.

The models at the front of the lines were possessed of a youthful appearance of the early twenties. Others appeared to be a little older, but the dealership could mature any model to a client’s satisfaction.

David glanced around nervously as a salesman approached. The salesman was middle-aged, his hair sprouted in clumps on an oily scalp.

“May I help you?” the salesman asked polite enough.

David shook his hand sternly. He meant business.

“Hello, yes,” David said. “I am David 38-68. I have an appointment.”

The salesman smiled big. “Oh, yes, of course. David 38-68. I’m Agent 45. We spoke on the phone.”

David sighed with relief. “Nice to meet you in person.”

Agent 45 looked over the showroom. “Let’s go to my office.”

#

Agent 45’s office was small. Extremely small. His desk barely fit. He had to slid against the wall just to sit at his chair.

David sat in a small folding chair the salesman procured from behind the door.

“Now,” Agent 45 began, flipping through a ream of papers. “You have already signed everything, all the formalities are taken care of. We just have to upload your criteria into the model.” He skimmed through pages then looked up at David. “Do you have any questions?”

David shifted in the chair causing it to squeak against the floor. “Just a couple, I suppose,” he smiled.

“I’ll be happy to help you any way I can.”

“Yes,” David said, still smiling, trying to get comfortable.

The salesman arched his eyebrows. “If I may, not to put you on the spot, but do you maybe need one of our complimentary instruction manuals?”

David furrowed his eyebrows. “No. You’ve already sent me one.”

Agent 45 squirmed. “That was, uh, on proper maintenance of your model. This other manual is…uh…it instructs you how to….”

“How to what?” David said.

Agent 45 wriggled his eyebrows. He said, “You know, how to-” then made a howling sound.

David looked at Agent 45 as if the salesman had lost his mind. “What?” he started to say then realized what the man was implying.

“What the Hell!” David boomed, offended. “Of course not. I already know how to-” then he howled.

Agent 45 put his hands up, offering peace. “I meant no harm. You’d be surprised how many men–people–how many people, uh, ask for, uh, you know–”

David waved the comment off. “I just want to know, to make sure, that–It is a new model, right?”

Agent 45 scowled. “Sir,” he said firmly. “That is all we sell. We are a new model dealership. We do not sell used.”

“Okay,” David placated the salesman. “I meant no offense. I just know that some places–”

“Well, not this place!” Agent 45 nearly screamed. He calmed himself. “All our hymens are intact. We do not do hymen restorations, we do not approve of that, or other procedures. These models are fresh from the factory, untouched. I can’t make it any clearer, we do not sell used.”

“Your word is good enough for me,” David said.

“Thank you.” Agent 45 took a deep breath and exhaled. “Anything else.”

David chose his words carefully. “The model,” he coughed, “is all synthetic, right?”

“Yes,” Agent 45 assured him. “All synthetic, all natural. Manufacturers did away with any kind of metal, or plastic, parts years ago. Too many problems, you see. A screw loose, and a poor guy is singing high notes for the rest of his life.” He paused. “If he survived at all.”

“And it is a woman.”

Agent 45 laughed. “Yes, David 38-68, of course. All we sale are new female synthetics. We have a male dealership in Sector 10 if you’re interested.”

“No,” David spoke up quickly. “I just want to make sure there’s no mix up.”

“Don’t worry, there’s not.”

A small beep sounded from Agent45’s watch. He smiled at David. “Are you ready to meet her?”

David opened his mouth, but he was speechless.

The salesman nodded as he stood. “I hope you have a very special evening planned.”

Climbing over his desk, Agent 45 led David from the office down a silvery hall with a metallic echo. Double doors at the end marked PRIVATE came closer and closer.

David felt his heart beating in the back of his throat. He couldn’t swallow the rush of saliva filling his mouth. He finally managed one gulp, and wiped at his lips, fearful he might be drooling.

Agent 45 tapped a sequence of strangely labeled keys. The doors slid back into their hiding places in the walls.

The laboratory was as cool as the showroom, and just as chromatic. Computers banked the walls, humming and whirring, blinking lights red, green, blue, and orange. In the middle of the room a technician manned a console, flipping switches, pressing buttons, and studying data. A cable snaked from it to a gurney, into the ear of a reposed model covered with a satin sheet.

David’s eyes yawned at the first sight of Angelina. A lean breath passed his lips, and for a second, though it felt to him an eternity, he couldn’t catch it again.

The technician stood when he saw David and Agent 45. “Everything ready?” Agent 45 asked.

The technician bowed. “Yes, sir,” he said, “just finished.”

The technician then pressed a button at the console, and the gurney tilted up. As the gurney rose to a standing position, the sheet slid away. Angelina was dressed in tight brown leather pants and a black halter top, clinging for life to every curve and angle of her svelte, tight body.

The salesman regarded David 38-68 with amusement. “It never fails to fill me with enjoyment,” he said.

“What?” David hoarsely mumbled.

“Presenting clients with their–I don’t want to say merchandise, let’s say…with their dreams.”

David mouthed, “Yes,” but there was no sound.

The technician was removing the cable from Angelina’s ear as Agent 45 approached. David stayed just inside the double doors, at the edge of activity. Angelina blinked. Her eyes were dark and moist, and David 38-68’s nerves settled, his heart batted to normal rhythm.

The salesman shined a pen light in Angelina’s eyes, her pupils responded. He looked back at David, motioning him forward.

David took confident steps within arms reach of Angelina and the salesman. The exotic model’s sultry eyes met David’s, and the both of them seemed to come to life.

“Angelina,” Agent 45 said.

Angelina looked to the salesman. “Yes, Agent 45,” she said, her voice silky sweet, her lips full and red in action.

“Good job,” Agent 45 said. He smiled. “You’re ready.” He turned to David. “All your criteria has been successfully uploaded to this model. You have a ninety day warranty, which is standard. You also purchased the extended warranty, so you have a year of free maintenance, and in that year you can exchange this model for another if you wish. At no extra charge, of course.”

Angelina glanced at David, quite shyly. “This is David?” she asked Agent 45.

Agent 45 nodded. “Angelina,” he beamed, “allow me to introduce David 38-68.”

David offered his hand. “Hello…Angelina.”

Angelina stepped from the gurney and put her arms around David. “I love you,” she said. “I have always loved you, David,” and then she kissed him.

#

The cabin was nestled in Sector 5 on the last remaining acres of woodland to be found in the world. It was a national park, but interests groups protected it, fighting the government from squandering it like they had done to the rest of the precious natural forests all over the country. David had spent almost half a year’s salary just to rent the cabin for the weekend.

Angelina was stretched out on a bear skin rug in front of the fire, wearing only a string of pearls around her neck and a smile. David put another log on the fire and sat next to her, brushing dust from his shirt. The sun was low in the evening sky outside, and he stared at her in the dimming light.

Angelina rolled on her back, stretching her arms and legs. “I love it here,” she said. “I absolutely love it.”

“I do too,” David agreed, though he found speech useless. To look at her overflowed his soul. The silence was enjoyable, the caress of her eyes the same. If he could spend the rest of his life being the man she saw, it would be a full life indeed.

She stroked his knee with hers. “Tell me about where we will live,” she said.

David said, “It’s no place special.”

Angelina sat up, and put a hand to his cheek. “As long as we’re together,” she said softly. A moment passed as her eyes studied his face. “Let’s watch the sun set.”

#

The sun was half obscured by the amber mountains. Angelina pulled the robe tight about her waist. David put his arms around her from behind. They stood on the balcony, a gentle breeze blowing and rustling her hair. Her dark locks licked at his face, and their honeyed fragrance refreshed him.

“When did they construct those mountains?” she asked.

“A few years ago,” David said. “About twenty, or so.”

“Were there mountains there before?”

“No,” he said. “Tourists requested them.”

“Can we see mountains from our balcony at home?”

“No, there are none. We don’t have a balcony either.”

Angelina laid her head back on David’s chest. “That’s too bad,” she said. “Maybe we could build a balcony.”

David smiled, inhaling her hair. “I guess we could. With the proper work order.”

“Good,” she said. “We could build mountains, too.”

#

David 38-68 frantically flipped through the manual. He knew he had read it in here somewhere, he knew he did. He rushed through the pages looking for the big bold letters. He knew it was in here, it expressly said NO A-

And there it was. Big as all life. There were times he hated being right. How could he have forgotten?

David closed the maintenance manual and tossed it on the table. He sat back in the chair, worrying. He had messed up.

Holding his pajama pants up, he went to the bathroom door and knocked. There was no reply. He knocked again.

Silence.

“Honey,” he said, the side of his face pressed to the door. “Honey, I’m sorry.”

No response.

David sighed. “I got carried away. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again,” he pleaded. He tapped lightly with his knuckle. “Angelina, baby-”

But there was only silence. He tried the doorknob but it was locked.

He had screwed up. The manual clearly stated that if you tried that, her receptors would scramble. She had to be specially programmed for that, but it would have cost so much more, David 38-68 finally decided it wouldn’t be needed.

But he had forgotten. He had lost his mind, and slipped up. He had forgotten, and now the world seemed deathly quiet.

He whimpered back to bed like a scolded dog. He thought about calling the dealership, but modesty prevented him from dialing the number. Giving a last look to the locked door, he laid his head on the pillow and fell asleep.

#

David 38-68 was dreaming. It was wonderful at first: He was flying through the air, over real mountains, and those ancient things that the Elders had christened oceans and seas. But then his powers gave out, the joy evaporated, and he was falling. Tumbling head over heels to the ground. He tried to flap his arms, anything, but couldn’t. The ground was rocketing towards him, and he couldn’t move.

David jumped awake, pulling and tugging, but his limbs met resistance. He was face down on the bed, his wrists and ankles tied to the posts.

Angelina stood at the foot of the bed. In her hands was a cat-o’nine-tails. She struck it against her boots, moaning as leather met leather.

“Angelina,” David said weakly. “Baby-”

“Baby, baby, baby,” she mocked him, her voice as seductive as ever, teetering on the edge of sanity.

David strained his head around to see her. “I really am sorry.”

She climbed onto the bed, a naked goddess towering over him. “Sorry,” she said and gave a little laugh. “You’ve been a bad boy.”

“I know,” David tried to say, but couldn’t before she brought the whip down across his back.

“I didn’t say you could talk, now did I?”

David said nothing.

“Answer me!” she struck the cat-o’nine-tails against the bed post.

“No! You didn’t!” David panted.

“When I talk, you listen,” she said, draping the whip around her supple neck. “You speak when spoken to. Understand?”

“Yes,” David replied.

“Yes, what?” she demanded.

“Yes, ma’am!”

“You’ve been a bad boy,” she said. “Do know what time it is?”

David’s mouth was dry as he asked, “What time is it, ma’am?”

“It’s time for bad boys to be punished.”

“Oh, God,” David whispered at the center of his mind.

“It’s time for bad boys to be punished,” Angelina repeated, and flogged David 38-68 across his bare ass with the whip.

He tensed at the pain, and let a little cry escape.

Angelina straddled his back. She pressed her lips to his ears, and he felt their flesh meet. “Who’s your daddy?” she said.

David was afraid. “What? Angelina?”

Angelina stood. David 38-68 heard her rummaging through their luggage. He strained his neck trying to see her, but she stood just out of his sight, a silhouette in the autumn glow of the room. The last thing David heard before the pain came was the buzzing. It was loud and industrial. Hours later, when he blacked out, nauseous from the agony, he still heard the buzzing, jack-hammering in the obscurity of his dreams.