He smiles at her without averting his gaze from her eyes. They hold each other’s stares for much longer than necessary and then break the stalemate ...ith nervous laughter. They start chatting to each other, shouting into each other’s ears to compete with the music. His words are accompanied by generous arm movements and as they chat they draw closer to one another. I can’t hear a word of what is being said. She turns and tells me to invite him to a drink.“Vodka,” she points a finger towards her. All of them have the misconception that I awoke fully the day that Anna upgraded my systems, and became a fully capable, independent person from that moment on. Allow me to say that this is not the case for any robot.Like every other 'bot in existence, I had no experience — nor any reason — to think in terms of what was best for me. No 'bot does. Because of that lack, the very idea of using my self-will to chart an independent course of action, and then to actually act on it, was completely. The photo was taken from the rear, and both women appeared to be nude. The title of the book was printed across their asses.Karen had never heard of the book, but it didn't look like the kind of book that a college English teacher would be reading. She thumbed it open and her jaw dropped in shock at what she saw on the inside. There was a photograph of four women. They were all naked. One of the women was lying on her back on a bed. Her legs were spread wide open. The picture was in color, and. From the distance, I could see that we were flying towards what might have been a very low set of broad, multi-hued mountains, with a golden gleam in the center, catching the sun and reflecting it back in every direction.“What is that?” I asked.“That?” Goat asked. “That is Samsara – the center of the world, the pillar of the universe, the axis mundi of the heavens, the seat of the Unconquered Throne and the Solar Palace.” He nodded. “That is the capital of the Regency and the largest, most.