Exo Saves The Day, Chapter 22

[gynoneko]

Sorry, I promised you'd get her name in this episode, but I added more that will connect to later parts of the story, and it took longer than I expected, but I can promise that next episode, you will get 261's name.
Hope you like this episode, enjoy.

1) How did you like this chapter versus the last one? Which is your favorite in the whole story so far?
2) Are there too many details / not enough? Do they balance well?
3) Are there any questions you have about the story, characters, etc? (any at all, I might not answer if it involves the story, but it might clarify things I need to define more)
4) Out of the entire story, what is your favorite part so far? What is your least favorite part?
5) Is there any part of my writing that distracts you? (I know I've missed some spelling errors, etc., but I've tried to catch them and correct them when I do run into them)


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Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4.
Chapter 5. Chapter 6. Chapter 7. Chapter 8.
Chapter 9. Chapter 10. Chapter 11. Chapter 12.
Chapter 13. Chapter 14. Chapter 15. Chapter 16.
Chapter 17. Chapter 18. Chapter 19. Chapter 20.
Chapter 21.

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Exo Saves the Day
Chapter Twenty Two: We All Scream For...
By Gynoneko


Tera and I hopped into the back of the SUV while Joan took the driver's seat, leaving Cynthia, Jack, and Jen alone in the lab.  Unit 261 remained almost as lifeless as a doll sitting at the kitchen table, and Tom, the only one with any hope of fixing her, had stormed out after I got in an argument with him.  This evening was turning out to be a pretty messed up one, and I had to wonder if life would ever return to normal.

I thought about how determined Tom was, almost driving his own 'daughter' to the point of exhaustion, as I plugged Tera into the SUV through a charger port.  She was very low on power, and had been dealing with a lot lately.  I opted to sit in the back with her to keep her company, and make sure she was going to be ok.  Her emotions were on edge, and she was struggling to keep them in check.  As natural as this reaction felt, I reminded myself that this girl was nothing more than a robot, a sum of electronic parts.  But no, she was something far greater than that.

We never saw Tom along the road as we drove down the street toward a fuel station.  While we were technically on the outskirts of town, there were still plenty of bars and fuel stations around the place.  I had never been to this part of town, and watched out the window in silence as we drove.

"How are you feeling?" I asked Tera after a few minutes, while Joan concentrated on the road ahead.

"Drained, but getting better" she answered.  "A little overwhelmed I guess."

"I know what you mean.  There have been so many changes these past few days."

"I feel like I'm drowning.  I try to catch a breath when another wave hits me" she said looking down at the floor.  "You've been the only breath of fresh air I've had."  She was silent for a moment, and looked out the window.  "I've never seen dad act that way before.  It's confusing.  He's always been so kind, so gentle.  Do you think he's mad at me?"

"No!  He spent all night trying to save you.  He's passionate, but frustrated.  He..." I thought about it for a moment.  What was it like to be in Tom's shoes?  He was guided by passion, and this ordeal left him frustrated, and blinded by hatred for what they did to his daughters.  He was stubborn, and lost track of himself.  It wasn't a pretty thing, but he was bound to regret it.  "He loves you and your sisters very much.  That's why he got so upset.  He was unable to help her, and lost sight of himself."

"He scared me, more than I thought he could" she said.  "But you're right.  He is passionate, and I guess he got stressed out too."

Joan pulled into a  newer, nicer station and silently got out.  Of course, she had to turn off the truck, which left Tera without any charge but she didn't complain.  She hated to complain.  But something really was eating her up, and I knew she needed to talk about it.

"I lost my sister today" Tera said, more tears filling her eyes.  You'd think by now she would have run out, but I guess not.  "I... killed her."

"You did no such thing!  I was there pulling at that collar with you."

"We killed her then" she snapped.

"Liberati killed her.  And who said she was dead?"

"You saw her.  You called her a lost cause."  That shut me up.  I really didn't mean to upset her, but now I did.

"I... I didn't mean... She's not gone yet.  Tom just got me angry.  She'll be alright" I explained.

"Do you... Do you really think she'll be alright?" she asked with hope in her voice.

"Yeah.  We'll figure something out.  I'm sure she'll be fine" I lied.  I hated lying to her, but I knew her sister was toast.

Tera leaned up against me.  "Thanks.  I hope you're right."  A silent moment passed and Tera asked another question. "Danny, what am I?"

I wasn't expecting a deep philosophical quandary, and it caught me off guard.  "Uh.. umm..  well, you're uhhh... a highly advanced artificial- no....  manufactured life-form..."

"Life-form?  You really think so?"

"Yeah, sure, why not?" I replied.  "You're more complex than most animals, more emotional than most humans, and smarter than half of us too."

She laughed, which felt good to hear.  "Thanks.  But what I meant was 'What am I to you?'."

"To me?  What do you mean?"

"You called me your girlfriend earlier..." she said without blushing, but almost disappointed.  She had a keen eye for details, and I only mentioned it in passing.  I didn't even realize I said it until after the fact.  "Then later you called me your 'stuff'.  So what exactly am I?"

"I'm sorry Tera, truly sorry.  I never meant to imply you were an object.  I mean in one way you are, but you are so much more than that.  I mean... I... geez.  What I mean to say is you are no more an object than I am.  I was just getting mad at Tom and I didn't mean to say that.  Besides, none of my 'stuff' can feel emotions."

"And you think I can?"

"Tera, I know you can" I said giving her a smile.  She blushed shyly as a response. Damn she was adorable.

"So... I'm not just 'your stuff'.  Then what does that make me?  What does that make us?"

I guess I didn't have a choice anymore.  It hadn't even been a week since she entered my life, but I was more concerned for her well-being than anyone else.  I had to admit it, I was falling for her.  A robot girl.  Sure, why not?

I took a deep breath before I plunged into the question.  "Tera, we've only known each other for what?  4 days?"

"5" she answered.

"Really?  Time flies.  We've known each other for 5 days then, and yet so many things have happened.  I've felt as though I've known you for years, and yet we really only just met."

"You too?  I... feel like you've always been there for me, even before I met you.'  she said.

"Tera, I've never known someone like you before.  And I would be honored to... I mean, I guess what I'm saying is I've never really been this close to someone like I have with you, so I'd love- I mean I'd like it if we could... you know."  Why the hell was I so nervous?

"Yeah?" she said, her eyes getting big as she looked at me with bated anticipation.  I took one last deep breath.

"Would you like to go out with me?" I asked.

"Go out?  But we are out" she answered puzzled.  Damn she was cute.

"No, I mean like, go steady."

"Steady?  Is the car shaking?" she continued, looking around as though she were missing something.  I wasn't sure if she was playing or not at this point.

"A date?  Would you like to go on a date?"

"I don't know the date, I don't have a watch."  Was she for real?

"Tera!  Would you like to be my girlfriend?" I spurted out.  She stopped being silly with me, and just beamed from ear to ear.

"Of course, Danny!  Yes of course, I'd love that!  There's nothing I've ever wanted more in my whole life!  Oh, I've been dying for you to ask Danny!  I'm so happy!"  She radiated happiness as she bounced up and down, shaking the truck from side to side.  I had to wonder what the other customers would say, but what did I care.  I officially had a girlfriend again, a hot one too.  She embraced me for a long passionate kiss, which felt like it lasted for at least a minute.

"Well, you definitely seem excited" I said after breaking our passionate first kiss as an official couple, getting a breath of air.

She giggled some more and laid her head against my chest, hearing my heart beat.  "I've guess I've been feeling... I don't know.  It feels like my emotions have been getting the better of me a lot more recently, more than they used to."

Joan was still fidgeting with the pump outside, Tera and I took no notice of her, although I did hear some muffled talking in the background.

"Yesterday..." Tera began, leaning her whole body into mine,  "I... Well I want to apologize for running after you like that when I saw you fall."

"It's alright.  I forgive you.  But next time I'm ordering you a Kevlar vest too."

She smiled at my remark, and put her hand on my arm, gently caressing me.  "I wasn't thinking" she started.

"Of course you were" I replied quickly.  "You just didn't think about yourself.  That's one of the things I like about you."

She blushed crimson at my remark and smiled quietly to herself.  "I was sure I lost you.  I thought about you all night, I don't even remember how we got to the lab.  All I could think about was that you were taken away from me, and I was alone.  I kept seeing the same scene over and over in my dreams, where you get shot and hit the ground.  I..."

"Now you don't have to have those nightmares anymore. I'm right here for you" I said, but something was bugging me.  "wait... You said last night?"  She nodded looking up at me.  "But weren't you were in hibernation mode?  You shouldn't have been able to see, or think, or feel anything."

"I..." she thought about it for a few seconds when Joan interrupted, opening the back door.

"Sorry to interrupt, but it appears I need to pay inside first.  I've... never filled a car before.  Sorry."

"Oh, um..." I said, looking back at Tera.  "Let me help you out with that."  Tera gave me a nod of approval, and I got up to help Joan with the pump.  "I'll be right back, you want anything from inside?  Soda or something?"

"Sure" Tera said.  "Something sugary."

She gave me a smile that was becoming her signature look as I closed the door to help Joan.  We walked into the convenience store attached to the station, which honestly looked twice as large on the inside than it id on the outside.  It was full of all the staples of any college kid, soda, candy, beer, energy drinks, and cheap crap designed to collect dust or break after 5 minutes of use.

I couldn't help but notice how lean and sexy Joan looked walking with her confident gait and sexy hips.  The jeans she wore hugged her body tightly, but the black tank top, as sexy as it was, was getting some unwanted looks from people.  Her metallic left arm was plainly visible, even put on display for all to see and gawk at.  There was no telling what people would think of her arm.

I quickly grabbed 2 Cokes from the soda fridge, and Joan followed, grabbing a Dr Pepper for herself.  I glanced around as people kept eyeing her.

"So you two finally made it official, huh?" Joan said.

"What are you talking about" I said with a smile I couldn't hide.  She returned a sly smile and a wink.

"I have better hearing than you, remember.  Just make sure you treat her right.  I have a nasty left hook."

"I know... I remember" I replied, thinking back to the confrontation we had with her in the parking lot at Jen's work.

"Oh... sorry about that.  I didn't mean to..."

"Don't worry.  I forgave you already.  I'm just teasing" I replied.  Her expression relaxed and she smiled again.

We got in the short line at the counter to pay for the fuel and the drinks, with every eye in the store looking at us, when Joan got up next to my ear and whispered.

"So what does that makes us then?"

"Wha- What do you mean?" I asked in a low voice.

She looked away from me but continued to talk.  "I mean, you saved me just like you did her.  You made love to me too.  But... I mean I'm not bound to you, but I am still yours."

"Oh..." I said in a lower voice, looking around.  No one overheard us.  "Well... lets say friends."

"Friends don't fuck" she replied.

"Friends with benefits?" I suggested.

"Friend with benefits... I think I can live with that.  But I'm not just your friend am I?"

"I'm not sure where you're going with this..." I whispered.

"I mean, I'm not the girl next door.  I'm yours.  I belong to you.  I'm your property, your gynoid.  So, I should have a role as one, shouldn't I?"

I thought about it.  She did have a point.  While she was good for sex, I never sought it from her freely like I did with Tera.  Tera's role in my life was as my girlfriend.  Even when she was just a gynoid, even before we were bound, she was always there as a love interest to me. That was her role, and she was good at it.  But Joan wasn't really a love interest.  She was a fighter, a defender, a guardian.  She enjoyed sex, sure, she even craved it, but she wasn't a love interest.  I didn't think I was one to her ether, at least I never really picked up on anything or asked her about it.  What was her role to me as my property?

Just then, as I pondered this, we got to the cashier and made our transaction.  I had no idea how much it would take to fill an SUV, being notorious for poor miles per gallon and huge tanks, so I put double what I normally pay for my car down (which hurt my wallet) and walked out to fill up the truck.  The cashier seemed nervous to me, and several people hovered around, as though they were expecting something.  She must have noticed, but we just ignored them, went about our business, and left.

"That was weird" Joan said.  "What's up with them?"

"I think it's your arm.  Kind of a dead give away that you aren't just human.  Maybe they see it as a show of force?  I don't know.  Let's just get our fuel and go."

She looked at her reflective left arm and sighed.  I thought it looked cool on her, but maybe not everyone agrees with me.  "So what about it?" she asked, catching up to me.

"About what?"

"My role as your personal gynoid."

"I don't know if I like thinking of you as my property" I said.  "I mean... you are a girl, and I just hate the idea of treating a girl like an object."

"But I AM an object" she replied swiftly.  This was quite the opposite view than Tera, who was concerned with being classified as part of my 'stuff'.

"You're more than just an object Joan.  You have feeling, emotions, personality, likes and dislikes.  I mean, why chose a Dr Pepper over a Coke?"

"Because I like Dr Pepper" she answered.

"Exactly.  You like it.  A toaster doesn't like bread.  It's just a toaster.  You are more than just an object" I retorted.

"Okay.  You're right.  I am more than just a tool or a toy.  But I still need a role.  Something to help me define who I am.  A friend is great and all... with benefits is even better... but it isn't enough."

"So what you're saying isn't that you want to be an object, but that you just want to fit in" I suggested as we approached the truck.

"Sort of... yeah.  I just want to have my place in... well... in our family I guess.  Tera is your lover, and while I am your friend, so is Jen and Jack... what makes me different?"

I thought about it for a few moments.  "Tell you what... we can define your role based on what you do best.  You can be my friend, with benefits, and my body guard."

"Body guard?  Yeah, now that I can do" she said nodding to herself.  "I can guard you and my little sis.  In fact, I'll be in charge of all your security, if that's alright with you."

"Sounds perfect.  And even though I am your master now, if you ever do find the right guy, I will support you 100%."

"R- Really?  You'd let me date someone else?" she answered shocked, standing still for a moment.

"Sure.  I mean, I know you and Tera are fully capable of love, you may even need it, so I won't stand in your way if it does come up."

"I've... never really... thought about it" she said looking at the ground to her left.  "Thanks.  I really appreciate it."

"Of course.  But as long as you are with me, you will still be our security expert.  And I promise to always treat you with respect and care, as a friend" I replied.

"With benefits" she answered, and gave me a quick peck on my cheek.

We arrived back at the truck, and I helped Joan get the pump going, showing her how to operate it and finish up, before joining Tera inside again.

"Mmm" Tera said, crinkling her nose as she drank from the bottle.  God that made her look cute.  I took a swig of mine, and settled in next to her, putting my arm around her petite shoulders.

"I wish we could stay like this forever" she said, leaning into my chest.

"I don't.  Imagine having to use the bathroom" I joked.  She giggled, and it felt different somehow, more warm.  "Besides, I'd rather try a few other positions, if you know what I mean."

"Maybe later, Tiger" she said in her sexy voice.  It stirred me up inside.  I loved the little playful banter, and kept it up a little longer until Joan finished up, and joined us back in the truck.

"All set.  So, where to now?  Back to the lab, or do you think you two can keep it in that long?" she joked.  We both blushed, and ended up laughing at her joke.   It felt good that everyone was in a much better mood now.  It was dark out already, so heading back to the lab didn't sound like a bad idea, but Tera needed to charge up some more, and getting away from 261 and all that would keep her in a better mood.

"Let's get dessert" I suggested.

"Dessert?" the girls asked in unison.

"Yeah.  I could use a little something more to eat.  Plus, I need to thank you two for everything you've done.  And besides, you've never had ice cream before have you Tera?"

She shook her head.  "Neither have I" Joan replied.

"Really??  You two are missing out!  To the ice cream parlor!"

"Hey, I'm your body guard, not your chauffeur" Joan snorted.

"Of course.  Please drive us to the ice cream parlor and I'll make it worth your while" I teased.

"Now you're talking" Joan answered, and started up the SUV.  She didn't know where there was an ice cream parlor, and honestly neither did I.  Luckily, she did have GPS, and looked up the closest one, and got step by step directions to it.  If only we all had GPS in our brains.

It was a little ways out, but we finally pulled into a little local parlor, and got out.  This time, I made doubly sure Tera tucked her charging cord into her back before she got out.  She had a bad habit of forgetting to do that, and Jen wasn't with us to catch it this time.

The place wasn't exactly crawling with people, but there were more here than at the station, and several more children than I thought should be up as late as that.  Still, I was no parent, and wasn't about to say anything to them.  Tera smiled at the kids who were playing games and enjoying their food, and even waved back to one particularly friendly kid.

Joan took the lead, and the three of us went into the shop, and got in line.  Tera was easily distracted by one small child who wanted to show anyone her drawing.  Tera opened up instantly, and started playing with the little girl, giggling and smiling all the while.  It was really cute, and I didn't want to bother her, so I decided to order for her.

I ordered 3 classic chocolate cones, and proceeded to pay.  I took the 3 cones, placed neatly in a paper tray, and turned toward Joan.  Without warning, Joan stepped between me and Tera, as though to protect me.  Before I even heard the bell on the door ring, I saw a woman step in wearing a black business suit, and dark sunglasses (yes at night).  I had never seen her before, but Joan seemed to instantly recognize her.

The woman didn't seem to notice us at first, as though she were coming in for a cone herself, and suddenly paused in her tracks when she saw Joan, and then me.  She didn't seem to notice Tera at all, and froze for a second as if caught off-guard.  However, she eventually came to her senses, and reached into her jacket for what was probably a weapon.

Everything went into slow motion.  Before I could react, the woman pointed her gun right at me with deadly accuracy.  Joan adjusted her position, blocking my view somewhat.  I worried more for Tera than myself, and saw her move, but Joan's form blocked the movement.

A muffled gunshot went off, thanks to what I assumed was a silencer, and Joan jerked.  'Oh Shit' I thought.  I was sure they just shot Joan, and I was next.  However, Joan didn't falter, and I managed to get a view of what was going on from under her arm.

The little girl Tera was talking to was being held and covered up by her mother, while Tera faced the mysterious gunman... err... gunwoman.  At first I feared she just took a bullet for me, again, but then I realized Tera was holding something up.

The woman's arm was reaching toward the ceiling, pushed there by Tera's hand, who stood defiant before her.  The woman, again taken off-guard, dropped her gun, and backed away a step, before running out of the shop.  3 against one were not good odds, and she did the right thing by running.

As soon as the woman was gone, Joan and I ran toward Tera, while everyone else stayed down, terrified by what they assumed was a near robbery.  Tera recoiled her hand, holding it to her chest, and bent over, hyperventilating.

"Oh God Tera!" Joan cried as we ran toward her.

"Tera!  Are you alright?" I yelled at the same time.

She lifted her head toward us, tears rolling down her cheek, and smiled, still clutching her hand.

"I'm fine.  Nothing that won't heal by itself" she said through her pain.  I had been ignoring the stream of data she sent to my mind on a regular basis, and only now realized she received a rather minor burn injury to her hand.  It was nothing too serious, and would probably heal on its own, but the simulated adrenaline rush was really making her uneasy.

I sat her in a chair while Joan picked up and disarmed the gun.  "Let me take a look at that" I said, still holding the ice cream.

She extended her right hand, and I took a look, handing her the tray of cones in her other hand.  Her right hand had a dark red mark on two of her fingers, where she was apparently burned by the heat of the gun.  It wasn't a bad burn, only first degree (of course assuming her skin would react like human skin, which I started to doubt).

"You got any ice?" I asked the poor lad behind the counter who had to deal with this.  He was shaken up, but nodded and grabbed me a cup full of ice, before going back to call the police.

"Here, hold this" I told Tera, handing her an ice cube.  She held the ice against her burned skin, and closed her fist.

"Thanks, that's better" she said as she started taking slower deeper breaths.

"We better get out of here... now!" Joan ordered.

"Hey" the boy from behind the counter said.  "You can't leave until the cops get here."

"Tell them I'm sorry" I said, and helped Tera up, following Joan out of the shop quickly and into the SUV.  Joan was extra cautious, but fast, making sure the woman was gone.  She was watching a black car speeding off in the distance, and I only assumed it was the getaway vehicle.

We got in the truck, and drove off.  Joan made extra sure she wasn't being followed, while I saw to Tera in the back seat.  As I looked closely at her burned fingers, she gently placed her head against mine, leaning over in her seat.

"I am not going to lose you now, not after you finally asked me out" Tera whispered.

"Aren't we already out?" I teased back, relieved to hear her voice, and even more relieved to hear her laugh despite the pain.

"That... was too close for comfort" Joan said.  "Maybe next time we won't do ice cream."

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Diane.  She works for Liberati, I recognized her.  I'm sure she wasn't expecting us here, but she's dangerous.  If it wasn't for me, you'd be in serious trouble.  She's a grade S cyborg."

"Grade S?" Tera asked.

"It means she has a full mechanical body specialized for military and combat purposes.  Had I not been there, and had Tera not taken her off guard, you'd be dead."

I thought about that for a bit, and realized just how close I came to an end.  "Thanks for being there for me Joan, you too Tera."

"Of course" Joan said.  "I am your body guard"

"And my friend" I added.

"I'd do anything for you Danny" Tera said.  "I'm  glad I could return the favor and save you this time."  She smiled, and wiped away a tear before remembering to plug herself in again.

We drove back to the lab, all of us finally calming down.  It took longer to get back than it took to get out there mainly because Joan was avoiding being followed.  Tera looked at the tray of ice cream cones, still in her hand, and sniffed at them.

"They don't smell much do they?" she said.  "Are they suppose to be eaten cold?"

"Yeah.  Here, let me take that" I said and took the tray from her, handing her a cone instead.  She leaned back and sniffed it again, looking at me for direction on how to eat it.

I grabbed one from the tray and started licking it, to show Tera how.  She shyly stuck out her tongue, and licked the chocolaty goodness curiously; a look of surprise and euphoria filled her face.  Even despite her minor injury, she was still enjoying the little things in life to their fullest.

"Oh my goodness... this is... heavenly!" she said as she took a bigger lick of it.

"Careful not to let it drip as it melts" I pointed out.  She quickly licked up the drips along the side and off her fingers.  "Here you go Joan" I said, handing a cone to her at a stop light.  She took it and licked as though she had at least seen other people doing it.

"Wow.  This is better than sex!" she exclaimed.

"Really?" I asked, licking at my own.

"No, but it's a close second."

We enjoyed the ice cream on the way back, while I occasionally check Tera's hand.  Surprisingly, she was taking the pain well, and her nano-bots were doing a good job of repairing her already.  She kept holding the ice cubes, exchanging it from time to time with the bottle of soda.

"So many delicious things" Tera said.  "If only there was a way to mix soda and ice cream."

"Heh.  Next time I'll have to get you a float" I said.

"A what?"

"A float.  It's where you put ice cream in soda.  The ice cream floats to the top."

"You're kidding!" she said, looking closer at the cone.

As soon as I got down to the bottom, I started in on the cone, and Tera stared in amazement.  "You can eat that!?"

"Eat what?" Joan asked from the front seat.

"He's eating the cone!" Tera said, before trying a bite herself.  Joan looked at her mostly finished ice cream and did the same.

"It's not as good as the ice cream, but..." Tera said and took another bite.

I was really enjoying watching Tera experience her first ice cream cone, and only wished it was under better circumstances.  "Are you sure you're alright?" I asked her one last time, glancing at her hand.  She looked closer at her fingers and turned her hand toward me in a peace sign.

"A-OK!" she replied.  I smiled but took a close look at her fingers.  The red was dying down, she certainly was a fast healer.  I smiled at her and gave her fingers a kiss, making her blush again.  Before long, we arrived back at the lab, and pulled in to park at the back.  The place was still dark except for the occasional flash of a flashlight in the window.

Tera was still all smiles, as she got out of the truck and finished off the last bite of her cone.  I was surprised she didn't get any on her, like I did.  She took my hand with her left, and lovingly leaned into me, while Joan led the way back into the darkened lab.

What lay within surprised us.  261 was sitting lifeless on the table while Jen and Cynthia worked furiously on her, with part of 261's head panel opened.  They were using tools hooked up to the car battery for Tom's car, which also powered the monitor that Joan dragged in earlier which was now attached and active, and another tool as well which Jack held.  Jack sat next to them, working on something else entirely, hunched over deep in concentration.  Cynthia looked up at us, and let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank goodness, you're back!" Cynthia said.  "We could use some help.  Tom isn't back yet, but Jack is convinced he can save 261.  He won't explain it, but at this point I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

Jack laughed maniacally to himself and murmured something in science talk.  I understood it to be math, but not any math I knew.  Tera shot forward, and offered to help wherever she could.  Jen and Cynthia gladly accepted her help, as they worked on repairing part of 261's burnt synapse.

Joan went over to help Jack without a word, and started holding up a light for him, as well as offering some advice when she saw what he was doing.  I merely looked over everything, trying to see if there was room on the table for me, but there really wasn't any.  Too many cooks in the kitchen as they say.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked.  For once I was the one being left out.  They didn't answer but kept working at a break-neck pace.

I saw that Cynthia and the girls were mainly repairing the connections between different parts of 261's Evelyn brain, and were finishing up the repair Tom had started, by replacing the fried optical connections to her neck.  Jack had apparently taken the collar 261 had been wearing, and gutted it.  He was currently building from scratch a complex circuit board with various drives and cards attached.  He was actually soldering the transistors to the board, as though he were building a computer from scratch.

"Where did you learn to do that?" I asked.

"When I first started out with hacking, I would build my own computers from scratch.  I mean from scratch.  I got really good at figuring out circuit boards" he answered without looking up from his work.

"What are you making?"  I was hoping for an answer, but instead he just giggled like a mad man to himself.  Jen shook her head and smiled.

"So... How can I help?" I asked again.

"We could use some more light" Cynthia suggested.  "Try aiming the SUV lights toward the window.  Oh! See if the generator fuel line can be repaired."

"Um...  Sure thing.  I'll get right on that" I said backing away slowly.  It felt weird not being the one in charge or at least assisting in this type of operation.  I was left to do the simple mundane tasks that anyone could do, but I suppose that's what I get for being late to the table.

 No one except Tera seemed to notice me back away.  She looked up at me and smiled, nodding, before turning back to try to help them out.  She wasn't knowledgeable or skilled in such advanced electronics, even though she was full of them herself, but she could hold up a light and offer a hand when they needed a simple task done.  She was glad to help, especially if it meant she could save her sister.

I grabbed a flashlight, and headed out.  I first decided to turn on the SUV and face it toward the windows to help light up the place.  Once I had done that, I went to check out the generator, wherever it was, and see what could be done about that fuel line.

I wandered about the place looking for the generator.  The building was much bigger than I thought it was.  The area we occupied of it must have been less than a quarter of the entire building, and I had to wonder what else was in there.  I looked it up and down, but every window was tightly shut and painted over from the inside.  The doors were tightly sealed, and no amount of shoving or pulling would loosen them up.  The place as sealed tight, and I wondered how a building as old as this one appeared to be could be in such good condition.

I did eventually find the generator, and noticed the fuel line wasn't just cut, it was shredded.  The girl must have gone to town with the thing to make sure we couldn't do a simple patch repair job.  I took note of the model and make, a Honda generator, and decided to take a look around and see if I could find where the power line had been cut.  No matter how much I searched, I couldn't find a severed line, but I was no electrician and wouldn't be able to do anything about it even if I did find it.  It was already dark out, so any serious work on restoring power would have to wait till the morning.

I decided to head back in and see how everyone else was doing.  Cynthia and the girls had just finished closing up 261, and laid her down flat on the table, while Joan and Jack were busy sealing up the new electronics inside the collar.  It appeared to be a leather collar, but somehow he was actually melting the hole closed, making it water tight.

 "Thanks for the light" Cynthia said when she finally noticed me.  "I think we're almost done here.  How's it coming Jack?"

"Almost got it..." he said with eager anticipation.  "Done!"

Jack held up the newly re-sealed collar to inspect it.  I noticed that this time, the wire that came out of the back on the inside of the collar was not a regular thunderbolt port like it was before.  This time it was a thicker bundle of holographic optical wires bound in black tape, and it ran directly into the back of 261's neck. No more soldered wire mess like there was before, it was a clean and strong connection.

"That should do it.  Let me just put this around her neck" he struggled to put the collar back on the lifeless girl.  "There!"

"Um... what exactly is it?" Tera asked.

"Glad you asked little lady" Jack said in the worst fake-American accent I'd heard in a while.  "After carefully studying the monitor and her internal synapses" Jack continued in his normal British accent, "I have discovered that the electronic overload that blasted this poor girl was cut short, partially by our friend Danny-boy here yanking the little sucker clean off her before it had finished, and partially by an ingenious protection built-in to her brain thanks to the lovely Cynthia.

"Now, when the attack hit, it first attacked her personality core, and successfully fried the circuits that comprised her basic personality.  It went on to attach her memory and central processing, but by doing so, her main security cortex located in her subconscious mind physically cut off all the connection it could to the damaged area.  This limited the spread of damage, and meant most of her brain was unharmed.  She should remember everything... with any luck.

"Unfortunately, The collar was designed to initiate a second attack which would have fried the defense mechanism, and taken out the rest of her mind.  Luckily Danny stopped that."

"But what was the collar for then?" Tera asked.

"From what I can tell, and it isn't easy figuring these things out from a device that self-destructed itself... it was used to control her mind.  It overrode her morality, decision making, and even personality, making sure she did what they wanted her to do.  And if anyone tried to stop her and remove the collar, it would kill her and itself.

"She probably still had a hint of her former self showing through, but there was nothing she could do to stop the collar from controlling her."

"So what did you do to it?" Jen asked.

"Simple.  Since the damage was mainly to her personality, and the physical connections were destroyed, it meant she was going to be a vegetable until another part of her system failed.  Since the collar was already taking over that part of her, I decided why not redesign it to do the same thing, but better.

"I simply built a new, more compact version of her personality matrix and installed it into this collar, so from now on, she should be the same person she was before they took her over.  Except of course the fact that I don't have any data there... it's a blank slate."

"So as long as she has this collar on, she'll be fine?" Joan asked.

"Pretty much.  No need to worry about taking it off, it no longer triggers anything as long as the connection is not severed."

"So... it is her, but it isn't her" Joan replied.

"Sort of.  Look, it's the best I could do.  Maybe if you have her old matrix backed up somewhere you can install it..."

"No" Cynthia replied.  "We lost all the data when we lost the old lab.  Besides, her personality was something she developed herself, based on her memories and experiences.  I can do what I can to help her form a new one, but she'll have to do exactly that."

"Will she ever be the same?" Tera asked.

"I'm afraid not.  But maybe she'll still have a hint of her old self.  Either way, we must help her out as she works through this."  Cynthia was sad, but somehow optimistic.  She knew that this was the best hope she had of having her daughter back, but at the same time, she would be like a complete stranger, with a different personality, different likes and dislikes, different fears.

"If you want to add something to her personality matrix now, I'd suggest you do it she's ready to go at any time" Jack said.

"Let me just hook up the portable workstation..." Cynthia said, grabbed in the metal case they gave me to help with Tera.  "Wait... where's the port?"

"Oh, right" Jack said.  "Well, since this has to be hard wired to her system, I moved some basic ports here, to this flap on the side of her collar."  He unzipped a small zipper attached to a flap on the side of the collar.  Underneath was a replica of the ports that used to be on the back of her neck, allowing them to still connect to her with the collar attached.

Cynthia hooked up the device and started typing away.  Joan and Tera watched closely, and started giving input to how they remembered their sister.  Or course, Cynthia couldn't add all of it, but she spent a good half hour adding as much as he dared to add.

"How did you get that much storage inside that collar?" I asked Jack while the girls kept themselves busy.

"Joan and 262 there have a... smaller capacity for their personality than Tera has.  Tera's brain was upgraded, so she can fit more storage in the same space.  I simply used a segment of her more advanced style of brain equal to what Joan has.  It wasn't easy fitting it into the collar, but I managed to do it.  Thank goodness they're holographic drives, which are more flexible and durable than SSD or HDD."

"Is Tera's mind really that much more advanced than her sisters'?" I asked mostly to myself.  I looked at her and saw how dedicated to helping her sister she was.  She really did seem like just any other girl, and yet she was something new, something special.

A short while later, they had finished what they could do, and disconnected from the collar around her neck.

"Should we wait for Tom?" Jen asked.

"No.  He had his chance" Cynthia said.  It sounded harsh.  "Would you like to do the honors Danny?"

"Me?  This was Jack's idea" I said.

"Oh no thanks, I'm not suppose to touch another girl for a few more days, isn't that right?" he said looking at Jen.

"Why don't you do it Joan?" Jen suggested.

Joan stepped forward nervously.  "I... I'm scared it won't work.  But... I'll do it".

Joan took a step closer to her lifeless sister laying on the table.  Slowly reaching out toward the girl's exposed midriff, she pushed in her belly button, and held it for a second.  A faint whirring sound started up, and her eyes started glowing green.

"Wait a second" I said, thinking about something we should have considered earlier.  "Did you disable her programming to kill us?  Shouldn't we be holding her down?"

Jack and I looked at each other and scrambled to get to her arms.  Before either of us could reach, she started arching her back on the table and screamed at the top of her voice.

"NOOO!  DON'T TOUCH IT!"  Her hand shot up to her collar and she grabbed at it, her eyes still starring unfocused at the ceiling.  She suddenly stopped, and blinked, lightly feeling her collar with her fingers, noticing it was in tact.

She started to focus her eyes, and looked around the room at us.  She looked straight at Tera, Joan, and Cynthia, and asked "What happened?"


------
/Chapter 22
Chapter 23 here.

[liliwinnt6]

What is going to happen? And by the way is this a draft?

[NukuNookee]

Nice story progression, definitely a chuckle as they run into a cyborg in an ice cream parlor....

[gynoneko]

What made you think it was a draft? This might bea little but shorter of a chapter, but since there were so many longer ones, I decided to make it easier on you guys this time. I also thought this would be a good place to end since there are a lot of things that will happen in the coming chapters and I wanted to make sure they flowed.
The next episode will include an unexpected complication, secrets being brought to light, and a plan being formed. It will end with her name finally given.

[TW]

Now we're really getting somewhere...

I think once again you've shown your talent for giving your characters emotions and making them believable and endearing, as well as pacing and keeping the reader rooted. I have to admit that I was on the edge of my seat with this one, feeling like danger could be around any corner (a feeling you did not disappoint in delivering!)

One comment I do have (not really a critique as much as a function of the writing style) is that I feel just as lost as the characters. You've introduced a lot of elements: Tom and Cynthia's past, Liberati's interest, and the mysterious man with the metal kitty There's been plenty of action, which has been great and riveting, but I feel like details have trickled in with more questions than answers popping up between safe houses. Once again, that's totally to be expected with first person narrative, but I just want to know!

Great job again, Gynoneko. Keep it comin'.

[gynoneko]

Maybe it is time I decided to reveal an answer or two that I was waiting on. I think next chapter, I will be able to work in more about Tom's past, but not too much, and maybe something more about the mysterious man and his metal kitty.
There will be one more question brought up in the next chapter, but I promise to answer several of them in chapter 24, because that is where the action will really start to happen, and several secrets will be revealed.
Just wait, the answers are coming, but don't expect to get them all in this book I am planning to reveal several things at the end of this that will lead into a second story. I think my goal is to make this a trilogy. Who knows, with enough editing and cutting out of certain things (that the general public might not get), I might be able to take this and make it an actual book... who knows.

Also, in case you are wondering, I am out of classes (quarter system and all) and NaNoWriMo is this month (I know, only a week or so left), so I will be filling in as much writing as I can. Expect lots of new material soon.

[liliwinnt6]

I'm sorry I didn't regard this as a draft.
And what did you say, you are going to make this story a trilogy? That is going to be a long run pal, and is will cost a lot of time. Anyway I'm really wondering what's going to happen after we are done with Liberati Jr..
By the way, don't tell us anything before the next chapter. Don't do silly things like somebodies did to Modern Warfare 3.

[TW]

You know, I was going to ask if you were doing NaNoWriMo... Glad you are, and also glad to hear there'll be more releases soon

Anyway, don't rush your story writing. I'm sure everything will be revealed in due time (even if it takes a few books to get to it, which I totally don't mind if it means I get to read more into your universe!) and don't reveal anything if it doesn't make sense at the time. This is just a very rich and complex story with a lot of moving parts, and as a result a lot of time can pass before certain elements get touched again. Definitely contributing to this is the fact that I'm not reading this continuously as I would a novel, but that's totally not something you can change with your writing.

You're doing a really great job on this. You've already far exceeded how far I thought this story would go, and you've done a great job at drawing me in. Keep rolling!

EDIT: That was also my 69th post so...ya know...schwing!

[gynoneko]

What can I say, I've been enjoying writing this, and there is so much I want to put into it, I can't possibly do it all in one book. But don't worry, each book will be self contained, no cliff hangers at the end of the books. At least, none too bad.
And don't worry, I won't reveal or answer things too quickly. Or at least I will try not to. I have an element I was playing with which I think I can use now to help explain some more about Tom's past, which will open up nicely into a second book later on. I also hate spoiling things! Oh man I hate spoilers! You'll notice I never actually tell you anything that's going to happen, only an idea to get your mouth watering. I want to make you want to read more by teasing you. The next chapter is already on the way, not far off now. Might be a long one too.

And grats on your... erotic number post? I guess?

[gynoneko]

Man... I keep promising things like I'll tell you the girl's name in the next chapter and this and that... and yet I STILL haven't worked it in. It just took longer than I expected to get to it. I apologize again, and I guess you'll just need to read more of my story, and get another dose of my world before you get there. It should happen soon though, I've been working up to it.