The two women exited the bathroom together. The door shut behind them, casting the room into near darkness once more. A pair of flickering holo-candles on the nightstands flanking the king-sized bed cast shifting amber pools of light, providing just enough soft illumination for them to navigate the spacious bedroom. A soft, rhythmic stream of Neo-Soul played quietly on the audio system.
After quickly slipping back into her clothes, Khadija lingered at the bedside, bending to press a kiss to her snoring husband’s forehead. Then, moving in unison, the two women exited the bedroom, flowing down the stairs to the condo’s main floor and out through the seamless glass doors into the still, warm autumn night air of the rooftop pool deck.
Near the pool’s edge, sleek and poised, a two-seater drone sat docked. Its nav-beacons pulsed a slow, rhythmic amber blink. The gull-wing door whispered open. Khadija climbed in, settling into the contour seat.
Inside, the control panel flared to life with holographic displays. Simultaneously, a line of cool blue LED lights ignited, circling the cabin’s interior perimeter in opposite directions, meeting and reversing before finally settling into a steady, soft glow.
“QEAI, please set a course for Oakville mansion,” Khadija instructed. Instantly, the drone’s crystalline holo-display shimmered to life, projecting the optimal flight path, precise ETA, and real-time atmospheric conditions as vibrant overlays. A deep, resonant metallic hum vibrated through the cabin, a low thrumming that began in the floor and rose to settle in the air itself, as the quad propellers spooled up with an almost imperceptible whir. System diagnostics, a rapid cascade of luminous glyphs, flashed across the screen before settling into a steady green glow.
Satisfied, Kim leaned through the open window, the cool night air stirring her hair, and planted a gentle kiss on Khadija’s cheek. “Love you. See you tomorrow.”
Khadija smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Thanks. Love you too.” She settled back into the plush contour of her seat, the cabin’s subtle ambient lighting reflecting in her gaze, ready for departure. “Shit! Almost forgot!” Her sudden, sharp exclamation startled Kim, who had already begun to withdraw. “Can you tangle the grocery bags from my car to me tomorrow? There are groceries from the African market in there. My mother will kill me if I forget them. Here’s my car controller.” She fished a slim, polished access fob from her purse, its surface cool and smooth, and handed it over.
“Okay, no problem,” Kim promised, clutching her silk robe tighter against the sudden, increased flow of air as she stepped back, the drone’s presence already undeniable. The deep hum deepened to a powerful, sustained thrum, a sound that vibrated more in the chest than the ears, as the craft lifted rapidly, effortlessly clearing the rooftop before banking smoothly southward over the glittering expanse of Lake Ontario.
“Leonard, escort protocol – get her home safely,” Kim instructed, snapping her fingers with a sharp, decisive sound. Two sleek, black chrome, unmanned security drones shot up from the lower balcony, their surfaces reflecting the city lights like polished obsidian, taking precise flanking positions beside Khadija’s craft.
Kim watched their nav-lights, tiny, insistent pulses of crimson and azure, recede against the vast, inky canvas of the night sky until they winked out of sight, swallowed by the distant urban glow. Minutes passed, the silence of the balcony growing heavy around her, before she realized she was staring blankly into the darkness, a hollow ache beginning to form. Too much to unpack… a tangled knot of thoughts and emotions… but not here. Not now, she thought, turning back inside, the chill of the night dissipating as she crossed the threshold.
Upstairs, she addressed the ambient AI, her voice a low murmur. “QEAI, swap music for snore-neutralizing ambient soundscape.” A soft, almost imperceptible chime acknowledged the command as she shed her robe, letting it fall in a silken pool around her feet, and slid nude beside her deeply sleeping, snoring husband. Her mind raced, a frantic current beneath the surface calm – his behavior since Tokyo… so off, a subtle shift she couldn’t quite pinpoint but felt acutely. Before the encroaching tide of sleep could claim her entirely, she mentally flagged a reminder, a luminous thought in the darkness: Consult Leonard tomorrow.
