Lena and the Robot Ch. 08

"So, when Simi put on the suit, it turned her into E27, and it made you. And she set you up to be her social interaction partner," Lena said. Simi nodded. "But what about the failsafe? Wouldn't you deactivate after the sixty-two minute mark?"

"It was a problem at first," Simi chuckled. "She kept activating me, but we could only be out in public for an hour at a time. Then she found a way to trick the programming: she switched the process identities, so the computer would recognize me as the real Simi, and her as the interface. It's worked ever since."

"E27 is the original Simi," Lena repeated, still stunned, trying to absorb the revelation.

Simi rose from her knees, and sat beside Lena on the bed again. "What's left of her, yes." She shook her head fondly. "My shy little computer nerd. She's reprogrammed herself a lot more since then, more than I thought she would. She used the suit to deconstruct her own personality, reformatting herself with only the traits she wanted to keep. She still has a lot of independence and awareness, as you've seen, but she's happiest when she's carrying out her programming, when someone else is calling the shots, giving her commands. That's what I'm for. She repurposed me, the interface program, into an emulator, one that could imitate the best of her old persona and interact with the world the way she would have wanted to, and gave me a ton of freedom. That way she could continue to make changes to herself, and no one would be any wiser. So now program:Simi gets to be Simi for the rest of the world, and she gets to be Unit E27 all the time."

That means, while I've been sleeping with Simi... "So E27, thereal Simi, has just been letting you run her body, all this time?"

"Yes, but remember, I'm still technically her," Simi clarified. "I'm an interactive program created from her base code, memories, and personality, but with a few modifications she and I have made. I'm an extroverted version of the original Simi, the one who gets to do all the things she never had the courage to do back in high school; more confident, more outgoing, more assertive," Simi smiled indulgently, "and a little extra sexiness, just for fun."

"Wow," Lena said. "So, is she watching right now?"

"Um-hm," Simi made an affirming noise. "Intently. She's afraid you'll reject her now that you know the truth. She's terrified, in fact. It's really bothering her." Simi put an arm around her and gave her a side hug, to reassure both Lena and E27. "I know it's hard to believe, but this is what she wants: to be a machine, free from worries, stresses, cares, with nothing but programs, orders, and commands to obey. Happily hiding in the background, letting me run our life... at least until you came along. She really does love you, you know; we both do." Simi leaned in and kissed her gently. "That was a surprise for her; she doesn't show it, but she still has human feelings. She didn't think she was capable of love anymore, but I'm glad she discovered it with you." Simi tapped her on the nose again. "That's why she kept giving you voice command access behind my back."

"Is that what I'll become?" Lena said apprehensively. "Am I going to wind up like her?"To let the machine completely subsume my mind, let it control my body, let it use a copy of myself for daily interactions... She tried to suppress an aroused shiver, tinged with a bit of horror. Then she quivered again, harder:Or to struggle helplessly again, locked away in my own head as it takes control of me...

But Simi shook her head. "No, it depends on what you want, how you program yourself. That's the life she chose; what you choose is up to you. Since the suit's calibrated to both of us now, you can use it to sculpt your mind and body any way you want. We can help you."

Lena pondered the possibilities. "Thank you, lover:Simi." The fear and apprehension that had plagued her after her ordeal had evaporated in the warmth of her friend's arms. Then her stomach growled, shattering the reverie, and she grimaced.Food, such a human requirement. "But let's wait until tomorrow morning. I still haven't eaten since breakfast, then we should sleep." She pushed herself off the bed, and extended a hand to Simi.

Simi's eyes twinkled as she grasped it. "And after all that seduction you tried with me this morning? I've only been thinking about it all day... All right, tomorrow, then. We could both use a rest. And I have to clean the suit. Maybe I should make you clean it this time, since you're the one who messed it up?"

"Nope, not doing any more party tricks until tomorrow. E27, I forbid both you and Simi from giving me any commands until 9 AM tomorrow morning."

"Command confirmed," E27 responded, speaking through Simi.

"Hey, that's fighting dirty!" Simi objected when E27 returned control to her. "Fine, you can't ei-" she cut off as Lena's command took hold to prevent her from speaking, and she clutched her abdomen at the spike of pleasure from her involuntary obedience. She glared at Lena with mock fury. "Oh, you're going to pay for that tomorrow."

Lena smiled. "I'm sure I will. I'll clean the suit after dinner, but you'll have to show me how. That should mitigate my punishment."

"Agreed," Simi said. "A little, anyway."

They moved to the kitchen. Lena found the three turkey sandwiches that Simi had left for her, and devoured them while Simi prepared a chicken Caesar salad and iced tea to round out the meal. Lena even volunteered to do the dishes, willingly this time.

Under Simi's guidance, Lena thoroughly and carefully cleaned the silver suit, which took some time given the degree of soiling she had subjected it to. It smelled of her sweat and sexual fluids, but she graciously accepted Simi's nit-picking, knowing how well-deserved it was. In anticipation of the next morning's activities, she even polished the pussy plate to a mirror finish; she didn't want a speck of grime between her and the transceiver. After the cleaning, Simi used E27's enhanced visual acuity to inspect the suit, checking every inch of the material for damage to the hair-thin wiring and tiny nodes. Fortunately, she found none. By the time they hung the suit up to finish airing out, Lena was already nodding off, her eyelids drooping.

"I'd order you to bed, but..." Simi shrugged, unable to violate Lena's command. Instead, she helped Lena into her room, and stripped her bare before assisting her into her blankets. She ran light fingers over Lena's body, with a few extra caresses to sensitive areas, which caused pleasing responses. "As much as I want to, I think I'd better not join you tonight. We both need a good sleep. Good night, my little Lena-bot."

Lena wanted to melt, hearing herself referred to as a robot, a thing, a computer construct. She truly was now, wasn't she? But as delighted as she wanted to be at hearing Simi's nickname for her, she couldn't shake the sensation that 'Lena' still wasn't her proper name anymore. She listened with her newly augmented hearing as Simi retreated to her own room. After a few minutes of rummaging, Lena heard the words: "E27, sleep mode," and was silent, leaving Lena alone with her thoughts.

And her new, silent companion, watching, waiting in the back of her mind.

Drifting on the edge of sleep, she envisioned poking at the dormant H38 with a mental finger. "So, what do you want to be, other me? How should I customize you? They say two heads are better than one." She tried imagining all the things she could accomplish now, but her fuzzy mind refused to cooperate.

What do I want her to be? What do I want to be?

"H38, sleep mode," she commanded herself, copying Simi.Will that work on me? A moment later, her mouth moved, and the flat voice of her other self sounded in the room: "Command confirmed." Instantly she felt her limbs adjusting into more comfortable positions, the fabric of the blankets sliding against her naked skin. Her breathing and heart rate slowed, and her mind relaxed into unconsciousness.