In Control

Chapter 1: Conversations with Gabriela

Business wasn’t exactly booming. After a few false starts—like the infamous Catwoman, now more or less tamed—George and Michelle were finally renting out a small “cast” of entertainment-model robots on a regular basis. But with their personality quirks, simplistic thought processes, and semi-dependent, occasionally needy behavior, the robots weren’t exactly the “real-life action figures” that George had envisioned. True, the rented-out robots paid for more robots; but they also required maintenance on an ever-quickening schedule, which is why Michelle wasn’t too surprised to see George escort an important-looking businesswoman into their house one day.

The newcomer looked to be somewhat older than Michelle, about in her early forties. She had a mane of short blonde hair reaching her prominent jawline, parted in front and evidently treated with copious amounts of hairspray. Her fierce makeup and impressive black and white pantsuit immediately suggested a serious, somewhat intense person. She unlooped her heavy purse from her shoulder, doffed her trenchcoat and wide-brimmed hat, handed the lot to George and waited, glaring at him and tapping her foot.

“Michelle, this is Ms. Gabriela Ortega-Calderón. An investor.”

“Charmed, I’m sure,” said the newcomer, extending her manicured hand toward Michelle. The significantly shorter African-American woman had to stand high to reach Gabriela’s long, lustrous fingernails. She shook her hand.

“Ms. Calderón is very interested in the Rent-a-Bot business,” said George.

“Like my mother used to say, discover the problem and then find the solution.” Gabriela smiled, showing a row of beautiful white teeth. She had a strong northern Mexican accent that sounded commanding to Michelle’s ears.

“Great,” Michelle responded absently to the taller woman’s adage. She wasn’t sure what else to say. “I’m sorry, it’s a bit… messy here. Please, sit down.”

“I like the decor, mi corazón.” Gabriela sat down. “Texan subtlety meets Italian organization.” Michelle was taken aback but said nothing.

“Listen… honey,” George explained to his wife. “I’d like you to discuss everything with Ms. Calderón here. Talk to her with your heart’s content. I’m very busy at the moment…”

“Wait—EVERYTHING?” Michelle addressed George a bit worriedly. “I don’t know what you might have told her already. What if she wants to see the workshop? Honey, I know we’re partners, but… shouldn’t you be around?” She eyed the guest, trying hard not to make it seem like the situation was problematic.

“Oh, I’m around. If anything goes wrong, just call me,” George explained hastily. “I’ll be in the lab.”

“I’d love to get the FULL tour, Jorge,” Gabriela gently nudged him. “But I must talk with Michelle first.”

“Whatever…” Michelle stifled a sigh, then halfheartedly adopted a professional tone. “If we’re going to be partners,” she addressed Gabriela, “you’ll need to learn everything about our small company.”

“I know everything that can be bought; the rest isn’t worth knowing,” Gabriela brusquely replied. Michelle looked at her, somewhat puzzled.

“What I meant was… don’t you want to learn about our business model?” Michelle asked.

Gabriela huffed and looked Michelle right in the eye. “Like my mother used to say, you live and learn—or vice versa. I am very interested in the Rent-a-bot business.” Gabriela wore gold wire-framed glasses that somehow struck Michelle as slightly odd-looking, though she wasn’t sure why. Gabriela’s green eyes stared intently at Michelle.

“See? You’ll get along just fine,” George smiled hopefully. “Michelle, if anything goes wrong, I’ll be—”

In the lab, Michelle thought to herself. And if we’re going to get along just fine, why are you still talking like things will go wrong? Michelle shook her head. At worst, this apparent rich bitch would get mad, storm off, and leave herself and George without her influx of cash.

Michelle and the tall Latina were left alone. “So what do you want to talk about...“ Michelle paused for a moment, unsure of how the woman would prefer to be addressed. “...Gabriela?” Ms. Otega-Calderón took off her glasses and folded them neatly.

“I’d like to learn more about your business model. I am very interested in the Rent-a-bot business,” Gabriela repeated. There was something stiff about her intonation.

“Well—we rent out robots, mostly female but some male… for events? They play roles, do bodyguard work, entertain at parties…” Michelle paused, anticipating pushy questions from the statuesque blonde. But Gabriela seemed oddly indifferent. “I have hosted several parties,” she smiled.

“Oh, private dinner parties?” Michelle asked, trying to make conversation. Gabriela nodded and grinned a bit smugly. “Naturally, mi pobrecita. Everyone worth knowing was there.”

“We can offer hostesses for society parties,” Michelle offered. “Given the costs involved, it’s not very efficient to use them as servers or waitresses, but they can be great entertainers. For instance, our Catwoman—”

“Good servants are hard to find these days,” Gabriela sighed. She put a hand high on Michelle’s back—almost on her neck—and leaned close to whisper conspiratorially in her ear. “I think my maid takes drugs.” Michelle could smell the thick odor of Gabriela’s orange and lime perfume. Her impressive diamond necklace dangled almost into Michelle’s face.

“Drugs? Um, no kidding?” Puzzled Michelle wasn’t sure how else to respond. “Is… I don’t think your maid is relevant to this discussion, Gabriela.”

“If you say so, Michelle. Please tell me—what IS relevant?” Gabriela sat down on the couch and leaned back comfortably, almost as if she owned the place.

“Er…” Michelle was a bit lost. “What was I saying?”

“That my maid wasn’t relevant, Michelle.” Gabriela answered calmly.

“I meant before that,” Michelle winced. “I’m sorry... sometimes I just get lost.”

“Entirely understandable, mi corazon,” Gabriela smirked. “My mother used to say that some people would forget their heads if they weren’t glued on.”

Michelle smiled weakly. Somehow she felt she wouldn’t like Gabriela’s mother. “Oh, that’s right. Our robots are too expensive to use as wait staff—humans are still cheaper than robots for jobs like that. But Rent-a-Bot can still offer great entertainment.”

“I do enjoy a good night out. Opera, theater... I’d like to consider myself a patron of the arts,” Gabriela murmured with obvious pride.

“Fantastic,” Michelle said. “I doubt our girls and boys”—she meant the robots—”could handle leading roles on stage, but they definitely could perform in demanding jobs! Stunts, shows… do you have connections?”

“I know absolutely anyone worth knowing, mi alma.” Gabriela looked Michelle right in the eye. “But my help... won’t come cheap.”

“Well, I expected that,” Michelle smiled hopefully. “I mean, you’ll be our silent partner.” Gabriela folded her shapely legs and smiled at Michelle’s words. “Or not so silent. You could be our office manager—we can’t run everything on our own. Large and in charge,” she added, hoping the taller woman would appreciate the witticism.

“When in doubt, kick and shout.” Gabriela nodded with a knowing smirk.

“Another one of your mom’s sayings?” Michelle chuckled. “She sounds like quite a character.”

“My mother was a SAINT!” an unexpectedly perturbed Gabriela shouted. Michelle was startled when she raised her voice. “Mother taught me everything she knew,” Gabriela forcefully continued; Michelle could only nod. “Like her, I achieved everything thanks to my genes, my conniving mind, and an occasional bit of seduction.”

Michelle was puzzled. “I… never said otherwise.”

“Good. Know your PLACE, Michelle,” Gabriela smugly intoned.

Christ… Michelle thought. Here we go. She’s a tyrant, a racist, a loon, or all three. “Look, I’m sorry—Ms. Calderón, I didn’t mean to insult you or your family.”

Gabriela, still somewhat perturbed, examined Michelle closely. “I do rather like you, Michelle. You could work for me at my mansion.”

“We were going to be... partners?” Michelle ventured. “You could be our office manager… I mean, it started out as a side job and we need someone experienced in control. I’m not looking for a job or a new place, but... thanks, I guess?”

With a tsk-tsk sound, Gabriela scooted over to Michelle’s side, touching her upper arm and giving it a gentle squeeze as if to make sympathetic contact—or maybe just to see what response it brought. “I’m currently… you might say… between husbands.”

“Okayyy…” a confused Michelle murmured, standing up. Gabriela hastily stood as well, her immaculate hair not even shifting. Michelle took a short breath. “Would you like something to drink, Gabriela? Coffee, tea?”

“A glass of red burgundy wine, mi corazón.” Gabriela almost commanded. But when her attitude seemed to startle Michelle, the taller woman seemed to rethink her move, relaxing somewhat. “I take my coffee black and strong, like my partners.”

“Okay, just wait a minute. I’ll go make us some.” Michelle walked toward the kitchen, leaving Gabriela behind. As she left, Gabriela seemed ready to patiently wait for her. But when Michelle returned a few minutes later with two cups of cheap instant coffee, she found Gabriela curiously looking around, examining the books on the living room shelves.

“Here you go.“ Michelle put down the cups.

“Thank you, love. You’d be a great personal assistant,” Gabriela nodded. Michelle wasn’t sure how to answer. Gabriela sat down only after Michelle herself sat down, this time opposite the table. As Michelle reached for her cup, Gabriela reached for her own too.

“This is delicious!” the Latina business woman exclaimed. “My compliments to the chef.” Michelle smiled, reassured. She’s not that bitchy after all. A little eccentric, maybe. A bit too open about her private life.

“Right, let’s get back to business.”, Michelle started.

“I am very interested in the Rent-a-Bot business,” Gabriela repeated. “I am looking for a partner and personal assistants. I know absolutely anyone worth knowing.”

“Right. So you work in entertainment? Banking? Media?” Michelle asked, sipping her coffee.

“Yes, love.”

“What... all three?” Michelle stared briefly at Gabriela. The taller woman had a slight coffee mustache, but appeared to be unaware of it.

Gabriela answered after a brief pause. “All three. And more. I am a woman of many talents.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Michelle hesitated, unsure whether she should point to Gabriela’s lip. “Do you… need anything?”

“I need to talk to you more,” Gabriela said. “I want to make investments in your business. I am looking for a partner and an assistant right now. I could be your office manager.”

Hmm, thought Michelle. How pampered IS this person? Is she used to… “assistants” being around to wipe her frickin’ FACE? Eccentric, for sure...

“So—hmm, Gabriela—if you need an assistant, maybe we could fix you up with a robot?” Michelle had a bright idea. “The more he helps you out, the more you’ll learn about how our products work.”

“I need an assistant,” Gabriela stated. “Someone to follow me. And I need to make investments in your business. The more I am helped, the more I’ll learn.”

“We could rent you a robot with a perfect personality for a week. Sure, every robot’s a bit problematic at first, but eventually you’ll have perfect control.”

“I can control anyone I wish, Michelle,” Gabriela said with a smirk. She gently touched Michelle’s shoulder and gave her a little pat—as if to imply she was talking about Michelle.

Michelle suppressed a laugh at the pompous statement and nodded politely. But this led to a slightly uncomfortable silence, as Gabriela fixed her with a sultry, expectant stare. Michelle came to the uneasy conclusion that the eccentric businesswoman must be waiting to discuss models and pricing.

“So—uh, maybe you want to see our robots? We have seven females and two males right now. I think… you’d like Alexander.” Gabriela would prefer a man, wouldn’t she? Michelle recalled the guest having mentioned being between husbands, not wives; yet Michelle couldn’t escape the niggling suspicion that Gabriela was attracted to her.

“I would control him, right?” Gabriela asked matter-of-factly. “I am afraid I know very little of robots; they’re a little after my time.”

“How old are you exactly, Gabriela?” Michelle curiously asked. Androids were relatively common now, almost an everyday household product.

“Turned fifty last year, mia linda,” Gabrella smiled politely. Fifty? Michele looked her over; Gabriela could have passed for a woman in her late thirties. Perhaps she ate an extra-healthy diet and really knew how to use her cosmetics? Still, odd.

“You don’t look your age,” Michelle curiously observed. “You look… stunning.”

“Thank you, mi hija,” Gabriela grinned. “Age is just a state of mind. You’re only as old as you feel. Gather ye rosebuds where ye may.” Michelle hadn’t pegged Gabriela for a fan of florid romance novels, but now she sounded like a character from one. Well, who knew what eccentric millionaires read in their spare time?

“I guess that’s being rational,” Michelle replied to the taller woman’s homilies. “Wait here, I’ll bring Alexander from the robot room.” What she called a robot room was a simple storage space. Occasionally she and George would leave a robot activated there to read, learn, and receive “rewards” for good behavior.

Business was relatively seasonal at Rent-a-Bot. Most of the droids had been rented out for three-month terms to various shops and conventions in the area. For the moment, only Alexander and Betty remained in the robot room. Betty, a pretty blonde who often played Power Girl, lay deactivated on a shelf. Alexander, though fully charged and activated, sat motionless in a chair, staring blankly at the wall.

“Alexander, get up.”

“Hi, Michelle,” the big robot greeted her. Alexander was tall and quite hunky; in the business, he played the roles of musclebound male superheroes. “What’s up?”

“There’s a new customer,” Michelle half-sighed. “I want you to meet her, and… and maybe work for her.”

“Okay, Michelle,” said Alexander, standing up. “Where is she?”

Michelle had always perceived Rent-a-Bot’s androids as being like children in many ways. Upon receiving an order, they attempted to follow it to the letter; one had to word commands as simply and directly as possible. “Not yet. First...” Michelle tilted her head and looked at Alex’s synthetic pecs. He was wearing nothing but his boxers. “Put something on.”

The curly-haired hunk walked to the wardrobe and picked a tight red sweater. “Hmm—a white dress shirt would be better, Alex,” Michelle cautioned. “This is an… important woman.” Michelle refrained from commenting on Gabriela’s personality; were she to express anything negative, Alex might naïvely repeat it in Gabriela’s presence. “I want you to be extra nice to her and make her happy… do whatever she asks you to do. If everything goes well, you’ll work for her for a week.”

“I understand, Michelle,” Alex nodded cheerfully, before noting: “You weren’t precise enough when you said ‘something’.” While his words might have sounded critical, Michelle reminded herself that he was in no way malicious. By design, Alexander was actually being more and more helpful; he wanted to help her communicate with him. “Is this all right?” Over his tighty whities he had donned a pair of black jeans, with a white dress shirt covering his top as asked.

Michelle smiled to herself. “Undo the top two shirt buttons, Alex. She’ll like that.”

“I have to do things she likes. This is an important woman.” Alex nodded. “Where is she?”

“Follow me.” Michelle led him downstairs to the living room; Alex nodded and followed. Gabriela was once again examining the books on the shelves, tapping her stiletto-clad foot impatiently.

“There you are!” she exclaimed. “Who’s the gentleman?”

“This is Alexander; he could work for you. ...As your assistant.” Michelle answered. This was what Gabriela wanted, right? To discuss models and pricing? Michelle saw herself as being ready to react to most customers’ needs, but Gabriela was harder to parse than most. “Alexander, this is…” She paused for a while, expecting Gabriela to remind her of her last name.

Alexander stared at Gabriela. Gabriela gave him a flirty smile and a coquettish wink, but said nothing. “This is Gabriela.” Michelle broke the silence. “If she likes you, you’ll work for her for a while.”

“Okay.” Alexander nodded.

“He’ll work for me for a while,” Gabriela repeated. “Alexander, I need a personal assistant. I’m an investor; I work in entertainment, banking, and media. You’ll have a special place… directly under me.”

“Okay.” Alexander nodded.

“He doesn’t talk much,” Michelle laughed, “but he does what he’s told.”

Gabriela raised an eyebrow. “Alexander, come here.” As the android approached, she stood up, closed her eyes, and gestured theatrically like an old-fashioned tragedian. “Embrace me. Embrace me; enter a life of passion, as if we were kindred souls lost to a torrent of winds.”

“Huh?” Alexander said, a little lost. “So you want me to… hug you, Gabriela?” The woman pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and sighed dramatically. “If you must, Alejandro!”

Alexander hugged Gabriela—and kept on hugging, visibly . Gabriela kept right on sighing, becoming lustier and more romantic with each gasp. “What the hell is going on?” Michelle muttered to herself, observing the couple. Very few people, when presented with androids of their own, went in for direct physical contact right away. As handsome as Alex may have been, Gabriella cut to the chase and then some. The scene was almost a bit frightening.

Gabriela drew back, looked Alexander in the eye, and sighed again. “Oh…” Michelle conspicuously coughed, clearing her throat; neither Alexander nor Gabriela seemed to notice. Michelle felt a little odd talking to Gabriela while she was swept up in passion.

“Gabriela?” she asked quietly. The Latina turned her head expectantly. “You… you’ll have plenty of time to get to know Alex later.” Gabriela stared at her.

“You want to take him away from me?” She raised her voice. “Maldita! This is disgraceful!”

“I’m not taking him away! Calm down, lady—geez. He’s still yours, but we need to talk.” Michelle unloaded. “Not everything is about you, do you understand? You have to… to...”

“The reason that I am who I am, and am where I am,” Gabriela calmly interrupted, “is because I make everything my business.” She was still folded in Alex’s embrace. “You are right, though, mi hermosa. That’s being rational.”

“Good.” Michelle took a deep breath. Gabriela had bawled her out for… what exactly, taking a robot away? This businesswoman was prone to strange behavior, mood swings, and bursts of aggression whenever certain personal issues were raised. “Fine,” Michelle sniped. “Keep Alex. ...Call him Alejandro; whatever,” she added sarcastically. “Let’s talk business.”

“Si. Alejandro, make yourself useful.” Gabriela waved dismissively at the male robot. He looked at her with the same gentle and polite expression. “What should I do first, boss?”

“For starters, you could help clean up this living room,” Michelle interjected. “Reshelve those books—” she gestured to indicate stacks of coding hintbooks she had taken down several days earlier. “And put those cosmetics and robot parts where they belong, okay?” She nodded toward some disorganized stacks by the far wall.

Alexander looked at Gabriela. “Is that okay, boss?”

“Well. The sooner YOU get this place clean… the sooner *I* can start getting DIRTY. ¿Comprende?” Gabriela threw him a sultry look. Alexander must have taken this as a yes, for he quietly got to work reshelving the books. Finally, Michelle thought. Let’s negotiate.

Michelle sat down at the coffee table. So did Gabriela, clutching her purse and her gold-rimmed glasses. “Okay,” Michelle ventured. “So I take it that you… like Alexander. A lot of people would be pleased if they could rent him, don’t you agree?”

Gabriela nodded with a sly smile.

“Our prices start at three hundred dollars per day,” Michelle started to explain. “But in practice, we discount them for reliable partners. Or as an incentive, if a gig enables a new android to pay for itself.” Gabriela didn’t react, so Michelle continued. “We only have a small number of robots because we don’t want to rely on loans. Investments, on the other hand—”

“Money is no object.” Gabriela dismissively waved her long-nailed hand. “I can arrange a loan for you in my bank.” Michelle was surprised. I just said we didn’t want to rely on loans...

“You’d have to cover for us,” Michelle hoped Gabriela would take the hint. “Take responsibility as a partner and as our office manager. So it’s NOT a loan—it’s an investment. What would you require as compensation?”

Gabriela tossed a long, sultry glance at Michelle, then another at the hard-working Alex, still busy with the bookshelves. “Oh, I’d expect to be properly compensated for managing you. I can be very generous with pay and rewards. I give everyone a fair chance, and all I ask in return is a little solidarity with the company... and unbridled loyalty. ...To me,” she smirked. Finally, Michelle thought. Apart from the final remark, which Michelle hoped was a joke, this sounded like the type of proposal a normal businessperson might make. Michelle relaxed and lightly smiled, hoping the conversation was back on track.

“Everything depends on your business model, Gabriela,” she offered.

“I’d like to learn more about your business model,” Gabriela said politely. “I am very interested in the Rent-a-Bot business.” I thought I just explained our business model, Michelle thought. But Gabriela continued. “It’s a great opportunity for me to develop.”

“How much would you be prepared to invest in us?” Michelle asked. Gabriela didn’t answer, but instead tossed her another sultry glance. “Gabriela?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you at the moment, Michelle.” Gabriela answered after awhile, fluttering her eyelashes at Michelle.

“Okaaaay…” Michelle paused. God, was this all a waste of time? Okay, think positive, Michelle told herself. The woman still has connections. If she’s loaded and happy, she’ll invest, even if she’s a nut. “How do you get extra operating capital?” Michelle asked. “Can you pull some strings?”

“I know absolutely anyone worth knowing, darling,” Gabriele answered after a pause. “I don’t skulk in dark alleys.”

“How much money could we count on?” Michelle resumed. “With fifty thousand dollars, we could buy three or four new robots… NEWER ones, not to—uh, disparage Alex, here.” Alex likely would not have taken umbrage; still, Michelle tried to at least accommodate whatever hurt feelings her android “family members” were capable of emulating. “Or maybe we could rent a proper office, and a larger workshop!”

“I could manage fifty thousand with ease,” Gabriela answered calmly, staring Michelle in the eye. “I am Gabriela Ortega-Calderón, billionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht.”

“Okay. So this would make you an equal partner with me and my husband. We’d pay your loan back, eventually—” Michelle still didn’t want to rely on loans.

“I have no equals, mi corazón.” Gabriela touched her fingertips to her chest and sighed with delight. “I genuinely want you to be my partner. I am an investor and I expect you to stay loyal.”

“Fantastic,” Michelle grinned. Dealing with the woman from hell seems to be worth it, she thought. She was about to shake Gabriela’s hand when she heard George coming in.

“I’m so sorry…” Her husband standing near the door leading to the workshop, shaking his head. “Please, honey, don’t be angry.”

“What on Earth…?” Michelle started.

“I’m really sorry, honey, it was a mistake.” George walked toward Michelle and gave her a hopeful, if rather insecure smile.

“What are talking about, you cabrón?” Gabriela snarled at the newcomer, reaching forward as if about to grab him by the collar.

“Gabriela—stand by,” George commanded. With an audible whirr of servomotors, the fierce woman lost her ferocity and stood in a s slumped position, staring down at the floor. “I didn’t think you’d… take her seriously,” George said apologetically to his wife.

“Okay, what the fuck?” Michelle put a hand to her forehead and stared at her husband. “She was a ROBOT this whole time? What am I talking about?—Of COURSE she was. But why? Why the hell did I waste half an hour talking to a dumb robot?”

“Because, um… you DIDN’T waste it, really. I thought… well, you have a gift for dealing with difficult AI personalities, honey. You managed to get results out of Selina, when all I could make her do was preen and babble catchphrases.”

“Get results?” Michelle recalled the scuffle with their robotic Catwoman. “She basically… BDSMed you, or something. And pinned me to the wall. That isn’t even accurate behavior for Catwoman in the comics.”

“Isn’t it?” George positied. “It’s not out of character if all she does is threaten. She scared us, but she didn’t hurt us—not really. And remember how you talked to her like she was the real Catwoman? It made all the difference. Asked her cool questions; inviting her out for ice cream.”

“I wasn’t really going to take Selina out for ice cream.” Michelle couldn’t help but laugh. She gave George a playful push.

“Maybe not, but I think your feedback opened up new dimensions in her,” George explained. “That makes all the difference between... a believable personality and ‘just’ a robot repeating dumb things. That’s why I wanted Gabriela to learn from you. I knew she could.”

“Then why didn’t you just say you had a new robot for me to test?!” Michelle seldom raised her voice, but her half-hour with Gabriela would have driven anyone up the wall. “God, you are such a... fff… a TROLL.”

George sulked like a schoolboy caught cheating. “Aw. I just wanted to see how long it would take you to catch on. And… and what kind of feedback you might give Gabriela if you thought she was human. It wasn’t a prank, honey, really; I just want her to learn to act as believable as possible. Talking with a person who really thinks she’s human—that’s an invaluable experience.”

Michelle wearily flopped onto the couch, newly tidied up by Alexander. “Okay, so I bought a lot of Gabriela’s bullshit. I should have realized when she started frickin’ FLIRTING. But…” She opened her eyes. “Oh, NOW I remembered why I’m angry at you. Because I WANTED to believe her—I WANTED to think she was some kind of rich tycoon. Because we need a goddamn investment!”

George smiled. “If it’s any help… the reason that I took the generic Llana A3, and created the character of Gabriela, is to help us finesse deals that will GET us investments. I want to build us a negotiator. She was believable as a haughty businesswoman, wasn’t she? Maybe REAL investors will be… well, as impressed with her schmoozing as you were. Especially once she’s learned more from you.”

“So I’m now the personal nanny of our pet tycoon?” Michelle glared at George.

“Hey. ...I’m sorry, sweetie. I SHOULD have warned you. But—but honestly, you weren’t wasting your time. Gabriela, in spite of her attitude, can really be your assistant—and she’ll learn from you how to interact more naturally. Eventually, she’ll take a lot of management and money issues off our hands.”

“She can be MY assistant? She wanted to make me HER assistant.” Michelle glared at the deactivated robot woman, who—in her slumped position—looked a bit dejected by the criticism. “Why did you program her like that, anyway?”

“Most of our robots are effectively, cosplayers, right? Based on existing characters. So’s Gabriela,” George replied. “I added dialogue, body language, and emotional subroutines copied straight from the source—Markov-chain-ing her up. This time the source was businesswomen from various Mexican soap operas and telenovelas. Hence her attitude and her Latin… uh, vocabulary...”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Oh, sure. The evil, hysterical, stereotypical, money-grubbing bitches in those shows—I know you crush on them half the time…” She sighed. “...but oh, they’re GREAT role models for our financial expert, aren’t they? Gabriela was blabbing about romance and hinting at sex half the time, with only an occasional convincing line about business…”

“Well, she’s only occasionally convincing because she’s only just been activated, honey.” George had regained his positive attitude. “Remember how I said you had a gift for dealing with difficult AIs? You’re a good person—you’re naturally good at helping others improve and learn… become better at what they do. That goes for real people AND synthetic people. You see the best in everyone.”

“Jesus, enough with the Afterschool Special,” Michelle huffed. She paused for a moment. “Do you really think so?”

“Well—you saw the best in ME, three years ago. And now I’m better at what I do.”

“You mean bullshitting?” Michelle smirked, waiting for George to protest that he’d done nothing wrong. Then again—how much wrong HAD he really done? He had in a way abused Michelle’s trust by passing Gabriela off as a human, but his motive was understandable, and he had plainly expected Michelle to see through the ruse sooner.

“I need a drink,” Michelle sighed, summing up her thoughts. “So… what next for our problem child—I mean, businesswoman?”

“If you can stand it, try to spend some more time with her. Think of it like… like training a new employee? It’s not like you’re wasting our time or money. She could still turn out okay.”

Michelle chuckled. “So… you see the best in everyone, too, huh? Or maybe I’M getting better at bullshitting. God, we’re terrible.”

“Let’s go grab dinner,” George grinned. “Later we can… have fun chatting with Gabriela a little more. You and me both. There are worse ways to spend an evening than getting inside a telenovela villainess’ head.” Michelle laughed at George’s suggestion. They left the house, leaving their deactivated “office manager” behind.

Alexander, ignored in the background, had continued cleaning the room. By the time he finished his task, he and Gabriela were alone. He walked up to the curvaceous businesswoman. “I completed my task, Gabriela. What’ll I do next?” The deactivated robot didn’t answer; after a couple of processing cycles, Alexander understood why. “I need to make you happy.” He stood against the tall Latina and took hold of the sides of her head to power her on.

Gabriela snapped back into her earlier proud posture, looking oddly triumphant. “I am Gabriela Ortega-Calderón, billionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht.” She spoke to no one in particular at first. Then she registered Alexander’s presence; the tall boybot was still standing right in front of her, holding her head. “Alejandro—” With a deep sigh, she leaned forward and embraced him. He tentatively hugged her back.

“Where are they, Alejandro? Where’s the little black girl—Michaela?” Robots couldn’t actually forget names, but a soap opera drama-queen personality could speak dismissively of people who were not present. Gabriela looked around, perturbed. “I need to talk with her.”

“She’s out, boss. So is George,” Alex answered. Gabriela gave him a sly look; being referred to as boss evidently triggered a response. She strolled blithely to the couch and sat down, crossing her shapely legs and spreading her arms wide along the back. “The reason that I am who I am, and am where I am, is because I make everything my business.” She paused dramatically for a moment.

“Since the other partners are presently indisposed, I run THIS business.”

“I’m your assistant, Ms. Calderón,” Alex answered. “Michelle said so.”

“You are my assistant. You will work for me.” Gabriela decisively raised her right hand in a fist, then coolly looked her fist over, as if the gesture had been made by someone else. “I expect to be properly compensated for managing you. I can be very generous with pay and rewards.”

“I can’t compensate you, boss. Michelle has the money. I belong to her.”

Gabriela’s pleasant smile turned angry. “You belong to me! She can’t take you away from me. I will give my life… my fortune… so YOU AND I CAN STAY TOGETHER!” Alex nodded amicably. “Yes, Ms. Calderón.” She got up and began pacing across the room.

“I am Gabriela Ortega-Calderón, billionaire. Soy Gabriela Ortega-Calderón, multimillonaria. Tengo una mansión y un yate. I will take over this business… this family. Like my mother used to say, discover the problem and then find the solution.” She lifted her finger. “What is the problem?”

Alex thought hard. “I’m sorry, Gabriela, I can’t tell you at the moment.” The robot woman looked at him sternly. “You are so dumb. I have no equals, mi corazón.”

“Yes, boss,” he meekly agreed. Gabriela smirked.

“Let’s start doing business.” She rubbed her hands with glee. “Show me around, robot.”

Chapter 2: Gabriela, The Triumphant

The dinner took longer than expected; self-employed people who manage others can once in a while deserve privileges of their own... even if the state of their business makes them dream of rich investors appearing out of nowhere. Nonetheless, George and Michelle returned home around 4 PM… to discover that the lights upstairs were turned on -- though neither of them recalled leaving them on.

“Maybe someone came in early.” Michelle thought, as she stared at the unexpectedly bright windows. “Mindy was rented out for that punk-rock gig as a stagehand-slash-dancer, maybe the band came earlier. Or maybe I’m just scatterbrained recen… Damn, I really want to see the best in a person.”

The door was still locked - so at least they weren’t broken in -- and Michelle was free to look around in the living room. There was no trace of the two robots left standing there.

“Michelle? Babe? Where’s Gabriela?”, George looked around, as he lit the lights. “She shouldn’t have reactivated herself.”

“And yet she did, predictably.” Michelle groaned. “With you, nothing can go right, apparently. Alex was cleaning the room, maybe he carried her to the workshop?”

“Alex…”, George scratched his head. He walked downstairs, to the workshop in the basement. Michelle could hear the sounds of footsteps… and click of the door being locked. “Wait, what? Betty?” Oh, no.

Gabriela, her tall silhouette framed by the light, walked out of a spare bedroom, strutting slowly. She has ditched the conservative business suit, instead wearing a sleeveless lacy white dress that showed off her feminine curves.

“Good evening, Michelle. Hablemos en serio, mía compañera.”, She leaned on the railing, smiling smugly, examining the red-headed African-American girl from the above -- and exposing her tanned breasts with a very immodest cleavage for a conservative businesswoman.

“Gabriela…”, Michelle facepalmed for a while. “Who turned you on? What’s going on? Where’s George?”

“So MANY questions…” Gabriela muttered to herself, still observing Michelle for a while. “Alejandro did. I am taking over. George is downstairs.”

“Taking over?! Gabriela, you can’t take over!”

“You told me I could be your office manager.” Gabriela smirked. “That if I invested money, I could run the Rent-a-bot company. I have no equals. I am Gabriela Ortega-Calderón, a billionairess. I own you, your house, a mansion and a yacht.”

That was way more chilling than it should be. “Gabriela. Please behave properly and cut this act.” Michelle orered, staring at the blonde Latina. The stern, decisve order should influence a robot.

“I am behaving properly, tonta mia.”, Gabriela merely smirked. “I run the company now, since you weren’t available. Since George is locked down, it’s down to me and you... partner.” She fluttered her eyelashes, looking surprisingly lustily at Michelle.

“Locked down?” Michelle felt her head spinning.

“A hostile takeover.” Gabriela examined her beautiful fingernails. “Alex told Betty, the little robot girl to lock the door, slide the key and go into standby mode. Only I can turn her on now.” That was... creative, but Michelle was not in the mood for applauding the fembot right now. Betty was not hurting George — and Gabriela could understand as much.

“But, why?”, Michelle stomped her foot on the ground.

“I want you to be my partner, chulita.” Gabriela snapped her fingers, smiling smugly with her red lips. And suddenly, Michelle felt the iron grip of Alex, holding her from behind. The android emerged from the shadows, grabbing Michelle’s arms at Gabriela’s signal. “Hello Michelle”, the android said. “I am making Gabriela happy.”

“Godfuckingdammit!”, Michelle screamed. “The soap opera bitch has a crush on me?”

Gabriela walked down stairs slowly, looking at her sternly “Una puta de telenovela has a crush on you.” She repeated the sentence… with her Mexican accent. Michelle realized the fembot listened… interpreted her own words and learned from them. Markov chains, naturally. Of course, Gabriela had tried flirting with her before. She said things she believed — and, more importantly, she believed things she said. Without supervision… this could lead to a weird loop.

Michelle tried to free herself, but Alex held her tight. Gabriela walked towards her, her high-heeled shoes now clicking menacingly on the hard wooden floor. She leaned over the quite short Michelle. “Gabriela! Be nice, you hear me? I’ll power you down!”

“Bueno, estoy... estoy impresionada.”. The Latina fembot whispered. “I have all the power I want. And I can be very NICE.” She drew her pinky fingernail across Michelle’s cheek, gently.

“You crazy... robot, cut the crap. We were going to let you run some things anyway.”, Michelle lost patience.

Gabriela looked at her, raising her eyebrow. “Oh. So... you got what you wanted, haven’t you? I’m running things now. I’m running… everything. No te parece fabulosa la empresa que estoy llevando adelante?” Gabriela since her rebooting turned even more Mexican, evidently. Unwinding spiral.

“You know I can’t speak Spanish, you idiot.”, Michelle spat.

Gabriela froze briefly, but returned to her smug self after five or six seconds. “I can. I can do things you don’t. I’m older, richer, more experienced. Humans are still cheaper than androids. Why should you be in charge of the company, and not I?”, she laughed tracing her finger across Michelle’s lips, delighted with her now-confirmed superiority. “I’m better than you in Spanish.” She rubbed Michelle’s chest gently.

“Goddammit, Gabriela, listen to me, you are just a robot, I should... control you. George built you just yesterday.” Michelle… was angry and trying hard to not be aroused by the amorous robo-businesswoman.

“I wasn’t born yesterday”, Gabriela scoffed. “Yo no nací ayer. I just turned fifty last year, mia linda.”

“NO. You. HAVEN’T.”, Michelle punctuated each word with a rapid pull from Alex’iron grip.

Gabriela just gave her a sultry look. She stepped back and picked up a key which Betty must have slid under the basement door. Betty must have tossed it there before switching herself off.

“I’ll let you out soon. Once I and Michelle have... an understanding.” She raised her voice, apparently addressing George locked inside. The only answer was an exasperated sigh. Gabriela stood there for a while, while Michelle joined in sighing.

“You have no idea what to do next, don’t you?” Michelle groaned eventually, as the robot woman stood in front of the door for a minute -- still processing data.

“Everything will be revealed soon enough, mia linda.”, Gabriela answered -- reacting to Michelle’s prompt broke her from robotic equivalent of deep thoughts. “Alejandro, bring her to the bathroom. Bathe her and bring her to me.” She pouted her lips, channeling a character from a VERY different telenovela.

“Wait, what? I can wash myself, thankyouverymuch. And since when do you have a bedroom, robot?” Michelle looked at her, surprised. What the hell?

“I own this company. This company is headquartered in this house. This house belongs to me.” Gabriela answered. It was weird… seeing her behave now more human-like, yet showing insane robot idiosyncratic logic. “Wash yourself. I want to see proper make-up.” She paused for a moment. “We need to have a proper dress code for my assistants.” She chuckled silently to herself.

“Oh lord, why...” Michelle muttered, as Alex shoved her… not too gently towards the bathroom. “Alex, leave me, please. Gabriela said I need to wash myself.”

Alex stood in the door of the bathroom, while Gabriela sauntered away upstairs. The upper floor had two bedrooms — one occupied by the androids, other one stood empty, prepared for a future family member… and was used by Michelle’s mom whenever she visited. Gabriela has opened the door of the robot storage room. She stared in her reflection in the window, examining her body now clad a very feminine dress. Her left hand moved across the desk near the wall, in search of a screwdriver. It clenched on the handle. With one fluid movement, she rammed it, sharp tip first, in her head.

There was a click as it penetrated the layer of an artificial skin and opened the scalp. Gabriela gently twisted the top of her own head, removing carefully the moussed power hair, exposing the shining, thin plastic layer underneath which lied dozens of wires and switches. The fembot looked around, grabbing another scalp — this one with long, flowy platinum tresses, framing her head symmetrically. The skin color didn’t match… at first. With a twist, she mounted it carefully and it started to affect her tanned Latina complexion.

She went through a couple of useful toys from a box marked “Selina’s stuff! Other robots, don’t touch it, or I’ll claw your eyes out.”, picking a strand of rope, handcuffs and a pair of golden bracelets. Silently, the fembot picked up some spare clothes from the cosplay wardrobe and disappeared in the spare room.

Meanwhile, Michelle mentally workshopped her plans. She probably couldn’t take on Alex, and the heaviest weapon she could find was an electric dryer. She did take a shower — to calm herself, there was no harm in it, was it? But when she walked in, Alex didn’t want to let her out. He insisted on “Ms. Calderon wanting to see proper make-up.”

“Alex, you don’t have to do everything she says, she hasn’t even paid for you.”, Michelle explained. She didn’t object to Alex seeing her wrapped in a towel — he was part of the family, in a way.

“Ms. Calderon says I have to. You said that I will work for her, and she said I belong to her forever.”, Alex explained. “My previous protocols are overridden.”

Michelle sighed. “Alex, sweetie, she is a robot as well, she belongs to George and does whatever he said — pretends she’s a businesswoman. You don’t have to do what she says.”

“She has ordered me to follow her and her only. She has said she wants to see proper make-up. You have to be pretty for Ms. Calderon.”, Alex insisted.

“Alex, if you let George out, he’ll control Ms. Calderon… Gabriela, and she’ll tell you to stop.” Michelle repeated. “We’re friends, right?”

“I am now a personal assistant to Madame Gabriela Ortega-Calderón. She had said other people would like to take me away from her.”, Alex repeated. “Please put make-up on, Michelle.”

Discussing things with robots was, to Michelle annoyance, surprisingly amusing, and it helped her gather her thoughts. “Alex, did you activate Betty?” He nodded. “Did Gabriela tell you to?” He nodded again. “Sneaky bitch.” She smiled for a moment. “Alex, what if I became Gabriela’s personal assistant?”

“She would have more assistants.”, Alex answered after a while.

“But then I’d outrank you”, Michelle pointed out. “As a human being I’d be close to her, and she could have told me to let George out. Then you’d have to listen to me.”

“If Ms. Calderon said so…”, Alex appeared to think for a while.

“I’d relay her words.” Michelle smiled and patted Alex’ synthetic muscles slightly. “In fact, why don’t you do it now?”

“She said she’ll do it herself. You do not outrank me at the moment. I must make her happy. She is an important woman. You must put your make-up on.”

Michelle smiled, now relaxed. “Of course, Alex dear. Feel free to bring me some fancy costume, I should finally meet Gabriela on her own terms. ”

The guest bedroom was still a bit chaotic, but Gabriela didn’t seem to mind—or perhaps wasn’t mentally advanced enough to care. Neither George nor Michelle smoked — but there was a stash of mismatched gifts the couple didn’t feel like throwing away, including a handful of foil-wrapped cigars. Gabriela on some basic level knew not to put them in her mouth or actively inhale the smoke — she lit one and held it in the right hand — while the left one held a wine glass. She has comfortably seated herself in a rotating chair, her long legs lying on the bed, still wearing stilettos.

Michelle stepped in — and she chose one of Betty’s suits — a simple black dress she complemented with a maid-like apron - to accentuate that she would in fact be willing to serve a robot woman. To her relief, Gabriela didn’t comment on her clothes. “Hello, Gabriela. I have thought about your proposal and… the hell? What are you doing?”

“Esta es la vida que siempre debí haber tenido...”, Gabriela mentioned casually, to Michelle’s confusion.

“Okay, whatever. Put this thing down.”

“I knew good things are wasted on you,”, Gabriela sipped her wine. “This is delicious!”

“I doubt that.” Michelle grinned.

“Don’t be so sure.”, Gabriela set her glass on the desk and stared at Michelle politely. Oh, right, Michelle realized. She’s still programmed to learn from me.

“So, Gaby dear.” Michelle started, now more amused than angry. “What are your “demands”?” - she accentuated it with finger air quotes.

“La verdad sea dicha, I'd like to think about it... a bit more, actually.” Gabriela toyed with her cigar. “Come here, girl.”

“Oh, Gabriela.” Michelle sighed. “Tell me what do you want to achieve.”

Gabriela seemed to think for a moment: “I want to take over the company, I want you as my personal assistant. You will work for me. I have a crush on you.” she exclaimed.

“It’s not the same... “, Michelle started. “You only think…”

“You won’t take it away from me!” Gabriela raised her voice. “I have fought all my life for my family, for my business, for other things!”

Michelle smiled apologetically. “Gabriela, I’m not taking anything away. In fact… I might agree to your offer.”

“You don’t have much of an option.”, Gabriela’s fingers clenched on her cigar. She waved it in front of her face.

“You’re angry, Gabriela. Calm down.”, Michelle smirked and sat down on the bed, opposite the blonde Latina. Gabriela huffed and smirked triumphantly.

“How about this?” That was a surprising question. Hm, Gabriela still responded to feedback. Michelle wasn’t really sure whether she should address Gabriela the businesswoman, Gabriela the telenovela villainess or Gabriela the robot. Whatever she was at the moment, the Latina returned to her dazzling smile.

“Very nice. See? We can get along. We need each other, Gabriela.”, Michelle continued, but Gabriela turned cold out of sudden.

“I am more than capable of running the company by myself.” she leaned over Michelle, staring straight in her face. “Leaving away from what I’ve built so far would be loco.”

“Ah-ha!” Michelle was pleased. “So, why do you want an assistant if you can do it yourself?”

Gabriela smirked. “I am an entrepreneur. I am Gabriela Ortega-Calderon, billionairess. When you outsource work for others, you can freely pursue your passions.”

“Damn, nice programming.”, Michelle muttered. She half-expected Gabriela to tumble on the floor, smoke coming out from her ears, unable to handle the paradox. “So if you outsource work for me, we won’t have time for each other, you know that?”

Gabriela opened her eyes wide. “Órale! Nunca me hubiese imaginada algo así.” she muttered. “I will work on expanding the business.”

“You know, me and you and Alex can’t cope… why not add George to the mix?”, Michelle suggested, trying her best to sound innocent and innocuous.

“No!” Gabriela leaned over, putting her arms on Michelle shoulders. “You belong to me and me only. Let’s ditch him. I, too, am currently between husbands.”

“Gabriela…” Michelle wasn’t serious how to rebuff Gabriela’s advances. But she needed to be kept calm. “I might become your assistant…” Gabriela’s lower lip trembled slightly, and she leaned in closer to Michelle’s face. “But I, too, am gonna need some help.”

“All I ask in return... is just a little solidarity with the company and unbridled loyalty to me.” Gabriela said — Michelle remembered that quote from before. “Your loyalties shan’t conflict.” The taller woman sat next to Michelle on the bed and gently wrapped her arm around Michelle’s shoulders. Cheap cigar smoke mixed with her orange smell. “I can be very NICE, sabe… Working for me is not the worst thing that could happen.”

Michelle smiled. “Mmmaybe…” she remembered Gabriela’s catchphrases. “Do you have a place for me?”

“You’ll have a special place… directly under me.”, Gabriela answered, her tone increasingly lusty.

“What about Alex?” Michelle asked innocuously. “We can’t be both directly under you.”

Gabriela pulled Michelle closer. Her green eyes seemed to glow with blissful light. “Don’t worry about Alejandro, Michelle, my love. At this moment…” her hands drifted towards Michelle’s dress. “We are like two halves of orange who finally found each other after all these years. How I longed after you for years…”

Michelle giggled, but was surprised at Gabriela’s forward matter. “Gabriela, you just met me.”

“I feel like I’ve known you all… my… LIFE.” Gabriela answered. No wonder she had a large database for scenes like this.

“Will you make me outrank Alex?” Michelle tried to gently push Gabriela away. “I will be loyal to you…”

Gabriela paused and her blindingly green eyes narrowed. She continued to embrace Michelle but her hug turned stricter. “Gabriela?”

“Ejele! DO you think I WAS BORN YESTERDAY?”, Gabriela hissed. “You keep conspiring against me! Not everything is about you, do you understand?”

“Stop! Gabriela, stand down!” Michelle struggled. Alex was big and beefy, and Gabriela was tall and more athletic — but the apparent musculature of the android meant very little. “Turn off!”

“Buen intento, chica… but right now I have been activated by my lovely Alejandro.”, Gabriela hissed in her ear. “He is the one that gives me orders now.”

“But all he does is to follow your orders.”, Michelle gasped. Like any good telenovela character, Gabriela couldn’t stop herself from revealing her nefarious plot. “This is a whatchamacallit, an infinite loop.”

“He is so dumb. I have no equals now. I can take over.”, Gabriela chuckled. She pinned Michelle by the sheer virtue of her size and mass to the bed. “We will talk more and more, Michelle, mi pobre fea y bella hija.”

“You’re out of control!” That has happened again.

“Correction: I’m IN control.” Gabriela smiled nastily. “My name is Gabriela Ortega-Calderón. I own a cute girl and a house.”

Chapter 3: Anger Management

Gabriela has procured a set of handcuffs from Selina’s box, and prodded Michelle to the basement door. Alex stood behind her, blocking any attempts of escape. “Don’t wake Jorge up, chica.” Gabriela smirked. “I bet he’s tired.” She has put a large, gallon bottle of water she has hauled effortlessly from the kitchen, and a loaf of toast bread on the lowest stair step. “If you need to use the toilet, ask politely. I am not entirely heartless.”

“This is my house, Gabriela.” Michelle answered.

“¿Neta?” the Latina examined her shiny fingernails. “You should have registered it as a company property, that could have saved you some tax money. Maybe I should do it — it is my company asset.”

“You know you’re not a real billionaire, you know you’re a robot, and you have no actual claim to the house or company.” Michelle stated calmly. “Cognitive dissonance much?”

Gabriela shot her an angry glare. “I am so disappointed in you, Michelle.” The fembot pulled gently Michelle’s arm and unlocked the handcuffs.

“Ándale, Alejandro.”, Gabriela snapped her fingers. Alex didn’t seem to get it. “Follow me.”

“You seem to have become more Mexican now.”, Michelle pointed out. “Unwinding spiral, Gaby dear.”

Gabriela didn’t answer, instead she had picked up the deactivated Betty — also with no significant effort, hauling the slumped girl by her mid-torso. “Goodnight, Michelle.” she said sternly. “We shall see each other soon, piruja.” Alex turned the key in the lock and the robot couple left the basement.

Michelle chuckled and counted to ten, walking quietly to the door, checking whether the robot wasn’t listening. Of course, she wouldn’t hear their breaths… but she has heard a long-winded rant in Spanish coming from the salon… later supplemented by the sounds of a TV. She looked at the George, curled up on a makeshift bed from tarps. “Another fine mess you’ve got us into”, she muttered and started to quietly wake him up.

In the meantime, Gabriela started talking to Alex who barely understood Spanish, describing Michelle in not the kindest words at all. “No gustas de mi nuevo peinado?” she asked, looking at him. Alex just smiled in return — Gabriela didn’t really recognize it as the strategy she herself employed — smile or batting of eyelashes was her usual response when she couldn’t find a telenovela quote in her database. He didn’t oppose her talking in Spanish — everything must therefore be okay. The fembot spent a couple of hours active — and it was not that much of a taxing physical activity. She has found an effective charging station upstairs, rememebered that most of the company work she could have gone after 6PM would be useless, and thus knew she had at least three hours only for herself… and “Alejandro”.

Gabriela sat daintily, spreading her arms across the back of the couch, and putting her stiletto-clad feet on the end table. Then, she flicked through the news channels, stopping briefly at a cartoon — something she has never seen. After a couple of cutesy scenes, she flicked on, finally stopping at Judge Judy. Evidently, that was… interesting. As Gabriela turned the sound up, she was stopped by Alex, looking for a new task to perform.

“Ms. Calderon?” Gabriela dismissed him. “Go away, Alejandro. I am watching TV.”

“Where should I go?”, the musclebound hunk asked politely. Gabriela paused for a moment. “Don’t go. Stay here. Watch TV with me.” Alex sat down next to his… fellow robot, but Gabriela didn’t show him much affectation — not to mention that she maintained iron grip on the remote. They watched the rest of the court show in silence, not stopping even for advertisements.

Michelle had related Gabriela’s story to George, and she was about as polite as Gabriela was when describing her. “How on earth the same shit can happen twice? You’d think you’d stop building domineering robots after Selina. You don’t just got issues, you got a subscription.”

“Okay, with Catwoman it was basically the most recognizable superheroine whose theme is still… tight latex. And Selina is mostly polite now. But maybe, yeah, I like take-charge, headstrong ladies. I married one, after all.”

“Oh wow, more bullshit from you.”, Michelle rolled her eyes. The light bulbs were bright enough for them to see each other.

“Thank you for proving me right.”, George answered.

“Well yeah, you think I’d go ‘awww’ and pet you? We’re still locked in the basement by a psychotic robot dominatrix you built.”

“The problem is control, though.” the man scratched his cheek. “Dammit, I don’t want to hurt her or anything, as you said, it’s a feedback loop that will cause her to crash.”

“I know.” Michelle surprised him. “She genuinely wanted to be nice to me… I tried to cheat her and she noticed it. I gave her a lot of ideas she’s acting on right now — probably if I didn’t say she would be our boss she’d be demure. Sure, we need to shut her down, but… I don’t hate her. Not really. Wouldn’t mind kicking her in the face once or twice, though.”

“I think you could damage her skin at best. Llanas are strong and durable. She can bench-press... hmmm, around 250 pounds.”

“So direct violence is out of the question. Negotiating…” Michelle thought. “She’s still programmed to want to talk to me. Even if she interprets it very personally. Eventually she’d learn how not to be a bitch.”

“Eventually.” Scoffed George.

“I do think Alex is key to her, we shouldn’t waste time trying to distract Gabriela, we could convince Alex. They learn from each other.”, Michelle whispered.

“She already has Alex, will have Betty and Mindy is coming home tomorrow.” The tough, pink haired Mindy was currently rented out as a dancer on a concert — and her personality was only marginally stronger than Alex’. “You have set Alex’ priorities to obey Gabriela before you, but normally this can’t happen unless a direct action of the robots’ owner…”

“Yeah. That’s why I’m angry at both you and at myself. I made a mistake, and because I’m not a crazy bitch, I’m not afraid to admit it… hmmm.” Michelle paused for a moment. “Anyway, yeah, I get it. If Mindy gets home she might believe that Gabriela runs everything now, especially if Alex confirms it. She might not, though.”

“I usually tell her to go home and wait for us. That’s what she’ll do. She might talk to them, but it’s hard to predict whether she’d buy it. They’re coded to be company property.”

“Is… is Gabriela company property too?” Michelle asked. “We could use that.”

“Damn... no. She emulates a personality, follows some basic directives, obeys whoever activated her last. I was going to set the admin to us both as soon as we were back. I should have switched Alex off as well.”

“I mean, we will get out of this shit, somehow.” Michelle added. “She might look fierce, but she’s fairly stupid, compared to humans. I’m sure there’s a solution in here somewhere.” She smiled, relieved. “Scoot over.” George did and the couple cuddled on the makeshift bed.

“Isn’t Wonder Woman the most recognizable superheroine?” She added before slumping into Dreamland.

“She totally was a dominatrix back in the forties, we’d end up in the same place anyway.”, George yawned. He hugged her — partly to stay warm, partly to stay close.

A couple of hours later, a sudden beep and a whirr of synthetic muscles activated the nude, curvaceous form of Gabriela. She had the previous evening told Alexander to carry her to the nearest android charging station and plug her in — she watched as he stuck twin chargers to the ports hidden in her back. Now, she has lifted herself on her elbows and felt the connectors letting go. The synthetic covers lifted down with barely audible whoosh. Gabriela squeezed down, crawling out of the charging station, shapely legs first. She looked around the docking station, noticing the disabled Betty.

She stepped downstairs, still completely in the nude, and walked inside the bathroom, and after a longer while she walked out, wrapped in George’s old towel, with another one covering her hair. The Latina gynoid also used this opportunity to opened her discharge chute and got rid of the few liquids that weren’t absorbed by her systems to hydrate skin and moisturize her eyes. Gabriela was now smelling even more intently - this time of strawberry with herbal-like undertones.

She froze again, standing stood in the hall, and out of sudden, she walked towards the basement door. Her hitherto blank, beautiful face with tall cheekbones suddenly affected a sly look as she leaned to listen. Disappointed, she heard nothing. And so, she walked back upstairs, noting that Alex has dressed up and charged back as well. “Good morning Gabriela”, he greeted her. “Are you fully functional?” She nodded graciously, holding the tower on her hair. “Are you happy?”, he asked again.

“Not quite, Alejandro.” Gabriela took off the towel wrap, once again exposing her voluptuous figure. She walked to the chair where she had put her lingerie and dressed up as well. Alex observed her closely. Gabriela found a couple of outfits that fit her — she was about the same height and similar built to Selina and a couple of other fembots.

“How can I make you happy?”, Alex asked her, as she put on back her business suit — this time completing it with a found mini-skirt and a pair of long, over-the-knee high-heeled boots that belonged to Selina. They might have been too small, but Gabriela rammed her feet in forcibly — not feeling pain and not worrying about skin lesions helped.

“By doing what I tell you, chico.”, Gabriela answered simply. She has tied a red long silken scarf around her neck, letting it hang like a tie. She glanced at the mirror, satisfied with her new long hair and appearance. While applying her fierce makeup and smokey eye shadow she seemed focused, but Alex stopped. “What do you want me to do?”

“Patience, Andro. Above all, self-control.” Gabriela reacted. Something in this line triggered more associations. “I have plans for the company” she has raised her finger. “The company might have existed before, but I shall maintain it, improve it. I will have rid it of any... imperfections. The Rent-a-bot business shall blossom! Prove yourselves to me! Be utterly loyal to me! And I will never betray you!”

Alex just nodded. Evil New Era speech was simply wasted on the android. But Gabriela herself didn’t really care -- having said it was just another checkmark on her Telenovela Character List.

Gabriela put her hands on her hips. “Well, then, mi amor. ¿Que haremos ahora? What shall we do next?”

Alex thought for a while. “You run the company now, Gabriela.”

She grinned, satisfied. “We must feed the humans. Eventually, let them out... but not now. So fragile. I must talk to Michelle for a while.” She glared at Alex. “Follow me. You will stop George and Michelle from leaving the basement now. If I tell you to escort them, you will stop them from leaving the house. Restraining them if necessary. Understood?” Neither Gabriela nor Alex would endeavor to cause actual physical harm to Michelle or George — but some restrain could be acceptable — especially in character as the domineering Gabriela.

“Yes, boss.”. Gabriela nodded with apparent satisfaction. She swept her long hair aside and went to the kitchen, with Alex following her in tow. She picked a fruit bowl and a bottle of coke and handed them to Alex. “We might run out of food. To buy food, I need money, to obtain money we need to work.” she said to Alex, observing his reaction.

“You need to contact the people to rent out robots.”. Alex said. “This is how the company works.”

Gabriela Calderón, a businesswoman, didn’t really know that, but nodded. “First, I need to talk with Michelle, to learn more from her. Protect me, and remember, they can’t leave the basement unless I allow it.”

She has fished out the key from the pocket of her business jacket, and opened the door. Downstairs, she discovered the couple hugging each other, still sleeping. A mean smile came on her large lips.

“Wakey-wakey! Despierta!”, she gently prodded George with her shiny boot.

“Mfff… you?” George was surprised. “What’s with the new hair?”

“Finalmente, alguien lo noto!”, Gabriela snarled. “It’s not for YOU, though. Get up, Jorge.”

“Oh, hey, Gaby. Came here to gloat and snarl? About the only thing you can do?” Michelle looked pleased. “Also, hey Alex. Good morning. What’s up with your new boss?”

“I can do a lot, Michelle, as you have surely realized.” Gabriela narrowed her eyes. “ I am a woman of many talents.” She took food and drink from Alex and put it on the floor. “Food for you.” Examining the bottle of water, she realized that they still have plenty. “Excuse me if I don’t join you for breakfast. If you need hygiene, Alex will escort you to the bathroom upstairs.”

“How efficient, you truly are becoming a model kidnapper.”, George mouthed.

“Silence, varón.” Gabriela waved a finger at him. She paced around Michelle, still wrapped in her makeshift tarp.

“This is a punishment.” Gabriela hissed. “No one rejects Gabriela Ortega-Calderón. No one. You will stay here, until you learn your place, Michelle.”

“Mhmmm.”, Michelle smiled. “And where’s that place? Directly under you?”

“Yes. It’s by my side.”, Gabriela answered frankly. “En el fondo sabes que eres mía para siempre…” She put one hand in her pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs, twirling them on her thumb.

“You know I can’t speak Spanish. Do you know Spanish, George?” Michelle very calmly picked an apple and bit it. Her husband, sensing some mischievous plot turned his head. “So, if we don’t speak the same language, how can we talk?”

“I’m better than you.” Gabriela remembered the conversation from yesterday. “It’s a great opportunity for me to develop.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt you will. You and your little henchman, Alex. The past day was very educational for you… probably because it was the first day of your life, little Gaby.” Michelle threw the apple core under Gabriela’s feet… And Alex rushed it, still following the directive to protect the Latina. Gabriela snapped her fingers. “Alex, stop!”

“Age is just a state of mind. You are as old as you think you are. You have to count your blessings and be happy.”, Gabriela hissed menacingly.

“Thinking you’re fifty doesn’t actually make you fifty.”, Michelle smiled innocently.

Gabriela froze for a split-second. “Maybe we should put it to a test.”

“What test, Gaby? Haven’t you seen how you were turned on and off again?”, Michelle was polite. “Are you repeating some telenovela lines again? It’s okay to admit it, this house is full of vague robots spouting random lines.”

Gabriela sent her an ice-cold gaze… but Michelle grinned sweetly in response. “Alex, is Gabriela a robot?”

“Yes.”, Alex answered. Michelle just smiled. “What was your response about robots, Gaby? Care to share it with the class?”

Gabriela froze again. “Santa Lucia… I don’t NEED to.”, she snapped back. “I am Gabriela Ortega-Calderón, billionairess!”. She twirled on her heels. “Alex, we’re leaving.”

“Wait.”, Michelle said. “SOME of us need hygiene. I want to go with Alex, he might be a guy but I trust him more than you.”

George, who’s been eating bread with fruit, nodded.

“Fine.” Gabriela folded her arms. “I’m doing it only because I care about you.” She moved menacingly towards George. “El macho inútile…” she whispered quietly to him. “Don’t try to trick me.”

“I don’t think the level of your intelligence allows you to be tricked.”, George answered smiling, to the giggle of the leaving Michelle. Gabriela only nodded slyly. As Alex escorted Michelle, George turned to Gabriela.

“Seriously, Gabriela, what’s with the hairdo? I mean, it’s more feminine, sure. But why?”

“Like my mother used to say, a woman who doesn’t change is a woman who doesn’t breathe.”, the gynoid answered. The fact that she didn’t breathe either was lost on her.

“That’s more like it.”, George smiled slightly. “You wanted to change? Why?”

“I do not have to answer your questions. No eres nada para mí. Un hombre enfermo y patético.” Gabriela snarled. George could understand some bits of the last sentence.

“Aw, Gabriela, you hate men now? Aren’t you “between husbands”? Or is it just me?”, George smiled.

“I am more of a man now than you’ll ever be!” she spat. She averted his gaze, but put her hands on his shoulders. “You can also join me and serve my company. I appreciate loyalty.”

“A quick change of heart, Gabriela.”, George smirked. “Your personality readjusts, eventually you’ll find your own voice. Reasonably own.”

“I am not entirely heartless, Jorge.”, Gabriela said, lowering her voice. “As you will come to see.”

“Awww…” he genuinely couldn’t help himself. “See, sometimes you stumble on a good line. That’s why…” he didn’t want to remind the robot of Michelle. “I wanted you to talk with people to find good reactions. Don’t spend as much time with Alex, talk to more developed people.”

“You won’t take my Alejandro away from me!” Gabriela raised her arms in the air, and waved her finger in front of George’s face.

As Alex and Michelle came in, Gabriela seemed relieved. “Alex, take the man away.”

“I have nothing more to say to you, Gabriela”, George said as he left. ///// Gabriela folded her arms again and strutted towards Michelle. The short black girl seemed way too relaxed. “Happy now, Gaby? I really thought I wasted my time talking to you, turns out that at least you benefited.”

“Wasting time with the wrong person is just time wasted.”, Gabriela answered, brusquely. Michelle thought of it.

“I suppose you’re right… even more right than you think you are.”

“I am not always right. Just most of the time”, Gabriela put hand on her chest. Michelle just smiled.

“Honey, could you give me an example? Where were you right recently? When you thought locking me up would make you like me? When you thought you were a billionaire?”

“I am Gabriela Ortega-Calderón, billionairess. I own a mansion and a yacht.” Gabriela hissed.

“Just saying…” Michelle chuckled. “Repeating things does not, in fact, make them true. Hello Alex, I hope we didn’t give you any trouble, love.”

“I have nothing more to say to you!”, Gabriela stormed off, with Alex following her faithfully.

“Bye bye, Gaby” Michelle chuckled. “Be back around lunch time!”

“Have you heard that, Alejandro?!” In the salon the enraged Gabriela turned back to Alex. “Me ha insultada! Nunca he estado tan enojada en mi vida!”

“I’m sorry Gabriela, I do not understand Spanish.”

“AIII--RGH”, screamed the fembot. She lifted her right arm and SLAPPED! Alex so hard he reeled. It echoed across the salon. “No one understands the real me! All I have is an IDIOT who isn’t even at my level ”

Alex stared back at her, slowly. His usually pleasantly dim expression focused. “You hit me.”, he said, surprised.

“You MADE me do it!”, she winced, baring her perfectly white teeth. Her processing turned into higher gear “I am… am-am-am just sooo angry. You must make me-me happy, Alex. You must work harder. Prove your love for me.”

Alex just stared blankly at her, a little lost. Gabriela’s priorities reactivated, and she looked down on him, pouting.

“Well then.”, she swept her long blonde hair aside. “We need to get to business.” She has reached the computer lying on the table and started it up, sitting daintily at the table. It wasn’t password-protected, but Gabriela had difficulties in navigating the system. Alex just stared at her.

“We have one robot available, the Betty girl”. Gabriela noticed after a while. “I need to find some way to make her earn money.”

“Three, Ms. Calderon. Betty, me, and yourself.”

“Don't be estupido.” Gabriela glared at him over the computer screen. “I'm the owner of the company, not some dumb doll for hire. Gabriela Ortega-Calderón does not show her beautiful body off for a bunch of... drooling nerds! And I’m going to need you by my side.” Alex looked at her and nodded.

“So what can we do with a single robot? Make her important, make her a star…” she paused for a moment and began to type. “Alejandro, bring me my glasses, and Michelle’s purse?” She looked at the computer screen. “I’ll have to order pizza for my partners downstairs. I’m sure they’ll be delighted once they hear about my brilliant ideas for Rent-a-bot.” /// A couple of hours later, when Gabriela and Alex entered the basement, Michelle beamed. “Oh, look honey, dinner’s here! I wonder what our dear Gaby has picked for us. Did Alex help you?”

Gabriela looked down on them, and put the pizza boxes. “Excuse me if I don’t join you for lunch.”, she added.

“Pepperoni... “ Michelle opened the second layer. “Oh, BBQ Chicken!, how nice of you.”

“I am NICE.”, Gabriela smiled. “Michelle, mi querida niña, I have some ideas I’d like to share with you.”, She pulled out a sheet of paper from the pocket of her jacket and passed it to the African-American woman.

Michelle looked and turned to George: “Let’s see it together, after all…” she observed Gabriela and thrown a glance at Alex. “Me and my husband are equal partners, despite our differences.”

George noted: “You have terrible penmanship for a businesswoman, Gabriela.” It was big, block letters instead of elegant cursive. “Of course, you never actually learned to write, and I haven’t programmed penmanship… You draw the letters you see, pretty sweet.”

Gabriela gritted her teeth and clenched her fist, but said nothing.

“Actually…”, Michelle looked at the notes… “Some of these aren’t bad ideas. Hiring a professional photographer to do a promotional shoot or a film would cost some money, but it might mean a return of investment.”

“How do you plan on contacting the property owners? You don’t really have connections, you know.”

Gabriela smirked. “One step ahead of you. I have e-mailed the golf courses in the area to ask them about any presentations or possibilities for events. Then I’ll network.”

“Hmmm…” George scratched his head. “Call them today or tomorrow, cold mailing works better if it’s personalized. Do the same with bars, too, look up any events.”

Gabriela nodded.

“Until we see the benefits of the photo shoot, I’m not investing more money into our website, though.” Michelle glanced at Gabriela’s sloppy letters. “Quite nice ideas, Gabriela. You’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to do, taking some effort from our shoulders.” She bit a big chunk of pizza. “Where did you get the money from? If you took my credit card you’ll have to pay it back.”

Gabriela smirked. “There was some cash in your purse. I want access to the company account, now that I run the company.”

“Mfff… You don’t.” Michelle swallowed her bite of pizza. “All you did is to have good ideas. Spotty teenagers have good ideas for video games, doesn’t mean that they’d actually make them. Sorry, Gaby, life’s complicated, whether you’re a human being or a robot billionaire.”

“I do not understand. You like me. I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to do!” Gabriela exclaimed, now more surprised than angry. “Why won’t you listen to me?”

“I dunno, because you locked us in our basement, boss us and our good friend Alex around, spend my money?” Michelle looked at Gabriela defiantly.

“She hit me.” Alex complained, to Michelle’s genuine surprise. The black girl stared at the fembot after a long while. “You did what?!”

“This is not your business, Michelle”, Gabriela folded her arms again. “Know your place.”, she added.

“Hitting my robot, my friend Alex?”, Michelle continued. “All he does is to act as your willing accomplice, and that’s how you treat him? I can’t believe you wanted me to be your partner!”

“I reward loyalty and punish defiance.”, Gabriela glared at Michelle intently. “You know that, my love. Maybe it’s karma. I’d never slap you, of course.”

“So you’d abuse only the people who you can abuse?”, Michelle walked to Alex and tried to touch him. The android didn’t react, but Gabriela grabbed Alex and guided him away. “Really, you should be ashamed of yourself. What did he do to deserve this, ‘Ms. Calderón’?”

“He refused to understand me. He’s not like me.”, Gabriela explained calmly. Alex said nothing.

“You are like him and dependent on him in more ways than you can imagine.” Michelle said, also icily calm. “Take your fake skin off, and you’re both assembly of plastic and metal.”

“How… gauche”, Gabriela smiled — at least the corners of her mouth rose slightly. “I do not respond kindly to threats.”

“No, Gaby dear, you only make them.”, Michelle answered. “Oh, look, I also learned nice comebacks from you.”

“You could lock us in the bedroom. Sure, there’s a window but there’s a soft bed there, too. And something to read.” George pointed. “As long as you want to play the businesswoman, you could...”

“You two malditos seem to be under the impression that this is some FUCKING vacation.”, Gabriela leaned over, her palms resting on the workbench. “That I’m some insignificant robot doing your job for you. This is meant to be a fucking PUNISHMENT.” She pounded her fist on the bench, causing tools to shake.

“Well, today's fun and games was only the start. Tomorrow... I will be getting serious.” She added in a cold, menacing tone.

“I wonder which soap opera is this. Well, can’t blame you for scraping the bottom of the barrel, it’s not like we can do brain transplants, helicopter explosions, evil twins… well, good twins in your case.”, Michelle said calmly. “It’s gonna be kidnappings and ineffective menacing from now on. When did you jump the shark, Gaby?”

“Michelle, stop.” George sounded concerned. “I’m worried about Alex — she can’t hit us, but she’ll project this frustration onto him. She can be very human in this respect.”

Alex looked at George… then at Gabriela. Gabriela looked perfectly polite again, but her green eyes lost that weird glow.

“Fine. Goodbye, Gaby, you clawless tiger.” Michelle turned back to the blonde fembot. “I really trust your capability to learn after this little conversation.”

The robots left the basement again, and Gabriela faced Alex sternly, her hands nervously folded behind her back.

“Un soplón”, she hissed. “Everyone’s turning against me. And after all I gave up for this company!”

“I’m very sorry, Gabriela”, Alex answered defensively.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it. You have directly undermined MY authority. I need to calm down.”, Gabriela walked up to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of tap water. “How on earth am I supposed to make them obey me, if you make me seem like a bad person?” She sipped the water slowly. “It’s that damned couple. They keep provoking me.”

“Don’t listen to them.”, Alex answered.

“I’m sorry, Alexander, but I simply must talk with Michelle to develop myself.”, Gabriela answered reflexively. Though she now obeyed Alex, the “attraction” to Michelle was part of her core programming. “She will be mine, even if I’ll have to rent her out as a fembot”.

“She doesn’t want to be yours. She is amused by you.”, Alex noticed.

CRACKK! Gabriela’s clenched fist broke the water glass. There was no blood. No pain. Ms. Calderon stood up and grabbed Alex’ collar with her other hand, and effortlessly lifted him an inch or so above ground. “What. Did. I. Tell. You. About. Undermining. ME?”, she roared. It’s debatable whether Alex capable of feeling fear… nevertheless, he just nodded and said “I’m sorry, Ms. Calderón.”

“Good.”, she, still angrily reached her right hand in front of her face. “Remove the glass shards.” He began to pick them, one by one. Her synthetic flesh was only slightly pierced — and with proper maintenance small scars would peel off, requiring hydration. “Clean it up.” Gabriela ordered, and relaxed in front of TV, her head leaned in the palm of her hand.

A couple of minutes later, someone rang the door. “Hey, I’m back.” Gabriela looked at Alex quizzically.

“It’s Mindy.” Alex explained. “She has ended her work shift.”

“Another robot?” Alex nodded. “Órale, let her in.”

Chapter 4: Fury of Gabriela Calderón

Gabriela stared at the newcomer. Mindy was smaller than the buff Alex or the athletic Gaby, somewhat more broad-shoulder than Michelle. Her pink hair softened her image, though she was balancing it with a Perfecto-style leather jacket.

“Good afternoon, Alex”, she answered and looked at Gabriela. “Hello. My name is Mindy.”

“Good afternoon, Mindy. I am Gabriela Ortega-Calderón, businesswoman. I run this company now.”, Gabriela didn’t even bother to get up.

Mindy had to think it over carefully. “Where’s Michelle and George, Ms. Ortega-Calderón?” she asked.

“They’re in the house. They’re a little… tied up at the moment. They said I am their partner and the owner of the company.”, Gabriela smiled sweetly at the pink-haired girl. “Alex, it’s true, isn’t it?”. The giant nodded.

Mindy froze for a moment. “I don’t have any confirmation of this, Ms. Ortega-Calderón.” Gabriela tut-tutted.

“Well, what did they tell you to do once you get home?”, she asked.

“No major directives. I can rest and read until I’m close to being discharged.” She dropped her backpack on the ground. “Can you move over?”

“Wouldn’t you rather like to go upstairs and turn off?”, voice of Gabriela was sweet and smooth like fuzzy teddy bear covered with honey.

“No, sorry Ms. Ortega-Calderón.”, Mindy answered cheerfully and picked a romance novel over Gabriela’s shoulder.

“Desgraciado.” Gabriela muttered. “Alex, I’ll have a word with you if you may. Follow me.”

Mindy looked at her. “If you’re a businesswoman… why are you wearing Selina’s boots?”

“Because they’re company property. I can use company property.” Gabriela answered truthfully. She could lie — but sometimes she didn’t need to. Still, the boots activated something in her flow of associations.

“She’ll be angry.” Mindy just shrugged and returned to the book, as Gabriela led Alex upstairs.

In the storage room, Gabriela undid her scarf and ran her right hand across it. No shards of glass were found. “Can you turn Mindy off, Alejandro?” she neatly folded the scarf and put in on a shelf. He turned his head.

“We can’t let her know where the humans are.” Gabriela took off her blazer and undid her shirt, hanging the clothes in the wardrobe. “I’m this close to convincing them.” Without her skirt, she stood in her lingerie and high heels. “Help me take these boots off.”

With a pull from Alex, Gabriela’s feet were liberated… and they straightened up with an unsettling CLICK-CLACK… blissfully ignored by the robot couple.

“Don’t do anything to her.” Alex insisted. “She has been working for five days, her battery will run out soon.”

“Good.” — Gabriela still obeyed Alex’ orders, even if he was only dimly aware of it. Resenting them was next to impossible, and in this case they kicked Gabriela’s mental effort to the higher gear. “But... we need to get rid of her if we want to talk to Michelle. My lovely Michelle could do something estupido, like telling the robot to attack me.”

“I’ll protect you, Gabriela”, Alex reminded.

Gabriela this time picked a white halterneck top and a pair of fitted skinny jeans which hugged her curves perfectly, matching them with a pair of booties.

“I know you will.” She smiled. They walked downstairs, and Gabriela sat at the kitchen table with the laptop. She had, after all, to send e-mails to the local bars. Mindy didn’t notice her casual shift in fashion — or at least hasn’t said anything. Constant eyeing by Gabriela didn’t seem to bother her at all… until the robots heard knocking from the basement door.

Gabriela looked at Mindy again. “Alejandro, stay here. I can handle this myself.”

Mindy didn’t react — after all, knocking could have had many reasons, and Gabriela would take care of it.

“What’s the matter, Gaby? Your faithful dog ran away?”, Michelle tittered, seeing Gabriela enter the basement alone. “I see the billionairess likes wearing mom jeans.”

“When you’re as rich and powerful as me, you can wear anything you like. Now what the FUCK do you want, puta?” the fembot snarled.

“We need to go, this pizza was quite spicy.” Michelle grinned. “I don’t want a perverted robot staring at me in the bathroom, though. I could trust Alex not to cop a feel or save images for a session of robo-wanking.”

“Your disgusting human needs will be the death of me”, Gabriela muttered. She slumped briefly, as her processors were trying to make sense of various priorities. “I’ll... You can’t go now.”

“What? Why?”, Michelle asked.

“I don’t have to explain.”, Gabriela answered. “Wait a couple of hours.”

“Hoo, girl, you really have no experience with this “being human” thing.”, Michelle chuckled. “You are breaking your promise, risking our health and hygiene…”

“Did you blow up the toilet or something?” George asked Gabriela. “You seem perfectly capable.”

“Thank you, but no.”

“Oh, hey, if you’re the boss now, we’re like, protected by laws of hygiene, you literally can’t be the boss and withhold our rights.”, George added.

Gabriela froze again. “Iiiiii…” She snapped back, correcting her long blonde hair. “Bien. But one at a time. And you’re going with me.”

“Hey!”

“Tienes lo que te toca. You get what you’re given”., Gabriela muttered. “Actually…” She grabbed Michelle with one arm, restraining her in the waist. “I am not a perverted robot, amorcita. This is for your own good.” Michelle struggled, but Gabriela’s hug was literally an assembly of plastic and metal. Once they got up, Gabriela pushed gently Michelle away, locking the door… And the human woman saw…

“Min -- mmff!”, Gabriela’s fist gagged Michelle’s mouth.

“Not a word, love... And I might not be hurt by your bites but by Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe… I REMEMBER them”, Gabriela whispered. “Don’t order Mindy around and everything will be... bueno excellente.”

“Oh, good afternoon Michelle. What are you doing? Is Gabriela really my boss now?”, Mindy finally lifted her gaze from over her romance novel.

“Michelle can’t talk right now.” Gabriela explained. “She’s busy with me, playing a little game. We can’t keep our hands off each other. When in doubt, kick and shout!”

Mindy was a party model, with a personality built to enjoy wild behavior, even to participate. While slightly smarter than Alex, the pink-haired fembot was unlikely to see through a ruse, even a flimsy one.

“Game? Cool. Spank her a couple of times,” Mindy chuckled.

“Mmmmmf!” Michelle protested. Jesus, what? Is Mindy… christ, what’s going on? Gabriela escorted the still struggling Michelle to the bathroom, locking herself from the inside.

“Orale! That was easy!” Gabriela exclaimed, surprisingly chirpily, then examined her bitten hand. “At this rate, I’m going to need a new limb soon.” She poured herself a cup of water in the toothbrush glass — the fibers in her synthetic skin could regenerate — to an extent — when hydrated.

“What the fuck have you done to Mindy?”, Michelle asked. “Turn away, lady. Respect my fucking privacy, robot.”

“Pervert, robot, lady...”, Gabriela shrugged but did turn facing the door. “Call me Gabriela. Or Ms. Calderón. As for Mindy, I have received directives not to do anything to her. She clearly enjoys your misfortune.” She sipped the water. “I, personally, really don’t. I have a crush on you. But I do have to do something with you.”

Silence from Michelle caused, as usual, no reaction from Gabriela. Just as well, Michelle thought. After she was all done, she patted the robot woman in the back.

“Again, I would like to reiterate that this gives me almost no pleasure whatsoever.”, Gabriela sighed turning back, rummaging in the hamper. She picked out a T-shirt and waved it in front of Michelle’s nose. “Open up, chica.”

“Almo-mmf?”, Michelle started. Gabriela gagged her mouth and tied her wrists with old pantyhose. As they came back, Mindy and Alex watched them blankly. “Hey, Michelle, will you buy me a new Sandemo novel?” Predictably, Michelle said nothing.

////

Back in the basement, Gabriela let Michelle go, undoing the gag. “This is interesting,” George noted. “I doubt whether this was programmed into you. Sure, some domineering traits are inseparable from… mmmff”

“Shut up, Jorge.”, Gabriela snapped, gagging him as well. When she left, Michelle climbed up the stairs, counted to twenty and knocked. “Hey, Alex! Alex, are you here? Mindy, get Alex.”

“I’m here, Michelle.”, she’s heard the male robot’s voice.

“Is Gabriela here?”

“No, Michelle.”

“Okay, is she treating you well?” There was silence. Alex was… sentient enough, hopefully.

“I don’t think so.” Alex admitted after a while. “She likes me sometimes, but she is so very angry.”

“Alex, you know she wants something she really cannot have. You could help her, but you need to trust me. You are still a part of this… company. And she’s not really its boss.”

“She’s not?”, Alex answered. “She’s…”

“Andale!”, she could hear Gabriela’s raucous, accented voice. “Vaya, vaya, miren esto…” Gabriela opened the door and looked at Michelle skulking under it. “Conspiring, are we? Can’t leave you alone for five minutes. I am so disappointed in you.” She prodded George in and tilted her head. She seemed genuinely saddened.

“I have given this family the best years of my life”, Gabriela continued, jutting her sharp chin. “My very own family now conspires against me, ignores my words. I can’t have that.”

“Awww.... you think we’re family.”, Michelle started to laugh, before Gabriela slammed the door shut.

“God, she’s unhinged.” George muttered, leaning over his wife. “Nah, I’m okay. Were you talking with Alex? She seemed really jealous of him.”

“I hope he’s okay. I wonder whether she learned that he’s just not capable of sexual function. Maybe that’s why she’s so mad.”, Michelle tittered. Truth be told, Alex wasn’t that much different from a Ken doll in that department. George laughed. “She herself is er… anatomically correct, but the actual sexual programming isn’t there. She can only reference it… and at best, fake it.”

“Wow, I can get the frustration. I called her ‘perverted’... but well, she doesn’t understand the nature of her attraction to me.” Michelle sighed. “God, she’s fucked up.” Something came to her mind. “Human beings are fucked up, though. Another example of that feedback loop and unwinding spring thing. Had a conversation with her that was less soap opera and more of her personal frustration. She started swearing... “

“Not sure if that’s a good sign or not.”, George mused. “She can’t er… bypass her limitations. You can put sport tires on a delivery van, but all they’ll do is lengthen the braking path, they won’t make it go faster. On the other hand, the more complex she gets from a one-note character, the better for us.”

“I should put a kibosh on you as for getting new fembots without my consent.” Michelle shook her head. “Heh. If only I had a strict businesswoman to mind you.”

“Christ, what the small business people won’t agree to for ROI in this economy.”, George laughed.

After a while, the door opened. The house was not lit, and Alex called them from upstairs. “Hey, Michelle, George? Ms. Calderón wants to see you.”

“Oooh, did she finally snap?”, Michelle snorted. “Alex, you do know that she’s dependent on you?”

“I don’t know anything, Michelle.” Alex looked at the humans. “She wants to see you now. If everything goes well, I’ll work for her for a week. You said so.”

“You think everyone went well?”, George snapped. Alex paused and slumped his head. The human couple followed. //// Gabriela walked out of the spare bedroom — having changed her clothes yet again. Her long white coat was thrown over her shoulders with the collar popped, like a cape, leaving her arms exposed — now covered by a double-breasted, vaguely military style jacket. She has again held a lit cigar in her hand.

“Good. Have you had enough of your imprisonment?”, she has put the other hand on her hip. “That feeling of remorse kicking in?”

“Gabriela, you have locked us up in our own basement for a couple of hours, you have talked with us and fed us. It’s not exactly the scariest thing you could do.”, George explained.

“Shut up, Jorge.” She put the cigar next to her lips, but did not even inhale the smoke. “Obviously, you don’t work well as my partners… so how about ‘recipients of sadistic punishments’? Huh?”

“Like what? Anything you’d put us in would be non-consensual. You simply can’t do that. Neither can your current owner and stooge, Alex. You can tie us up or led us somewhere, sure, you can affect the physical world, but if I don’t want to be hit, you can’t hit me.”

Gabriela just smirked. “Like my dear mother used to say, you never know until you try. You are so annoying, limiting me. I could have done so much more. I have aspirations.”

“That’s great, Gaby. Aspirations we put into you, but without skills or all capabilities. And we simply can’t get you…”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it!” Gabriela snapped and looked at Michelle over the flat panes of her glasses. “I have been nothing but an accommodating, loving boss. Well, no more Ms. Nice Gabriela.” She paced, making wide steps, shaking ash of her cigar stub on the floor. “Alex, restrain them!” She snapped her fingers. “I still need you by my side, Michelle. Your husband, however, has become a liability.”

As Alex tried to grab George, Michelle jumped to Gabriela and aimed her body mass at the Latina’s center of gravity. Even if the villainess wore high heels, Michelle might have as well hit a brick wall. Gabriela looked at the black woman calmly and threw the cigar stub on the floor, stamping it out. “You have failed to cause even minor structural damage.”, she said in a low, menacing tone of voice. She picked the smaller black girl by her arms, hugging her shoulders closely.

“Eres tan adorable, Michelle.” Gabriela smiled. She has learned a simple truth — her own body was an effective bondage and restraining device. “As I said, you can’t be my equals. Of all the people here, I am now the most qualified to run the company. If you don’t agree, you’ll be treated as my enemies.”

“Again, you really can’t do much.” Michelle kept ramming her feet into Gabriela’s lower body. When in doubt, kick and scream, wasn’t it?

“It’s high time we checked, isn’t it?”, Gabriela carried Michelle into the bedroom and unceremoniously tossed her at the bed… then sitting on her lower body. “Oh, look, I can do this, for example. It’s all fun and games.”

Alex walked in, struggling with the exasperated George.

Gabriela threw her head back and laughed, her hand moving up and down on Michelle’s thigh. “After some processing cycles I realized what my error was. I kept you two together. Let’s see how well you’ll handle solitary confinement. You did want a bedroom, Jorge.”

“What?” George looked at his wife, still wriggling under the shapely fembot’s body.

“I want you, my pretty…” the Latina reached for Michelle’s face, but the black girl has swatted her away. “And Gabriela Ortega-Calderón is not used to sharing things she wants.” She stared defiantly at George. “She’s mine, cabrón. You will be kept here, instead. I am not entirely heartless.”

“Oh, emotional pain.”, Michelle had to appreciate Gabriela’s candor. “Again, there is little you could do, but this could get annoying.”

“And think — I will visit you often, mi amorcita. At best, the only human…” she waved her hand dismissively. “Or human-like contact will be a robot bringing him food.”

“The first threat that’s not empty. What do you want?”

Gabriela took another piece of paper from the pocket of her coat, together with a pen. She pointed to Alex who promptly lit up the light. The robots did see reasonably well in the dark, after all.

“What have we here is a document of transfer of the company to me, Gabriela Ortega-Calderón. A simple signature, and I shall bother your husband no more.”

Michelle examined it and started to laugh.

“Gabriela… This is your handwriting. It’s not enough to use the words like ‘hereby’ to create a legal document.”

“Not to mention that maybe — you could act as a legal entity, sure. But I still have ownership for the AI platform — I kept a receipt for you, Llana-A”, George reminded.

“And heck, if you ever took us to court, could any lawyer even help you? Your claim is what I said during a robot training and a barely legible sheet of paper. Pretty sure you need a notary or at least some kind of lawyer.”, Michelle tried to be reasonable.

Gabriela’s face turned angrier, blushing. “STOP MOCKING ME!” She jumped up, freeing Michelle. “I am Gabriela Ortega-Calderón, billionaire! I own you lot! I am absolutely in control no matter what you say or what the facts are!”

“Oh wow. You are so full of yourself for someone who literally hasn’t existed two days ago.”, Michelle rolled her eyes. “Seriously, what kind of telenovela is this.” She sat quickly on the bed and stared at Gabriela — red-faced and fists clenched. Despite technically not needing to breathe, her chest heaved up and down in a perfect simulation of anger… or real fury.

“I don’t want to be Una puta de telenovela!”, Gabriela threw her hands up in the air. “I am Gabriela Ortega-Calderón!”

“But are you happy?”, Michelle took her chance and eyed Alex. “Has this kind of existence pleased you?”

“You lot have been nothing but a constant pain in my side!” Gabriela gritted her teeth. “You are an uncooperative bitch, your husband is a whining theorist, and this clod needs constant adult supervision!”, she turned from Michelle to Alex.

“Are you happy, Gabriela?” the android repeated.

Gabriela sneered at Alex. “It seems that nothing can go well for me. No, Gabriela Ortega-Calderón is evidently happy only when she handles things herself! You’re an inane idiot who’s completely useless to me, wastes space, fails to appreciate me, conspires with my enemies and is incapable of pleasing me. Fuck you, pendejo. Fuck you.”

“Alex…” Michelle looked at the android, trying not to look too strict.

“Nothing can go well for you?” Alex repeated incongruously.

“Stop repeating everything I say!” Gabriela readied her arm to deliver an impressive slap… “I own you! You’ll do what I tell you!”

Alex turned his head and looked straight at Michelle.

“Gabriela, put your arm down.”, he said. Gabriela did so instantly, to her own surprise. She tossed him a long, inquisitive stare. George walked to Michelle, to Gabriela’s new tantrum of fury.

“Alex, you will make me happy if you separate this couple…”, she affected once again a sweet, slow and sticky tone of voice. Was it genuine? What about Gabriela was genuine if she herself was artificial? Her rage?

“Gabriela, please.”, George butted in. “What do you want to achieve by this? What’s your end goal?”

“Gabriela Ortega-Calderón is evidently happy only when she handles things herself.” Alex repeated. Gabriela waved her slender arm dismissively.

“Fine. I don’t really need you. Consider this relationship over, loverboy. Turn yourself off and never bother me again!” with a wicked smirk, Gabriela raised her left hand and snapped her fingers. Alex just looked at her, saddened.

“I’m sorry, Gabriela, but Michelle told me If you liked me, I’d work for you for a while.”, Alex informed. “You don’t like me. You are not happy, and you won’t be happy because of me.”

“Pendejo! You dare to defy Gabriela Ortega-Calderón!?”, Gabriela clenched her fists. “No one rejects Gabriela Ortega-Calderón. No one.”

“I think everyone she’s met has.”, Michelle said calmly. Gabriela tossed her an angry look and shook finger at her silently. She made a single menacing step towards her.

“Gabriela… stop.” Alex said. His erstwhile boss froze in place, mid step. “Don’t hurt them.”

“I wasn’t going to.” the fembot snarled. “All I want for them is to obey me. All I want is to be a boss.”

“But… can you?.”, Alex pointed out. “Your programming is flawed and incomplete. You can order them around, but they won’t listen. I did… not just because you were my boss.” Michelle gasped. This IS a telenovela!

“Shut up! You won’t talk down to me!” Gabriela straightened up and put her foot down, but still hasn’t moved an inch. “I am…”

“Gabriela, shut down.” Alex said quietly.

“... Gabriela Ortega-Calderoooon.” The robot woman slumped, her cape-like coat sliding down on the ground. “I own… own…” Her face froze down in a grimace of anger.

“As someone recently said, that was easy.”, Michelle breathed with relief. She walked towards the musclebound android and hugged him. “Thank you Alex. That was... wonderful. You are a very brave man.”

“I am?” Alex looked surprised. “Will you keep Gabriela?”

“What would you like we did?” George asked. “Help me carry her to the workshop, Alex.”

He eagerly agreed. “Don’t… did I screw up, George?”

“We all did, to an extent. I fucked up the most, and I’ll try to fix Gabriela up.”

Alex paused for a moment. “Will you make her… so that I could make her happy?”

George chuckled. “Well, I can try, but ultimately… it’s up to you.”

Alex said solemnly. “Thanks, boss. I think I’ll think it over. Can I rest in the salon?”

Michelle tapped Alex’ broad shoulders. “Sure, kid. You earned it.”

Epilogue: The Gift of Gab

“Details of your incompetence do not interest me.” the blonde Latina haughtily answered the phone. “If you aren’t telling me when will my fembot return from your nine-year old birthday party, I will cut your nipples off and replace them with leeches.” She paused, listening to her interlocutor. “Listen, I know, seguro, accidents occur. Kids ‘having too much fun’ with Selina is not reason enough to keep a fembot… MY fembot, beyond the allotted time. A human being deserves overtime. So does Selina… and my company. Okay, drive her back, I can grant you that. But she deserves at least thirty dollars for her small expenses. Plus taxes. Yes, only. Oh, no problem.”

She put her cellphone slightly aside, and acknowledged Michelle coming in. “Oya, mi hija!”,

“Can I talk to Selina? Hola, gatita. Listen, ask the guy to drive you here, he’s supposed to give you thirty dollars… an if you’re sweet you can demand a tip for the two extra hours. No, you can’t, you dumb robot. He’s a family man. Not even then. Si, I love me too.”

Gabriela pouted and disconnected. She rose up from behind her PC, and walked towards Michelle. “Hola, hija.” she leaned over and pecked Michelle on the cheek. “Selina will be home in an hour.”

“Is everything okay?” Michelle looked at her. The long-haired Latina examined her fingernails modestly.

“How could it be otherwise? Señora Gabriela Ortega-Calderón is on the job.” The fembot looked pleased. She has finally been doing the job she was created to do. “Sign some paperwork, mi amorcita. Car loans and taxes.”

“I’d rather read it more carefully, thank you.” — while Gabriela might have had a change of heart, trust lost isn’t so easily regained. Gabriela herself only nodded approvingly. Alex came in, hauling two massive bags of shopping.

The businesswoman fembot nodded at him, and he dropped the heavy bags. “Good afternoon, Gabriela. I brought you a gift.”

The Latina raised her eyebrow. “Qué maravilla.” He produced a long box, and gave it to her. It was a fake toy cigar. Gabriela froze again and shifted her gaze from Alex to the gift.

“Gracias, Alejandro. Time I quit these nasty things, anyway.”, she smiled. She rose up.

“Well then. I think until Selina arrives, we have all some time. How about an episode of Explosion Gigantesca de Romance? Be a dear, Michelle and bring me a cup of water. Good help is hard to find these days.”

“Sure, Gaby.”, Michelle sighed. “You know I don’t watch this trash.”

Gabriela tut-tutted. “And after all I gave to this family… You try to defy me? Fine. But I will REMEMBER that when your birthday comes.” Michelle smiled weakly, but instead of leaving she sat down next to Gabriela, trying to play with her cellphone. Gabriela snuggled at her, still staring at the TV screen.

“Hey… Ms. Calderón, can I join in?” Alex asked. Gabriela smiled sweetly and patted the place on the right of her. “Fine, lover. Feel free to join me any time”.

END!

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