Neon Hearts

– And from here,“ Faza said, pointing to the distant horizon where the sky met the earth, „in clear weather you can see the lights of the metropolis. You know, Nova, sometimes I look out there and think: how good it is that we are here, that we have preserved this corner of nature. Time flows differently here, here you feel connected to the earth, to the past, to something eternal and unchanging.

Nova, following his gaze, suddenly felt a strange feeling – a mixture of longing for familiar life and unexpected peace from the nature around her. She turned to Fazu, about to say something, but at that moment they were interrupted by the loud but good-natured voice of Fazu’s father, which echoed throughout the neighbourhood:

– Hey, youngsters! Stop cooing there! Come to the table, mother has baked pies! With apples, with potatoes, with mushrooms – they’re delicious!

Faza and Nova looked at each other and laughed. This simple moment, this simple joy, suddenly seemed to Nova something extremely valuable, something she lacked in the bustle of the big city. Faza’s laughter, sincere and infectious, seemed to melt something inside her, to break down the invisible wall between their worlds.

– Shall we go? – Faza asked, holding out his hand to her. – Believe me, Mum’s pies are incredible. It’s definitely something we haven’t tasted in our fancy restaurants.

– Nova, still smiling, accepted his hand:

– My pleasure. You know, I suddenly realised that I was terribly hungry.

They walked leisurely back to the house, where a set table and warm company awaited them. The air was filled with the scents of freshly baked pies, herbal tea, and something elusive-perhaps it was the smell of life itself, simple and real.

Nova, walking beside Faz along the narrow path, suddenly caught herself wishing she knew more about this simple life, about the people who had chosen this path. She glanced furtively at Faza’s profile, illuminated by the soft light, and felt something new, unfamiliar, but surprisingly pleasant, stirring in her heart. Maybe this was the beginning of something more than just an interest in a different way of life?

And in the distance, beyond the forest and fields, the lights of the metropolis flickered faintly – a distant and alien world, which now seemed to Nova a strange dream from which she had just awakened. And for the first time in a long time she felt that she did not want to return to this world of neon lights and cold plastic. Here, next to Faz, amidst this simple beauty, she felt truly alive. And accepted.

The sun slowly coloured the sky above the suburb in delicate shades of pink and orange, creating an impressive contrast with the green of the forests stretching to the horizon. This corner of the world seemed like an island of peace and tranquillity, where the old way of life stubbornly resisted the onslaught of new technology. Wooden, concrete and brick buildings, erected by the hands of local residents, blended seamlessly into the surrounding landscape, as if challenging the distant skyscrapers of the metropolis, whose sharp spires were barely visible on the northern horizon.

Against this backdrop of natural idyll, two young women, Anna and Dash, lay on the soft grass, slightly damp from the evening dew. Their slender figures contrasted sharply with the simplicity of their surroundings, making them look like city dwellers. They looked up into the sky, where fluffy clouds floated slowly, taking on bizarre shapes in the rays of the setting sun.

The air was filled with the scents of blossoming apple trees, freshly cut grass and damp earth – smells almost forgotten in their home metropolis, where artificial fragrances had long since replaced natural scents. Somewhere in the distance they could hear the mooing of cows returning from pasture, and the merry laughter of children coming from the neighbouring yards.

Anna inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with clean air, and exhaled slowly with obvious pleasure. Her long hair spread across the grass, intertwined with wildflowers – daisies and cornflowers.

– How nice it is here… – she said dreamily, closing her eyes. – It’s so easy to breathe and lie so soft… It seems as if all the problems were left somewhere far away, in another world.

Dash twitched nervously, as if her friend’s words had struck some painful string in her. She turned her head sharply, her hair ruffled and irritation in her eyes.

– I told you, it’s no good,» she said, her voice harsh, breaking the peaceful atmosphere of the summer evening.

Anna slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to her friend, raising a thin eyebrow in surprise. Her green eyes read incomprehension and slight anxiety.

– What don’t you like already? – she asked, her voice more wary, as if she were preparing for another outburst of displeasure from Dash.

Dash raised herself up on her elbows, taking a critical look at her surroundings. Her face contorted in a grimace of disgust as she began to speak:

– «I look at them and I’m so sad… – she waved her hand in the direction of Faza, Nova and Faza’s parents sitting at the table. – They put a collar around their own necks, and they’re happy about it! Can you imagine?

She sat down sharply, cross-legged, and pointed at the nearby grazing horse, which was plucking the grass, occasionally waving its tail away from pesky flies.

– That horse is freer than them,» Dash snorted. – At least he doesn’t have to worry about credit and career advancement.

Anna listened silently, watching the wind rippling the tall grass, creating the illusion of green waves. Her fingers absent-mindedly rubbed the clover stalk as she considered her friend’s words.

– Everything is already known in advance,» Dash continued, her voice growing more irritated with each word. – No comfort! No room for imagination! First they save up for some new panel to diversify their miserable life.

She curled her lips contemptuously, as if the very mention of such a life disgusted her.

– Then to the kettle with the neural interface, so she wouldn’t have to strain herself making herbal concoctions. – Dash rolled her eyes. – And then on to a better neural network so she could process information faster at her cheap job. And so on in circles, endlessly.

She took a deep breath, as if trying to calm down, but you could still hear the irritation in her voice:

– It’s all laid out like a corporate plan. Damn it! – She exhaled the last word, as if letting out the residue of her pent-up anger. – And there’s no way out… Not a single chance to break out of this vicious circle.

Anna sat up slowly, shaking the blades of grass and small flowers out of her hair. She looked at her friend carefully, sympathy mixed with a slight perplexity in her gaze.

– What’s wrong with that? – She asked softly, as if trying to reassure Dash. – It’s a kind of stability. Isn’t that what everyone wants?

Dash stared at Anna as if she had just offered to eat a live frog. Her eyes widened with surprise and indignation.

– What good would that do? – she exclaimed with a flutter of her hands. – Don’t you understand? Nova needs to understand, and you too – we live in a metropolis! It’s a different world, with other tasks, other opportunities, other men!

Dash’s eyes lit up with a feverish gleam as she began to describe her dreams. Her voice became more animated and her hands gesticulated vigorously, emphasising every word:

– Cars sexy, guys young, handsome, with opportunities. Just imagine! – She rolled her eyes dreamily. – And if you were lucky enough to marry a diplomat? A corporate one! That would be a whole different life!

Dash stepped forward, as if about to share a secret:

– You could go to the East, to the New Eastern Dynasty. They say they have technology there that would make ours seem like children’s toys. You can also go to Africa, to the South. – Her eyes glistened with excitement. – There, they say, such balls take place there that it takes your breath away! Can you imagine the opportunities there?

Anna listened to her friend with a slight smile of sympathy and disbelief. She shook her head, making her long hair sway gently.

– And how are you going to do that? – She asked, a slight doubt in her voice. – It’s not as easy as you describe.

Dash smiled playfully, and a sly glint appeared in her eyes. She slowly ran her hand through her hair, as if rehearsing a gesture of seduction:

– Anh, we are women and they are men. – She winked. – They are fools, and that’s something to be taken advantage of.

Anna frowned thoughtfully, considering her friend’s words. After a few seconds, she slowly stretched out:

– Ahh. Are you going to seduce men again? – She shook her head, a note of concern in her voice. – But think about it, why do they need us? They’ve got their own women, and there’s a lot of competition. You know what kind of girls are there – all of them are just like a selection.

Dash, as if not hearing her friend’s words, rose sharply to her feet. She began to slowly run her hands over her body, as if demonstrating the goods in the shop window – she ran her hands over her breasts, neck, outlined the curves of her hips, emphasised her narrow waist. Her movements were smooth and sensual, as if she were rehearsing a performance in front of an invisible audience.

– With her nose held up proudly, Dash declared with defiance in her voice:

– How are we any worse? We have something to show too!

Anna sighed heavily as she watched this performance. She rose to her feet, shaking off the sticking blades of grass from her clothes, and turned to her friend:

– All right, let’s say. But where will you meet these artists-diplomats? – A slight irony could be heard in her voice. – They don’t work at your freeze-dried pancake factory. Or do you think they just walk the streets in search of beautiful girls?

Dash, as if deflated, slowly sank back onto the grass. She leaned back with her hands behind her head and stared up at the sky. A passing cloud, illuminated by the sun, took on a shape vaguely resembling a man’s silhouette.

– It will take a long time to find them… – she stretched out dreamily, not taking her eyes off the cloud. – But like all problems, it’s solvable. You just have to approach the question in the right way.

The evening chill slowly enveloped the meadow, reminding them that it was time to return to the house. But neither Anna nor Dash seemed to notice it, continuing to lie in the grass and dream of their future, so uncertain but full of possibilities. But they had to get ready. The day of Nova and Faza’s parents’ acquaintance flew by quickly.

Chapter 5

Sunday at NeuroHub was hectic and noisy, like a beehive that had been suddenly knocked on by a careless passerby. The corridors, lined with luminous panels, were filled with people: some of them, having finished a gruelling night shift, were tiredly wandering back to their flats, their eyes red from lack of sleep, and their faces frozen with an expression of relief at the thought of the forthcoming rest. Others, just awake, hurried to work, adjusting their clothes and sipping synthetic coffee from self-heating cups. The air hummed with the many voices, laughter and jokes exchanged among the inhabitants of this female realm. The melodic sounds of the neural network reminding them of the day’s schedule mingled with the sound of footsteps and the hum of automatic doors.

In one of Neurohab’s flats, located on the 47th floor overlooking a metropolis glittering with neon lights, Dash, a young woman with long hair and a chiselled figure, slowly opened her eyes. She squinted against the bright light streaming in through the automatic blinds, which gradually rose to mimic a natural sunrise. Her sleepy voice, hoarse from sleep, broke the morning silence of the room:

– Why the hell are you getting me up on a Sunday? – she muttered, addressing an invisible neural network whose soft blue light pulsed in the corner of the room. – Nova where?

Anya, already dressed and ready to go, stood in front of a video mirror that showed her image from different angles. She was fixing her make-up. Without taking a break from her work, Anya answered:

– Nova had already left an hour ago with Faza again to her parents’ dacha. Can you imagine, so early in the morning! Apparently, the fresh air and natural products did their job – she is an early bird now.

Dash, still lying in bed with her eyes closed, raised her hand, pointing her finger at the ceiling. Her movements were slow and clumsy, as if every joint needed lubrication:

– Remember, Anya, what I told you yesterday? – she yawned with her mouth wide open. – Like I said, this is what happens. Tomorrow I’ll go shopping for a washing machine or a kettle.

Anya, raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow in surprise, turned to her friend. Her gaze slid over Dash’s dishevelled hair, her sleepy face and the crumpled bed.

– Where are you going this early?

Dash finally peeled her eyelids open and stared at Anya, who looked flawless in her tight-fitting smart fabric suit. Dash’s eyes were still clouded with sleep, and her movements were slow and clumsy, as if she were trying to move underwater.

– Where are you going this early? – Dash asked, yawning and stretching again. Her body, hidden under a weightless blanket that kept her body at an optimum temperature, arched, showing off her perfect curves.

Anya, fastening the last button on her blouse, replied:

– Time to go to my relatives. They sent a message, the neural network delivered it only in the morning. Can you imagine, in our century, and such failures! Sometimes I think that all this high technology fails us more often than good old-fashioned paper letters.

Damn bitch,» Anna continued, referring to the neural network. Her voice was full of irritation. – She doesn’t want to work properly, and you piss her off, and then we all suffer. The message came yesterday, and I just got it today. Don’t fight with the neural net, Dash. Remember what happened last time you called it a useless piece of plastic? We were without hot water for a week. Then she mocked you with the presidential palace.

Dash yawned again, opening her mouth wide and stretching her whole body. Her long legs, smooth and hairless thanks to permanent laser hair removal, peeked out from under the blanket, and her dishevelled hair created a halo around her head like some sleepy saint’s halo.

– What relatives? – she asked through another yawn, trying to focus her gaze on her friend.

Anya, having finished with her make-up, turned to Dash:

– «It’s a great uncle. A professor, mum’s relative. I told you a few months ago that I lived with them when I came to the metropolis, even before I settled in NeuroHub. Remember?

Dash slowly sat up on the bed, scratching her foot against her leg and stretching. Her movements were fluid and graceful despite her drowsiness. The sheet slipped off, exposing a perfect body:

– Well, yes, yes, yes… I remember something. No, I don’t remember anything,» she mumbled to herself, trying to piece together the disparate memories into a coherent whole. – And then after that, where to? Will you spend the whole weekend on the old professor?

Anya, putting on her high-heeled shoes with built-in shock absorbers that allowed her to walk for hours without fatigue, replied:

– «Then I’m going to stop off at some gallery or theatre. I’ll pick one on the way. The neural network promised to find something interesting, taking into account my preferences and mood. Maybe I could even go to that art exhibition everyone was talking about.

Neural Net suddenly intervened in the conversation with a giggle of sarcasm, her voice, melodic and slightly mechanical, filling the room:

– Hee hee, cultural programme for the weekend? Don’t forget to bring your aesthetic perception neurostimulator, Anna. Recent studies show that it increases the pleasure of viewing art by 37 per cent.

Anya raised her head to the ceiling and said with slight irritation:

– Yes, yes, I remember, we’re all so cultured. Just don’t start teasing me with this topic again. And they’re expensive for my salary.

Dash, still naked, stood in front of the video mirror, which instantly came to life, showing her reflection from different angles and offering make-up and hair options. She stretched slowly and sleepily, kneading every muscle:

– I’m teaching you, Anya, and you don’t listen to me,» she said as she watched the mirror illuminate the areas of her body that needed cosmetic care. – You won’t meet professors, diplomats, actors in that gallery. Who goes there? Visitors from the periphery of the metropolis, like Faz Nova. All those newcomers who think that after seeing a couple of concerts they’ll become cultured.

Anya, fixing her hair, which was falling into place obediently under her fingers, objected:

– I go to look at pictures, at the history of art, not to meet men. Do you really think that in this century people go to museums just to socialise? There are still connoisseurs of beauty, you know.

Dash, finally a little awake and stretching, leaned on the table, involuntarily showing off her breasts:

– And I got a pass to the library’s science lab,» she said, squinting slyly. – That’s where you can meet the scientists at Syntracore Industries. And they get paid, do you know how much? They say they even have implants to increase intelligence.

Anya asked in surprise, her eyebrows creeping upwards, creating slight wrinkles on her forehead:

– Why? You don’t understand anything about prosthetics. Or have you suddenly decided to change careers and become a neuroengineer?

Dash spread her arms and fell back onto the bed, sipping her nakedly beautiful body:

– Do you know who’s sitting there? – She stretched out wistfully and romantically, looking up at the ceiling. – Scientists! Aren’t you listening to me? These are not just nerds in glasses, but real geniuses of our time. Can you imagine what interesting salaries they must have? And maybe there is some young and handsome researcher among them, dreaming of a beautiful muse?

Anya chuckled, shaking her head:

– And you’re gonna listen to them read or talk to them about prosthetics and augmentation? Dash, honey, you fall asleep when I try to tell you about my work in the chemical metallurgy department. What are you going to do among scientists?

Dash raised her head, resting her hand on her elbow. Her eyes lit up with a mischievous glint:

– Oh, you understand a lot about men,» she said with a slight chuckle. – There’s a bar where they can flirt. Can you imagine the exquisite compliments they must have? «Your eyes shine brighter than the quantum processor of my latest invention.» Isn’t that romantic?

Anya shook her head, smiling. She was used to this kind of talk by now.

– At the moment when Dash, dressed in an exquisite dress that accentuated her slender figure and graceful body lines, entered the spacious hall of the data centre, a sense of expectation hung in the air. High heels, lightly clacking against the cold floor, created a melody that attracted the gazes of young scientists immersed in their screens and endless lines of code. She walked with her hips wiggling confidently, as if knowing that her presence could wake up even the most inveterate of workaholics.

The corridors of this huge building, where young specialists worked, were filled with desks littered with papers and monitors on which lines of code flashed. Dash, passing by, cast glances at the concentrated faces of the guys, who seemed to be immersed in their thoughts, like mice digging through their papers. Their faces were focused and their eyes were tired, as if they hadn’t seen the light beyond their screens. In the silence, broken only by the whirring of servos, Dash took a seat at one of the empty desks, pretending to work. She leafed through the forms, read the lines, but her thoughts were far from work.

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