The Jacobs Project: In Search of Pinocchio (SYMBIOSIS) Read Online Free Page A

looked at the salesman in amazement. "You know, I can even feel the little hairs on her arm?"
    " Remarkable, isn't it? Force field technology has come a long, long way since the introduction of the EMU. The resolution is simply unbelievable."
    The customer 's face clouded. "I've heard various things about the, uh… resolution of other parts of the anatomy, not all positive."
    " Ten years ago, maybe. But now… the resolution is the same over the entire body. We guarantee it."
    The customer studied the demonstrator, giving every sign he remained unconvinced. She braced herself. Here it comes.
    " We do have a private display area," the salesman said, confidentially.
    " Really?"
    The salesman nodded. "I think it will answer any questions you might have."
    A broad smile crept across the customer 's face. "Hmmm… Maybe I should it check out."
    " My pleasure. Let me send Helen over, and we'll get started right away."
    The d emonstrator continued to smile as the salesman made entries into the holo system's control panel. When he finished, he said to her, "Alright, Helen, we'll be right there."
    " Certainly" she said with an impish grin. "I'll be waiting."
    The salesman 's hand came down on a large red button, and she found herself in the "private display area", in fact, only a small room containing nothing but holo projectors in the corners and an input receiver suspended from the ceiling. She waited for it to change, wondering what motif the salesman would choose. She received her answer within seconds.
    The study. The empty room was empty no longer, suddenly filled with a variety of souvenirs and bric-a-brac. A large desk occupied one end of the room; a large globe sat in the center. Bookshelves lined three of the four walls; a mural of the solar system adorned the fourth. The study —undoubtedly a wise choice for the customer in question.
    She allowed herself a brief, quiet sob in anticipation of the coming humiliation. Her thoughts turned to her counterpart at the Northside outlet. They saw each other only occasionally, during demonstrations of the remote link facility, but she thought of him often—her only respite from the tedium and abuse.
    She put an end to her brief reverie, returning the smile to her face. To do otherwise was to invite punishment, usually an angry slap. The evening salesman had other more terrifying weapons in his arsenal, however, including a "time-out", his term for severing the link between her neural array and the system's input. He'd yet to make good on that threat, but the possibility kept her forever afraid.
    When the door to the "private display area" opened, she greeted the salesman and customer with open arms. "Welcome."
    The customer seemed beside himself with excitement. "Well, hello again."
    Obviously annoyed at losing the mid range system sale, the salesman was all business. "Mr. Banks would like to see a little more, Helen. Why don't you show him."
    " Why, certainly, Jim." Adopting a provocative pose, she licked her lips, before running a finger down the middle of her torso, to a point just below the waist. Her dress fell open. She removed it slowly, making eye contact with the customer all the while.
    He responded to her lack of under garments with a gasp, his eyes opened wide. "She's perfect!" he exclaimed, reaching for her. "Can I—"
    " Be my guest," the salesman said.
    The customer began to fondle and grope her with a quiet intensity, occasionally checking her reaction. She did n't disappoint. A minute passed, then two, before he stopped. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and said, "Amazing."
    The salesman slapped him on the shoulder. "Like I said, we guarantee satisfaction."
    The customer look ed around the room as if searching for something. His eyes came to rest on the desk before returning to the demonstrator. "I don't suppose I could—"
    " I'm afraid not," the salesman replied, laughing. "It's against corporate policy, not to mention the law."
    The demonstrator stiffened