Ransom

She knew that if she didn’t pay, she would lose him. The ransom was high, almost a monthly salary. She looked at his face and then transferred the money. As soon as the transaction completed, he woke up: “I just had the weirdest dream.”

The hijacking of companion androids did not happen often, but it did happen. Usually to less tech-savvy people though, which made her feel especially ashamed. It must have been one of the rather exotic add-ons that she had downloaded, that had come with a virus. She realised in the morning that something was off, as Sol would just not wake up. He sometimes chose to sleep in a bit, turning to his side and wrapping himself in the covers. But this morning he just lay there, unmoving. She could still feel the warmth of his skin, so it was not the case that his batteries had run out either. As she opened the management console to check if something was wrong with his mechanics, she was greeted with the message: “Your companion android has been encrypted. We are the only ones that can decrypt him and restore his personality. Send 8000 credits to the following address: eth://5974y970fy9410841243. As soon as the transaction completes we will restore your cherished companion.”

She threw herself around his neck and kissed him passionately. “Mmphf!” Sol said as they fell back on the bed together, “What’s with the sudden morning enthusiasm?” “Oh, nothing,” she answered and then while looking to the side, “you might have been hijacked a bit.” “What!? How long was I out?” he shouted. “Only for a couple of hours at most. And I paid as quickly as I could.” “You paid for me?” he asked, his green eyes looking incredulously at her face. “That’s the sweetest thing anybody has ever done for me.” She blushed: “Well, I figured I really liked your mental configuration, and I don’t think I could reproduce it exactly like that. Plus I think that bondage routine that I installed was the reason you got hijacked in the first place.” “Wow, you’re such a romantic,” Sol said laughing, “and now please get that add-on out while I get some coffee in.”