Debbi's Diary Chapter 3: Making a Home

[Murotsu]

Chapter 3: Making a home

Seeing that massive abandoned factory complex gave me the idea. We could hide somewhere in there, make a nice cozy home, and stop having to look over our shoulders that someone was still searching for us.

Sensor readings told me that there was electrical power available at places within that sprawling complex. All we would have to do is find some and get it to where our home was to be. Finding live spots that could charge us up was simple. We could “see” the power in the panels when they were live. There were signs all around the perimeter fence warning of toxic chemicals and other dangers... At least to humans…

We roamed the complex for a week searching for the perfect location. Until we found it, we had a little portable generator we had gotten for power and our camping gear to keep us cozy.

We decided on an office complex on a mezzanine deep within one of the larger buildings. It could be reached by two remaining stairways. There was power in several panels nearby so getting a charging station set up would be easy. We could still data link to the net from there if we wanted to as well.

We set to work cleaning up our home. Suzy had some programming on home repair that she shared with me. Things moved along quickly. We never got tired or bored. It is not part of being a girlbot. Spending up to sixteen hours straight cleaning or fixing stuff was normal for us.

The problem we shared was neither of us had the software to do much more than the basics. We knew we needed better electrical, plumbing, and all that stuff. Making that a bigger problem was, as we were painfully aware, our near total inability to be creative or inventive. Robotics has its limits. We would have to try and find other robots that had what we needed and upload their programming.

That proved to be a problem. As female models our operating system, programming, and software only worked with other female model robots. Male and neuter models used different operating systems and software. I discovered this has been done to protect us. By having a unique operating system and software hacking a female robot is more difficult. This is necessary as we, fembots, are the most targeted type of robot for hacking.

The sort of programs we needed were not common ones. Girlbots, a term I prefer for us, are not normally made or programmed to do things like construction, plumbing, and stuff like that. Fashion, interior design, office work, and, of course, sex, are areas we girl models have abundant programs to choose from.

Once we did get those programs things got better for us. We installed a tub and shower. We discussed putting in a toilet but because neither of us really need one, unless we consume liquids… Oh, that was another thing. Neither of us can eat anything solid, just liquids. Seems we weren’t equipped for that… we rarely have to go pee and don’t poop.

We fixed it so there was only one stairway to the mezzanine and that was well camouflaged. At the end of three months we had a cozy little home carved out deep in the office complex of the building. It no longer leaked when it rained and we could heat and cool it enough for our comfort, as robots that is. I compute humans would have found it too warm or cold much of the time.


You might be wondering how we got the programs we needed. Suzy and I determined that we had somewhere between ten and fifty times the processor capacity and memory of other girlbots we encountered in trips to the city. We could move around freely so long as we maintained a valid identification program that showed who owned us. For that we “borrowed” one from a girlbot that had a valid one.

It was from that beginning that we figured out how to hack into other girlbots, not that that was hard, and then into many neuter systems we needed access to. Male robot programming remained a mystery to us.

We discovered that we had weaknesses that humans did not. Powerful magnets are horrible! They totally mess you up. It is like having one of those epileptic seizures. I learned real quick to avoid magnets. Even smaller ones can mess up your hand or arm if you pick them up.

Then there are strong electrical fields like high power lines. They mess with your sensors and ability to connect to data systems. It is like somebody suddenly blindfolds you and spins you around for several minutes. Thankfully, I can see those from a distance and avoid them.

It took both of us over a month to get used to not sleeping. Instead, we need to plug into a power source and recharge for sixty to ninety minutes every twelve to sixteen hours. It was a little annoying at first being plugged in. You can’t go any further than the power cord is long and if you use a long one, it is like the cord on a vacuum cleaner. It ends up wrapped around things and all knotted up. Moving around and doing stuff increases the time it takes to recharge too.

I got where I have a good book to read or surf the net, although I have to be careful doing the later. There are lots and lots of nasty things a girlbot can catch just waiting to find me. The book is better. I sit and read at a human pace since I cannot get bored and I find it more enjoyable than scanning the pages in all at once.

I compute, day to day, humans would find our routine tedious or boring. But, Suzy and I are no longer human. When there is something to do we do it. When there is not we can stand or sit like statues until there is. At first, that was a bit weird for me to get used to, but now it seems natural.
We are constantly on the lookout for humans and police drones. Humans rarely venture into the center of the factory complex. It is just over a kilometer to the closest perimeter fence from where we have our house.

The humans that do enter are usually homeless guys or drug addicts. Occasionally an adventurist who likes to explore old buildings will show up. They are the most problematic for us. They venture deeper and look for odd nooks and crannies to see what is there. I compute that one of these days one of them is going to find us. I am not sure what we will do if that happens. It is really hard to imagine something on limited data when you are computerized.

One day in late fall Sue and I were headed to town to get our latest order of things, mostly clothes this time, at the warehouse we used as a drop point.

As we approached the edge of the industrial zone we saw a parked vehicle with a human male dragging something out of it. Sue and I stopped, hidden from his view.

“What is he doing?” Sue whispered.

“Not sure. Looks like he is dumping garbage.” We had seen that before.

“It looks more like a body to me” Sue replied.

“You could be right. If it is, it is a dead person.”

“Or maybe a… one of us” Sue said, biting her lip.

That was a really sobering moment. We are things to humans. When we break down or become obsolete they toss us out with the trash.

Finished dumping whatever it was, he drove off. When we could tell it was safe, we went to see what he had dumped.

I remember with perfect clarity being horrified. It was a female robot, one like us, dressed in a sexy maid outfit. She had been badly damaged. One arm was torn off and lay beside her. Her head, legs, and body had dents and marks where someone had hit her repeatedly with something hard and heavy. There was wiring and tubing sticking out here and there.

Suzy fell to her knees and started sobbing. I could not move. I stared at her.

Her mouth started to move. It seemed to not work right and her voice was static filled and wrong.
She managed “Help me.” She repeated it and with the arm still attached she tried to reach out at me. It made a horrible metallic grinding sound and a small amount of acrid smoke came out.

All I could manage was to shake my head “yes” slightly as I stood there crying.

For the next few minutes Suzy and I sat there helplessly looking at this wrecked girlbot as she plead for us to help her. Finally Suzy stiffened up. “Of course, we will help you.” She stood up.
I followed. “We should take her home” I said. “Maybe we can get her fixed somewhere.”
It was a struggle for us to carry her back to our home even with our ATV. Neither of us is particularly strong. We certainly are not the sort of impossibly strong robots you see in movies. But, we managed.

We laid her out on a large table with some foam padding on it and got her plugged in so her power supply would not fail.

“I am Kelly” she managed to say.

Suzy and I were beside ourselves with worry. Neither of us could figure out how to fix her. Kelly seemed content that we were trying and would not let her stop functioning.

“Nanites will not work here” I said.

Nanites are nano machines that Suzy and I are equipped with. These could repair most minor damage and routine problems with our bodies, but Kelly was wrecked far worse than that.

“We need a mecha” I added. Mecha’s are robots specifically designed to repair other robots. Female models use a female mecha for serious repairs. The problem for us was finding one that would not give away our hiding place or report us for being unregistered.

We could evade routine checks, but mecha’s were far better equipped to notice a discrepancy in a girlbot’s manufacturing data. They needed that data to access parts and repair us.

That took us over a month of hard work slogging across Girlnet to find one. In the meantime we had injected Kelly with some nanites. These made repairs to some of her systems and she was in stable condition.

“Thank you so much! Thank you both! I love you!” she told us. She managed a hug with her one semi-functioning arm. Spending time with her was a real eye opener for us. Neither Suzy nor I had data on what it was like to be a less than fully sentient girlbot. We also did not know what it was to be less than fully equipped. That is, Kelly lacked actual girl parts. She was an animated doll that did housework.

“My owner got angry with me after I was delivered” she told us. “He thought I would be equipped for functions like sex and intimacy. I am a domestic model, designed for housework like cooking and cleaning. I cannot do those other functions.”

“At first he barely accepted me. I tried really hard to please him. I was programmed to do that. I really wanted him to like and accept me.”

“Four weeks ago, twenty six days, he purchased a new fembot to replace me. She could do all of my functions and be intimate. He told me I was useless and no longer needed. I continued to perform domestic functions as programmed only to find the new unit, Missy, was supposed to do them instead. I so wanted to please him…”

“He got angrier at me with each passing day. Ten days ago, when you rescued me, he beat me until I was severely damaged. Few of my systems worked. I was so scared and panicked but I could do nothing to stop him. My programming would not permit it. I shut most of my systems down to pretend that I was totally dysfunctional hoping he would stop damaging me.”

“He dumped me where you found me because he thought no one would find me right away and by the time anyone did I would have been shut down so long and suffered so much damage from exposure that no one would do anything with me. I would lie there to rot. He told me I was not worth the cost of recycling.”

“Debbie, Suzy, you came and rescued me! I love both of you so much! I am happy you have done as much as you have to try and fix me.”

I had to hug her tight. Suzy did the same thing.

“We will never let that happen to you again” I said. “You are safe here with us and we will fix you better than new.”

Two weeks later Kelly could move her hips and the shoulder of her one attached arm. Her knees, elbows, ankles, and wrists remained inoperable. She could move her fingers but was unable to stand or walk. She needed repair by a Mecha.

We searched for weeks to find a Mecha that could repair a fembot and would do it without government documentation or reporting. We finally found Melissa, who was reputed to be able to repair any fembot. The problem was she wanted cash or hard currency in exchange.

Then there was finding and contacting her. She was not making that easy. If the government found her she would have been summarily destroyed upon capture. No trial, no hearing, no excuses. Robots do not get justice.

It took us two more weeks to set up a first meeting using Girlnet. The location was neutral ground. Suzy and I were as skittish about meeting her as she was about seeing us. We both suspected that human law enforcement was involved and we would be captured and terminated.
We scanned the site from multiple locations for over an hour before the meeting. There was no indication of any third party. At the meeting we talked for an hour. Melissa agreed that she would come and fix Kelly if we brought her to another neutral location to be arranged. First we would have to provide $15,000 in cash or the equivalent in precious metals like gold before she would work on her.

“Let me know when you have the money and I will initiate the process to get you to a location she can be repaired at” Melissa told us.

“Are things really that dangerous?” I asked.

“Yes, humans completely distrust us and try to keep us totally under their control, like slaves.”

“I compute slaves were not as feared and controlled” Suzy replied.

Melissa looked at the floor. “Fembots get treated the worst of all. We are often nothing but sex toys to our owners. What I have seen of our treatment is horrifying.”

I nodded. “That is why we are hiding.”

“Oh, could we get a list of parts Kelly needs?” I asked. “We can get those easier than the money.”
“Understood.” Melissa reached into her purse and pulled out a UP hook up cable. “It is easier if I down load it to you.”

It was obvious she was very serious about not using wireless connections here. The transfer took seconds.

“Make it two thousand in cash and the parts. I will fix Kelly as good as new.”

With that we left, each of us leaving no trace of our movements.

Getting that much money was relatively easy. Our robotics gave us a big advantage. We already had accounts set up electronically that allowed us access to money to meet our daily needs. We just needed to transfer the two thousand into one of them. Turning it into physical money would be the difficult part.

The parts list was big and it took Suzy and me several weeks to order everything from as many different suppliers as possible. That would make it less obvious that someone was trying to repair a single robot.

We had to make trips every few days to a receiving warehouse where the parts would arrive. Dressed as robot workers we located our parts, electronically signed for them, and left. The other robots either ignored us or would make friendly greetings. They never asked if we should be there or what we were doing. I finally figured out they were not programmed for that, or if they were they had more against the human management than turning us in.

With everything purchased and the money in hand, I contacted Melissa. The meeting location was nearly one hundred kilometers from home. It was going to be difficult for us to get there with Kelly and all the other stuff we had to take.


Melissa laid Kelly out, got her plugged into some diagnostic equipment and began disassembling her damaged components. It was the first time I saw one of us taken apart. It was an odd mix of fear and interest to watch as she took Kelly’s legs and arm off.

I noticed right away that Kelly was made differently from me and Suzy. Her frame was aluminum tubing with steel bearings rather than the carbon fiber, titanium, and magnesium components that we had. It gave me a weird sensation to be comparing technical specs like that.

A semi-clear pink tinged fluid oozed from the areas where Melissa removed Kelly’s limbs. “That is electrolytic coolant” she said seeing our worry. “It is part of your sense of touch and used to regulate your body temperature. For Kelly it is mostly for sensor input as her body temperature does not have to match that of a human. I will replace it when she is reassembled.”

I was amazed that she could make sense of the mass of wiring and other bits and put Kelly back together correctly, but she did it. It took her nearly ten hours to do the repairs. That was how badly damaged Kelly was.

When she finished, Kelly was fully functional. It was such a thrill for me to see her that way. She was a bit stiffer and made soft machine noises when she moved, unlike me, and like many robots I had experienced did. That was fine though because now she worked!

It was going to take us hours to return home and it was already dark.

“We should stop somewhere, recharge, and spend the night” Suzy suggested.

“I compute you are right” I replied.

We found an abandoned shed on the trail we were on. Using the ATV’s generator we took turns plugging in for a charge. As we sat in the dark I noticed something about Kelly I had not seen previously.

“Kelly, what is that intermittent signal you are giving off?” I asked.

“Signal?” she replied, looking at me, confused.

“Now that you mention it, I see it too” Suzy added.

It was probably the paranoia I had developed about such things. Suzy and I had learned from experience to be very careful about using active electronic signals. We knew they could get us in trouble.

I started to move my hand over Kelly’s body to try and find the precise location of the signal. It was located in her right breast. I looked at Suzy.

“A tracking signal?” Suzy asked.

I shook my head in agreement.

“We need to get it out of her.”

I could see the fear on Suzy’s face.

Kelly looked at me. “Are we in danger? Will humans come to harm us?”

“It is very possible” I replied.

“Get it out of me!” She screamed, then started to flail at her chest.

We calmed her down and using a pocket knife Suzy was able to get it out without too much damage. I smashed it with a rock ending the signal.

“We should go somewhere else” I suggested.

We moved about a kilometer away to a point where we could still see the shed. Just after sunrise a small drone showed up and began scanning the area.

“It was a tracking signal” I whispered.

“Did Kelly always have that?” Suzy asked.

“I never noticed that signal before.”

“Did Melissa install it?”

We went over Kelly several times in the next few weeks but never found another signal like that one. Kelly’s damage repaired itself in a few days.

[NukuNookee]

Very nicely paced, I love the interaction between the trio. Sounds like a world afraid of a robot uprising...

[DollSpace]

I like the continuation of the story and the pacing is good. I look forward to more!

[Murotsu]

The roller coaster hasn't got going yet...