I stared at the device for a few seconds, Paul McCartney’s voice kind of drifting through my head, until the song ended. I looked expectantly at the android, he seemed to look expectantly at me.

I pressed a button.

Bach’s Sonata in…B Minor? Yes, you could tell from the strings. Pristine.

I pressed another, and…was that “Let it Be”? But the song melted in perfectly with Bach…beautiful, but unbelievable. They played off each other, not interrupting, one not too loud, the other not lost.

This machine was amazing. Music and art, all intertwining to form raw feelings, emotions – in me, at least.

I let the sound wash over me, and then leaned in to press another button. A piercing spear of pain ran up and down my arm.

I screamed. The android didn’t react, just stood there and said, “Human deprogramming initiated. Unfamiliarizing.”

I clutched at my arm and stared at the machine. The last notes were fading away. The music was gone.

I needed more music!

Press -

PAIN -

…and it was dark.