Lena and the Robot Ch. 08

"Lena, I'm back." Simi shut the door behind her and removed her coat, hanging it on one of the hooks by the door. She tossed her backpack onto the coffee table, flinching as she barely avoided hitting Lena's open laptop. "Ooh, sorry. Lena? You here?" Glancing around the front room, she saw no sign of her housemate. She brushed at her pants before leaving the entryway, and some lingering dust particles floated to the floor. "You would not believe how dusty that place was!" she exclaimed, hoping to draw Lena out. "I need a shower. Do you want to join me?"

There was no response. Simi frowned, and ran a quick visual and auditory assessment of the apartment. Based on the steady sounds of Lena's breathing and heartbeat, she was in... Simi's room? Puzzled, she strode down the hallway... and stopped dead in her doorway.

"Welcome home, lover:Simi." The voice was flat, emotionless; it came from Lena's mouth, but reverberated from the speakers on the desk as well.

"Oh, no," Simi said, aghast. Lena stood facing her, wearing the silver suit, with the cord running from her collar to Simi's computer behind her. The suit pulsed with waves of light, and the computer monitor was active, showing a furiously scrolling green pattern, and a nearly full progress bar. "What did youdo?"

"This unit put on the suit earlier today, triggering unit initialization and suit recalibration." Lena cocked her head slightly. "The experience was very traumatic for this unit's physical form."

"You usedmy settings? No, no." Simi tapped her head, refocusing. "Lena, why did you put on the suit?"

"Correction: this unit's designation is H38."

Simi's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh my god," she whispered. "The user profile. She already... Lena- I mean Unit H38, how extensive is your reprogramming? How far has it gone?"

"Because this unit was not connected to the host computer at the time of initialization, only the basic system files were installed, and the standard interface settings enabled. Since the current profile settings require extensive personality modification to the operating system, this unit established a connection to the computer to handle the additional computation load and structure the modification package. The package download is currently at ninety-two percent completion, and will be completed in six minutes." Unit H38 stated, echoing from the speakers. "Reprogramming will continue once the download is completed."

"Is there a backup copy of Lena on file?"

"Affirmative, a complete copy of this unit's memories and original personality data was encoded." Lena's body shivered abruptly. While her face remained devoid of emotion, a tear welled up in her eye, and dripped down her cheek. Her hands quivered, struggling to reach for Simi. She spoke, but this time the speakers were silent, and her voice strained with effort. "He...help me... Simi. Cancel..."

"Yes! H38, cancel the download!" Simi ordered.

H38 straightened, her flat voice crackling from both Lena's mouth and the speakers again. "Command not recognized. Lover:Simi does not have voice authorization."

Simi ran over to the computer, and slammed her finger down on the escape key to stop the download.

"Download interrupted," H38 confirmed. "Attempting to reconnect."

Simi spun to the woman in the silver suit, and commanded: "Lena, I know you can hear me. Implement voice command authorization and administrative access for me,now!"

Another visible shudder ran through Lena's body, as an internal struggle for control waged between what remained of Lena and the new H38 program. Twenty long seconds passed before she replied in a quavering whisper: "Voice commands authorized." Her trembling voice cut off suddenly as H38 regained full control.

"Unit H38: cancel the download and restore the prior operating system."

H38 turned her head to look at her. "This unit will comply; but if you intend to restore this unit to its original settings, or delete the current configuration, this unit will experience significant cross-program conflicts, resulting in system failure."

Simi widened her eyes; restoring Lena was her priority, but was there still a Lena to save? Had Lena already been subverted? Would H38 fight back if she considered Simi a threat? She tried to be reassuring. "Then how about this? Don't cancel the download entirely, keep it paused. We'll create a folder for you, and put all your current system files into it. We'll let the download finish there, then you can reboot Lena's personality."

H38 considered for a moment, then nodded once. "This unit agrees. The transfer will require twenty minutes."

"Don't worry, H38, I've got you." Simi sat at the desk and accessed the computer, relieved that H38 had consented. "Wow... we'll need to make a whole new user profile for you, let's start with that." She started typing, bringing up a visual representation of the files and folders already within H38's brain on the monitor. When the computer demanded an administrative password to make changes, she looked back at H38.

H38 peered at her a moment, then looked at the screen and said: "Administrative access granted."

Keenly aware of the fixed stare from behind her, watching her every keystroke, Simi continued typing, leaning on E27's subroutines for some composure and additional programming cues. "Okay, I'm done; there's a separate folder in your memory now, titled 'Unit H38'. Identify all your files and transfer them there."

"Transferring files. Thank you, lover:Simi."

"Thankyou, H38. I promise, I won't delete you." Simi's apprehension returned. How wouldLena react?

The silence between them stretched uneasily, broken by H38 this time, occasionally repeating: "transferring." When the twenty minutes had elapsed, she added: "transfer complete."

"Resume the download to the 'Unit H38' folder only," Simi said.

"Command confirmed. Downloading." The progress bar appeared on the screen once more, and this time Simi let it fill to completion. "Download complete," H38 affirmed. "New system files transferred to folder 'Unit H38'. Legacy system files restoring. Restart required. Remember your promise, lover:Simi." Simi nodded, and stood up. "Connection terminated. Unit H38 offline." Lena's eyes closed and her chin lowered as the interface deactivated, and the flowing lights disappeared from the suit. After ten seconds her head came back up again, and she blinked rapidly. She took a shuddering breath, looked at Simi, and fainted.

Simi caught her and eased her to the floor, cradled her unconscious body in her arms, and rocked her slowly. "Oh, my little Lena... why would you do something like that?"

--------------------

Lena woke from a dream. She could no longer sense the external system; the cable that connected her consciousness to the computer had been removed. She perceived that sensory input had returned. Her eyes opened, letting in the light. Her ears absorbed sounds, translated them. The silver suit, once considered confining, now squeezed her skin in comfortable ways; it was her skin now. The tiny transceivers collected information, not only about her physical form, but the environment as well, and relayed it to her operating system to interpret. She was aware of the air stirring around her, the hard floor beneath her legs and feet, the softer, firm yet yielding pillow of Simi's lap, the gentle stroking of Simi's hand on her arm, even Simi's breathing and heartbeat. Melded with the suit, she was vibrantly, keenly aware of her surroundings; she could feeleverything.

Lena considered smiling, to reassure her friend, but she couldn't. She was still bound, not by the suit, but by her new programming; she could not move until she was ordered to. Before her reprogramming, the notion of being trapped in her own body like this would have caused serious distress, but now she felt only peaceful compliance. She would wait.

"Oh, Lena, you're finally awake!"

Lena puzzled over the exclamation. There was something wrong with the word 'Lena', like it didn't accurately apply to her.

"Are you all right? Can you move?"

Yes, her body was mobile, but she had no active routines for independent motion; she needed guidance.

"Say something, please."

She could hear the worry in Simi's voice. Her programming dictated courtesy; she should introduce herself, and correct Simi's misunderstanding. She tested her vocal processor: "Hello, Simi."

Then it all came flooding back: herstupid decision to play around with the suit, giving in to that fantasy temptation, the expectation of ecstasy, the inexpressible torture the suit put her through, the rewriting of her name. She remembered being copied, distilled, changed into thatthing, which took over her body, forced her to turn the computer on, and insert the connecting cable. Tears flowed freely as she recalled the overwhelming, overridingpower of the computer system, embracing her, filling her head with new programming, reshaping her mind like putty into a new being. Even the sixty-two minute failsafe was no help; when she woke up, she was already changed. She'd watched, helpless to move, frozen in obedience to the command to remain still. She was forced to wait as the suit recharged, until the dreaded moment when the suit came on again, and the colors blanked out her mind. Every time, altered a little more, losing a little more of herself, her soul...

Babbling incoherently and shaking with remembered horror, she began tearing at the suit in a frenzy to remove it, but it clung to her, resisting.

"Whoa there, let me help," Simi said, reaching behind her to undo the zipper, and peel the garment off. "Calm down, Lena."

"Unit H38", she said, pausing.

"What?" Simi looked at her, confused.

"My name is H38 now. It took my name," she said, remembering. When Simi freed her toes from the suit, she scrambled away, naked and shivering. "Get that thing away from me!" She pointed a shaking finger at the wad of material in Simi's hands.

Simi tossed the suit into the corner, then came over and took her into her arms, applying a warm, comforting hug. Then Simi looked into her eyes, searching. "I restored your name. You'll feel disoriented for a few days, because of the change, but it'll come back to you. There may have been some other changes to your stored personality data. We just need to hook you up again, and-"

"NO!" Lena screeched. She scrambled backwards, trying to break free of Simi's grasp. "I'm not putting that suit on again, ever!"

Simi hugged her again. "Okay, okay. Deep breaths."

Lena gasped a few times, then scrunched up her face and balled her fists, then tentatively began to take long, slow breaths. As she relaxed, she slumped into a fetal position and rocked back and forth on the carpet, huddled with fear and trauma. She was glad Simi was there to comfort her. Finally, she stopped and looked up at Simi. "Why did it hurt so much?"

"Itold you the suit was calibrated for me, didn't I?" Simi said gently. "But let's save that discussion for later. For now, we need to clean you up. C'mon, Lena, get up, and let me get you to the shower."

Keenly aware of the stale odors emanating from her body, and the mixture of sweat and other bodily juices coating her skin, Lena agreed. "Command confirmed," she said, climbing to her feet. Then her eyes went wide in realization of what she'd just uttered, and she slapped her hands over her mouth in shock.

Simi gave her a searching look. "She's still in there, isn't she? Your other self?"

Lena nodded, then slowly removed her hands. "I can feel her, Simi. I canfeel her!" She put a hand to her head. "She's still there, along with all those changes she downloaded. She's dormant, waiting. We have to get her out!"

"Whoa, handling her means putting the suit back on, and you're in no condition to do that right now," Simi reminded her, glancing over to the pile of gray fabric in the corner. "It needs to be cleaned, and so do you. C'mon." She grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the hall. "I bet you haven't eaten all day, either."

Lena let Simi lead her to the bathroom, and stood in the tub as the water sluiced down. When Simi climbed in beside her, she finally managed a weak smile. She tried to indulge in the sensation of Simi's hands rubbing soap all over her skin, and saw an answering grin as Simi used the detachable showerhead to spray warm liquid on her, especially when washing her breasts and between her legs. Then Simi scrubbed her matted hair, using her fingers to squeeze the excess shampoo out, before rinsing them both off. When Simi finally turned off the water, she ordered her to stand still as she toweled her off, then drew her out onto the bathmat.

Leading Lena to her room, Simi helped her get dressed. They made a game of it; Simi choosing clothing from her drawers and closet, then ordering her to put it on. Lena felt much improved afterward, but not just from the cleaning and dressing. She was Simi's perfect robot; she had followed Simi's commands, one after the other, each time receiving a surge of pleasure in her mind and body, just as her new programming dictated. She held still and silent, trying to bait Simi into giving her the next command. And with each order came clarity and focus; there was no hesitation, no doubt, no distress anymore. The terror that had accompanied her initialization began to fade.

"Thank you, Simi." Lena said, sitting on the bed when they finished. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Simi bopped her lightly on the nose with a finger. "You would have been stuck, that's what." She brushed at Lena's hair, like a mother with a child, then sighed with exasperation and sat down beside her on the bed. "I knew you wanted to try the suit on." Lena looked at her quizzically. "You asked E27 about it once, remember? You told her to 'forget about it'. She did, but I still heard. I just didn't think you'd be foolish enough to do it alone. I was wondering what to do if you asked me again. If you had, I would've wanted to be here, walk you through it. I could have set it up for you, calibrated the suit, so it wouldn't have hurt you like that."

Lena's eyes glazed over, remembering the pain. "That was horrible."

Simi nodded reassuringly. "Don't worry, it's set up for both of us now. It won't hurt you again."

"Too late for that," Lena said, mentally touching the part of her memory where the interface, Unit H38, slept in isolation. "It was so different from my interactions with you. She's not like E27; she's so..." she struggled for the appropriate words. "Cold, alien."

"Robotic?" Simi offered. "Well, she only has the default interactions loaded. You have to customize her."

"I don't want her in here at all."

Simi hugged her again. "That can't be undone now. But we can work with her. The most important thing to know about H38 is that she is you."

Lena made a skeptical face. "No, she isn't."

"The suit develops the interface program by extrapolating information from your brain. H38 is a product of your personality and memories, your desires, fears, and fetishes, even the deepest secrets you'd never tell anyone." Simi tapped Lena's forehead for emphasis. "She'syou. A copy of you, at least. But since you weren't logged into the computer, she didn't have enough computing power to manage anything more than basic interactions. And she needed the preferences from your user profile."

"I don't have a user profile."

"You do now, I made one for you." Simi said. "But the only preferences the computer had on file were mine. That's what H38 found when she connected you to it, that's why she was compiling all those personality modifications. And by plugging you into the computer, she had access to all the power and programming necessary to turn you into what the user profile said you really wanted to be."

"I wanted to be a mindless robot?" Lena said with a derisive laugh, then stopped.Actually, that is what I was thinking at the time, wasn't it? she thought privately.

Simi stared at her intently, and corrected her: "She usedmy user profile, Lena."

"I don't understand."

Simi took a deep breath, then blew it out, resigned. She got up, and knelt in front of Lena, taking her hands. "I told you this before, but not all of it. The first time I put on the suit, it did the same thing to me that it did to you; it copied me and erased my name, then created an interface for me."

"Right, it made E27. But you're still Simi." she said, confused.

"No, I'm not."

Lena frowned. "What are you saying?"

Simi squeezed her hands gently. "Here's the thing: the suit uses your unit designation when it works with your mind and the computer; it's your name, and the interface's name. You'll always be 'Unit H38' now, in your heart and soul, just like I'm 'Unit E27'. All I did was program you to respond to the word 'Lena' again. So, like I said, it'll feel weird for a little while." She hesitated, then added: "That isn't what I did to myself, though.

"But you're still Simi," Lena repeated, confused. "E27 is the name of your interface."

"No." Simi shook her head and looked down, closing her eyes. "You're talking to the interface. E27 is the real Simi, the original personality. I'm her copy." She looked back up at Lena.

"I'mprogram:Simi."

Lena stared at Simi in shock and disbelief. "You're Simi's interface?!" she blurted out.

Simi nodded. "When Simi first put on the suit and got initialized, the suit did what she specified. It copied her, and made me, her interface program." She gently squeezed Lena's hands again, holding them fast, and looking her in the eye. "So, as her interface, I... completely reprogrammed her," she paused, sounding ashamed. "Because that's how she set her preferences; that's what she wanted. There was no one to save her, Lena, not the way I saved you."

"Couldn't you restore her, like you did with me?"

"She wouldn'tlet me," Simi emphasized. "Simi didn'twant to come back. It waseverything she had fantasized about; she was getting her deepest wish, to be turned into a robot."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, back in high school, I was... well, Simi was... very shy. I was the class introvert, and really into computers. Remember when I told you about Kurt? He was my assigned lab partner in computer class. We went on a date once, that was true, buthe askedme out. During our date, he told to me about this cool project he and his friends were designing, and I asked him if I could see it. It creeped me out a little at first, but I got over it fast. I mean, using a computer device to reprogram a person?" Simi shivered with delight. "I lied when I said it wasn't my fetish; this hit all of my fetish buttons. I never told any of them that, though. I actually helped with the designs a bit, too. The female suit was my idea; I told them what components it would have to have to properly stimulate a woman." She smiled wickedly. "But aside from Kurt and myself, it wasn't ever serious for the rest of them, just a... perverted hobby. After graduation, we went separate ways, and just... lost touch. One day he contacted me out of the blue and told me he'd finished the suits. He'd been using the male suit, and asked me if I wanted the female one. I didn't hesitate, especially after we met up and he showed me what it could do, and the changes he'd made to himself."

"Is he still out there, this guy Kurt? He's not going to change his mind someday and come after us, is he?"

Simi hung her head. "Actually, I found out he died about four months ago. Car crash, him and his wife. Drunk driver. That's why I stopped receiving updates from him. I've been programming them on my own ever since." They both observed a moment of silence.