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?
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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. Chapter 22.
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Exo Saves the Day
Chapter Twenty Three: Androphobia
By Gynoneko
Everyone was silent, apparently shocked by the completely unexpected reaction 261 had to being activated. She sat up on the table, her fingers still lightly touching the thick and tall collar around her neck, and stared out at Cynthia with glowing green eyes. Despite all the flashlights and the headlights from the SUV shining through the frosted glass, her eyes were the brightest things in the room, blazing green with life. She continued to look between her two sisters and Cynthia, trying to understand what happened.
"Where..." she started to say before she clenched her teeth in pain, and then grabbed at her head.
"What's happening?" Tera asked, looking frantically at her sister.
"There must be some data corruption or maybe a conflict in her programming" Jack said, taking a step back from the girl. He knew she had no weapons on her to attack us with, apparently while I was out with the girls, they piled all the knives and guns she had as well as her bag in the lab, but she was still dangerous if she got a hold of someone.
"Gahh!" the android girl burst out. "My head! It feels like it's going to explode!"
"Jack?!" Cynthia said looking at Jack for answers. He had none, and just shrugged back shaking his head.
"Data... corrupted... must initialize... NO! Must rebuild... system... Gaaah!" the girl growled through clenched teeth. She seemed to be at odds with her own programming. A corrupt system file in there was wreaking havoc, and her default was to initialize herself. That of course would empty everything in her mind, and she knew that and fought the urge.
"New... device... found" she continued while we looked on helpless to do anything. "Transferring data..." Her voice started to calm down, and her expression began to relax. She opened her eyes, still glowing green vividly, and gasped. "HAA!" She looked up suddenly, and her expression went from a look of pain, to one of shock. Slowly she calmed, and her eyes relaxed, and the green glow died down until they completely dimmed out to natural eyes.
"Honey? Are you alright?" Cynthia asked taking a step closer to her second daughter.
"Y... yes. I think so. Where am I? What happened?" she asked, her voice much more gentle and innocent, and even cute. 261 was smaller in stature than her two sisters, and her voice matched. That wasn't to say it didn’t have some sort of edge to it, she was no little princess.
"Do you remember who we are?" Joan asked, looking serious.
261 nodded, and then pointed at Cynthia, "Mom", she moved her finger toward Joan, "Big sis", and then finally to Tera, "Baby sis". She then pointed at Jen, who was not far off from them. "Umm..." her expression, like her voice, was puzzled.
"Honey, this here is Jen" Cynthia said. "She’s been helping us get you back."
"Hi" Jen said nervously, waving a small wave to her.
"Hi... Get me back? Wait..." She started darting her eyes back and forth, as though she were remembering something. "Where have I... Liberati! Oh God!" She grasped at her hair again as she started to remember the sorted past she was forced to live, the torture they must have put her through, the commands she had to obey, the collar. "Oh God! What have I done!?"
Cynthia came up to her and hugged her in a motherly embrace. "There there Honey. It wasn't your fault. They forced you to do those things. Shh..." 261 leaned into Cynthia, and stared at the floor remembering the things she did while under the control of the mafia.
"I killed my baby sister! But... how are you... gahh! I'm so confused! It's this damned collar!" She grasped at the collar, as if she was ready to rip it off, but faltered. "Damn them... I... can't. But there's something different. The voice in my head... it's gone!"
Joan took a step closer and took her sister's hand from the collar, and held it gently. "It'll be alright. We're here for you now."
Tears ran uncontrollably down 261's cheeks as she stared at her sister with a stern look in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't seem to be myself anymore. What happened?"
"Nor will you be your old self" Jack said, "now that I fitted that collar with your new personality matrix."
261 nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Jack's voice. She scrambled off the table and hid behind Joan, looking out over her sister's shoulder toward the strange man she never met. "Wh- Who is that?"
"That's Jack" Joan said, a little startled by 261's extreme reaction. "He's a friend. He's the one that brought you back to us." That didn’t seem to calm the nervous and edgy 261, who seemed genuinely scared of Jack.
"Um... pleased to meet you" Jack said, obviously a little offended by her reaction, especially after all he did for her.
261 shook behind her sister, grabbed onto Joan tightly. "Please don't hurt me!" she pleaded.
"Hurt you? I fixed up your collar to save you! Why would I want to...?" Jack started, but Jen shook her head at him and he stopped. "I promise I won't hurt you" he said in a calmer voice.
I shrugged at Jack and wondered why she'd be so scared of him. Apparently, my movement caught her eyes, and she panicked again, this time turning to put Joan between us. "Who's THAT!?"
"That's Danny. He won't hurt you either" Joan said slowly, giving me an apologetic look.
"Hi" I said. "I didn't mean to startle you."
"What does h-he want with me? Is- Is he going to r-rape me?" she said, said starting to stutter from her violent shaking.
"WHAT?!" I exclaimed. Where in the world did she get that kind of idea! First she thinks Jack is going to hurt her, but with me, it's rape!?
"Never!" Tera interjected. "He's the sweetest man you'll ever meet. He's my best friend."
"Friend? With a man?" 261 asked, genuinely puzzled.
"He saved both of us when we were in trouble" Joan said. "He's our new master."
"M-M- MASTER? A man is your master!?"
"Of course dear" Cynthia said, grabbing her shoulders firmly. "You were all built to have masters, and to be compatible with men. You used to dream of having a man you could love and call your own. Don’t you remember?"
"I did?" 261 grabbed tighter onto Joan, who was feeling the squeeze. She buried her head into her sister's back and started to take deep breaths. "I... did."
Just then, the door swung open, and Tom stood silhouetted in the doorway. He was carrying a plastic bag in one hand, and a bundle of flowers in the other. His eyes were red and swollen, but he stood firmly and stoic. He had been crying, but his face was dry from any tears now, and he appeared ready to face the music.
"I..." he started, before he noticed 261 hiding behind her sister. "261! You're alive!"
"Dad?" she said peering over her sister's shoulder at Tom.
Tom took a step forward, dropping the bag to the floor and ready to run to her for an embrace. Alas, he stopped in his tracks when he saw her reaction. Just as she had done to Jack and me, 261 cowered behind Joan and shrieked when Tom came toward her even one step. He was flabbergasted, and all his effort of hiding his emotions from his family failed as tears splashed uncontrollably on the ground before him. I walked calmly over to him, and put my hand on his shoulder.
"She's scared of men" I whispered, which only made his pain more obvious.
261 must have realized that she was not acting normal. She couldn't even stand the idea of having her dad approach her for a hug. She had a complete emotional breakdown, sobbing and crying as she slowly sank to the floor still clutching to her sister for protection. "Oh God" she said between sobs. "What happened to me?"
It had been a hard night for everyone. Joan took 261 to her bedroom, and stayed with her until she fell asleep. Cynthia thought it would be a good idea to help her calm down and get the past out of her mind. Tera clung to me closely in silent contemplation as she thought about her sister's violent reaction. Jack was just upset that he put all that effort into her, and she turned out that way. Jen tried to calm Jack, which worked pretty well, but she too was feeling uneasy about the situation. Tom sat alone in silence, holding back his emotions, and thinking about what to do next. Cynthia stood around, uneasy and restless.
Luckily, Tom had gone out and purchased the fuel line and extra fuel we needed for the generator while he was out. He tried to explain that the store was closing when he got there, and he got the only one they had in stock, so we were lucky he thought of it. Unfortunately, Tom was too upset to do anything about it, so I had gone out and installed the new line, starting up the generator, and bringing us power for the first time since that morning.
"I'm sorry" Tom finally said, breaking the silence. "I'm sorry for my behavior today. I need to apologize to you the most, Tera. I took advantage of your kindness, and hurt you in the process. I also want to apologize to you, Daniel. I never should have yelled at you when you were looking out for my daughter. You are a better man than I. I'm sorry that the rest of you had to see me like that. I've been hiding those demons for years, and thought I finally won out. But most of all, I'm sorry for every time I ever went out and got drunk, Cynthia. I have no excuses for my behavior."
"What about tonight? Where did you go?" Cynthia said with a voice riding along the edge of heartless and sincere.
"I thought about drinking. I almost did. But I stopped myself. I knew I was wrong, and the long walk to the bar changed my mind. Instead I went to the hardware store, and got the fuel line. And some flowers at the grocer." He held up the partially crushed flowers, but his eyes never left the floor in front of his seat.
"Oh you... stupid... thoughtful man." Cynthia rushed over to him and lowered the flowers, instead giving him a kiss. "Don't ever make me worry about you like that again!"
"I swear" he said, wrapping his large arms around her.
The sudden change of emotion between them lifted the air for everyone, and the tension broke. Cynthia had taken the flowers and put them in a vase on the table, while the rest of us started talking again about the little things in life.
"... and then he started eating the cone! It didn't taste as good as the ice cream but what an ingenious way of getting rid of your trash." Tera laughed with us as she recounted her first chocolate ice cream cone. "But that wasn't the best part" she added.
"Oh? What else happened? Did he eat the napkin too?" Jen joked.
Tera blushed and held my hand while sitting next to me on the couch in the living area. "Danny asked me out." The mix of reactions was interesting. Tom and Cynthia smiled, while Jack donned a puzzled look.
"Wait... so you two weren't dating already?" he asked.
"Not officially" I responded.
"Ah..." he replied. Something tells me Jack never really considered his relationships with the women of his past to be 'official', at least not as far as dating was concerned. However, now that Jen was in the picture, he was clearly going to be under more pressure to make the leap himself.
"Is it normal to date a ro-" Jen started to ask then caught herself.
"Normal to date a robot?" Cynthia responded. "No. It's something special, only a few can really partake in. There are too few robots in the world right now with the capacity for emotions, for love. Sure some people chose to love machines that cannot love them back, but they can never really experience real love unless it is genuinely returned. Is it normal to date a person who loves you? Yes."
"So what makes Tera... um... I mean... How do we know she can 'love'? Like really love?" Jen asked. I was shocked at her.
"What makes you think can really love?" I asked harshly. I was a little upset she would question Tera's ability to feel emotions, especially at this point?
"I-"
"Tera has demonstrated time and time again that she can feel emotions just as strongly as you or I. Why question it now?" I knew she was capable of emotions; I saw it and felt it every day. But what did it mean to have emotions. Even a mediocre robot could fake them, but proving that they're real? Something occurred to me that I hadn't thought of before. Tera had mentioned that she dreamt of me when she was injured by that gunshot. I don't know if she only dreamed after the operation or during it, but I distinctly remembered her crying while we were working on it, something that should not have happened. Tom had shrugged it off as some sort of side effect or something, but perhaps, she was breaking the limits of her own nature. Perhaps she was somehow able to continue to think and dream and feel even when she was turned off. But how?
"I didn't mean-" Jen started. "I'm... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to it that way. I didn't want to upset anyone. I was just... being stupid is all. Sorry. I guess I was asking 'what defines the difference between emotion and simulation'."
"Good question” Cynthia said. "True emotions are a hard thing to prove. Tera and her sisters are among a handful of robots in the world with the capacity for emotion, but that doesn't mean it is real. They react as they were programmed to, but instead of preset responses like most robots, they have to learn their own responses based on stimuli. It is the closest thing to true emotions a robot can have. Besides, the human brain has approximately 100 billion nerve connections; Tera has an equivalent to 120 which is within the realm of a normal human brain. Joan and 261 have closer to 80 billion, which is still normal, and still very high for a robot."
"120 Billion connections? Wow!" Jen said, putting an emphasis on the 'B'. She gazed at Tera seeing her in a new light. Even Tera seemed impressed with the number, I know I was. "I'm sorry I assumed you were anything less than... well... human." Jen looked sorry, maybe even a little sad. I hated to see her like that.
"It's ok" Tera said smiling at her. "I realize I will face challenges like this in the future. I am what I am, but I'm nothing without friends."
We were silent for a moment. "I'm sorry I snapped at you also" I said. "We're cool right?"
"Always" Jen said, looking up at me and smiling apologetically. She sat there pouting, as though she either just got in trouble or just found out something she didn't want to know, maybe both. Jack put his hand on hers, and she looked up and smiled at him. I sure was glad she had someone to fall back on.
"I admit it seems odd" Joan added, entering the room, "a human and a gynoid dating. But that is what we were made for. Human companionship. Gynoids need humans more than humans need us; it is nice to see that for once, a human and a gynoid can actually need each other, be on equal ground. It is sure to be a controversial relationship if anyone ever finds out." She looked around at everyone as she took a seat. "Don't worry, she's asleep."
"You... can count on my support" Jen said. "Congratulations."
"Thanks" Tera replied. "Well... that was more exciting than the stranger at the ice cream parlor."
"Stranger?" Cynthia asked with a raised eyebrow. Oops... I was hoping we could have forgotten about that incident.
"Umm... I mean" Tera started realizing her mistake.
"An old associate of mine showed up at the parlor" Joan explained.
"Associate, what's this all about?" Cynthia asked with more concern in her voice.
"Diane, a combat cyborg, was apparently getting herself an ice cream cone when she ran into us. Tera managed to scare her off though. She wasn't expecting us" she answered in her strong matter-of-fact way.
"A combat cyborg? Does she know we're here?" Cynthia asked.
"I doubt it. She didn't expect to see us at all, but we do have to be careful. They know we are in the area and will be on the lookout for us" Joan said.
"Is everyone alright?" Tom asked.
"Thanks to Tera" I said. "She got a little burned by the gun but she'll be alright."
"Gun?!" Cynthia shrieked. Oops again.
"She dropped it. We're fine. Nothing happened" Tera tried to explain.
"Look, you're going to have to trust us. We-" Joan started.
"I'm sorry" I interrupted. "I should have been more careful. Joan had been getting strange looks all night; I never should have suggested we get ice cream. I was trying to keep everyone's spirits up."
"No..." Cynthia said reluctantly. "No, you are right. You have the right to go wherever you want, with Tera and Joan. They are yours after all. But please be careful. I don't want to lose them again after everything we've been through. You either."
"As long as everyone is alright, we can't ask for more" Tom added. "But we will need to keep an eye out for news reports and anyone who might be suspicious."
"I'll check the news. I'll let you know if I find anything" Jack said and started looking through his phone at what I assumed to be news Apps.
"I see you fixed the generator" Joan added.
"Yeah. I went out and got a new fuel line" Tom said.
"Where did you..." she sighed. "I haven't seen you outburst like that in a long time, since before 262 was finished."
"I'm so sorry Joan! You never should have seen me like that... ever. I've tried so hard to fight it these past few years" Tom said.
"I never understood what it was that you did. You'd get upset and leave, only to come back... different and angry" Joan said.
"I..." Tom tried to talk but couldn't.
"As you know, your father used to be in the mob" Cynthia explained. "When he left, he started drinking. Luckily he was loud, but never violent... at least not toward us."
"Drinking? As in..." Joan asked.
"Alcohol. It does things to humans that can be bad." Tom explained. "It makes us feel good, but we lose all self-control."
"One night" Cynthia continued, "Tom was particularly upset that we might lose the contract with the military, and when he came back... he destroyed 262" she said holding back her tears.
"I don't even remember doing it" Tom added, "but when I saw what I did... I was devastated. I swore never to touch alcohol again, and we rebuilt her from scratch."
"I remember that" Joan said. She saw the pain in her dad, and walked over to him, giving him a hug. "I will support you, Daddy."
"Thanks Hun" he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I've managed to avoid it ever since then, thanks to your mother."
As touching as the moment was, I was more concerned about the upcoming confrontation with Liberati. We needed to know more about him, where he was, what his security was like, anything, everything. Joan was the only one with personal experience with the man, except for 261 who was not going to be any help. If there was anything we could get, it would have to come from Joan. I waited until things had settled down again, and Joan returned to her seat.
"Joan, do you think you can tell us anything about Liberati?" I asked.
"I don't know. He didn't keep me close" she said. "He sent me away often, usually with Diane and Bruce. He didn't trust me."
"Isn't there something? Anything?" I asked desperate for something to help us out.
"Well I can say one thing; I've never seen that collar before. He had neither the knowledge nor the personnel to make such a device himself. He must have gotten it from someone, but by the looks of it... it was made special for her."
"Made just for her?" I asked, thinking about what that could mean. Obviously Liberati wasn't a tech savvy guy, but he understood the importance of technology. He kept cyborgs and robots around him, and had devices made by experts just for him. But who would make such a device, or even know how. Only one idea came to my mind. It had to be someone with knowledge about Joan and her sisters, about how their EVE system and their Evelyn brains worked. The only person outside this room that would have any hope of knowing this, for some reason, was the mysterious dream man. He seemed to know too much about Tera and was particularly interested in her. I figured, he knew enough to make such a device, and was probably going to use one on Tera too if he got his hands on her.
"I suggest we come up with a plan of action" Jack said. "The sooner we act the better. I know it's a long shot, but if we can stop the mafia, we don't need to hide anymore."
"That doesn't seem likely to happen" Jen said. "Mafias are notoriously hard to evade, let alone stop. If you manage to take out their leader, there is always a new guy to take their place."
"Larry Liberati" Joan added "has no children. He is the last of the line of the Liberati family. Taking him out will probably please whatever distant relative or upcoming mobster who takes his place. The Liberati mob is not as vast as they once were. The police have been very successful at breaking up the group and taking out their members. That's why they're so desperate to use cybernetic and robotic operatives like us. What they lack in numbers, they make up for in money and influence. They can buy or steal the best robotic fighters, and their influence in the cybernetic circles can get them their pick of the litter."
"So they are strong but weak?" Jen asked.
"Brittle, like glass. You can build strong structures like windshields out of glass, but the slightest crack can shatter the entire thing. If we can hit them in the right spot hard enough, their entire empire will come crashing down."
"And you know where that is?" I asked.
"No... I'm sorry. But if we can take out Liberati himself, it would have the same effect. A blow hard enough to any part of it can still break the system."
"So what's the plan?" Jen asked. Everyone was silent. We had come so far, and yet we still had no idea what we were doing. Tera for one was tired of running and hiding, and wanted to fight, wanted to get out there and do something. I was behind her 100% on that. She had been the target of a lot of damage, and continued to be targeted by Liberati and his mysterious benefactor. But without a plan, we were unable to take an initiative.
"I think the only hope we have of achieving such a crazy feat" I said, "would be a stealth attack. You know, covert ops. Get in, do the job, get out."
"There's no way we could get passed mafia security without being noticed" Jen said. "We don't even know where he is."
"I could do it" Joan replied sternly. "If we can find his hide-out, I can get us in and out. She might not be much help now, but 261 probably know the location of their headquarters, and the entire layout.
"Jack, if you can take down their autonomous and surveillance security, then Danny and I can get in and take care of Liberati."
"Hey, I'm not leaving you two to go in without me" Jen objected.
"I'm in too!" Tera added.
"It's too dangerous Tera! You are the one they want" I pleaded.
"Danny, Please! I can't sit here and let you take all the risks. If you go in, I go in too. I will not sit on the sidelines and watch you get hurt." She was putting her foot down on this issue. There was no way she'd take no for an answer.
I sighed. "I don't want to lose you either. But... I can see you won't let this go. Alright, you're in, both of you." She smiled at me and kissed my cheek. I hoped she'd be alright.
"Good" Joan said. "We'll need the help, but I'm just not sure where yet. We need to know the layout of the location before we can plan any details."
"And 261 is the only one that would know" Jen said.
"Maybe" Joan added. "I'm not going to push her though. She's my sister and she's been through a lot."
"Well, we will need her help or this won't work" I said. "Maybe by the morning, she'll feel better."
"She's too fragile" Tom said. "She's still registered to Liberati, but that registration is fractured, thanks to that collar thing Jack made. Her subconscious will want to obey him, but her conscious mind will resist. She will be at odds with herself until she can be cleared of his registration and assigned a new master."
"She will need a new master soon" Cynthia added. "There's no two ways about it."
"Well... Tera and I can't do it. We aren't human, and her master must be a human" Joan stated.
"Why don't you do it Tom?" I suggested.
"No... we didn't build them so we could be their masters" Cynthia pointed out. "No matter what, we cannot assume that role as well as the role of her parents. It would conflict with the nature of the role of master."
"What exactly is the role of master supposed to be?" Jen asked.
"Well, their master is supposed to look out for them, love and respect them, and use them as they are meant to be used" Tom explained. "That means in every way. They are adults, and have adult needs that only their master can give them. They are meant to be peers, not servants or children, despite the name 'master'. It really should be 'companion', but that has certain connotations too."
"I already have Tera and Joan" I said. "I'm not sure I should take 261 as well. I can if I have to, but..."
"Well I'm not doing it" Jack said. "I already have my hands full with Jen, and she'd kill me if I added that complication."
"Your hands are full?" Jen asked sharply. "Oh really? Well maybe I want to be her new master."
"You!?" Tom exclaimed. "But... you're a girl. You can't possibly be her master. She's not a lesbian."
"Now Tom!" Cynthia said sharply. "You know full well it is not a sexual contract. Besides, we always knew it was a possibility, and she is perfectly capable of filling that role if she needs to."
"Sexual contract?" Jen asked.
"The master registration process is a simple registration process, just like with any robot. However, a binding is a sexual contract, and requires a mutual exchange."
"So you're saying Danny and Tera had to..." Jen asked.
"Yes! Yes we did. And?" I interrupted.
"You sly dog!" Jen exclaimed. "Even before I met her you had already..." she fell silent for a moment, which was odd for her.
"So then you didn't have sex with Joan?" Jack asked.
"Um... well..."
"Joan too?!" Jen asked flabbergasted. "Gah! Is there nothing on two legs you won't screw besides m-... mmmrr. But you didn't bind to her!"
"No... it was sort of a... distraction" I said.
"I admit, I was not cooperating when Tera was trying to set me up to be registered" Joan said. "He simply provided an effective distraction that allowed her to gain full access to my systems. That... and I was horny."
"Joan!" Cynthia said. Joan simply lowered her head in shame a little, but smiled all the same.
"My view of you Danny has been thoroughly disillusioned" Jen said.
"Is that really a bad thing?" I asked.
She thought about it for a minute. I knew for a fact she was no saint herself, and had plenty of short-term boyfriends that she dumped because they weren't good enough in bed. "I guess not. Just means there's more com-... um... about you I didn't know."
"Why don't we let 261 decide" Tera suggested. "I'm sure both Jen and Danny will make excellent masters, but she should decide.
"I didn't get a choice" Joan said.
"Oh... I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't realize you didn't like being Danny's..."
"No, no. Don't take it the wrong way" Joan interrupted. "I do enjoy having Danny as my master. I couldn't have chosen a better owner myself. But I'm just saying, we don't always have a choice. I suppose, it would be nice to give her that option, at least."
"She'll probably choose Jen anyways" I said. "She wouldn't want to have a man as her master."
"I'm sure it must have been something that Liberati and his men did to her to make her scared of men" Jen said.
"I... don't want to talk about it" 261 said from behind us. It took us all by surprise, and we practically jumped out of our seats to turn and look at her. She was standing in the doorway, wearing a nightgown Joan had given her, hiding half behind the door frame.
"261! When did you get here?" Cynthia asked shocked to see her.
"I couldn't sleep" she said quietly.
"Are you fully charged?" Cynthia asked. 261 nodded silently, still hidden by half the door frame. "Do you want me to tuck you in or get you some water?" Cynthia asked. 261 shook her head this time.
"I'm scared" she said timidly. Cynthia opened her arms toward her, and 261 took a step forward to run into her arms, but stopped when she saw me and Jack. She looked between us, so we put on our sweetest nicest faces we could, in hopes to not scare her away. She ran forward, passed the two of us, and into Cynthia's arms. Cynthia held her there for a while, just petting her hair and rocking her back and forth.
"I'm so sorry!" 261 said, her voice muffled while she buried her face in Cynthia's chest. "I've done so many awful things, I keep having nightmares!"
"Shh... there there" Cynthia said, calming her down. We all sat quietly while Cynthia and 261 embraced. She really was a good mother figure, but I had to wonder what 261 would normally act like, before all of this happened.
After a minute or two went by, she calmed down and sat down on the floor next to Cynthia. She was close to Tom, and was visibly trying her best to get over her fear of men, especially with her dad. "263," she started, "I'm sorry I shot you. And... also... your master" she muttered that last part. "I'm glad I didn't kill you. I was afraid I did."
"It's ok. I forgive you. But please, call me Tera now."
"Tera?"
"It's the name Danny gave me when he registered me" Tera explained.
"Oh... ok. Tera. I'm sorry I shot you too 260, I tried my hardest not to... but I ended up using you to get to... Tera."
"I forgive you too. And you can call me Joan now."
"Joan?"
"That's right. Danny gave me that name when he registered me" Joan explained.
"Joan... Like in the stories" she said.
"Exactly. He named me after Joan of Arc" Joan said with a smile. It brightened 261's mood, and she dared to crack a smile just for a moment.
"I also forgive you" I said.
She looked nervous talking to me, but held her ground. "Th- Thank you... D- Danny. I'm sorry. I don't want to be this way. I... don't want to be scared of m- men. I'll try my hardest to get back to my old self." She spoke quietly and nervously, but coherently. "Oh... and... umm..." she pointed at Jack and looked up at Cynthia.
"That's Jack" Cynthia said.
"Tha- thank you for the new c- collar... Jack."
"Well I'll be" Jack exclaimed. "You are perfectly welcome little lady" he said in a suave British way.
She actually blushed at this and leaned in closer to Cynthia's leg.
"Are you feeling better now?" Jen asked.
261 nodded her head, and smiled briefly again.
"Well we have a big day ahead of us" Cynthia said. "We should get to bed."
"Wait..." 261 said quietly "please. I heard about your plan. I... I want to help."
"Excellent. We can discuss it in the morning" Joan suggested. 261 nodded.
"I'm still registered to L-... L-... Liberati. So... tomorrow, I will decide on a new master. I'll talk to Jen and... Danny about it."
"Sounds like a plan" Tera said. "And if you need any support, I'll be right there for you."
261 nodded again and took a deep sigh of relief, as though she were glad to have finally gotten something off her chest.
Cynthia stood up and helped 261 to her feet, and we all stood up in response. Joan came over to 261 to give her a hand back to her room, but before she took her hand, 261 abruptly turned toward Tom and gave him a big hug. She whispered something I didn't quite hear, and Tom started crying again, wrapping his arms around her, whispering something back to her. She broke the embrace first, still nervous, but genuinely happy and let out another accomplished sigh, before taking Joan's hand.
The two of them wished everyone a goodnight, and walked toward the Dorm area. "I'm sorry about your arm" 261 said to Joan as they walked past us.
Joan wrapped her metallic left arm around her sister, and replied "Don't be. It looks cool."
With that, they vanished behind the doorway, and bunked together for the night. Jen was next to follow heading to her room, and Jack to his. I suppose actually having to get up in the morning meant no time for messing around. Then again, they went to bed in their own rooms last night and woke up in the same one in the morning... could be a trend. Tom and Cynthia also left, turning out all the lights and wishing Tera and me a goodnight, reminding us we needed to get up in the morning.
"Danny, I want to show you something outside" Tera said, "before we head to bed."
"Oh? What is it?" I asked, but she wouldn't say and took my hand, leading the way.
Tera took me toward the SUV, which we had turned off when Tom hooked up the fuel line, and led me toward the back. It was a near full moon out, so I didn't have any trouble seeing her despite the lack of artificial lights. She giggled as she took me toward the back of the truck. I didn't bring the keys with me, so I hoped she didn't need to get something out of the truck. As soon as we got there, she peaked inside, and gestured for me to do the same.
"See that?" she said, pointing at something in the back of the truck. It looked like some kind of white cloth wadded up in the back.
"What is it?" I asked.
Tera leaned in close and whispered "It's my underwear" before she jumped into my unexpecting arms, kissing me ravishingly.
"Tera!" I said between kisses. "How long... have you been going... without underwear on?" I asked. I held her up, barely, as she pushed her weight into me.
"Ever since you asked me out" she replied, before kissing me deeply. I let her step back onto the ground on her tippy-toes, and turned her around.
"You really are a naughty girl" I said, reaching down and pulling the front of her skirt up. "You could drive a guy like me crazy!"
"Could?" she asked, but just as she did, my fingers reached their target, and she jerked with pleasure, letting out a small squeal. "Ohhh... yes Danny. You feel so good! I want you inside me!"
I continued to caress her exposed womanhood, and enjoyed every little sound and motion she made.
"Is... hah... is there something wrong with me?" Tera asked with her eyes closed, enjoying the sensations.
"What do you mean?" I asked, stopping for a moment to let her talk clearly.
"It's just that... ever since I met you, we've been making love like rabbits. Am I craving it too much?" It was true. Shortly after we first met, she gave me a blowjob in the shower, and we've been doing some kind of sexual act every day since then. This was far more than I ever got normally, maybe even more than Jack but I wasn't sure.
"I... I don't really know. I mean, as long as it isn't getting in the way of anything, I'm sure it's alright" I said. There couldn't possibly anything as too much sex, right?
"I suppose so" she said. "I've just seemed to be in the mood a lot more lately. Maybe it's just being near you."
"If you want, I could take a look at your sensitivity setting, maybe that has something to do with it" I suggested. She nodded, and sat down on the bumper of the SUV.
"Don't lower it too much or anything. Besides, we are doing this right here when you're done" she said as she pulled up her skirt. I placed my hands on her hips, enjoying the view of her exposed lower half, when blue pin-point lights appeared under her skin on her mound, and revealed a small panel that opened to one side. This was the same panel I had to use to complete the binding, and where I could adjust how sensitive she was to sexual stimulation. I took a look inside, and realized that her setting was a little high. I must have adjusted it one of these times, and forgotten to lower it again. I doubt that explained why she wanted sex so often, but I really wasn't concerned about it. I craved it from her all the time and it was nice to see she did the same. Still, I decided to lower the setting back to a normal level, and close her up.
"That it?" she asked. "I don't feel any different."
"Well... maybe it takes a while. Do you want to test it out?" I suggested. She gave me a coquettish grin and nodded. Once again, I let me fingers do the work, and enjoyed watching her squirm and moan. She really was enjoying this, just like all things, to the fullest. I couldn't take much more of it myself, but before I could unzip my pants, she had beaten me to it, and was pulling out my member, stroking me as I caressed her.
We did this for a little, but what I really wanted was what she wanted too, and soon she ended up on the ground with me inside her. Time flew past and stood still all at once. Every moment I was within her felt like an eternity of pleasure, and yet, seemed to vanish as though it lasted only an instant once we have finished. Even though her sensitivity setting was down, she was fully in the mood and reached her peak several times, finishing with one climactic orgasm that sent wave after wave of pleasure through her body. We must have made love on the grass for an hour before she finally collapsed on top of me in an exhausted heap. Even like this, I loved the way her body felt against mine, her soft warm and slender form pressed against me. There was nothing like it in the whole world, and I knew in that moment that she was my everything and I hers. She shone with a radiance of love and sweat in the moonlight, and gave me a look of such love and adoration, that I knew meeting her was no mere chance. With a final long kiss, she settled herself into my arms, and fell asleep. She was so cute and innocent in my arms, I didn't want to move her, but blood circulation deemed it necessary, so I gently laid her down on the grass and bundled up our clothes. She didn't wake as I lifted her up again, clothes in one hand, and carried all the way back to the lab, back to our room as quietly as I could, and into the bed. I was sure to plug her in for the night, and joined her in the bed. She repositioned herself around me, making it comfortable to sleep next to her, and kissed my cheek goodnight without opening her eyes. I felt like a million bucks, and nothing would get my spirits down after that.
Except for the nightmares. Goddamned nightmares. They were still invading my dreams, and I grew tired of having to deal with them every night. Even Tera suffered from them. She awoke once during the night from a bad dream, which woke me up out of one, and we had to cuddle close together to feel comfortable enough to try to sleep again. I started to suspect that these were not normal dreams. Something about them seemed all too... fabricated. How was it possible that someone could manipulate dreams, but how else was it possible that two people would have similar nightmares every night for a week straight?
We awoke, not as well rested as we hoped, but still in each other's arms and that was a nice feeling. Tera and I didn't want to wake, but Joan's relentless knocking made sure we had little other choice.
"Don't make me come in there and get you two up" her muffled voice said through the door. "Cause I will, even if you aren't decent."
"Imaupawready" I mumbled while fighting between sleep and awake. Tera seemed just as groggy as me, but at least she could sit up in bed. I admit I did enjoy the view.
Coffee was a god-send. Just the aroma of it gave me the energy to get up, just enough so I could grab a cup full. Too bad coffee didn't really work on Tera. Apparently it did more harm than good for gynoids. She had to struggle with her own simulated grogginess, although she admitted the coffee smelled fantastic. Jack and Jen joined us, exiting from their own rooms for once, and far more rested than Tera or I were. Tom and Cynthia were already up as well, and were putting together some food and a checklist of everything we had available for our potential assault. There were a surprisingly large amount of guns and knives in that little bag 261 had brought along, with only a few changes of clothes and various other necessities. Joan and 261 were up as well. 261 was wearing a similar getup to what she had on yesterday, a white crop-top shirt, and jeans. They must have been clothes she had from before, because they fit her well. Joan wore a similar getup as well, with a red patterned tank top and what I assumed were the same jeans as yesterday. She gave me a smile, and seemed to really be in a good mood a she helped out 261. They were just finishing eating themselves and were putting away the dishes when Tera and I walked in.
"Good morning two- um... Tera" 261 said with a little more confidence and friendliness than last night. "Good morning... Danny" she said a little more hesitantly. We both wish her a good morning as well, and sat down for cereal. Despite our lack of a goodnight sleep, Tera was surprisingly chipper. I swear she was still riding the afterglow from last night, she looked fantastic. I couldn't help but get in a better mood just because of her. After we had finished eating, 261 decided to sit down first with Jen and talk with her for a little. It sounded more like she was interviewing for the position of 'master', and I chuckled at the thought. An electrician was coming out in an hour, and Tom wanted me to help him find the cut line.
We spent 20 minutes or so looking for the cut line before the electrician showed up. There's a reason these guys get paid. Within 10 minutes, he found, and repaired the line, and then proceeded to charge a hefty sum for his services. At least now we had power properly restored to the building, and could turn off the generator. It was low on fuel anyways, so we shut it down and headed back toward the lab.
"Hey... do you hear something?" I asked, noticing the sound I thought was coming from the generator was still echoing in my ears.
"What?" Tom asked.
"That low hum. Can't you hear it?" I mimicked the sound, and Tom listened more carefully.
"Yeah... I do hear something now that you mention it. It's probably just the power back on" he suggested.
"No... I heard it last night, and this morning, before the power was back. I thought it was the generator, but... I think it's coming from inside."
I walked closer to a large set of doors that appeared to be rusted and ancient, but a faint humming sound was definitely coming through. This part of the building was far from where we were staying in the labs. We must have only taken up a quarter or less of the space; the rest was still sealed up.
"What's in here" I asked Tom. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Beats me. Could be anything. I've never been in there" he explained.
"Never been... it's your building. You bought it and never looking inside?" I questioned.
"I didn't buy it" Tom said. "It's been in my family for generations. I just sort of... found it."
"Found it?" I asked.
"When we were looking for a place to build our own lab to hide our girls in, I sort of stumbled on the documentation for it. It was all up to code, surprisingly, so I moved into the only part I could get opened. The offices."
"The offices?"
"Yeah, there didn't used to be a lab there. I added that with the help of a contractor. The dorms too. I never could get inside the rest of this place, it's just sealed shut too well" Tom said looking up at the building. It looked to be at least 2 stories, but looked more like a factory, which could easily be that tall and only be one floor.
"Well something is in there buzzing" I reminded him. "I don't know about you, but curiosity has gone through many of my cats."
"Heh... well how do we get in?"
I thought about it for a moment, and got an idea. "Maybe a human can't open, but I wonder if a superhero can."
I quickly ran back to the lab, and grabbed my Exo suit, trying not to be noticed by anyone. I briefly overheard Jen and 261 talking, but didn't pay too close attention to it. I discreetly grabbed by suit, and brought it out. I hadn't given it a full charge lately, but it still had plenty if juice left in it. With Tom's help, I got the suit on quickly, and powered it up. I could feel the hum of energy as it powered up. I built tons of safety protocols into the suit, and knew it would not be able to go past a certain limit when I really pushed it, but with any luck, it would be enough to pry open a door or a window.
We approached a rusty door that appeared to be the weakest of the lot. This one in particular was a rolling door that would slide upwards for full and easy access. It was the thin flexible nature of the door that made us decide to try this one first. All the others were solid metal doors that wouldn’t budge in the slightest. I wrapped my hands in some old clothes, to prevent cutting myself on the handle, and prepared to lift. I felt the awesome strength of my suit to its fullest pulling at my hand, and it hurt! I could barely keep a grip, and had to reposition my hand, trying it to the handle with the cloth, like in a rodeo. Another hard tug, and my fingers felt like they might rip off, but the door creaked. It was a low groan at first, but eventually it turned into a sharp high pitched shriek as the metal started to bend. I wasn't sure which would give first, my hand, or the door.
Luckily, it was the door. With a sudden snap, something holding the door down gave way, and it shot up, almost taking me with it.
"Good... GOD! That hurt!" I spat rubbing at my aching hand. It would probably leave a bruise, but at least my fingers were intact, and my bones weren't broken.
Tom let out a whistle while he looked into the dark and dusty room. It was huge, and the door only lit up a small part of it. The humming sound grew louder as we entered, but it was hard to see anything. This place must have gone many decades without sunlight or exposure to the environment. It smelled... old... really old. But as we entered the room deeper, our eyes started to adjust.
The room was a factory floor, a setting for building none other than robots. There were robotic parts laying all around the place, wires, screws, glass, but thanks to the sealed room, no rust. Dust kicked up in our faces as we walked, and we nearly choked trying to get a look inside. A rail with metallic limbs hanging from it crossed our path, and a conveyor belt with torsos from male and female units ran adjacent to us. For a factory, it wasn't terribly big, and probably manufactured only specialized custom ordered robots. I reckoned these robots must have been at least 80 years old! In computer years... it's like another dynasty.
"I think we stepped back in time" I commented through my coughs.
"I... had no idea!" Tom said, staring at his family's past.
"Guess it runs in the family huh?" I joked.
Just then, we found the source of the humming. A server-like device towered over us, with blinking lights and whirring hard drives. Something inside was making this hum, but my attention soon died from the towering monolith to the object it was currently attacked to. Laying before us, at first obscured by the monolithic server, was a gynoid laying flat on a work table, with wires attached to every part of it. The light was still dim, but to my astonishment, I recognized the face in the darkness. It was the exact same face as my old broken gynoid back in my apartment, the one I found in a junk yard and had been working on for months. I had never seen another model like her, and here was one completed, in its entirety. The body of the artificial girl was mostly metal and plastic, with no real skin or membrane like Tera and her sisters have. The whole realistic skin thing was actually fairly recent to the world of robotics, while membranes have existed since the 20th century; none of them looked or felt like real human skin, and definitely didn't react like Tera's did. This robot had a membrane face, which allowed for accurate portrayal of emotions, but the majority of the rest of the body was hard plastic or reflective metal. And yet, she was designed with a kind of grace and beauty that truly defined the golden age of robotics.
"I've seen this model before" I said. I took a step forward to touch the face, but before I could make contact, her eyes opened. I shot back my hand, but she did not react. Her eyes were larger than human eyes, stylized for emotional effect. As they shot open, the glowed yellow, slowly fading in and out as if processing something. After a few moments, her eyes turned green, and she sat up. There was an air of femininity to her motion that reminded me of Tera, but this android was much older than her.
The robot girl turned to look at me slowly, before moving her gaze toward Tom. After analyzing us, she turned on the table putting her feet toward the ground, and announced in a strong echoing voice "UNAUTHORIZED PERSONEL, IDENTIFY YOURSELVES".
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/Chapter 23
Chapter 24 here.
