Phantom Code

"What the fuck? Is that why you wanted to meet me? You wanted to study me?"

"God, no, that's not what I meant," he said in mortification. "I wanted to meet you because Uncle George said you and Jenna were beautiful and you needed our help. The fact that you have a Luxury MCK was a bonus. Your family's farm is the most diverse in the state. My research advocates for the distribution of robots like Rusty to every isolated farm in the world. Just like Dr. Harton said, we should strive to keep our farmers happy since they produce our food," he smiled.

"Oh... that's actually really cool. I'm a fan of Dr. Harton too. Sorry I snapped at you, Cam. It's been a stressful week."

"I understand. I'm here to help. Sorry I walked in on you and Rusty kissing. I didn't mean to."

"You're forgiven as long as you keep it a secret. If you don't, I'll have Rusty murder you in your sleep," I warned.

Rusty looked over his shoulder at that point and gave Camden a rather psychotic-looking grin, driving my threat home. Whoever programmed Rusty had a brilliant sense of humor. Camden laughed and shook his head at him.

"Nice try, you two. I know robots can't hurt people."

"Believe what you want, but be warned. Rusty is glitchy as hell. He might actually kill you."

"My glitches are your fault, Kaley," he reminded me.

Camden laughed in amazement at our conversation.

"He is fantastic! I've never heard of anything like him. What is his model number? I'm going to look up his features," Camden said as he pulled a fancy smartphone out of his pocket.

"I'm an MCK7780DLX," Rusty answered.

"What? That's impossible. That's a research number. There isn't an MCK model on the market above 7760," Camden said as he looked at me in surprise.

"7780 is my model number, believe it or not. I was a technician bot before I was repurposed as a companion bot. That's why I have a strange number," Rusty explained as he finished attaching the new hand. Then he ordered the dairy bot over to the FarmNet hub so he could plug it in.

"Oh, that's neat. Technician bots have more complex brains. That explains a lot. Someone must be watching out for you and your mom, Kaley. Rusty really is something special," Camden smiled.

"Yeah, I've noticed."

We spent the next hour working and enjoying each others' company. It was fun watching Rusty and Camden interact like normal young men. It freaked Camden out when Rusty flirted with me. It freaked him out more when I flirted back.

"Are we making you uncomfortable, Cam?" I chuckled as I sat in Rusty's lap and hugged his neck.

"A little. I'm jealous, too," he admitted with a blush on his cheeks.

That confession made me blush.

"Don't be too jealous, Cam. She's flirting with me more so you'll look at her," Rusty grinned.

I smacked him in the back of the head for ratting me out.

"Oh," Camden smiled and looked away from us. He was chewing his lip to keep from laughing.

"Rusty, you're pissing me off," I grumbled against his ear.

"I like it when you're angry, but please stop hitting me. I don't want to be an abused robot," he pouted.

"I'm going to seriously abuse you if you don't behave," I warned.

"Oh, I like it when you threaten me with a good time," he grinned.

Camden burst out laughing at that point, and I groaned in defeat.

"I wish I could record this for research purposes. It's brilliant," Camden smiled.

"You're welcome to record us later tonight. Kaley puts on a good show."

My mouth dropped open, and Camden's eyes went wide after that remark.

"What the fuck, Rusty? That was seriously inappropriate," I half shrieked.

"Oh... sorry. The 'devil-in-bed' mode is influencing my responses. Should I dismiss the mode?" he asked.

"Yes, Rusty. Please dismiss the mode," I grumbled in humiliation and mortification.

Camden's eyes had gotten even wider after that exchange. Thankfully, his phone rang a second later, interrupting the awkward moment. It was his uncle calling us in for supper. I told Camden to go on ahead since I needed a moment of privacy with my companion robot. Rusty looked at me guiltily as Camden escaped the barn.

"Rusty, what the fuck was that about?" I demanded.

"I'm stoking Camden's sexual interest in you. You two obviously want each other," he shrugged.

"Oh my God... you're outright deviant now. Is this attitude my fault?"

"Yes. Your passionate plea for me to go above and beyond my normal goals affected my behavior, and I think it's working for your benefit. Statistically, you enjoy sex more than the average woman, so I figured I would encourage you to have sex with Camden to quickly establish an intimate relationship. Your odds of happiness double if you develop feelings for Cam..."

"I don't want to hear that!" I snapped, cutting him off. "I want to have a pleasant, stress-free supper with Mama, George, and Cam. I don't want to think about my future at all. You need to stay in this barn and work until I retrieve you. Got it?"

Rusty frowned and nodded. He looked crushed by my words, and it hurt me too. He stopped frowning when he saw how it affected my mood.

"I'm sorry I made you mad, Kaley. I really hope you enjoy your supper," he said with a smile.

"I know. I'll be back later to check on you," I said and hurried from the barn.

The walk back to the house gave me a chance to collect my shattered nerves. I was surprised to discover Camden sitting on the porch steps. He was waiting for me.

"Kaley, I'm sorry if I'm stressing you out. I've read that companion bots can act a little strange when their owners are stressed out."

"Thanks, Cam, but it's not you. Rusty has been a wildcard since he got here."

"Is he malfunctioning, or does he always act like that?"

"I think a lot of it is my fault. I'm really contradictory with him. I hope I don't break him," I chuckled in spite of myself.

"Me either. Um... are you really in love with him?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"You heard that, did you?"

"I did."

"Would you think I'm weird if I said yes?"

"No. Just disappointed."

"Why?"

"Because that dashes my chances with you," he confessed.

I looked at him in surprise as a breeze stirred and pulled a strand of hair across my eyes. I tucked it behind my ear and looked at the sunflower field to avoid his gaze. The sun was getting low, giving the flowers a richer color. My heart was suddenly pounding, and I didn't understand why.

"Sorry, I guess Rusty and I are both good at making you uncomfortable," he sighed.

"Honestly, Cam, I feel more comfortable with you than Rusty. I can actually relate to your feelings. Rusty keeps me on an emotional roller coaster half the time."

"Oh... that's weird," Camden said with a nod.

I knew he had no clue how to respond to what I said.

"You know what, Camden? We should spend more time together without Rusty. I think it would be good for all of us."

"I couldn't agree more," he smiled and offered me his elbow.

I took his arm, and we walked into the house together. We sat at the kitchen table with Mama and George and enjoyed a feast of medium-rare steak, garlic mashed potatoes, buttered squash, collard greens, and apple pie with ice cream for dessert. Then we talked and laughed like a family for the next hour. Mama and George played a game of cards while I challenged Camden to a game of chess. I won two out of three games before he called it quits. We retreated to the living room to talk while Mama and George cleaned up the kitchen. Working in the kitchen together was something Mama used to do with Daddy. It was bittersweet watching her and George do it.

"I haven't seen my uncle this happy since Aunt Margret died," Camden whispered close to my ear.

We were sitting together on the living room sofa, pretending to watch a nature documentary about butterflies.

"We've all lost someone close to us. Why is life so cruel?" I sighed.

"Probably because we killed our planet and then had to fight tooth and nail to make it livable again. I think God is punishing us for our ancestors' mistakes."

"Wow, Cam, you're as pessimistic as I am," I chuckled.

"Thanks... I think," he said and hugged my shoulders.

I leaned into his embrace and smiled. I loved how he felt, how he smelled, and I loved that he was real. I could easily relate to him. I had always wanted a real man to hold me close and excite my heart, and Cam was doing that. Rusty's words echoed in my head at that point, and I suddenly wondered what it would be like to have sex with Camden. I was curious about how he would react if I touched his cock like I touched Rusty's. Then I wondered what he would feel like inside me. That line of thought soon had me wet and swollen between my legs. I looked over and met Camden's eyes. I had caught him staring at me. He smiled in embarrassment and looked out the window. Then he gasped.

"What?" I asked as I looked to where he was staring.

"I thought I saw something," he said as he stood and pulled the curtain aside. It was pitch black beyond the glass.

"What did it look like?"

"Something shiny. I don't know. I may have been seeing things."

"Or it was Rusty. I need to go check on him," I sighed and pushed myself off the couch.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"Nah. It won't take long. Thanks for the wonderful evening, Cam. Let's do it again tomorrow. Good night," I said and kissed him on the cheek.

I quickly escaped after that. I didn't want to see if he approved of the kiss or not. Rusty was still hard at work when I arrived in the maintenance room. He was replacing a worn-down knee joint on another milk bot.

"Good evening, Kaley. Did you have a lovely supper date with Camden?" he asked with a smile.

"I did. Thanks for asking. Were you peeking at us a few minutes ago?"

"No. Why would you ask that? You ordered me to stay here until you retrieved me. I'm not allowed to disobey an order like that outside of an emergency."

"Oh, right. It must have been a fox or something. Well, I hope you're proud of yourself. You had my mind in the gutter this evening," I grumbled as I sat in the chair next to him.

"Oh, really? Tell me more," he grinned.

"I was thinking about Cam's cock, thanks to you."

"I didn't tell you to think about his cock. You did that all on your own. All I asked was if he made you wet like I do."

"He does if you were wondering. At least, I get wet when I think about having sex with him."

"I knew it. You do want to have sex with a real man, and I totally encourage it," he smiled.

"Because you love me?" I sighed.

"Yes, because I love you. I want you to be happy," he whispered as he leaned in and kissed me on the mouth.

I drew away and shook my head.

"Cam is only going to be here for a few days. Why should I drag our hearts through a short fling?"

"That short fling could turn into something more fulfilling. Even if it doesn't, you should still do it. You need to decide if you want to keep me as a boyfriend or if you want a real man."

"You make me sound kind of pathetic," I grumbled.

"There is nothing pathetic about discovering what you want out of life, Kaley. I'm done with my work for tonight. Do you want to fuck in the closet before we go back to the house? I could also sneak into your room later tonight."

"No. I need a physical and mental break tonight. I also need sleep. Keep your 'secret-love-affair' mode running. We'll find time to screw tomorrow."

The next morning started with a big breakfast. Rusty lured us to the kitchen with the smell of bacon, eggs, butter biscuits, hash browns, and sausage gravy. It was absolutely delicious. The humans were stuffed to the gills as we reported to our assigned work areas. Camden and I were at the biggest hub in the central barn again. Mama, Rusty, and George were in different buildings across the farm doing small repairs while major updates were installed. Mama gave Rusty a short-range radio so we could move him around for more complex repairs when we discovered the need. We eventually hit a point where we had nothing to do but wait an hour for an update to finish. A ten-minute diagnostic test was required after every major update to prevent burying a dangerous glitch. So, I relaxed in a rolling chair next to Camden to see what he was reading on his phone.

"I'm looking at my fall class schedule. Super exciting," he sighed.

"It sounds exciting to me. I'd love to go to college."

"Who says you can't?"

"I might someday," I smiled, feeling optimistic for a change.

"How did things go with Rusty last night?"

"Fine. We didn't fight anymore."

"Wow, fighting with a robot is beyond strange to me. By the way, what is the 'devil-in-bed' mode?" he grinned.

"Oh God, I was hoping you forgot about that," I mumbled with blush burning in my cheeks.

"How could I forget something that interesting? Is it a sex mode?"

"It is. It's kinky and wild. I tried it on the lowest intensity setting. I discovered it after a silly conversation with Rusty the other night. He's more of a luxury sexbot than anything else."

"So you two just screw behind your mom's back throughout the day?"

"Sometimes, yeah," I shrugged, avoiding his gaze.

"Does it feel real?"

"I don't know. I have nothing to compare it to. It definitely feels good."

"Holy cow, you lost your virginity to a sexbot?"

"Yeah, is that bad?" I asked and looked at him in annoyance.

"No. It's just interesting," he shrugged and looked across the room.

"So, Cam, are you a virgin?" I asked, intending to make him uncomfortable too.

He looked at me and nodded in embarrassment. I smiled at his honesty.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's not like we have hoards of other teenagers around," I sighed.

"Yeah, I can barely imagine what that would be like. I've seen interesting movies about it, though."

"You mean porn?" I chuckled.

"Not entirely," he grinned.

Camden was dangerously charming when he smiled, and I was constantly aroused when I was alone with him. I couldn't help imagining us doing the things I did with Rusty.

"Do you and Rusty have a favorite position?" he smirked.

"Uh, not really. Well, he did something yesterday morning that was wild."

"Dare I ask what it was?"

"I don't know what to call it, but he pushed my knees close to my shoulders and leaned over me with his weight on my legs. I was pretty much trapped under him with my... I was exposed to him. The position made me really tight and made him feel massive," I explained.

Camden looked fascinated and aroused by my explanation.

"Wow, um, does he have a really large... appendage?"

"Rusty says it's slightly above average. It feels massive to me, but I lack experience, so I'm not a great judge," I shrugged.

Our conversation continued in an awkwardly similar manner as we did diagnostic tests, but it was fun. I really enjoyed hanging out with Camden. I barely had a chance to speak with Rusty that day. He was constantly in demand for complicated repairs. We underestimated how worn out the robots were. Rusty kept working as the humans gathered for supper that evening. We feasted on fried chicken, green beans, butter biscuits, mashed potatoes, and brown gravy. Mama was whipping out all her best recipes to impress George. I sat with Camden on the sofa after supper while Mama and George laughed and cleaned in the kitchen. I was feeling really good after a hearty meal as I snuggled against Camden's shoulder. I was also feeling aroused. I hadn't played with Rusty in almost two days, and Camden was constantly stoking my curiosity. So, I mustered up the courage to see if he was as horny as me.

"Cam, would you... um," I mumbled before I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was listening, "visit my room later tonight?" I whispered close to his ear.

He looked at me with an eyebrow raised for a moment. I could see the apprehension and excitement my question caused.

"You don't have to accept if you're not comfortable with it," I added, giving him a polite way to refuse.

"I would love to," he whispered with a smile.

"Good. Can you sneak out without waking your uncle?"

He chuckled at that question.

"Uncle George hasn't been sleeping in the guest room since we got here," he grinned, causing a burst of laughter from me.

"Oh, that makes things easier," I whispered.

I picked up his hand and squeezed it between mine. His wrist was resting against my thigh, and I couldn't help noticing how warm and soft his skin was. I stealthily moved my hand out from under his so his palm could touch my thigh. He smiled and squeezed it when he noticed what I was doing. His simple touch was arousing me more than usual. I met his gaze as I slowly pulled his hand down between my thighs. His pretty blue eyes widened as I guided his hand up my dress. Tingles raced through my crotch when he squeezed the soft flesh close to my panties. Before I realized it, he gently pulled my underwear aside and slid his fingertips over my slippery outer lips. I gulped and closed my eyes as my inner muscles tingled with want.

"You are so wet," he whispered as he leaned closer and rested his head against mine.

He was eagerly exploring my swollen lips as he spread my arousal over them. I moaned when he slid his finger inside me. I shuddered as he pulled it out and pushed it back in, massaging my tight muscles. Suddenly, Mama dropped a pan in the kitchen and scared the shit out of us. Camden swiftly pulled his hand back as I pushed my dress down.

"Everything alright in there?" I called.

"We're fine! George is being a pest," Mama chuckled.

Camden and I looked at each other and laughed. His irises were wide with arousal, and his neck was blushing.

"We can continue that later," he whispered before he put his finger in his mouth and sucked it clean with a soft moan.

I chuckled and tingled as I watched him. My eyes drifted down to the bulge in his shorts, and the ache between my legs rebounded. Knowing I caused his arousal was enthralling. I could make Camden just as horny as he made me. I couldn't do that for Rusty.

"Camden, you forgot your phone in the barn," I whispered close to his ear.

"No, I didn't," he said in confusion.

"Yes, you did," I whispered as I reached over and stroked the bulge in his shorts, making it harder.

"Holy shit, I did," he breathed with a gulp. "I think I left my phone in the central barn. Kaley and I are going to look for it," he called towards the kitchen.

"Take the flashlight out of the grounds cart and watch for raccoons. They can be aggressive when cornered," Mama called as we made our way to the front door.

I grabbed the flashlight and Camden's hand and hurried along the dark path that led away from the house. The night was cool and dimly lit by the waning moon hanging low in the eastern sky. The air smelled of corn thanks to the field runners dousing the plants and misting their fragrance onto the breeze.

"Are we actually going to the barn?" Camden asked.

"Yes. There's a loft with a futon bed in it. I dragged it up there ten years ago. I was pretending I moved out of the house into an apartment in New York. I also masturbate up there sometimes," I chuckled.

"Oh, intriguing. I love how open you are about sex."

"You can thank Rusty for that. He opened Pandora's Box of Desires for me. I wouldn't have been doing this two weeks earlier."

"Speaking of Rusty, isn't he in the barn?"

"We can use the back entrance to access the loft ladder and sneak right by him."

"You do know it's really weird to be sneaking around a robot like he's your ex or something, right?"

"I know. We don't actually have to sneak around him. I just want to," I shrugged, pretending I didn't feel guilty about it even though I did. I definitely didn't want to explain that absurdity to Camden.

We sneaked into the backdoor and carefully made our way up two floors by wooden ladders. I climbed into the loft space first and smiled at the blue futon in the corner. It sat just to the left of the gable window that overlooked the sunflower field. It was a spectacular view even in the dim moonlight.