Joi

You never liked going to the gym. But the way home from the gym is usually the only pleasant memory left in your robotic life. The gentle buzz in your muscles made everything more tolerable. When you pressed down the gas pedal, the roar of the engine drowning out the music as you shot into darkness, it was the only feeling of freedom you still had, the only time where you can pretend that you did something to find the love you have been missing.

You slowed down the car as you entered the automated monitored ULEV zone. Parking in the usual spot put you 800m away from your pod. Across the path, everyday, is the erotic neon sign that never stopped performing.

In 2034, due to the increased polarization of gender relationships, commercials that used to be considered indecent flooded the city streets. There aren't many kids around any more, so perhaps they had a point.

You always thought you were better than the lemmins who surrendered themselves to these simulacra of love, but tonight, the streets were deserted. The giant dancing hologram seemed to have taken notice, and she performed specifically for you.

There was something strangely warm about being noticed in a world that had stopped. As you stood in the middle of the street and looked back up at her, you felt for the first time why so many people would sleepwalk towards madness.

"You look lonely, I can fix that".