M.A.I.D.S. Episode 4 – When It Rains...
A soft tone alerted Pandora that she had received a message. It was not the tone's gentle repetitiveness, however, that roused her from sleep. The realization that she had received a message from Adam was what interested her enough to wake her. Even though she had just been born she knew that it was highly unusual for a Synthia to receive a message from its owner.
Pandora sat up in the bed and stretched her arms and neck. The bedroom sensors tracked her movements and vitals, adjusting the lights accordingly. The bed she sat on altered its programming from sleep-mode to a general comfort-oriented routine, suitable for someone sitting or lying on the bed without the intention to slumber. Pandora giggled, thinking the bed felt good under her buttocks.
___________________
May 10, 2175 at 2107
Eve:
I placed a repair order for you. I cannot rescind the order, but I should be home before the repairman arrives.
I want to talk to you.
Adam
___________________
Adam's Synthia glanced at the time display on her computer, seeing that it was 2310. Pandora also noted with a wry smile that her beer was gone, and she was completely sober. She swung her shapely legs over the edge of the bed, again giggling as the sleeping surface reconfigured itself for her utmost comfort.
I must not have noticed Adam sent me a message earlier because I was preoccupied with his books and beer. What a delightful evening my first evening turned out to be!
Looking down at her leg, she saw the gash she'd inflicted on herself earlier had healed up, the only remaining proof the red smear on her leg. Pandora poked her thigh where the wound should have been, causing herself to wince. Her leg was still tender, but the skin had healed.
Fast healing? How marvelous!
With a little hop, Pandora stood up and looked at herself in the full-length mirror. The blood on her leg bothered her, so Pandora took a quick shower. Toweling off, she couldn't help but admire her reflection. She twisted and contorted her body this way and that, admiring her form from every possible angle while simultaneously marveling at her flexibility. The biomechanical woman kicked, jumped, posed, and spun for her amusement. Pandora tried on different facial expressions, fooled with her hair, and then repeated the process in various states of undress. Pandora was thoroughly pleased by what the mirror revealed, and she decided with finality that she liked the emotion.
Well, the evening wasn't perfect, she thought wryly, but I can fix that. When Adam comes home I will perform my conjugal duties to him to the utmost of my ability.
Pandora's mental vow was met with two sudden thoughts that popped into her head like bullet points in a memo:
· Sexual skillsets of Synthia "Eve" far exceed sexual experience and readiness level of Owner. Caution must be exercised to avoid injury while engaged in sexual activity. Recommended course of action: acclimate Owner to Synthia over several sessions, slowly building endurance, experience, and tolerance.
· Conjugal duties? Where did that term come from?
"Well that was odd. Or was it? Is that how we all think? My thoughts didn't come to me so structured before. And now I'm talking to myself," Pandora babbled. She thought for a moment, then decided that she had a lovely voice.
Of course I do. Adam wouldn't have made me otherwise.
Pandora returned to the kitchen, although this time she imbibed water instead of beer. She thrilled at the feeling of the icy water within her as it rehydrated her cells, actually feeling the process in such a way as humans very rarely do.
I will have to try an icy shower later, she decided after her second glass of water.
"Why has my mind been preoccupied with sex?" Pandora asked herself.
Because there's nothing for me to do, she thought in response.
There were no chores, no children, no errands. She was not required to cook, as the kitchen itself was automated. The more she thought about it, the more she realized with a sense of dread that her days were doomed to be devoid of activity.
So I was created to spend all day waiting for Adam to return and have intercourse with me? The thought of such boredom bothered her, to put it mildly.
I do possess the most advanced sex-based skillsets available in addition to the most advanced and comely body—at least, Adam thinks so. I think I'm also designed to have a highly-active libido coupled with intense desire to copulate with Adam. Naturally, I am also hard-wired to enjoy intercourse.
Is during sex the only time a Synthia is programmed to show emotion? When Adam comes home I'm going to give him everything I should have given him before!
I need to think about something else! There must be more to me than that. I could read, she thought hopefully. I could eat. I could exercise. I could...get a hobby. Do Synthias have hobbies? What hobby would I like? Would Adam approve of such a course of action?
Perhaps a pet. A dog or a cat. The witch in that novel had a lizard. Something small that will fit in Adam's house. Not fish, though.
There must be more to me than that. Adam didn't design a Doll, after all.
Deep in thought, Pandora rapidly drained her glass. An idea tickling her brain, she hurled the empty glass at the floor and watched it shatter into shimmering, wet shards. Within seconds the little robot appeared and started the cleaning process.
"What's your name?" Pandora asked the indifferent machine. It quickly and efficiently performed its duty, oblivious to Pandora. She dropped to the floor next to it, staring into its optic sensor as it busily tidied up after her.
"What's your name?" her voice was a welcoming whisper. When it did not answer she poked it a few times in the side. When it still didn't answer, she grabbed one of its spindly little arms. At this the robot ceased moving altogether. When she let go of the arm it resumed its task, then scurried off to whence it came when the mess was no longer a mess.
So what do I do now? Pandora thought as she got up from the floor. She went to the main room to sit and reread the note from Adam.
He said he put in a repair order for me. Does he think I'm defective? Did I do something wrong?
Of course I did. I did not give him the sex.
If he thinks there's something wrong with me, why did he mention not being able to rescind the order? Does he feel he placed it in error? I thought Adam was perfect.
Adam created me in his likeness. There can't be anything wrong with me. Which must be why he tried to cancel the order.
Then why did he place it in the first place? I did not give him the sex, that's why.
He wrote that he wanted to talk. I wonder about what? It implies that he wants to have a conversation with me, which indicates that I'm more than a sex machine to Adam.
I'm more than a machine.
I'm more than an object.
Or is this just wistful thinking?
Pandora sat alone in the dark room, her mind dissecting the simple message from Adam. She analyzed each word, each phrase, reading them forwards and backwards. This entertained Pandora for quite some time.
The video display in the room turned on after a few minutes, but this went mostly unnoticed by the contemplative Pandora. It was an automatic reaction to the room being occupied for a few minutes, a way for the room to cater to the needs of those within it. A newscast suddenly caught Pandora's attention.
"...Biomechanic Manufactory #2 was just struck with a vehicle bomb. This footage is from the installation's security feed, and as you can see this utility vehicle—I'm being told it was parked outside earlier in the day—and...yes, there it goes, and then we lose the feed.
"There is no word on casualties. For those of you just joining us, Wyoming Biomechanic Manufactory #2 was just damaged by an explosion.
"Initial damage reports are coming in. The vehicle was parked near what's called the Finishing Room, and the explosion caused that area of the Manufactory to collapse. The estimate we received is that approximately 98 unfinished Synthias were in the Finishing Room, presumably all destroyed. The estimated loss in revenue..."
Pandora was on her feet. Whatever else the reporter said went uncomprehended by the Synthia. An alert tone came from her gauntlet computer that caused Pandora's heart to race.
___________________
May 10, 2175 at 2324
Eve:
Wyoming Biomechanic Manufactory #2 was attacked. FIST 8 is going to investigate.
Glad you were finished this afternoon.
Adam
___________________
"This is special reporter Ben Wilner on-scene at the Manufactory. A group of armed men are storming the building in the wake of the explosion..." Pandora did not hear the rest of the report. She ran to the bedroom and threw herself on the bed.
FIST 8 has to go to the Manufactory that I was created in and fight people? This is all wrong, I'm supposed to be with Adam tonight!
"Adam!" she yelled in the empty house, her voice thick with worry. Pandora had a gut feeling that things at the Manufactory were going to go very wrong. The emotion of concern was not one that Pandora particularly enjoyed. Not like this.
Putting her knowledge of computers to work without conscious thought, Pandora worked frantically from her gauntlet. After a few moments, she had what she wanted—she had created an app that would allow her to eavesdrop on Adam.
"It isn't perfect, but it will do," she said aloud to nobody. With a flick of her finger she pushed the display off of her wrist and onto the wall. With a few more motions she not only had the display from Adam's helmet camera, but also all of the information he was receiving in his heads-up display and on his computer, too.
Pandora immediately regretted her decision. She saw the chaos of battle. After a moment of viewing she was oriented to Adam's displays, immersed in the grim darkness of his world with the private military company. With morbid curiosity she quickly made adjustments, bringing up displays from each member of FIST 8's helmet cams. In an instant she had the entire skirmish playing out on the bedroom wall.
The members of FIST 8 not tasked with protecting the Canadian senator were attempting to gain entrance to the smoking Manufactory. They were outnumbered by the terrorists, who were not only fighting but also posting to their live vlog (which Pandora also had streaming on the wall). Unfortunately she couldn't get the sound to work quite right, but she could see where it was streaming from, and realized that the man in the frame must be some sort of terrorist leader.
Adam needs to know, she thought. Working quickly she patched the vlog into Adam's wrist computer. A smile curled her lips when she saw him check it. Adam started issuing orders based on the new information that she'd provided him.
I can help! she thought proudly. She tried to hack into the terrorist's computer by using information from his vlog. If I can get all the similar information I have on FIST 8 from this terrorist, I can become an asset to Adam. Pandora was determined, but she noted with disdain that the terrorist had much better safety protocols than FIST.
I'll need to mention that to Adam, she thought.
Suddenly she brought up a targeting reticule that was trained on Bennet. Frantically she tried to gain access to any of the other systems that the sniper might have, but before she could it was too late—she watched through the terrorist's scope as the shot was fired. On the wall, Bennet's helmet cam suddenly displayed three letters in the upper corner of the feed—K.I.A.
Killed in action.
Pandora redoubled her efforts to take control of the sniper's systems. She watched in horror as the sights lined up on Coleman.
No!
Pandora gained access to the sniper's wrist computer. She had a plan, but she'd only be able to do it once. She waited, breathing heavily, while the terrorist sniper fixed his shot on the back of Coleman's neck. She could tell how the sniper was breathing, and she knew when he began to pull the trigger.
With a simple command from her end, Pandora overloaded the sniper's gauntlet with information and caused it to explode. It wasn't enough to keep the sniper from pulling the trigger in a knee-jerk reaction, but the bullet was off-target, striking Coleman in the back of the shoulder instead. It was a non-fatal injury, and Pandora was pleased.
The sniper is behind them. They're surrounded!
This terrible realization stirring within her, Pandora had had enough. She quickly dressed, then went back to the bed. She found a secret compartment in the bed's base and hastily opened it, not stopping to wonder where this knowledge was coming from. In the compartment was a rifle and ammunition, as well as a modular suit of combat armor. Her eyes misted up as she looked at the equipment.
It was pink.
Adam should be home before the repairman arrives, but this is just a house.
It takes people to make it a "home."