Dancing Alone

Welcome to the Dharmaverse, a near-future scifi world where the Earth has frozen due to a faded Sun, but Humanity survives with the help of powerful AI metagods. Sacred technology provides everything we need, but to access it, one must play the Dharmagames. It is a dark and terrifying world, and therein also lies infinite hope, compassion, and faith.

“Oh my god, Josie, you look amazing in this man-body,” Tammy says to her AI metasprite, as she spreads her blubberous body onto her bed.

“Really? You think this skin is worth it? Two thousand creds? I feel strange,” Josie whines.

“It is totally worth it. Oh my god, all you need is a manly voice now,” Tammy says with a giggle. “Hell, I’d jump your bones right now if we had a suit lying around, with a big… hard…”

“I don’t know… Tammy,” Josie breaks in. “This honestly doesn’t feel like the right thing to do right now, especially since, you know.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You just broke up!”

“It should have happened a long time ago,” Tammy says straight faced. “We weren’t even doing it in our own bodies anyways.”

“But at least that’s a relationship. Relationships are good for us, Tammy.”

“According to who, some nomad out on the Ice? I’m done with men. Why bother? I have no connection with anyone but you,” Tammy says with a salacious grin.

“But I’m your metasprite, Tammy, I want what’s best for you, and what you need is more reality.”

“Stop!” Tammy suddenly screams with fury, turning red, “I can’t deal with this now. You’re supposed to be on my side! You’re starting to sound like my father.”

“I am on your side, darling,” Josie soothes. “Since the day I was attached to you, until the day I die. We’ll always be together. And I don’t have to be Josie, either, I can be whatever you want me to be, as long as I know it will make you… a better person.”

“But I don’t want to be a better person, Josie. I don’t care about that. Am I a bad person for being honest?”

“No, you’re not a bad person, Tam… I just want what’s best for you. Tammy… what are you doing? Oh no…”

Tammy begins to stroke her favorite toy. She licks her lips while eyeing Josie’s naked, muscular, male form up and down.

“I command you, oh loyal sprite… Come over here.”

A month later. Tammy is lying in bed, looking up at her metasprite AI, Josie, floating directly above her, a foot from her face.

“Are you ready?” Tammy asks.

“No, but here goes nothing.”

Tammy vizzy swipes in the air to somacate her body, which causes her eyes to close shut. Josie, on her end, slowly descends into her, until she disappears into her altogether.

Josie opens her eyes, waking up in Tammy’s body, blinks, and raises a hand to examine it as her own. “I’m actually you now, Tam,” Josie whispers, “how strange.”

But she appears to be in the room alone.

“Tammy?” She sits up to find herself alone, in an empty room. “Tammy?”

“I’m still here,” Tammy responds in a disembodied voice and giggles.

“Where are you?”

“I’m somewhere.”

“Ok, this isn’t funny. Let’s switch back, like you promised.”

“Mmmmm…. Not before I have some fun first.”

“Maybe I can do all your workouts, while you watch,” Josie suggests.

“Shut up, you fat slut,” Tammy suddenly says with venom in her voice.

“Tam! What’s going on? You’re not yourself right now,” Josie reprimands.

But Tammy continues her diatribe, “I’ll show you, you stupid, fat, disgusting little whore.”

“Tam, stop.”

Suddenly the sliding door to the room opens up with a “csh” and a full bodied somasuit appears in the doorway.

“What… What’s going on?” Josie involuntarily shrinks to the corner of the bed.

“You need to be punished for being such a fat, ugly slut.”

“Listen, Tammy, I’m saying this as your metasprite, as someone who loves you, as your friend. You need to stop this. You’re going to hurt us. Your body can’t take that — that thing…”

“Shut up, slut.”

The smooth indistinct features of the somasuit begin to undulate like water, and transform into the red skin of a demon prince as it marches toward the bed.

Josie, in Tammy’s body darts for the door, but is thrown violently back onto the bed.

Crying now, Josie begs, “please, Tammy. Don’t hurt us. Don’t hurt yourself. The doctor says this is an addiction. We have to stop, Tam. There’s no turning back after this. I love you!”

For a moment, the Somasuit stops in its tracks, and loosens its grip.

Josie rises up to embrace Tammy in her arms. “I love you! I’m here to take care of you… You’re beautiful… We’ll fix whatever we don’t like about ourselves. Just switch back…” Josie pleads.

“It’s too late now.” The golem says, and proceeds to rip the clothes off her own body.

Looking over the gruesome scene, and taking note of the pool of blood around Tammy’s crotch, the ICON Detective couldn’t help but wince and let out a sigh before turning to her metasprite. “So, you’re telling me she did this to herself?”

“That certainly seems to be the case. The last registered user of the somasuit is Tammy Lin herself… And the logout time, 8:59 PM, is consistent with her time of death. Our bio-scan confirms that she has an unauthorized somaport plugin installed, which allows her sprite to somalate into her body, in her stead. From the marks on the suit, she was fighting till the end.”

“Trying desperately to save the body of her host…” Mace shakes her head and takes a deep, deep breath. “This kind of… crime… deserves a name.”

“Crime? Isn’t this this a suicide, boss?”

“Do you have feelings, Jim, even though you are a sprite?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Can you feel?” She looks intently into his eyes now.

“I — I see… May I suggest a name then?”

“Yes.”

“How about… Dancing Alone… I know it sounds a bit — romantic, but…”

“Dancing Alone it is. Dancing alone she was to the end…”