Adventures of the Artificial Woman Read Online Free PDF

know.”
    â€œWhereas both of you knew immediately with Phyllis.”
    â€œYou’ll be like that too after a while,” said Cliff.
    â€œOh, sure, Ellery,” Janet said. “It’s like riding a bike. You are able to do it all of a sudden.”
    â€œI made her,” Pierce cried. “I built her from scratch. That’s my profession, but it took years. Where’d you get yours?” His swiveling stare embraced them both.
    Janet responded first. “I bought Tyler on eBay some time ago.”
    Cliff produced a bubbling chuckle. “Ray belonged to my former partner. We shared him for a while before Terry decided I preferred Ray to him and walked out.” He smirked. “He was absolutely right! Ray doesn’t need constant reassurance. Ray doesn’t have feelings that can be hurt. Ray doesn’t have to work out to keep in shape.”
    Ray showed no reaction to these comments.
    â€œMy first husband,” said Janet, “was a loser at everything he tried, but he insisted on participating all the same, entering the competition. The result was he lost everything he had and everything I had. If he could only have accepted his lot in life! But then he would have been Tyler.”
    â€œJust a moment,” said Pierce. “It was that nonhuman paragon of yours who wanted to murder me.”
    She shrugged. “How often has your computer crashed, your car refused to start, the washer/dryer gone out of order? Now and again a giant construction crane topples over, a nuclear submarine self-destructs.”
    â€œThose are accidents, usually because of human error, never involving intention, volition, or malice.”
    Janet shook her head. “How can we say that? Who knows what goes on in the circuits of a machine? I’ve been observing Tyler at close hand for three years now, and I’ll admit I probably don’t really know him yet. Maybe I never will.” She tossed her hair. “Let’s see what kind of father he is.”
    â€œOh,” Cliff cried, “you’re pregnant? Congratulations!”
    Janet simpered. “We’re trying, with a sperm donor. But Tyler does the rest.” She blushed. “I never knew what lovemaking was until I got Tyler. Of course he never loses energy.”
    Cliff cleared his throat in a conspicuously discreet fashion. “Modesty forbids my boasting about Ray, but—” He gleefully threw up his hands.
    â€œWell, all right,” Pierce said to Janet. “You can control Tyler when you’re with him. But surely you can’t send him out by himself?”
    â€œWe go to work together, at our own business: Hallstrom Investment Counseling.”
    â€œRay’s home all day. He’s no problem,” said Cliff. “I check in by phone or e-mail from time to time, but that’s only because I get lonely for someone who amuses me. The people I work with are hopeless.”
    â€œAll right, all right,” said Pierce, who had lost his patience. “I’ve had enough of this. I’m going to ask you all to leave.”
    â€œPlease don’t be angry with me, Ellery,” said Janet, her lips sagging woefully. “Nothing actually happened.”
    Cliff complained, “Ray and I are hardly at fault.”
    Pierce felt ruthless. “Just get out, all of you, and take your damn robots with you.”
    Cliff and Ray hastily departed. Janet, however, lingered and, coming closer to Pierce, said gently, “We oughtn’t be at odds, living so close. Maybe we should get to know each other, just you and I, two people.” Her gesture took in both Phyllis, standing silently in the same position as earlier, and Hallstrom, who sat on the edge of the bed, apparently studying the floor. “The convenient thing about them is they couldn’t care less.”
    Pierce had no personal interest in her. He was obsessed with the recent threat on his life. “Why,” he