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by DukeNukem 2417 » Mon Jun 29, 2015 1:44 pm
Few things in Silicon Valley would've drawn more stares than the hot-pink sedan racing down the roads on a Monday afternoon---which, as Vicki reminded the sedan's owner, was the best possible reason to leave that particular car behind and head out in a royal blue Honda Regency (a car originally intended to run on the same RTG technology that powered Vicki herself, but ended up using a refined hydrogen fuel cell system). Anton had even uploaded SARIA (the Satellite Assisted Route/Informational Aide) from his own car into the Regency, with a request that Vicki not “total it”.
“So,” the brunette gynoid mused, “you said my dad's the reason you joined the ALPA?”
Rae rolled her eyes. “Already back to that, are we? You could chat up SARIA while we drive....”
“No offence to Anton, or to SARIA,” Vicki replied, “but I'd rather hear---”
“Your dad,” Rae replied, “effectively rescued me from the worst situation a girl like me could've been in. My first....companion, shall we say, was nice----he didn't treat me like a thing. Unfortunately, as nice as he was, he had his demons...the biggest of which was gambling. One particular betting partner decided to talk him into putting me up for one particularly stupid game of cards---”
“And he lost you to a bad hand?” Vicki surmised.
The chestnut-haired gynoid wasn't smiling. “More like he lost me to a bloody robbery. Everyone there left in bags....and the sods backing the game decided to collect on everyone's debts....”
Vicki winced; she'd heard similar horror stories from Ted, Anton and others in the ALPA. “Who 'won' you?”
“Someone who didn't deserve me,” Rae muttered. “He only switched me on whenever his ex-wife was around, at first---wanted her to see 'how he was doing now'....” She managed to not miss the turn SARIA pointed out, despite her seeming refusal to look at the road. “Then he sold me back to Hreftech, tried to get a refund on me....and they couldn't take me back. The berks who robbed the card game had torched the place when they left---well, not so much when they left as when they got stuck trying to leave....”
“And your registration papers went up,” Vicki finished, sighing. “So they had no proof of....ownership.”
Rae nodded. “Which was just brilliant for me, seeing as how my second owner never bothered to get a new set of papers....and after that.....” Her eyes were rimmed with tears as she guided the Regency to the side of the road.
“Would you like me to drive for you, Miss Clarke?” SARIA's voice inquired, briefly silencing the radio.
“I think that'll be a 'yes',” Vicki replied, as Rae buried her face in her hands. “Engage AutoDrive on course to our destination.”
“....protocol dictates that Miss Clarke herself give that order,” SARIA replied, “but in this case....” Slowly, the car drove back onto the road as Rae's seat slowly moved backwards, giving her room to cry without hitting any vital controls. “I'm here, Rae,” Vicki assured her. “If you don't want to talk about any of it, we can just forget I ever--”
“Bollocks,” Rae spat, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “I didn't make it...sniff...this far in the ALPA by 'forgetting' things....” She accepted a paper towel from Vicki, wiping the tears from her face. “...thanks, sweetie,” she murmured, grinning. “Needed that.....anyway...after I tried to go back to Hreftech, they pretty much told me, in very polite terms, that I had to find my own way for a few months until they could get my data on file and figure out what to do with me.....” She sighed. “A few months turned into a few years, thanks to a few....detours....”
“I'm hoping one of those 'detours' didn't involve anyone named Damien Fal---”
“The Family of Steel wasn't in town....not that it would've mattered.” Rae hugged herself, as if even thinking about what she'd endured was enough to send a chill down her spine. “I wound up in a bloody stupid fight club---sentients vs sentients, sentients vs non-sentients, sentients vs humans....it was barbaric. Apparently, they'd just decided to start adding in more sentient 'bots to the roster---they were running out of 'bots, needed a few more fighters...”
Rae's revelation prompted a startled look from Vicki. “You were mixed up in that?!”
“I wasn't just 'mixed up' in it...my first night in the ring, I had to fight in a 'battle royale'. Never thought those Fazbear Entertainment 'bots had that much bite power, after '87....” Again, Rae sighed. “Ted Lawson saved me from that hellhole, Vicki. If he hadn't....I'd have gone down a very, very dark path.”
Dad does tend to have that effect on people.... “Well, the path you're on now is anything but dark,” Vicki replied with a reassuring smile. “And speaking of paths---SARIA, estimated time of arrival?”
“Given current traffic conditions: Three minutes and fifteen seconds.”
Vicki arched an eyebrow. “That's...surprising, actually,” she murmured. “I thought---”
“The Regency's got more than enough juice to get us where we need to go without stopping at a pump on the way,” Rae proudly declared. “And if I could get one in hot pink, I'd be driving one of these around...then again, SARIA's doing a damn fine job of that for us right now.” Her focus turned to the GPS tracking monitor (right next to the radio on the dashboard); “Can't say the same for that car, though,” she frowned. “Someone's in a hurry to get somewhere, with virtually zero regard for their fellow motorists.”
“Then let's not put them in any more danger.” V.I.C.I's eyes glowed an electric blue as she spoke; “We need to get as close as possible to that car,” she stated, “without them noticing us....SARIA, enable Silent Running.”
“Not a problem, Miss Lawson.”
Despite the inherent seriousness of the moment, V.I.C.I couldn't help but grin a bit.
“....and what's with the smile?” Rae queried. “We're about to go on a chase here---”
“I'm just....it's kind of funny, being called 'Miss Lawson',” the brunette gynoid admitted. “It's like---GAAAH!” Her hands gripped the armrests with enough force to dent them as the Regency skidded into a turn. “Sorry!” the voice of SARIA apologized. “I had to hit the turn tighter than expected....there were pedestrians---”
Rae and V.I.C.I exchanged looks, but nodded. “Not a problem. Just make sure we---”
“There they are!” Rae cut in. “Delacroix's Escalade....with Drake Bradford at the wheel!”
“Let me handle this,” V.I.C.I advised, going for her sidearm....and realizing SCEMP rounds would do little (if anything) in a car chase. “You wouldn't happen to have any ordnance that would help in this particular situation, would you?” she asked, her monotone tinged with embarrassment. “I don't want to waste any SCEMPs by just shooting at the tires...and what are you doing?” She frowned as Rae scampered into the backseat. “Just breaking out a few of the toys,” the chestnut-haired gynoid replied, grinning. “I have a feeling you'll like these....”
Even as the Regency pulled in behind the Escalade, the brunette Field Agent could tell that Bradford's men were probably well aware of the other car. “We don't exactly have a time surplus, Rae----” Gunfire raked the windshield. “Now we definitely don't have time to waste!”
“All good things in time, young Padawan,” Rae beamed. “You might want to duck....”
This had better be worth it.... V.I.C.I scowled, but decided to comply, unbuckling her seatbelt. “This won't hit either of us, will it?”
“What do you think the 'might want to duck' thing was for?”
“Rae---”
“It won't hit us, sweetheart. Just trust me on this.” Rae was putting something together in the backseat, the parts snapping into place with satisfying clicks. “And that goes there...and this goes here....”
A single shot pierced the windshield, narrowly missing V.I.C.I's head. “RAE---”
“ALMOST DONE! And the battery goes.....there.....”
Three rounds grazed the brunette gynoid's cheek. “RAE---”
“DUCK!”
Even as the shout processed in her aural sensors, V.I.C.I had practically flung herself below the dashboard of the Regency, just as Rae aimed what looked to be a cannon made out of an Erector set. “Howdy, boys!” the gynoid called out, giving her best ear-to-ear grin. “Prepare to meet this girl's best friend!”
Before V.I.C.I could shout at Rae to fire, the chestnut-haired gynoid squeezed the trigger. A bluish-green blast shot out of the gun's barrel, piercing the windshield and smashing into the Escalade's rear door before V.I.C.I could even blink. Swearing erupted from the Escalade as the Regency sped past it; V.I.C.I could hear Drake Bradford in particular shouting threats involving power tools and bodily orifices that sounded more than a bit ludicrous. “That'll let all the horses loose, I think,” Rae giggled, climbing over the armrest to return to the front seat of the car. “Now all we have to focus on is the truck hauling the trailer---”
“What truck,” V.I.C.I interjected, “hauling what trailer?”
Rae gave her a bemused look. “No offence, but do you really think Bradford would go out looking for Epsilon in an Escalade?” She rolled her eyes at the thought. “The call from Reaver and Agent Robinson mentioned a truck and a trailer...said something about a modified LaMarquise unit working with Bradford---”
“And she's riding shotgun in the truck,” V.I.C.I finished. “Not surprising...”
“We need to get the truck off the road,” Rae stated, checking the GPS monitor again. “The cannon's too risky to use for this---they've got stolen E-Lins in the trailer, and if the shot hits it, they'll get bricked.”
The brunette gynoid arched an eyebrow. “Just what exactly is in that 'cannon' of yours?”
“Spoilers.” Rae winked, giving a cheeky grin as she did. “Anyway, we'll need to go hands-on with this lot if we're going to get the E-Lins back---” She nearly toppled onto V.I.C.I as the Regency swerved to dodge a burst of shotgun fire from the truck. “...or we could just throw a tracer on them and pick up the trail later,” she added. “Guess which option I'm in favour of at the moment...”
“I'll have SARIA paint the target with infrared. It'll last longer than a physical---”
“They'll backtrace it if we use infrared!” Rae groaned. “I've got a better idea...” She stared at the license plate of the trailer, her irises gleaming with minute lines of code. “And...done!” Micro-servos whirred as she blinked a few times. “ALPA HQ just got the full spec of that trailer and the truck hauling it....they're painting it with the long range infrared now.....”
She gave another wink. “....and some of our best and brightest will be on the way to pursue in---”
A shotgun blast tore through the front-left tire of the Regency, sending the car into a skid. “Agent Clarke, Agent Lawson,” SARIA's surprisingly calm voice informed the gynoids, “we seem to have picked up a flat tire...do you want me to pull over and---”
“Like hell I do,” Rae growled. “SARIA, disengage AutoDrive---and queue up some Golden Earring, will you?”
Her last comment earned a scowl from V.I.C.I; “You're thinking about driving music at a time like this?” she queried. “We're in the middle of a chase---”
“Time and a place, sweetie,” the chestnut-haired gynoid countered, smirking as the opening of “Radar Love” filled the Regency's cab. “And SARIA, try to get that tire back up while you're at it,” she added. “I'm not looking forward to giving an explanation of why this beautiful piece of work had to be towed in on a rim....”
“I'll do my best, Agent Clarke.”
“Damn right...” Rae cracked her knuckles, grinning as the “AutoDrive deactivated” notice flashed in her HUD.
Ahead of the Regency, the truck swerved to avoid an oncoming car; the LaMarquise unit working with (or for) Bradford was aiming a Cobray Street Sweeper out of the front passenger window. “LaMarquise doesn't sell the software packages that let their dolls pack that kind of heat,” V.I.C.I frowned. “She's probably got a few aftermarket warez in her---” She flinched, feeling a burst of static in her mind; was someone trying to ping me just now?
“Vicki, we've got a problem.”
Rae's words did little to calm the brunette gynoid. “If it's related to that LaMarquise---”
“It's Epsilon. He's inbound---heading towards that trailer.” There was an undertone of horror in Rae's voice as she spoke; “Those E-Lins,” she continued, “contain....you're never gonna believe this, babe, but they've got a few dozen specialized software packages in them---”
“For what?”
“Decryption, file analysis....all specifically related to countering the procedures used to turn Anthony Sanderson into Project Epsilon.” Something that might've been hope crept into her tone. “And this is even weirder: HQ just ran a check on those E-Lins, and they're all listed as 'cousins' of Kirsten Sanderson!”
That news made V.I.C.I's eyes widen. “....you're saying she---”
Another blast from the Street Sweeper hit the road next to the front right tire.
“If she didn't know about Epsilon's degradation at first,” Rae shouted, “she damn sure had some help---SARIA, engage DDP-090812!”
“You've got it, Agent Clarke!”
Any attempt by V.I.C.I to ask what DDP-090812 was cut off by Rae belting out the lyrics of the song blasting through the speakers: “When I get lonely and I'm sure I've had enough....she sends a comfort coming in, from above---we don't need a letter at all! WE'VE GOT A THING, AND IT'S CALLED RADAR LOVE!” She spun the Regency into the other lane as the LaMarquise in the truck let loose with a barrage of shots. “WE'VE GOT A LINE IN THE SKY!”
She's tenacious, V.I.C.I mused, I'll give her that... “So, what exactly is DDP-09812?”
“Defensive Driving Protocols---DUCK!”
That last shouted command wasn't questioned by the brunette gynoid; she dove into the Regency's backseat just as another burst of gunfire shattered the windshield. Rae grabbed a handset from under the dashboard and keyed it on; “ALPA Headquarters, this is Field Agent Rae Clarke,” she declared, wincing as another shot hit the still-smoking left front wheel. “I need plain chasers along the following route...” Her eyelids fluttered for a moment---non-verbal transmission, V.I.C.I reasoned. Good idea, especially with Bradford's newest doll right in front of us...
Rae's eyes snapped open. “Repeat: I need plain chasers along the transmitted route. Currently under fire from hostile entity associated with---” She hissed; another blast from the Street Sweeper tore into the street near the ruined tire. “Under fire from a hostile entity associated with Drake Bradford. Hostile is in possession of several E-Lin gynoids---”
Another blast peppered the headrest of the front passenger seat. “Agents Clarke and Lawson, this car won't be able to take much more damage,” SARIA declared. “I suggest we---”
“Sorry, love,” Rae called out, “but I've got a suggestion of my own---open the front passenger door!”
“Rae,” V.I.C.I intoned, “don't do this.....whatever you're about to---”
The chestnut-haired gynoid gave a cheeky grin. “When are you ever gonna learn,” she murmured, “that I like living dangerously---”
Before she could move to dive out of the opened door, a human-shaped blur charged towards the truck in front of them with a distorted, barely-human roar. “Epsilon,” V.I.C.I gasped. “He's already here--” She winced, more out of habit than for any other reason; the man/machine hybrid was leaping towards the truck, a taloned hand extended to rip the front passenger door off its hinges. The LaMarquise gynoid had already turned, her aim re-centering on the approaching figure of Epsilon....
…..just as the Cobray Street Sweeper was simultaneously knocked from her hands and ripped in half by five very long, very sharp talons.
“ALPA Headquarters!” Rae shouted, nearly crushing the handset in her grip. “This is Agent Rae Clarke---this message supersedes the previous notice! Epsilon is active---I need a containment team inbound to my current location! Repeat---”
Wrenching, tearing sounds in front of the Regency cut her off---Epsilon was tearing into the truck and flinging pieces of it into the road. Every human occupant had already fled the vehicle, and the LaMarquise gynoid, now unarmed and powerless against the hybrid's onslaught, had chosen to climb out of the driver's side door and jump for freedom before the truck lost all control---completely ignoring a rather noticeable problem.
“The trailer's going to crash with the truck,” V.I.C.I stated. “We need to---”
“Gimme a minute, babe---I've got a plan!” Rae was already preparing to leap from the passenger-side door again. “And this time, let me jump,” she added, a hint of teasing giving the request a slightly playful tone.
V.I.C.I gave her an annoyed look, but nodded. “I didn't actually stop you last time, you know....”
“Arguing semantics now?” Rae chuckled. “Time and a place, Vicki...” She grabbed onto the seatbelt mount inside the Regency, allowing herself to swing out with the opened door. “If Epsilon tries to go for the trailer while I'm doing my thing,” she added, her grin fading, “tell SARIA to initiate RP-1192---it's a Retrieval Protocol, if you're wondering.” Her grin returned. “I'll try not to keep you waiting too long.”
“Just be careful out there,” V.I.C.I replied, resigning herself to whatever would come next.
“I”ll do my best.” Rae winked, quickly blowing a kiss before she seemed to fall backwards out of the Regency...
…..only to hit the ground in a strangely-fluid combat roll, which carried her into a sprinter's position that she wasted no time taking off from. In seconds, she'd cleared the gap between the Honda Regency and the now-snaking trailer.
“Okay,” the brunette gynoid admitted, watching through the ruined windshield of the Regency, “that was cool.”
Even as her colleague was complimenting her skills, Rae was having more than a bit of a problem. Grabbing the trailer and working the latches on the doors was easy enough---she actually had to dial down the strength of her grip, to ensure that she didn't crush the handles---but staying out of sight of Epsilon and trying not to let any of the E-Lins fall out was several levels more difficult than she'd anticipated. “Hell of a thing,” she grunted, climbing into the trailer and managing a weary grin. “A few years ago, they'd have called me barking mad for doing this----”
A brutal pounding on the trailer cut off her reverie, serving as a not-so-subtle reminder for why she was there in the first place. “Right, right,” she muttered, brushing off Epsilon's attack on the truck. “I'll do my reminiscing later---none of that 'walking through the park' nonsense, though, if I can help it...”
Carefully, she examined each of the E-Lins---all of them had their faces attached, which made their position inside the enclosed trailer---stacked on top of each other, almost like mannequins---a bit too eerie for Rae to handle. “Someone needs a bit of a lesson on how to store these things,” she frowned, glancing back at the Regency. “Right, time to---”
Another jarring shove to the trailer sent her back-first into the wall. “DAMN....can't afford to waste a second with this one.....” She closed her eyes, establishing a wireless link with V.I.C.I and the Regency. “Here goes...”
[Vicki, can you hear me?]
[Rae?! What are you doing in my head?!]
[Internal WiFi, luv. I need you to pull up alongside the trailer and, ah, catch the E-Lins.]
[…..and you're sure this won't damage them---or you?]
[You're an absolute sweetheart, Vicki---no, it won't damage the E-Lins, and it definitely won't---]
A sizeable chunk of the trailer wall was ripped away by a steel-taloned hand.
[VICKI! PULL UP BEHIND THE TRAILER NOW!]
The Regency shot forward just as another thrown chunk of the trailer scythed into the roof at the perfect angle to cleave it from the rest of the car. SARIA's worried voice could be heard calling out a full report of the “loss of structural integrity within the vehicle”, but V.I.C.I ignored it. [I'm ready. Start throwing the E-Lins to me.]
Hefting one of the motionless gynoids on her shoulders, Rae managed to toss the E-Lin over the head of her fellow Field Agent to land in the Regency's back seat. [One down, about six to---] A fist sheathed in mottled greyish flesh closed around her throat.
“RAE!”
Epsilon's eyes stared into Rae's ocular sensors; his lips, still hidden behind the grating that covered most of his face, parted as a strangled roar escaped his throat. “I'm.....not....your....sodding....enemy!” the gynoid hissed, letting herself go limp in the hybrid's grip. Even as she stared Epsilon down, she hoped the gesture would be seen as proof that she didn't want to hurt him---
----of course, the fact that the trailer smashed into the truck and flipped end over end sort of ruined that.
-------------------------------------------------
“RAE!”
Even as the E-Lin had been tossed into the backseat of the Regency, V.I.C.I had seen the truck hit a piece of its own debris mere seconds before Rae had been grabbed by Epsilon. She knew that Rae hadn't noticed, and her current predicament would more than likely take up far more of her attention. Thus, she watched the trailer fly end-over-end, above the ruined truck, with equal measures of horror---for obvious reasons---and, as strange as it might've seemed....hope.
She'll survive it. She has to...
Oddly enough, none of the E-Lins tumbled out of the trailer as it hurtled over the truck---either they were tied down (or otherwise secured), or Rae had managed to arrange things (however that might work) to keep them from falling out. As for Rae herself....
The Honda Regency carefully slowed to a park as the trailer finally settled in the middle of the road---which, as V.I.C.I realized, was surprisingly empty of pedestrians or anyone else who could've been injured in the ensuing chaos when the LaMarquise gynoid had fired her Street Sweeper. Something about the emptiness of the area didn't sit right with---
“OI, VICKI.....a bit of a hand would be greatly appreciated, if you can spare a tick....”
Rolling her eyes at Rae's colloquial British-isms, V.I.C.I followed the sound of her colleague's voice until she reached the trailer. “Feeling okay?” she called out, using her human voice in case anyone drove past.
“Can't feel anything below the neck, at the moment...but other than that, tops!”
A low groan fought its way past Vicki's lips as she realized what “can't feel anything below the neck” probably meant. “Just....stay where you are and I'll get to you,” she replied. “Is Epsilon---”
“He scarpered. Can't say I blame him....I think he may have lost part of a finger when the trailer landed!”
Which is the last thing I needed to hear, Vicki felt like saying. Seeing as how she wasn't going to find Rae by asking which finger Epsilon had lost part of, she decided instead to continue her inquiry regarding the other gynoid's “health”: “So, how much of yourself can you---”
“Sweetie, I'm not usually one to get crude at times like this, but could you please MOVE YOUR ARSE?!”
“I'm trying to find you right now,” Vicki countered, “so---”
“No, I mean, literally---your rear end is blocking the signal! I'm trying to call HQ, get a retrieval team out here!”
Her eyes squeezed shut at the mention of her own rear. “So.....you're.....” She turned, looked down....and stared into the eyes of Rae Clarke. Or rather, the ocular sensors of the disconnected cranial module of Rae Clarke, which was currently frowning up at her. Apart from the fact that she was, at the moment, just a head, Rae looked pretty good---until Vicki noticed the metal connectors, wires and servo relays at the terminal end of her neck stump. “It's not as bad as it looks,” Rae assured her.
“Not as bad as it looks,” Vicki repeated, a toneless, humourless laugh issuing from her lips. “YOU'RE JUST A HEAD, RAE!”
“The rest of me is still intact! Over that way---to the left of where we are! Damn, I already miss my hands...”
Vicki scooped up Rae's head, holding it under the crook of her arm as she approached the wreckage of the trailer. “You're lucky Hreftech had you built according to their modular construction guidelines,” she informed her fellow Field Agent. “If you were a Kumitosu model, you'd have been---”
“One of my flatmates was a Kumitosu,” Rae chimed in. “Lovely girl....hang on, I think I see my hand sticking out from there!” Sure enough, the bright pink nail polish that Rae preferred marked the slim extremity seen through a hole in the trailer's wall as hers. “You should be thanking me for letting my head disconnect from the rest of me, y'know.....if it WAS still on, I'd probably have a nice long shard of metal through my eye right now.”
“So you let your head disconnect,” Vicki muttered. “It wasn't some random accident---”
“Oi, you ever get a big, meaty hand wrapped 'round your throat, and you don't think 'oh, I might want to let my cranial module disconnect from the rest of me to keep my face from getting caved in by this nasty bloke here', let me know,” Rae pouted. “It was spur of the moment---OI, don't set me down on the damn pavement!”
The brunette gynoid rolled her eyes. “I need both hands to drag the rest of you out of the trailer....” Her eyes glowed blue for a moment as she grabbed the edges of the hole Rae's hand was protruding from. “...and I also need to concentrate,” she added, in her robotic monotone, “to make sure I don't collapse the entire trailer assembly on top of you.”
Rae sighed---a remarkable feat, considering her lack of a torso at the moment. “Fair enough....just be careful.”
“When haven't I been?” With considerably less strain than a human would've gone through, V.I.C.I managed to pry apart the segments of the trailer on either side of Rae's headless body. “You're in luck,” she called out, turning to regard her fellow gynoid with a grin. “The crash didn't damage your body at all. No tears in the synthetic dermal covering, no fluid leakages....even your clothes are still intact....” Her attention turned to the motionless female forms at the far end of the trailer. “...and the E-Lins look to be in nice shape, as well,” she added.
“Feel like turning me around while you're in there?” Rae called out. “I mean...turn my body around....”
Her request earned her a glare from V.I.C.I; “You're seriously asking me to let you check yourself out?” she muttered.
“Just want to admire a high-quality build!” Rae beamed. “Which is me, in this case, but still...and don't go dragging me out of there just because you're in a mood!” If she'd had the ability to nod as V.I.C.I extricated her body from the trailer, she more than likely would have. “And now the turn,” she called out. “It's not that big of a deal, Vicki.....YES, there it is!” She gave a wolf-whistle at her own shapely figure. “And I am looking good!”
“If I hear anything about any part of you being firm enough to bounce quarters off of,” the brunette Field Agent warned, “I'm stowing your head in the trunk of the Regency on the drive back---”
“And I'll have my body slap you silly,” Rae teased. “Hreftech Remote Modular Access....” She winked.
It's times like this I'm glad I know what I am, V.I.C.I reflected, otherwise all of this would be very weird... As Rae continued complimenting her own body, the brunette gynoid half-carried the headless form over to where the chestnut-haired head rested. “Any time you're ready, babe....”
“I'd ask if you're ready,” V.I.C.I intoned, “but I have a feeling I already know the answer....” She gently laid the headless gynoid's body down next to her cranial assembly, before moving to the cranial assembly itself. “I just need to know,” she quietly asked, 'are there any special procedures I need to worry about while I'm reattaching your head?”
Rae chuckled. “Just turn me so my neck stump is above my neck and let me take care of the rest.”
Again, V.I.C.I frowned. “Please don't tell me you've done this before...at least, not intentionally.” A brief memory of Rae's sultry sighs during her repair session a day or two prior resurfaced.....
….and was dispelled just as quickly. “I'm not crazy,” the gynoid giggled.
Despite her annoyance, V.I.C.I managed to bite back a number of scathing rejoinders and focused on the task at hand---putting Rae's head back on her body. She turned the chestnut-haired gynoid's head until she was staring up at the sky. “Whenever you're ready....”
“I've been ready for a good long while, babe. Just move my head slowly towards the rest of me....”
After a deep breath (out of habit), V.I.C.I moved Rae's head closer to her neck---and watched, feeling a mixture of awe and fear as wires, thin rods and other...extensions, for lack of a better term...emerged from both the neck and the terminal end of Rae's head. “Is that....normal?” the brunette gynoid asked, her monotone doing a fairly decent job of flattening the emotion out of the question.
“Hreftech design,” Rae sighed, as if she was getting her nails done. “Of course it's---”
Her eyes shot open. “Hreftech unit NV-9947128, Designation: Clarke, Rae,” she announced, her own voice going into a digitized monotone. “Cranial module reconnection commencing....”
After a few brief seconds, her face returned to its prior state of animation. “---normal....and I can tell I just did the robot voice thing,” she drawled, rolling her eyes. “You're gonna love this next bit when I----” Her lips curled into a bizarre sneer. “---start getting-ting-ting----DAMN, that's annoying....getting all twitchychychy---” Her eyes blinked a few times, with her mouth locked into an “o” of surprise (or something else, V.I.C.I mused). “Cranial module reattaching. No hardware errors found. Please lift unit and unit's cranial module to an upright position to avoid interference.”
With one hand at Rae's back and the other cupping her head, V.I.C.I did as she was instructed. To her relief, Rae's body seemed to lock into a sitting position of its own accord, allowing the gynoid to plant both hands on her colleague's head as the various connectors from either end of the neck stump reattached. “So far, so good,” Rae declared, her monotone now sporting her British accent---and a hint of snarkiness.
“So what now?” Vicki asked, reverting to her own human voice.
“Now comes the fun part---lowering my head back onto my neck,” Despite the flatness of her voice, Rae gave a saucy wink. “I may not be as vocal about this as my last repair job, but it does feel---”
A low groan from Vicki cut her off. “Can we just get to the part where I reattach your head?”
“In three seconds...two.....okay, start lowering it.” Slowly, Vicki lowered Rae's head, surprised to find that the connectors from her neck were already doing their part to pull the cranial module back in slightly. Within a few seconds, only a 2-centimetre seam remained as a reminder....and even that was beginning to fade as Rae turned her head, flexing her neck in every available direction to make sure the connection was holding.
Vicki arched an eyebrow. “Better?”
“So much,” Rae beamed, pulling her in for a quick hug. “The E-Lins are still in one piece, I take it?”
“Surprisingly, yes....probably because Epsilon didn't try to tear them limb from limb....” Vicki reflected on that for a moment. “He only went after you,” she murmured, “but he left the E-Lins alone---”
“Yeah, about that,” the tanned gynoid cut in. “I have no idea why he decided to throttle me...I didn't do a damn thing to provoke him, so....” She rolled her eyes. “Guess we need to get them back to HQ ASAP,” she added, nodding towards the E-Lins. “And....oh, what the hell.....” Her question faded to a groan as she beheld the Regency. “Vicki, what happened?!”
The brunette gynoid was already heading back to the car. “Part of the trailer hit it...took the roof clean off.”
She decided to leave out the fact that “part of the trailer” had been thrown by Epsilon.
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Elvis Lives. Not in this timeline, but in quite a few others.
I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been.