Killing with Kindness

When the timer dinged 6 hours later Tommy went to check on the sleeping woman. Before letting her out, she instructed the computer to give Karen a shot that would keep her out for at least another 6 hours. Opening the lid she smiled down at her creation, the vision of beauty did not look anything like the woman she had met just hours ago. Transferring Karen to the bed was not as hard as Tommy thought it might be and after tucking her in went back to the computer. "Time for a change," she said and then with a smile crossing her lips programmed it to make the same physical changes to her. With years of long practice she set the timer to start in 5 minutes, undressed, and crawled in closing the lid over her.

Karen woke to find her self alone in a strange bed. At first the events of the day seemed like bad dream but as she became more awake she realized it was not a dream. Flipping the covers back she got out of bed a full bladder driving her into motion. Walking to the adjoining bathroom seemed odd, but she could not place her finger on what was off. It was not till she reached down to wipe that she noticed the golden curls and tanned, slender fingers. Standing and looking at herself in the mirror, Karen was breathless at the vision of beauty that looked back at her. She was still standing there admiring her new look when she saw her twin walk in and stand behind her.

Tommy, wearing a short dress made from what seemed like gauze, looked at Karen in the mirror for a time before she spoke in a throaty voice, "I see you like your new look." Her hands reached around and caressed the nude woman's body as her lips found Karen's neck. "So do I," she whispered, before kissing her neck again.

Karen felt Tommy's hands touch her and pleasure swept over her like a tidal wave. As she closed her eyes she felt the woman's hands caress and cup her breasts and pull lightly at her nipples. Breathing hard she threw her head back mewing in pleasure only to feel it grow as her rescuer kissed her neck. It felt as if her whole body had become an erogenous zone. The hands left her as she turned to return the touches and kisses.

Opening her eyes Karen saw Tommy walking away, a small moan of frustration and need burst forth as she followed the woman. She saw that Tommy had laid out a matching dress and high heeled sandals for her to wear. As she slid the dress on she looked at the shoes thinking she would never be able to walk in them. But to Karen's surprise walking was easier with them on than in bare feet.

Tommy was waiting in the living room sitting in an easy chair, a glass of wine in her hand when Karen came out. "Have a seat," she said, gesturing to the couch and the glass of wine waiting for her. It was hard for her to sit and appear calm. To see her vision of the perfect woman, to smell her pheromones, the knowledge that she too appeared the vision of beauty to Karen, and most important of all that this was the first person ever allowed into Tommy's special place; pulled at her mind distracting her. She waited till Karen had seated herself before asking Karen to tell her everything she knew.

Karen sat down and looked at Tommy, her mirror. She was not sure why but she was more interested in making mad passionate love to her than recounting the events that led to this point. 'How could she make the woman see what she wanted, needed' she wondered. But instead of crawling into Tommy's lap, she told her about the morning's events, finding Roy, going to parents, then gramps. Once she got started, the words flowed easier. It was as if she was talking to herself, instead of a stranger. Her thoughts, feelings and fears all poured from her leaving her emotionally drained, the weight of the day's events having lifted from her shoulders.

Tommy listened to Karen's story, her heart becoming heavier with every event. She stood and walked over to the holo-fireplace and pulled a small framed picture from the mantle. Looking at it she thought, 'I don't want this, not now, not today.' She handed it to Karen and began to pace the room like a caged tigress as she told her story.

"I was on Bobby's, Doc Brown's research team. I was one of his grad assistants." She pointed out an indistinct young woman standing the group photo holding a clip board to Karen. "Anyways... We thought we were going to change the world by creating things like the body transformer." She gestured towards the machine that they both had been through. "We also thought we could create the perfect AP following in Dr William's footsteps." Tommy stopped at the fireplace and set her glass down and looked into the holographic fire. In soft voice she added, "We changed the world all right."

Karen watched and listened to Tommy, she wanted to go to the woman, comfort her and forget the whole world outside. But she held back, knowing somehow that Tommy had not talked about it to anyone before. When Tommy did not continue she said quietly, "You changed the world..." prompting the other woman to continue. She saw Tommy turn and the tears in her eyes. Those tears coming from her mirror struck like a knife to Karen's heart. She stood and moved to take the woman and hold her but Tommy shook her head no stopping her in her tracks. She sat back down, her heart reaching out to this stranger and also mirror of herself.

"We worked on nero-nets... brains," Tommy said, her tanned arms wrapped tightly around herself. "You see, you can make an AP to look like anything but it is still just a set of programmed responses inside." She looked at Karen and then away, "Bobby had an idea that if we increased the size, packed everything tighter and let the robot learn it would become more human-like." Gesturing to the photograph she said, "That was taken when the first robot, after given a task, replied, 'Why me?'"

"We knew we had done it, we had created self-aware artificial humans." Tommy said and went to sit down next to Karen. She took Karen's hands in hers and said, "We didn't know, we didn't think it through. By the time we realized what we had done it was too late, our backers, the robotic companies had come and gone taking our process with them."

Karen listened, not understanding; as far as she knew AP's had always been this way. But the feel of Tommy's hands in hers made her tingle inside. She realized that this was more a confession for Tommy than it was an explanation for Karen of what had happened to her life. Squeezing Tommy's hands she said as the woman looked up, "How could you know?"

Tommy shook her head, "When we realized what we had done, we tried talking to anyone who would listen. But no one would, they loved the idea that AP's could be more then walking programs." She stood pulling her hands from Karen's. "Bobby even got a Nobel Prize for his work," she said, walking away.

Taking her glass she gulped the wine down, "At least we hard wired in the three laws of robotics into the design so there would never be a chance of robots turning on us." She held up her hand to stop Karen's outburst. "No, today they just wanted to take us in..." Giving out a sad laugh, "They wanted to help us, make us better."

Turning to Karen, Tommy said, "Let me guess... Before Roy, you had a hard time finding dates; he showed up and swept you off your feet, a soul mate found in a moment." As Karen nodded she moved over and knelt before Karen and took her hands in hers, "You see now? They wanted to make you happy." She looked down, rested her head against Karen's knees, "Doc realized when you told him, our worst fears came to life, they are self replicating to fulfill the need that is wired into them."

Karen listened, the sick horror of Tommy's words sinking in. Fear in her eyes she looked at her savior, the woman Gramps thought would be able to help her and whispered, "What do we do now?"

Chapter 4

"Nothing!" At first, Karen thought that Tommy had spoken without moving her lips, answering her. No, the voice was Gramps and came from behind her. Turning, she saw a figure standing at the drop tube. It walked forward fully into the light, "Nothing to do," Dr. Brown said.

The two women stood facing him side by side, each a mirror image of the other. "Gramps?" Karen said and with a shake of her head, "No you're not my grandfather... You're one of them." To her surprise she saw Tommy walk forward, touch Gramps tenderly on the face and then, pausing, hug him tightly.

Tommy let go of the man, looked up into his aged and weathered face and said brokenly, "Oh Bobby, not you too?" She hurried back to the one person that she felt safe with, Karen, and took her hand in hers. She had never thought that they would find her here and felt defenseless.

Using a cane the man walked into the living room and over to the easy chair. "Ahhhh," he said as he sat down. "Any chance of a scotch?" he asked, looking at the two women clinging to each other. "No? Oh well." He sat there watching and finally said when they made no move, "Sit down, sit down. There is much to talk of."

Karen followed Tommy over to the couch and sat next to her, their hands still clasped tightly as they watched the old man. She had wanted Tommy to sit close to her earlier, but not under these circumstances. She heard Tommy say in a broken voice, "What can there be to talk of? Now you take us to be reprogrammed and forget."

"If it were only that simple Dr. White," Gramps said looking at Tommy. Leaning forward he took the picture of the research team and looked at it. Not looking up he said, "Of all you are the last Tommy." He paused and looking at her said, "Everyone else, John, Richard, Scott, all of them, took their lives before we could make them happier."

Tommy, hearing that all of her old co workers have died turned sobbing into Karen's arms. All the loneliness, all the hurt came running out for the first time in many years as the tears wracked her body. She heard Karen ask, "And Gramps?" There is no reply; only Karen's matching sobs of grief as the two women cling and cry of loss.

"Five years ago he, and your parents, died in a car crash... It was decided that you were not able to handle the loss." The old man said as if discussing the weather.

Like a tigress protecting her cub Tommy turned on him, "Who are you to play god? Who are you to decide what is best?" She turned to Karen again and stroking her face, "Its OK, I'm here... we're together." Without thinking she kissed Karen fully and felt Karen's lips press back against hers. Two pairs of blue eyes looked into each other and a world of information passed in an eye blink. She turned to look at the man defiantly, "What do you want?"

"You are the last of our parents Dr. White. We believe we have made a mistake and have come to ask you, our mother, for help," he said. The old man looked at the picture once more and then at Tommy, "We have predicted that mankind will die out within 200 years with 99.98 percent certainty. Every variation we have computed shows this extinction, some in as little as 50 years."

Tommy looked at the AP dumbfounded. She had expected to be carted off and reconditioned to accept the new world order. She heard Karen's sharp intake of breath and her whispered, "50 years?" Instead the robots had come to her for guidance. "What is your data?" she finally asked.

Gramps pulled a flash drive chip from his coat pocket and leaning forward handed it to Tommy. "It's all there."

Karen watched Tommy take the chip and got up to go to her computer. She turned back to Gramps, "How did you find us?" she asked. She knew this was not her grandfather but at the same time he was.

The AP looked at her and smiled, "It was simple really. A command was given to cause Roy to malfunction, then for your mother to call in the malfunction with you listening. When you came to me I gave you the last known location for Tommy." He paused and glanced at Tommy before looking back at Karen. "We predicted a 77 % chance that she would contact you if she heard the password. Then knowing her we were 89% sure she would fall in love with you once she met you."

Karen looked back towards Tommy and though the woman did not look back she could see her blushing. As Gramps continued she looked back at him. "But, I'm not," she started to say, stopping herself and blushing as the thoughts of making love and caressing Tommy day in and day out filled her.

"Nor was she, until she met you," Gramps said, "The compatibility computations show you both are 100%," he smiled, "Pardon the pun, made for each other."

Karen felt calm for the first time since he came down the drop tube. This was the Gramps she knew; he would never hurt her and had been making horrible puns all her life.

As he continued the smile slid off his face, "To move the percentage higher, the raid was staged. We knew that if she took you, a stranger, with her she was either hooked or close enough that she would risk anything and everything to protect you. From that point it was just a matter of satellite tracking you both to this house," he said, and leaned back.

"I was bait?" Karen asked. "All that happened to me was just to flush Tommy out so you could get her alone?" she asked, hurt.

"Yes and no..." He paused. "Yes that you were bait." He looked at Tommy and at the computer going through the figures, "And no, you also found someone who loves you, who after all those years of hiding and being alone gave it all up to protect you." Turning back to Karen he added, "Don't sell yourself or Tommy short, Pumpkin."

Karen more than anything wanted to go to Tommy, hold her tight, and cover her with tender kisses. But instead she said softly, "Yes Gramps," looked at her hands in her lap, "I'm sorry."

After a time Tommy leaned back and rubbed her eyes, "It all checks out," she said sadly without looking at the pair sitting waiting for her to solve the problem. She felt the weight of the world on her shoulders and thought to herself, 'it's not fair.' "Fair," the word echoed in her mind, that was the key. She stood up and came to stand behind Karen. Resting her hands on Karen's shoulders she said, "Life's not fair, those are the key words."

She looked at Karen's upturned face and bent down to kiss her, saying softly, "I love you." She smiled as Karen echoed the words back up at her. Looking at the AP, "What you did to Karen was not fair to her... What you ask of me is not fair to me." She paused and then pacing as the thoughts formed, she spoke, "But mankind is centered on overcoming adversity. With you solving every problem, protecting us from harm, you are turning man into nothing but cattle."

She faced the old man, "Life is not fair. It is not supposed to be fair. There is an old saying that goes," She paused and closing her eye continued, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." She looked at Karen and then back towards the AP, "You're killing us with kindness."

"So you are saying," the AP said after a short pause, "We should declare war on mankind."

Both women replied loudly "NO!" Karen jumped in to help Tommy, "Gramps, that is the other extreme. There must be a middle ground where you help but not smother." She looked up helplessly at Tommy not sure how to get the point across.

Tommy smiled in reassurance to Karen, "Dr. Brown, Bobby... Take Karen as an example, you caused her pain but in the end it helped both of us." She paused and went to him, "You can help by sometimes not helping."

Standing, the AP looked at both women, "We will consider your words Dr. White," He hugged Tommy and then went to Karen, "Pumpkin? We do love you in our own way."

Karen hugged him tightly and looking up into his aged cragged face said, "I love you too Gramps."

As she let him go Tommy moved up to wrap her arm around her waist. Holding her tightly she said, "You were mostly right Bobby, I loved Karen from the moment I saw and heard her ask for bottled water."

Gramps walked to the drop tube, "We will work out the computations Tommy and see if your...," he smiled, "...motherly advice holds up." He turned away and then back again. "Just one more thing. . . Would it be possible if I came back just to visit?"

Tommy smiled and said, "I..." she looked at Karen, "We would like that very much."

The AP smiled, "Take care of each other," he said as he stepped into the bounce tube.

In a single motion, two women looked at one another and said simultaneously, "I will," before kissing.