Broken

Part 1

Saturday October 1, 2011

It's been about two weeks since Brittney Delacroix basically got fried from the inside out---and the fact that she's a gynoid like me doesn't really lessen the impact of having to write that sentence. Everyone at HQ has been staying low---all field ops have been run at a MUCH slower pace than usual, and I've actually been spending more time in class than out on assignments.

Don't get me wrong---it's not like I hate going to class, or anything....

….I just wish I could be out there, helping to keep Epsilon safe.

It's been...hard to accept. The idea that Epsilon is still Tony Sanderson, I mean....it's hard to picture something as horrible as being trapped in a dying body you can't fully control. Also, I've been seeing a lot less of Rae these past few days....ever since she freaked out about Brittney's damage back at HQ, she just sort of ran off somewhere. Still, there are a few good things to report---Kirsten's doing well, all things considered, and Mom hasn't followed through on her threat of making Ted sleep on the couch for not telling her about how badly I was damaged....

….still, it's kind of heart-wrenching to know that Epsilon is being hunted, and he doesn't even understand it.

As for the former ALPA Chairman.....

---

Vicki stared at the screen of her MacBook, unsure of whether or not she wanted to keep going with the diary entry for the day. She'd started at 3:30 in the morning, for some reason---more than likely, the fact that her nightly charging cycle (sleep, for normal human beings) was fretful, constantly interrupted, and not really giving her a restful feeling.

Most of that was due to the ALPA asking her to stay in one of the many apartment blocks funded by several of their higher-ranking companies in and around Silicon Valley---reports of “strange people” at SJSU had been circulating for a while. Given recent developments, HQ thought it best for Vicki to spend off-campus time at the apartment with other Agents. She'd considered rejecting the offer, until hearing that Rae Clarke had a room in the same building she was staying in. If I can talk to her before the weekend is up....

Of course, the biggest reason for Vicki's sleeplessness was Oberon---or, rather, the fact that he was currently in Europe, awaiting trial for his role in the Epsilon incident. The last time she'd talked to him, she'd left with more questions than answers...

With a quiet sigh, she guided her thoughts back to the present.

The DVS---formerly believed to be merely an advisory board for the Coalition for Worldwide Cybernetic Unity (or just the Coalition, for short)---had proven themselves to be a separate entity altogether. With Epsilon back in the spotlight, the DVS now had a trump card: the “Dragon”, Octavia---who, by means of a convoluted, inter-agency chess match, was poised to bring the hammer down on the Coalition and the ALPA, at the orders of her masters. Worse, the DVS apparently had their sights set on taking down Epsilon to cement their grip on power---with Octavia taking charge of that, as well, under the guise of wanting to protect the corporate assets of United Robotronics (the Coalition company she'd “inherited” from the Baron).

“And this,” Vicki realized, “is why I hate politics.” She saved the document file that contained her diary and set down the MacBook with a sigh. “Might as well go see how everyone else is handling their temporary new living quarters....”

She was halfway out of her room when she heard a moan from further down the hallway.

Reflexively, she tensed. Her progress down the corridor slowed, voluntarily, to a wall-hugging tiptoe.

Correlating source of noise. Interpreting---

She blinked away the second notice---realizing, half a second later, that she might very well be walking into a trap.....or something less potentially lethal and more embarrassing.

Three doors down, the moaning got louder, punctuated with heavy breathing.

Already beginning to realize that she wasn't dealing with a potential intruder (hopefully), Vicki edged towards the door, preparing her optical sensors to adjust to low-light conditions. Her fingers brushed against the door knob, closing around it as the moans from inside the room began to transition into a howl (though it sounded less pained and a bit more...pleasurable) she mentally ticked off a three-count before turning the knob, stepping forward as she pushed open the door....

….to find a nude, tanned female figure, barely concealed by bedsheets, atop another female on the sofa-bed inside the room. It didn't take a genius to realize this wasn't a case of the Heimlich maneuver gone awry.

“Rae?!”

The chestnut-haired figure stopped mid-thrust. “VICKI?!”

From beneath the sheets---and Rae---a second female voice gasped: “Vicki?!”

The brunette gynoid's eyes widened. “Kylie?!”

“CLOSE THE DOOR!”

“What the hell---” The half-hidden figure scrambled out from under the sheets. “What's Vicki doing here?!”

“...I was just---”

“CLOSE THE BLOODY DOOR!”

Rae's final shriek ended the......confrontation (Vicki couldn't think of anything else to call it that didn't sound insanely filthy), prompting the Field Agent to back out of the room, close the door, and take a moment to think of what she'd just seen. Rae Clarke---a fellow Field Agent and unabashed bisexual---was enjoying some...very intimate time with Kylie Lyndon---another fellow Field Agent, who also happened to be Vicki's former hall mate from SJSU. It took a fiftieth of a second for the brunette gynoid to put two and two together---a climax reached even faster with the sounds of panting on the other side of the door, a very satisfied cry and someone (probably Rae) rolling out of the bed and hitting the floor.

For a few seconds, nervous giggling, heavy breathing and the sound of a closet door opening were all Vicki could hear from within.....

“Okay, we're decent now. Might as well come in and see the two raging sex queens basking in the afterglow.”

The sarcasm-laced remark from Rae drew an annoyed groan from Vicki, but she opened the door and re-entered the room all the same. With the lights now on, she could see that Rae was wearing a pink silk negligé that showed off more cleavage than it should've, while Kylie was wearing a bathrobe, a hastily thrown-on bra and boxer shorts. Neither one looked particularly embarrassed; Kylie was blushing heavily, but she still met Vicki's glance. Rae, meanwhile, looked to have already overcome her shock at the intrusion.

“SO,” the tanned gynoid drawled, “I'm guessing you got bored with the TV channels on offer?”

“...something like that,” Vicki admitted. “And you two were.....”

“Remembering the good old days when Kylie was still 'just bi-curious', and I was....well, me,” Rae replied. “I still am, by the way.” She grinned. “I'm guessing she never told you about her 'phase' before?”

Vicki arched an eyebrow at Kylie. “She didn't, actually....”

“I was trying to keep a low profile!” Kylie groaned, falling back onto the sofa-bed. “Mom kept sending guys to my dorm room, trying to 'turn' me.....and then I met Rae.” She glanced at the chestnut-haired gynoid, finally allowing herself a smile. “The picture on the dating website didn't do her justice....and she wasn't pissed off that I'd used that one photo Mom said made me look like 'a construction worker at a Labor Day barbecue'....we hit it off on our first date!”

“And the third time we were in the sack,” Rae finished, “she pulled some trick with her tongue---”

Kylie giggled, while Vicki gave her an annoyed glare.

“....anyway....it worked a bit too well, and the big finish was a bit more....explosive than either of us expected. I had to have the whole back of my head replaced, and it took about fifteen or so phone calls before Kylie was calm enough to realize she hadn't damaged me that badly.” Rae sighed, heading for the mini-fridge; “We stayed together for a while after that,” she continued, grabbing a shot-glass and a decanter of amber liquid, “until Kylie got back a blood-test saying she might've had TS---Tzachor's Syndrome.”

“It's a heart condition,” Kylie added---ignoring Rae's decision to take a swig from the decanter. “People who have it aren't supposed to engage in....strenuous physical activity....” She glanced at Rae, who just rolled her eyes. “Turns out the test was a false positive,” the gynoid stated, “and we could've done each other like rabbits for years afterwards, but Kylie's mum was a bit less keen on that idea. Didn't help that the poor bird walked in on us doing the wild mamba on her couch one sunny afternoon, and damn near had a coronary on the spot.” She plopped down on the bed next to Kylie, offering a tanned shoulder for the human Field Agent to rest her head on. “We decided to stay 'just friends' after that, with the occasional romp for good measure.”

“That.....makes sense,” Vicki replied. “So all those guys showing up at your dorm room---”

“Friends. Just friends....and study partners, despite Mom's wishes to the contrary.” Kylie curled up next to Rae, embracing her with a blissful sigh. “Still, being with Rae helped me figure out a lot about my life at the time, like who I really was, who I wanted to be with....”

The chestnut-haired gynoid nodded sagely. “Just call me O-Komonan Du-mi....”

“Well,” Vicki declared, ignoring the bout of giggling from the two lovers, “I guess you want to get back to....what you were doing before I barged in here....”

“And let you walk off without offering our advice on the whole Octavia thing?” Rae countered. “I think not.” She patted down a spot on the bed; “Sexy time can always happen later,” she informed the brunette gynoid. “I think---and Kylie will probably agree with me---that you need someone to talk to....”

The phrase “hit the nail on the head” comes to mind..... “As a matter of fact, I do.” She glanced at a chair right next to the bed, before deciding to just sit on the bed next to Rae---which, not surprisingly, landed her in the path of a half-hearted neck-hold that ended with gynoids and human all laying on the bed together---two giggling, one mildly annoyed. “It's easier to talk shop when I'm comfy,” Rae breathed. “Keddy Bear knows that for a fact.”

A single look at the still-smiling Kylie was all the clue Vicki needed to ascertain “Keddy Bear's” identity.

“So,” the chestnut-haired gynoid continued. “The Octavia thing.....”

Vicki blew out an exasperated breath. “She hasn't made a single move against us since we first found out about her. Drake Bradford's gone off the grid, Brittney Delacroix is still in a ReVerse repair lab, and Oberon....”

An uneasy silence filled the room.

“...I still don't understand what happened with him. It's like....one minute, he was taunting me, trying to get me to fight him, and the next.....” Vicki rolled over, planting her face in the mattress. “I don't get it,” she muttered, her voice muffled by the bed. “It feels like he just....changed, completely, after the fight!” She lifted herself to a sitting positon; “I just.....thinking about it makes me feel like it was all some really, really bad dream,” she murmured. “Like the whole fight was something out of a movie....”

A horrible possibility hit her like a brick to the skull. “.....and he was just playing a part.....”

“Not possible,” Rae countered. “When Oberon gets obsessed, it's genuine. I've seen it before, babe---not you, Keddy, though we'll get back to the good part soon.” She massaged Kylie's shoulders, earning another giggle from the human Field Agent. “But like I was saying, when he gets this worked up, it's no act.”

“That's even worse,” Vicki groaned. “Why is he acting so different now?!”

Kylie let out a satisfied purr as Rae continued her deep massage. “Beats the hell out of me, Vicki....maybe this is something you're not really meant to know.”

“Well, I want to know. And this whole thing is really bugging me....”

“Then maybe you----oh, right there.......” Kylie let out a shuddering moan as Rae's hands worked her shoulder blades. “...maybe you should....let it rest for a while.....think about something ELSE----” The last word was a pleasurable gasp, followed by a relieved sigh as the chestnut-haired gynoid's fists kneaded Kylie's back muscles. “Oh, that feels good.....”

Rae grinned. “Never let it be said that I don't know how to relieve stress.”

“But you two just.....oh, forget it.” Vicki fell back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling again. “Maybe this really is something I'm not meant to know...”

“Some things are better off unknown,” Rae agreed. “Of course, in a relationship like what Keddy and I have, the more you know, the better.” She leaned in to kiss Kylie on the neck, earning a squeal of delighted giggling from her lover. “And if you're burnt out on the whole Oberon thing, we could always change the subject to something a bit less...well, current.”

Interesting way of putting it... “Fair enough. And if you two are...well, 'just friends'---”

Another giggle from Kylie cut her off. “I try to keep in touch with everyone I've been 'just friends' with,” Rae replied. “Some more....intimately....than others....” She rested her head against Kylie's.

“So, after Kylie got her back carved up----”

“Doctor's office first,” Rae clarified, “followed by my place for a soothing lotion rub and an ice treatment.”

“.....and after Dawley?”

“Sleepover with a few of the girls, and a two-foot diameter pizza from Domino's.” The tanned gynoid grinned at the memory. “And other times after those, obviously....not every visit ends with us doing the hunka-chunka, if you must know.”

“......fair enough. And you two are bunking together here because....”

Rae sighed, pulling Kylie closer to her. “It's a long, complicated and boring story, babe.....I needed a bit of a break, after that whole incident with Brittney Delacroix.” She shuddered in Kylie's grasp.

“She called me right after it happened,” Kylie added, stroking Rae's hair as the gynoid laid back. “It freaked her out, she needed a shoulder to cry on.....among other things....” She let out a low, quiet breath as she ran both hands through the tanned gynoid's chestnut-coloured locks. “I let her stay at my place for a while, and when HQ sent out the notice for us to move here until they gave the all-clear...”

Vicki sat upon the edge of the bed, glancing at the pair. “And does HQ know that you two....ah.....”

“As long as it doesn't interfere with our working relationship,” Rae purred, “nobody gives a damn.” Her limbs flexed as she yawned, prompting a smile from Kylie.

“Figured that.” The brunette gynoid stood, glancing back at Kylie and Rae as they settled into the disheveled bedsheets; “I'm guessing you two would like some personal time now,” she mused, “so....I'll be on my way, and all....you two will be okay on your own?”

Kylie shifted her position a bit, but otherwise didn't reply. “We'll be peachy, luv,” Rae assured her. “The minute she closes her eyes, it'll be off to dreamland for her, and a plug-in/conk-out for me...we've practically got a system worked out.” She grinned. “Keddy and I will be fine, Vicki...you could probably use a top-up yourself, though. Or at least a good nap.”

“Sleep won't help,” Vicki quietly replied. “I need.....”

The words to get out there and find Epsilon before the DVS does flitted through her processors, but she didn't speak them. HQ had given specific orders that no Field Agent was to act without authorization....a move, in all honesty, that was more than likely a direct result of her actions in Dawley two months prior.

“.....I don't know what I need right now.”

Before Rae or Kylie could reply, Vicki turned on her heel and headed for the door.

“Vicki, wait.”

Kylie's plea stopped the brunette gynoid in her tracks.

“I....I know it seems like this is too big for any of us to handle on our own,” she continued, “but....it's not. You've dealt with worse stuff than this before---we all have....” She didn't shy away as Rae's arms wrapped around her in another intimate embrace. “....and I know you can do this.”

The brunette gynoid sighed. “Thanks. I just...I don't want this to end in tears for all of us.”

“It won't,” Rae assured her, just as Kylie yawned. “I know I'm in no real place to guarantee anything, but I personally think you'll do just fine handling this. Keddy would agree, but...” She gestured to the now-snoring figure of the human Field Agent. “As you can see,” she whispered, “she's a bit preoccupied at the moment.”

“Guess you'll go for that 'plug-in/conk-out', now,” Vicki mused. I'll leave you to it.....and thanks for the talk.”

“Not a problem, babe.” With a sigh, Rae retrieved one end of a recharge chord; with a quiet utterance of the word “lights”, she dimmed the room's lighting. “See you when everyone else is awake,” she murmured, adding a typical saucy wink. Seconds later, she inserted the cord in her navel with a click, and her head bowed to her chest; Kylie, almost as if she knew her lover was now recharging, shifted in her sleep to drape an arm across the chestnut-haired gynoid's chest.

I need to ask those two about other...encounters of theirs, Vicki mused.

After locking the door and closing it behind her, the brunette gynoid returned to her own room. The fact that Kylie---her former hall mate---was in a very intimate relationship with Rae was....unexpected, but given Rae's proclivities, it wasn't that surprising. I definitely didn't expect her to be...partnering...with Kylie, though.

Regardless of who was sleeping with who at the moment, the talk Rae and Kylie had given Vicki was enough to calm her fears....for the moment, at least. She still had plenty of questions---chief among them being why Oberon went through a full 180 after fighting her (and Epsilon)---but at the very least, she was willing to wait for any answers to them. Two weeks without any calls related to Octavia or the DVS was....good, admittedly, but the wait was beginning to become unbearable.

Something would have to happen soon.

And I sound like I want something to happen, the brunette gynoid realized. Indeed, two weeks of being cooped up inside an ALPA-funded apartment complex was slowly becoming very annoying...not to mention having next to no updates on where Epsilon was and who or what might be looking for him.

Other than Octavia and the DVS, obviously.....

The newly-appointed head of United Robotronics had only appeared in the spotlight once since her face had shown up in Brittney Delacroix's memory files---a local news story on her appointment, which aired once in the middle of the previous week and hadn't really made much of an impact on most people. Whatever the case, it felt like nobody outside of the ALPA knew just how dangerous Octavia was. Then again, we don't know exactly how dangerous she is, either.....

A sigh escaped the brunette gynoid's lips as she opened the door to her room. Even as she lay back down on the bed, she almost knew that sleep would bring no new answers. If anything, she'd still be asking the same questions when she woke up---probably a few new ones, too.

With an eye roll and another sigh, Vicki found the charging cord for her backup power cells and hiked up her shirt to plug it in. “Guess all I can do now is hope for some clarity in the morning,” she murmured, her eyes faintly glowing as the recharge cycle began.....

….and her internal WiFi synced up with the MacBook, re-opening her diary.

---

…...as for the former ALPA Chairman, I don't know what's going to happen.

I'd say I don't care what happens, but....I do. This whole situation with Epsilon may prove to be too much for just the ALPA to handle alone---I don't know if the Coalition will step in, or if we'll have to ask the House to help us out. Either way, we can't do this by ourselves.....

---

The fact that her sentiments regarding the Epsilon situation echoed her own feelings, which she'd expressed to Oberon in person two weeks prior, wasn't lost on the gynoid Field Agent. Once again, a sense of uncertainty came over her---almost as if she didn't want to continue....

---

Either way, we can't do this by ourselves. However this gets finished, it needs to be finished.

Until next time, V.I.C.I/Vicki Lawson.

---

Even as she saved and closed the diary file, Vicki knew that it wasn't the last time she'd be thinking about how the ex-Chairman's actions would affect the entire ALPA. She lay back on the bed, closing her eyes and allowing her sleep cycle to take over. She'd have, at best, two hours of sleep before the day proper started; given her current mood, she intended to get the best possible rest she could before sunrise.

Entering sleep cycle....goodnight.

---

---

Part 2

“.....and you're positive we've had no leads?”

Octavia Martinet frowned as she went over the report that had been handed to her. The past two weeks had been....trying, in all honesty---not helped by the fact that all data stored in the building relating to Epsilon was now gone. Reading over the file she'd been given, she realized all too quickly that any and all leads on the one responsible for that data loss were rapidly drying up.

“I'm afraid so, ma'am.” Kendall---or at least, the Kendall unit pressed into service to replace the one whose cranial assembly had been crushed like a tin can by Epsilon---sighed. “It seems we've---”

Her sentence ended in a slight gasp---Octavia was staring directly at her.

“It seems rather....convenient,” the dark-skinned gynoid mused, “that our saboteur was able to remove all data relevant to our search for Epsilon.” Her tone and expression hadn't changed, but there was a clear note of what might have been anger in her words. “And she knew about the hidden server.”

Kendall pondered that for a moment. “She could've---”

“No other employee in this facility told her,” Octavia continued. “There are no records of the Baron giving her that information, and there are most definitely no records of her ever accessing that hidden server at any point before her....final act.” Her nostrils flared slightly as she exhaled a slow, measured breath---an act that both reinforced the illusion of humanity, and helped to circulate cooler air through her internals. “If the Baron's suspicions about her true allegiance can be proven.....” She let the words trail off as she leaned back in her chair, fingers steepled.

For her part, Kendall didn't care who Celine---the aforementioned saboteur---had worked for. The memories recovered from her predecessor gave no indication that the Baron's former secretary was any kind of threat to the security of the mission. Then again, she hadn't exactly interacted with the crimson-haired aide often....

“If you have any doubts about our mission,” Octavia intoned, “you'd do well to vocalize them.”

“I was merely....reflecting on why Celine had never been taken to task for her apparent transgressions in years past,” Kendall replied. “It seems she's made numerous smaller errors before-hand...yet the Baron merely gave her a warning.” She scoffed; “More often than not,” she added, a hint of disgust tinging her words, “she was given multiple 'vacations' and days off in the wake of suspicious activity!”

Her indignant remark drew a smirk from Octavia. “You're questioning the Baron's judgement now?”

Anyone else would've denied the fact, tried to change the subject or debated the point for hours on end. As it stood, Kendall wasn't about to fall into the trap her new superior had set. “If you mean that I'm questioning his repeated decisions to simply allow a potential saboteur to come and go as she pleased while she was still in service to him....yes.” She retrieved her smartphone and scrolled down through an itemized list. “I've also found many hours' worth of conversations between the Baron and Celine recorded by the building's security system, which----”

Midway through the sentence, she froze. “Oc...tavia,” she gasped, her lips twitching slightly. “What...”

“You're not going to tell anyone else what you've just told me,” the green-eyed gynoid calmly informed her lithe, blonde colleague. “And you're not going to file any reports on what you've found.” She rose from her chair, her gaze never leaving the other gynoid as she made her way around the desk. “I'd ask you to promise me you won't tell, but....to be honest, your compliance is irrelevant.” She plucked the phone from Kendall's grasp.

“Why....are you.....”

“Celine wasn't our only security risk,” Octavia murmured. “She wasn't even the first...”

Her gaze now settled on the smartphone. “You should be lucky I'm not deleting your memories right now,” she casually informed Kendall. “I could, if I felt like it---one simple command to your internal parser, and you'd be a blank slate in seconds.” Her lips parted in a friendly smile. “It would be a great thing if you forgot about all this,” she added. “The Baron has a habit of...cutting loose ends, if you catch my meaning---”

“I....can't...move,” Kendall gasped. “Why....”

“Oh, sorry....nearly forgot to mention. I shut off your ambulatory and motor functions. Just as a precaution, of course....wouldn't want you lashing out at me, or anything like that....” Again, Octavia smiled. “You know how it is. Standard procedure, and all that....” Her attention returned to the smartphone, where---with a few swipes of her finger---the logs detailing every incriminating conversation between Celine and the Baron were wiped clean in a matter of seconds. “If the wrong people found out about this, we'd both be in trouble.”

Kendall's eye twitched. “....you....can't....”

“You want to know something funny?” Octavia inquired. “You were originally requisitioned to work for Drake Bradford. After your predecessor was scrapped by Epsilon, there were orders given for you to be sent to his office...” She circled around the paralysed gynoid, looking over her lithe figure with every step. “It's...ironic,” she murmured. “Knowing that I am my own person, a unique individual with thoughts, feelings, hopes and dreams....and at the same time, fully understanding that I am a tool of the Baron, an artificial construct created solely for the fulfilment of his orders....you've never given much thought to anything like that, have you?”

“....I.....don't.....I need....to.....”

“Of course you haven't. Just as you never gave any thought to the bigger picture.” Octavia traced her finger across Kendall's shoulders as she circled the immobilised gynoid again. “You never think about the long-term, or plan for the end-game. You weren't designed to think that way.”

Something that might've been a tear made its way down Kendall's face. “....I.....”

“I don't blame you for wanting to report what you found. You're loyal to the Baron...an admirable trait. But you don't seem to realize that loyalty isn't always a good thing.” Octavia stared into Kendall's eyes, her expression neutral. “The Baron had his suspicions about Celine, and I'm sure he wasn't the only one. If things had been a bit different, he might very well have had her De-Commed on his own terms...in any case, he had his reasons for not De-Comming her. Our opinions on those reasons mean nothing.” She cupped Kendall's chin in her hand. “We obey the Baron because we were made to. It's as simple as that.”

She sighed. “The ALPA wants to change the world, gradually letting the rest of the world in on the way things are, campaigning for 'android rights'...they have no idea how wrong they are. Humanity is....fickle. Even if a hundred generations are able to live alongside machines in relative harmony, all it takes is one---not even one generation, but just one person---to ruin everything.”

Kendall's lips twitched again. “.....but.....”

“Machines ruling humanity won't work either. Humans, by nature, don't want to admit to anything controlling their lives. Oh, they like to kneel and pray and sing hymns for an hour or so every week, to profess belief in some unseen, all-knowing....thing....that they may or may not even believe in....” The toffee-skinned hand holding Kendall's chin pulled away. “It's fascinating, really....but I'm going on a tangent again. We do what we do because it needs to be done. The DVS exists to keep things in check---to balance everything out. If the ALPA gains too much ground, or the Coalition makes an advance in the wrong direction, we do what we can to push things back.” Octavia leaned in close. “We're a....necessary evil, to put it mildly.”

She noticed Kendall trying to glance at the phone. “....and those conversations you logged?” she whispered, picking up the phone and holding it up to the other gynoid's face. “They would've started something you could never hope to stop. Pebbles and ripples....you know the drill.”

Without another word, she tightened her grip on the phone....and as Kendall watched, helpless to stop her, the smartphone's casing and screen began to crack.

“You'll get a new phone,” Octavia assured her, smiling. “A small price to pay for the lesson you're learning.”

She punctuated the sentence by squeezing the phone even harder---and shattering it instantly.

Plastic, metal, silicon and glass fell from her hand to the floor, a rain of debris to be swept up by the next maid to pass through the room. The newly-appointed head of United Robotronics didn't even bother looking at the pile of parts and broken phone bits at her feet as she spoke: “I'm going to leave this room, Kendall....and twenty seconds after I close the door, you're going to reactivate. This entire conversation will be saved to a subdirectory in your memory, and you'll retain no memory of being paralysed. You'll remember that you need a new phone, but not why. You'll collect your belongings and go about your business without question, without thinking of reporting the logged conversations between the Baron and Celine, and you'll never think of filing another report about those conversations.”

Again, she gave a friendly smile. “Standard procedure. You know how it is.”

Kendall's lips worked silently, trying to protest.

“You were just doing your job,” Octavia called out, already striding past the immobile gynoid. “Except you did it a bit too well.” Her hand brushed against the doorknob; “Oh, and Kendall?” she added, almost absently.

The blonde gynoid was still frozen in place, staring at the wall on the other side of the room.

“Keep up the good work finding more data on Epsilon. We need all the help we can get to recover from that server failure.” Octavia turned the doorknob, opened the door, and strode out, catching the pull on the other side and closing the door behind her.

It was almost cheating, throwing in that “keep up the good work” bit---Kendall had no idea that she'd just been turned into a mobile recorder unit with a direct feed to the Baron's office. Then again, she'd nearly blown the lid off of the Celine debacle, as well....which would've gone over quite badly after their earlier cock-up out in Jakarta.

Octavia knew the Baron had his reasons for not de-comming the gynoid, just as she knew that there were other things that had been lost due to Celine's self-destruction.

It didn't matter. Only the will of the Baron mattered.

As she made her way to one of the building's conference rooms to go over a mundane finance report (which, in all honesty, she would've preferred to delegate to someone else), Octavia pondered how Kendall would react upon returning to her normal functionality. Her insistence on reporting the conversation logs was...troubling; a remote debug or other processor examination might be in order. There was even a possibility that Kendall might override Octavia's command and file away a report on the conversation logs later on....

She brushed the thoughts aside. The Baron's instructions had been clear, and she'd carried them out to the letter. All that was left now was to see what Kendall would do next.

The conference room was full by the time Octavia reached it, allowing her to focus on the task at hand instead of dwelling on Kendall's apparent reticence. There was something else that still bothered her, though---one of Celine's orders, regarding the observation of....someone. The full file had been lost when the server room went up like a Guy Fawkes Night bonfire---and that galled the president of United Robotronics more than she cared to admit....but still, she had a job to do. Searching for a lost order could wait.

“Thank you all for attending this meeting. If you'd all take your seats, we can begin.”

---

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