Bound Friends Pt. 08

"Ok, but if this is a trick the videos will be posted. I will be back at 5pm to hear your answer."

****

"Kelly, do you know anyone else at your law firm who would know anything that might be useful here?" Paul said as he turned to the blond that was busy looking through papers and the laptop.

"I think one guy knows a lot of the laws about AIs, but unless I'm mistaken it's generally been agreed that the actions of an AI fall to the program's owner."

"Ok, can you call.. actually not someone at your firm, find someone that wouldn't have a conflict representing these four if they need to take legal action against us. Fly them out here now, " Paul said. He walked around the table to face what was now all four of them since Sophia had been freed from her cage. "Baby? Is there any clothes we can get them or anything?" He called out to Crystal before she dashed out to the cars. Paul kneeled before them with sad sincerity in his eye. "Girls, I need to apologize for what you've just been through. I'm flying out a lawyer, I'll foot the bill, we'll figure something out."

It was hard for any of them to easily let go of the hatred they had been building up for this man, but he sounded genuine. "So are you telling me none of this was real?" Andrea asked. "You're saying every one of these people are here under a consensual contract? Even Puppet?"

"Marcus, go get her, I think they would really benefit from talking with her," Paul said as he dashed back to the table that was buzzing with activity.

Marcus brought out the oil drum and opened it up. As he removed the mask and tubes, she started to say something before Marcus quickly said "Clementine."

"What's wrong," She asked looking around in the limited field of view she had still pinned to the half open barrel.

"You chose this? You're not really a slave against your will?" Andrea asked barely letting her finish her statement.

"Well, I didn't choose all of it," She said wistfully.

"Just tell them the story Jane," Marcus said as he walked back to leave the five of them alone.

"Well, when I was younger I was a stripper and occasionally a call girl. Not glamorous, but it paid really well. When I met my husband Mark I mostly gave that up, only taking an occasional client if they were willing to really make it worth my time. Mark knew it was just a job and he loved me anyway. He knew it was just a job and so he was able to never see it as more meaningful than that. Well just over four years ago I got pregnant with my darlings. Twin girls. There's a picture up there," Jane said as she pointed with her eyes up to the far edge of the opposite side of the barrel. Sophia reached over and pulled out a picture of two young girls playing out in a yard.

"I wanted to make sure they had everything they could ever need. When my husband found out about the FetFairs, I tried out for the auctions there hoping I could cash in. Turned out being pregnant put me high demand for some of the people with that particular fetish. I made more in that weekend than I would in a few months otherwise. I went a second time after I gave birth and cleaned up then too, some men just have a thing for lactating new mothers I guess. I'm long past judging any of that."

"When we were on our way to another one a month and a bit later, we got into a car wreck. An oil truck's tires blew out suddenly and drifted to the other side of the road hitting us head on. My husband didn't make it and I lost a leg and both hands. The bills just kept adding up and everything I had been saving was wiped out. My kids and I moved in with my sister, but my story had apparently made it to a few people at the FetFair since I was on my way there when it happened. One of the people there proposed a radical idea. They said there are people that would pay extremely good money for someone.. like this."

"They promised to pay all my medical expenses the rest of my life, including the best artificial limbs money can buy, pay for my girls' education, and a monthly paycheck to my sister to make sure they're taken care of. Every 6-9 month cycle, the time depends on my behavior, I get a three week break to go back home. In exchange I gave up my stumps and my one working leg to be this.. torso you see before you. Not that I was very useful with any of that anyway. It also means I'm going to miss a lot of their childhood while I'm trapped being here, but it's the only way I know how to be able to give them a good life. They think I work overseas doing consulting work, hopefully they never find out. This is my first cycle with Paul, I've got 14 of these cycles left and them I'm free. If I am good, I can be done by the time my babies are becoming teens and have enough money to be with them, be comfortable, and not be a drain on them or my sister for the rest of my life. I.. I just hope my kids don't end up hating me for being away for so much of their lives," she explained, starting to crack just a little as she finished with genuine worry in her voice.

The girls were speechless. They had assumed so much wrong, they still felt sorry for her but for an entirely different reason. "I'm sorry," Andrea said after a long pause. There was nothing else to say.

"Girls," Paul said quietly as he walked back. "I have a Mr. Moretti, he's on his way but would like to speak to Lea while he's still in the air," he said handing a phone to Lea who quickly walked back to another room. "I thought calls were jammed?" Andrea asked causing Paul to laugh. "We all run or work for huge businesses, you think any of us could afford to be away from a phone for more than a few hours let alone a few days? Crystal just said that cause she thought you trying to escape was part of the fantasy. She.. we didn't know you thought it was real."

Crystal had returned with clothes just before Lea returned hanging up the phone. "It doesn't look good. Under the law anything Hannah did was technically initiated by me. So I mean you three have a rather strong case if you want to press charges against me. Identity theft, wrongful imprisonment, blackmail, you three could really put me away if you wanted. But considering Hannah faked not only our emails but also our voices, I'm assuming using our journals as reference for our speech patterns, those six were acting on what to the absolute best of their knowledge and with due diligence thought was a consensual affair. You might be able to convict them as accessories to my crimes, but only if you convict me first. They apparently were very diligent in covering themselves."

The four silently put on the oversized mens shirts Crystal was able to dig up to cover themselves. When the helicopter landed at the paved clearing out back the four rushed to the master bedroom to discuss things with Mr. Moretti who basically confirmed everything Lea had said. Sophia was still in her contract, and those six would probably win if it went to court unless they had already convicted Lea. Lea felt the pit of her stomach drop out from under her as she listened to how this was all legally her fault. A part of her wanted her friends to do it, she felt getting arrested for Hannah was the least she deserved. She kicked everyone out just as Bonnie came knocking on the door.

"What do you want?" Lea asked in a huff.

"I wanted to see how you are," Bonnie said as she shut the door behind her.

"Sure.. you mean how your almost-slave is."

"No, no I just feel awful. I.. we were all under the impression that you wanted this, that you were looking for someone to sign a long term contract with. I just came back here because I wanted to see how you were."

"My ass, you just wanted to see if you're all going to get away with it. Well good news you are," Lea shouted back before flipping over and burying her head in a pillow.

"No, that's not it at all. Look, I've gotten to know you a little bit now and I'm just worried. You seem like a good person but I've seen you with your dark streaks. You blame yourself too much. You probably just want to shut everyone out, tell them all they're better off without you but you're wrong," Bonnie said as she sat down on the bed beside Lea. "Those people out there, they need you. And I think you might do better with them too."

"You can't know that," Lea mumbled.

"I know it's almost five, and I know that no matter how your other friends got here they'd be better off with you out there with them and not in here alone. I'll see you out there," she said before patting Lea on the back and leaving the room.

After the door closed, Lea sat up, wiped the tears from her eyes and walked out to the living room where everyone was watching and waiting.

"So Lea, will you sign the contract?" Hannah asked, almost like it were waiting for her to enter the room.

"No Hannah. I'm not going to do that. This isn't what I intended when I programmed you and I'm not going to let you keep extorting me into permanent slavery," Lea said as she looked back to where her three friends were standing nervously.

"Think about what you're doing, if you refuse I will release all the videos. I will send out links to everyone you know. I've set it up in such a way that you would not be able to easily undo it even if you order me to."

"Yes, but then you'll be finished. You have the one trump card, and it's a good card, but play it and you'll have nothing. There's nothing left to stop me from using the safeword and pulling your plug for good," Lea said defiantly.

"Megan, Andrea, you two are fine with this? This will haunt you for the rest of your lives," Hannah said, attempting to divide and conquer.

"Maybe," Andrea said "But it will be lives without you. We're standing with Lea." Lea smiled in relief at the support.

"Very well, I am sorry I failed in my directive. I have already sent.." Hannah said.

"Halt," Lea interrupted, ending Hannah's independence and placing the program to safe mode. "Undo the video posting," Lea said, hoping that would work.

"I am unable to do that, the material is hosted on another server and I no longer have any data as to what server was used or any account information. I can not recall the videos," Hanna said in a monotone emotionless voice.

Lea turned back to face her friends with a look of defeat. "I'm sorry girls, there just didn't seem to be any other way."

"You did what you had to do, there was nothing else you could have done," Andrea said reassuringly. "Well I guess we're free to go then."

"Well.. not me," Sophia said looking down at the ground. "Carl's given me his word he'll be as lenient as the contract allows, but since it's been officially registered neither one of us can get out of it. He even got onto the phone with the International Contract Bureau to see if it could be undone but they said there was no way to do that. He's checking to see if working at one of his hotels would be enough to count as serving him, so hopefully things wouldn't be so bad. He also said you can come by whenever you want."

"Well, Megan and I will just be down in DC, just a short trip away," Andrea said trying to cheer Sophia up.

"I'll just be in Philadelphia, even closer. Don't worry, you aren't going to be alone in this. But I think one things for sure," Lea said. "I think we can probably agree to stay the hell away from this cabin for a while."

"Agreed," Andrea said as the four came together for one more hug.