Wink stared through a huge window. The high rise apartment in which she afforded her a view which most of Neo-Miami’s residents would see their entire lives. She could see the lights of other identical apartments across the street. She could see the roofs of some of the shorter buildings with their windmills trying to glean power from the turbulent, poisonous air. She could see see the traffic, both ground vehicles and air cars running through the city like natural mice in a maze. She could even see the twilinkling lights of huge plantation-ships in the ocean beyond the city.

Several months had passed since she first caught her glimpse of the city’s skyline from a different window. It looked even more daunting now, because she had also seen it from the ground level and knew how dangerous the city could be. She understood the mind-boggling enormity of the megatropolis – like a billion piece jigsaw puzzle – and how she would never completely fit into it – like a Lego piece in that jigsaw puzzle.

Choker made a silent twitch on her ankle. Wink turned to see who entered the room. “Going out early?” she asked?

The tall man sat before he answered.

Mister Escobar was a soft Truman. His body had been extensively rebuilt with a complete skeletal replacement and electronic controls for most of his vital organs. His skull was even more complicated with dozens of upgrades cherry-picked to help him with his work as a corporate accountant. His epidermis – however – was bio-lab grown skin, almost natural looking. He was handsome in a classical way that half of the city’s denizens would have rejected as painfully boring.

He began putting on dress shoes which perfectly matched his belt which matched his cuff links which matched his neck tie. It was a very fashionable outfit, she noticed, worn with all the carelessness and lack of personal embellishment that a corporate accountant could muster. The tie and the shoelaces began knotting themselves. His hair began combing itself into a flawless side-part. Without looking directly at her, he said, “Going into the work four hours early to finish a little paperwork before my first meeting. It’s a short workday because upper execs have meeting with the national ambassador. I’ll be back within twelve hours.”

Wink asked, “Should I have breakfast ready for you?”

“Don’t bother. Just wear something cool, like that Egyptian Cotton dress. That helps me sleep.” Wink understood Mister Escobar’s meaning. Her entire wardrobe was selected without regard to how anything looked. Her clothing was all about texture.

At the moment, she wore a satin backless jumpsuit and silk slippers. She lightly stepped across the living room hugged him goodbye.

Escobar returned the gesture. He held her tightly around her waist. “Maybe I can knock out those reports in three hours after all. They can wait a little while. Lay down, Wilma.”

“Yes sir.” Wink lowered herself onto a long sofa. She laid face down in a position that she found comfortable. Escobar followed, laying his head on her bare back. Within seconds, he was asleep and snoring slightly. Wink remained perfectly still for an hour. She watched the window as a cyber-pigeon strutted back and forth on the narrow ledge outside.

At the end of an hour, and alarm buzzed. Escobar woke right up without any drowsiness and stood. “Like I said, I’ll be back in twelve – make that eleven hours. I’ll be going straight to sleep, so you can meet me in the bedroom.” He still didn’t look her in her eyes when speaking. He stood and walked to the front door. He grabbed a coat which hung next to the door.

“Okay, everything will be ready.”

As he put on the coat, he looked at her finally. He said, “Hey Wilma, maybe after I get up, we’ll order Cuban delivered and watch a movie together. You pick.”

“Sounds great, Sir.”

“You’re the best furniture I’ve ever hired, Wilma.” Then he vanished out the door.

Wink waited patiently for thirty seconds. That was as long as she needed to be certain that he wasn’t returning for any forgotten gadget and that he had passed out of hearing range. As soon as she reached, thirty, she bounded up from the couch. The pigeon got startled by the sudden movement and flew off. She ran into the bedroom and tore off her soft outfit. He reached under the bed and pulled out a box full of her real clothes.

Wink commanded, “Choker, call Alice.”

The voice of another young woman answered, “Hello? What’s up, Wilma?”

“Alice, I’m going out. If the super come to my door, cover for me.”

The voice answered, “Aw Wilma, you have all the fun.”

“You can come with me.”

“No way! I’ve got lots of furniture stuff to do. Bath, yoga, vacuum, step aerobics, order breakfast, draw a hot bath for Master...”

Wink pulled on a pair of boots. Her shoes had buckles which she secured herself. She said, “I have to do all that too. It takes me twenty minutes right before my master gets home. What do you really do with your time?”

“Well, if I fall any further behind on my soap operas, I’ll never catch up. Just bring me back something, okay?”

Wink pulled on a pink leather jacket. “What do you want?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Bring me something exciting and illegal, like a street taco!”

Wink jogged out the bedroom while saying, “You’ll have to pick the wires out of meat yourself.”

“Oh grooooooossss!”

“Bye Alice.”

“Bye bye, Wilma. Watch that first step.”

Wink entered the kitchen with an old duffle bag in her hands. She pulled open the refrigerator and began the yanking out food. Some of it was leftovers which were supposed to be throw out soon. Some of it was her own rations of which she ate only about half of what was assigned to her. Some of it was a gift from Alice who sent over the foods she didn’t like. She secured the zipper on the bag and walked away as the refrigerator closed itself.

She commanded, “Choker, generate a new security video of myself alone using yesterday’s footage. We haven’t made a fresh vid in a few days. Cut it at two hours, and begin looping it in the building’s security. As soon as you finish that, deactivate the alarm and release the window. Get up here.”

Choker crawled up from her ankle and wrapped itself around her right arm wrist. It also accessed the apartment’s security network and performed the specified tasks. As soon as it clamped itself snuggly onto her wrist, the apartment’s large window opened with a click.

Wink secured her breathing mask in place around her hose and mouth. She yelled, “Hello gravity! I’ll lead, you dip me!” as she ran and jumped through the window.