Ex Vivo (#2 EX TRILOGY)

Chapter 5

"Yes." Eva giggled and replied. "Delivered to your doorstep in a box. Isn't that gorgeous? It's a beautiful pre-Christmas package, isn't it? I am really surprised you've never known about Ex Vivo. It's the coolest thing on campus now."

Suzy sat up slowly and stroked her chin. She did not know why she felt a bit uneasy about the information, but who would ever find a date dropped in a box at their doorstep a beautiful thing? She tried to recall any instance where she had seen someone either using the dating app or walking with someone they'd hooked up with on the platform, but could only remember hearing a couple of guys at an eatery on campus discussing some adventures with their new chicks they kept calling 'baes'. When she could not relate it to Ex Vivo, she gave up and cleared her throat nervously.

"Eva," she said slowly. "This is weird. Let me be frank with you."

"It's not. It's not, it's not, it's not!" Eva's voice trembled with excitement. "It's so cool. You should download the app ASAP. Forget about Amuzu. He's substandard right now."

"Eish. That's harsh."

Eva chuckled. "You will understand when you finally grab one. And guess what? They do this crazy thing eh? They don't use their own names. They give you the liberty to choose a name to call them and that's what they respond to. Before you get the delivery, you input the specs you want - "

"Specs? Wait. Aren't they dolls? What do humans need specs for?"

Eva scoffed. "Shut up and let me finish. Don't interrupt me again. Uh-huh, as I was saying - yes - you input the specs, OK? There is a UI that allows you to see the preview of your Boo or Bae order -"

Suzy snorted. "Boo or Bae?"

"Yes."

"Aren't they the same thing?"

"Not for this system. Boos are male dates. Baes are female dates. Their sexual orientations are also subject to your request. Say if you are - "

"It's OK. I am straight. That's enough." Suzy gulped.

Eva paused for a moment before continuing, "Rrrright. OK. So my Boo's an ebony stallion. He's smart, sexy and oooh yeah - his brown eyes - OMG! I just can't take my eyes off him. All his vitals are just on point - exactly what I asked for. It almost looks like they manufacture these people." She paused and gasped for breath. "I'm sorry, darling. I just saw him walking out of the kitchen and I so feel like ending the call and going to him. Should I?"

Suzy grinned. "Eva, you're really silly. Wait. So you see a preview of your specs in the app and you get the exact copy on delivery? How's that even possible? Are you sure they're humans?"

"Oh yes. Sure. Flesh and blood. I feel his heart beat when he's on top."

Suzy raised her eyebrows. "Eva, you're crazy."

"Not as crazy as you. Sweetheart, ditch the glitch and make your life rich. Ex Vivo is the thing. Download it. It's on your app store. Hurry. Let me know how he looks so that we can swap if he's hotter than mine."

"You can do that?"

"Oh yes. There's a chatroom on the app that allows you to share moments with your Boo or Bae, ratings and also do swaps. It's called the Boo-Bae-Swap feature. There's more. Download it noooow!" Eva switched to a whisper and said, "Hey. He's taking off his clothes. I will be back. Call me after an hour, yeah? Bye"

"Wait!" The line cut. Suzy took the phone off her ear and chuckled. "This is so crazy," she said to herself and opened her phone's app store. She entered 'ex vivo' in the search tab and waited for the results. Ex Vivo was among the results that were displayed and it was categorized under 'social'. She opened it and skimmed through the app's info. It was exactly as Eva had said, but it was tagged as a beta version, with the fully functional version coming on Christmas Day, almost two months away. She reached for the download button but hesitated and started to ponder over the info.

How long had Eva been with her Boo and why had she gone as far as getting intimate with him shortly after hooking up with him? Was the system really a dating system or an online brothel? How long were the relationships bound to last, and were there any positive ratings that mentioned the faithfulness of these dates? Suzy's attention was drawn to the word 'date' and wondered if there was any future for the engagements with these people. Were they Ghanaians? The app said you could choose any nationality of your choice though. How safe was it to be with them - behind closed doors? Were they slaves? How was the app able to present the exact specifications the user entered into the system? Are there beings like perfect humans in existence?

Suzy shrugged and tapped the download button. "Every girl wants Mr. Right," she muttered to herself. "Maybe this app makes it possible. If he's going to be better than Amuzu, it's worth the try." She glanced at her phone less than five minutes later and noticed the installation was complete. She opened the app and waited as a black screen appeared, and an acoustic guitar cover for Nigerian singer Davido's 'If' played in the background. Suzy grinned. The following words appeared in white text -

What if....you could get exactly what you wanted in life?

What if...you could find all the qualities you wanted in a partner?

What if....you could have THE PERFECT RELATIONSHIP?

They say there is no perfect man or perfect system in existence

But will a perfect God create an imperfect world with imperfect people?

Flaws are a mirage

Perfection is what you define it to be

And Ex Vivo proves that there is a PERFECT being

Ditch the glitch and make your life rich

Mr. or Ms Right is just a sign up away. Come on in.

The intro ended and the sign up interface appeared. Suzy took a deep breath and entered her details, created a new user ID 'Suzyloves' and entered the system. She spent time going through the ratings of other Users and decided to check on Eva's. She saw snapshots of fun times with him on campus grounds, at restaurants and in her room. Suzy zoomed in and ogled at the face of Eva's Boo. He looked young and fresh, and there appeared to be no scratch on his dark skin. He had perfectly white teeth and wavy dark hair, and his brown eyes were bright and clear and gave the impression that they could see right through you. Suzy licked her lips, opened the order tab and selected 'Boo' for the gender options. A revolving 3D dummy appeared, and the tabs on its left and right showed options for hair, eyes, skin colour, eye colour, lip shape, frame and others. She also saw a tab named 'Personality traits' and raised an eyebrow.

"Let's get to work," she whispered to herself and started modelling her new Boo order.