Rebirth
Writer's note: Because you asked for it. Nova's stories will continue. The style and format will change a bit, but hopefully for the better. My email is listed, so if you like it or hate it, let me know. I can't fix it if I don't know what's broken.
A man's nature is determined at age three. - Ancient Chinese Proverb.
Truth has no path. Truth is living and,therefore, changing. It has no resting place, no form, no organized institution, no philosophy. When you see that, you will understand that this living thing is also what you are. You cannot express and be alive through static, put-together form, through stylized movement. - Lee Siu Loong AKA: Bruce Lee "The Little Dragon"
Jason Matting looked at the steel coffin on his floor. Inside was beautiful, 5'9" girl who looked in her early twenties or late teens. Long, knee-length, firey, red-blonde hair cascaded down her back. Her body was firm and built like a dancer, with beautiful lines of muscle. Her pretty gold-tanned skin was cold to the touch. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be dead or sleeping.
Jason felt stunned. Only weeks ago had he talked to this lovely creature. She had walked, talked, cooked for him and made love to him like he had never experienced. Now she lay helpless on his floor, like when he'd first found her, but this time a note had been attatched saying only to take care of her and love her. He didn't know if he could love her. Afterall, she was only a machine, and though she had seemed very realistic, he couldn't be sure she could feel actual love.
Jason noticed several smaller boxes arrayed and packed in tightly with her. He pulled each one out and examined the contents. CD-ROMs, Books containing technical specs, schematics, a large toolkit full of tools he had no idea how worked, and a little gadget that looked like some kind of remote control device.
Jason picked up the remote control gadget and looked it over. It had a small monitor-like display and a large series of letters, numbers and buttons whose syntax he could not identify. He played with a few but got no response from the inanimate girl. He sighed and opened the technical manuals and began reading through them.
Several hours and several cans of caffinated cola later Jason sighed, rubbed his eyes wearily and looked at his new girl. Whoever had written the manuals must have been deliberately attempting to be boring, and technobabblesque. He set the manuals aside and looked over the schematics, it showed how her body paneling opened and where everything was, now he just had to find the catches on her to undo them.
He lifted the girl out of the coffin and noted at how amazingly light she was, then set her on the floor. He pulled back for a moment as he smelled her and her scent lingered on him. Cherries? Her skin smelled like cherries. He smiled, and began to caress her body, looking with his hands to try and find a latch or catch or seam or something to help him out.
Her body, though cold and lifeless was soft and he felt her skin give in all the correct places. A familiar creeping sensation began to crawl through his shorts and he quickly adjusted his pants to give his growing bulge a bit of breathing space. He couldn't help but tweak her pert and hard little nipples. They looked and felt so real, but better because these breasts would never sag or lose their shape.
As his hands drifted around her he suddenly realized that his hand had slipped between her thighs and his fingers lingered atop her perfectly formed and hairless sex. Unable to resist his curiosity he slipped his finger through her heavenly gates and felt inside of her. He was amazed at how realistically formed she was even inside, even a maidenhead!
He snickered at what a pervert he was, feeling up a defenseless android that way, and wondered how her designers had been able to keep their hands off her. He turned her over looking again for some sort of access. His hands traveled up the curves of her hard round bottom. Instinctively he gave them a squeeze and patted them reassuringly. His fingers moved up her back and spine noting that her structure was exactly the same as a human woman's was.
Not finding anything he flipped her back over and sighed looking at her. Her lean body was so tantilizing and seemed so ready to please. He looked down her and noted her lack of a navel and then her slightly misaligned right rib. He thought for a moment and felt at the rib, it pushed up and back slightly and made an audible click.
A seam appeared around her abdomen in a wide round circular pattern and raised slightly. Jason almost whooped when he saw it. He reached down and lifted at the raised abdomenal panel and swung it back. Beneath it was a vast array of cicuitry, servo motors and electronic devices. Large tubes of fluids sat inside her jiggling slightly with liquid movements when he moved or jostled her. He saw a large silver cylinder like shape that proceeded up into her chest somewhere. It had many cables and cords running from it and had a large hazard sign stenciled on it.
Jason felt at the cylinder until his fingers came into contact with a small covered button. He flipped the cover back and pressed it. Instantly there was the sound like a humming of current and the lights and servos inside her jumped to life. He pulled his hand back as the lighting in her abdomen flickered and changed until it had reached a regular pattern. Her body shuddered slightly as the servos spun and ticked into position. The fluids in the tubing and reservoirs began to pump with a mechanical hiss and some other semi-familiar sounds issued from within her.
Her eyes opened, to reveal beautiful light blue eyes that seemed to glow slightly in the darkened living room. Her mouth opened and she began to speak, "NVACustom startup routine engaging. First time online no parameters specified switching to default parameters. Personality module loading....."
All the while she spoke in a flat emotionless monotone, she had stared at the ceiling vacantly like a person in trance, then suddenly her eyes shifted and focused on Jason.
"Hello Jason", she said with a smile.
Jason felt a rush travel through him as her pretty voice with it's light English tone addressed him by name. "Hello...Nova?"
The android continued smiling and answered, "Is that my new name? Nova? I'll remember that. What's on your mind Jason?"
Jason felt a twinge of worry, "You don't have a name? Then how did you my name?"
Nova nodded, "I was custom designed and made for Jason Matting. The picture of you I have in my memory tells me that you are he. I did not have a name, but you have just given me one. Nova. My name is Nova."
Jason looked disappointed,"So you don't remember this place? Or what we did together? Or anything?"
Nova sensed Jason's disappointment and frowned slightly,"I...My records indicate that my personality and neural net memory was transferred from another unit. However said unit was severely damaged and consequently everything did not transfer from before. I'm sorry. I surmise that you knew the previous unit?"
Jason nodded,"Severely damaged? What happened to the previous...er other Nova?"
Nova answered,"Said unit, hereafter referred to by call letters NVA-7, suffered severe damage to her powersupply and housing from various attacks on her. NVA-7 went into power loss and unit's memory was partially erased as a result. May I stand up?"
Jason had forgotten that she was still laying in the coffin looking at him, he had been so preoccupied wondering what happened to the Nova he knew. "Sure go ahead. Uhmm. So you're not NVA-7...which unit are you?"
Nova stood up gracefully and stretched and arched her back slightly. Jason nearly shivered when he heard what sounded like bones popping inside of her. She reached inside her abdomen and checked her systems then closed the door. The seam on her abdomen sealed itself as if it had never been. She then turned back to Jason,"I am unit NVAC. The C is for custom model. I have features that none of the previous units have. All of which are explained in those technical manuals you are sitting on."
Jason gave her a tired look, "Well I'm not much for this kind of reading. I haven't had to read this much since I was in college. Can you just tell me what they are?"
"Of course, but right now my programming instructs me to deliver a special message for you...loading...", Nova said as her face assumed a blank stare.
Nova began to speak but the voice was not hers. Instead it was a gravelly voiced man who sounded tired and depressed," Mr. Matting, I know we have never met before. My name was Doctor Aaron Lafeyson. I am Nova's creator. I have seen you through her memories and shared in your experiences with her. I feel you are the right person to take care of her now. As NVAC may have told you already, Nova was destroyed in a recent altercation. I salvaged what memories and personality remained in her memory, but alas a great deal was destroyed. This NVAC unit is Nova's successor, and I hope you will be just as nice to her as you were with Nova. I know her lack of memory on certain events may annoy you, but bear with her. I think overall she will be a better unit than the previous model. You have my best wishes Mr. Matting."
Nova stopped speaking and her face became animated again as her voice returned to normal, "Does that help you any Mr. Matting?"
"Call me Jason, and yes it does Nova", he replied, "So...what's different about you?"
Nova smiled as if pleased by his interest, "Well my body structure is made of lighter materials which makes my weight more normal. I have some enhancements in most of my sensory capacity, and I have more easily removed modules and parts to help ease repairs."
Jason nodded with an "Oh gee how nice" look on his face,"So is there anything I can get out of the deal?"
Nova smiled, well that remote unit over there can control my some of my functions. It can override many of my systems to allow me to perform exactly the way you wish. It also acts as a programming tool for you."
Jason's eyebrows raised slighty. "Hmm. Sounds fun. A remote control woman. Always wanted one of those. Anything else?"
Nova nodded enthusiastically and turned her back to him. Jason wondered what the Hell she was doing when she straightened up slightly and a large panel in her back slid out and down revealing her delicately crafted circuits and mechanics. A large bundle of multi colors rose from inside her torso and then out of her back. The bundle began to unfold itself until it formed a beautiful, feathery pair of wings. Her back panel rose and clicked into place around the wings to make them look natural.
Jason stared in awe at the wings. They were feathery and looked as soft as silk. They were multi-colored in firey patterning like her hair. He reached out and felt them. They were soft and warm and very sexy to the touch. Nova shivered with pleasure slightly as his hand caressed her wings.
"Wow", was all he could manage.
Nova smiled and turned toward him. Shemoved the wings and caressed his face with a tip. Jason nearly choked and quickly regained his composure.
"Uh, those really work or are they just for show?" he asked.
Nova nodded,"Like everything else they are fully functional. Part of the reason my body was made lighter is because of them. With the old style NVA units they had internal armor and a slightly heavier chassis. Being custom built my creator saw no reason to include these features."
Nova closed her eyes for a moment then the wings folded back in on themselves and slid back inside her body. Jason looked at her back. No trace that it opened or had ever sprouted wings existed to be seen. She looked at him and smiled.
Jason rubbed the back of his neck, "Whew...You're really something. I was pretty impressed with the other Nova, but you've got some neat equipment."
"Thank you", she replied.
"Uhm, well I suppose first things first. I'm your owner now correct?", he asked.
"That's technically true. I was built for you, but I am an independent creation. I have a freewill and can think for myself. I'd like to think of you more as a teacher and educator since I know so little about the world outside, and....maybe how to deal with my emotions", she said with a sincere look.
"Hmm. Teacher...I have a feeling you're smarter than I am, but I see your point. You lack experience but not knowledge. Ok I can accept that. Now do I have to worry about feeding you and repairing you and stuff? I mean...I make barely enough money as it is, and well, it's going to be hard to support another person", Jason remarked as he sat heavily on his worn old couch. His fingers casually traced the spot where the previous Nova and he had made love, absently.
Nova sat beside him and placed a hand on his,"It will be ok Jason. I don't need repairs except when I get damaged and I self-repair pretty quickly. I'm also programmed to keep up my maintenance so I'll worry about that. As to food, well I do have an omnivore bioconverter. It completely processes ingested materials into energy for me to use. But I have a backup fuel cell and if it becomes necessary I can go for up to one year without eating on my existing power. Of course I need to drink water in order to keep my fluids in working order but other than that I'm fairly self-sufficent. The only problem I can see your having is getting clothing for me. Adult human female clothing tends to be expensive, and so therefore I suggest you helping me to gain some type of employment, so that I can help supplement your income."
Jason sighed a bit in relief,"Well...jobs. Those are always difficult to come by. Even for humans. What can you do?", Jason leaned back on the couch and took a healthy drink from a can of soda he'd started on earlier.
Nova smiled as if pleased he had asked,"Well currently I have programs that relate to a number of different human abilities. I calculate that at least 25% of my existing abilities could be useful in most any job that was required of me. I am aware however that the most lucerative and least time-consuming form of work for a human female, especially a nice looking one, is nude dancing."
Jason turned and looked at her as though a lobster had just crawled from her ear and done a tap dance on her shoulder. "N-n-n-nude? NUDE DANCING? Are you crazy?! Do you have any idea how that would make ME look?", he stammered.
Nova frowned and looked at him, with sad eyes,"I...I'm sorry Jason. I didn't know it would cause you problems. I merely arrived at the conclusion of it by logic. I...will find a better alternative for you. It might help if you told me what occupations might be potential problems for you."
Jason suddenly felt very, very stupid. He realized that he had hurt her feelings. He wasn't even sure why he had gotten so upset about it. She was just a machine right? Why would it bother a machine to dance naked in front of men for money? Was he feeling possessive of her?
Jason quickly brainstormed an explanation for her,"Uh, look Nova I'm postive you'd do very well in that occupation, but...well...there are lots of things that happen in those places. I mean lots of really intense social activities and I don't want you getting confused or hurt because you can't understand or something. I mean I'm supposed to be your teacher right?"
Nova nodded.
"Right, and well what could I teach you about dancing nude on a stage for a lot of horny guys who just want to paw and poke you. That's no way to experience life. At least not right away. Maybe later when you're more experienced. Ok?"
Nova smiled and nodded, "Ok Jason. Well howabout becoming a prostitute?"
Jason's eyes bulged out as he felt himself choke on his cola. He spat it out and coughed a moment then looked at her with cola still running down his chin, "THAT'S EVEN WORSE!!! I'm not becoming known as a pimp around here! It's bad enough I live in this frigging crackhouse in the middle of one of the shittiest districts in L.A., but I'm not contributing to the neighborhood image by having my android go sell herself to men!"
Nova frowned again, "Ok Jason."
Jason wiped his face with a nearby napkin he had scattered about his apartment. "What's this preoccupation with jobs involving sex and nudity anyway? Are you programmed to be a nympho?"
"No, I am not", Nova answered, "But a lot of my programming functions deal with sexuality and attracting by using sex or sexual means. I have an entire terabyte worth of information and knowledge on sex, sexuality and all topics relating to it. I therefore concluded that sexually related occupations would be a good thing for me."
"Well maybe so, but it's not as wonderful as it sounds. Ask any prostitute or dancer, they'll tell you", Jason said then thought for a moment on what she had just said,"A whole Terabyte worth of information? Sheesh! Your programmer really wanted to make sure you knew what the heck sex was all about huh?"
Nova nodded,"It was often part of my...my...It was often part of...I...can't seem to remember..." Nova looked dumbfounded and blinked as her systems tried to access the missing data.
Jason seemed to sense the loss and quickly cut in,"It doesn't matter, it's ok. I know you have gaps in your memory. I guess we'll just have to work around them. So...I guess the first thing to do is go get something to eat. I'm starved and there's nothing in my fridge that looks palatable enough. In fact, some of that stuff in there looks like I ought to be charging it rent! So, let's find something for you to wear and head out someplace ok?"
Nova smiled, "Ok Jason."
Jason and Nova rummaged through his closet for almost thirty minutes while they looked for something for her to wear. He had been repeatedly embarassed everytime she'd asked about something like why he left his dirty clothes in a pile in the room, or what all those books with naked women were doing under his bed. He was starting to feel like a new parent having to explain his idiosyncrasies to a three year old, when he stopped and realized it. He WAS! She may have looked like a full grown adult woman, but her mind, though very filled with factual knowledge, was still young and inexperienced, just like a childs. Jason suddenly felt very unclean as he remembered touching her body the way he had when she was deactivated, but even if the mind was young the body was too good to be true.He resolved to try to be more patient with her.
Nova did not seem to mind being nude at all, but Jason sorely needed her to have clothing on. His poor, frustrated member had only deflated slightly since she had been awoken and the throbbing sensations was becoming unbearable. She came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of his cut-offs that had to be held tightly by a belt which needed a new nock before it had fit her properly. Her upper half was covered with a T-shirt that had been sent to him as part of a gift set and was too small for him. Jason marveled at what a gorgeous but young looking girl she was wearing cut-offs and a "Lodoss War" T-shirt.
She smiled at him and tilted her head cutely to one side and asked,"Why are you looking at me that way?"
"Well, probably because you're gorgeous!" he replied.
"Oh. Thank you", she replied enthusiastically and kissed him on the cheek.
Jason felt himself blush hotly and smiled. Then he thought for a moment,"Why did you kiss me?"
Nova looked at him,"Because I felt like kissing you. Is something wrong?"
"Well, you just can't kiss anyone whenever you want to. It's not done. You've got to learn not to get in the habit of doing that!" he replied.
Nova looked at him and frowned,"I can kiss whomever I like. I'm a free person, and kissing people doesn't offend them. I'm not a baby that I need to be taught to limit my modesty! But I feel comfortable around you, so I express myself."
Jason thought for a moment,"Hmm. I guess I can't argue with that. Let's go now. We'll grab some shoes for you along the way."
A few hours later, the two were at a local place munching on french fries and hamburgers. Jason watched her sip at her drink with those delicate little pink lips and even the way she munched on a hamburger that was bigger than her face looked rather cute. He felt lucky, yet at the same time a bit burdened by his new responsibility. Not like a marriage but more like taking care of a kid.
A couple of seedy looking men walked up to the counter and pulled guns out and started waving them.
"Awright, everybody get the fuck down! NOW!" yelled the smaller of the two as he trained his gun on the people who screamed or stopped still and froze. Jason wanted to just be as small as possible but the larger man walked right up to their table, opened a large sack and began demanding,"Give me yo wallet and all yo shit. Let's go! Put 'em in heah!"
Jason started nervously reaching for his wallet, when he noticed Nova sitting almost in defiance of the man. Her eyes were locked on him, and it seemed that she was slightly tense. Jason prayed she didn't do something stupid. He didn't want to die over a hamburger and fries at Jims Bigger Burger.
The robber looked at Jason for only a moment as he was handed the wallet, but for Nova it was an eternity as she grabbed his wrist in a crushing lock and twisted it to where the gun was pointed at a neutral wall before slamming his arm into her kneecap with a horrible twisting and cracking sound. The robber lay on the ground screaming in pain as his friend moved to see what had happened.
Nova quickly stepped to the side and angled around the second man before he could move. Her hands pushed him from behind as she quickly leaned down and snatched his legs out from behind him. The robber fell straight down on his face, banging it painfully on the tiles. Nova placed her leg around the man's other leg, then folded both of his legs over on hers and finally placing her other leg over his to create a sandwiching like effect between the two pairs of legs. She then mercilessly leaned back cracking and snapping both his legs and knees and part of his pelvis in an evil looking version of the "Scorpion" Leglock. The robber was quite thankful when the pain rendered him unconcious.
Nova stood over both robbers and quickly picked up their weapons and handed them to the terrified girl at the counter. "Call the authorities please", she said. She quickly walked over to Jason and pulled him out of his seat. "Are you alright?", she asked him looking concerned.
Jason just sat there with a silly smile on his face,"Uhm yeah I am. God you're amazing!"
Nova just stood beaming at him happily.