The V.I.C.I Diaries - Broken (Part 6)

[DukeNukem 2417]

“Just run in and do a quick recon, they said. You'll be back before you know it, they said....”

Kirsten Charlotte Casey, known to her friends and colleagues as Casey or simply K.C., would've laughed at the irony of that statement, if not for a few things. One, she was, for lack of a better term, in enemy territory---a factory owned by one Max Mills, specifically.

Secondly, she was being pursued by what she'd initially tagged as “cargo”---a deactivated gynoid, one of about five dozen or so, locked in shipping capsules and set to be transported across state lines. Other than standard issue wear-and-tear, the 'bot was putting up a surprisingly decent fight---though the constant taunting was beginning to get old.

“This is the last time I let them talk me into this,” Casey muttered.

The assignment had, on paper, looked so simple. Check out the factory, take notes on any suspicious activity and then head back to base. The first two parts had gone off without a hitch....

…..until the freaking shipping capsule opened on its own, and that damned gynoid started laughing.

Working with the ALPA had given Casey insight into things that, just years before, she'd never even dreamed of having to deal with. Her “escape” from boarding school---after an incident involving her then-boyfriend, a quick snog in a janitor's closet and an awkwardly positioned crowbar revealed her “big secret”---and the subsequent falling-out with her own “family” (rather than try to look for her, they'd simply called the company that had sold her to them and bought the latest domestic/companion model from her line) had already shown just one of many attitudes towards her own kind that she'd come to despise.

Good thing they never found out about all the cameras....

A momentary grin at the thought of her former family being under surveilance faded quickly---the capering, giggling gynoid from the shipping capsule was getting closer. Time to end this....

Casey counted the seconds, waiting until her target was close enough for her to spring from cover for a quick take-down. If all else failed, SCEMP ordnance could quickly bring the approaching gynoid down; HQ would probably have her file a report, but to Casey, an hour or so of filing out paperwork was better than getting jumped by a hostile---and infinitely better than losing teammates to a hostile. Great time for Kylie to get pissed off and try to go it alone.... She pushed aside all thoughts of annoyance at Kylie---the hostile was within striking distance....

When Casey emerged from cover, several things happened within the span of a few seconds.

First among them was a small, almost unnoticable feeling in her torso---a kind of rumbling sensation, similar to what human beings knew as “hunger pains”, but not as unpleasant. Secondly, right after that rumbling feeling was the short, sharp report of a pistol being fired. Immediately after that, the attacking gynoid---clad in a slightly dirty tank top and form-fitting jeans torn off at the knees---turned and fled, only to fall to the ground a few seconds later. The SCEMP shot had done its job.

“ALL CLEAR!” Casey's shout prompted Kylie and the two male Agents with her to emerge from where they'd been hiding, trying not to be noticed by the now defeated gynoid. “This factory's a total bust....no sign of Epsilon. Just a few gynoids in storage and a bunch of old Dells----”

“Then we need to get moving,” Kylie shouted back, already on her way to the transport. “There's been an incident at Vicki Lawson's house---it's secure, but they're calling a briefing about what happened....we need to get there fast!” Two of the transport's doors were slammed; Kylie's teammates had already climbed into the vehicle. “You coming or not?!”

Despite a lingering feeling of unease, Casey nodded. “Just tell Marshall not to bust out the Eminem.....”
--------------------
“She doesn't deserve it,” Melody growled. “She made us look foolish!”

“We have been...less than forgiving,” Harmony admitted. “She could---”

Their talk ended just as Siren emerged, looking far less like the toy she'd alluded to earlier. The jean shorts, crop top and sneakers were replaced with full khakis, a shirt that complimented her figure rather than tried to “sexify” her look, and dress shoes. The pigtails, surprisingly, remained---but had been done up in a way that actually drew more attention to her face. In short, she looked every bit the competent teammate she wanted to be---and she had more than enough alternative wardrobe options to change out any part of her ensemble in case Harmony and/or Melody found something to harp on.

“So,” she beamed, “how do I look?”

Melody nearly said something, but Harmony spoke first: “You look....ready.”

“Ready?” Siren echoed, frowning slightly.

“Ready to finally join us in the capacity you were designed for. And ready to take part in field ops.”

The petite gynoid grinned. “That's what I was going for....” She climbed in the back seat of the SUV, sliding her purchases into the empty seat next to her---immediately drawing Melody's wrath. “Allegra will be sitting there,” the brunette snapped. “Move your stupid clothes---”

Harmony shot her a look, and she let the threat die on her lips. “You should move the clothes,” the redhead quietly advised, “but....just make sure they won't be in the way.”

Siren nodded, moving the boxes and bags behind the seat. “Better?”

“Better.” Harmony returned the nod, glancing at Melody. “Isn't it better?”

Melody refused to even look at Siren. “She thinks it's better,” Harmony began, “and---” Her sentence ended with a startled “eep”; Melody had floored the gas pedal of the SUV. “”You may be our teammate,” the brunette declared, “but you are not---”

“Don't,” Harmony warned. “Don't put her through this. Octavia---”

“Has no idea what she's talking about,” Melody shot back, nearly putting her fist through the horn when a slow-moving car changed lanes to move in front of the SUV. “She failed twice in training---”

“And you failed three times,” Harmony recalled---a statement that earned her a punch to the side of the head, seconds before Melody swerved the SUV out of the way of an oncoming bus. From her seat in the rear of the vehicle---now heading into a side street---Siren clutched the armrests and tried to think of anything other than being in the same car as the two arguing gynoids---

“I DIDN'T FAIL!” Melody shouted, hitting Harmony again. “The final mission was rigged!”

The redheaded gynoid remained silent, gently rubbing a hand against the cheek that Melody had punched.

“No operative has ever beaten the final mission,” Melody continued, occasionally laying on the horn to scare pedestrians or other drivers out of the way. “The objectives can't be completed, especially with that damned timer!”

“I finished five of them,” Harmony murmured. “Five out of.....fifteen---”

“IT DOESN'T MATTER!” Melody screamed, a blast of the SUV's horn punctuating the sentence.

Siren closed her eyes and tried to think of something nice, something that she could smile at. The memory of Octavia handing her the card to buy more clothes for herself was admittedly pleasant----

“SIREN!”

Melody's shouting snapped the gynoid out of her reverie, but any profanity-laced tirade the brunette could've launched into was cut off by Harmony. “We should focus on the mission,” she reminded her “sister”.

“.....the mission, yes...” Melody nodded. “The mission.”

The rest of the drive, after the trio exited the side street, was uneventful---at least, until Siren decided to bring up the small matter of who they were supposed to “retrieve” next. “Why do we need Allegra for this part? It's not like she's a specialist at anything---Octavia tells her to do something, and she does it...we could just get any 'bot to come along and help!”

Harmony almost spoke up in agreement, but thought better of it after she realized that Melody had a death grip on the steering wheel. “Octavia has her reasons,” she reminded the petite gynoid.

“And we don't question them,” Melody added, not looking back. “Ever.”

Five minutes later, the trio were outside of Allegra's apartment building. It always annoyed Siren that Allegra looked as if she'd just emerged from a volleyball game---her crop top, worn over a sports bra, barely hid her C-cup breasts, just as her jean shorts left little to the imagination regarding her figure. Her golden-blonde hair had been done up in a high ponytail, courtesey of a scrunchie; ankle socks and tightly-laced trainers rounded out the ensemble. Her blue eyes swivelled to regard Siren for less than a second before she climbed into the back seat to take her place next to the smaller gynoid, who just stared out the opposite window, refusing to look at her.

“Apologies for the delay....” Melody gave an overly theatrical smile as she glanced at Allegra, who just stared straight ahead without even acknowledging her. “You've received the briefing?” Harmony inquired.

The blonde gynoid's ponytail barely moved as she nodded.

“Then we don't need to waste any more time,” Melody beamed.

An utterance of “Picking up Allegra was a waste of time” was barely audible from Siren's mouth as the SUV pulled away from the apartment; Melody showed no sign of having heard the smaller gynoid, and Harmony just stared at the floor.

Melody engaged Allegra in small talk for the next few miles of the drive---that is, Melody did 90% of the talking, and Allegra just nodded, occasionally chiming in with “yes”, “no” or a few pithy comments of her own. Her voice sounded human enough, but it was the tone of her replies---as if she'd rehearsed them, or was simply reciting them from memory. Harmony couldn't stand talking to the blonde gynoid for more than a few minutes at a time---it was a bit too much like playing with a pull-string doll for her liking. Allegra could converse with others and sound perfectly natural---she just never did so around Harmony. It's times like this that I miss Cadence more than ever, the redheaded gynoid realized. She was a true----

“ALPA vehicle incoming.” The near-monotone statement from Siren cut into Harmony's thoughts. “I...don't know if they're aware of our presence or not---”

“If they don't see us, it doesn't matter,” Melody quickly replied. “Let's just keep going!”

Harmony didn't even bother glaring at her---it had been a while since they'd lost Cadence, after all.

The SUV drove onwards towards its objective.....
--------------------
“Incoming hostiles....okay, maybe not 'hostile', but they're not ours.” Casey's assesment of the SUV drew an annoyed glance from Kylie. “They're not registered to the Coalition,” she began, only for a readout on the touchscreen built into the dashboard to light up. “....those are the two who attacked the Chair–Oberon!” A quiet gasp punctuated her realization---

---followed by a slightly louder---and more startled---one from Casey.

“....you feeling okay?” Despite her gaze staying on the road, the concern in Kylie's voice was evident.

“I....guess so,” Casey quietly replied. “It felt like...I don't know how to explain it.” She shuddered in her seat.

Kylie nodded. “You can run the diagnostics when we get to the briefing....unless you think it was something serious enough to warrant a checkup right now....” She glanced over her shoulder for the briefest of moments; “You're not getting any positives from your anti-virus software?” she inquired.

“Not even a false positive. It was just...a twinge.”

“A 'twinge' isn't enough to trigger that kind of a response,” Kylie countered. “And we're stuck on a very, very tight schedule, so we have to get to the briefing before you can run your diagnostic---”

Casey scoffed. “I can't run a self-diagnostic in transit?”

“Do I have to remind you that the GPS in this car isn't shielded?” Kylie muttered. “You run so much as a basic hard drive scan....” She shook her head. “If it was just a twinge, like you said, we can wait until we get to the briefing for you to run the diagnostic.” She sighed. “.....and as for why I borrowed a car with unshielded systems, it's.....a long story.”

“As long as we can get to the briefing,” Casey replied, “I don't care....I just want this op to be over with.”

Any and all residual hostility Kylie had retained from the incident at the apartment block had slowly evaporated over the drive---she wasn't mad at Casey, or her other fellow Field Agents, but at Rae. And the “argument” had started with Rae in tears---that, combined with her “I've lost enough” remarks, meant that Kylie had managed to get herself pissed off for the stupidest possible reason. There's a time for the big girl panties and a time for being sensitive, she reminded herself. Arguing with someone who wants to keep you from getting fragged on an op is not the time for the BGPs....

The drive felt short---maybe it was just Kylie going over the day's events as she drove, or maybe it was due to a distinct lack of traffic on the road to the Lawson house. A quick glance at Casey revealed that all was still well---as far as appearances were concerned. The “twinge,” whatever it was, hadn't yet returned.

“.....did someone get wasted on wine coolers before we got here?”

Casey's question, accompanied by the sight of a Land Rover plowed through the fence on the left side of the front lawn, did little to squash any lingering fears Kylie may have had about the briefing. She felt herself mouthing the words “probably Tom”, but didn't speak them---the last time she'd worked with him, and seen one of many displays of his “righteous fury”, still weighed heavily on her mind. The words that left her lips instead were “Let's just get inside, okay?”---the “okay” clipped off by a nervous breath, coming out as “'keh”, as if she'd nearly choked on it.

“You sure you don't need a checkup?” Casey half-joked.

Other than an eye-roll that was half sarcastic and half tired, Kylie didn't acknowledge the remark. “They're all waiting for us to go in and sit down,” she stated. “Let's not keep them waiting.”

With a shrug, Casey followed her up the walk to the front door.
--------------------
“.....and I think you'll find it's more than enough for what you need.”

Max Mills' smile was repaid in kind by Octavia. “I...appreciate your generosity, Mr. Mills, but this hardly seems like something to be paid back with the information you requested.” She didn't even need to glance across the table at Harmony, Melody, Allegra or Siren; everything they saw (and thought) was being shared with her on a secure WiFi link-up.

At that precise moment, three of them deeply distrusted Max Mills.

“You're sure this isn't worth....a little something?” Max offered. “The least I can do is demonstrate....actually, forget I mentioned it.”

Octavia frowned. “Demonstrate what?”

“No, no.....it's....it's nothing, really. I don't think you'd have any use for it.”

It was a classic bluff---ever since her rise to the top of United Robotronics' power structure, Octavia had gone over countless notes regarding similar (if not identical) attempts to use “half-truths” or clever negotiating to get what they wanted. “If you're so sure it's 'nothing', why bring it up in the first place?” she inquired. Her polite smile earned an annoyed look from Melody, which she ignored.

“....well, for starters, one of your people passed it to me a few months ago,” Max admitted. “Apparently, you people have ethical concerns about using it....” He grinned. “.....but in the....right hands....”

Melody gasped, Harmony looked worried, and even Siren was a bit perturbed....but Octavia said nothing.

“The 'Helios' program,” Max continued. “In your hands, nothing but an interesting little side project, a...coding exercise, I believe the term was. I never thought to trace it back to you people, but....well, after a few months and no phone calls to 'give it back', it seemed safe to assume that nobody wanted it back. So I took a crack at it, made a few....changes....and I'm thinking of marketing it as a security tool. Hence the demonstration.”

“The one you wanted us to forget?” Octavia gave a slight chuckle. “Not exactly promising...”

Max's grin didn't waver. “Well, it's not like I could put it off any time soon. See, I know that at least one person in this room---maybe more---happens to be a....gynoid, I think the term is?”

He retrieved his smartphone. “......and that gynoid is....'carrying'.....the product I intend to demonstrate.”

As Octavia, Harmony, Melody and Siren watched, Max nodded at Allegra. “Her. It's in her as we speak.”

Ignoring the infuriated look on Melody's face, Octavia glanced at Max. “What, exactly, is 'in her as we speak'?”

“Helios. Your name for it, not mine....but considering what it does, it fits. It's not exactly subtle---and it's not an instant-action thing, either. It's on a...time delay, considering she picked it up from another carrier----”

“It sounds like your 'security product' is actually a virus,” Octavia mused. “Not to mention the reason you're---”

“Not the reason you called me here, I know. But I'm a bit....new to the international robotics game, after all. I'm more of a 'people person', and dealing with.....product...isn't really my thing.” Something about the way he said “product” earned him a pissed-off glare from Melody, but he kept going. “I only tweaked a few bits of code in it, not the base...”

Harmony and Melody glanced at Allegra, moving a chair over to sit farther away from her.

Octavia regarded Allegra with a bemused glance. Whatever happened next would be...interesting.
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[DollSpace]

Fascinating, and I can't wait to see the display of Helios. I hope Casey (or KC) gets fixed; she's got potential to be a real complex character. And why aren't more people commenting on this? Yeah, I know there's not a lot of "sexy-times" but there is a solid stories and plenty of androids that are way more than "Androids In Name Only", not to mention malfunctions, character arcs, emotions, plot twists and turns, and something you can read without it being strictly about fembots but having a whole lot of them! And in case people are like, "well, I didn't start reading with the first one in the series", I think you can jump in at the beginning of any of the stories and pick up the action and plot, and if you have a question, post it here or PM Duke, cos I'm sure he wouldn't mind explaining or elabourating up to the point the story has been released. I'm sure comments and constructive criticisms are also welcomed, as long as they come with helpful suggestions. I'd want nothing more or less for my own stories. And, honestly, do people just want more smut? More robosex, more malfunctions? Or are the stories too long? Let him know. I'll split this into another thread for Duke's sake, but please read his stuff like this. We need the balance on the board. It may not be everyone's cuppa tea all the time, but it's got to appeal to more people at least some of the time, right?