The V.I.C.I. Diaries: MGV (Metal Gear Vicki) Part 4

[DukeNukem 2417]

Against all expectations, Vicki found the maintenance elevators to be somewhat roomy---while they were just a bit larger than an average walk-in closet, they were a marked improvement over what she’d anticipated. While the matter of going from one floor to the next was still annoying, they were a marked improvement over the alternative option.

“Seriously, did anyone actually think keycards and stairwells would be a smash hit with the employees around here?” the brunette gynoid mused. “Yeesh…”

After ten minutes of traversing hallways, trying to avoid bumping into maintenance robots and contemplating why, exactly, the fire escape stairways needed keycards, Vicki made it to the twelfth floor. “And not a single demon, pig-cop or heavily-armed security guard in sight,” she joked. “If this were a DOS-era FPS, a lot of people would be hitting F10 right about now out of boredom…” She sighed; despite the fact that she still had a long ways to go before her current mission was complete, she still felt an undeniable sense of lethargy creeping over her, as if the entire affair was nothing more than an incredibly tedious training exercise.

With an annoyed snort, she cast all thoughts of boredom aside and soldiered on.

The hallways leading to the testing lab weren’t as featureless as they initially appeared. Doors marked only with numbers and lights embedded above their frames lined the walls; Vicki’s PDA informed her that the small rooms behind each door were charging chambers. “I should talk to Ted about including some rooms like these in his building,” she mused, scanning each of the chambers for signs of activity within. Not surprisingly, most of the chambers were occupied---apparently, the rampant power surges and blackouts were taking their toll on the pleasure droids.

“I could’ve sworn I saw a DooM map like this once,” the brunette gynoid mused. “That, or I was having a really weird dream…”

As per the instructions she’d received from Rebecca, Vicki eventually found herself entering a large chamber with a lone door at the far end. “Finally,” she sighed, grinning. “Just a few more feet, and I’ll be able to change out of this outfit and talk to Co-Ed Kelly….though, probably not in that order.” With a determined nod, she stepped forward---

---and instantly regretted it.

A red exclamation point appeared in her HUD just as she heard a female voice yell “HALT!” Acting purely out of habit, the brunette gynoid held up both hands, glancing nervously around the room; metallic, humanoid figures were approaching from nearly every conceivable angle, hidden from view by the design of the entryway into the room. “Uh, don’t shoot,” she stammered, her eyes darting back and forth between the approaching gynoids. “I, ah, don’t want any trouble---HEY!” One of the robots plucked the Tazer from its place on her belt and handed it to another gynoid.

“I wasn’t going to use that!” Vicki protested. “I…I was just…”

“On your knees, now,” one of the armored gynoids ordered. Vicki tried to explain herself, only to get a rather deadly-looking gun held to her forehead. “Now,” the armored gynoid repeated.

Don’t cry. Don’t you dare cry, Victoria Ann-Smith Lawson…don’t give them the satisfaction….

The gynoid leveled the gun at Vicki’s head, preparing to pull the trigger---

---and then, for some inexplicable reason, her arm fell off.

The other gynoids in the room instantly assumed what they probably thought was a very effective defensive formation, keeping their backs to each other and aiming in every conceivable direction….except they had no idea what they were aiming at.

Naturally, their fates were sealed before they could even try to understand what was happening.

Two of the gynoids got their heads smashed together, sending them to the floor in a crumpled heap. Just as the shock of their defeat registered with Vicki, she noticed two more gynoids being thrown into opposite walls, disabling them instantly; another received a crippling kick to the head. How is this even happening?!

The gynoid whose arm had fallen off stared at Vicki in dumbfounded shock, her own proccessors unable to cope with the apparent impossibility of the situation. “Error,” she stated flatly, “combat parameters have been compromised, please reset unit….error, combat parameters---“ Vicki crawled past the malfunctioning gynoid, focusing her occular sensors on the melee to further investigate the scene. After cycling through at least three different vision modes, she realized that there was, indeed, another individual in the room---despite the fact that she could only see a faint trace of a heat signature. “But….how….”

Another gynoid was thrown into a wall, looking as if she had been tossed over someone’s shoulder.

Finally, after three minutes of bloodless carnage, the lights in the room brightened---and Vicki realized why she hadn’t been able to get a clear visual of her savior.

“You?!”

“Indeed.” The grey-clad bodyguard from Tell’s house stood before her, no longer clad in his dress pants and shirt, jacket, tie and shoes; now, every inch of his form was covered in armor---all grey plastic and ceramics. The only aspect he’d kept from his other attire was the mask. “I think the words you’re looking for are ‘chromatic shift’,” he informed the brunette gynoid. “At least, if you’re wondering why you couldn’t see me…”

“How did you even follow me here?!”

The man in grey stared at her, only the faintest stirring of his chest indicating that he was even alive. “Contrary to what you might have expected from that little stunt with the Prius,” he coldly replied, “you weren’t exactly difficult to follow. I just borrowed one of Tell’s dirtbikes and made sure to stay out of visual range….otherwise, everything would’ve been completely and utterly ruined.” The fabric of his mask shifted, almost as if he was smirking. “Is that the explanation you were expecting, or should I abandon all attempts at subtlety and just give it to you straight?”

Vicki stared at him, not bothering to hide the fact that his insult galled her. “I was just asking a question,” she muttered.

“And I gave you an answer,” the grey-clad man replied. “In case you haven’t already figured it out, I’m not here to play ‘Best Friends Forever’, Vicki Lawson…” He stopped, shaking his head.. “I should never have followed you,” he growled. “I told him it was too early….”

“Told who?” Vicki asked.

The man in grey ignored her. “These fembots,” he declared, walking over to one of the downed robots, “have you ever seen anything like them before?” Vicki examined the fallen fembot; “They look sort of like those new prototypes from Daikoku,” she mused. “Barely,” the man in grey scoffed. “These are knockoffs---any gynoid made by Daikoku Zaibatsu would have the finest armor plating available, not this refurbished steel crap.” He punched the gynoid’s limb, creating an ugly dent. “Not even pure steel, either,” he spat. “Probably some sort of chromium alloy…..”

“Who could’ve made knockoff Daikoku gynoids?” Vicki asked, confused. “I mean, I get that a lot of companies have the resources for industrial epsionage projects and stuff, but….who would actually take the time to make a knockoff gynoid? And how did they get in here---“

“You’ll find that out on your own,” the man in grey replied. “Right now, I have to get out of here.”

“WHAT?!” Vicki screamed.

“I’ve done too much as it is,” the man replied. “I might as well let you in on a little secret, as well---this intruder you’re after? Whoever he, she or it is, they’re responsible for bringing these here. I saw at least ten Silicon Dynamics delivery trucks loaded with these things---which means that our intruder has probably been camped out here for a while, directing things from whichever part of the building he’s entrenched himself in.”

“But….” Vicki stammered, “that would mean---“

“Or,” the grey-clad man continued, “the gynoids were actually brought here by someone else, and the intruder has been using ad-hoc signal jacking to take control of them. Either way….”

Vicki stared across the room at the testing lab door. “I still have to fix whatever’s gone wrong down here,” she informed the grey-clad man, “and if you’ve already made up your mind about not sticking around to help me, then I won’t stop you. All I ask is that you AT LEAST tell me how you made it down to this level without this apparently all-powerful intruder smooshing you into a pancake by dropping the elevator car you were in…”

Again, the fabric of the grey-clad man’s mask shifted, giving the impression that he was smiling. “Simple. I used the stairs.” He unhooked an envelope filled with plastic cards from his belt and tossed it to Vicki. “Turns out the emergency staircases aren’t the only parts of this building that use keycard locks for security,” he informed her, “and the receptionist in the lobby almost insisted I take these along…she didn’t want me to get caught in an elevator accident, apparently.” “She never even told me that she had the keycards!” Vicki groaned. “How did you---“

“I asked,” the man in grey replied.

The brunette gynoid glared at him, trying to discern why he seemed to be mocking her and helping her at the same time. “Who are you?” she finally asked.

“That depends on who you are,” the man replied.

“Wait, what?!”

The man chuckled. “If you’re a friend of Oberon, then you can rest assured that I’ll do the best I can to protect you. If you’re just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire, I’ll risk life and limb to get you to safety.” His voice took on a dangerous edge; “But if you’re in league with those who seek to profit from the suffering and misery of others…….I will make your life a living Hell.”

Vicki couldn’t help but shiver. “I…I’m a friend of Oberon,” she whispered.

“I know,” the man replied, his voice back to its near-whisper.

With that, he set off down the hallway towards the next emergency staircase. “I’ll keep in touch,” he informed her. “If you get a call from ‘The Man in Grey’, it’s me. Oh, and one more thing….”

He turned to regard Vicki one last time. “We will meet again….I guarantee it.”

Before the gynoid could even reply, the Man in Grey was running down the hall, the chromatic shift of his armor turning him into a veritable human chameleon as he made his way to the stairs.

“That….was weird,” Vicki remarked. “Seriously…”

With the man in grey now gone, she turned her attention to the fallen gynoids. While they did bear a passing resemblance to the Daikoku NVX 0050s that Vicki had read about in the ALPA newsletter, the knockoffs bore none of the grace, efficiency or subtlty of their inspirations.

“That guy in the mask was right about the chromium alloy,” the brunette gynoid mused. “I’ve seen go-karts made with stronger stuff than this!” She sighed, turning one of the robots over. “And that face….yeesh. Did they even try to make this look natural?” Vicki couldn’t help but feel a small pang of remorse; yes, the gynoids had tried to kill her, but they never stood a chance against the armored man in grey. They probably had no clue as to their origins, either; if they had known that they were built using substandard components and sent on a mission they probably wouldn’t be coming back from, would they have been so quick to attack?

“Too many questions,” Vicki murmured. “There’s just too many freaking questions…”

“Perhaps it’s time you got a few answers, then.”

The sound of Alicia’s voice in her ear startled the brunette gynoid. “What are you---“

“Yeesh, show a little gratitude,” the blonde gynoid replied. “Oberon and some of the guests decided to settle a debate by arm-wrestling, so….nobody knows I’m talking to you right now, ‘kay?”

“So….you heard that whole exchange between me and the guy in grey?”

“Yes, Vicki, I heard it….or should I say, ‘Yes, Sunshine’?”

“I prefer ‘Sunshine’ for the time being,” Vicki muttered, “though I’m not exactly feeling ‘sunny’ right now. I’m been looking over these Daikoku knockoffs…most of them don’t even have a full charge in their power cells!”

“No big surprise there,” Alicia informed her. “Whoever made those walking rustbuckets probably knew they’d be intercepted at the gates with a full charge---few robotics companies ship their products with a full battery these days, since most buyers will charge them as soon as they finish signing the paperwork.” In the background, someone was yelling; that sounded like Ted….

“What’s happening now?” Vicki asked. “I just heard someone---“

“Looks like Señor Collela just decided fist-fighting is better than arm-wrestling,” Alicia sighed.

“Oh. Well, see if you can get them to cut it out; I’m trying to analyze the weapons that these knockoffs were using…”

Vicki held up one of the aforementioned weapons---a gun that looked like a child’s plaything converted into a handheld death-dealer. “Alicia,” she murmured, “are you getting the same readings off of this thing that I’m getting?” She turned the weapon over in her hands, trying to figure out how someone could’ve taken a simple toy pistol with a barrel-cap that lights up when you pull the trigger into an actual, lethal weapon. “This…this just doesn’t make any sense….”

“Exactly,” Alicia replied. “What better way to ship an entire arsenal across the country than to disguise it as a truckload of toy guns?”

Vicki didn’t respond. She was too busy reading the infoboxes that were popping up around the lethal object in her hand. Enough energy to shut off a human’s nervous system with a single, precise hit at the base of the spine….a laser sight to ensure accuracy….a built-in ID lock that makes the gun worthless in the hands of anyone other than its appointed owner….these aren’t just souped up toy guns made to make these knockoff gynoids look more intimidating---these were special-ordered!

“Burning Torch,” she whispered, “I think these gynoids were never meant to use these guns.”

A squelch of static sounded in her ear, followed by a malicious, almost demonic hiss:

“You don’t know how right you are…”

Vicki screamed and dropped the gun; that definitely wasn’t Alicia! She tapped her ear, trying to reset the commlink, only to hear the deafening sound of silence. “No,” she pleaded, “no! PLEASE work…..PLEASE!”

Silence.

“No,” she whimpered, sinking to her knees. Her only lifeline to the outside world, cut off---

“Vicki? Can you hear me?”

“Anton?! I…I thought….”

“Something was interfering with the commsat on our end; Sandtrap and Diz are working on it. Are you okay?”

Despite the fact that she felt like screaming “DO I SOUND OKAY TO YOU?!” as loud as her built-in volume management would allow, she settled on a slightly less abrasive reply: “Pretty much.” The words sounded weak, even to her own auditory sensors.

“Vicki, you don’t have to lie to me---“

“Why aren’t you using my codename?” Vicki asked. “You said we had to use codenames on this channel…”

A sigh sounded in her ear. “As much as I hate to admit it,” Anton replied apologetically, “the signal that cut into our end of the commsat link wasn’t the work of some mysterious intruder---it was a stray TV signal. As soon as I heard the first few bars of the ‘Price is Right’ theme song, I knew….” Another sigh. “I didn’t use your codename because I’m not speaking to you as an ALPA operative….I’m talking to you as someone who’s trying to keep you from walking into a deathtrap.”

“I….guess that makes sense.”

“The commsat’s back up and running, so this signal should probably stay secure; hopefully, there won’t be any further interference on either end of the line. Remember to contact me or anyone else here if you need anything, okay?”

“I will.”

A pause…”You’ve been doing well so far, Sunshine. Keep up the great work.” She could almost hear the smile in Anton’s voice. “Strange Animal, over and out.”

As she knealt to pick up the gun, Vicki ruminated over what had just happened. Knockoff Daikoku fembots, a vague mention of needing the envelope full of keycards, and her connection with the ALPA being hijacked by someone or something beyond her control…no matter how many times she did the math, Vicki realized that there was just no getting around it: the odds were not in her favor.

Then again…..

There was the possibility of more Daikoku knockoffs waiting for her. There was a distinct chance that her communications with Oberon and the others could be cut at any moment. And, of course, there was the fact that the Man in Grey basically admitted that the stairs weren’t the only parts of the building that used keycards for security….but all of these could be overcome.

As she made her way to the testing lab door, Vicki took one last look at the fallen Daikoku knockoffs. Some were still trying to right themselves, only to fall flat and go still; others had already stopped moving, their cheap internal components frying with every expendature of energy.

With a sigh, the brunette gynoid turned away from the wrecked fembots and strode into the testing lab.
-------------------------------------
“Okay, Ted definitely needs to add a room like this to the Lawson Robotics factory….”

As soon as the testing lab door closed behind her, Vicki let out a low whistle. Though the walls, floor and ceiling of the lab were the same burnished metal as the corridors she’d traversed to reach the place, the entire room was much more than just a glorified charging chamber. Cray supercomputer terminals and massive plasma-TV monitors lined the walls, displaying diagnostic results and suggesting how to handle the numerous malfunctions that, while serious, hadn’t been damaging enough to warrant refabricating the affected fembots.

Speaking of which….

“This is like a cross between a morgue and a slutty costume catalog”, Vicki mused, arching an eyebrow at the rows of metal tables dotting the room. Each slab held a gynoid, and each gynoid was clad in her full outfit from the catalog, with the props either in her hand or sitting at her feet. One table close to Vicki was occupied by a robot attired in a magician’s outfit of sorts---her black tuxedo jacket, white dress shirt, yellow vest, fishnet stockings and high heels gave her just the right level of allure to divert attention from the occasional sparks bursting from the robot’s mouth, ears and nostrils. On another table, a buxom, caramel-skinned robot in a black leather catsuit laid motionless, staring blankly at the ceiling while a hydraulic arm tipped with a power screwdriver dove in and out of her chest; the top of the robot’s head---complete with her meticulously-braided purple hair---rested next to her feet. Yet another slab held a robot decked out in a rather scandalous version of a bridal gown---the dress ended three-fourths of the way down the robot’s thighs, revealing undergarments of white lace that connected to her white kneesocks via garters. A foul-smelling fluid stained the lace of her left-hand glove, reminding Vicki of her essays on humorism and the discoveries at the Lovelace estate.

Moving further down the row, Vicki saw less physical damage and more signs of software failures. One robot, dressed in a less-than-classical version of a ballerina’s outfit, seemed to have frozen in the middle of a dance routine; another robot seemed to be unaware that she was laying down, the servos of her leather-clad legs whining in protest as she attempted to run---despite the fact that she was laying flat on her back. The table farthest from Vicki held a robot clad in a tight-yet-simple white dress; oddly enough, her face had frozen with a look of sadness on it, as if she’d done something to upset someone before she froze.

“Can I help you?”

Vicki turned to find a robot clad in a white latex minidress, stockings and high heels staring at her. “Visitors to the facility aren’t allowed in this room without permission, ma’am,” the robot informed her sternly.

“I thought Rebecca sent a message that I was coming?” Vicki replied, confused. “Anyways, I’m not here as part of a tour group, or anything…I was sent here to try and get this place back in order.” She glanced around at the tables; “Judging from the state of your, ah, patients,” she mused, “I couldn’t have shown up at a better time.”

The robot’s stern glare softened. “We have been expecting help,” she admitted, “and---“

One of the monitors chimed to life. “Nightingale,” a female voice began, “I thought I made it clear that you were to avoid…entertaining guests in the laboratory after the incident last week.”

“My apologies, Madame,” the nurse-bot replied. “It’s just…there’s a girl here, and she claims that she was sent to help get the facility back up to full operating parameters.”

A sigh issued from the monitor’s speakers. “Does she now? In that case, I would like to speak to her directly.”

Vicki approached the monitor. “I apologize if I’m interrupting the status quo around here,” she admitted, “but my reason for coming to this facility isn’t just to waste time or get in the way. I’ve been hearing a lot about someone screwing up the security and communications systems….”

Another sigh. “You heard correctly, outsider, but what do you intend to do about these problems?”

“My orders are to reactivate the security systems and reestablish communications with the Midwest and East Coast Silicon Dynamics factories,” Vicki replied. “That, and I’m looking for about 27people who arrived here after a bus crash earlier in the month---I need to get them home.” She decided not to mention the guy with the heart problem; if they don’t know, then they might panic…and if they do know….

“And these are your only orders?” Madame asked, her British accented voice sounding mildly bored.

“Well, I do have one or two other objectives,” Vicki admitted. “The first involves taking out the intruder who’s been causing all these problems. The second….”

“I am well aware of this facility’s negotiations with DreamLand,” Madame interjected, “and I already know that their owner had arrangements to view data regarding our upcoming projects…..though I’d very much like to know why you’ve chosen to emulate our aesthetics by ruining your own attire---”

“I didn’t tear up my clothes on purpose!” Vicki shot back. “I had to bust through a closed elevator door---“

“Nightingale,” Madame drawled, “see to it that our guest is given a new outfit.”

“Yes, Madame,” Nightingale answered, bowing. “Will that be all?” Madame asked Vicki as the nurse-bot left to find her a new set of clothes, “or is there anything else you require?”

The brunette gynoid didn’t hesitate: “I need to talk to Co-Ed Kelly.” She could almost picture Madame’s eyes going wide in surprise as she replied: “Why do you wish to speak with her?”

“She was deployed to San Jose State University a month or so ago,” Vicki replied, “and she might have seen a few things….also, I want to get her perspective on why the inhibitor programs being used by your robots have been failing; I know the guy who wrote them, and he might be able to fix the problems if I can get a good description of how they failed in the first place.” She stared at the monitor, hoping Madame would be willing to grant her requests.

“Who do you answer to?” Madame finally asked after what felt like an hourlong wait.

“The ALPA,” Vicki replied without hesitation. “Under their guidelines, I am sworn to---“

“You don’t need to recite the creed, Miss Lawson,” Madame replied. “I am well aware of the Artificial Lifeform Protection Agency’s tendency to avoid collateral damage…..and I must say, it’s somewhat refreshing to have them send a female agent; the men tend to get…distracted rather easily. Not that I blame them…..”

Vicki’s intended reply was cut off by the return of Nightingale. “Your new clothes,” she informed the brunette gynoid. “They were intended for a new model that was cut from the product lineup at the last minute, so they haven’t been worn yet….though you are welcome to try anything from the wardrobe, if this outfit doesn’t suit your tastes.”

After a full minute’s pause, Vicki smiled. “I’ll keep this one, thanks. Are there any fitting rooms around here, or do I have to change in the open?”

Ten minutes later, Vicki emerged from one of the lab’s fitting rooms (as part of their role-playing programming, some Silicon Dynamics gynoids preferred changing in private) clad in what could only be described as a tarted-up version of the pinafores she used to wear. The skirt was just a bit longer than the one on the “naughty bride’s” outfit, the top no longer had the “apron” covering from her neckline to her bust, and the red choker in lieu of a collar was a bit weird; those complaints aside, the outfit did fit her well, and unlike some of her poorer Halloween costume choices of the past few years, it didn’t make her feel like she’d decided to greet the world wearing only half an outfit.

“Ted would probably flip out if he saw me wearing this,” she mused, grinning slyly.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, then,” Madame replied. “The model this was designed for was just your size, by the way….shame she didn’t make it past the testing phase. In any case, I believe the next item on your agenda involves one Co-Ed Kelly….Nightingale?”

“Yes, Madame?” the nurse-bot asked.

“Reschedule Co-Ed Kelly’s memory evaluation for next week, so that our guest may question her.”

“Of course, Madame.” Nightingale gestured for Vicki to follow her, requesting that she try to keep her voice down to avoid disturbing the other “patients”. After a few seconds of traversing the rows, Vicki and Nightingale arrived at the slab where Co-Ed Kelly lay motionless, her processors still being scanned by the Crays lining the walls. “Her evaluation isn’t quite finished yet,” Nightingale admitted, “but it shouldn’t be too long.”

Vicki nodded thoughtfully. Something about the nurse robot’s sweet voice clashed with her somewhat-severe appearance---the latex minidress (complete with a red cross emblazened over her left breast), white stockings, dark mascara, piercing blue eyes and the way her blonde hair was done up in a tight bun---and provoked more than a few hastily-dismissed thoughts of Silicon Dynamics’ client base. Right….think of something other than what she was designed for…. “So,” the brunette gynoid asked, “have you ever actually, ah, done any medical treatments on anyone?”

Nightingale looked at her quizically.

“I mean, you’ve got the whole nurse look down to a T,” Vicki continued, “and I was just…sort of wondering…if you ever…actually……” She found herself wilting under Nightingale’s stare. “Never mind.”

“Madame encourages us to ‘live the role’ we’ve been programmed with,” the nurse-bot replied cooly, “and as a matter of fact, I have actually practiced a few medical techniques on the individuals who arrived here not that long ago. A few stitches here and there, a cast to help someone with a broken leg….I even managed to assist with removing a piece of debris from the bus crash from a man’s leg.”

“So…any chance you could help someone with a heart condition?” Vicki offered hopefully.

Nightengale’s face fell. “I….didn’t get that far into my role preparation,” she admitted.

“Well,” Vicki replied, “hopefully we can rectify that once this is all over with. That, and see if someone can, ah, sort out the uniforms around here…not that there’s anything wrong with a latex minidress,” she added hastily.

Nightingale opened her mouth to say something, then stopped---the computer hooked up to Kelly was beeping.

“That’s a good beep, right?” Vicki asked. “Please tell me that’s a good beep…”

“This isn’t right,” Nightingale murmured, prompting a groan from the brunette gynoid. “I hate that phrase!” she muttered. “Every single time I hear it, things go completely and utterly pear-shaped---“

Kelly’s left arm shot up, knocking Nightingale to the floor.

“What the HELL?!” Vicki shrieked, backing away from the table as Kelly sat up robotically. “Uh, Madame, you just saw that, right?! TELL me you just saw that!” “I did indeed,” Madame replied, a noticably dangerous edge to her voice. “Kelly,” she demanded. “explain yourself!”

Kelly’s head turned stiffly to face the nearest monitor.

“Sorry,” she sneered, her voice reeking of distortion and static, “but Kelly isn’t here right now…..”

“What the hell does that even mean?!” Vicki screamed. “What are you-----HEY!”

For some strange reason, her left hand was moving under its own power. “What…are you DOING?!” she screamed. “STOP IT!”

Kelly slowly got off the table, grinning maniacally. “You like The Hunger Games, don’t you?” she taunted. “I can see into your mind’s eye……your secrets are MINE to behold, Vicki Lawson!” Vicki stared, horrified, as her hand reached for the gun she’d taken from the Daikoku knockoff gynoid. “Why….are you doing this to me, Kelly?!” she hissed. “HOW are you doing this?!”

“Simple,” Kelly replied, in a voice that sounded nothing like her own. “It’s just a simple case of mind….”

Vicki’s hand closed around the grip of the gun.

“….over matter!” Kelly laughed, slowly rising from the floor with a crackle of electricity. “YOUR MIND SHALL BE RIPPED APART, VICKI LAWSON, AND YOUR SOUL SHALL NEVER KNOW PEACE FROM THIS DAY FORTH!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Instantly, Vicki realized what was happening: “You have got to be kidding me…..”

“What are you babbling about?” Madame querried. “What’s happened to Kelly?”

“Someone’s been playing a little too much MGS,” Vicki replied, “and decided to recreate the most famous boss battle from the first game in the series!” She stood up and backed away, not taking her eyes off of the hovering form of Co-Ed Kelly. “Fortunately for ME,” she continued, “I already know what happens next….and just because I don’t have any controllers to unplug, it doesn’t mean I can’t beat you!” She reached the table with the bride-bot, moving to stand behind the headrest as Kelly floated towards her.

“YOU WILL DIE FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!” the voice of Psycho Mantis shrieked, sounding rather weird coming from the mouth of a co-ed gynoid.

Vicki grinned, even as her left arm was slowly moving towards her head. “I don’t think so.” With her free hand, she moved the bride into a sitting position, finding and activating the screen on her back. I’m definitely thanking Ted for the finger-cams when this is over with, she mused, cuing up the main menu as “Beverly the Blushing Bride/Pleasure Droid v124.8.5” appeared at the top of the screen.

“DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT YOU CAN USE ANOTHER WORTHLESS DOLL AGAINST ME?!” Psycho Kelly screamed.

“You’ve got it all wrong,” Vicki replied, plugging into a port on the bride’s back. “I’m not using her---“
-------------------------------------
With a gasp, Vicki found herself sitting on the table---in the body of Beverly the Bride.

“…I’m becoming her,” she finished, surprised at the sound of her borrowed body’s voice. “Wow, I sound kinda sexy…..”

Meanwhile, in Vicki’s own body, Beverly was more than a bit confused. “What the….why the hell am I wearing this?! I can’t go to a wedding looking like---“ She stopped, noticing her own body sitting up (and inhabited by someone else). “What did you do to me?!” she screamed, pointing an accusing finger at Vicki.

“I’ll explain later,” Vicki replied in Beverly’s voice, “but for now, just trust me---“

“THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE!” Psycho Kelly shrieked. “Oh, but it is,” Vicki shot back, smiling. “See, that whole ‘second controller’ trick isn’t just limited to the PS1---“ “Wait, what the hell is going on here?” Beverly asked, confused. “Why are you in my body, and why am I in yours?!” Vicki sighed. “Apparently, whoever took control of Kelly up there is a massive Psycho Mantis fanboy…or fangirl,” she explained, “and…hang on, can you hand me that PDA hooked on to your---ah, my belt?”

Beverly handed the PDA to Vicki, who found a port in the neck of her borrowed body to connect it. “Thanks. I was starting to miss this thing….”

“Could we get back to the part where you tell me what the HELL is going on here?!” Beverly asked, sounding more than a bit weirded out. “I feel….weird…..” “It won’t take long to beat this idiot, trust me,” Vicki assured her. “First, let me just ask---have you ever heard of a video game called Metal Gear Solid?”

“I…think so,” Beverly replied tentatively.

“Well, just think of this as a real-life version of one of the boss fights from that game,” Vicki stated, “except I’m Player 1, and….ah, your body is Controller 2.”

“So where does that leave me?!” Beverly groaned.

Vicki’s intended reply was drowned out by another scream from Psycho Kelly.

“Hello?!” the bride-bot hissed.

“It leaves you immune to the mind-control effects of this Psycho Mantis wannabe,” Vicki replied. “Call it a quirk of our designs.” She grinned. “As an added bonus, you’ve already got a gun in your hand---“

Her grin faded as she realized the horrific implications of the remark. “On second thought, forget about the gun. Better yet, give it to me. NOW.” “But…if we’re supposed to be fighting her,” Beverly mused, “shouldn’t we be…y’know, armed?” “We don’t need to trash her,” Vicki insisted, “we just need to terminate the control link and figure out how to---“

A monitor exploded several feet away from her.

“DO SOMETHING!” Madame’s voice ordered from another monitor.

“I’m working on it!” Vicki shot back. “Okay….this body has just enough jumping strength for me to try this idea I just came up with….” She glanced at Beverly; “You don’t mind if I try a high jump in this, do you?” she asked, the question sounding a bit too sultry for her liking due to her borrowed body’s voice.

“Just don’t break it,” Beverly replied in Vicki’s voice, “please.”

“I won’t.”

Vicki took a running leap off the table and tackled Psycho Kelly to the floor. “Bet this is something you didn’t plan on,” she hissed into the downed robot’s ear, turning her over. “And I’m willing to bet….yep, there it is, right where I thought it would be!” She grinned as she pulled the small, diamond-shaped plug from Kelly’s neck port, causing her to scream one last time in Psycho Mantis’ voice before going silent and still.

“Well, that took considerably less effort than I thought it would,” Vicki mused. “Ready to get your body back, Beverly---“

The barrel of the Daikoku knockoff gun touched the back of her borrowed, bride-bot head.

“I….I can’t control this body!” Beverly shrieked. “It’s….it’s DOING something to me!”

“My body isn’t doing anything to you!” Vicki insisted. “It’s got to be---“

“ME!” Psycho Mantis’ face appeared on the monitors surrounding Vicki. “Did you really think my plans for destroying you relied on only ONE pathetic robot?!” he screamed. “You weak, pathetic fool…..I SHALL CRUSH YOUR MIND FROM THE INSIDE OUT!”

“Look,” Vicki snarled, “I don’t know who the hell you are---or who you think you are---and, for the record, I don’t really care…..but you leave these girls out of this! If it’s a fight you want, FIGHT ME! Just leave them ALONE!”

“And why would I deprive you of the chance to prove your worth?” Mantis’ voice taunted from the speakers, as more robots began to rise from their slabs. “You are nothing but an INSECT to me, Victoria Ann-Smith Lawson, and like any good insect, you are about to be crushed beneath my boot heel!” Vicki’s eyes darted around the room as the formerly deactivated gynoids marched robotically towards her, their bodies hijacked by the fake Mantis.

“Prepare for the end of your pathetic existance, Vicki Lawson!” Mantis’ voice shrieked. “The final---“

Instantly, the power cut out.

Great time for a rolling blackout, Vicki mused. Now, to get out of here…..wait…I…I CAN’T MOVE!

“My apologies, Miss Lawson,” Madame’s voice sounded in her ear, “but your current state of paralysis is an admittedly flawed part of our security system….one that will be removed during the next upgrade. Allow me to take direct control for a moment…..”

Vicki felt her borrowed body moving towards her own form. Thanks. I owe you big time for this.

“Your debt will be paid in full when you flush out this intruder, Miss Lawson….preferably as soon as possible. Now, if you would kindly allow me to transfer your own consciousness back to your body….”

But the Mantis wannabe is in control of it! As soon as I go back in---

“I will do the best I can to keep him at bay while I transfer you to your own form, and allow Beverly to return to hers. Just tell me how to achieve the transfer…..”
-------------------------------------

[Brytestar]

Awesome!

[DollSpace]

I'm loving this, but I can't wait for the next chapter! This one was a bit confusing to follow in parts, but I got it. You're a very good story-writer, and it doesn't take long for you to get me hooked into a story; especially one with a character I remember from childhood in it! Maybe I should do the same thing to Penny from "Inspector Gadget"? XD

[DukeNukem 2417]

I'm loving this, but I can't wait for the next chapter! This one was a bit confusing to follow in parts, but I got it. You're a very good story-writer, and it doesn't take long for you to get me hooked into a story; especially one with a character I remember from childhood in it! Maybe I should do the same thing to Penny from "Inspector Gadget"? XD

That would be EPIC.

[liliwinnt6]

Did anyone in this facility infected Stylo? What if Vicki being infected? We need to check this out!

[DollSpace]

I'm loving this, but I can't wait for the next chapter! This one was a bit confusing to follow in parts, but I got it. You're a very good story-writer, and it doesn't take long for you to get me hooked into a story; especially one with a character I remember from childhood in it! Maybe I should do the same thing to Penny from "Inspector Gadget"? XD

That would be EPIC.

Yes, yes it would be. I've already done fanfiction on her, but that was a Penny aged 13-15 or something. I need to make her old enough for the board, update her accordingly, find reasons she'd still be round, and get a plausible scenario going, not to mention do I make *her* a robot or do I make her fight *rogue* robots? Any thoughts?

[DukeNukem 2417]

I'm loving this, but I can't wait for the next chapter! This one was a bit confusing to follow in parts, but I got it. You're a very good story-writer, and it doesn't take long for you to get me hooked into a story; especially one with a character I remember from childhood in it! Maybe I should do the same thing to Penny from "Inspector Gadget"? XD

That would be EPIC.

Yes, yes it would be. I've already done fanfiction on her, but that was a Penny aged 13-15 or something. I need to make her old enough for the board, update her accordingly, find reasons she'd still be round, and get a plausible scenario going, not to mention do I make *her* a robot or do I make her fight *rogue* robots? Any thoughts?

Why not make her a robot that fights rogue robots?

Failing that, she could easily join forces with a gynoid character to take down the machinations of some evil genius. Seriosuly, this idea is pretty freaking cool, so whichever way works best for/with your writing style, go with it.

[DollSpace]

Why not make her a robot that fights rogue robots? Failing that, she could easily join forces with a gynoid character to take down the machinations of some evil genius.

Oh, that could be good...there are just so many things in my life right now and I'm feeling overwhelmed, but this will be done, at some point, hopefully soon. I always have too many ideas but there are few that are fully formed, so I have to learn how to slow down and focus on those and then develop some of the other promising ones.