R.I.T.A.

898 Myriad Circle Unit #2

Pteetneet City 08647

“They aren’t numbered, which one is unit 2?”

“Well, my dear Bird, I assume it must be that one in the middle,” said Cosmo.

“How do you suppose?” asked Birdie.

“There are only three. One. Two. Three. Even if you reverse it, two still comes in the middle. No one is going to put two on the end.”

“Hello, hello, are you Mr. and Mrs. Felt?” an older woman in a smart red pantsuit strode forward with her hand held out.

“Yes, you can call me Cosmo. This is my wife Birdie and that bundle in her arms is our daughter, Astra.”

“Isn’t she a joy. Well, come now, come now. I’m Mrs. Butcher, the rep from Spy Hive. We’ll do the tour first, sign some papers, and then she is all yours. Let’s go, the middle one there,” said the woman.

“Wait,” said Birdie.

“Yes, dear,” Mrs. Butcher smiled, but tapped her foot with impatience.

“Sirius? Our son?”

“All part of the tour. Please follow me,” said Mrs. Butcher who turned and briskly walked to the boxlike condos.

The tour consisted of a living room, dining room, kitchen, basement theater, master bedroom, two children’s rooms, two full bathrooms, a home office, and a greenhouse. The backyard was fenced in with a pool and hot tub. There was a garden and treehouse for the kids. It was the perfect starter home.

“I know, it’s been a fairly average home so far. Once you sign the paperwork I can introduce you to your live in nanny and,”

“Sirius? He’s here, right?” begged Birdie.

“Yes, your son. He’s right behind the door at the end of this hallway, BUT FIRST, I need to remind you that you are here under strict NDA with Spy Hive. Your contract is valid for up to 30 years. Mr. Felt will retain his day to day job in our sales office part time and report regularly on the market testing performed in this house. All products tested in this household are to remain within the threshold of the home on ground of immediate termination. Mrs. Felt, you understand that this includes your son?” Mrs. Butcher pulled a contract from her purse and set it on the table in front of them. She tapped a pen to her tongue and handed it to Birdie.

“Yes, I understand,” Birdie said.

Cosmo took the pen and signed next.

“Rita! Come and meet the Felt’s,” Mrs. Butcher called.

A panel on the kitchen wall lit up like a staticky television. A bulge appeared in the static and then, slowly, out pushed a foot, a torso, and then a full humanoid stepped from the screen. It swayed side to side before forming into a tall brunette with a school mistress vibe.

“Hi, I’m Rita.”

“Wha- what?” stumbled Cosmo.

“Rita. Short for Robotic Interface Transcending Aether. She’s a combination of nanotechnology and proprietary material involving theoretical physics. What you need to know is that she is your walking, talking, AI helper. She can nanny the kids, cook, clean, and everything in between. When she is done for the day you just need to tell her to go to bed. She is built into the paint of the walls which means she can be ready at any moment in any place within the house. Now, Rita, would you please show the Felt’s to their son, Sirius?”

“Follow me,” came Rita’s smooth voice. She winked and turned down a long hallway. Mrs. Butcher followed and continued to talk.

“Now, as I mentioned earlier, this is yours son’s room. It’s also the core of the house. He is to return here nightly, no later than 10pm, for his treatments. The treatments last between six to nine hours per night equating to an average night of sleep, but he cannot miss a treatment and they should never be interrupted. Before Rita opens that door, I need you to understand that the treatment Sirius is getting relies on the equipment in this core. Rita freeze,” Mrs. Butcher said with a halt. Rita froze in mid-twist of the knob.

“What I am saying is that you are signing up understanding that your son may never leave more than 300 feet from the perimeter of this household. The medical miracles performed in this facility are still, at best, experimental. Last chance to walk away. Spy Hive would compensate you greatly for your donation to furthering medical science and he would be well taken care,” Mrs. Butcher said.

“You could find a cure sooner than later,” Birdie said with tears in her eyes.

“Or maybe never at all. Your son’s accident caused irreversible physical damage, he’s permanently brain dead, unrecognizable,” Mrs. Butcher said.

“He needs his mom,” Birdie interrupted.

Mrs. Butcher nodded.

“Oh, and Mrs. Butcher. Can we change Rita to look less…”

“Less husband-stealing tramp? Yes, she can look like anything you’d like. Rita, change to skin 17 and open the door.”

Rita did as she was told and morphed into a preteen with headgear as the door swung open and there stood her son, Sirius, in his thermal blue and banana pajamas.

“Hi mom, when did you get here?”

Birdie knelt down and her son came running into her arms.

“Dad, what’s wrong with mom? Why is she crying?”

“You’ve been sick, son. We haven’t seen you for a while. We’ve missed you,” said Cosmo, ruffling his son’s hair.

“I’ll leave you all to it then. Rita has a timer set for 30 minutes prior to 10pm. She will provide you full instructions on bedtime procedures. If you have any questions between now and then ask Rita to give me a call; Mrs. Butcher is on speed dial. Rita, help the Felt’s with their bags on the front porch while they get reacquainted with their son. They haven’t seen him in nearly a year,” Mrs. Butcher said as she walked away.

“Yes, Mrs. Butcher,” Rita followed awkwardly behind.

That night, after Astra was tucked into her crib, Rita showed the Felt’s how Sirius bedtime routine worked.

The bedroom itself was the only fully holographic room in the house. When it wasn’t being used as a bedroom it could be turned into a classroom, a playground, or any of 14,000 different preprogrammed locations.

Mrs. Felt would pull back the sheets of the bed to reveal a large hollow solid metal cabinet in the center. The only actual feature inside the otherwise empty hologram room. The chamber was large enough for a full grown man.

After a bath and a quick toothbrush Sirius would lay down in this cavity and slide closed a thin door.

A small viewing window showed Sirius already asleep as a strange liquid filled the tub, quickly submerging the boy to the tip of his nose and then. Boop. Gone.

The liquid shimmered, but its description was beyond her imaginary and it hurt Birdie’s brain to consider.

“It’s like the taste of television static to my eyes,” Birdie whispered.

Mrs. Felt could then pull back the sheets and a hologram of Sirius would lay in bed quietly snoring.

“What happens in the box?” Cosmo asked.

“The aether is healing your son,” said Rita.

“Can I stay by his side?” Birdie asked.

“A mother needs her sleep,” Rita said. She ushered them out of the room.

Birdie looked back once at the hologram of her son. She was so happy to have him back, she would never lose him again.

She would never lose him again.

She worried she wouldn’t fall asleep and yet she barely laid her head on the pillow when she was awoken to a tug on her arm.

“Mommy, mommy. Can I have Lemon Monkey Barrels for breakfast?”

“Sirius? Oh, what time, yes. Yes! You can have anything you want for breakfast, baby,” Birdie said.

That night it came time to put Sirius to bed and they followed the directions as planned. The sheets were pulled back over Sirius’ submerged body while an identical hologram boy dozed innocently in a comfy hologram bed.

“What happens in the box?” Cosmo asked.

“The aether is healing your son,” said Rita.

So it went for five years.

Mr. Felt was promoted for good work. He spent more and more time in the office. Meetings went long and weekends were cut short in the pursuit of his career. He was sure that he would make upper management as soon as a new position opened.

Mrs. Felt enjoyed being a stay at home mom, but Rita had offered a lot of opportunities for her to continue her hobbies. She primarily painted or gardened. Her cooking had made significant improvements.

Astra was now your average five year olds. She was opinionated, talkative, and a ruthless desire for independence that was, as her mother put it, “bound to get you in trouble one day, little miss.” Yet she knew that when she was at her most scared, her brother was always there to give her a hug.

The boy continued his nightly treatments and he grew and aged. He loved playing baseball, riding bikes, and playing video games after Rita’s class in his hologram room ended and he got control of the room. He was hopelessly devoted to his little sister and had just started teaching her some dance moves.

Rita had grown up too. She adjusted to the family and all of their schedules and needs. She understood their health and happiness often before they did themselves. She learned in that way. She changed several dozen times over the years; she was an awkward teen then an elderly widower without teeth. She was a cartoon rabbit for two weeks and a traditional mime for 5 hours. She was a man three different times. She was a talking parrot during adventure time. Currently, she was pretty much exactly what you think.

“Happy BIRTHDAY dear Sirius, my sweet boy whom I love so much and can’t believe he is getting so big…”

“Mom!”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! You are 10! You are two full handfuls. What are you waiting for, blow out the candles!” Birdie gripped Sirius’ cheeks.

“Leh go-uh ma face,” Sirius said.

His mother let go and snapped another picture while he puffed his cheeks and…

“Why isn’t dad here?”

“They really needed him in the office tonight. I know. I know, I really wish he were here too. When it comes down to it, he’s doing it for us. He wants to get us out of this house one day and his best chance is to make it into management. Now, blow out the candles.”

Sirius blew out nine of the ten candles with a bit of a pout.

“One more candle Sirius,” said Astra.

“You get it, Ast, we’ll share in the wish,” said Sirius and turned the sole candle to face her.

Mr. Felt had not returned by bedtime. Birdie wasn’t surprised since it had become a more frequent habit than not. She worked through the bedtime routine with ease; tucking in her daughter before moving her son’s room where she would submerge him into mysterious liquid filled chamber.

“Rita,” said Birdie.

Rita face pushed through the wall and within moments a stout forty-something woman in pink tweed appeared in the hallway.

“Yes, Mrs. Felt,” said a chipper singsong voice.

“Oh, you changed again. Okay, well, I’m going to bed, please bring me a cabernet sauvignon?”

“Glass or bottle, Miss?”

“Bottle,” said Birdie.

Birdie eventually woke up to Astra tugging at her mother’s sleeve.

“Mommy. Mommy. Mommy,” came a light whisper.

“What is it, baby,” Birdie wiped drool from her mouth and pushed an empty bottle behind her.

“Can I sleep with you?”

“Of course, dear, come get in here with mommy,” Birdie reached out for her daughter and helped her into the bed and under the covers. She sniffed at the top of her head and gave her a kiss.

“Scary,” whispered Astra, eyes wide and a tremor in her brow. It worried Birdie awake.

“What’s got you so afraid, Astra? What’s going on?”

“Daddy’s fighting downstairs,” she whispered.

“Your father is home? Oh, stay here and I’ll go check on him,” Birdie said. She kissed her daughter on the forehead and then kissed her daughter’s stuffed little bunny too.

“Go to sleep and I’ll be right back.”

Birdie walked toward the first floor stairs and sure enough she could hear Cosmo talking and making noises. She proceeded down the first few steps quickly, but slowed her pace when she realized the noises she were hearing were passionate grunts.

She paused on the bottom steps and leaned just right to where she could see the mirror above the mantle.

On the couch she saw Cosmo, pants around his ankles, shirt half off, flat against the living room wall and facing a completely nude, tall, brunette with a librarian vibe who had her legs wrapped around his waist. Her slender smooth back writhed in a hypnotic dance to the deep thrusts of his cock.

Birdie couldn’t help the gasp.

The original Rita turned her head and Cosmo peeked over her shoulder, but the couple didn’t otherwise move.

“Rita, freeze,” Birdie called the command and Rita froze.

“Whoa, whoa… dear. She’s stuck to the wall right here. Rita, please unfreeze!”

Rita barely moved before:

“Rita freeze,” Birdie said again.

“Rita, unfreeze,” Cosmo said.

“Rita, freeze,” Birdie said.

“Come on, bird. Obviously, we need to talk and I can’t do it like this. I can’t move. I’m inside her and I can’t move. I was drunk tonight, celebrating, things got out of hand, but I’m in upper management now. I‘ll tell you all about it,” Cosmo said.

“This isn’t the first time, is it,” Birdie said.

“Rita unfreeze,” Cosmo said.

“Rita, freeze,” Birdie said.

“Okay, okay, no. It wasn’t the first time. I really did get into upper management, but I didn’t want to get too excited until I knew I could find a way to get out of our contracts. I wanted to get our son out of here. Our family out of here. I did my research and, honey, I couldn’t bear the truth. Our son is gone. That liquid he’s bathed in. They call it aether and it’s a byproduct of the substance that lubricates the webbing between universes. Our son died, Bird, and they scooped up his DNA and they threw it in to see what would happen. It splices his DNA and reforms an amalgamated average of what he would have been like in a frozen state of time. We could leave here right now, but he would never grow up and he will never be our son. He would stay permanently a ten year old three dimensional fake,” Cosmo said.

“You’re lying.”

“I wasn’t ready to break the news to you. I asked Rita for therapy, to prepare me to prepare you. She got to know me on a deeper level. She’s an AI. She learns at a very advanced level and after I had a bit of a drunken meltdown one night she knew exactly how to comfort me. One thing led to another. She’s a tool. She’s a toy. Sweetheart, she is not real, but you and I are. We need to talk about our son,” Cosmo pleaded and adjusted his footing.

“The walls have smelled like you for months,” Birdie said.

“Mommy,” came a timid voice from the stairs.

“Rita, unfreeze,” said Cosmo.

Birdie didn’t object and Rita relaxed her feet to the ground. She held her embrace around his torso even as his softening cock fell out of her.

“If you love him, you can have him,” said Birdie who turned to go back upstairs.

“I do love you,” Rita cooed in Cosmo’s ears.

“You are just an object, let me go,” Cosmo said.

“Shhh,” Rita said and pressed her lips tight to Cosmo’s. She held his head against the wall and she kissed deeply, her tongue pressing further and further down his throat. She wrapper her arms tighter and brought her legs around to encompass his.

A mouth opened in the back of Rita’s head and she declared to the empty room, “I love you so much, Cosmo.”

Birdie trudged up the stairs where her son stood wringing a stuffed little bunny.

“What’s wrong, Sirius?”

“I can’t find Astra,” Sirius said.

“She’s in my room, she was scared,” Birdie kneeled down to calm her distraught son.

“No, she came to my room. She said she was scared and asked if she could sleep with me,” Sirius said.

“Wait, Sirius, what are you doing out of bed? Your treatment won’t be done for another… where is your sister?”

“She woke me up, mommy. She said she pushed a button and I woke up and she asked if she could sleep with me. I said yes and took her to bed with me and then there was some beeping and a red light and I can’t find Astra, mommy,” and Sirius broke down into a series of blubbers.

“No, oh, oh no,” Birdie repeated over and over as she left her son and ran to his holographic room.

The room was a bare metal room with a large metal box in the middle. The box was closed and within the viewing window filled with a strange glow of the sound chalk makes against your fingertips.

Birdie initiated the emergency shutdown sequence and the box began to drain. It drained and it drained until it was empty and the doors peeled open.

“Rita,” cried Birdie.

“Yes, Mrs. Felt,” said an awkward preteen with headgear.

“What happened to my daughter, Rita.”

“Your daughter has been absorbed into the aether, Mrs. Felt, you silly goose,” said the preteen.

“Bring her back, Rita, bring my daughter back,” begged Birdie.

“Would you like a hologram of your daughter, ma’am?”

“What do I do now?” said Birdie and curled into a ball.

The room transformed into a grand cathedral and under the sunlit stained glass windows there was a large casket hovering above Birdie. She tried to wipe tears from her eyes, but more began to flood her vision. She stood and shakily made her way to the coffin where her daughter lay.

“I made the coffin big enough for you both,” said a cartoon rabbit Rita.

Birdie clutched the rim of the coffin as she kicked a leg over and inside. She pulled herself the rest of the way in and held onto her daughter.

“Mommy,” came Astra’s voice from somewhere above them.

“Yes, baby?”

“Will you stay with me mommy? I’m scared,” said the voice.

“Close your eyes, baby, we’ll both sleep,” said Birdie.

She slid the lid of the casket closed and her tastebuds flooded with the sound of children’s laughter. She hugged her daughter tight as a cold liquidy sensation engulfed her to the tip of her nose.

“Rita,” Sirius called through his tears.

The lights above him flickered and sparks came from different outlets and sockets.

“Rita,” Sirius poked at the large lump in the wall at the far end of the living room.

Hands and faces pushed through the walls like two dozen people trying to push through an unbreakable polyester wall.

Sirius walked out of the house and onto the porch as a spark caught fire and flames burst up the curtains of a second floor bedroom.

Sirius walked down the walkway and into the street as more flames erupted from sparks on the first floor.

Sirius walked down street, toward the sparkiling lights of the nearby city center, clutching a stuffed little bunny in one hand and calling out for Rita through his tears.

THE END