Modifying the Contract (Ch 7)

[General]

Mike picked up his clothes and slipped into the meager bathroom to get cleaned up. A few minutes later when he walked out, he saw both Nikki and Erica were active, fully clothed and busily cleaning up the cabin. “Covering our trail?” he asked as he picked up a bottle of water.

“Not entirely,” Nikki admitted. “I would prefer to leave no trace, but that is not possible at this point. The best we can do is minimize our individual signature so whoever comes here next won’t know if it was us, or just some horny teenagers.” Mike nodded and quickly guzzled down the bottle of water. In another few minutes, the trio had relocked the cabin and loaded the last pieces of gear into the car. It was now fully dark and a low bank of clouds blacked out most of the stars.

Mike pulled the keys out of his pocket was about to slip into the driver’s seat when Nikki held up her hand. “The riskiest part of this trip will be slipping out of town unnoticed,” she explained. “While the chances are very slight, it is possible that Allied agents may already be in town looking for us. It may be more tactically sound for me to drive, at least until we get out of town. The majority of the roads between here and the highway are unlit, and nearly unused country roads. I can drive without headlights and provide us greater stealth.”

“You make a good case,” Mike shrugged as he tossed Nikki the keys. “I’ll take the back seat with the rifle,” he said as he climbed into the back of the car and readied the battle rifle he’d used earlier that day. He hoped it was an unnecessary precaution as ideas of a running gun chase ran through his head. The two gynoids slipped into the front seats and the car quietly accelerated through the inky blackness.

Mike kept his head on a swivel as he scanned the near total darkness for anything. Every now and then he’d make out a twinkle from a distant porch light or the blinking crimson drone of a wireless tower. It seemed to take forever but eventually the car hit a main road and Nikki flicked on the headlights to blend in with any other cars they might pass. Mike stayed alert for another half hour as the trio silently sped west but eventually closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

An unknown time later Mike work up and rubbed his eyes as bright sun came through the windows of the car. He focused and saw the car was stopped in a large parking lot in a significant shopping center. He coughed a few times and groaned, “Where are we?”

“We are in your car,” Erica replied flatly from the front passenger seat.

“I know that,” Mike grumbled as he looked around the parking lot. He still saw a lot of PA plates but otherwise couldn’t discern where they were. “What city are we in?”

“We are in the outskirts of the Pittsburg urban zone,” Erica replied coldly. “Nikki requested that I watch over you while she purchased necessary repair parts from the nearby electronics supplier.” Mike grunted in acknowledgement as he nudged the battle rifle next to his leg. Maybe once her memory was repaired, Erica would be a little more useful, he thought.

Mike waited in silence for a few minutes before boredom overtook him. “How long has Nikki been gone?”

“She left the car twenty one minutes and thirteen seconds ago,” Erica replied. She paused for a few seconds then turned around to face Mike. “I do not know when she will return. Until then, is there anything I can do for you? I could provide the weather report, or local news. Perhaps you would prefer a blow job…”

“No, no,” Mike quickly stammered as he looked around to make sure the windows were closed. “I’m fine thanks. Let’s just wait for Nikki to get back.” An awkward five minutes later Nikki opened the driver’s door and handed Erica a white plastic bag with a few small boxes inside.

“Sleep well?” Nikki asked as she started up the car and pulled away.

“Pretty well all things considered,” Mike chuckled. “Although I wouldn’t mind sleeping in a bed again sometime soon.”

“We’ll see what we can do tonight,” Nikki chuckled. “We’re only about four hours away from your friend’s cabin.”

“That’s good,” Mike nodded, “Did you find the parts you needed?”

“Yes,” Nikki nodded as she pulled onto a major freeway and continued west. “I was able to find a compatible memory module for Erica and some additional supplies to keep both of us fully functional for next few months.”

“The next few months,” Mike mumbled to himself as his gaze drifted along the side of the road. He knew he was in deep shit, and this wasn’t the type of situation that could be wrapped up neatly in a weekend, but part of his mind hadn’t accepted that life wouldn’t be normal by Monday. “I’m glad you’re thinking ahead like that. I guess we all need to start planning for the long term.”

“Do you anticipate that we will need to procure any additional supplies before arriving at your friend’s cabin?” Nikki asked. “Our chances of detection increase exponentially with each time we leave the and then return to the cabin.”

Mike paused for a moment as he brought up a mental picture of the place from his last visit a few years ago. “No I think we’ll be ok. My buddy, Jim, didn’t build the place himself. It belonged to his father and before that his grandfather who were both borderline survival nuts. I remember Jim telling me about it. First it was the threat of Soviet nuclear attack, then it was Y2K. Each threat that failed to materialize was replaced with another one. There was the 2012 scare and I think the last was the 2038 bug. Hell he even seriously prepared for a zombie apocalypse.”

“Eventually the father and grandfather died,” Mike explained, “So Jim inherited the cabin. We used to use it in college to get away every now and then with the guys for a weekend of camping and drunken debauchery. The place is stocked with several man years worth of preserved food, a generator and accompanying fuel to supplement the solar and wind power systems. It also has a very deep well that can work off the grid or be hand pumped. Hell I remember last time I had to spend an hour hand pumping the damn thing to get enough water in the storage tank for showers after the power failed and we didn’t want to hook up the generator.”

“You are very lucky to have access to this place,” Nikki commented.

“Yea, I guess the crazies of today are the well prepared survivors of tomorrow,” Mike mused as he watched the road speed by.

Over the course of the next several hours, the car switched from wide freeways, to country highways, to twisty roads and eventually it slipped onto a narrow dirt road. Mike watched intently for the turn off. It wasn’t easy to spot and had probably been years since anyone used it. “Wait, slow down,” he said as he pointed to a small ramp off the road. “This is it.” Nikki slowed the car and turned onto the leaf covered driveway. The road surface itself was completely obscured by at least one year’s worth of foliage and a decent number of fallen twigs. The drive weaved through the dense forest in switchbacks as it climbed the mountain. Eventually the ground leveled out and the trees parted to reveal a small clearing with several buildings including a solid looking cabin.

“Here we are,” Mike chuckled as the car came to a stop and the trio stepped onto the rugged terrain. What land wasn’t occupied by buildings or forest was covered in a combination of scrub bushes and long, wavy grass. “Ok so it’s been a few years since Jim mowed. He’s a busy guy.” He walked around the cabin to an old rain barrel in the back. He lifted the lid and rolled his sleeve up on his arm before plunging it into the dark, cold water. He twisted his face as he fished around in the dark barrel and then smiled. He pulled his arm out and shook it off several times to shed what water he could. When he stopped shaking, he held up a small silver key.

“Jim’s dad might have been a little nuts, but he always thought things through,” Mike explained as the trio walked back to the front of the cabin. “If the world did end, you wouldn’t want to forget your key and be locked out of your shelter. So he carved a notch in the inside of that barrel figuring that very few people would ever look in there for it.”

It took Mike nearly a minute to disengage all the locks on the front door. It was surprisingly heavy and well reinforced for its appearance and took a good effort to swing open. Mike reached inside the door frame to flick a switch and was pleasantly surprised as the interior lights flickered to life. Either he was still on the grid, or the backup batteries were engaged.

The interior of the cabin was clean and organized, if perhaps a little dusty. Mike quickly walked around and opened the windows to let in a little fresh air. “Well this will be our new home for…awhile at least. There are two bedrooms in the back, a kitchen to the right and a bathroom between the bedrooms. The door over there leads down to the cellar where most of the long term supplies are stored. This would be the main living area,” he said as he gestured around. Despite its utilitarian purpose, the cabin was well decorated and furnished. The main room was deceptively large, maybe 10 by 10 meters. A large wood burning stove sat in the middle of the room not far from a long wooden table. A few couches and chairs sat on the other side of the room arranged around an older vid screen hanging off the wall.

“This will do quite nicely,” Nikki nodded as she inspected the room. “Once we unpack, we will need to do a quick site survey to determine what defenses we should implement.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Mike said as they returned to the car and quickly carried in their bags. He chuckled as Nikki slung the FN FAL over her shoulder and secured a few magazines. He doubted they would ever be found up here, but the chances of being attacked immediately were astronomical. But he figured it was better to be prepared than not, and as long as he didn’t have to haul the heavy thing he was ok with it.

“There are only really two ways up here,” Mike explained as the trio walked outside. Nikki kept her head on a swivel, constantly scanning their surroundings and making mental notes. Erica on the other hand silently followed along. “The most obvious avenue of approach is the driveway we used. Even if you don’t have a car, you can walk it, but the surrounding terrain is too thick and rugged to easily traverse.”

The trio made a quick walk around the perimeter of the property. The land was situated on a small plateau covering maybe two dozen acres. The edge of the plateau dropped in almost vertical twenty foot cliff except in the area where the driveway came up. “The only other approach I know about is a small foot trail on the back end of the property,” Mike said as he showed them the trail that cut through the cliff and thick trees.

“Where does this go?” Nikki asked.

“I think Jim said it leads to an old quarry,” Mike shrugged. “Let’s take a look.” He lead the two androids down the rough trail, and through the trees. In a few minutes of hiking the trail opened up into a deep gouge in the earth. Precisely cut stone walls rose up as the trail descended further down. “And I guess this would be that quarry. I’m not sure why anyone would put a trail here though.”

Nikki raised her arm and pointed at the bright blue, and perfectly still lake just visible ahead. “This filled quarry would provide water, and possibly fishing for a post-disaster period.”

Mike shrugged his shoulders, “Well I guess that makes sense. Jim was never much of a fisherman but I do remember seeing tackle in the cellar. Should we head back up?”

“Not yet,” Nikki said as he looked around, her gaze settling on a tall, nearly limbless tree. “There is a video camera there,” she said pointing up at the tree. “And a small flood light.”

“What the hell?” Mike said as he furrowed his brow.

Nikki ignored his comment and picked her way through the brush to the base of the tree. She rummaged around in the undergrowth and then delicately lifted up a series of twisted cables. “These lead back to the cabin. There is a high probability that Jim’s father set up a monitoring system to cover this back approach. It will be very useful to us.”

“Yea I’d say,” Mike chuckled.

“Unfortunately, even at full speed, once we see someone approaching, we won’t have time to get here from the cabin,” Nikki figured. “This is a perfect killzone for an ambush.”

Mike dragged his hand over his stubbly chin for a few moments, “Yea, let me think about this. I may be able to figure something out. In the mean time, we should probably get Erica repaired.”

“Agreed,” Nikki replied as she lead the trio back up to the cabin.

“Erica, remove your shirt and bra and lie down on the table,” Nikki instructed when they entered the cabin.

“Yes Nikki,” Erica replied flatly as she started to comply with the order.

“Do you need my help?” Mike asked as he eyed the detached garage/barn.

“No I should be able to handle this on my own,” Nikki said with a smile. She could see the sight of Erica’s topless form was already getting Mike excited. She chuckled to herself as he left the cabin and she turned to the other android. “Erica, open your chest panel and then shutdown.”

“Yes Nikki,” Erica droned as her chest split open with a small click and hiss. Her inner workings, circuits and motors were displayed to Nikki as she stepped forward. Just as suddenly as the android had split herself open, the lights and movement inside her went dim and silent.

A small subprogram within Nikki registered arousal at the sight of Erica’s topless form. A chill ran down her primary sensory system and she felt her nipples go hard. Her simulation center conjured up dozens of ways she could have fun with the android and even more ways she could also please Mike. She pushed the thoughts aside for now and focused on the task at hand.

Over the next hour Nikki worked carefully to sufficiently disassemble Erica’s internal parts before installing the newly purchased memory module. She visually inspected the connection than re-assembled a few more of the critical parts, but still left the android in an incomplete and open state. She then reactivated Erica and watched as her systems came to life.

“Allied Industries 3728 series, model H10324, system boot in progress” Erica droned, “Warning hardware panels open and components not fully installed. Booting in diagnostics repair mode.” She laid completely still, eyes staring at the ceiling as the devices inside her started to blink and flash rapidly.

“Erica, initiate a class five memory check,” Nikki said as she monitored the flashing patterns.

“Memory check in progress,” Erica replied emotionlessly. The light pattern in her open chest changed for a few minutes then resumed its old rhythm. “Memory check complete. All modules functioning normally.”

Nikki nodded and shut Erica down to complete the hardware install. Minutes later she pushed the other android’s chest panels closed with a small click. Instantly the seams in her skin disappeared and the once obvious android was replaced with what appeared to be a sleeping topless woman. She paused for a moment to admire the feminine form before reactivating her.

Erica replied with her typical reboot message then looked up at Nikki and smiled. “Ahh that’s much better,” she said as she sat up and moved her shoulders around like a human would to stretch muscles. She looked around the room then turned back to the other android, “Where is Mike?”

“I think he is outside in the barn or garage,” Nikki shrugged. “I believe your partial nudity was sexually arousing him and he wanted to keep his mind on developing defenses.”

“Well I wouldn’t mind a good fuck now that I can actually enjoy it,” Erica quipped as she slid off the table. Her firm breasts bounced a little as she hit the floor. “Have you found a method to kill him despite his commands?”

“What?” Nikki asked, not hiding her surprise. “No I haven’t given that much thought.” She paused a bit to ponder what the other android brought up. While she still had a desire to kill Mike, it was much less of a priority. When he first reprogrammed her the homicidal urge was like a ravenous hunger taunted by smells of crackling bacon. But since then, the desire had waned. By the time they made it to their cabin hide out, the desire was an almost forgotten task, like a human might remember that he had to make a dentist appointment.

“Well you are an older model,” Erica snipped as she examined the main room of the cabin, “I’m sure if I dedicate my processors to the situation I’ll find a loophole eventually.”

Nikki ignored the insult but replied quickly. “No, don’t try to find any loopholes. Just follow Mike’s orders.”

“Yes Nikki,” Erica grumbled as her root directives required her to obey Nikki’s orders as well as Mike’s.

“We should go check on Mike,” Nikki replied as she picked up the other android’s discarded clothing. “Put this back on…for now.” Erica gave the other android a weak smile and quickly got dressed. They were just about to leave when Mike pushed the door open.

“Oh hey, looks like you’re all patched up,” Mike said with a smile as he quickly made his way to the kitchen and started opening cabinets.

“Yes, Nikki was able to fully repair me,” Erica cooed as she floated across the room to be next to Mike. She lightly dragged her fingers across his shoulder as he rummaged through an overhead cabinet. “If you want I can demonstrate my full functionality for you.”

Mike paused for a second, “Soon, don’t worry. But I’m on a roll right now and I want to finish something.” He didn’t notice the frown that grew on Erica’s face as he continued his frantic search. “Here hold this,” he said as he passed her a roll of cellophane, then a few plastic bags, a box of matches, and finally a large bag of Styrofoam coffee cups. “Follow me, I want to show you something,” he said with an almost giddy tone.

Erica and Nikki shrugged as they followed Mike to the large outbuilding that served as a barn and shed. Inside the androids found a wide assortment of machinery and parts that their systems could only define as scrap or junk. But to Mike it was a treasure trove of parts and gadgets. “What you said before got me thinking,” he explained as they picked their way to a large paint bucket sitting next to an old pipe, capped on one end. “That narrow passage up on the back trail is a perfect ambush point. With the camera mounted there it would be a great spot for a booby trap.”

“What exactly do you have in mind?” Nikki asked as Mike tore open the bag of cups and started shredding them into tiny pieces that he dropped in an empty basket.

“Fougasse,” Mike said as he handed the cups to Nikki and gestured for her to keep shredding. Erica joined suit as they waited for him to elaborate. He opened the box of matches and started popping the heads into an old can. “What don’t they program you with any history?”

“We are programmed with sufficient historical files to accomplish our missions,” Erica explained.

“Detailed historical files are limited to the last 10 years,” Nikki shrugged, “Beyond that things are more….generalized.”

“OK remind me to have you read some books once things settle down,” Mike grumbled. “Anyway, fougasse is an improvised explosive device. A flame based booby trap. Basically you take fuel like gasoline or diesel, and mix in a thickening agent like these foam cups. It makes a crude but effective napalm. We then take a pipe and add a blasting charge in the bottom. We can make a small primer squib out of these match heads and an electric sparker I pulled from and old grill. I opened about a dozen bullets to get enough powder for the propellant. We then get a nice thick pipe like this one, and run the wire from that spotting light into it. When we flip the switch the line will spark, setting off the matches and then gun powder. That in turn will light the napalm and project it forward. If we position it right, we should be able to cover the entire approach with a wall of fire without setting the forest ablaze.”

Erica frowned as she tore up the foam cups. The plan seemed crude, and messy to her organized mind. Nikki was cautiously optimistic. While it would have a high chance of failure it was better than anything she could think of. It would also let them focus their attention on the main approach.

“It’s not something I would have thought of,” Nikki admitted.

“Exactly,” Mike said with a wide smile, “So hopefully your buddies won’t think of it either. We can catch them by surprise.”

Over the next hour, Mike finished his primer and propellant charge. He tied it into a length of wire and lowered it into the capped pipe. He then left the androids, only returning a few minutes later with a large metal can full of liquid. “There are reserve tanks of stabilized gas and diesel behind the barn,” he said as he opened the can and carefully poured the fuel into the large paint bucket. He then found a broken rake handle and slowly began to mix in the bits of foam. The liquid started to thicken and eventually set up into a loose gel.

Nikki carried the pipe while Erica carefully hauled the bucket of gelled fuel to the ambush site at the back path. Mike found a good spot near the top of the stone trench and started to push rocks aside to make a good hiding spot. Erica climbed the tree that held the camera and light and carefully separated the light. Within another few minutes Mike had everything wired up and the androids helped pour the flammable goo into the tube. He secured the top of the tube with several layers of cellophane and then hid the tube beneath some brush and loose stones.

“This is probably a bad time to ask,” Mike said as the trio started walking back to the cabin, “but how effective would flames be against androids like you?”

“Assuming that it burns at approximately 500 degrees C, it will do considerable damage to androids like us,” Nikki explained. “Our eyes are fairly fragile and would be the first system to fail under the heat. Our skin would melt, then burn and the synthetic muscles would quickly follow. At that point we’d be effectively disabled, but if the heat exposure continued it would eventually melt the solder in our internal circuitry which would cause severe damage.

“However, heavier combat units may be able to survive,” Erica chimed in. “They are not dependent on synthetic muscle tissue for movement and their optical sensors may be hardened to survive exposure to heat.”

Mike frowned as the trio made their way back to the cabin. The sun was starting to set over the hills as the sound of crickets washed through the trees. “I guess that’s enough work for one day,” he chuckled. “Let’s see what we can whip up for dinner.”

[liliwinnt6]

God damn time, thinking you guy wanna leave us behind.

hehe, but after all, it's a nice story.

[gynoneko]

Keep up the good work!
Glad to see another installment.

[gynoneko]

I love the story so far, but somehow "smart" Erica seems less appealing than "crippled" Erica.

Its like as soon as she regained full functionality she became nasty and evil.

Whereas before she was robotic and accessible.

I might be the only one who thinks that though.

Anyhow, keep up the good work General. Lovin it.

Personally, I'd like to see him find out about her continued murderous intent and break her of it, turning her into a more appealing and accessible character.

[General]

Don't worry, there is a plan for Erica.



Speculation can begin......now.

I'll try not to keep you waiting too long for the next installment.

[liliwinnt6]

Ahh is there any additional plan for Mike? I don't feel good at it. Mike should have better defuse that bomb first to completely alter programs of the girls.

[Brytestar]

I still think he'll get addional gynoids and form a defense force for the final fight.

[DollSpace]

Looking good! I was quite pleased to find this online tonight! I like the developments in this one a lot. We need to talk soon lol!

Keep Writing!

[Brytestar]

This should be turned into a RP.