Family Matters pt.3

Family Matters - Part 3

The bell rang as I descended the stairs. I could make out the silhouette of only one person at the door. Strange I thought, generally Security Division sends a team. Maybe they're waiting near the car. As I reached the door my cell began to ring. It was in my office where I had left it from earlier. The individual knocked on the door, rather than ringing the bell a second time. I hesitated for a second, then quickly turned to enter my office to grab my phone. Without checking the caller I answered; "Hang on please." Then I turned back around and sprinted to the door. I reached up and entered a code on the security monitor. The LCD bar read: "Recognized Human - Rachel Wilson" I was surprised, thinking it had been Cy-Gen Security that had arrived so promptly. I undid the locks and opened the door to see an impatient looking Rachel. However her look quickly changed to embarrassment upon seeing me in just my pajama bottoms. "Oh shit! Uhm... I'm sorry Mr. Keller." Rachel said, half turning away, then back to me. "Can I come in?" She hurriedly asked. "Sure. Why don't you wait by the stairs for a moment, I got a call as you knocked." I told her. Rachel quickly stepped past me without saying anything. As I brought the cell up to my ear, Rachel kept looking up the stairs and fidgeting. "Alright, Mark here. Thanks for holding." I said to the caller. "S'alright sir. Steve Malloy with Cy-Gen Security. We were delayed a bit, but were just about to your residence." Said the voice on the other end. "Great, uhm..hold back till..." I turned away from Rachel for a bit more privacy. "Actually, have two of your men go to the master suite via the back deck stairs and see to Larissa and Traci. You and another come in and wait in the foyer. I'll leave the door ajar. I have ... a guest." I whispered quietly, to avoid Rachel overhearing. "Understood."

I slid the phone into my pocket and turned back around to Rachel. She had ascended two stairs, was trying to pear up farther down the hall, and was looking quiet anxious. "Rachel, is something wrong?" She quickly turned back to me and I saw a hint of fear on her face as she cleared her throat. "Uhm .. I need to talk to Kristen and Traci!" "OK....is there a problem?" I asked again. She stared back at me for a minute as if to gather her thoughts. "My bad. I need to speak with Kristen really. She used my ...uhm..spa access and I need it back for in the morning." She said hesitantly. I folded my arms and stood there looking at her. "What?! I really need to see her. Please." She retorted. Taking a step towards her, her eyes changed focus and looked past me, through the window. "Damn." She said under her breath, then looked back at me. "Rachel, I'm not going to allow you to see either of them until I get the truth about ... what's really going on here." Rachel instantly slumped over and sat down on the stairs. Her hands went up to her face and she started to cry. "It's my fault Mr. Keller. It's all my fault. Arrest me if you want. Traci will probably never speak to me again." She sobbed through the tears that started to flow. I took a step towards her. "You mean Kristen's your android?" I asked puzzled. She nodded her head as she looked up at me. "What were you trying to do? Steal from me?!" Rachel sat up straight. "Excuse me?!..You think I would steal...use her to….to have Kristen....." She paused. "Mr. Keller, maybe were not on the same page here. Don't you know what happened? Kristen and Traci were having sex with each other!" She said bluntly. I cleared my throat, then leaned right down near her face. "Then what the hell was she babbling about? Some mission to complete and it's failure? Your toy freaked out Traci pretty good!" Rachel’s eyes started to tear up again. "I'm sorry." "Were you hoping to get to my finances or some of Cy-Gen's information?" Rachel crept back from my assault. "Cy-Gen?! No! No, no. You've got it all wrong. Her mission… was to spend the night and have sex with Traci! That's what I programmed her to do. I.....I needed to know that if Traci enjoyed it. Enjoyed Kristen, then maybe I wouldn't be afraid to have sex with her. Not your money....and...and you work for Cy-Gen Robotics? The robotics manufacturer? How come Traci never told me. I thought that you worked for....." And Rachel let it trail off as she put her hand up to her mouth and gasped. "Oh my God!" Then she started to cry again.

After Rachel's good ten minute cry she was finally able to compose herself enough to relax a little. Mr. Malloy and his team had arrived and secured the house. Two of his men were checking on Larissa and Traci, one was outside the door. Two others were roaming the property, and Mr. Malloy himself was upstairs in Traci’s room with the Kristen android. Upon their arrival I had him pull a background on Rachel. Something in the report was just too unbelievable.

"Rachel, you're a very smart and talented young lady. Schooling in Advanced Electrical theory. A Bachelors Degree in Nano Circuitry Technology, A.I. Programming, and Clinical Psychology, and the list goes on. Impressive." She looked up at me from the chair I had taken her to in the living room.

"Where's Traci and your wife?" She asked. I knelt down beside her, setting the paper on the floor. I took a deep breath, clasping my hands together. "She's in the bedroom up stairs with Larissa, I'll get Traci for you in just a moment." "Are you going to call the police?" Rachel interrupted me. "..Uhm..no, I'm not going to call the police." I raised my finger to stop her from another forthcoming question. "Two questions more please." She nodded. I could tell she was getting antsy again. "Matt and Eric. Are they involved in this in any way?" I asked, looking at her, into her dark brown eyes. "Nope! Their clean. Matt has high hopes to be my 'boyfriend,' but he hangs around mostly in hopes of a free hand out. See, my father left me a sizable inheritance when he died. Eric...he's infatuated with Kristen. They actually slept together about a week ago. She knocked his socks off. Rocked his world! She never tired of the sex, and he... well he fell asleep after an hour of her un-ending energy." She explained. I took a moment to carefully examine Rachel as she answered my questions. She was naturally pretty, yet something was off. My next question would hopefully satisfy my curiosity about all of this evenings happenings. Her expression as she moved, the little wrinkles at the corner of her mouth, the movement of her eyes. The subtle flaring of her nostrils as she breathed. She was very convincing.

"Thank you Rachel for being honest with me. You don't need to worry about Larissa or I pressing charges or taking action for what happened between Kristen and Traci tonight." I tried to reassure her. She smiled a soft smile. "Thanks, that means a lot. I really meant no malicious intent." She replied. I patted her on the shoulder to demonstrate my caring of the situation, and to ready myself for my last question. "Rachel, when was your last service maintenance performed?" Without turning she responded. "My last maintenance was completed four hundred thirty three days, twelve hours, sixteen minutes, and eighteen seconds ago by Maximillion S. Wilson."

She had confirmed my suspicions. Rachel was herself an android. Rachel finally turned to look at me after a rather long pause. "How'd you figure it out?" "Rachel, you're special. Do you know that? A long time ago your ... father Max had an idea. An idea that many others didn't share." I paused and she raised her brow in curiosity. "You see, you're sentient. A thinker. You have your own ideas, feelings, wants and desires. Aided by a baseline program of course. But from what I know, and what I've seen, you are the embodiment of Max's dream." I told her. She took a deep breath and turned herself more towards me head on. "But how did you know exactly? Where lies my flaw?" I reached for her hand. "Max's wife was barren. She could not conceive. He must have created you after her death, as a tribute, as his dream child, his last and greatest achievement. The background information on you is too perfect. Too good. You probably know everything he knew and more." I told her. "Uhm humm." Mr. Malloy coughed from the top of the stairs. "Pardon my interruption sir. We're clear and have checked everything. The android is not identified by the database. Your wife and ... uhm Traci are in your bedroom." I stood up and turned around to face him. "Very good Mr. Malloy. Find anything?" Malloy shook his head to the negative. "You and your team may leave. No harm was done, and . . .and I believe Miss Rachel here will make amends. Oh and Mr. Malloy. Hold your report till Monday morning please." I quickly added. He nodded in acknowledgment, "As you wish."

It was all of five minutes for the security team to pack up and leave, Rachel was patiently waiting at the top of the stairs as I came out from my office holding my padlink interface, and I decided to take a chance on Rachel not bolting. "Rachel, I'd like to share a secret with you." I told her as I ascended the stairs. "OK." "Let's go see Larissa and Traci." I suggested, holding my arm out to lead her down the hall. "Is it alright if I call you Mark?" I nodded an OK. "Mark, you're the only real person in the house aren't you? I'm guessing I haven't seen Traci and Larissa because you've de-activated them as a precautionary measure." I stopped and she turned to face me. "As I stated earlier. You're a very intelligent young lady, perceptive. . . .Yes. Just me, they're both prototype androids." Rachel raised her hand in protest. "Are you going to turn me over to Cy-Gen for study or dis-assembly?" Her sudden defensiveness caught me off guard. "Absolutely not! If that were the case we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. Look, I knew Maximillion Wilson before he died. I may not have seen eye to eye with all his ideas, but you Rachel . . .you can think for yourself. That's not something I want anyone to take away. I’ve worked to try to achieve that with Larissa and Traci. If Cy-Gen ever makes that decision to allow that type of programming. Rachel you befriended Traci, you thought she was human, you are her friend. You just wanted to know how Traci would re-act with Kristen. I understand that now. I watched every moment as you probably did. Rachel . . .you're to special to be disassembled and studied that way." I explained with sincere emotion as she stood there before me. Even I was a little surprise by my statement. She arched an eyebrow; "Soo . . .I'm free to go? I can re-activate Kristen and just leave?" "I won't stop you, but I'd wish you'd stay for a while." I told her. Rachel seemed to consider my answer, then abruptly turned the opposite direction and started towards Traci's room.

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