The Ghost in the Doll (Fox Meridian Book 6) Read Free Page B

biotechnology this century, the new Japanese bioroid carried the name Yurei no Ningyo, which seemed to be being translated as Ghost Doll. Fox discovered the reason for the name when she located a video of the launch conference from the Aphrodite Cybernetics facility in the Chiba Industrial Zone.
    Aphrodite Cybernetics built androids and gynoids more or less exclusively for the pleasure market. They did not come immediately to mind on the list of people who might scoop BioTek to the first artificial humanoid, but they did tinker with biotechnology: their high-end models used cloned skin to give a more realistic look to their robots. This made it strange that the Ghost Doll bioroids did not appear especially realistic. They had pale, almost white, skin with the texture of latex, very red pouting lips, and eyes that always seemed to be opened wide. They were walking rubber sex dolls and Fox found herself wondering what kind of mind came up with something like that.
    ‘I would suggest it was a male one,’ Kit said when Fox commented on the video. ‘Possibly one born last century. Perhaps the company was unable to create a working model with more natural skin, though it seems more like a specific choice.’
    ‘Yeah. If I discover BioTek are doing anything like this, I’ll… get very angry about it.’
    ‘I’m nothing but software, and I find it rather offensive. Perhaps it will fail to sell.’
    ‘Oh… Don’t count on it. Aside from anything else, they’re selling it as a luxury item. People with more money than sense are going to jump right in. I’d suggest that the Japanese market might be more amenable, but I bet you there are Americans trying to sniff out a way to import one right now. The interesting thing will be to see whether they create a male version.’
    ‘The market for pleasure androids still lags behind the gynoid market, though it is not far from parity. Have you ever tried one?’
    ‘No,’ Fox said. ‘Thought about it. There’s something to be said for a boyfriend you can stuff in a closet when you’re bored with him. Of course, now I’m a gynoid girlfriend.’
    ‘You know, I don’t think Jason will think of it that way. I also think that Jackson would not have been unhappy if you had stopped off at Prokhorov Station on the way to Earth.’
    ‘Maybe I didn’t want to test Jason’s reaction just then because I felt insecure. I’m still finding myself , Kit. If, and I’m not saying he would have, but if Jason reacted badly… Not sure I could take that right now.’ Fox checked the time. ‘Almost six. I’m getting up. Mom and Dad will think I’ve been replaced by a duplicate, but… I have, so it seems fair.’
    ~~~
    It was a bit after six a.m. when Jonathan and Andrea came down to find Fox sitting at the kitchen table, eating something from a plastic tub which appeared to be Greek yoghurt. The smell of coffee pervaded the room as well.
    ‘Now I am starting to worry about you,’ Andrea said. ‘Up before us and eating yoghurt?’
    ‘Yeah, well, this way I don’t walk in on you two kissing like teenagers at a drive-in, and it’s not yoghurt.’
    Frowning, Andrea walked over to the table and started reaching a finger toward the tub. ‘It looks like–’
    ‘Uh… Don’t. Seriously. It’s specifically for my skin. It’s basically protein and nanomachines.’
    ‘It’s poisonous to humans?’
    ‘Huh, no. It just tastes absolutely disgusting and it won’t do you any good at all. It’s indigestible and gross, but it’s got everything I need for a glossy coat and wet nose. And I turn off my sense of taste before eating it.’
    ‘You can do that?’
    ‘Smell, taste, and touch, if I want. The smell thing is going to come in useful at murder scenes.’
    Kit appeared beside the table nodding. ‘She is not joking about that last part. Not even a little. You know you don’t need to eat that so often?’
    Fox gave a shrug. ‘I’m still getting used to what I need. I’d rather have