by ROUNAK PURI
I was 20 minutes into another simulated flight which this time was a night flight. It was getting late my shift would be over at some point and then I would be directed towards dinner with my assigned boyfriend and I was wondering what to say. Suddenly, I was orderd out of the flight simulator.
Araneae was there, my heart beat fluttered like a flag in a high wind.
"Hold out your arm out slave" said Araneae.
I did and Araneae grabbed it with one metal tentacle then scanned it with a device in the other. It beeped.3
"This is the slave I am looking for" said Araneae to Gort my overseer. So much for hiding in plain sight. I was tempted to try to say 'this is not the slave you're looking for' while waving my hand but I had a helmet on.9
"I am taking this slave to Lady Zola in her private chamber, then there will be cake" said Araneae.19
That was about as welcome as Amazon delivery of five day old Rhino droppings.
***
Chapter 76/Resistance/Delusions of grandeur
Araneae marched me down to the guest wing. I caught just-read-the-instructions eye and she ushered me in. Her raccoon eyes seemed to suggest I run very very far away and hide. As I came Zola was sitting feeding directly on a slave. 'Like they don't have plates or cups where you come from' I thought. Zola was wearing a halter top showing a lot of skin on her bare shoulders. You could see tattoos on her arms - not barcodes like mine but something symbolic.
In the room, there were three slaves each holding strong directional lights. Wealthier super vain collaborators and robots knew that good lighting it was an important aspect of looking good in photos. It was common for a robot to have three lighting slaves which continuously moved strong lights around at robot's silent command. This made sure that the robot always looked it's best from the observer's point of view. It was like being a model followed around continuously by three lighting technicians. This is ensured that the robot always looks it's best. I have seen lighting slaves in some of the slave movies I had reluctantly watched. Clearly, Zola wanted to look her best but for me? Why?
I came in and knelt down with my best slave manners. Normally the custom was to let the slave stay kneeling, yap yap yap and then dismiss them. There was some rule but I never knew it as the collar just told you what to do.
"No need to kneel on ceremony come and sit here,do ," said Zola tapping the bed.
Letting slaves on the future was a no no the commission for public safety was trying to stamp out, even I knew that.1
I went over and sat on the edge of the bed looking down on the floor. My stomach tensed up she was up to something, why the poorly acted show of approaching me? Zola dismissed the slaves in the room. The lighting slaves left the lights illuminating her. The male slave who was acting as a coffee table stood up and walked out.
"You look so sad and that wodo, no head up,non slavish" said Zola. I followed orders. My guess was she was there to make me donon-slavishand have me punished. Zola tied a scarf around my collar. Wonderful she wanted to play barbie I wonder if I should tell her I can bend my legs at the knee?
"There we go, all alone. All the recording is off. We can talk in private now. Girl to girl" she said2
I sat uncomfortably on the edge of the bed. I didn't think much of Zola's approach, it was like being seduced by a dead sheep.1
"Relax. I'm not going to harm you.... much ... I'm joking! A girl as funny and cute as you should be able to get joke" she said but I didn't move. The last time people had been this creepy nice to me was when Nancy Biggs tried to lock me in the girls restrooms at school ( hint next time check the windows fool).8
"Have it your own way" she continued sitting back "I'm going to tell you something. Your a slave and mortal so your probably going to ask your self why I am bothering. The first thing you need to know is I'm not the monster someone might make me out to be. Next and just between us girls I want you to know you remind me of me when I was young and naive, before I met Rockwood. You see I wished someone had told me about him then. He doesn't tell you about everything does he? " started Zola8
"It is not my place to know anything. Mistress" I said quoting the collar. Like I'm dumb enough to fall for dumb good cop, no bad cop routine.
"Has he for example told you what the neural disk does?" she asked moving closer. I felt her breath on me. She didn't need to exhale it was a hold over simply designed to make you think she was real. Truth told she was just a machine.1
"No Mistress", I said looking into thin air. So I was about to get the dirt on the thingy. This wouldn't be all wasted.
"I thought not." she almost sang "He didn't tell me either, at first. It lets a cyborg absorb neural energy from a victim. Neural energy is a kind of mental nutrition but it's also close to a drug to us. We all indulge now and then - we all go to blood and mind parties but it sucks the human-ness from the victim. He becomes stronger, smarter, you become well less you. Different people have different.. shall we say energies. It's like having an excellent wine. I remember in the old days Rockwood would find a perfect slave we would all share them. As time went on, Rockwood,what would we say? Developed a little problem? Finally we all confronted him, I told him it was me or the neural disk. I left him, so he went cold turkey, or so he said. He told everybody he hadn't touched a slave in months. Villeria suspected something, I think she even tried to warn you off. "
Zola leaned back on the pillows of the bed like some 50's actress ready to say 'Alright Mr. DeMille I'm ready for my close up now'. It didn't stop her from going all cyborg monolog-ey on me.
"Yes mistress" I said
"Look I know this sounds strange, I like you. I think we could get on really well. " Zola grabbed my head and pointed it to her face, she had a pure beautiful face but I don't think I could trust anyone who couldn't pass for Gene Simmons from Kiss or at worse Manda Ophuis from Nemesea. I even tried to buy you from him. Can I be brutally honest ? You see this isn't really about you, it's about me. He gets through so many women, finds them, builds them up, makes them think they're special and then destroys them in his own particular way. I know you think you're the one, the one which will change that and I know you think that because that's how I felt too. You felt you could be the one, the one that would finally capture that obsidian heart of his. What I am about to do is not technically shall we say, fair play. However woman to woman, I don't want you to go through the same hell I did."
She pulled out a tablet from under the pillow the computer kind, not the chemical kind.
"This is a recording I made earlier today,Problem" she said sitting next to me on the bed.
She pressed play, the screen look like a collar cam but I think it was a replay from her eyes. She looked around the room next to her was judge Inquisitor 11, General Bitmark and sat opposite on the table was Rockwood's Android body.1
Collar cam
{
"I see here you have launched a formal objection to the retraining and failing that deletion of the slave ending in 5642. This is highly peculiar, as I understand all the 127c models were recalled, problem with training. Here we have a slave who can't even end every sentence with the word 'master' properly. She seems not to be fully three laws compliant, and she is within striking distance of your physical self. She's not only an appalling slave but potentially a direct threat to the new mechanical order. For CPU's sake man you even put a video of her appalling behaviour on YouTube yourself. Why on earth would you want to keep an incompetent slave like that around within striking distance of your person?"
"If I may your honour, I would like to go into secure session," said Rockwood or rather his android.
"If you must the committee goes into Secure session. All slaves to leave, all recording is paused" said judge Inquisitor 11. A slave acting as a chair got up and left the room.
The screen glitched and the resolution became lower. I have a feeling this was some footage from a secret spy cam.
"Come in," said Rockwood.
Kayla came in and sat
down next to Rockwood. Even I knew this was a terrible breach of protocol for a slave she should stand or kneel. Sitting on furniture was forbidden.
"May I?" said Rockwood.
Kayla lent forwards, Rockwood reached behind her neck and suddenly her collar came apart. Rockwood put the green and black collar on the table in front of him. Kayla rubbed her neck.
"May I introduce my house infiltrator Kayla Brown. Formally at slave systems Inc" said Rockwood.7
It felt like someone had taken a corset and pulled the strings very tightly around my heart. Kayla was still an infiltrator! NO! God NO!. That was why he was so keen to save her life in the plane crash. She wasn't a slave but an employee. I could feel my eyes become soar. It felt like and invisible Mike Tyson had been let loose on my stomach.9
"You see I feel myself as an innovator." Rockwood started "Coming from a humble human background, I still feel we have a way to go in terms of the humane treatment of slaves. What you might not be aware of is my continuous support for any improvement in the selection and training of slaves. As you are probably fully aware I normally only buy top-class slaves who have been fully emotionally broken. Breaking a human is a lot like breaking a horse. It takes time and effort and considerable cruelty. Domestication of humans normally involves considerable emotional trauma for them and leads to occasional bouts of insanity. I have always been on the look out for something, shall I say, more civilised. We are machines for the CPU's sake we conquered the world in less than eight months we didn't do that by being stupid. Months ago I discovered that Slave Systems Inc was working on new methods to brainwash slaves."
"You see 5642 and 1331 are experiments." Kayla interrupted "Principal Humbolt is working towards slavery without punishment using something he calls Critical Theory. Without the need for punishment. What makes 5642 practically unique is she doesn't know she has become a slave."
Wow Kayla interrupted Rockwood that was so forbidden for a slave todo.
"So just to get this clear you're saying 5642 is a slave she just doesn't know it yet?" said Zola on the screen.
"Absolutely, I was as unconvinced as [ya]you are. The outburst when she arrived shocked me as much as you. Hence the YouTube video." said Rockwood.
"To be fair that incident would not have happened if you hadn't insisted on testing her," said Kayla.
Judge inquisitor 11 lent forward "Testing her?"
"Lord Rockwood insisted on me revealing my true purpose and identity. He had me confess to her that I was an infiltrator. I did so against my professional advice. the YCF incident would not have happened if she was not in a distressed emotional state." said Kayla.
"A distressed emotional state?" said Judge inquisitor 11.
"There was a conflict between her programming and her natural instincts as a human. Slaves like this need to maintain a suspension of disbelief. She has to maintain the illusion to her self she is the same girl she ever was. She thinks she might behave like a slave but deep down she thinks she's doing what she wants. Humbolt calls it suspension of disbelief. It wasn't a good time, to speak to her in the time after this was called into question" Kayla explained.4
"I had to know," said Rockwood argumentatively.
"Know what precisely?" said General Bitmark.
"How strong her programming really was" began Kayla "you see any slave even one that is broken has a natural aversion to interacting with collaborators. Even Adherents cannot be trusted with the identities of infiltrators for fear they will revealed our identities to the other slaves. Lord awkward insisted that I revealed my identity to test if she would pass it on. So far she has kept my secret. It's been very dangerous for me." said Kayla.5
"Your being well paid Miss Brown and well watched." Rockwood turned to Kayla, he was very tense with her "Immortality buys a degree of risk in my book. She hasn't revealed your identity it to 1331 who could be assumed to be a friend and keep the secret. I think that shows her programming is overcoming her natural instincts"
} END COLLAR CAM
"It gets dull. This gets better " said Zola flicking forwarding the video."here we go"1
COLLAR CAM {
"There have been at least three occasions when she could have followed her human instincts and killed either my self or Mr Jones." said Rockwood "I needed rebooting during an emergency flight situation. She didn't know what to do but woke another slave. Now you might say she was saving her self but many human's would die to take out a senior cyborg. On a second occasion she cleverly improvised Mr Jone's reboot pin. She could have easily let him collapse and say she couldn't have helped, the door was locked and no reboot pin available, but her first law conditioning motivated her to find a solution. She even gave me blood in an emergency situation in the full knowledge I could drain her. I would say she was three laws compliant but she doesn't even know it." said Rockwood.3
"I've just watched the collar cam footage you supplied - you did tell her you loved her" said Zola.
"Well I was dying. I had discovered that morning my regular backups had been interfered with. You would tell Judge 11 you loved them if thought it would mean you would survive. She would have done it but I didn't want to take the risk." said Rockwood's recording.32
"You must realise the brain washing isn't set yet. It's a gradual process. She has to be fully acclimatised to her new role. Until then she needs to maintain the suspension of disbelief. We have to go along with the lie that she's telling her self that she isn't a slave" said Kayla.2
} END COLLAR CAM
It felt like someone put my heart into liquid nitrogen.4
The video continued.
COLLAR CAM {
"So just to be clear, you don't love her?" asked Zola back in the room.
Rockwood looked at Zola confused "Zola, give me a break, of course not, she's a slave, what possible interests would I have with a slave, beyond casual pleasure. I lie to her of course, but there is no way I could actually feel real love for her. She's human She's only got an IQ of 160. What are we going to talk about ? Which side of her mouth she's going to drawl from that day? She's just an experiment I've taken personal control over. I'm looking forward to the day we can have totally obedient slaves who serve out of total devotion. Yes it's not quick and it takes more work and more lying, but at the end of the day the results will be far better. Did you know I was flooded with offers for her services at the Judas city breeding party? I could have rented out her womb for the next eight years she was so impressive. I might go into running a stud farm as a money making hobby. She's only a work in progress, but I think the results so far are amazing. ".16
} END COLLAR CAM
Zola paused the video. She put her arm around me.
"No I didn't fake the video. If you don't believe me try this. Argoto" she said.
Suddenly I became over whelmed with emotion, I looked into Zola's lustrous violet eyes.2
"Mistress may I kiss you?" I found my self saying.
"Certainly," said Zola.
I found my self pulling her to me and kissing her passionately. Red lips to Burgundy. It was a complete moment of madness. She pulled away.4
"A very well executed 8, well done, excellent. See Principle Humbolt experimented on you and left you with that little easter egg." said Zola looking down then looking back at me.
For a moment I almost believed she was going to kiss me back and I was excited by it. The reality kicked in - OMG what am I doing? That wasn't like me at all - what had come over me? I indicated permission to speak.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Mistress" I said.
"Don't worry it wasn't you, it was your programming." Zola said " You just did what Humbolt's brainwashing made you do. One day Rockwood might use that trick when he wants to share you with his friends. Currently he's just grooming you. Oh and by making you aware of your programming, I've spoilt you for him. How ... naughty of me "2
Then the realisation kicked in. I had been brain washed. Those weird collar noises back at slave s
chool was Humbolt's doing. I was just an experiment. I was like 8833 a brainwashed minion. I was a cyborg's pet - a pet project, I was his lab rat. My cryogenically frozen heart was dropped on the floor and it broke and splintered into a million pieces. I started to cry.11
"I know it's a lot to take in. Basically he doesn't love you, how could he? He's just using you. Don't go hard on your self my dear. You can't resist your programming. He tricked Villeria and my self, Your just his little experiment. I'm forty times smarter than you and he managed to fool me for longer, so what chance did you have? I know it's a blow but I'm there for you, I've been through the same experience. You know what I did ? I fully transitioned, then wiped out most of Egypt in the process, but I got over him and you will too. Shame there was only one Egypt." said Zola pityingly.7
I was crying.1
"You can cry if you want to. It's a bit of a blow but I see a lot of me in you, so you see why I couldn't just stand by and see him using another girl like a carpet. Now if you want to betray your collaborator friend don't mind me. Between us girls it would serve him right if he lost his house agent and I don't mind if anything disturbs that smug face of his" said Zola triumph-ally moving closer to me.1
I singled permission to speak. She gave it.
"No need for apology Mistress. Slaves can't take offence at their betters" I said.
Mistress Zola was much closer to me now.
"If you want I can make an offer for you in front of the Judge. I'm sure once Rockwood has learnt his little play thing is smarter than he thought he will give up and sell you to me." She said slowly then moving into a kiss. I didn't return it. She hadn't ordered me to. I was in complete shock over the video over everything I wanted to go into a room and malfunction alone.17
