Mechanical Gods (lgbtq+)

Chapter One: The Voucher

"No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is but the world as it will be." -- Isaac Asimov, My Own View

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     For Tyler North, he had a lot of things to say about galas, and none of them were any good. 

     Inconsequent polite conversations a step closer to boredom, thousands of canapes as much as the stomach could take, or that old dude who refused to let go of his fifth glass of wine just because he had an excuse to make an ass out of himself for the sake of celebration.

     But one thing came out of it in the end. Tyler enjoyed the heck out of snapping rich people's drunken mistakes and revelry covered in thousand dollar dresses and black ties. He wouldn't send that to them, no, that would be career suicide. It would be fun scrolling through it on his computer with some trashy reality show on Bravo and a bowl of ice cream on a rainy afternoon.

     Passed out dude on the garden. Check.

     Odd couple's lover's quarrel behind a fake fern. Check.

     The old company manager in the middle of getting handsy over the female androids. Double check.

     Each snap of his photos was Tyler's reality show, and it was definitively a hundred percent real life. In high-definition, no less. Tyler had been at this fundraising event for two hours now without anything to eat; his stomach grumbled with annoyance.

     There were close to a thousand people packed inside the ballroom complete with a large dance floor in the middle surrounded by dozens of white-linen tables occupied by men in tuxedos and women in expensive dresses. Three crystal chandeliers hang twenty feet up on the ceiling. A massive buffet table was set to the side. It was supposed to be a four-hour private event, and it was barely halfway through. 

     Most of the journalists were barred from entering, though, Tyler was the only one who was allowed inside as a hired professional photographer. Watching guests eat wasn't that ideal, but it sure was worth it when he would get two thousand dollars after this was over, which was an excellent motivation to endure the night all thanks to his best friend.

     Eileen Wu sidled next to him. Unlike the other women in the room, she was dressed only in a white bodycon dress that showed her slim physique, pairing it with white high heels. Eileen was one of the best event planners around the city, booking companies for retreats or galas, to grandeur weddings and simple luncheon meetings.

     "Enjoying the night, pal?" she asked.

     "I feel underdressed," said Tyler, smoothing the creases of his brown leather jacket. Out of all the men in the room, he wasn't wearing a tuxedo.

     "No, you look good. Can't believe this went out so great! Thank you for doing this. I know it was last minute. The previous photographer got food poisoning last night."

     "Yeah, no problem. Anything for my best girl." However, Tyler thought more about the two thousand dollars he's getting than pure friendship alone. He was two months behind his rent already, and Eileen's offer was the perfect way to crawl out of the inevitable eviction notice.

     "If its any consolation, these SynTech corporate spooks is paying me a huge ton of money overseeing this event, so I'm treating you out to dinner for the entire month! But don't get too greedy." She and Tyler laughed.

     "Wasn't planning on it. You'd probably smother me in Pad Thai and Teriyaki chicken, and I'll be good for the month than what these schmucks can truly afford. Man, I can't afford shrimp cocktails every day," said Tyler, staring at the shrimp cocktail by the buffet table.