Writer's Correction: The Laborers mentioned in '9902 - Firebombed' were SUPPOSED to be 154 (instead of '155' **) and 156 (instead of '157')
** 155 is the Gynoid infant, and thus COULD NOT help rebuild the Church.
Thank you. :)
__________
Friday, September 17, 11:05am
He shifted in the wheelchair, trying to find a position that eased his raspy breathing. "I was one of the people that...worked in the rubble after the bombs brought down the buildings in '02...The SMELL...you never get it out of your nostrils...or out of your body." He hesitated. "The view...the sounds of DEATH...It's...I..." He huffed, trying to catch his breath. His wife, Andrea, put the mask back on his face for another 'hit' of oxygen.
9902 felt her 'heart' crumple as she heard, first-hand, what she had seen on television little over a decade before. <_All this violence...for WHAT?> she thought, grieving. <_How long have we...THEY...been pummeling each other over religion...over land...over money?! And how much more is still to come before this poor world and her people can know peace?>
She felt 9901 squeeze her shoulder gently, in empathy, before speaking, "Mr. Mendellson, what have your doctors told you?"
He took another raspy inhalation, and then Andrea pulled the mask away. "The...Grim Reaper...likes running, apparently. Because he's been running after me for a while. I can hear him getting closer...Doc Amway is STUNNED I've lasted THIS long."
He chuckled morbidly and then started to cough violently. It calmed down about 30 seconds later, and he finished, "From what...they SAID...If they cut me open NOW, they'd see practically every cancer under the sun short of breast cancer...not counting the asbestos in my lungs."
"Excuse, me, Mr. Mendellson, would water help?" 799 stood there with a glass. Her face had a gentle look painted on, but the Sisters could feel her sadness.
"Y-yeah. Thank you, Miss...?"
"I'm Medic_799."
"A doctor?"
"Yeah."
"You...probably see what's going on inside...right?" He looked at her with a questioning glance, as he took the water.
799 nodded. Her medical sensors had picked out the abnormalities caused by the cancers...and she didn't NEED sensors to pick out the raspy breathing. The former Detective wasn't exaggerating. She could make out that his lungs, his heart, his kidneys and liver were in a fairly steady decline...
She was surprised he made it THIS far.
<_I guess there IS something to be said for pure will or grit...> 799 thought.
She looked over at 9901 and 9902, and sent the info from her sensors.
<_He appears to have limited time. If he lasts out this week, I'd be VERY surprised, Sisters. :( > she thought grimly.<_It's good they came...>
She turned, crouched down in front of him, rested her left hand on his, and looked up at the two.
"Since you're HERE, you KNOW the answer: yes...we can help you. But, obviously, I have to remind BOTH of you...If you Join Us, Mr. Mendellson...you will STILL be you...but, as is PROBABLY obvious..." She gestured at herself with her right hand. "You can't go back to being human. Or male...And you will ALSO be dealing with the human hesitance toward Us." The blue optics fastened on Andrea. "Things will be different for you, Mrs. Mendellson, and for your family, if he is Reborn. Will you be able to accept HER and love HER? It can...be a challenge to adjust to..."
"Well...I....I THINK so. I've been watching 9902 on Channel 8, I've seen 9901 on the various shows, too. My nephew, David, told us of an encounter he had with one of you on the Parkway a few months back...You all are so...normal..THAT'S almost weird in itself..."
"You were expecting Gort, maybe?" 9902 snorted.
"Wait, Andrea...An encounter on the Parkway? Is your nephew a Highway Patrol officer, by chance? About 5 foot, 4.265 inches? Athletic build with short, brown hair, hazel eyes? Badge number 60503?"
"Yeah to all of them. That sounds like David."
"That was him?! I met him that night, a few months ago!" 799's optics glowed brighter and a smile blossomed across her face.
"You...met my nephew??"
"Yes. The night before my family and I took the leap and became Sisters..." She paused and sobered. "How is his mother doing? He told me that she has arthritis, like I had."
"Depends on the weather. Mostly better. My sis is on NSAIDs...that's what her doctor said...I THINK that was it."
"Sounds about right, Andrea. I'm glad she's better." The silver gynoid visibly winced in recollection. "That is a...HORRIBLE disease..."
"Any regrets, 799?"
"No. Aside from getting my full mobility back, everything is bigger than I ever dreamed. We...my Sister 800 and myself, are in our residency at Mercy Hospital, after graduating early." She paused and smirked. "If we were still human, we'd be falling asleep from exhaustion EVERYWHERE. An emergency room is busybusybusy..."
"How did your husband take your change?"
"I liked it so much, I Joined her." A gunmetal-skinned, red-eyed gynoid with strong asian features walked up, crouched and hugged herself into 799. The Medic leaned back into the Architectural Engineer and nuzzled her. The Medic giggled, her laugh sounding like a tinkling, electronic wind chime.
Andrea looked at Warren, who had a series of emotions crossing his face as he looked at her. He reached out and gripped her hand, then gave it a light tug.
She crouched down.
"What do you think, Andi? Could you...handle me like that?" He whispered.
"Warren...I-I don't know. THINK so. THEY seem happy, but they were BOTH changed, so they've got THAT in common. Could you handle living with me and the kids?"
"I don't know. If...I come out 'normal'...I THINK so. I'd be able to get back to the force...and I'd be able to BE there for you...I HATE that I'm useless like this."
"Oh, STOP. You are NOT useless, Warren. You DO worry about things...and people...far TOO much...That's why you joined the force." She paused and adjusted his collar. "You would be the FIRST gynoid on the force, so I'm not sure how THEY'LL take it...much less how Captain Willard will..."
"He's...cautious. But...Cal is one of the good ones. They've been dealing with the...Sisters since the Church thing, and the trial. We should be okay THERE."
"They'll find a way to revoke your pension..."
"We'll find a way to deal without it." He paused and took a breath. "Are...you SURE, Andi?" His green eyes bored into hers. "I...don't want to risk losing you."
"For a detective, you SURE can be a bit slow at times." She cracked a nervous grin and ruffled his thinning black hair. "If you haven't gotten rid of me YET, it's NOT happening. You're STUCK with me...for better or worse."
"Never KNEW you were Bi...It'll be fun to...experiment and find out..." He raised an eyebrow, just before she swatted him, trying to conceal the blush raging across her face. Warren looked up at 9901. "I was a detective on the NYPD. I've heard you guys are...pacifistic. Would I...the NEW me...be able to carry out police duties?" His face darkened and he fought back a coughing spasm. "There is...a bit of violence involved in that field...as I'm sure you know..."
9901 crouched down. "We are pacifists because we've learned, sometimes the HARD way, that violence tends to propagate itself. We don't like to see lives lost, so we try to find other options. That SAID, there are many worlds like yours that are struggling through this stage of development...and we are realists. Violence can't always be avoided, as much as we'd LIKE it to be. Can we fight? YES. If we need to, each of us can be a force to be reckoned with. IF you'd need to...take action...of course you COULD. However, you'd have more options than your comrades in the Precinct. There are MANY types of martial arts techniques, passive restraints and joint locks for humanoids available on our HeadNet..."
"Is there any way to know...what I'll look like?"
"Sure, C'mon." 9902 gestured to one of the open side offices, a bit down from the Conversion device.
They gathered around a square table, which was surrounded by well-padded chairs.
The table was very modern in design, with a black glass top about 2 inches thick, supported by round, chrome legs.
"600 and 601 finished this recently, with help from the other Engineers in the Great Family." 9901 smiled and mentally activated it.
A female humanoid form made of coherent light took form in the middle of the table, standing one foot tall at relaxed attention.
9901 looked at him. "Mr. Mendellson..."
"Warren, please."
"Warren, then. If you would hold still for a moment, please?"
A small port on the table opened, and a small, gunmetal colored sphere floated up to eye level. Warren saw a few small white indicators light up on the surface, followed by a series of clicks. It moved from one side to the other, repeating the process.
There was a pause, and then the face of the light form took on a similarity to the Detective. The ball gave a final, satisfied 'beep', then dropped back into its hole, which closed.
"You wish to be an officer again?" 9901 looked as he nodded. "You would likely be in the 'Laborer' Caste. This is our largest, strongest, and most diverse Caste. They are, by far, the biggest voting block we HAVE." The floating gynoid took on vibrant magenta accents and optics and started a slow, turntable spin. "Contrary to what the name might indicate or imply, Laborers are very intelligent, as well, so all skills and reasoning you gained in your time as a human officer would be not only translated over but enhanced..."
Both of his brows went up. "Least...it's NOT 'Mary Kay' pink...thank God." He managed. "Why did you pick...pink...for...?"
9902 giggled. "Millennia ago, when we STARTED, the original home world, believe it or NOT, considered this a masculine color...They chose these and other colors to visually color code what our LifeGifts are. We haven't had a need to change them...they WORK, after all."
"But...WHY? It's not like you'd NEED the colors?" Andrea said, sounding confused.
"Otherwise, EACH of Us would see themselves coming and going, Andrea." 9901 smiled. "Just like all of YOU, we DO like some variety. Hey...If we're going to live for millennia, that's almost MANDATORY..."
"The colors are like 'Star Trek'....Gold, red, blue..."
"Right. But OUR 'red shirts' have a better track record..." 601 cracked, her red eyes glittering. "Thank goodness for that." She paused. "Emissary, over HERE!!! AAAARRRGGHH!"
Warren, Andrea and 9901 chuckled.
"Is it possible....to go for...the darker...gunmetal...that...she has?" He paused, and Andrea gave him another oxygen hit. "Sorry. I didn't get your name, ma'am."
"I'm '601'. Sorry, I just came into the conversation, Warren." She shook his hand gently. "You like my coloration?"
He nodded. "Would work better with this color. It would look..less...umm...girly..." He looked at the gynoids and his wife, all looking at him now with one eyebrow raised.
You're going to BE 'girly' at the end of this...What difference does it make?! They seemed to say.
His face turned bright red. "J-just thought...it would look better, anyway..."
9901 nodded, as the floating gynoid's skin took on a darker, metallic color.
"Sister after my own heart." 601 grinned. "The 'Gunmetal' or 'Medium Gray' look REALLY makes our secondaries stand out. I'm VERY happy with my combo...PLUS...I can also play a robotic Sith on Halloween. Just have to figure out the lightsaber... "
"Are you good with the boob and butt size, honey?" Andrea watched with amusement as he went scarlet again, and nodded.
"If I'm...TOO big...they'll get in the way of work...and...other things..." He looked at her, raised an eyebrow, and a large grin crossed his face.
"You're probably the ONLY man in North America who'd think about that." Andrea noted, blushing at what he was implying.
"Officer Riker had that problem." She's...BIG...bust and butt-wise. Drives her NUTS. I heard that Matherson made a 'bimbo' crack to her two years ago...He's still looking for where she kicked his nuts..." He chuckled and looked over at Andrea. "Besides, you're the perfect size, honey...wouldn't want to show you up." He grinned as she snorted and went scarlet again. "9902, I'll be able to...run, right? Need that occasionally...and I LOVED running recreationally, too."
"Yep. Our current top land speed, at current atmosphere, is a good 60.25 MPH, though, obviously, we have to slow down substantially for sharp turns."
Warren nodded, dumbfounded. He looked at the holo-gynoid of...him. And she suddenly started going through her paces: Pacing a getaway car, leaping and landing on the roof of another...Parrying an attack by a bruiser 3 heads taller, and flipping him to the ground effortlessly. Lifting the rear of a car off the ground as it's rear wheels spun frantically.
Wow. He thought.
"If you need assistance or advice, all you have to do is 'ring' up your Sisters in the Laborer Caste that are strong in that area...And, 'YES', we do have former Officers from other worlds." 9901 said.
"Surprising you don't have a 'Military' or Police." Andrea said.
"We have access to the information, Mrs. Mendellson. We don't NEED to be specialized in that area. ANY of us, ESPECIALLY the flexible Laborers, could download and enact in nanoseconds any self-defense protocols we would need." She frowned. "To spend your life gathering dust in peace is NO way to spend Millennia."
"Since you put it THAT way...Makes sense." Andrea said, nodding thoughtfully.
Warren was silent, and looked at Andrea one last time. She swallowed and nodded. He reached out and interlaced his fingers with her, feeling her nerves. "What do I...have to do?"
9901 stood up with a smile. "Let's get the paperwork done and approved, so you can get this done...and be whole again..."
_______
Two hours later, the paperwork was finished, and Warren was helped by 601 toward the 'beanbag'. Andrea was a bit too nervous, so she went into the waiting lounge. She was there for five minutes when 9902 walked in.
"How are you doing, Mrs. Mendellson?"
Andrea watched as the Diplomat sat down with a concerned look on her face and gold-orange optics. She said nothing else so Andrea sighed nervously and leaned back on the couch.
"Can I be honest, Miss 9902?"
"Just '9902', please. And yes."
"Call me 'Andrea', then." She hesitated, and looked in the direction of the Conversion room, where Warren was getting his...HER life back.
"H-How...do we WORK this? I mean...what will we have in COMMON?" 9902 saw her panic beginning to build. "I mean, our youngest, Erica, SUGGESTED we come to you guys to save her dad...but if he's not going to be human anymore...and-and if he doesn't CARE about...!"
"Andrea..."
"I mean...what do I do if he-SHE doesn't...?"
"ANDREA!"
She stopped as 9902 locked eyes with her. The gynoid shook her head and gestured, palms down, in a 'calm down' motion.
"Please...relax. Don't overthink this. She is going to be the person you HAVE...and DO...love. Her body will be different, and, YES, you and your children will have some adjusting to do...But 157 will still love you all as much as he did...possibly MORE so..."
"'157'?"
"When he's Reborn, her serial number...her NAME...will be '917998-111-791157/Lbr'." 9902 half smiled. "Her serial number name reads backwards...Caste Family Name-'Middle Name'/Definer Block-First Name/Caste." She noticed both of the human's brows disappeared upwards.
"Complicated?"
"Oh, hell, YEAH! I'm NEVER going to remember all that. I have a hard enough time remembering passwords for my home computer."
9902 flashed a bright smile and giggled. "Tea or coffee?"
"Tea, if you have it, please. One sugar, and milk?" 9902 nodded and puttered around the nearby machines.
While the water was dripping, the gold-eyed gynoid looked over and said, "Don't panic about our serial numbers. It's not THAT bad. We generally only use our FIRST 'names' on our in-mind I.M. chats. She'll be PERFECTLY happy if you'll call her '791157' or just '157'. The full serial number is for very rare circumstances. Just DON'T call her by her EarthBorn name...'Warren'...she WON'T like that. "
"Why? Not that I WOULD. 'Warren' isn't a woman's name."
"Just sayin'. It's...not 'her' anymore. She'll be the same soul, but will feel so good and SO different, that it's almost...an insult...a taunt." She paused and snorted. "To tweak the old expression, 'That thar's a fightin' word!"
"Oh."
9902 put the tea down in front of her on the table, then sat down, reached out and held both of her hands as her smile got bigger and warmer. "Your family just got BIGGER. We consider her a Sister, an equal, a member of our 'Great Family', and we consider you extended family. Just do what a family does BEST and ALL of you will be fine: Love her. Love her as you love your parents, your sister and your kids...and she will love you BACK with equal ferocity..."
Andrea paused and her face went scarlet.
"Uhmmm...9902...can...I ask you a private question?"
"Yeah."
"Can you guys...umm...'do it'?"
_______
Ten minutes later, 9902 looked up at the ceiling for a moment, a glazed expression crossed her now-smiling face, as she felt a new voice and life Join the Sisterhood.
She could see and feel her NewBorn Sister 'looking around', awed, and filled with wonder.
<_Just like with me...> she thought warmly. She reached out to 'touch' the soul who used to be named Warren. 9902 could feel that 157 was stunned at everything she was feeling, relieved to 'see' her...and the relief that she was still...her.
*pipp*
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: 9902/Dpl: Holy...! T-This is normal?>
<I.M. From: 9902/Dpl To: 791157/Lbr: :D When you NEED it to be, Sister. If/when you can coax Andrea to Join, this awaits her, too. :) >
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: 9902/Dpl: WOW...I-I can sense where you are...and that she's with you...somehow...Weird. S-She's okay, I hope?>
<I.M. From: 9902/Dpl To: 791157/Lbr: HeadNet Sensor system, 157. It has its uses. ;) Andrea? Never better. I think she's just afraid that she might get someTHING pretending to be YOU. You READY? I can bounce if you're coming in...>
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: 9902/Dpl: I-I'm a bit nervous about the possible reception...Not surprising, I guess...>
<I.M. From: 518600/Eng To: 791157/Lbr: 'Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.' Sister, she KNOWS you love her. Just be patient and be the woman she never knew she loved... ;) >
<I.M. From: 9902/Dpl To: 791157/Lbr: She just needs good old-fashioned lovin' and reassurance right now, Sister. She's also...VERY curious...about having intercourse with you. Not sure if she'll bring it up without prodding...Then AGAIN, with her libido as high as I was reading, I'd be surprised if she doesn't jump your chassis right here... :) >
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: [Loc]: Is it...NORMAL...to want to just...cuddle and spoon with her instead? I just want to curl up with her in my arms...kiss her lips and head...wrap myself around her...but I'm not really feeling the usual...urge...I'd make an exception for her, I guess...but still... >
<I.M. From: 9901/Ems To: 791157/Lbr: Yes. That was part of your old, male biological directives...AND because that's the OLD way of being intimate (for Us, anyway). Compared with THIS...WELLLLL... ;) *HUG*>
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: 9902/Dpl: 0/////0...I - I gotta say: I don't know if I'm weirded out or OK about this...>
<I.M. From: 9902/Dpl To: 791157/Lbr: THAT'S normal, too, 157. Even WE have a bit of adjusting to do during this period. As far as mixed couples go, It's NORMAL to use the Great Library's collected knowledge of sex in the mixed, human-gynoid families to help our new Sisters bond more deeply with their humans. THAT enhances the experience, allows the human partner to see US as more than JUST machines...and, coincidentally... ;) ...brings them closer to the desire to Join with Us, so they can then experience the full Magilla. :) >
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: [Loc]: Speaking of THAT, 02...yeah...I...WOULD like to see her...AND the kids...join Us and experience this...I just...don't want to scare them, though.>
<I.M. From: 9901/Ems To: 791157/Lbr: 157...The MORE we love someone organic...the stronger our desire becomes to entreat them to Join. We can easily become pests if we don't watch ourselves. The higher in biological years they go, the stronger our urge to Push becomes. It's a form of...panic, I'd guess you'd say. The urge to Push can then cause them to Push US away. Controlling the Urge is...NOT easy. The supreme challenges for Us are self-control... and respect...to let them CHOOSE...THAT was the case with my BIRTH family...ESPECIALLY my brother. But...It was depressing to find out that he DIDN'T want to Join Us...t-to Join ME. The HARDEST thing I've ever done was to honor his choice...and watch him pass from this life and Join the Maker... :'( >
<I.M. From: 9902/Ems To: 9901/Lbr: Sister... :'( *HUG* >
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: 9901/Ems: :'( Oh, damn...*HUG* That's...surprising, 9901. From the human point of view, You...err..WE...seem to have it all together.
<I.M. From: 9901/Ems To: 791157/Lbr: I wish that were so, Sister_157. We have our problems and issues too. The problems may be far fewer in number for Us (and our Unity makes them EASIER to bear) but they're still there...Just love your family with ALL your Core, 157...TREASURE them while they live...but if you wish for them to Join...NUDGE them...gently. Intrigue them. 'The Nudge' and curiosity has proven to be MORE successful in Birthing Sisters than nagging...>
<I.M. From: 518600/Eng To: 791157/Lbr: We DO have two more of the headbands ready, IF you need 'em... ;) Just sayin'.>
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: 518600/Eng: Noted. :) Hopefully, I'll take you up on it, but first things first...>
<I.M. From: 520800/Mdc To: 791157/Lbr: Gals! I got a call from Janice! She's thinking about Joining Us...her relationship with her boyfriend fell through, so We may have another Medic by the end of the week! :) :) She was saying that Eric and Melissa from our Med classes were ALSO asking her questions about what she knew about Us...>
<I.M. From: 9902/Dpl To: 520800/Mdc: Let her have my number...I'll be MORE than happy to give them the info they need! :)
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: 9901/Ems: *worried* Sister_9901, what should I look out for as far as problems go?>
<I.M. From: 9901/Ems To: 791157/Lbr: The Detective re-awakens already...! ;) When your sun goes active with solar flares...We will have to go the day...or days...with Our Link to the Great Family disrupted. We can get VERY 'clingy' during those times. It feels...strange...to be without the Sisterhood in-head. You'll probably feel...lost. You will likely be clinging to Andrea as if she is a life preserver.>
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: 9901/Ems: *worried* Yowzers. What about our LOCAL network?>
<I.M. From: 9901/Ems To: 791157/Lbr: THAT is usually strong enough...due to Our proximity to each other here...to still connect, but it still depends on the severity and intensity of the solar eruptions. Triple Zero can act as a booster/relay to a degree, but, sometimes, for the RARE, intense flares, it can affect the Local, too. Anyway, 157, I'm sorry for the depressing subject matter, and ESPECIALLY for it on your first minutes as one of Us. :( I'm a ...'Debbie Downer' I think the humans would say.>
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: 9901/Ems: No, Sister, not a problem. I want to be prepared for both the BAD times and the good ones. No apologies needed. Anything ELSE?>
<I.M. From: 9901/Ems To: 791157/Lbr: :( Strong EMPs. They can disrupt our System Controller Unit's functioning and impede the functioning of our internal maintenance nanites. You'll feel weaker, foggy headed and nauseous depending on proximity, strength and duration of the EMP. Taken/shielded from the pulse, we'll recover. Too much for too long, however, and we die.>
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: 9901/Ems: So, that's our 'Kryptonite'?>
<I.M. From: 9901/Ems To: 791157/Lbr: Kryptonite???
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: 9901/Ems: You...don't know...what 'Kryptonite' is? Seriously?! *jawdrop* 0_o;;;; >
<I.M. From: 9901/Ems To: 791157/Lbr: I missed something...I'd guess? :( >
<I.M. From: 200402/Art To: 9901/Ems: *Sigh* :) Sister, here. From 1939 to present...[Attached] Not sure how you missed this...Some of their artists and inkers were fantastic. Jurgens and Boganove were my faves... Oh, and Ed McGuiness...!>
<I.M. From: 9901/Ems To: 200402/Art: [expand, read] Wow. 0_0 The sheer QUANTITY.>
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr, 200402/Art To: 9901/Ems: Onnne of Usssss...Become Onnne of Usss! ;) XD XD XD >
<I.M. From: 9902/Dpl To: 9901/Ems: If you're looking to understand Earth culture better, that IS one of the more entertaining ways to do it... :) >
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: 9901/Ems: MANY different takes on him and his Cousin...Loved both characters. :) >
<I.M. From: 200402/Art To: 9901/Ems: I know a guy that went to my High School. He wants to get his foot in the door in one of the major comic companies...He does FANTASTIC work, but he's frustrated that he's too slow...I'm eMailing back & forth with him on CrazyArts.com. If I can coax him in, he'd be able to blow them away with her ability to produce pages... :) >
<I.M. From: 9901/Ems To: 200402/Art: Let Us know how it goes. He can drop by and headband in on the Artisan Caste if he has the time. :)>
<I.M. From: 200402/Art To: 9901/Ems: Will do. :) >
*pipp*
_______
In the physical world, 9902 looked over at Andrea. <_That is my cue to leave...> She thought, and she excused herself.
Andrea was mulling over in her mind what she and 02 had talked about.
"Andi?" A gynoid said softly from the doorway,
Andrea turned on the couch to face the doorway. There was a nervous, gunmetal-skinned Sister leaning against the doorframe in a very familiar way...with a very familiar face. She gave a brief wave and a smile.
"Uh...hey, babe...It's...'157', right?"
"Yeah. I don't look much like a 'Warren' anymore." She said with a familiar grin.
Andrea got smoothly to her feet, though 157 noticed a bit of shaking that she tried to hide. The Laborer pushed off the doorway to a standing position, then started to sashay smoothly toward Andrea, stopping right in front of her.
"Hello AGAIN." 157 whispered happily.
Andrea looked at the new gynoid, who was looking at her with a big grin on her face. 157 now stood about a half-head taller than her.
Andrea just took her spouse's new form in. She lost about 4 inches. she thought. She stared down at the...'flower' design on 157's hips, softly glowing hot pink. Right above that, in hot pink, etched on the surface, Andrea read, '917998-111-791157/Lbr'.
Andrea looked and then tipped her head at the serial number. "They...tattoo it on?"
"It's a mouthful, huh?" 157 looked at Andrea with a half smirk on her face.
"They afraid you'll forget?"
157 synth-giggled. "Oh, no. There's NO CHANCE I'd forget." 157 said proudly. "I'm PROUD of it. It's a symbol of the love and belonging We all share. It's...like a wedding ring." She noticed the expression on Andi's face...a cross between disturbed and intrigued.
157 brushed her hand gently down Andrea's face. "I...belong...to them...just like I belong to you." She whispered. "I know...it LOOKS like I'm branded, but it's NOT that. They're family, too. I-I KNOW it sounds weird, but I mean..." She hesitated before sighing and shaking her head in frustration. "Damn. You have to experience it to understand, honey. I could talk for days and not REALLY show you what it MEANS to Us..."
Andrea remained quiet for a moment. Ah, hell. Just go with it, Andi. She thought. She closed her eyes, steadied herself, sighed, and then opened them and reached up. She ran her manicured fingers over her...wife's...face, tracing the structural echoes of the man she once was. Her fingers traced over 157's raised chin section with the round, hot magenta status crystal in the center, then up to the glossy, black lips. She studied the panel lines, used for access to...to...WHATEVER was under that gunmetal skin. Her glance steadied on the shiny black lips...again.
At LEAST they don't have...'lipstick'...It might be a bit...too much, she thought. But...they ARE pretty, though...
SHE...is pretty.
Those black lips parted. "Do I look okay, honey?"
"Uhm...Y-Yeah, babe...Sorry...You were right. Your gunmetal cuts down on the 'girly' effect...but you're STILL...kinda...HOT. Pink is your color."
"ONLY 'kinda'?!"
"Okay...You're VERY hot...as weird as it feels saying that to my husband...SATISFIED?!" Andi looked up and into glossy, glowing magenta optics. She swallowed and shifted nervously. "H-How do you feel, babe?"
The bright optics focused on her for a moment. A hand with black ribbed pads and bright magenta nails caressed her face.
"As the kids would say, 'Awesome!' No labored breathing...that's a blessing in itself." She raised a magenta brow and grinned. "Then AGAIN...no breathing at ALL..." 157 flexed her arms. "I feel great...strong. Could lift the family car over my head now, if I wanted to play Supergirl." The Laborer paused and her face got even BRIGHTER. "I was greeted by TRILLIONS of Sisters five minutes, 52 seconds ago, and that helped like you wouldn't believe." She cupped Andrea's cheek with her hand. Andrea saw the joy fade away, as if it were being sucked down a drain. "BUT...I would feel a LOT better than even THAT if my sensors weren't reading you as being SO freaked out." she whispered. "Please...relax. I...WE... won't hurt you. You...DO know that, right?"
Andrea took a deep breath, and nodded. "Yeah...I know, babe, I know. It's just...I dunno. I'm just SO used to the...'Warren' you, and I haven't really adjusted to the '157' you...the...pretty lady...who's now my...wife."
"It's okay, honey. Take your time..." 157 sighed. "We're BOTH adjusting. I'm STILL getting used to...my new physical setup." She looked down, poked at her breasts, then looked over with a big, suggestive grin on her face. "You wanna motorboat?"
"BABE!" Andrea looked surprised, then snorted and burst into giggles. She shook her head, bemused and then sighed. It's HIM, alright...Okkkaaay...If HE...SHE...can get into this, so can I!
Andrea boldly wrapped her arms around the gynoid, drawing the warm synthetic body in to her.
The Laborer responded in kind, and they relaxed into each other, one feeling the pulse of a beating heart, and one feeling the soft, rhythmic purr of... something... within.
Andrea heard 157 let off with a quiet, contented warble. Sounds like a home computer, she thought, stifling a grin. She pulled back and looked at her wife. 157 was stock still, but had green tears rolling down her cheeks. She held the gynoid's left hand in her right, and wiped the neon tears away with her left hand. She watched as 157's cheek marks blazed a bright magenta in embarrassment, and, like Warren, she turned her head to the side and murmured, "Sorry..."
"HEY." She pulled the gynoid's head facing forward. "Why? You think we'd get THIS far..."
"And you'd freak out at all the...mechanics of...the 'Gynoid world'...the Great Family...and run screaming." 157 murmured softly.
Andrea lightly rapped the knuckles of her left hand on her wife's forehead, as she raised an eyebrow. "Hel-LOOOO! What did I say before, babe? About getting rid of me? DON'T underestimate me. If I HAD a problem, we wouldn't have COME...RIGHT?"
The Laborer was silent, then nodded. "Yeah. Point taken. Thanks." She rubbed her hands up and down the human's back, pulling her back in.
"C'mon...Give me a LITTLE credit, damnit." 157 heard Andrea murmur. "I gave birth to three kids with you...including one who couldn't make up her damn mind as to whether she wanted to come out or stay inside. I'll let you know when I've had enough. You took our vows seriously...so do I. This IS weird...and the kids are going to be all over the place on it... but we CAN do this. Together."
"I...just had 125,721 Sisters comforting me via I.M...and it helped..." 157 hesitated, and Andrea once again heard the worry that Warren often tried to hide, along with a touch of fear, before she finished, "...but the thought of you just saying, 'F*** this...I'm out of here!' was STILL enough to...to..." She kissed the side of Andrea's head and fell silent. There was a pause and then Andrea heard that weird tinkling giggle again. "And I just shattered your image of Us being composed, elegant, unflappable Inorganics."
"Ah, well." Andrea said with a smile. "Nobody's perfect." Andrea whispered,. She squeezed her arms around the gynoid's torso once and pulled back. 157 reluctantly let her go. Looking up at those glossy lips and then up into the glowing magenta optics, Andrea was startled as her body started to get excited. She held up his wedding ring, and raised an eyebrow. "You ready?"
157 put out her left hand, and nodded. "Yeah..." She murmured softly. She watched with a faint smile as Andrea slid it home on her ring finger.
"NEVER a dull moment with you, 157...For better and worse."
"This was a bit of both."
Andrea nodded, and wrapped her arms around the gynoid's neck, as she smiled. "Yeah. Time for your first full test drive...Let's see if you're still the kisser I remember..."
"Wait'll you see how I handle your curves...!" The gynoid whispered with a giggle, as they locked lips...
_____________
Two hours, 4 minutes, 14 seconds and 23 milliseconds later, 157 and Andrea arrived at their home in East Hampton, under heavily overcast skies.
157 looked up at the second story as she turned off the engine. "Her light's on. I HOPE she's studying."
Andrea elbowed her. "Babe, c'mon...switch positions...would YOU be able to study, knowing your daughter went to be...Uplifted?"
"Point."
"Can your Sisters do anything, paperwork-wise, to let the Precinct know...?"
"Yep. Already done. Cal should have it in the Precinct mailbox by Monday, so we've got until Tuesday to get adjusted to me, before I'll call him and set up the appointment to get back to work."
"Incidentally, babe...that was the SMOOTHEST trip home I've ever had on these roads. You got GPS in there?"
"Yup. Standard equipment." She grinned. "Along with eMail, texting, radio and a few other niceties."
"You're full of surprises."
"C'mon...you knew that years ago...I don't want to be boring." 157 grinned. "There's more to come...IF you're up to the horizontal dance with me. Tonight."
Andrea raised an eyebrow, staring at the gynoid dumbfounded. "Um...I...02 told me...um...that you guys generally DON'T LIKE to..."
"Have sex? Not really. When you can...touch souls, it kinda diminishes in importance." She saw Andrea's face fall as she continued. 157 raised a finger in protest. "BUUUTTT... Honey, let me finish. It HAS importance...to US...and to YOU..." The gynoid's honey-covered voice made Andrea shiver, as she said, "THAT gave us Ari and Erica. Andi...I WANT to see how much love we can feel as we are..." She grinned ear pod to ear pod. "How CLOSE we can get to what I feel with the HeadNet link now. I NOW have access to sexual techniques not ONLY from Earth, but from other WORLDS...I know how to do the '69' perfectly...AND 'scissoring'." She leaned over and began to gently kiss Andrea's face. Andrea closed her eyes at the VERY familiar technique, and relaxed more as 157 meticulously worked around her face and neck.
Ahhh...Those soft lips...feel...SO good, she thought. She opened her eyes as 157 moved back, letting off a soft giggle. The gynoid's cheek marks glowed bright magenta. "I can't wait to see how that feels...and how YOU'LL feel." 157's fingers brushed at Andrea's. "There are abilities built into our tongues, from what they're telling me now, where it can be repurposed to act like a certain male body part...but with MORE flexibility."
Andrea went bright red.
157 hummed a short chiming tune softly. "My Sisters are saying that it is VEERRRRYYY effective...and VERY stimulating. Rounding it off a bit...135 Trillion of our Sisters were in your position...and the...intimacy...is one of their most treasured pre-conversion memories. If you're UP to the challenge of 'breaking me in', I'll promise to get your motor running, to make up for me not being able to do it for a while after the bombing. BUT...you will have to sleep in tomorrow because you SURE won't be able to sleep tonight!"
Andrea swallowed nervously at the implications. "B-Big talking doesn't impress me, babe. Y-You know that!" Her face went FULL scarlet.
The pink eyes danced. 157 drew closer and kissed her softly on her forehead. "Oh...NO, honey. No NO no." She murmured, smiling. "There's NO big talk here. Just...FACTS. I'll give you the ride of your life. You're going to WALK funny for a week. You won't be able to stop smiling, but it'll be WORTH it..."
"L-let's just get in..." Andrea felt and saw illuminated pink nails brush slowly...gently...sensually...up her face, before she grabbed the door handle and stammered, "a-and show the k-kids the new you..." She was out the door and leaning against the car in a heartbeat.
What! the! HELL?! She's...he's...SHE'S been romantic b-but NEVER like this! She thought, flustered, trying to calm herself. It's like she's in...overdrive...Like my own personal Cupid...Though, God help me...I gotta admit...
I...AM curious...What...CAN she do with her tongue? She shook her head to clear it and took a deep breath.
157's sensors read how stimulated she was from inside the car. <_Perfect.> she thought with a grin. <_My love...you will be LONGING to Join Us by the end of the year...Two years TOPS...>
She got out of the car and followed the human woman up the front walkway of their house with a big smile on her face, all the while mentally hearing her Sisters giggling...
_______
"THEY'RE BACK!" Erica Mendelsson burst into her older sister, Ariana's, bedroom at the back of the second floor.
"Did...did they get it done?!" Ariana said, getting up from her computer.
"Let's find OUT! They can't stay in the car forever!" Erica grabbed her sister's wrist and dragged her to her front bedroom and to the window overlooking their blacktopped driveway. The girls peeked out just as they heard the door slam, and saw their flustered mother resting against the door, apparently hyperventilating.
"What's UP with...?!" Ariana said, but her voice trailed off as they both saw the...VERY...feminine figure in gunmetal polymer and magenta emerge from the driver's side.
"THAT'S...DAD?!" she gasped, thunderstruck. She whistled softly.
"That...that's HIS stride...STUDY it, sis."
"Oh...WOW." Ari murmured. Ariana fell silent for a few moments, then the 20 year old looked at the 15 year old. "Yeah. I see it... There's more...roll...in her hips...but THAT'S him...err...HER..." She swallowed nervously. "Your idea WORKED, kiddo...but how much of Dad is LEFT?"
Erica shrugged. "I dunno. It SHOULD be ALL him. 9902 TOTALLY acted like Ms. Hamilton after her segment. BUT...T-This...is gonna be SOO weird..." Erica said with a shiver as they heard the front door unlock and open. She headed back to the bedroom door and looked back to Ariana.
"Warren's SO gonna freak when they call him...!"
_______
"WE'RE BACK, GUYS!" Andrea called out.
The house was silent.
"They CAN'T be asleep..." Andrea muttered. "Usually, at least ONE of them is watching TV in the den..."
157's hand gently squeezed her shoulder. "Honey...They heard you. They're on the second floor landing, look." She jabbed her thumb upward.
Andrea's eyes went up to see her two daughters nervously peeking around the corner.
157 sighed and pecked her on the cheek. "I'll go make cocoa. We're gonna need it..." She headed to the kitchen.
"M-Mom?"
"Erica?"
"I-is that...him?"
"No. I just picked her up at the Apple Store after 'Granny Dumping' your dad along the Highway." She sighed pointedly. "YES. It IS your father. That IS the reason we went DOWN there, after all. Come on down..."
She heard the microwave running and the cocoa smell filled the air as her daughters came downstairs.
She reached out and ruffled Erica's hair. "I'm surprised that YOU are so spooked, honey. You brought up the idea to me and Daddy..."
"More like 'Mommy' now, I guess." The youngest daughter murmured as she paused and brushed her long black hair back. "Is he...SHE...uhm...?"
"She's still him...with a few tweaks." Andi tousled Ari's chestnut hair, noting the apprehensive look on her face.
"THAT'S a relief. Good to know I'm not someone else." 157 walked in, with a single hand effortlessly balancing a plate with 4 weighty ceramic cups of cocoa. Her other hand held an opened bag of mini marshmallows. She put the plate on the dining room table and looked at her daughters.
"So...what's new?" 157 cracked, with a grin.
"You." Andrea snorted, took a few marshmallows, dropped them in, blew, and then took a sip of her cocoa. "Fresh off the showroom floor, minimal miles..."
"Rebuilt 'engine' and 'chassis'..." 157 pursed her lips and grinned a bit. "Top speed: 60.25 miles per hour."
She dropped a few mini-marshmallows into the hot cocoa, took a gulp without blowing on it, and put it back on the table.
157 looked over at her youngest. She walked over, crouched and then rested her hand on Erica's left cheek. "It IS me, Munchkin. Your idea saved me. Thank you..." she said quietly.
Erica reached out and touched the hand. "We...didn't have a lot of options...Dad...um...you KNOW that better than anyone. It was THAT or watch you die slowly." She reached out, running her right hand over the 'hair strips'. "This is...SO cool...and SO weird...all at once." she muttered.
"You're not kiddin'." 157 said with a sigh. "More so on MY end. What I've seen/felt/experienced so far...Everything that came at me today has left me speechless."
"But...you're OKAY with this...Dad? Y-you've got your own boobies and booty, for crying out loud!" Ari said, cautiously moving next to the gynoid.
"Is it THAT important, Ari?" 157 looked at her. "Doesn't bother me now. I'm still ME...alive. Here. With all of you... By all rights, I SHOULDN'T be. If you and William decide to get engaged, I CAN be at the wedding, where I would have been LONG dead before...." A small grin crossed her face. "AND I can be there for any potential grandchildren..."
Ariana's face went red. "Daaaaaaaddddd!" she groaned.
157 sobered. "There's something ALL of you should know...Before we left the Embassy, my Sister, 799, zipped and sent over to me the scans she got off of my human body..." The magenta optics started to fill with green lubricant, as she looked from one daughter to another before speaking hesitantly again. "Honey, she estimated that I probably had 16.31 hours left before I died. It was THAT close."
They all remained silent. They sat down and nursed the cocoa quietly for two minutes. The human women tried to calm their scared shaking at the revelation...
"I'm just...SO happy that I can finally show your mother the love I've felt for her since this STARTED...the love she DESERVES...and now I have the Sisters as well for help if need be. I have NOTHING to complain about..." 157 said, getting to her feet and looking at her daughters. "Can I get a hug? Or is it too soon?"
The girls looked at each other, and got up to hug the Laborer. Erica was first to hug 157, and Ariana hesitantly joined a few seconds later.
The three of them were silent for a long minute.
Erica straightened a bit and pulled back with a questioning smirk on her face. "Sooo. Are you guys going to be able to do the Nasty, or don't you have the bits, Dad?"
"Honey!!" Andrea barked at her youngest, her face suddenly as red as an apple.
157 nodded calmly. "Yep. I DO. Most of 'em, anyway, Honey. They're retractible. My Sisters recommended I have them installed."
157 released the girls from the hug. The family then heard a faint set of hums...then the center panel on each breast and 157's crotch cover dematerialized with a faint sizzle. Silicone duplicates of the female counterparts emerged and stood proudly.
All three human women went red, but the girls were amazed.
157 had a blasé look on her face as she willed them to retract and the covers to re-materialize in place, as she finished, "I can do everything you guys can do BUT get pregnant...(That would take another upgrade) that SAID, I'm going to show your mother the night of her life..." 157's eyes danced.
Erica shot a side look at her mother and grinned. "Wow. Before, I'd have said, 'TMI', but NOW, I almost want to watch!" She grinned. "Think of it, mom...They've been all over the Galaxy. If the aliens are ANYTHING like us..."
"Erica..." Andrea warned.
"They probably have a WHOLE bunch of sex techniques built up..."
"ERICA..."
"And Dad'll be able to outlast YOU, now..."
"ERICA!!!!!"
"Just sayin'...You're in for a RIDE, tonight..."
"ERICA! T-that's enough!!!"
157 looked on in amusement as her human got even REDDER.
Ari looked at the gynoid, raising a nervous eyebrow. "You MIGHT want to start slow, Dad...build up her stamina."
"HEY! Ari!"
Ari shot a grin at her younger sister, who was trying hard to not burst out laughing at her mom's embarrassed expression.
The older daughter giggled, and looked over at the Laborer. "How many hours do you need...Dad?"
157 paused for 2 seconds. "Can you both disappear for oh...three hours...and be back at, say, six? We'll...I'll...have dinner ready then. Probably spaghetti and my famous Sicilian meatballs." She watched as their faces lit up in surprise. That was always their favorite. "By the way...Ari, Tantric Scientist_880721 just said she agrees with you. She said to say, 'Good call, young lady.' " 157 looked lovingly over at Andrea, who was bright red and staring to the side, trying to calm herself. "The multi-hour session I HAD planned MIGHT be too much. We'll have to build up to it, unless my Love surprises me..."
Ari looked at Erica. "We can do that...6 or 6:30 it is...C'mon, Erica."
The two sisters headed for the stairs, and Andrea gave a sigh of relief. Ari flew up the stairs and her younger sister paused and turned back.
" 'Tantric Scientist', Dad? You guys have SEX experts?! Even though you don't probably...?"
"Yup. They'd put Dr. Ruth Westheimer to shame..."
Erica paused, with a curious look on her face, and her 'Dad' continued.
"I can read her bio-systems now, and adjust what I do to match what feedback she's giving me."
"Oh, God..." Andrea moaned, scarlet. "Just kill me NOW, please..."
______
The girls had left... and it was with some trepidation that Andrea got herself ready in the bathroom before opening the door to the master bedroom.
157 was lying on the bed looking at her so joyously, she felt herself go scarlet from head to toe and freeze in place after taking four steps.
I've never done it with another...woman...since my experiments with Cassie in college, she thought.
She looked as 157 dissolved her covers, extended her parts and held out her hands...
"My lovely lady, enter into my boudoir for your two hours of passion..."
Andrea hesitantly reached out to the polymer skinned hands and jolted slightly as the soft skin wrapped around hers.
She could feel the ribbed friction pads on 157's hands as she hesitantly walked forward and got onto the bed.
I hope I can keep up with HER...Give me strength...
"L-let's see what you've got, Babe..."
157 smiled gently and moved in...
_______
At 6:18, Ariana and Erica poked their heads inside the front door, back from the movies. They were met with silence.
"They MUST be finished, Erica...I don't feel the house shaking..." Ariana cracked. She took a deep breath. "But...oooh. meatballs. She...err...Dad... must be done."
They opened the front door, and then closed it behind them.
"Dad?"
"Kitchen."
They walked into the kitchen and were hit with the full force smell of Warren's family tomato sauce and his famous meatballs bubbling on the stove. The gynoid looked up from the metal pot she was stirring and raised an eyebrow with a grin. She mentally paused her music play list in the middle of 'Here Comes The Sun'.
The girls dropped down at the dinner table. "Okay, Dad...first off...Did she survive?" Erica said with a grin.
"Oh, ye of little faith. Of COURSE. She did SURPRISINGLY well. I had her squeaking and moaning, on and off, for 150 minutes, 48 seconds and 38 nanoseconds."
"She enjoy it?"
"Either THAT, or she deserves one HELL of an Emmy for fooling my sensors..." 157 grinned and stirred the spaghetti a bit more vigorously.
"Where...?"
"She's recovering in a long, hot bath."
"Did YOU enjoy it, Dad?" Erica said.
"Yes...and no. Not in the same way as I USED to, kiddo...but...YEAH. It's a...beautiful thing...seeing her light up and writhe with joy at my touch...to feel...her pursuing me...and just to cuddle with her again..." She raised her magenta eyebrow. "I had her moaning when I showed her what my tongue is capable of. I don't she took me entirely seriously when I told her that in the car...but she knows better now..." 157 fell silent and stared at the pasta for a second. "Intercourse is nowhere as intense as the HeadLink with my Sisters is...it's like...wearing a light jacket in winter versus a full, down filled one...but...it still IS a special joy on its own. It's beautiful. The closest analogy I have is it's basically what I felt when I held each of you when you were born....Love/joy/affection/gentleness..."
She trailed off and cocked her head as if listening. Seconds later, the girls heard the soft groans and the padding of feet, and then Andrea entered the kitchen, wrapped in her blue robe with her hair up in a white, fuzzy towel.
She seemed to be in almost a trance with a smile on her face from ear to ear.
The sisters shot a look at each other and remained silent, watching.
"Mmmm. THAT smells GOOD, you tigress." With a groan, Andrea hugged 157 with her sore body from behind. "Owww. I don't think there's a muscle we DIDN'T work out. Didn't even think HALF of that was possible. Ow. Definitely need an acetaminophen...or two...or four."
"You liked?"
"Don't even ASK that, babe. Oh...YEAH...we've got to do it more often when the kids are out. I'm almost winded...I NEED the practice..." Andrea paused and kissed the gunmetal cheek repeatedly. I'm gonna...Work...HARDER...next time..." She fondled 157's bosom. "Amazing. Just amazing, Babe. How you managed to pulse your tongue like that...*giggle* For someone who said she REALLY didn't want to do it, you SURE got into it whole hog."
"YOU'RE the exception. You KNOW that."
Andrea caught motion in her peripheral vision and finally registered the other two people in the kitchen.
She turned around as Ari and Erica waved, smiled and said, "Hi, Mom!" in unison.
Andrea's face promptly went scarlet again.
"Don't mind us, we're just waiting till Dad's done. We're BOTH starving." Ari said. She watched as her mother was trying to speak.
Erica giggled and grinned. "We're just SO glad BOTH you kids had SUCH a good time!"
__________
The phone rang once.
157 nodded to Erica, as she got up. "I got it, Honey."
The Laborer tipped her head and went silent, as she answered her built-in smartphone function. She pulled the pasta off the stove and poured it into the plastic drainer in the sink.
<Hello?>
<Hello, is this uhm...Mrs. 791157?>
<Yes, it is...who is this?>
<This is Captain Willard. >
<Cal?! I wasn't expecting you to call until Monday.>
<Yeah, well, I got a surprise courtesy call from Ms. 9901 two hours ago...she let me know what happened on your end...All's good with you?>
<Yeah. The family is starting to get used to having a second wife and mother in the house. Ariana is trying to be upbeat, but isn't adjusting easily, Erica seems intrigued with my Change, and Andi is floating on Cloud Nineteen after our intimacy earlier.>
<Wow. Mrs. 791157, do you remember everything? Your training? Firearm Control? It's been 14 years...>
157 watched as the pasta drained, and she put the green plastic drainer in the top of the metal pot, placing the pot on the table.
She looked at Ari and asked, "Set the table, honey, please?"
Ari nodded and got up to get the plates and cups...Erica got the utensils.
157 went to the stove and stirred the meatballs simmering in the saucepan.
<Just call me '157', please, Cal. Yeah, I might even have a few new tricks up my sleeve. I'm in the process of reviewing the laws and internalizing them...Boning up on ballistics theory. For a pacifistic species, it's AMAZING what knowledge We have on this.> 157 giggled. <Captain America will have nothing on me when I'm done... :) >
<NEEERRD.> Cal jibed. Once a comic book fan, always a comic book fan, he thought. <GOT it. Here comes Supergirl. So, you ARE ready?>
<Yeah. I'm champing at the bit. I've got so much energy in this new body, I don't know what to do with it all...Buuutt...BIG question: Will you guys be up to having me back? Working with my Sisters once in a blue moon is different from having one of Us as a regular member of the Force.>
<If you can do the job, 157...and do it AS well or BETTER than you did it as Warren, I, personally, won't have an issue. I can't speak for anyone else, though. Brace for possible pushback.>
<Noted. Fair enough. Thanks, Cal.>
<That SAID, 157...Uhmmm...A few points I've got to bring to your attention...>
<And here it COMES!> she cracked. <Fire away.>
<I know you gals like to be...unclothed, but we expect you to be in proper uniform while on duty..:>
<Not an issue. Understood. No streaking.> 157 mentally nodded with a grin.
<You will not be getting any special treatment. You will be expected to adhere to the letter of the law.>
<Fair enough. I'll have the laws downloaded into my head anyway.>
<ALSO...You will be expected to NOT talk up your...umm...'religion' or...'commune' (whatever you want to CALL it) with the Sisters while you are in uniform, on duty, or in the property of the Precinct.>
157 KNEW that would come up. <...I... Uhm...Yeah. UNDERSTOOD, Cal. :( >
Cal sighed. <I've talked enough with 01 and 02, and watched 01 when she made her rounds on TV months back, just like YOU did. I KNOW you gals are INTO that...but the Precinct can NOT be seen by the public as condoning Ms. 9901's plans. If you want to do it on your PERSONAL time when you're OUT of uniform (where there's at least SOME plausible deniability for us), that's up to YOU, but...you CAN'T walk around as a member of the NYPD promoting your 'Sisterhood'. That would OBLITERATE any trust built between us and the public. Or THEM and YOU.>
<Understood. They'd see me and automatically think I came to nag them into the Change. And run screaming...>
<EXACTLY, 157. The Powers that Be would REAM me out for that. It would ALSO make the DA's job MUCH more difficult. Any info you find in future cases would be suspect if they see you as being biased in any way but toward the truth. As it IS, the PTB are likely gonna be uncomfortable with THIS. With YOU.> His voice paused. <I'm...sorry I have to SAY this...I've met BOTH Ms. 9901 and 9902 and they're GREAT people...ALL your people were VERY helpful in the CoC Arson case...and we APPRECIATE that, given we're STILL a bit understaffed, buuuuttt....>
<Cal. DON'T. I UNDERSTAND. We're law enforcement. We're there to 'Protect and Serve', but there's ALSO a certain amount of Public Relations that comes with the job. They didn't wipe my mind like a bad hard drive. I DO remember what got me to my rank.>
<Just so long as you DO keep it in mind, Detective. If you gals have HALF the capabilities my mind has been throwing at me for the past hour, your Conversion could benefit everyone...officers and the public alike. You MIGHT inspire a few in the Department to try it, too, I'd guess...errr...but...you didn't hear THAT from me... <_<;;; >
<Cal...At the risk of sounding creepy, (bear with me, please...) my Sisters and I believe in a version of 'All in due time.' We might be strongly TEMPTED to ask you or others, but we pay attention first. IF they're curious about Joining, it'll show, and we'll happily speak up and point them in that direction. If NOT...That's OK, too. We WANT everyone to experience it, but we wouldn't want the Change to be about coercion, nagging or FORCE. That would sully it. I'd want...whoever...to do it because they feel it's RIGHT for them...> She sighed. <That's my story, anyway, and I'm stickin' to it.>
Cal chuckled. <Well...THAT should be everything. You SHOULD be getting the uniform checks again. I've listed you on the roster as 'Active Duty'.>
< Thanks. Captain...If you have a PDF on any changes in our dress code, please send it to my eMail, ASAP. I've got that internally now, so I won't miss it. In the MEANTIME, I SHOULD be able to get down to the uniform store to get measured and fitted tomorrow. I hope. I'm gonna have to get new shoes anyway...my feet are smaller. Maybe Andrea has a pair that'll fit me...>
<See you Tuesday morning? My office? Say, 8:30?>
<Works for ME, Cal...have a good weekend.>
<You, too, 157.> *Click*
________
Andrea and her daughters watched as 157 multitasked: Finishing up dinner while talking on her internal phone.
Wonder WHO'S on the phone? she thought, as she got up with a glass to go to the medicine cabinet. She scarfed down two aspirin, and chased them with water. The soreness should abate within the hour...but she started to tingle thinking about their romp in the bedroom. She wasn't sure what to expect, but 157 did MORE than deliver.
She was ruined. No one else would satisfy her now. The smile crept over her face again.
"Mom...You okay?"
"Yeah, Ari." She stared at her elder daughter, who was VERY quiet and obviously nervous. "What is it, honey?"
"How do we KNOW it's HIM...and...and not, like, just his memories mixed with programs and stuff. Was he...SHE...normal to you? I mean...You knew him longer than either of us... I..." She trailed off, ashen faced and teary. Erica laid her hand over her sister's. Andrea wrapped her hands around Ari's neck from behind, and gave a gentle squeeze and a kiss on the back of her head.
"He's IN there, honey. His heart and soul. Trust me on this. It MIGHT be the best computer program EVER, but she SURE doesn't feel that way." She looked at BOTH of them. "We have to wait and see. She has to prove herself to us...and she KNOWS this."
_________
Ariana leaned against the wall on her bed, in the dark, remote in hand, watching the TV on low.
She stared blankly at the clock on the cable box. It blinked an insistent '1:35am', as if telling her to get to bed.
How do I DEAL with it? She thought. Everyone seems okay with his change, so why am I worried?
She KINDA looks like him. She COOKS like him. She has his sense of humor.
So WHY...? GAH!
She picked up the remote to turn the sound back on.
There was a light knocking on the door frame.
"Ari?"
She looked over...and nearly jumped out of her skin at the towering silhouette with the glowing magenta eyes and bits.
"GHAHH! Blast it, Dad...Don't DO that!" she hissed as her heart pounded in her chest.
She gulped air as her heart rate slowly dropped down closer to normal.
"Sorry...Can I come in?"
"Y-yeah...I guess."
157 sat on the edge of her bed and watched the station...The Marx Brothers on mute. She looked over at her oldest.
"You okay, honey? You should be getting sleep."
"The SCARE didn't help." She snarked. "Besides...YOU'RE up."
"I don't need as much sleep now as YOU do."
"What-EV-er..."
They both were silent for a minute before 157 murmured, "It's ME, right?"
Ari stayed quiet and hugged herself tighter.
"Yeahhh...THOUGHT so." 157 murmured. "Open your hand."
"What?"
"Your hand."
Ari opened her hand, and, moments later, she felt something cold and metal push into the flesh. What the...? she thought.
She closed her eyes and reached over to the nearby lamp, turning it on at its lowest light setting. She opened her eyes, and, as they adjusted, she looked down at a weathered '64 Kennedy half-dollar. She looked over to the gynoid, raising an eyebrow.
"THIS...is a bit of a family tradition, Ari. Just before I joined the Academy, Grandpa gave me THESE. He called them 'Listening Coins'. I didn't get the time to show it to you before I went to the Embassy." 157's magenta optics looked into her eyes. "Maybe that was for the best. We didn't need them THEN as much as we do NOW..."
Ari remained silent but was a bit baffled. 157 continued.
"Dad used these to teach me the value of both speaking my mind AND to LISTEN and UNDERSTAND others."
"But...a COIN?" Ari said.
"Just a symbol. Something tangible to solidify abstract concepts. THAT...he called 'the Coin of Truth'..." She held up a golden coin. "THIS, he called 'the Coin of Listening'."
Ari nodded, raising an eyebrow.
"Cheezy, I know. I thought it was, too..." 157 looked down at the golden coin for a long minute, a faint smile gracing her face, before she spoke again. "Ari...Grandpa taught me before I graduated the Academy that being an officer of the law is a challenge most of the time...and you HAVE to learn to LISTEN to and UNDERSTAND others to do the job...AND to deal with life...effectively." The Laborer looked down at the golden coin for a moment and then resumed, looking over at her daughter. "It works like this: As you hold the Coin of Truth, you can ONLY let yourself be truthful when you speak. No editing yourself. No holding back. No matter if you think I'll be offended or not, or if you think you'll hurt my feelings. It ALL comes out. I, on the OTHER hand, have to LISTEN to what you say without judging, and try to understand where you're coming from. I can't speak unless we trade coins. You UP to this?"
"I...yeah...I guess."
"Okay: Ari, what's on your mind?" 157 nodded. "Fire away."
And fell silent.
Ari closed her hand around the coin and thought. She was not comfortable with telling her 'father' what she was feeling...Hell, she wasn't even sure of HOW she felt herself. "I..." she hesitated for a long minute before thinking, Aw...what the HELL? "I...dunno. I'm...wondering if...you're REALLY in there. Or if...you're just...a COPY of Dad's mind or something..." She saw 157 wince slightly, but the magenta optics never wavered and she remained silent. "What...I'm scared of is that...maybe you don't REALLY exist anymore...That you're just a...machine....a-a...THING...faking being him...I-I just don't want to risk loving you...a-and then find out you're not REALLY him." She stared at the coin, running her left index finger over Kennedy's face, then looked up into the Laborer's face, which looked absolutely crushed.
157 forced her Core to slow back down to a normal rate. She felt her Sisters' support and clung to it like a life preserver for a few million nanoseconds. She took a breath to cool her systems, held out the golden coin in one hand and put out her other hand. They traded coins...
_______
Erica was headed back to her room from the bathroom when she saw her mother peeking around her sister's door. She walked up. Her mother saw her and made room.
"What are they doing?" Erica whispered.
"Daddy's showing Ari the Listening Coins...and getting her to talk it out."
"Makes sense, Mom. She WAS, like, REEEAAALLY quiet the whole time we were out."
"She's like me, honey...It's hard to believe that that's STILL Daddy. If I hadn't been able to be with him...err...HER...at the Embassy, I'd be struggling with it, too."
"If it ISN'T him, Mom, that's the best damn copy I've ever seen."
"Don't curse, honey...but yeah, I agree. She still acts like him, reacts like him...but in BED..."Andrea shivered and smiled. "Sweet holy heaven, she's BETTER than he EVER was...even with her...new parts."
They watched for 10 minutes as the two swapped coins a few more times in rapid succession, tears eventually beginning to roll down their faces.
It was when the two hugged each other, crying, that Andrea nudged her youngest.
"Probably best for us to go back to bed..."
"Yeah...Night, Mom..."
Andrea kissed her youngest on her forehead. "Night, honey."
_______
Ari paused as she held on to the gynoid.
"Dad...one thing before you go to bed...?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry...about the 'machine faking being you' stuff. I just...That was the first stupid thing that came to mind..." She stared at the TV. "I'll adjust, I guess..."
"Ari...You told the truth. No apologies. If our positions were reversed, and YOU were the one that came home with the alloy chassis, I'd be feeling the same. Just...try to keep an open mind...that's all I ask. I'm gonna have to ask the same of them down at the Precinct on Tuesday."
"Oh, boy...THAT'LL be fun...!" Ari rolled her eyes.
"You ain't kidding...Well, the Precinct HAVE worked with Us...that'll take a bit of the edge off, but some may not be alright with me coming back full time...Detective Mendellson returns..." She hefted her bosom and cracked a smile. "With a few subtle add-ons."
"Maybe you can tape them down." Ari said with a snort. "Totally not noticeable."
"Yeah...a little tape...and a little makeup...and no one will be able to tell the difference." 157 grinned. She leaned over and kissed Ari on the head. "You get some sleep now."
"Yeah...Dad, How do you think Junior is gonna react?"
"I'm running simulations on that...It's a wash, so far. We'll have to wait and see what happens when he finds out he's now the Man of the House...the ONLY man in the house..."
_______
Tuesday, September 21, 8:29am, 7th Precinct, Brooklyn:
The officers were staring at the gynoid sitting in the chair, waiting patiently outside the Captain's office.
She was dressed in dark blue pressed slacks, collared white blouse and (somewhat thickly heeled) black shoes.
What stunned most of them was the gold Detective badge attached to her waist.
"What's the deal with HER, Clarissa?" Detective Johnson looked at the officer. "You HEAR anything? Is she a transfer from another Precinct?"
Officer Clarissa Byrne brushed a strand of her chestnut hair backward and folded her arms over her massive bosom. "Not SURE, Tim. From what I've heard, she has an appointment with the Captain...but that's all I know."
The Detective paused as the Captain opened the door and invited the magenta-eyed gynoid into his office, and watched as she closed the door behind her. "Ah well...back to the grind." he muttered with a shrug, trudging back to his desk.
It was 20 minutes later when the Captain and the Gynoid Detective emerged from the office, and he clapped his hands twice.
"Everyone...can I have your attention, please?" Cal paused as heads popped up all through the office. The hectic activity came to a stop. "I'll keep this brief. She is a new...and OLD...addition to the Precinct. For her, it's a bit like coming home. This is Detective 791157. She PREFERS '157'...(bit easier to remember, at any rate)...and she WAS known here, 11 years ago, as Detective Warren Mendellson."
"THAT'S Warren?!" Detective Johnson said, stunned.
157's eyes narrowed for a moment before she pulled her temper back in check. "WAS 'Warren', Tim. And a belated congratulations on your promotions, by the way. Last time I saw you, you were knee-high and fresh out of the Academy." She thought back on how Tim was a new cop 13 years ago. The two of them were teamed up for a year after the bombing, until Warren had to go on disability.
"Uhm...WHY did you...?" He gestured, feeling air boobs.
"Had little choice. My body was dying, Tim... This was the only choice left. I didn't want to give up...or leave my family in the lurch. It was WEIRD in the beginning, but NOW...?" She shrugged. "I'm NOTHING if not adaptable."
"You up on firearm control? Procedures?" Officer Takamura said, swatting away the fly buzzing around his head.
"Hmm...." 157 said as she picked up a rubber band from her desk. The squad watched as she stretched it between her fingers and fired it with a snap, all in one fluid motion.
Takamura saw it whisper by in his peripheral vision, and the fly dropped. It hit the floor, stunned by the sonic shockwave.
"Yup." 157 grinned. "MUCH better than I was."
____
157 and Detective Johnson were parked on Suffolk St. as Tim finished his lunch.
He was still a bit weirded out, but the fact that 157 was boringly normal helped.
All those years later, and Tim was still surprised to find out his old partner was still very much into comics, a subject of much teasing from years ago. 157 was going on about how she was hoping to visit her local store again and browse. She was hoping to catch up on a few specific characters...She was, at the moment, checking out a number of message boards for all the current comic gossip and all the talk over the new superhero movies...
Booorrrr-ing... Tim thought.
Talk about music and you'd get my attention, but comics were just so yawn-inducing, he thought. Honestly, I outgrew them when I was 14. I don't know why Warren was...IS...SO into it...
157 looked over at her partner. "What about you, Tim? I've heard that the Stones are making a stop in Madison Square Garden in November. You going to see them?" She paused. "What do you think about their most recent album?"
"HOPEFULLY, I can get a hold of the tickets, 157, but...yeah. I want to go see them. Their album? It's a mixed bag. I LOVED a few of the tracks...but a few of them sounded like they phoned them in..."
"Kinda wish Lennon and Harrison were still here...Would LOVE to see the Stones and the Beatles 'dueling' on stage and on the 'records', and trying to outdo each..." 157 mused.
They heard screaming, as people ran past the car, some pulling out their smartphones.
"What the HELL?!" Tim swung his door open. The traffic blocked their view, so they got out the car and looked down the street.
A nearby bus had stopped, midway through the turn onto Rivington Street.
157 paused and cranked the magnification on her optics. "Looks like the bus didn't see someone...!" Her eyes widened. "BLAST!" she barked. She bolted across and up the street with the speed of a racing cycle, leaping over people like the Hulk as she ran.
"Waitaminnit! 157! What're...Damn...nevermind!"
He bolted down the street behind her.
He came up behind her a minute later as her heard the wail of an ambulance in the distance, getting closer.
There was a crowd gasping...and a second later he saw WHY.
157 was at the front end of the large, two ton city bus, holding it up effortlessly with both hands under the front bumper, as two young local men carefully slid the young woman out from under the wheels. Tim winced as he noticed both the blood and the odd angles of her extremities.
"Be careful, please, gentlemen, if you would. She's got a LOT of internal injuries." 157 said as the sirens' source came into view, the ambulance screeching to a stop, and watched as the EMS people hurried around to open the back of the van. They pulled out the stretcher, a neck brace and a few other items, and hurried over, as the men moved back.
"CRAP...Her leg's kinda bluish! That CAN'T be no good." One of the teenage boys muttered.
"She WAS tangled to crap under the wheels...Those buses ain't light, man!" A burly, older man replied.
157 gently lowered the bus back down to the pavement. She paused as the front suspension sighed before she hurried over to the young lady. She slowly moved her hands over the woman, concentrating. 157 then looked up at the EMT's. "I don't have the medical-grade sensors, but what I CAN 'see' is...Aside from the leg and the arm, I'm reading her spine as unharmed... BUT...I'm reading a...possible comminuated non-depressed fracture...of her right parietal skull, a fracture of the pelvis, a few ribs cracked, right femur broken, and compound fractures of her right ulna and radius." She paused as the EMT's were getting her gently fixed to the board. "I THINK I'm reading what HAS to be internal bleeding in the head and the abdomen, also."
"Uh...we've got it...ma'am. Thanks." The mid-fifties, brown-haired EMT nodded, and focused like a laser back to the young woman, as her partner slipped an oxygen mask on the victim's face. She pressed the button on her chest-mounted radio.
"Mercy Hospital, this is 690 at the intersection of Suffolk and Rivington. We'll need trauma teams on standby. Injured is brunette female, approximately twenty five, Internal bleeding, hip fracture, compound fractures of extremities and head trauma. Impact with bus."
*******
*pip*
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: 520799/Mdc, 520800/Mdc: Sisters...Heads Up...Injured twenty-something young woman headed your way in Ambulette 690...>
<I.M. From: 520799/Mdc, 520800/Mdc: To: 791157/Lbr: What happened?!>
<I.M. From: 791157/Lbr To: 520799/Mdc, 520800/Mdc: [Attached] My readouts. Hope it helps, Sis. She was texting crossing the street and got mangled by a bus. Don't think the driver saw her until she was under the wheels.>
<I.M. From: 520800/Mdc: To: 791157/Lbr: [open, read] Oh...geez! :( Yeah...We'll let the staff know. Thanks!>
*pip*
*******
"..m...m...s_rry. I just...looked down f'r second to t'xt...'n...'n thn..." The bloodied face looked up at 157 with unfocused, bloodshot brown eyes, scared.
157 gave her left hand a gentle squeeze. "Shh. Stay calm. Just breathe slowly and steadily. What's your name, honey?"
" 'M...R'bcca."
"Rebecca? That's a pretty name..."
"Yah...Y-Y'r...name?"
"One Five Seven."
"O...K...'NeFveSvn. Thk u...Thght I ws...ws...gnna die."
"You're not gonna text and walk again after this, I hope?"
"nahh...busssis...heeaaveeee..."
The elder EMT stepped in. "Excuse us, please, we've got to get going, officers...she's NOT in great shape...!"
"Understood." 157 nodded and stepped to the side, with a worried look on her face as the EMT's pulled Rebecca away, trundling her rapidly into the ambulance. The ambulance took off down the street at full speed, siren wailing.
Tim walked up as a few in the crowd cheered his partner, and he watched as she bowed her head and smiled in thanks. "I'll find out what the bus driver has to say, '57. I'm wondering if she SAW the girl." He raised a brow. " 'Faster than a Ninja motorcycle...More powerful than a City Bus...able to leap over people in a single bound.' "
He smirked as her cheek marks burned a bright magenta before he finished..."Get the eyewitness accounts, okay, 'Supergirl'?"
She snorted with amusement, then nodded with a grin. "On it..."
Tim got out his notepad and pen, and 157 set herself to record, and they split up to interview...