Joy gets a surprise tour guide

I’d readied myself to convince both Atticus and Catty of the importance of getting out of here quickly but thankfully, once I told them I’d be **** into sex the day after tomorrow, they agreed to set aside their disagreement and move into plan mode.

Catty’s WINII set her an appointment for the library as soon as it opened. Atticus tried to get out of his job assessment so that he could stay with me, but his WINII assured him it was mandatory and could not be rescheduled. As I didn’t want to end up in some social faux pas that I wouldn’t know how to deal with, I decided I’d simply stay in. If I weren’t out and about, I couldn’t be cornered into a situation involving sex.

That’s how I found myself having a morning cup of coffee alone in our flat when Juniper walked in.

There was a lot of good things to say about the technology in this time. We found out last night that our clothes were one time use. When we were done they’d be recycled into their base materials and made into something else. Food similar in that we had base ingredients like proteins, carbohydrates, and seasonings, that could be made into hot or cold meals on demand. The walls were marvels of technology as they could vibrate and act as speakers on their own, could change their material properties to be reflective and become mirrors as needed, and even become displays for video communications.

Every residential building had tenants assigned that would be compatible socially. Age, family state, and jobs were all roughly matched. And evidently, this society didn’t believe in locks.

When I first heard the voice call out, I just assumed it was Winnie. “Hello? Joy? I saw you were still here and wanted to make sure you were all right. Where are you at, girl?”

Once I realized it couldn’t possibly be Winnie calling out for me, I stood up and headed toward the voice. When I turned the corner, I saw a beautiful woman waiting by the open door. She was maybe an inch taller than me but had smaller breasts. Her red hair was done up in a braid that ended up long enough to circle her neck twice. As soon as she saw me, she came up to me and pulled me into a warm hug. “Oh it’s wonderful to meet you Joy! I live just down the hall with my brother.”

Pulling back from the hug, but still letting her hands rub up and down my arms, she continued as if she were talking to a friend she hadn’t seen in years and was intent on catching up with as quickly as possible. “My name is Juniper, and my brother is Coby. We immigrated from the European Hegemony, oh, almost two years ago now. It took us so long to integrate here! Isn’t the Free Union just wonderful! Once I heard that there was a new family moving in, I just had to come and visit. I honestly thought I’d miss you when Coby heard it was your first fertile day, but here you are! Now, why aren’t you out looking for a compatible match?”

Not being sure if Juniper was just overtly ignoring privacy norms by walking in or if it was okay to step into someone else’s home without even a knock, I smile and try to be welcoming. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Juniper. My cousins Atticus and Catty are out, Atticus on a job assessment and Catty to the library. I figured I’d just stay in today and get used to this place.”

Letting go with one of her arms, Juniper stepped to my side and wrapped her other arm around my shoulders, guiding us both toward the door. “Well, that’s perfectly understandable, especially coming from the Eastern Coalition. I mean, they make all of you people stunningly beautiful, but why they won’t embrace technology is beyond me! But listen to me prattle on, we should get you out and scanning potential mates. And don’t you worry, I’m not currently fertile so I won’t be stealing any of the good ones from you and I know all of the hot spots! We’ll find the perfect matches for you!”

I tried thinking of anything I could say to stop her from guiding me outside, but nothing came to mind. Before I even got “Oh, Um… well, I guess, I was hoping to….” out Juniper had me into the hallway with the door closed behind us.

Juniper giggled as she led me through the hallway, down the stairs, and outside. “Well, aren’t you just the shy one! Most girls that immigrate in are excited that the Free Union’s WINII system helps narrow down the selection of men for them. But I get it, it’s new and you’re probably used to having to hook up with a lot more men. Don’t you just love seeing the stats above the guys’ heads? I programed my WINII to display good matches with little popping hearts so they’d be easy to pick out of the crowd. Oh, I just noticed, you don’t have a visualization adapter yet, do you? Well girl, we get to go shopping then! Trust me, the world just gets better when your WINII isn’t telling you everything and instead is showing it all to you!”

Hooking her arm in mine, Juniper led me down the street. There weren’t many more men out than there were last night, but I was still bombarded with their stats ass we walked by. It seemed that every time Juniper, who was talking almost non-stop, was going to tell me something I was interested in learning about, I had Winnie interrupt and tell me how the guy approaching us wasn’t a good match. What little information I did garner from Juniper was that men were expected to go about their lives. They had an annual medical clearance exam that cleared them for birth coupling. Once they were cleared, they’d be notified if any woman nearby was a compatible match.

I was going to ask what exactly determined compatibility, why a man with low sperm was considered low compatibility with a woman with high fertility, but Winnie interrupted and identified a match for me.

“Subject Baldwin Darcy, professor of biology at Angel University, educator second class. Last medically cleared July fifth of last year. Sperm count 82%. Last ejaculation August thirty first during birthing coupling. Birthing compatibility high. Connecting to potential mating partner’s WINII.”

As my heart dropped down through the sidewalk, I looked ahead at this man. Where Joel last night walked over confidently once our Winnie’s were hooked up, this man looked as out of sorts as me. Juniper evidently saw that we were a match as she said excitedly “Oh, looks like our first customer is up! Go get him girl!”

With a surprisingly harsh push to my back from Juniper, I found myself right in front of Baldwin. Again, the difference between Joel and him couldn’t be more vast. Sure, they were both handsome, but Joel wore his masculinity with a confidence that went beyond mere good looks. Baldwin didn’t seem to care for his looks. His hair was tussled and maybe a bit too long. He could have used a shave, especially as it was still morning. Everybody wore the same grey looking scrubs, but his were somehow ill fitting and wrinkled. And where Joel was obviously interested in meeting me, Baldwin seemed as eager as me to make this acquaintance. That’s to say that he wasn’t interested.

With a shaky voice he gripped the books he was carrying a little tighter and said “Umm, hello Joy. Welcome to the Free Union. I appreciate that it’s your first day of fertility and the system says we’re compatible, but I honestly don’t have time right now. I have a lecture that I’m already late for. If you could please hold off on accepting this birth coupling, I’d be most appreciative. I promise, if you still need a compatible partner by the end of the day, I’ll make myself available for you.”

I was left speechless, and oddly a little hurt. He didn’t want to have sex with me? Before I could ask why, or more importantly agree to deny our evidently imminent birth coupling, Juniper was beside me and taking my arm in hers again. “Well, that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been around the block my friend! How dare you insult a new immigrant. And just how lucky you must be to even consider turning down a girl from the Eastern Coalition? I think I’ve seen three of them since I immigrated, and none of them were half as fertile as Joy here. You honestly want to pass up this opportunity? Well sir, unless Joy has more mercy in her heart than I do, we wouldn’t stoop down to your level if you were the last man here. Come on Joy, leave this slob to his own devices. He probably won’t find a mate until next year!”

And with that, I was pulled along with Juniper leaving Baldwin behind. I found myself completely lost as Juniper seemed to keep going on about the gall of that man to turn me down. He requested that I not accept the coupling… so evidently, I have the choice? And what is it about people from the Eastern Coalition? Did we pick some rare kind of immigrant? Was there something special about us that we should know? And, although I’m happy he wasn’t interested, why would a man give up the chance to have sex if he hasn’t ejaculated in ten months?

Sadly, there was no way to answer any of these questions with my guide leading me on. Before I knew it, she turned and we entered what looked like a store. It was hard to say as no business seemed to have any signage outside. Winnie assured me that the poor clerk, who hadn’t orgasmed in over a year but still only had a sperm count of 3%, wasn’t a compatible match. The man still smiled as if he didn’t have a care in the world as he approached Juniper and me. “Welcome ladies. It’s such a pleasure to see two of you and so beautiful as well. How can I help you this lovely morning?”

Juniper walked over to the display wall, pulling me along, and started talking to me again as if the clerk hadn’t just offered assistance. “So, these are all the visualizer accessories. One of the advantages of having one is not having to deal with a clerk. Sure, your WINII could tell you the price and stats of each, but I can just look at it and see the same thing much quicker.”

Juniper picked up a tiny cylinder. It reminded me of a command pip that they wore on their collars on those old Star Trek shows to designate rank, except this looked like it was done up in rose gold. Juniper held it up to me with reverence as if it were a diamond ring that I should be in awe of “Now this little number is the one that I use. It’s on the expensive side, but it’s so worth it. Complete neurointegration which means an internal nerve-based audio system so it won’t block out other sounds but will always be able to be understood and a direct visual cortex incorporation, so people won’t even see your eyes moving as you look at what it’s displaying. It’s fully programable, but its basic personality is great. Like a good friend in your head. And best of all, look at how small and cute it is! I mean, this just sits behind your ear…” she turns and pulls her earlobe forward showing that she has one stuck to her head there “…and can’t be peeled off without your implicit intent. It won’t fall off if you bump into a wall or some hunk throws you down onto a bed a little aggressively!”

While everything Juniper said sounded nice, it also sounded like technobabble that was just made up on the spot. My primary concern was getting in any type of economic trouble. I had no idea what we’d need to spend credits on, and I’d only been granted 300. “I don’t know Juniper, I just got here and just got my first allotment of credits.”

It was hard to sound serious as my voice wavered any time I spoke. It wasn’t something physically wrong, it was simply the fact that I wasn’t used to it being MY voice. Juniper waved off my concern though with a smirk. “You were given the normal three hundred, right? Then don’t worry about it. This is the most expensive model in here and it goes for ten credits.”

I tried to think of a big expensive piece of luxury technology and compare it to a normal monthly salary and this seemed roughly in line… if I were making a lot of money. As if she noticed what I was thinking Juniper finally acknowledged the salesclerk. “My friend is new and still getting used to the economy here. So that she can better understand, what is your credit allotment per month?”

The man’s pride seemed disingenuous as he would have clearly heard what I was given, but he still seemed to swell up as he said proudly “As a sales manager I’m allotted ten credits per month, Miss.”

Juniper turned back to me with a smirk on her face. “Women are worshiped here, Joy. They want you to live in the lap of luxury so that you’ll focus on what’s important. Getting pregnant!” saying to the salesclerk over her shoulder Juniper continued “My friend here will take one and have it programed for her. Now.”

After snapping off a deferential “Yes Miss, coming right up!”

The salesclerk returned shortly and a moment later Juniper and I were walking down the street with it attached behind my left ear. He had offered to give me a quick demonstration but said the built in tutorial would be better suited for me when I had time. The little I learned was that this model, while still referred to as a WINII was in fact a variation called an Enhanced Information Latice with Extended Eyesight and Neurointegration. Or Eileen. As with Winnie, it was just easier to think of it as a female companion in my head named Eileen. Where Winnie was a voice I distinctly heard, Eileen instead spoke directly inside of my head as if she were a second internal voice. And when she fully activated, I completely understood why Juniper wanted me to have one.

Without asking for it, I received visual information about anything I was looking at. When I looked at the salesclerk, I got the same thing that Winnie had told me including his name, occupation, medical clearance date, sperm count, date of last ejaculation, and compatibility, but it also gave me his hobbies, home address, and something called a wealth and social index. Turning to look at Juniper I was given similar information. When I looked at the WINIIs on the wall, I was given all of their stats and prices, and even a recommendation that none would constitute an upgrade from ‘currently installed equipment’.

Walking down the street I half focused on Juniper telling me about her last fertility period and all of the information that was now freely and slyly available to me. When we walked into the next business, I already knew it as a refreshment house specializing in true grown food and the fact that it had aced its last inspection. When we were seated, I knew that the host was a low compatible match and even took Eileen’s suggestion to only directly inform me of men who were compatible in order to stop overwhelming me with useless information.

Just as I felt I was getting a handle on everything I looked up to see him. Evidently Juniper had the salesclerk add her little programing note to my Eileen as I saw cartoon hearts floating from his head. An information pallet opened next to him as he approached letting me know his name was Noah Merlyn. He was an officer in the military and had finished a deployment from a warzone only yesterday. He was medically clear, hadn’t ejaculated in over a year, had a sperm count of 100%, had a high birthing compatibility, enjoyed building models as a hobby, had 1436 credits available and had a wealth and social index score of 34.

Instead of simply giving me the information though, Eileen spoke up in my head. “Joy, Noah has just returned from deployment. He is highly sought after for birth coupling, extremely compatible with you, and as he hasn’t ejaculated for an extended period will deposit a large amount of sperm. I sense that you are experiencing anxiety at the thought of coupling with him, but a better choice is unlikely to occur during your fertility period. I will therefore assist you in coupling with him.

Juniper was all smiles when Noah came up to the table, but I barely noticed. His smile was as confident and pleasant as Joel’s had been as he crouched down next to me, rested his hand on my knee, and said “Joy is it? I see you’re new here. I hope I’m not being too forward to offer my services. I’d love to help introduce you to birth coupling in our fine city!”

It almost sounded like a line. Like a pickup line. But at the moment, I could only answer with a lick of my lips and a soft moan. It seems that the ‘Neurointegrated’ in Eileen’s name meant that she could control certain aspects of my body. And right now, she was doing something between my legs that felt amazingly pleasurable and had me rubbing my thighs together. And just as I opened my mouth to try and ward off this gentleman caller, a series of images flashed before my eyes. Images of Noah and I having sex, each one accompanied by the feeling of being penetrated and having my pleasure rise higher and higher.

When Noah took my hand I and started guiding me out of the refreshment house I heard Juniper call out behind me “Have fun Joy! I’ll be here when you’re done and will want to hear all the details!”