First Recruits

by Marilyn Foxworthy

  I guess I could frame the situation that way if I tried. This thing in front of me was a living being. It was my job to help it become what it was supposed to be. With my bonsai, I started by removing the raw plant from the “transport pot” and cleaning up the root system. In fact, if I ordered a plant over the net, it came wrapped in plastic and I had to cut that away first. The difference here was that the thing I was working with was as big as I was, not six to ten inches tall. But the process was the same. Cut away the protective wrapping, examine it for health and aesthetic qualities, wash and groom it, and finally arrange it in a pleasing environment and feed it.

  Yeah, this was the same thing. Of course, if I killed a little tree by mistake, I could always start over, and with this, a mistake would be fatal and my specimen was irreplaceable; but I hadn’t killed a plant in a long time. I’d even saved a number of them that other people would have given up on and tossed in the trash.

  Hey, this could fun. What did I care if it was slimy and gray? That’s just how they came, right? I just had to take it out of the package and get to work making it look the way it was supposed to.

  Ee sensed the change in my being and said, “There’s my big brave captain!”

  I smiled and said, “Yeah. This is going to be fun, isn’t it?”

  She said, “More than you can imagine.”

  I said, “Cool. Are we ready?”

  Ee said, “Yep. Pull back the top of the bag and take a look.”

  I took hold of the top edge of the material that I had cut and pulled it down toward the foot of the table, exposing the body underneath. Then I gasped and tried to catch my breath, shocked and amazed at what I had uncovered. What the hell?

  Chapter 5 - First Genie

  I stepped back from the table involuntarily. This, I had not expected.

  I said, “Ee, this is a…um, it’s a…”

  Ee said, “A female.”

  I said, “Um, yeah. A female.”

  Ee said, “So are the others. Both of them. I told you that. DO you find it…interesting?”

  I said, “And the others? They look like this?”

  She said, “Well, not exactly. This is the bigger one. It’s six-foot-one. You seemed to be six-foot even. The second one in line is five-foot-seven. The other is five-foot-three. But, shall we say, anatomically, they have definite similarities.”

  I said, “Really?”

  There wasn’t anything really wrong with the “Unit”. It didn’t have two heads or gills, or flippers, or tentacles, or anything like that. And it didn’t have three breasts. No, it had exactly two breasts. Very symmetrical, very large, very firm looking, very female breasts. It had two arms, two legs, ten fingers and toes, two eyes, one mouth, only two buttocks, and exactly one “lady-part” between its legs. As Ee had told me, it was completely hairless. Now that I saw the whole thing, the grayish-white complexion just made it look like a marble sculpture, not a dead fish. It was hard to believe that it was alive. It would be much easier to believe that it was the work of a master sculptor, molding the perfect, if entirely unrealistic, female form. It was, in a word, stunning. Breathtaking. Sexy as hell. I didn’t dare touch it.

  Ee broke my reverie, saying, “Time to wake it up. Attached to the table is a device similar to the one you jabbed yourself with. It’s right beside the unit on its left side. Take it and set it against the muscles of its neck.”

  The device that I found didn’t have a needle, but rather a nozzle. I suspected that it delivered a drug of some kind using air pressure. It took me a few seconds to get it in the right spot. Ee coached me until I had it right.

  Then she said, “Be ready with the password. You remember it, right? I’ll be really sad if you get killed. When you are ready, push the button and step back quickly. Maintain eye contact. When she looks at you, say the pass-phrase.”

  I said, “OK,” and pushed the button.

  There was a very quiet hiss and I stepped back a pace. The “Unit” breathed more heavily for a few more seconds and then opened it’s eyes. It looked at me and I guess I hesitated. Her eyes mesmerized me for an instant.

  Not hearing a password, the thing, the woman, snapped to action and her hand tensed and moved toward my throat.

  I exclaimed, “Eevona barada nikto!”

  At that, the unit relaxed and a calm came over her face, and she lay still. Her eyes were open, looking upward at the ceiling.

  Ee said, “Good job. No kill scenario. I’m glad. Now, she’s docile for the next little while. You need to take her by the hand and lead her to the washing station.”

  I reached out hesitantly and touched the Unit’s hand. No, not the Unit: the girl. I touched the girl’s hand. It was slimy, but it felt like a real hand. As I took hold of it and pulled gently, the girl sat up and faced me.

  Oh, damn she was beautiful. I wondered what would happen if I hugged her. I guess I knew what would happen. I’d get a boner, for sure. She looked so slick, covered with clear goop, shiny and glistening and so incredibly beautiful.

  I shook my head to try to clear it and took her other hand and pulled her off the table. For an instant, I was concerned that she might slip because her feet were slimy, but she didn’t seem to have trouble standing. I guided her to the washing station and turned her so that her back was to it and had her step backward into the little shower stall.

  Ee said, “There are two hoses. The yellow one is the cleaning agent. It won’t hurt either of you. Even if you get it in your eyes or mouth. In fact, you are going to have to rinse her eyes and the inside of her mouth as well as the entire surface of her skin. Hose her down and get everywhere. Everywhere.”

  I took the hose from the wall and was about to spray the girl when Ee reminded me to explain what I was doing. She told me that she would stop me if I started to do something wrong.

  I said, “Hi. I’m Jimmy. I’m going to wash you now. We have to get all of this goop off. I’m going to start at the top and work our way down. This shouldn’t be uncomfortable.”

  Ee turned on the hose and I held the wand above the girl’s head, letting the cleanser flow over her body.

  I said, “Keep your eyes open. I am going to wash them as well. This shouldn’t hurt.”

  I paused for a few seconds to make sure that Ee wasn’t going to tell me not to do it, and then I directed a gentle stream directly onto the girl’s face. Next, I had her open her mouth, swish the inside with the liquid, and spit it out. Working my way down, I sprayed her neck, shoulders, back and breasts, stomach and hips, thighs, legs, and feet.

  Ee said, “You have to do her genitals and anus. Don’t put the hose inside her, but do spread her labia and butt cheeks so that the cleanser can get where it needs to go. She won’t mind. You don’t have to apologize. Just explain it and go ahead and touch her. She’ll be fine.”

  I did as directed and told the girl that I had to wash her crotch and that I was going to touch her. It took a minute to work out how to spread her labia with one hand while spraying her with the hose in my other hand, but I managed to figure it out quickly enough.

  I didn’t want to take advantage of her in this state. She was entirely passive and didn’t seem to have the capacity to object to what I was doing. Ee sensed my discomfort.

  She said, “Do you feel nervous about this? Because you are touching her like this and she can’t stop you?”

  I said, “Yeah. It’s not right.”

  Ee said, “It’s sweet that you think so. Of course, you are absolutely correct, but it’s sweet, nonetheless. But Jimmy, look at it this way. The goop has to come off. It’s everywhere, even in the crack of her slit. Even up under the hood of her clitoris. It needs to come out. This is a medically necessary procedure. As I said, ordinarily this would be done by professionals. She would know that. She would have expected this. Maybe not in an emergency situation like this, but she would have been briefed about the procedure. She might have been through it before. This isn’t sexual right now.”

  I
said, “That’s easy for you to say.”

  Ee said, “It’s about to get worse.”

  I grimaced and said, “How?”

  Ee said, “Have her lift her foot so that you can wash the bottom. Then the other one.”

  I lifted the girl’s foot and immediately saw the problem. With her foot in the air, and me kneeling at her knees, her legs parted and I found myself looking straight at her perfectly sculpted vulva. The lips were still slightly spread and her petals were visible from having me touching her there a minute before.

  Ee said, “Um, sorry Jimmy, but that isn’t the problem that I was talking about. Do her feet and put the hose back on the wall. Then start rubbing. Start down there at her toes, but work your way up. Every inch. You have to scrub her. All of her.”

  I sighed and said, “But for medical reasons. And she won’t mind because she knows it’s part of the deal?”

  Ee said, “Exactly. Explain what you’re doing, but be thorough. If you don’t, she won’t get all the goop off and that will be irritating. She knows you are doing her a kindness.”

  I put away the cleanser wand and knelt back down at the girl’s feet.

  I said, “Now I need to scrub you down. We’ll start at your feet and work our way up. I’ll be gentle, but I have to be thorough. I’m going to be touching you all over. I’ll try to be as quick as I can.”

  I started at her toes and rubbed the cleanser into her skin, dissolving the goop as I went. Toes, feet, ankles, calves, knees, and then her thighs.

  Ee said, “She has the same implant that you do. I can sense her like I do you. Jimmy Babe, she likes it.”

  I washed her upper legs, hesitating to do the girl’s crotch, and said, “She likes what?”

  Ee said, “She likes what you’re doing. She likes being touched by you, Idiot. And if I’m reading this right, and I certainly am, it’s not all physical. I think she thinks you’re handsome. Let’s do a little experiment. Hey, Unit! Jimmy has a nice penis, doesn’t he?”

  I was standing now and saw that the girl did momentarily glance down toward my waist and then looked back up at my face.

  Ee said, “No need to be embarrassed. You, not her. She isn’t embarrassed at all. But she did respond positively. I told you that you would like her. And she knows it.”

  I reached for the girl’s groin and said, “She knows what?”

  Ee said, “Well, based on the erection you have, she has to know that you do indeed like her. At least in that way.”

  I said, “Oh no. I didn’t mean to. Hell, Ee, how could I help it? Look, Unit um, Ma’am, I’m sorry. I do find you incredibly attractive. I am doing the best I can here, but yes, I do think that you are very beautiful. I’m not used to showering with a beautiful woman like this and my reaction was completely involuntary.”

  Ee laughed and said, “You don’t have to apologize. She knows that. Her reaction was positive though. You want proof? Look at her nip…”

  I shouted, “Shut up. Don’t finish that sentence. I can see what I can see. Let’s get this done.”

  I continued scrubbing the woman’s body and as I reached her chest, I said, confidently, “OK, almost done. I just need to wash your breasts and shoulders and then your head and neck and then we can rinse off.”

  When I did touch her breasts, it seemed like she pressed into me and breathed a bit heavier for a minute. I didn’t linger. She did feel amazing, and I certainly would have loved to see what fondling her really felt like, but not like this. Ee was right though. Her nipples were erect and I didn’t think I’d ever seen any that looked anything like her. Her nipples that is.

  I washed the girl’s ears, eyelids, nose, and all of her scalp. Then Ee had me take the other hose, a green one and rinse her off. When I came to her crotch again, I directed the gentle stream of water up between her legs, trying to avoid touching her there with my hands. I noticed as she parted her legs and pushed her mound forward, bringing herself into more direct contact with the gentle stream of water. Seeing her reaction, I left the hose where it was and waved it around a bit, deliberately tickling her.

  Ee said softly, “Jimmy, I don’t know what will happen if she actually does have an orgasm in this state. I don’t think you should push it. She likes what you are doing, but I think you better finish up.”

  I said quickly, “Oh, I wasn’t trying to do that. I was just…well, she did seem to be enjoying it and I got distracted.”

  Ee said, “I know. It would happen to anyone. I’m glad it’s you.”

  I finished rinsing the woman and Ee told me to tell the girl to stand still while she was air-dried. The warm air started to blow and she was dry a minute later. When she was done, Ee had me change places with the girl and I got dried off as well.

  While getting dry, I asked, “Ee, you keep telling me to tell her what to do, but she can obviously hear you. What with that?”

  Ee said, “It’s almost like she can’t hear me yet. You had to say the password. She keyed on your voice for now. Until she stabilizes, she doesn’t recognize other voices as authoritative. That’s how it works. All dry? Good.”

  I said, “OK, what about clothing? Does she have a uniform or something?”

  Ee said, “She does, but you can’t have her wear it yet. And there’s another step or two. There is another bottle of liquid in a holder on the right side of the drawer. Take that. There is another injection device as well. You’ll need both. Found them? Good. Now take her back to your stateroom.”

  I found the items right where Ee told me they would be and I told the girl to follow me and started out into the corridor. She didn’t move.

  Ee said, “You need to lead her. Position her manually, remember?”

  I stepped back into the room and took the girl’s hand and said, “We are going to another room. You are doing fine. Thank you for cooperating to this point. I appreciate you making this easy for us. Come with me and we’ll work on the next steps. I’ll try to make you comfortable.”

  I held her hand and led her into the corridor and we walked side-by-side back to my stateroom near the bridge of the ship. It was strange but very nice, walking naked with a naked woman, comfortably making our way down the hallway. I had no idea what was going to be happening between us in the days to come, but this was nice. I guessed that we had to take her somewhere, to someplace she had been headed for before Eevona was damaged. But for now, this was nice. Surprisingly nice.

  When we reached my quarters, I led her through the door, holding her hand the whole way.

  Ee said, “Take her to the bathroom. You have to put skin-conditioner on her. There’s still a while until she’s ready for the next stimulant, so you might as well do it now. The sooner, the better. Storage takes a toll on the body.”

  I followed Ee’s instructions, having the girl stand in the large shower that took up the entire side of the room. Then I was told to squeeze the conditioning lotion either into my hand or directly onto the girl’s skin and then to massage it into her body. I asked Ee to monitor her and to tell me how she was reacting to my touch. Apparently, she reacted well and after a few minutes on her neck, I started to forget myself and took to massaging her thoroughly and tenderly, and even somewhat sensuously I guess. The “Unit” responded by encouraging my touch and relaxing into my hands more and more. Again, her nipples became fabulously erect, especially when I touched them directly, rubbing the lotion into her skin with the palms of my hands.

  When I had worked my way down to her toes, making sure to get between each one, Ee had me stop. She had me take the girl to the sitting area and told me to get a blanket from the bedroom. I tried to get a clean one, but Ee insisted that I had to use the one that I had slept in last night. Wrapping the girl in the blanket, I had her sit on the sofa and Ee had me sit beside her. And then I waited.

  I used the time to think over what had been happening. The shower, the massage, the girl beside me, walking down the corridor together, sitting here naked. The way that I had initially saved he
r at the last minute and how I was now taking care of her as she recovered from her “storage”.

  Ee said, “Jimmy, there is a food and drink dispenser in the wall over there. And a cabinet with drinking bottles beside it. Get one and fill it up.”

  I did as Ee told me to, but asked, “Ee, if there was one right here, why did I go back to the infirmary this morning?”

  Ee laughed and said, “Guess.”

  I thought for half a second and said, “There was damage?”

  Ee said, “Yep. I didn’t know about this when you woke up this morning. OK, set the drink down on the table in front of the sofa. Get the injection and wait. She’s almost ready. She’ll let you know when she is. So, what do you think? Do you like her?”

  I said, “Of course. I mean. I don’t know her at all, but she’s super beautiful and seems nice right now, but she’s in some kind of compliant state, right? This isn’t who she really is, is it?”

  Ee said, “What if I told you that this is more or less how she’s going to be from now on. That she has imprinted on you and now lives to serve you?”

  I said, “Like I asked the last time, is that something that you are likely to actually tell me? You are teasing me again, aren’t you?”

  Ee said, “Yeah, I am. But what if I weren’t? Play a game with me. We have a few minutes.”

  I said, “I don’t know. I guess I’d certainly take care of her. And make her as comfortable as possible. Ee, was she, or the other Units, damaged?”

  Ee said, “I don’t think so. I can’t know. There is a small, but measurable chance that storage will damage some Units. There is a small chance that the scenario that I just asked you about could happen. They know that and take that risk. By ‘they’, I mean the people who commission them, not the Units themselves.”

  I said, “You mean that she might be more or less like this permanently?”

  Ee said, “Unfortunately, yes. I probably never thought about it before. I don’t know what normally happens to damaged units. If she, or any of the others, is damaged, we have two options. We space them or we take care of them the best we can. It will be your responsibility and therefore, your choice.”