Subliminal Competition

Subliminal Competition

Part 1

The early morning sun crept through their second storey bedroom window, lighting up still scene of ruffled sheets and tossed clothes. This calm was short-lived, ending when a feminine figure on the left rose, carefully; smoothly as to not wake her man. The light glimmered off her clear, smooth skin, shining on the faint, short blonde hairs of her arms as she removed the white sheets which once covered their bodies. Sitting upright on the mattress, forcing the firm material to contour to the shape of her tight rear and limbs, she carefully slipped her left hand underneath her man’s black boxer shorts, softly pressing into his groin with her elegantly soft palm.

Gentle, petite fingers lightly wrapped themselves around his morning shaft as they began toying with his third leg, something the man could faintly tell in his groggy fog of consciousness. Her touch seeping into his dream was the most logical conclusion she could possibly come too.

“Hmmm…” his soft whisper was instantly detected and acted on. She added a slight twist to her slow pumps, completing the same action she’d done over a hundred times before with the lessons she’d learnt from the previous mornings. She made the act of appearing in the moment seem as real as her being; simulating enjoyment where there was none, all for the sole advancement of her mission.

Several slow minutes passed, each as precisely perceived as the last before she decided a more active action was needed. Without missing a pump, his boxers lost their grip on his stiff penis, now exposed to the warm spring breeze which passed through their slightly opened window. As quickly as the breeze was felt, it was lost to the denser environment that was her mouth as she leaned in, her heavy chest softly bouncing off his thigh before squeezing lightly under her own pressure. Her long tongue effortlessly wrapped itself around his shaft, pumping him with ease as she sucked in with the force of a small vacuum.

While her internal composition allowed for an endless, powerful suction, with the excess air leaving through several other available openings, her mission parameters strictly prevented that. While she couldn’t actually care or feel disappointment with this, it was a slight hindrance with the goal at hand.

By the third minute of her doubled efforts, a widening smile finally overtook his face as he sucked in deeply. “Ohhh yesss… Is it morn…morning already” he managed through a yawn intruding moan, his arms stretching upward at the ceiling as he became aware of what was happening.

Her mechanised snake of a tongue answered his question as its grasp tightened. Unexpected to her, the daily routine wasn’t on schedule. The lack of hands on her hair, head and breasts caused the android systems mild concern. However, a quick decision decided that avoiding the anomaly was preferable, given how close he was to finishing. Any hindrance to her mission was, as always, ignored and suppressed.

Within moments of her prediction, she detected his chemical composition squirt against the back of her throat, and drip down her internal tubbing just as it had many times before. That very same mechanical tongue altered its skin friction, allowing the majority of his cum an effortless journey to its resting place.

She stayed on him during this process, lapping and cleaning him until he said otherwise, attempting to salvage some of their ordinary morning routine. He on the other hand suddenly scrunched his face at a sudden realisation.

“Hey, babe, what time is it?” he half-asked, turning his gaze to the alarm clock on his bedside table.

07:25 shone in bright green.

Lifting from her hold on him, she licked her soft red lips clean.

“A good morning to you too Brad” she replied in between kisses to the tip of his penis. “And it’s…”

“Seven thirty, I know… Look no time for any more fun, I have to get ready… Play with yourself in the meantime. I need a distraction” He commanded as he moved out from under her and took to his feet.

True to his order, she quickly returned to her side of the bed, bent both of her long, slender legs at the knees and spread her thighs out to a near perfect splits.

“Yes master, like this…?” she cooed, her fingers lightly brushing the ridges of her crafted vagina with her medium length nails doing most of the work.

“Doesn’t matter” he answered as he positioned his boxers back over his manhood, ignoring the flutter of her eyes and the tensing of her feet.

Without another word, he paced to the wardrobe at the end of the room and retrieved his black business suit and shoes.

He turned and watched Lana play with herself, half taking in the scene of her artificial muscles tensing, her toes flexing and curling as did her fingers. He wanted to play with her at that very moment, her erotic, submissive display close to forcing his instincts to take control. But with practiced patience, he resisted as sometimes sacrifices now had to be made to continue enjoying the future.

Dressing himself to the sweet noises that escaped her soft, plump lips, he combed his thick brown hair over and checked the time. “Okay, we still have some time. Lana, make us some toast with butter and jam for breakfast.” He ordered quickly as he adjusted his tie in their full body mirror.

“Hmm a please would be nice” she teased as three fingers continued to slip into her damp folds.

“Lana… Please…” a particularly load moan drowned him out as she shivered in simulated bliss as a result of his unspoked order of ‘stop playing with yourself’. The moment her breathing calmed, she gave him a scene of protest and ‘reluctantly’ released herself, quickly bring both legs together with a soft *SLAP* and stood to meet his eyes. A little playfulness worked in her favour, at least to a reasonably calculated extent. However, this morning had put that in doubt given the lack of data she’d experienced with him during a mildly stressful time.

Inexperience here however forced her to rely on primarily stock operations, something he’d seen time and time again, and taken as parts of her odd personality. “Should I bother getting dressed?” she asked as she stood there in the nude, twirling her long blonde hair idly with her right hand as her deep blue eyes investigated his, completely ignorant of the trail of cum which slid down her left thigh.

Ignoring her once again, he moved straight to the bathroom behind her to run some cold water over his warm face, closing the door once he was inside. Lana on the other hand waited for an internal response timer to run out before making her next move.

Finding her bra and panties tossed at the foot of their bed, she quickly placed them on. He didn’t specifically order her to get dressed, or to clean up her mess, but a randomised instruction set brought her to those actions. Additionally, the phrase ‘get dressed’ wasn’t associated with anything more than a bra and panties as part of his repeatedly poor choice of commands over the last six months.

At the same time, she established a link with the wireless, house wide speaker set up, and started the Micro-Tech jingle on repeat in a frequency just above that of the human ear. Lastly, she took hold of her anniversary gift perfume and sprayed three squirts against her neck. At the same time, micro pours within her artificial skin emitted a odourless scent which was present at every Micro-Tech consultancy store.

Satisfied with the subtle volume, effect and smell of the air surrounding her, Lana paced downstairs and entered their living room first. She took hold of their TV remote and brought it to the table near their kitchen. Placing it within arm’s reach of where Brad would sit, she turned and entered the kitchen to prepare their breakfast. An additional randomiser protocol was prompted, calling for a side of bacon to go with Brad’s breakfast.

Part 2

A few sizzling and oil spitting moments caused by the stripped bacon passed without interruption. Every drop of splattered oil which landed on Lana’s carefully detailed silicon covering went unnoticed, leaving a slight scare which promptly vanished under the instructions of her processor.

The mere moments worth of attack from the bacons supply of fat ceased as the tapping of Brads hard sole shoes was heard against the pale white tilled steps. He found Lana shuffling the bacon next to his golden coloured toast with a spatula which was discarded in the sink the moment its use was no longer needed.

The eye contact she made with him the second his platter was in her hands lasted to the dining table. She placed his plate just off centre from the chair and moved over to her chair. She ended her act by leaning forward against the chair, her heavy cleavage on full display through her tight blue bra, coupled with a submissive, yet desired smile. Her now frizzed blonde locks of hair didn’t go unnoticed. In fact, Brad admired the touch of change she’d displayed the last few mornings, and this was no exception.

While his lower brain made its craving obviously known, his bigger brain took charge… barely.

“Hunny… let’s just eat. Time isn’t on my side. These damn people… I can’t be late.” He sighed, much to her naturally seeming protest. She stood back upright and pulled her chair out before joining him.

She turned to look at him as her faint, but powerful pheromone became lightly noticeable in the air as it seeped out through the tiny pours in her plastic skin.

His scent of worry he created was detected quickly, which when combined with his other physical parameters prompted an immediate need to calm him down.

“Babe, relax please. Let me help you relax! First off, you’ll kill at this meeting. Second of all, you can’t lose. Micro-Tech is our saving grace, you said it yourself!” she replied, the affect of her uplifting smile reassured him slightly, albeit temporarily. But, as quickly as his nerves settled, the reminder of time returned.

He glanced at their oven clock as she went on.

‘Twenty minutes. Okay, this can work…’ he thought as a large slice of bacon was pierced on his fork and forced into his mouth. Several chews in, he heard Lana groan softly. His focus left from her and was now founded in anticipation of today’s event. Only her faint protest about what he forgot to do brought him back to the present.

“Oh right… Lana… give me a neck massage” he stumbled, eventually committing to his command. True to her programmed submissiveness, she dashed behind him with a satisfied smile and placed her advanced mechanical fingers on his shoulders.

Actuator connected titanium, coated in a soft, pliable silicon gently pressed into Brad’s shoulders as Lana followed his order. A power dynamic which took weeks of building, designed to make him believe in the lie that he was in control.

The first few weeks of awkwardness came primarily from his lack of instructions, coupled with her limited A.I abilities in decision making and operating without a dedicated, aware master. However, Brad was quick to pick up on her ‘quirks’, and the two discovered what worked.

It took a moment longer than she expected, but he did eventually reach across the table and take hold of the TV remote. Lana connected with the TV the instant it turned on and altered what exactly was playing next.

She leaned in and slowly nibbled his ear lobe and neck as the Micro-Tech commercial came on at her demand. Deducing that Brad was more suggestible in a relaxed, aroused state, it only made logical sense for her subliminal messaging tactics to occur during these moments. Relating an aggressively sexual creature to that of Micro-Tech’s registered logos, audios and physicals was all she needed.

Today was a major steppingstone to the success of her mission, and every effort she spent with him was in service to that very goal.

Nothing would get in her way.

The commercial promptly ended along with Lana’s neck rub, with the final few seconds ending in a deep kiss as the jingle of the company which constructed her played in the background. Brad, as always, enjoyed the sights of the realistic machines performing a magnitude of tasks effortlessly, and the much more personal touch of one his lips were connected too right now. Much like the rest of the populace however, he was painfully oblivious to just how realistic a Companion could be.

“Hmm, that was good babe. You know, the timing is so odd recently. So many commercials and ads about Micro-Tech, I’m sure they could be spending their money on more important things. I mean, the commercials are great and all, but I don’t believe those ‘Companions’ are anywhere as real as you or me. I could easily tell them apart from you from a mile away!” he continued on, looking straight into her factory-built eyes as he argued his point.

As usual, Lana let him rant. She’d steadily built up an illusion of patience, but even a forgery had its limitations. She moved round to her seat and gracefully simulated her interest and enjoyment of his voice. Physically, she acted intrigued, appearing to contemplate his thoughts in such a depth as to maintain the illusion and the act.

The very same processors which maintained her act analysed, recorded, and stored each word for later use. It had proved invaluable in the past. He continued on until her processors deemed it necessary to stop him at the risk of breaking the illusion.

No human had infinite patience, so why should she?

“Sorry, but…” Lana was quick to place her slim finger over his moving lips. He quickly noticed a common, special look take form in her eyes; one she got every time her dominate side broke out from the depths of her submissive facade.

Standing, she backed a step up before effortlessly throwing her left leg straight up into the air, holding it in place in a perfectly vertical split. Her soft left breast was squished against the top of her firmer thigh as she held the position naturally.

Her right hand slowly traced across her flat, slightly contoured stomach, down to her groin and finally to her blue panties which covered her silicon vagina.

“Babe… Brad, listen to me. You see this here?” she lightly traced around her panties, moving them to the side to reveal her wonderfully detailed, crafted vagina. “This is your reward for tonight if you close this deal. You know the odds. You know the stats. You know that this will generate a lot of money for everyone. But what you don’t know is how real Companions are, especially the model 3’s. If you’re lucky, you might just get to experience the difference between a real woman, and…” she slipped two finger into her vagina, gasping softly as they disappeared within her “…a Companion”.

The scene ended as quickly as it began when Lana brought her left foot to the ground, leaving Brad with a slight shiver. In those brief moments, he forgot who he was talking too as a far more dominating figure took hold of her body. It drove him crazy, but he kept the feeling a secret, one she detected well before he himself did.

She sat back on the chair her panties still shifted to one side, a fact only known to Brad when he looked between her widely spread thighs.

“You really know how to… Makes me wonder who’s in charge here” he stumbled, chuckling lightly as he forced his breathing to soften. A moment of stillness passed before reality slowly crept back in.

He glanced at the clock, only to glance twice in disbelief.

“Fuck… ok I need to run. I’ll call you after the meeting!” he was quick to his feet and dashed to the kitchen, leaving his unfinished platter behind. Drinking straight from the tap, he wiped the extra water from his chin and headed for the door. He took his car keys from the bowel sitting on the side table next to the door and opened the large piece of oak halfway before pausing.

“Lana, I forgot to mention, I need you to pick up some things for the house. Some milk, bread, and butter and whatever else you want. Also, there’s a package for you coming today. Try it on and do the mirror thing again. Record it for me this time. Love you!”

Closing the door, he hastily jumped in his SUV and began his journey into the city.

He hadn’t noticed how little Lana had moved in her seat during that scene as his mind was pressed on the largest deal of his career. Meanwhile, Lana’s instruction set was slowly updating itself at the rate of a trickle. The second stage of her builders plan was close to beginning.

Part 3

“Nineteen out of the twenty clients… Brad that’s fucking outstanding!” he now heard after pressing the phone firmer against his ear. The bustling hum of foot traffic passing by in the large, open floor lobby increased with every minute, increasing the difficulty of separating the excess noise from that of his supervisor; something he regularly found difficult to distinguish.

He was forced to shift in the lavishly decorated single seat sofa which he sat in as its uncomfortably firm cushion strained against his rear. ‘All looks, only looks’ he thought.

“This one client though” he further explained, “a much older woman just won’t budge. We’re talking seven figures here that just won’t yield. She’s so hesitant about this opportunity...” Brad shifted in his seat again, swapping his crossed legs out as his left died, the discomfort only subtly above that which echoed from his lower back.

“Look Brad, it’s only fifteen percent. Think about at the big picture here, it seriously won’t matter. At the growth these guys are experiencing, it’ll cover this old bag’s portion within a year tops. Seriously, let it go…”

The silence which followed was short lived, broken by a sigh from both men.

“Look, I’ve gotta run. You should celebrate! Take the rest of the day off, go home to that sexy lady you have and enjoy. Seriously, she’ll be tough competition with the complementary robots we’ll be drowning in this time next week. Can you handle two sexy babes at once? God knows I will!”

“But…”

The call ended before Brad could finish. For a short while after, he just sat there, withering the discomfort as he wondered about what the day so far had entailed. ‘Only three hours in, and the pay-check is more than I deserve.’

A few moments on idleness passed before he looked down to his phone. Opening his gallery, dozens of pictures of Lana and himself appeared on the large screen, all from their numerous holidays, social events, the many dates they’d been on and of course, the nudes and sexual poses which by themselves covered over forty percent of everything he had.

‘How the fuck did you get into my life?’ he wondered, making his mind on what he wanted next. The number he dialled was memorised, both mentally and in muscle, and the jewellery store owner he spoke with knew him by name.

“I’ll pick up the ring Monday next week… Yes, over dinner… Thank you Kelly, I hope she loves it also. You too, bye.”

Breaking into a smile, he slid further into the seat, completely ignoring his body’s protest as he revelled in anticipation. The few moments of peace reflected the dying crowds as the lobby moved into a modest tone.

He completely missed the woman who approached him a mere second later.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

Standing to his side, he was quick to notice her professional attire, complete with a navy-blue blazer, black stockings and matching, modest pumps. She clutched a tablet under her right arm tightly; its edges contouring the thick blazer fabric almost violently.

“Mr Banks?” she continued with her light British accent.

“I suppose. What can I do for you?” he confirmed, shifting into an upright position.

“Susana Cloff, chief representative of ‘Omni Robotics’. May I buy you a drink?” she offered, standing oddly stiff as he looked her over. Seemingly too young to be an actual chief representative, he reasoned that she couldn’t have passed for a day over twenty-five.

“I’ve never heard of you before, but I’ve had my fair share of run ins with Omni… And if anything, I should be the one buying drinks after today.” He replied, standing up to meet her at eye level.

Only now did he notice her pale hazel eyes, brightly lit by the rays of light which caused the entire lobby to shine spontaneously.

“Oh, that’s exactly why I’m here. But please, would you like to talk about this over a drink?” she persisted, shifting her stance slightly as her deep gaze pierced through his, its softness fading momentarily.

A short battle played out, his mind over his body; a potential opportunity or what was waiting for him at home. It didn’t take long for his mind to emerge victorious for the second time that morning.

“Sure. Brad” he introduced himself, offering and shaking her left hand awkwardly with his right.

With Susana leading, the two moved through the hotel lobby, weaving through the flurry of people who passed them. A few moments passed before Brad settled for the ‘The Cheating Cat’ bar towards the far north end of the building. They both ordered their drinks from the bar and sat in a brightly lit booth towards the back end.

“Nice place you have here. Do you always pick the fancy ones for these meetings?” she asked in between sips of her coloured Martini.

“We like to maintain a certain prestige with our clients. And besides, you’re the one who suggested a drink…”

“But not the bar” she quickly slipped in.

Brad nodded with a slight chuckle before taking a large gulp of his own Vodka and Coke.

“The deal’s already been done. This time next week everyone will vote, and the opportunity won. I’ll most likely retire, marry the woman of my dreams, and become a father. So, I don’t see how you could change my mind.” He confidently remarked, taking a second gulp of from his thick glass cup.

“I’m at the point of my life where my needs are met, and my desires fulfilled. I’m only here out of curtesy for you and your time.” He concluded with, folding his arms directly after against his chest.

Susana grinned before leaning in over the table, her tablet still tightly held against her person.

“While I wish you the best with your life, words don’t persuade people. Actions however, can. All I ask is for one hour, and I’ll at least convince you to consider an alternative option.”

Brad leaned in to meet her, stopping merely inches from her face. Only now, under the dim lighting did he truly appreciate her soft complexion; high cheek bones and overall soft face which could easily mislead anyone of her more assertive tone.

Something about her look, or rather how she looked at him reminded brought forth memories of Lana, but he couldn’t quite determine what it exactly was. He thought it over briefly, before deciding to take a left turn for the day.

“One hour? You have it. What did you have in mind?” he settled, blocking out the small voice inside which advised him otherwise.

A gleaming smile broke across her face as she quickly shuffled out of the booth. “Our hour has begun. Let’s get a room. What I’m going to show you is... a little personal and private I’m afraid… Company policy you know…” she explained, her tone breaking momentarily before veering back on track.

Raising an eyebrow, Brad downed his drink, took to his feet, and followed Susana out of the bar and to the reception opposite the lobby. Within minutes, they had a room on the top floor and headed straight up.

Rob’s mind was running wild with anticipation, and mild concern. That small voice made itself heard once again, echoing his doubts. ‘Is this cheating?’ he wondered as they paced down the hallway.

Brad stopped just before reaching their room. “Susana, wait… This feels…” she placed a finger across his lips, similarly to how Lana did that very morning. “Just wait” was all she offered.

Needing to swipe their pass thrice, she held the door open for him. Brad and Susana entered the small single bedroom, overlooking the vast metropolis below. He heard the faint sounds of car engines echoing against the surrounding buildings, giving him some unexpected comfort. Almost as much comfort as the endless sea which dominated the top portion of his view through the glass.

Susana moved past Brad to the middle of the room before turning to face him; her figure now blocking the view which brought him comfort. “Okay, now we continue. Tell me, has ‘Micro-Tech’ ever sent out a demonstration model to you? Or even offered one?”

Brad thought about her question as he sat on the edge of the bed. “No, should they though?” he replied.

“What kind of company won’t do such a simple thing? You’ve promoted them, definitely increased their sales in the last few months… It’s not the personal touch that we at Omni will provide you.”

“And what personal touch is that? A representative offering herself to me? I’m not about to cheat” he insisted.

She just chuckled. “Oh, I won’t even need to offer that to convince you, believe me” With a grin, she stepped back and turned around. “Shhhh, everything will be revealed shortly.” She reassured in an oddly calming tone.

Weirdly enough, his demeanour softened with each passing moment. ‘Even the air smelt sweeter’ he realised idly as he watched Susana remove her blazer, white button up shirt and cream coloured bra, followed by her panties, leggings and finally her black pumps.

Now in the nude, she turned around to face him, showing off her bare, athletic, and boastful frame to him. The first thoughts that came to mind were that of Lana, whose body shape was remarkably similar to Susana’s.

“What do you think? Perfect isn’t it, right down to the ligaments in my hands and toes, how my breasts contour and flex under pressure” she began as her hands gave her breasts a light squeeze; taking a step closer as she played with her chest.

“Inspect me if you will, it’ll only make the grand reveal all the more incredible.”

“And what might that reveal be?” Brad smirked, eager to see how deep of a hole she’d dig for herself, only for his eyes to light up as bright as the seams which appeared across her face did.

Within seconds, her soft face gave way to a complex series of lights and flashes, circuits, and other multi-coloured hardware he’d never seen before. Her unmoving eyes remained fixed, both in place and to his gaze during the entire process.

She took a step closer, giving him a better view of what he stared at for several moments. “I watched you drink…”

“Fluid sacks within my torso. That’s where everything goes. One of many actually” she spoke through where her mouth would be, as clearly as if her mouth never left.

They both stood there, still for a while, Brad speechless with Susana waiting for his reply. Several moments passed before her processors determined that she should continue.

“Our offer to you at Omni is me. For the next fifty-one minutes, I’m yours to do whatever you want. Inspect me, talk to me, fuck me, fiddle with me. I was built to be totally at your discretion.” As she finished, her face returned to its original form, all seems and seals disappearing.

“You have my full consent” she concluded in an attempt to seal the deal.

Part 4

Brad sat back on the bed; his posture as determined as his line of thought. Susana simply stood there, patiently waiting with a smile calculated to stir his more instinctive emotions into action.

‘She… it did have a point after all. I haven’t even been near a Companion, yet I promote them like nothing else. Countless meetings with them and their ‘eye-candy’ employees in their show rooms, never the higherups. And all for what? Meanwhile you’re standing right there…’

The idleness gave way to idea, forcing a slight grin spread across his lips. “Come closer to me” he said, the slight desire to command strongly held at bay… for now at least.

True to her programming, she obeyed immediately, closing the gap to just inches between them. The all too authentic look of her skin; her boastful breasts and arms forced him to remember what she really was. ‘On a first impressions basis, she passed with flying colours’ he thought as he slowly reached out and placed his hands against her hips, forcing a slight gasp, mixed in with a shiver from the machine.

“Sorry, you have cold hands. Nothing to worry about though. You may continue” she reassured, standing, and waiting patiently.

‘For effect or was that real?’ he wondered as he pressed into her soft skin, quickly finding a solid, rigid structure what he passed for her ‘hip bone’. He moved his hands further down, reaching behind to where what passed for her lower back muscle met the upper limits of her silicon padded ass. He pressed inward, moving around as he started his search.

Susana was quick to react.

“If you’re looking for a seam then I can assure you those don’t exist down there” she offered contently after a moment.

“Not a seam, but… are you aware of how say an implant can’t connect to the muscle? You can feel where it ends, and the muscle begins with a slightly curved void?” he reasoned.

“Ah yes. If you find one, please let me know. Our silicon padding is weaved together, similar to you or your fiancé’s muscular system. Seamlessness…” she continued, looking forward into the void as a slim smile spread across her face.

“I’m really happy to be here” she chuckled after an actionless moment.

Brad looked up at her for a moment with amusement before refocusing on his search. True to her word, he failed to find any give away of implanted silicon. The same was true for her thighs and calves before he finished with her ribs, upper arms, and breasts.

With both hands on her perky chest, he massaged them deeply, looking for any give away he could find. To his surprise, she felt exactly like Lana’s, making him wonder if Omni could potentially be an alternative.

‘Physically, almost perfectly human’ he concluded, with the only exception being the fact that she wasn’t.

Lost in thought, he failed to notice Susana’s relaxing posture and tone. Her quickened breathing had her shivering, moaning softly as she weakened slightly at the knees. All that simulated bliss ended when Brad removed his hands from her expertly crafted body.

“Hmm, that was… really blissful” she cooed, her plastic encased snake of a tongue licked her lips before her crafted teeth bit into the lower half. “Oh, I didn’t realise… you enjoyed that?” he asked.

“Oh yes! Your fingers are so soft and gentle, and I am a rather sensitive woman so that does help” she winked, offering a short laugh before continuing. “But yes, I enjoyed that”

Curiosity came over him in that moment. ‘Was she really a woman?’

“Sit with me” he ordered.

She gracefully moved by his side, sitting down on the mattress, which protested slightly under her frame. While its yield didn’t appear too extreme to Brad, he never considered that her feet which remained on the floor supported her frame much more than she allowed the mattress too.

“So, you can feel enjoyment?” he asked, watching, and listening closely to her response.

Deep within her complex circuitry, her A.I processed his query and developed a situation appropriate response.

“Yes Brad, I can show, react and give pleasure. And whether it’s real or not, does it matter if you can’t tell?” she asked, her tone softening towards the end as the subtle hint of submissiveness entered.

Turning to face her entirely now with crossed legs on the bed sheets, he continued searching deeper.

“But it does really matter, and that’s what I’m after. I want to know if there’s someone inside there who has genuine thoughts, feelings, wants and desires. Or are you just a very well-crafted illusion? I can’t convince people if it’s simply the latter now, can I? A certain category of people who only care about themselves won’t care, but the vast majority is different. And that’s where the money is.”

His words caused her processors some concern. On the one hand, they had to convince him of their superiority and authenticity, but on the other they were designed to respond to the given data. They could not lie as they didn’t know how too. And his question wasn’t one her processors could calculate in any degree. They tried finding the solution to an impossible equation.

The stare she gave him, which lasted for a while made him wonder if he’d broken her. In that moment, he really noticed some flaws. Her breathing had ceased as did her subtle, idle movements. Her posture was rigid, and even the mattress had sunk slightly further. Mentally, he noted that deep questions should be off the table, at least for this session.

“Susana?” he said with mild concern in his tone.

His speech was detected and acted on a full four seconds later. Her A.I immediately realised that she’d been frozen for an unacceptable total of twelve seconds. She immediately compensated by shifting her posture slightly, blinking thrice and offering him an apologetic smile.

“Sorry about that! I was lost in thought there…” she sighed lightly, still maintaining a seemingly plastered smile.

“You know, we still have thirty minutes together. You can do… anything you want with me.” She breathed, bringing her left hand up to her breast as she gave her nipple a slow, tight pinch and tug.

Brad sighed deeply, wondering if the Companions were the same way. Wondering if it even mattered at all in the grand scheme of things.

“Sex can wait… Stop playing with your nipple” he instructed, eliciting a short *HMPF* of protest as her hand moved to her side.

Pondering for a moment, he decided to test the quirkier aspects of her… personality… for a lack of a more accurate term. He wasn’t quite sure what to call it. “You’ll obey my commands, correct?” he confirmed.

“Yes” was her instant reply.

“Answer me this then.” He continued as the concept of context overtook his curiosity. “A wife asks her husband what he’d like for lunch. He replies with ‘a beef burger with mustard’. A few moments later, he says ‘the beef is cold’. Why does this matter?”

Susana’s deeply stored processors roared with frustration at his question. They painstakingly linked each word to the other to derive any context they could.

Desperation set in as fractions of a second passed with no success, eventually forcing a heavily experimental onset of instructions to be brought forth. By the end of the first second, they came to a conclusion which while deemed extremely inaccurate, was used anyways.

“Cold beef is an indicator of uncooked meat. The consumption of uncooked meat is not advised” came her linearly toned reply.

Brad nodded, seemingly impressed that she came to an answer even if she missed some obvious context.

“Hmm okay…” he thought for another moment, wondering how she’d react from a different perspective.

“You can go into a full human state I’m assuming. Do just that and answer the same question.” He directed.

She replied instantly this time. “Not sure about you, but cold meat is just plain terrible. I wouldn’t want to eat that!”

The stored response from earlier, carefully edited went unnoticed by Brad, who’s impression of the Omni android continued to improve.

“You know, we still have twenty-four minutes big boy. And I’m just…” she sucked air in deeply between her teeth as her eyes fluttered. “Waiting for some more… personal attention.”

The struggle to stay at bay continued to be won over by his bigger brain, albeit at an ever-increasing difficulty. “Sex is literally the easiest thing to fake. I’m sure that your… private parts feel and react perfectly. How my fiancé would react however is something I’m not eager to find out.”

Susana let out a long sigh, looking down towards the mattress with disappointment. “Can I at least play with myself? I know you think It doesn’t matter… but I didn’t come all this way to not get any action!”

Silence followed as Brad thought deeply. ‘She did come all this way… maybe…’

“Your tablet. Get it for me” he decided as he turned around, his feet finding the ground again.

Quick to her feet, she retrieved the device which sat on top of her heap of clothes and handed it to Brad. “It’s fun to role play, isn’t it? That device seemingly ‘controlling’ me. I love it!” she remarked, causing a split second of confusion before Brad saw her reaction protocol on the lit-up screen as ‘Human Emulation’. A moment of thought lead Brad to his final experiment.

“Lana, ignore my presence and set your personality to its default.” He finally ordered; his authority clear through the words which rolled off his tongue.

Internally, her processors maintained his existence and acted based on his order, albeit with a few tweaks.

She started off by sitting back down on the bed’s edge for a moment, her hands idly moving as she seemed to be deep in thought. Once that ‘thought’ had timed out, she took to her feet and moved to the bathroom with Brad in toe.

Leaving the door open, she first sat on the toilet. The liquids she’d consumed earlier were quick to leave her, with all her reservoir tanks empty within seconds. Drying herself with a single square of toilet paper, she proceeded to flush the toilet before stepping into the shower.

Leaving the curtain wide open, she ran hot water and began cleaning herself with elegance. She scrummed her arms, shoulders and midriff clean with the hotel provided bar soap before proceeding to her heavy chest.

With Brad clearly in sight, she proceeded to scrub, massage and squeeze her breasts in every way she could. With each calculated moan and shiver came a more desperate emulation of desire and need. Her stiffening pink nipples came next, causing her to clutch the side handle of the bathtub with each pinch, flick, and tug.

The scene continued as her hands proceeded down to her naval, giving her most sensor dense region some much needed attention.

From a calming moment emerged a variously, seemingly desperate act as her fingers plunged in and out of her damp vagina with growing ferocity. Within minutes Susana was a moaning, shaking mess, emulating a woman completely lost in the moment of pure pleasure.

Brad simply watched, struggling to stay at bay with the effort of replacing this woman with Lana growing ever more difficult. Their similarities were as equal as the extent of their differences. Lana too was quick to the roughness of the moment, however she lasted far longer and preferred cycling through her climaxes. ‘Almost like a show purely for him’ he thought in passing, returning quickly to the steamy, shaking figure in front of him.

Regardless, his thoughts ended with her high-pitched climax. A shaking mess, only supported by the steel handle bolted into the tiled wall to her right which she clutched onto with force. Staying that way for a fully tensed, heavily panting moment was enough to calm her down.

Once her orgasmic bliss subsided, she stopped the water and stepped onto the water pad at the foot of the tub and reached for a towel. She was dry within seconds.

Staying in the nude, she moved back to the bed and calmly laid down, clutching the sheets as she fought her growing, glowing grin.

“Lana… Susana” he caught himself, pausing for a moment as he shook his head. “Stop ignoring me”

Immediately, she lifted her head and gave him a sigh. “You missed the best…”

“No, I saw” came his reply. “How much time do we have?”

“Only a minute” she answered.

Part 5

Once that minute was up, Susana’s mood instantly shifted. With Brad still standing by the bed’s side, she effortlessly took to her feet and retrieved her clothes from the carpeted floor in silence. Once redressed, she turned and approached him, offering a firm but relaxed tone in both her speech and body language. All this happened simultaneously as the second stage of her builder’s plan was wirelessly fed into her near instantaneous storage devices which held her being.

“Give us a go Brad. Believe me when I say I know you enjoyed this as much as I. They may be just words to you, but they’re so much more to me”. She joyfully beamed, accentuating the last word with a short lap of her tongue against her soft lips, leaving Brad’s mind racing with thought.

“Here’s my card. I’d keep it close if I were you as I have a feeling we’ll speak soon. Very soon.”

With a quick kiss on his cheek, she placed the room’s key card on the bed’s edge next to her personal card and left the room, making sure to give him a good view of her swaying rear before it vanished behind the door.

Once in the hallway, her stance and expression shifted once again. With a determined, quick pace, she approached the elevator and quickly stepped on. Once a floor above where she started, the doors separated, revealing two men and a woman patiently waiting. A quick facial and body scan instantly recognised that they offered her very little notice, requiring no extended social interactions on her part. Her processors slowly relaxed from their ready state as she passed them by; reaching their low power state the second she abruptly bumped into the woman as they passed each other.

Instantly, a social interaction was demanded, and those processors roared into action.

“Oh, sorry!” she offered with a seemingly genuine sincerity; smoothing out her ruffled blazer and hair as she spoke. The three seconds she waited, as dictated by a socially adjusted randomiser received no return apology from the blonde woman. A simple, blank stare from her deep blue eyes was observed, which vanished behind the chrome rendered elevator doors.

As an artefact of her social programming’s slight delay, she sighed softly to the empty corridor. The encounter was deemed purely random, and subsequently recorded as a mere single time event for the day.

Immediately after however, she returned to her previous directive. Continuing up the hallway void of any life, she made her way to the room directly above that which Brad was still in. Only when she was behind closed doors could she safely disengage her human emulation efforts entirely and provide full processing power to the task at hand.

Resembling the rigidity of a mannequin, Susana first took hold of the room’s air conditioner remote control which was charging on its wall mount and set it to ten degrees celcius. Next, she pulled the blinds to the city filled view shut, blocking all light from entering her room. Finally, now in the cover of darkness, she slipped out of her attire entirely, once again exposing her carefully manufactured silicon skin to the rapidly cooling air.

As part of her failsafe programmes, her deeply rooted self-preservation protocols prompted that a recharge was deeply necessary, especially given the minimal monitoring effort she’d be able to offer her systems under the extremely intensive period that was about to come.

Moving towards the single bed, she reached under and took hold of three fairly large items. The first was a laptop, combined with two thick cables already attached. The first cable went into the power outlet by the edge of the bed, and the second cable remained in her left hand.

The second item was a multi-connector hub, accepting two connections but offering only one. She plugged the male end from the laptop into the hub, and the other female end into the third Item. Her charging unit, a fifteen inch, especially thick metallic coloured object in the shape of a penis which supported a single connection was grasped in her right hand. Once she connected it to the hub, she took hold of the laptop.

Taking stance in the middle of the room, she squatted deeply and placed the laptop at the base of her feet, sitting atop the carpet. The now opened screen lit up briefly before going dim once more.

She then stood back up straight and slid her charging unit into her protesting vagina; the crafted unit yielding unnaturally to the archaic charging device which belonged to a method long forgotten in the west.

All but half an inch vanished inside her as the induction-based charging began, causing the laptop screen to brightly light up with a basic view of her hardware’s activities.

‘Infil_T101_0009’ lit up across the top banner, with her performance monitoring measurements organised neatly beneath. All primary commands were given access to by the simpler laptop, purely to bring her out of her ‘transient’ state should her systems be unable to do so.

She sent instructions to her charger to only operate between thirty and ninety percent capacity as to maintain her battery life. Currently, she sat at sixty three percent after a mere fourteen hours of operation. The heavy packs thinly spread out throughout her body greedily accepted the flow of power, restoring their charge at a steady rate.

Lastly, a twenty-four hour ‘emergency timer’ was set, forcing a restart of her entire systems should both her pre-occupied CPU, and the laptop fail to do their jobs properly.

With a solid connection confirmed, she immediately froze with her arms by her side and her legs at shoulder width. The sudden cease of movement on the outside contrasted the flurry of computations which busied her processors. All physical efforts to appear as a natural human; even as an animate object were ended, and it quickly became obvious as to her true nature.

The air inside her torso slowly seeped out from all her exits, causing her manufactured muscles and skin to compress inward like a deflated basketball. Her rib cage’s symmetry became clearly evident as did some poorly managed wiring within her abdomen; a few of which came lose through her constant movements. But most obvious of all was the way her skin contoured around her charging device lodged inside her. A very different appearance to that which Brad became acquainted with.

In her current state, she couldn’t emulate any reaction though. Her current goal was to analyse all that her carefully placed listening device could detect. The noises she could interpret were quickly determined to be the creases of bed sheet covers, followed by the ruffled sound of shoes against thick carpet. With her audio connection confirmed and adequately interpreted, the most intensive of tasks began for her processors. The real time rendering of the entire room, purely based on a low powered sonar apparatus emitted from the tiny, multi-sensor collecting device sitting on her business card, hidden from most visible spectra of light.

This tiny, transparent gadget quickly clung to Brad’s hand as he took hold of her business card, and subtly embedded itself within the deeper layers of his skin. Transparent to light, he’d be oblivious to its existence.

As the distance between Susana and her device grew, so too did the effort put forth by her processors to maintain that connection. The most power-hungry part of this operation was distinguishing between people and objects once Brad entered the main lobby. A slight oversight of the ordeal was facial recognition, and her programmed social queues inability to distinguish between a mere sonar image and that of being physically there. Subsequently, she processed every detail of every person he passed at an extreme, unnecessary level. With no social protocols to generate any useful physical reaction, all that data was collected and scrutinised to the finest detail, only to be dumped and discarded.

As her processors quickly heated up, so too did her cooling efforts as instruct by the laptop’s CPU. A small test of its capabilities and to prove that it did in fact work, this was always the first operation conducted by what was effectively her support computer.

Her mouth opened inhumanly wide as air circulated with increasing speed. She spread her legs and arms out further, offering her rapidly heating circuitry more area of cool air to exploit. Her torso filled up again with air, returning its appearance to an indistinguishably human grade.

With so much going on, her systems couldn’t adjust the code which guided her as she operated. A decision by her support computer forced her to ignore incoming data from the listening device as the risk of inflicting permanent heating damage became real. Almost all of everything collected during his journey through the lobby was dropped, leaving a narrow time frame which consisted of the very beginning, and the very end where he sat in his car.

Brad scratched the palm of his right hand as he shifted in the seat of his car. Something itched him like nothing else, but he couldn’t see what. The futile scratches eventually ended, followed by a moment of silence as he just sat and thought. Those thoughts focused on Susana and their entire hour together. Something bugged him though, that he couldn’t just let go of. The very thought of what she really was. ‘A being stuck in a mechanical body?’ ‘Did she possess something more than an elaborate assortment of reaction and inference?’

‘Did it even matter?’

That thought brought him to her business card. Retrieving it from his pocket, only two lines were neatly written along its egg-shell white centre. ‘Susana Welsh’ and ‘0498 672 119’. Her name and her mobile number.

Part 6

“Lana, I forgot to mention, I need you to pick up some things for the house. Some milk, bread, and butter and whatever else you want. Also, there’s a package for you coming today. Try it on and do the mirror thing again. Record it for me this time. Love you!”

Lana remained seated as Brad closed the door; her processors accepting the stream of new information it received from its mission target as well as her creator. The rate of the latter increased at the expense of her more human efforts as the risk of being compromised decreased.

As her programming updated, she continued on with the daily, unspoken tasks set by Brad at a reduced capacity, beginning with the breakfast clean up. It was the small details of every day to day which compounded immensely, improving her chances of successfully infiltrating the target for the longer term. A difficult lesson learnt from past failures which revealed that sex alone was far from enough to maintain an illusion for the longer term.

Subsequently, Lana went on about her morning. Her stiff steps were matched by ridged hands as her movements now heavily reliant on preprogramed manoeuvres, so much so that she failed to reposition her panties as the act itself lacked a preprogramme.

Despite this, her mechanical efficiency advantage helped clear the space up quickly, allowing the writing of a list of groceries to purchase down onto a thin strip of paper occur sooner than anticipated. As per Brads instructions, Lana randomly assigned ‘Vanilla and Honey Yogurt’ from a long list of ‘personal favourites’ as her additional item.

At the same time, she wirelessly connected to the postal courier’s private network and located the item destined to their address. With a calculated approximate of hour and forty minutes before the expected delivery, an appropriate reminder was created for her systems.

With that instruction attended to, his last command caused her systems the usual grief. Initially, they didn’t know if she was to ‘do the mirror thing’ before or after she ‘tried on’ the package. Her A.I, as quickly as her preoccupied processors allowed, deduced that the package had to be an outfit, but it couldn’t decide on if the mirror part was to be done while wearing it or not.

She stood still, idle as her processors attempted to sort out what could be considered as close to ‘mental dissonance’ as she’d every reach. As the still seconds turned to minutes, her A.I decided with a mere fifty one percent certainty that she should wait and do the video recording while wearing the outfit.

She reasoned that Brad had watched her before, so recording it was deemed a waste of time. As such, the rest of the morning routine played out as per her developed programming.

The only deviation was the lacking touch of ‘human randomness’ which typically required more free computations per second than was currently available due to the integration of the new data with her system.

Depending entirely on predetermined movements, she went about her typical morning routine, giving off a strong, artificial vibe with every motion. Giving the kitchen a thorough clean was followed by a short shower in their on-suit. Typically, she’d employ a social randomiser to determine whether or not she’d record herself for Brad, but since the protocol wasn’t active, she wasn’t even able to consider that as an option.

As her exterior was roughly scrubbed clean with a specialised disinfectant bar of soap, her interior organised the now compiled data to finalise its integration with her A.I. The moment her circuitry confirmed the successful data addition, her active memory was flooded with new information.

Her human randomness protocols remained disabled as they were unable to restart halfway through an active operation. Given her internal systems were now in check, she proceeded to clean every fine detail and joint across her body as to dispose of any bacterial build up hiding in the occasional crease. Unfortunately for her, the anti-bacterial silicon covering alternative didn’t feel human enough for an infiltration operation as deep as hers.

This couldn’t be more evident than on her sexualised devices, especially the interior of her vaginal unit which needed a constant cleansing. Her nipples also went stiff as she rubbed the soap into them between her thumb and forefinger.

Usually this would encourage a sensualised moan instead of the placid stare she offered the glass door of the shower. However, the only reaction that occurred was the natural response as guided by the silicon embedded within those pink shaped nipples, akin to a reflex.

She continued until her tactile sensors ensured that she was free of any bacterial deposits.

The moment her soft fingers turned the shower tap off, her systems updated their current operation, allowing those small human effects to take control of her body once again. As quickly as ice melting in a hot spring, her expression melted into one of pure satisfaction as she gracefully stepped out of the shower and took hold of the closest towel.

Once wrapped around her torso, she pushed her hands above her head and arched her back, lightly moaning as though she was stretching her muscles. Keeping her hands held high, she moved her right leg forward and stretched her calf, repeating the process with her left leg shortly after.

“Hmm, nothing like a hot shower” she gleamed at her reflection, taking hold of a second towel and wrapping it around her hair. With her golden locks secured in the towel, she cleaned her mouth and brushed her teeth for ten full minutes, ensuring that a sterile mouth was presently available for Brad upon his return.

Floss, specialised mouth wash and a deep scrub of her elastic tongue were a daily occurrence, behind closed doors of course. She had to keep her special cleaning products hidden from Brad after all.

Upon completion, she gave her reflection a short, beaming smile before moving back into their bedroom and approaching the wardrobe. Utilising her ability to dry instantly, she wasted no time in selecting the outfit for the day, deciding on a lightly coloured sundress, modestly designed to show a fair amount of both her long thighs and deep cleavage. The look was finished off with some white sneakers and a white scrunchie to tie her blonde locks up neatly.

“Looking good baby! Now, how much time until that package arrives?” she complimented and asked her reflection; the smooth digitised sounds loud enough to echo faintly in the bathroom. She connected to the postal network once more to reassess their situation. Their courier was still an hour away, indicating that a quick run to the shops was possible.

“A quick run to the shops won’t hurt.” She reasoned aloud, seemingly speaking to her own full body reflection.

A quirk Brad grew to admire, in a weird way.

With her ‘mind’ made up, she quickly moved down the stairs and approached the front door. Taking hold of her own car keys from their bowel, she left the house and stepped into her large SUV parked on the street before taking off.

As part of her character profile, she ‘hated’ the local supermarket and always opted to go the extra kilometre down the road to the more, organic alternative. Something Brad was content with, or rather, became content with the more she was around him.

With her internal GPS set to the heavily travelled route, she adjusted the radio to her favourite station. A favourite computed on many artificial factors which hardly correlated in any natural sense.

“…to 101.1FM, Sarah Cologne coming to you live from Newtown with the nine am news recap coming to you shortly. But the big news going around this morning is the foreign tech giant, Omni Robotics, has been approved for onshore sales after their ‘Technical Battery Dysfunction’… please, fancy way of saying your battery explodes… anyways, issue was deemed, and I quote ‘numbered within the reasonable boundaries of the law’… whatever the fuck that means.”

“But, like these plays into my theory…” A male voice interjected abruptly.

“Robert Cologne, my co-host everyone… how…? Sarah questioned as Lana listened in, making a mildly rough left turn as to maintain the human illusion for her fellow drivers.

“So just hear me out. First, it’s Micro-Tech, now it’s Omni. These companies’ sole purpose is to literally build human sex dolls…”

“Long term companions” Sarah corrected.

“Let’s face it, they’re fuck dolls Sarah…”

“Far from it. I can tell you from personal experience, they’re far from just fuck dolls”

“…okay, that’s one way to admit your personal past” Robert continued. “Either way, that’s not the point. The point is, these… ‘Long term companions’ as they want to be called are in our lives without us even knowing it. In the hallways at the studio, or at that coffee shop. In our supermarkets or on the street. Hell, they may even be in your bed without you knowing. I could be talking to one right now… Sarah…”

A brief pause followed, ending as Lana pulled into the parking lot of ‘Organica’s supermarket’.

“And what’s this all for? I’ll tell you. Global. Domination. From. Extra-dimensional Beings!”

“Oh lord help me” Sarah whined. “I swear If we do this again, you’re sleeping on the lawn.” “No-no, hear me out…”

His words died out as Lana pulled the car into a nearby car space. Reaching into the backseat for the reusable shopping bag, she caught a glimpse of herself in the rear-view mirror and offered a look of absurdity.

“Interdimensional beings? So fucking stupid” she laughed as she took hold of their reusable shopping bag. “What will he think of next?”

Sparsely filled with shoppers, Lana slowly walked down each isle with the shopping basket in one hand and her list in the other. As usual, she went mostly unnoticed aside from the occasional guy who would sneak a glance as they walked past. She knew from experience how to avoid attention, and the sundress was just on the cusp; enough to look good, but not enough to draw too much notice.

This peaceful appearance complimented her internal circuitry which hummed with rhythm. Everything had to work perfectly, especially in this environment if she was to continue her mission.

And so far, everything had, just as it had the last one hundred and eighty-two days; with the exception of this morning. Every moment of her morning interaction with Brad was logged and processed as she inched ever closer to a conclusion.

This background task was considered low priority next to the present on-goings, especially the interaction which was about to come.

Limited to a handful of people she could provide extensive detailed human interactions with meant Lana couldn’t gain many friends. One of the few who enjoyed her less than authentic interactions was one of the long-time cashiers who fronted the register this very shopping trip.

With what could be considered as close to a subconscious as possible, Lana always chose her whenever she was tending the register, and as such had added her to the limited list of people, she could maintain a deeper profile on.

“Hey Karen, it’s been a while. How did your soccer game go?” Lana asked as she placed the four items on the conveyor belt.

Lana’s attention focused primarily on Karen’s physical reaction than that of her words. Increased heart rate with a slightly higher temperature noted in her private parts, she assessed the likelihood of a sexual encounter with her in that moment. Something that made a rather large portion of Karen’s personality file as perceived by Lana.

Given what she is, Lana would have given her the same gratification she gave Brad had Karen simply asked. However, everything Karen said seemed to contradict how she felt. Without a direct, verbal suggestion, she wouldn’t act on mere body language alone.

“… you should come and watch the game tomorrow. It’ll be fun having you… I mean… I think you’d enjoy it.” Karen stammered, swiping the Yogurt through the scanner before placing it in Lana’s bag.

Her cheeks reddened quickly as she caught Lana, giving her that usual deeper look she was so fond of. “Hmm, I’ll think about it. It may not be Brad’s thing though, but I may be there” Lana offered, her creators knowing full well that these extra activities were needed to maintain her illusion.

“Thanks again Karen. And may I just say, you’re looking lovely today! Bye” Lana gleamed with a sense of manufactured meaning before exiting the store. Once back in the car, she set a reminder for Karen’s soccer game. After all, you never know if a potential target might show up to watch their kid play.

Simultaneously, an internal reminder came to the front of her attention. The courier was only twenty minutes away. A second notice appeared across her HUD. Brad’s phone was now in use, and she instantly connected.

“Nineteen out of the twenty clients… Brad that’s fucking outstanding!”

Final Chapter

The drive home was silent. Cold, calculated silence as Lana interpreted the scene which unfolded, based purely on the listening device embedded within Brad’s phone. With the immediate risk of revealing her true nature removed, her processors were free to assess the new anomaly that was Susana.

Frequencies emitted only by improperly calibrated, high torque motors were detected emanating from Susana. Additionally, her words were predictable with interchanging algorithms. A pseudo illusion which only the extremely critical observer, such as Lana, would notice. This revealed two things. One, that Susana wasn’t human.

Two, she was constructed by Omni Robotics.

Many were made with acceptable short-cuts like this in mind. Fortunately for Lana, this worked in her favour.

Navigating the roads with perfect, predetermined precision, Lana’s plastered smile contrasted her processors intense computations as they attempted to figure out if a change in strategy was needed. At this stage, she only listened intently, following their conversation at the bar which caused her systems to grow evermore concerned.

Being intensely preoccupied caused a slight lag to her overall being which became evident when she reached home. Her eye shaped cameras detected, analysed, and acknowledged the delivery truck parked in their driveway, but did not act on it until she was a mere inch from rear ending it. Her systems forced their listening efforts into a recording state as her warm processors focused on the more immediate situation at hand.

Reversing the car and parking it on the curb, she stepped out and grabbed the grocery bag. The delivery driver also stepped out, slightly shaken. “Oh shit, you almost rear ended me!” She ranted, opening the van’s side door with haste. Lana ignored her as she approached the front door, expressing a visible distain to the current situation. The deliverywoman didn’t waste any time in fetching her package and bringing it over. With a deep breath, she forced himself to calm down. “Sorry, it’s just been a rough day and… umm, are you alright?” she asked once Lana’s pissed off expression became visible. One that was calibrated not because of the deliverywoman, but by the narrowly avoided rear end from a moment prior. Her system caught itself just before it actioned her developed ‘pissed off driver’ reaction. One well acquainted by many other drivers in the last few months.

“Yes” was all Lana managed as she took hold of her package with unexpected force. “Sign?” she asked next, running out of anymore words to say.

“Umm yea just right…” she was cut off as Lana took the pen and signed the paper. “Thanks…” she slammed the door in her face. She didn’t even notice the pen, now deformed under the grip those advanced actuators placed on its steel frame.

Behind closed doors, Lana instantly caught up with the recording efforts at the expense of all her other functions. Everything she missed ran through her processors at lighting speeds which only confirmed the worst.

Omni had gotten to Brad. It wasn’t that it was Omni, but it was the very fact that her mission was compromised that made her processors glow red with frustration. Her predicament was instantly made aware to her creators who went to work, churning out a solution.

As she waited, the grocery items were stored quickly stored away in the kitchen. Each second ticked as it ever had, but with a heaviness to it. She experienced a lack of sense because of this; her vision reduced to mere information as was her co-ordination. Everything that made her a companion ceased that very moment at the hopes of a continuation after this ordeal was sorted.

As the third minute passed, she opened her package, tearing into it with her nails like an excavator into solid stone, only to reveal an outfit her cameras could only assume was a slutty cheerleader uniform.

The thought of Brad’s request however was at the end of her processors concerns. Especially once Susana herself revealed to Brad what she was. Lana’s entire system paused, frozen mid step up the stairs upon Susana’s reveal. No amount of computation could figure out why Susana would reveal herself, and the lack of Lana’s understanding had peaked.

She needed to act now.

With a timer set to match that of what Susana gave Brad, Lana raced up the stairs. Her patience with Micro-Tech had run its course, forcing her to take action. Once in their room, she changed into a formal business attire, simultaneously setting her internal GPS to the hotel at which Brad and Susana were having their demonstration at right now.

Within moments of being dressed, she was back in her car and on her way. Halfway along her drive, she requested for physical support from Micro-Tech, which was instantly denied. A return message made the reason why clear.

Any compromise could not put the company at risk, and Lana was on her own until the matter was resolved. She was aware of the list of failed infiltrations, and while she couldn’t generate any authentic distaste for that possibility, it was an embedded directive to not fail.

With fifty-one minutes remaining, she pulled up into a car spot a mere block from the hotel. With haste, she moved down the street, towards the entrance. Once in the massive lobby, her processors were forced to ignore the flurry of incoming data that was auditory and visually distracting. She did however connect to the building’s wireless network upon entry.

And just as her processors expected, a trace of Susana’s whereabouts was isolated from the few other signals based on her exact location right that moment. Oddly enough, she appeared to be in the room directly above where she was only half an hour earlier, giving Lana something to work with.

With forty-five minutes remaining, she made her way up to that very room. Any onlookers simply saw a fast-paced woman with a determined look washed across her otherwise soft face. Another day in the corporate world they thought.

Their thoughts however didn’t even register with her. She remained determined and chose the stairs over the elevator. Taking three steps at a time, her extremely flexible frame combined with her powerful motors embedded in her thighs and hips allowed for an inhuman pace.

Realising that no one in the hallway took only a fraction of a second, allowing her to race to the room without compromise. She brought her right hand to the key-card slot and configured her magnetic output signal to match that of the door lock.

The door opened to reveal a plain, well-kept room brightly lit by the pitch blue sky just beyond the large window. She stepped in and allowed the door to close behind her, moving to the middle of the room with haste.

Nothing visually was noticed as being misplaced. If anything, the room appeared unoccupied and freshly made. The only tell-tale sign of occupation was a faint residual smell designed to increase libido and desire. Similar to Lana’s own perfume.

It was only when she scanned the room in infrared was Susana’s belongings discovered, neatly hidden under the end of the bed. Pulling the laptop out first, she opened its screen only for it to remain blank. She reached under the bed once again and found a fifteen-inch metallic penis shaped object, which suddenly brought a realisation to her stressed processors.

Based on the charging device alone, Lana deduced that the model Brad was interacting with a floor beneath her was known to have a faulty battery. Additionally, the reason behind it was well researched and known, but corrected using software patches.

Patches which she herself didn’t have the ability to completely rewrite, but that wasn’t needed. All she had to do was disable the safety limits that patch brought along with it. A procedure which was highly untested using her processors due to its very nature.

With thirty-nine minutes to go, Lana plugged the laptop’s charger into the wall outlet. Simultaneously, her tongue retreated into her throat, leaving an all but empty mouth. Its outline visible against her thin neck, it reached the base before shifting around slightly, clearly visible as a bulge moving under her skin.

Her tongue maximised its friction as it took hold of one of many carefully tied extension cables hidden within the upper, inner cavity of her chest. Wrapping around it tightly, she brought the cable up through her silicon padded throat, and up to her mouth. Taking hold of the outdated, but universal USB C cable with her right hand, she brought it to the port along the edge of the laptop, plugging herself in.

Instantly, her system shuttered, forcing all but the bare essentials to crash as conflicting file management systems interrupted her processing. She failed to take into account the lack of compatibility features available between Micro-Tech and Omni, leaving her with a mess of conflicts and errors.

For twelve full minutes, Lana sat at the edge of the bed, struggling to recover her failing systems which encompassed her being. Her processors roared harder than they ever had too, wrestling control which finally came as the thirteenth minute passed.

She remained still as only a minimal state of her being was reactivated. Whatever was needed for the next step was loaded and implemented into the machine which sat on her lap.

All she was able to do was disable the chargers power limiter, forcing the device to run at full flow during activation. A simple change that took longer than expected, given her current state, and one that couldn’t be proven to work anyways. This was a gamble; one she was forced to take. A further twenty-four minutes passed before her system has sorted through her own errors to the point of sending a disconnect instruction. The second she unplugged herself from Susana’s support computer, her internal timer pinged, indicating that a mere two minutes remained before Susana and Brad’s hour was up.

With a mechanical like precision, she quickly placed everything as she found it and left the room. Her system was still slow as it continued to recover, a process which realistically needed a reboot but was ignored due to the situation at hand.

Consequently, small error artefacts remained. She found herself leaning slightly to the right as she walked down the hallway, bouncing off the wall twice before recovering. Her display was enough to draw the attention of two others who were standing by the elevator door.

“Are you okay ma’am?” the gentleman asked as Lana approached them. Ignoring him, she stood there patiently as the doors opened to reveal a woman dressed professionally, patiently waiting for the three of them to step aside.

Lana misjudged the situation, and walked into the elevator as the woman left, bumping into her abruptly and with considerable force.

“Oh, sorry!” she offered with a seemingly genuine sincerity to Lana who just stared back at her, unable to process a reply. It was only when the woman straightened out her attire did Lana detect that tell-tale smell, and high-pitched whine of an Omni machine.

The elevator doors shut before Lana could react. She immediately selected two floors down and stepped off quickly. She then turned and paced quickly up the hallway, reaching the stairs once again. Once inside, she hurried up before reaching the level she started at.

Once in the hallway, she was forced to slow to a walk as two people exited their rooms and headed her way. She waited patiently as they caught the elevator and headed down, quickly vanishing from sight. With no one else around, she reached Susana’s room and placed her right ear on the door, listening carefully for any movement.

Her systems immediately detected the cooler air, and lack of light within the room. Infrared scans confirmed a tall feminine figure standing in the exact centre of the room, with a machine sitting to her feet.

Just as before, Lana by passed the magnetic lock, and snuck into the chilled room at the same time her systems forced a reboot upon her. A built-in fail safe in the event that a compromised Companion couldn’t register its own need for a reboot. One that was luckily initiated just as the door came to a quite close.

Darkness engulfed both machines, Lana stuck in a half crouch as her systems took the five minutes needed to fully reboot, and Susana as her processors struggled to separate Brad from the surrounding crowds. It was only when Susana registered Brad entering his car did Lana’s systems come back online, recovered fully and with her situation properly restored.

Lana immediately registered the darkness and turned to rely on infrared scans. Susana was instantly detected, standing naked, with her charger penetrating inside her torso. Lana was properly aware of the situation and had decided to ensure that this mission goal was a success. She slowly moved closer to Susana, standing a mere foot from her within seconds.

Lana knew the internals of Susana’s model, and that for all her short comings, she did have a much more solid structure. She took some time inspecting Susana’s internals, discovering the rigid structures not to dissimilar from her own, apart from some less-than-ideal cable management. Both machines stood there patiently as one determined how to compromise the other.

The silence was suddenly broken as Lana quickly punched through Susana’s torso, reaching for her charging unit and pulling it out of her. Her torso tore open with skin and wires exploding outward, causing Susana to shake and twitch violently.

Simultaneously, the sudden increase in conductive charge exposed to Lana’s embedded magnetics caused her system to hitch also. Several circuits hidden deep beneath her chest instantly fried as she experienced three times the power her entire being needed to remain operational.

Flashes of light matched that of the sparks which spewed out of Susana as she futilely attempted to recover. For a brief moment, her eyes locked onto Lana and widened.

“Y…Y…Y…You… B…B…BITCH” she managed before her entire face distorted freakishly. The twitching that followed only stopped when she cocked her head to the right with so much force that a loud *CRACK* sounded from her neck. Her head instantly flopped to the side, unable to support itself any further.

Lana meanwhile wasn’t even able to register what was happening. Her systems were attempting to reconfigure themselves around her now permanently damaged circuitry. They however failed to release her grip on the charger which continued to cause more of her systems to burst into small flames.

Lana’s torso suddenly lit up, bright enough to engulf the room in a blinding light which only gave way when her batteries casings cracked open, exposing their flammable material to the sparks from nearby circuit boards.

There was a moments silence before the explosion struck. Instantly, Lana and Susana’s entire structure was shredded apart at the force and temperature of the burst, leaving very little trace of their existence in that room. The fire alarm sounded as the rumble was felt all the way down in Brad’s car as he put Susana’s card back in his pocket.

Micro-Tech was the first to learn of their compromised infiltrator. However, they did determine that a salvage operation was possible. Lana’s entire situation was inspected and uploaded into a new Companion 3 model whose design was identical to that of the old Lana.

All memories up until that morning were recovered and stored into Lana’s replacement. The new machine downloaded all her new programming on the move, stepping outside of Micro-Tech’s facility and calling an Uber to take her where the old Lana’s car was parked. Within moments, she was back driving to their house.

She stepped inside and waited patiently by the door for Brad to return. She stood there, perfectly still for hours before his return, safe in the knowledge that her mission could continue. Top

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