Dyson Family Values

Part 1

Neil quickly walked down the long, well-appointed lobby of the Dyson Institute. Most guys might have lingered to enjoy the view of the beautiful female patrons and the even more beautiful staff members. But this was hardly his first time here. The staff gave him warm smiles and long gazes unbefitting a pudgy young man. The women would’ve been less excited to see Brad Pitt stroll by. Neil tried to ignore the stares and shoved his hands deeper into the pockets of his Jeans. The attention creeped him out every time. He reached the reception desk and the girl practically jumped out of her chair with glee, “Neil Oh my God It’s great to see you I’ll tell Dr. Dyson you’re here right away.” Neil nodded and thanked the girl before tugging nervously at the front of his polo shirt. He should have worn a tie. She giggled and picked up the phone. It was a different girl than the last time, but then again it normally was. It was a good job to give girls who were having problems with their legs, he figured. He half expected to lean over and see the girl attached to the chair just below the navel. “Dr. Dyson is in the middle of a post-treatment consultation, if you could wait five minutes before heading back there, it’ll give her time to finish.” Neil knew enough to see through the euphemism. He checked the clock; he was 10 minutes early. He guessed she was trying to squeeze in another robotic romp before seeing him. He didn’t do a good job of hiding his distaste. The girl at the desk was unfazed, “If there’s anything I can do for you while you wait, don’t hesitate to ask, Neil. My name is Carly.” She grinned at him with her chest forward and left no doubt as to how broad her definition of ‘anything’ was. Neil rolled his eyes. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine.” Even if she was a machine, he considered it cheating on his girlfriend to sample the wares. And he didn’t care whether the receptionist was an AI or not, although by the syntax and contractions, he figured the girl used to be real. He corrected himself the way Dr. Dyson would, ‘used to be organic’. There were a few other women near the reception desk waiting, and Neil took the chair the furthest away from them. Even so, he noticed one of the women whispering to her friend while they both looked at him. The woman being whispered to rose her eyes in surprise upon hearing who Neil was. He gave them a wave and turned away. Bad idea, Carly was sneaking peeks at him. He grumbled and began staring at the ceiling. At least there weren’t any robotic women up there staring at him. About five minutes later Carly called him over, “She’s ready to see you now.” Neil got up, straightened his shirt, and walked through the solid doors to the left of the reception desk. The area beyond the desk didn’t look much different than the lobby, but it sounded different. Despite the soundproofing efforts, Neil could still hear the soft moans of robotic women, the whirr of new components being tested, and the occasional squeal of rapture. Thankfully, he didn’t have to go far. But the trip wasn’t short enough to avoid ramming into a woman zipping around a corner. Neither of them fell over, but Neil got a handful of naked boob as he braced himself for impact. The woman looked to be in her mid thirties, blonde with brown eyes. Instinctively, Neil looked down and saw her large breasts and toned, lightly tanned body with another tuft of blonde hair just above her pussy. “I’m sorry, sir. I should’ve looked where I was going. Is this the way to the lubricant flushing station?” Neil paused to untangle himself, bring his gaze to her face, and try to remember what’s in this area. “I think so. Last time I checked, it was up this hallway to the right. There should be a sign on the door.” She smiled and thanked him, completely at ease with her own nudity. “You’re the first man I’ve seen back here. I thought Dr. Dyson only hired women.” “As far as I know, that’s true. But I’m not on staff.” “I didn’t know they let husbands back here.” “They usually don’t, but I’m not a robot’s husband.” The nude blonde pressed on, intrigued by the sudden puzzle. “I haven’t heard of any male chassis, are you going to transfer into a female body?” Neil had his fill of her, “Nope, now if you’ll excuse me, I have to see Dr. Dyson.” The blonde got a big smile on her face with a hundred-yard stare and absently ran a hand against her left thigh. Neil realized that there weren’t any other doors behind her except the door he was headed toward. The blonde must have been the reason for the delay. Yet another reason to cut off this conversation. But she had recovered and placed a hand on his arm, “OK, I give up, tell me your story.” Neil sighed, “If you’re going to live as a robotic woman, you’re going to need to learn to keep secrets and respect secrets being kept.” He knew the real answer would lead to a longer conversation. The blonde smiled even wider at being called a robotic woman and moved her hand to her paplexus panel. Neil took the opportunity to get around her. She turned to watch him leave, “I’ll see you around, then. Give my regards to Dr. Dyson ” Neil gave a half-hearted wave and entered the office without knocking. And there was his mother, sitting behind her desk in nothing but blue lingerie beneath an unbuttoned lab coat. Dr. Elaine Dyson lifted her head and smiled broadly before putting down her pen and buttoning up. “Neil I’m so glad you were able to stop by. Come on over here and give mommy a hug.” Neil reacted the way you’d figure a 23-year-old would react to his mother wanting a hug and a kiss: with a large degree of highly visible discomfort. But still, he returned the hug and didn’t freak out when she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Hi Mom, everything going well?” Dr. Dyson led them over to the couch, but Neil declined to sit down. He couldn’t be sure what had been going on atop the sofa just ten minutes before, and didn’t want to be musing upon the subject. So mom got the couch and Neil got out a folding chair. “It’s going superbly, Neil. We just had a consult with the first lady of France. That could be the one client who gets better upgrades than me. So your father and I might be spending our 25th anniversary in Paris as personal consultants to the first lady. I guess I’ll have to brush up on my French.” Neil nodded along, as usual a little uneasy about how his mother’s synthetic women were so close to so much political and economic power. Even if it was his mother, Such control over so much authority must have been a temptation. “But what about you? How’s my little executive?” Neil rolled his eyes, “C’mon mom, you know I’m still in my first year at Stanley. I don’t even have a title yet.” “Exactly, you don’t have one yet, but I’m sure you’re going to just zoom ahead. Not as fast as if you took a job here, of course.” Neil groaned, “It’s bad enough visiting with everyone knowing I’m your son. I couldn’t handle working here every day.” “Yes, what a trial it would be to have beautiful female androids at your beck and call all day. You know, we just converted a girl last week who would be perfect for you. She’s the sweetest young thing. Red hair, studying to be a dentist, and dimples you wouldn’t...” Neil cut his mom short, “Please mom, stop trying to hook me up with your sloppy seconds.” It was a little cruder than he might have liked, but his mom had been trying to set him up with newly roboticized women for almost as long as newly roboticized women existed. Dr. Dyson merely chuckled at her son’s rebuke. “I’ll have you know that I haven’t been with her yet. Although she did opt for the enhanced oral package, so she should...” “MOM ” Neil said, a little frustrated, “I’m really not interested in talking about that sort of thing with you.” Elaine smiled warmly, “such a proper gentleman, I don’t know where you get it from.” It wasn’t the first time Neil had heard that, and it was such a ‘through the looking glass’ thing to say, expressing bemusement that your son isn’t as promiscuous as you are. “Probably too much television, but that does lead in to why I came here. Mom, I’m getting married.” Dr. Dyson gasped and nearly screamed with delight at the news. While she suppressed the vocals, she couldn’t help but leap across the room and give her son a hug. “Congratulations Oh my goodness, this is such fantastic news I can’t wait to meet her, tell me all about her. Have you decided on a date? Does she need bridesmaids? How did you two meet? Wh-wh-what does she do for a liiiiiving? How-how did you propose?” Dr. Dyson saw error messages flash across her head’s up display. The excitement had overwhelmed even her own top-of-the-line systems. She stopped talking, fluidly went back to her seat and unbuttoned the middle of her lab smock. A panel below her ribcage recessed and retracted. She then took a fingernail and manipulated a small dial inside. That decreased the simulated adrenaline response in her systems. And just as smoothly, the panel went back into its proper position and the edges faded into invisibility. Neil watched quietly as his mother composed herself the way an android does. It hadn’t been so long since the sight of his mother without one of her panels made him cringe and turn away. Now it barely registered with him. Dr. Dyson took a deep simulated breath, blinked rapidly and vocalized, “Response routine overridden, resuming normal operation. “I’m Sorry, Neil. I got a little excited there. But I’m so happy for you. When do I get to meet my new daughter-in-law? You’ll have to give me lots of pictures so we can mock up her head and torso.” Neil frowned, “No, Mom. That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. I don’t want you or anyone else turning her into a robot.” Elaine looked visibly shocked, and speechless beyond that. “Neil, I... don’t know what to say. This is the perfect female existence, the ability to be optimized for her, and your, pleasure. I don’t see why you wouldn’t give her the option.” “I’ve heard the mantra before, mom. I love her just the way she is, and I don’t want her optimized or convinced that she needs optimizing. And I need to be sure that she loves me, and she’s not just programmed to love me.” He stared her down, dead in the eye. It wasn’t a conversation he had been eager to have. “That’s not how it works, son. You know that.” “All the same, I’d rather not be married to someone with a brain designed by my mother. And I’d rather she not be obsessed by her own body.” Elaine was a little hurt by that. Neil had called her a narcissist on many occasions since she revealed to her family what she had been working on and what she had become. She had thought all the reservations he developed had been ironed out. “Neil, you know I only want what’s best for you.” Neil stood up, “No, you want what’s best for you. It’s why you ditched us and worked on turning yourself into a happy little windup toy.” If he wasn’t already so on edge, he wouldn’t have brought that up. His mom and dad had separated for two years, but hadn’t gotten a divorce. His father had welcomed Elaine back, but Neil wasn’t quite as willing to forgive the absence. Dr. Dyson knew she wasn’t going to get anywhere with Neil, “OK, I’ll respect your wishes. Your father, sister, and I are still invited to the wedding, aren’t we?” Neil calmed down a bit with his mother’s response, “Of course you are. It’s going to be in May, probably the third Saturday. Zoe wants to have it at St. John’s Cathedral downtown.” “Ah so my daughter-in-law-to-be is named Zoe.” The smile had crept back onto Elaine’s face. Neil smiled back a little, “Yes, I met her at work, she works in accounts payable. You’ll like her.” “I’m sure I will.” Dr. Dyson and her son said their goodbyes and Neil left. They both realized it was best to leave on that note rather than possibly get worked up again. Although, the modification Dr. Dyson had performed made her relatively mellow for the moment. She reached back into herself and reset her emotional responses to their base parameters. Then she flipped through the big file, the list of every android currently in operation. Of course, it was a spreadsheet and not a stack of paper, but the motion was similar. She scanned the list at great speed before finding the woman she was looking for.

VX9348 - Camilla Taylor - Manager, Accounts Payable Department, Stanley Enterprises

Neil was on his way into the reception area when he heard a voice behind him, accompanied by the sound of rapid footsteps “Neil Wait up ” It was his sister bouncing down the hallway. And he did mean bounce; Jessica had a substantial pair of breasts beneath her gray tanktop. He tried not to notice, though. Despite the sprint, Jessica wasn’t breathing heavily. No sense in keeping up the illusion back here.

Neil smiled, “hey there, Tin Tits. How are things?” Jessica scrunched up her face and punched her brother in the arm. “They’re good, meatbag. I can’t believe you were going to leave without saying hi to your sister. Carly had to give me a call.” Neil shrugged, “I had to talk to Mom about something. Actually, I might as well tell you too; I’m getting married.” Jessica squealed and jumped up and down, bright red hair flying everywhere, before punching her brother again, “you were going to leave without telling me that? You asshole.” “Cybercunt.” “Ugly bag of mostly water.” Neil sighed. He had the world’s hottest trekkie as a sister. “We’re not getting married until May, and I was going to tell you Saturday.” Neil and Jessica had a standing, monthly movie date for a Saturday matinee. It was a nice brother/sister bonding ritual they had done for years. In college, Neil had driven home for the weekend, five hours each way, to keep their monthly date. Jessica couldn’t contain her smile, “Can I be a bridesmaid? Pleeeeease let me be a bridesmaid.” She clasped her hands together in a begging pose, which only served to increase the length of her cleavage. “Maybe all her bridesmaids can be android women, and we can wear silver bridesmaid dresses and it would be soooo hot even if most of the people there won’t get it.” Jessica looked like she could bounce right out her clothes in excitement over the idea. Neil had to remind himself that this was his sister, even if she was inorganic now, and enjoying the jiggling wasn’t right. “We’ll see. Zoe and I are on step one of this thing and that’s step twenty or so.” “Well, congratulations, big brother.” Jessica leaned over and gave her brother a kiss on the cheek. “Have you told her about android women yet? Mom would’ve told me if she was already one of us.” Neil tried not to let his sister see how much ‘one of us’ bugged him, “No, and I want to be the one who tells her, so no hunting her down and spilling the beans, ok?” He didn’t feel like getting into a fight with Jessica over Zoe not becoming an android woman. His explanation would keep the issue up in the air until later. Jessica gave him an ‘OK’ sign and kept smiling. Neil had to reluctantly admit she was happier this way as opposed to the overweight teenager with acne and stringy brown hair. Sometimes though, the difference was so stark he wondered if it was all Jessica inside there. “Listen, since you already know we’re getting married, how about I bring Zoe along for our matinee of the month?” Jessica stopped for a moment. This was usually just something the two of them did. “Sure, I’ve already got that time hollowed out in my schedule, we can make that happen.” Neil could sense his sister’s reticence, “Are you sure it’s fine? We can always do it later, have you and mom meet her at the same time.” “No, this will work out better. Just don’t be surprised if I show up in that silver fancy dress.” They both had a laugh at that. “I have to go supervise a stress test, so I’ll see you on Saturday, OK?” Neil nodded at his sister as she sprinted back the other way down the hallway. He desperately tried to think of something unsexy that she could be stress testing, and similarly hoped Jessica would be on the sidelines and not at the center of the festivities. There’s nothing quite so scarring as seeing your little sister partially disassembled and participating in a test of an android anus with a big fake cock ramming into it and her screaming for more. He smacked himself across the face to knock the image loose and exited the institute.

Part 2

Camilla Taylor leaned back in her chair and lazily fiddled with her open paplexus panel. She especially enjoyed playing with the cable snaking from above her pussy, up through the desk, to the back of her laptop. The text export software Dyson had given her made typing up these reports so much faster and infinitely more enjoyable. Plus it was such a turn-on to know people could see the end of the cord plugged into her laptop, without knowing the other end was connected to a synthetic woman. It felt so naughty to be in her office with her skirt hiked up. She never would have considered being in such a state in here before that trip to the Dyson Institute. She stopped producing text in order to revel in the memory. That first glimpse inside an android woman. Seeing her face on a disembodied robotic head talking and smiling back at her. Laying down on that couch and waking up with those now-familiar status reports in her vision... Camilla had to cut the orgasm sequence short. There were limits to what she would let herself do during working hours. She pulled her skirt back down, but left the cord plugged in. Although the keystrokes weren’t being registered, she went through the motions of typing with her hands while the actual text was being inputted at a much faster rate. Camilla finished the bulk of the day’s paperwork in short order. With that done, she punched a few keys on the phone to call in one of her subordinates, “Dana, I’d like to see you, please.” A minute later, a tall brunette wearing a nicely made coffee-colored suit entered Camilla’s office. Camilla smiled, “Lock the door, Dana.” Dana smiled back and complied. She confidently walked over to the desk and gave Camilla a kiss. They weren’t frequent lovers, but –working so closely together– they were very friendly. Dana was the one who ended the kiss, taking a seat on the other side of the desk. Camilla leaned forward, “So, I heard someone is running off solid-state memory now.”

Dana grinned and began opening up her blazer and blouse. “That’s where I was this weekend, getting some upgrades along with my 3000 mile oil change.” The two android women laughed softly, Dana at a bit of a higher pitch in more of a giggle. As organic women, Dana had been 24 to Camilla’s 37, although those were largely meaningless numbers to them now. “Congratulations on your three-month anniversary, then.” Camilla said. “Mine is next week, so I wanted to get the skinny on what’s available.” Dana pulled back the sides of her top, revealing her naked, bra-less breasts. She had elected to keep her barely-there chest in the end, feeling anything more would bring too much attention to her change and force a wardrobe overhaul. She tilted her head back and downright purred as the seam appeared down the middle of her sternum and her chest clicked open. Camilla disengaged her laptop link and went to the other side of the desk to take a peek inside. She opened up the brunette’s chest fully and gently pushed some wires and tubes to the side. Dana said nothing, instead softly smiling at her open chest and her boss examining her perfect android nature. Camilla spotted the new memory drive. She loved how the Dyson engineers had given it a pink casing in contrast with all the black and silver around it. Although there were no tactile sensors around it, Dana couldn’t suppress a moan as Camilla ran a finger along her new memory core. All her memories, her personality programming, and the extra programming bestowed upon her by the Dyson Institute were inside that brick. Camilla could feel herself getting hot too around this exposed synthetic woman. She leaned in for a kiss, but paused as a message flashed in her head’s up display. Dana had puckered up, but got concerned when her boss didn’t finish coming in. “Mrs. Taylor? Is everything alright?” Camilla blinked and extracted herself from Dana. “Yes, I believe so. I got a page from Dr. Dyson. I need to make a call. Close yourself up and return to your desk.” Dana folded her chest back in and watched the edges melt back together. She loved seeing that. She would’ve loved some more robo-fun with her boss, but when Dr. Dyson says jump, you jump. Besides, it’s not like she could really hold a grudge nowadays. While Dana continued to get back into working shape, Camilla sat down and opened a triple-password protected folder that contained analyses of all employees under her supervision with estimates for conversion success. Truthfully, the page hadn’t been marked as ‘urgent’, but this was like getting a call from the President, it immediately became a priority for you. The page was also empty of specifics, but if Dr. Dyson wanted candidates for transformation, Camilla would be ready. Dana finished buttoning her shirt, and checked her hair in a mirror on the wall. “OK, I’ll leave you to your call. Please extend my gratitude to Dr. Dyson for all her exquisite work.” She smoothed out her skirt in a fashion that let her linger on her own manufactured legs longer than necessary. Camilla nodded and shooed Dana out of the room, who made sure the door locked behind her. Camilla picked up the phone and dialed the Dyson Institute, plus a five digit extension. “Hello, this is Unit VX9348. Security code Foxy Unicorn Tango twenty-two.” She was nervous about calling the head honcho herself, even if they had shared a long ‘testing session’ together soon after VX9348 went online. She could swear her heart was pounding, even though she could see that her simulated pulse was within normal parameters. “Code accepted,” the voice at the other end replied, “please hold for Dr. Elaine Dyson. If this is not the party you wish to contact, please hang up and try again.” VX9348 calmly waited and listened to the phone ring. Her face was a mask of passivity. It rang 13 times before someone answered. “Hello, this is Dr. Dyson.” “This is unit VX9348, you sent me an alert. How can I help you?” Dr. Dyson put the phone to her chest, but VX9348 could still hear her. “Stephanie, could you please come back later? I promise I’ll thank you properly for the cunt-licking.” VX9348 heard some rustling before Dr. Dyson began speaking directly into the receiver. “Camilla, I’m so glad you could get back to me so quickly. How are your systems functioning?” “I’m functioning well within my design parameters.” “Now Camilla, don’t be coy. Tell me how much you enjoy being an android woman.” Camilla felt more like herself and at ease after Dr. Dyson’s friendly prompting.”My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. I’ve never felt so good so consistently for so long. And my productivity is up by so much. Words can’t describe how much I appreciate you giving me the chance at this perfect existence. A perfect android life. “And I’d be remiss if I didn’t relay the message that Dana Moss feels the same way.” Dr. Dyson recognized the name both from the long list of women associated with Stanley Enterprises and from the appointment book for last week. “I’m glad to hear both of you are enjoying yourselves. But that’s not why I asked you to call. I want you to arrange for someone to be introduced to the synthetic way of life. She works in your department. Her name is Zoe.” Camilla only had one girl named Zoe working for her, but she thought it was weird for the head of the Dyson Institute to target someone specific in her department but not make the offer herself. She checked Zoe’s file to make sure, but there was another thing that made it odd. “Yes, I have her file here. Zoe Baker, age 23. To tell you the truth, Dr. Dyson, her profile indicates she’d be a poor candidate and unlikely to take advantage of the opportunity to become robotic if offered. Of all the girls on this floor, she rates as the second least-likely prospect.” Elaine paused and thought it over. She had been hoping for better news. Still, Neil deserved a robotic wife, even if he didn’t know it yet. “It’s important for the Institute that she accept the offer. I’d like you to design an introduction scenario optimized for her. I’ll give you the number of the fabrication department here for any assistance you require.” The other synthetic woman was rightly puzzled. The standard operating procedure for recruitment had always been to search for low-lying fruit. Production and maintenance capacity was such a limiting factor that they could run at full tilt with just those candidates. And now that she thought about it, Dr. Dyson hadn’t even given her a last name. “Dr. Dyson, may I ask why she’s so important? She doesn’t seem to have any special talents or important familial relations. There are many other girls we’d have better chances with.” Dr. Dyson almost said ‘no familial relations yet’ in response, but kept it to herself. “I can’t tell you why she’s important, but rest assured, she is vital to the long-term health of the Institute. If you cannot do this for me, I can find someone else at Stanley more appreciative of the gift I’ve bestowed upon them.” VX9348 got tense again, “I will come up with a plan, ma’am. Would you like me to review it with you before implementation?” “Yes, of course. But I’d like this to be done quickly. Please have a plan to me by Monday.” Elaine didn’t think her son had told his fiancée about the Institute’s true purpose, especially without an android female nearby as proof. She wanted to make sure her side got to make their case first. And preferably be the only case made. VX9348 responded, “Affirmative. I will have the plan finished on time. May I enlist the help of other units in my office for assistance?” Dr. Dyson considered this, “Yes, I think you should. I look forward to hearing your plan. Goodbye, Camilla.” “Goodbye, Dr. Dyson.” Each synthetic woman hung up the phone on their end. Camilla leaned back in her chair and tried to process what had just happened. Or more accurately, what had just begun. She reached for the phone again and contacted Dana. “Dana, come here. There’s a special project I’ll need your help on. Get Ava, Katie, and Christine in here too, if they’re available.”

Part 3

Neil returned home to find his wife-to-be fixing them dinner. Even in sweats and an old T-shirt, seeing her made him grin like a mad man. He snuck behind her, wrapped his arms around her midsection and nuzzled her neck and the dark hair covering it. “Wow, what did I do right to deserve a total babe who also cooks.” Zoe put down the spoon and turned around to give Neil a kiss. After a quick one, she retorted, “It’s just hamburger helper. I’d love to see what you’d do if made a meatloaf.” “I’d explode.” They both chuckled. “I had one helluva day. I told my mom and Jessica about the engagement.” Zoe turned back to stir the pan of ground beef and noodles. “How’d they react to that announcement? Considering they still haven’t met me.” That was still a sore subject between them. Neil had been reluctant to expose Zoe to his... abnormal family. Zoe was an only child raised by her father and she craved being part of a traditional family unit. Too bad the Dysons were far from traditional once you got past the mom, dad, and two kids. Neil walked to the apartment’s bedroom to take off his work clothes. “My mom was pleased; my sister is already planning the wedding ceremony. I think she’s going to walk down the aisle as a bridesmaid whether we want her to or not.” Zoe took out two place settings and laid them out on the small breakfast nook table. “That’s fine with me; I’m going to need all the help I can get.” She went back to the stove and came back to the table with a trivet and the skillet of dinner. She set it down and realized she had almost forgotten the crushed red pepper Neil loved on Italian-style dishes. The water got poured right as Neil came back out in a T-shirt and shorts. He gave his fiancée another kiss before they sat down. “Betty Draper couldn’t have done better,” Neil said as he scooped himself some food. “I’m hoping our marriage turns out a little better than that, sweetie.” Neil laughed and the two of them continued to chat idly over their romantic dinner.

Camilla took her seat at the head of the table. The group had all left, and then come back well after hours so no one would notice them or disturb them inside a company meeting room. In terms of Stanley enterprises, she wasn’t the most senior employee in the room. In terms of Dyson, she wasn’t the longest-operating android woman. But Dr. Dyson had put her in charge.

There were three other android women at the table and two men who had android wives and were almost as willing as the women to help the Institute. Most of them knew who Zoe was, but only Ava had interacted with her outside of the office. It was one of the many problems Camilla faced. “OK, let’s get this started. We’re here because Dr. Dyson would like to see Zoe Baker join us as a synthetic woman. If anyone knows why, I’d be happy to hear it, because my analysis says she’s a poor candidate, and Dr. Dyson wouldn’t explain it to me.” The people at the table looked at each other for answers and got none. Except for Katie, who was reliving on her face a pleasant experience with the Doctor. Ignoring Katie, Camilla continued. “So we’re going to have to go to greater lengths in order to convince her. Part of the reason she’s not a good candidate is that we don’t have much data on her. We’ve got the basic biography down, but not the really personal stuff that would make this recruitment a slam dunk. She’s not married. She seems to have a healthy body image, but not overly so. We’re getting that mostly from appearance analysis. She dresses smartly, but not expensively. Ava chimed in, “that’s the impression I’ve gotten. She’s very comfortable with her life. She has a serious boyfriend, although there doesn’t seem to be any angst there to latch onto. My best guess is that she’s also sexually conservative, which doesn’t help us.” “She doesn’t surf the Web at work enough to get any information,” Camilla continued, “and no personal effects except some silk flowers.” Greg sighed, “Shit, how bland can you be? Just tell Dr. Dyson she can’t be recruited and let’s go on with our lives.” Camilla rolled her eyes, “I’ve tried explaining this to Dr. Dyson, but the request stands.” Katie had recovered and was back in the conversation, “I don’t think this is as hard as we’re making this. Being an android woman is clearly better. We don’t need to trick her or anything, just show her the truth and give her the opportunity to be a perfect, synthetic female.” Camilla appreciated the point about not needing to trick her, “Normally I’d agree, but if she flips out once one of us flashes an open panel, the game is up. Maybe she even convinces a cop to come investigate us. You can’t throw a rock in this building without hitting a synthetic woman or someone else who knows about the Dyson Institute.” David finally chimed in, “How about you take her out, go dancing or whatever it is synthetic women do as a group.” There were a few giggles, considering what android women love to do together. “OK, not that, but make her feel like one of the girls. Maybe you steer the conversation in a way that makes her think about robots. Prep her before you do the reveal.” Greg followed up, “Dress up really nicely too. Make her feel like she isn’t pretty enough. Be catty behind her back but within earshot. Exaggerate the amount of work you do in a day. If you can’t convince her a synthetic body would be better, convince her that staying in her current body is worse.” Camilla thought that Greg was an asshole, but she should probably incorporate that into any plan. The directive was to bring her into the fold, not preserve her self-esteem. “Then it’s settled. Ava, Dana; get together at some point tomorrow and invite Zoe to a night on the town. If you can get her to go on a shopping trip beforehand, I’ll authorize it for you. Unfortunately, I don’t think partying with the boss will get her to loosen up.” They all chuckled at that as the table emptied. Dana, who hadn’t talked during the meeting, quietly headed to the door before Camilla could catch up with her. “You were awfully quiet in there.” Dana shrugged, “I couldn’t help thinking of Gretchen. Two kids, husband ran out on her, diabetes, bad knees. If there’s anyone we should be helping it’s her, not someone who can’t immediately appreciate the gift being presented to her. The boss smiled a little bit, “That was one part of the plan I didn’t need to go over. Gretchen talks to Zoe all the time. They’re both going to be extended the chance to become synthetic, and hopefully Gretchen’s happiness will be contagious. Dana got a big smile on her previously troubled face before giving Camilla a big kiss.

Neil and Zoe sat atop a short dividing wall in front of the theater, waiting for Jessica to arrive. They didn’t talk; they just sat enjoying the breeze and the shade provided by the big tree. Neil was a little nervous that Jessica would dress the way she normally dressed in public: sparsely. It was bad enough when he had to watch guys ogle his sister. He didn’t want to explain to Zoe why his sister was such an exhibitionist. Zoe, on the other hand, was more worried about making a good first impression on her fiancé’s sister. It was obvious to her that Neil loved his sister very much. Plus she wanted to fit into his family like a round peg in a round hole. She had been rehearsing an introduction in her head since they sat down. Neil was first to spy Jessica coming around the corner. He was thankful she was dressed tastefully. The top went down to just above her navel, and the neckline didn’t expose much cleavage, although it hugged her breasts attractively. She was wearing low-riding jeans, but those were in style. Zoe saw an attractive woman turn the corner and caught Neil staring. “Hey mister, no window shopping, you’re about to be a married man.” At that point, Zoe realized the woman was smiling and walking directly toward them. “Hi, you must be Zoe. I’m Neil’s little sister Jessica. It’s nice to finally meet you.” Neil had to fight off a snorting laugh at Zoe’s initial statement and subsequent speechlessness. Zoe couldn’t believe Jessica and Neil were siblings, they looked so different. Plus Neil’s stories of the two of them made Jessica sound kinda dorky. “Hi Jessica, I’m glad you could come.” Zoe smiled broadly and Jessica smiled back. Zoe was still a bit flabbergasted, but was regaining her composure. Jessica was calmly sizing up her future sister-in-law. And not just in the sense of taking high-res photos for later use in the construction of Zoe’s android body. Neil butted in to break the silence, “So Jessica, we wanted to wait until you got here before picking a movie. Any preference?” Jessica attracted some attention when she started bouncing with excitement. “Ooh The second Foundation movie came out last week, we should go see that.” Zoe furrowed her brow, “I haven’t heard of it.” Jessica was happy to explain, in detail, what Asimov’s Foundation Series was all about, with a little comment on how many top economists cited the psychohistorians as an inspiration for their later interest in economics. Neil was always amused when his sister geeked out like that. It was a nice dose of nostalgia in addition to an entertaining paradox when a model-hot girl started going on about Freeman Dyson (no relation). Zoe was a little less amused, “I’m not really a science fiction fan. How about that new Jason Statham romantic comedy?” Zoe’s eyes narrowed. Her brother was dating, nay, marrying a woman who didn’t enjoy science fiction? One who wanted them to watch a bleepin’ Romantic comedy? With that no talent assclown? Neil quickly stepped in. “How about a nice historical drama? I think there’s something about the French revolution playing.” Neil knew his women. Jessica enjoyed history, and Zoe enjoyed costume dramas. Sure enough, the two women agreed and Neil bought three tickets. Although the way the guy was ogling Jessica, maybe he should’ve let his sister get the tickets. She could have handed the guy a dollar and gotten change back. Inside, Neil left the girls alone to make a trip to the concession stand for all of them. There was a moment of silence broken by Jessica. “So... how old are you?” “Oh, I’m 23. My birthday was three weeks ago.” “Happy birthday.” “Thanks... You’re 20, right?” “Yup, just don’t check my driver’s license.” Jessica giggled a little bit at her own joke. Zoe smiled, but didn’t laugh. “So are you in school?” “No, I’m working with my mom, getting practical experience.” Zoe was puzzled, “They let you work at an engineering firm?” “Huh? No, I work at my Mom’s health spa.” “Neil said she was a nuclear engineer.” “She was, but the job was very stressful, so she and some friends opened up a health spa. They’re all much happier now.” Jessica had to bite her tongue as to why. “It’s a damn shame, a woman in the natural sciences being driven away like that. I mean, I’m glad she’s happy, it’s just that we need more female scientists.” Jessica’s cheeks got hot, thinking of all the women who now knew, through first-hand experience, enough about robotics to teach the subject at any university. “I understand what you mean, don’t worry.” If Neil hadn’t come back at that moment, Jessica might have blabbed. “OK girls, I’ve got a Sprite and Junior Mints for the pipsqueak, Diet Cokes for me and Zoe, and a jumbo bucket of popcorn for everyone.” “Actually, hold on to it dear, I need to make a visit to the little girls’ room.” Zoe leaned over the armful of goodies and gave him a kiss. “Here, take your ticket, we’ll meet you in the theater.” Zoe walked off and the Dyson siblings walked to the ticket taker. “You didn’t tell me your fiancé was a Luddite.” Neil sighed, “Oh please, so she doesn’t write fanfiction about Jean-Luc Picard in high school. It doesn’t make her a luddite.” Jessica would always regret showing him that story, “well, we’ll see if we can’t add some special programming when she comes in for her new body.” Neil cringed at the thought, even if the thought was of Zoe’s disembodied android head with a large fake cock in its mouth. He changed subjects, “So why were you late?” “I had a broken gasket.” “Doesn’t the ASU pick up on stuff like that?” It took Jessica a moment to realize the confusion, “Not in me, in the car. Doofus. I had to borrow mom’s car.” “She still have that 15-year-old Neon?” “Yup, I was sooo embarrassed. Not only as an advanced amalgam of robotic machinery, but as a daughter and a hot young girl who shouldn’t be caught dead driving that rust bucket.” The ticket taker was staring at them as they laughed. Jessica is the one who covered, “It’s an inside joke about Westworld.”

The movie passed without incident and Jessica declined their offer to have dinner. She had swapped in a smaller battery and added extra disk storage for her footage of Zoe and, frankly, the Foundation movie she had hoped to see. Zoe was a little sad that they hadn’t talked more, but said they’d arrange some girl time later. Jessica liked that idea more than Neil. In the car, Neil and Zoe chatted a bit about the movie. Neil decided not to ask for his future wife’s impression of his sister. The conversation dropped off until Zoe piped up. “Has your sister had work done?” Neil very nearly swerved into a street sign.

Part 10

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