Cygenic

In the not-so-distant future, human DNA and advanced technology have combined to create sentient machines that look and feel oh-so-human, whether they are used as nannies, nurses, or... sex toys. But what happens when a sex toy sits up and demands rights?Dante is blond, brilliant, and beautiful... because he was made that way, commissioned and raised by an eccentric professor to prove a point. After the professor's untimely death, Dante's life is reduced to usage by the state, because technically a cygenic is a machine, not a person. To everyone, Dante is just a piece of "wetware" that happens to think and feel like a human. Drudgery at the hands of the state isn't the worst fate, though. Many humans have developed cruel tastes they satisfy with cygenic exploitation. Can Dante rise above the sordid and sadistic circumstances he finds himself in?Nate is a programming prodigy with a righteous soul. Fresh out of college, he goes to work for a nonprofit dedicated to rehabilitating destitute cygenics. But cyborgs aren't the only ones being taken for granted and exploited by those who may be human, but are far from humane.Dante and Nate are both lonely, angry, and left vulnerable by a world that should have treated them better... and they are on a collision course. Can they navigate the pitfalls of love, lust, and systematic oppression together, or will the system rip them apart? Monique Poirier is a time-traveler from the year 1983; an author, costumer, convention-goer, and activist currently living in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. She began writing science fiction and fantasy when she was 12, and discovered erotica at 16; she hasn't stopped writing since. She is a councilwoman of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe, and a lineal descendant of Ousamequin Massasoit. Her erotica has been featured in many Circlet anthologies, including Fantastic Erotica: The Best of Circlet Press 2008-2012. Her short stories are collected in one volume in This World Between: Erotic Stories. Her steampunk work has also been extensively published in anthologies and publications. She can be reached at Poirier.Monique@gmail.com or on Tumblr at Poiriermonique.tumblr.com