Unexpected Love
by Ken Hoopes
(864 words)It started as an outgrowth of virtual reality research. The 'real experience', as virtual sex was known in the VR community, was only practiced by hackers rich enough to afford the equipment, or by geeks in university AI labs. When the wide band web came online, these groups started doing 'it' across the web. It gave the word 'hack' a whole new meaning.
The government tried in vein to quell the tide of online sex. Borrowing some technology from an abandoned psychological warfare project, the government added the ability to feel emotions and experiences. In the new system, partners had to know each other emotionally before going all the way. This modification gave the government the legitimacy it needed to sanction and regulate these systems.
Licensed by the government, and staffed by psychologists, 'Love On-line' became the ultimate dating service with branches in every major city in America.
Marvin Krelnik was a 30 year-old genetic engineer still living with his mother. Marvin spent his life with one hand on a microscope and one hand on a telescope. He was fascinated with the very large and the very small-perhaps that's why he was chosen. Although he was a wizard in genetics, he never had any success with women. Two weeks ago he decided to join Love-Online to meet the girl of his dreams.
*****
240 thousand miles away, someone was watching. Deep beneath the lunar surface, encased in a steel reinforced concrete bubble, Arcturan anthropologist Kryna sat alone watching the 3-D video broadcast from a cloaked drone she had stationed in front of Marvin's house.
Covert observation was a lonely business. This was the fourth year of a five-year assignment, and Kryna was climbing the walls. She had missed her last two mating cycles and was considered an old maid by Arcturan society-which is how she drew this assignment. In short, she was a lonely, desperate female.
At his house, Marvin received a phone call.
"Mr. Krelnik?" Said the voice on the other end. "We found a match for you ... No, I can't tell you her name. That will be part of the experience. Believe me Mr. Krelnik, you'll soon get to know all about her. We need to check out the systems. Is that OK? ... Good. We'll call you in an hour. I suggest you find a quiet place and cancel any activities for the rest of the day-the experience is quite intense. We'll call you back in an hour."
Kryna listened intently to the conversation below, then moved the cloaked drone over the house. The drone would block 'Love-Online' and act as an inter dimensional transceiver to overcome the time delay imposed by normal radio transmissions.
An hour later his session began.
At first Marvin felt a long empty loneliness. Then a warm compassionate heart that stirred his soul. It was only then that Kryna revealed herself. After the initial shock, Marvin had questions.
"From what I just experienced, I know who you are. Before we go any further however, I need to know why?"
"That's a fair question. I've been studying you for three years Marvin. I'm your web pal Kryna. Everything we talked about for the last three years tells me you are a kind and compassionate man. You're a good candidate."
"Candidate?"
"Very few of your race are worthy of our trust Marvin... You are one. You are kind, truthful, and faithfully follow your own code of ethics. Those brought into our species are subject to the 'scrutiny.' Those that do not pass are sent back. I could not bear that. Believe me Marvin. You were chosen well.
Using matter transposition, I will transform your human form to ours, leaving your mind and soul in tact.
"I don't know Kryna ... You're so different."
"Not all differences are bad Marvin. Our species experience depths of ecstasy your species cannot begin to understand. You will understand the universe as only an Arcturan mind can. This is the chance of a lifetime. Why don't we go to the next phase?"
"OK Kryna. I can feel your heart breaking. But we must talk when it's over."
"Agreed ... Thank you, Marvin."
An hour later, Marvin left his bedroom in an ecstasy-induced stupor. He talked briefly with his mother, got into his car, and drove to Ames Point.
Five minutes after he left, a Love-Online van roared up to his house. Two men left the van and rushed to the front door.
"Hello Mrs. Krelnik, we're from Love-Online. Is Marvin home?"
"No. He left a few minutes ago on cloud nine. I've never seen him so happy."
"Did he say where he was going?" The taller of the two men asked.
"He mumbled something about molecular transposition, and how beautiful the view is from Ames point. Does that mean anything?" She answered.
"Perhaps ma’am, we never received any signals from the system we installed here. There may be a problem."
*****
Two hours later they found his car up on Ames Point. His body was never found. Marvin got lucky. He found love in the last place he would ever think to look.
We send millions of pieces of information into space every day. Perhaps we should be more careful about what we send - someone may be listening.
<The End>
About the author:
Ken Hoopes has been involved with science most of his life. He started in the Aerospace Program working on the Lunar Module and shifted to computer science in 1968. He is currently a staff programmer at IBM and lives in North Carolina with his wife, Judy.
A big fan of Ray Bradbury, he began writing two years ago.
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