"Vera," his voice rumbled from the couch where he sat, legs crossed, a tumbler of whiskey in his glass. "Where did you go this afternoon? Your security detail says you were gone for hours."
"I was in the projector room," she glanced at him briefly, turning back to her computer.
"For the entire day?"
"Yes, Howard." Her tone had a cutting edge to it. "For the entire day."
"What were you doing?"
"It's a projector room, Howard." Impatient, she lifted her head, eyes narrowed. "What do you think I was doing?"
"Alone?"
Vera snapped the lid of her laptop closed as she stood up, staring angrily at her husband.
"Yes alone! How dare you, of all people, ask me that!"
"Of all people?" He stood, slamming his tumbler down hard enough to rattle the coffee table. "That's why I'm asking you, Vera! I'm the president! How would it look to have an unfaithful wife at this stage of my presidency?"
"Your..." Incredulous, she stared at him, half laughing half furious. "This is always about you, isn't it. How typical! For your information, Howard, I was going through old films of us, trying to understand how it was I managed to ever fall in love with such an ego-maniacal, selfish, thoughtless, womanizer like you!"
Her voice had risen with each insult, her skin going a shade paler until she stood white and trembling before him, so furious her hands clenched into tight fists. Heart throbbing painfully, she glared.
"How I hate you!"
Her husband strode across the room, grabbing her roughly by the arm.
"I'm not thrilled with you either, Vera, but until I say otherwise, you will show some respect! I am the president!"
"You're an animal-!" she cut off with a sharp cry, his palm cracking across her face. It left a faint red welt behind. Eyes shining with tears, she met his enraged look.
"I hate you."
When Howard slapped her again, she sagged to her knees, his grip on her arm twisting it painfully.
"I've wanted to do that for a long time, Vera, but I've never had good enough reason. I appreciate you giving me one."
His words sent a violent spark through her blood, whipping her head up eyes hot with anger.
"You'll regret this, Howard! I promise you!"
The next slap was a savage blow that slammed her shoulder into the carpet, ears ringing. Sniffing casually, the president stepped over her crumpled form, leaving their suite without looking back. Hair messy, face wet with tears, Vera shakily pushed upright. Her faced throbbed, but even as she sat there, panting, trembling, she felt the pain fade. Touching her features, Vera was startled to feel no swelling, no broken skin. Pushing to her feet, she staggered to the dressing room, gazing in disbelief at the reflection in the mirror. The red marks seemed to dissolve, skin returning to a healthy glow. When a flash of vibrant blue went through her eyes Vera jerked back with a cry, knocking over the chair.
Images flashed through her mind. Bright lights, a white room, pain, cold metal, something else- glancing at her reflection once more, Vera stiffened as someone else appeared in her eyes. Blinking rapidly, she looked closer, but whatever it had been was gone.
"What's happening..." frightened, shaking, she ran to the phone. "Secure outside line, V-victor Whiskey 4...48725."
Dialing, anxiously waiting, she jumped when his voice came on the other end of the connection.
"Lewis! You've got to help me! Something's wrong, something happened...I can't explain right now, but we've got to get the android over here now. Howard's lost his mind!"
"Slow down, Vera...what happened?" Lewis sounded distracted, and she clutched the receiver tighter to her ear.
"He hit me, Lewis."
"What?!?" The shout was loud, and something crashed in the background. "Are you damaged?"
"Damaged? Lewis, I'm not a piece of machinery! I'm scared-!" a feminine murmur cut her off, and Vera gasped. "Are...are you with someone, Lewis?"
"What? No...Vera, look, the android is ready, but I can't just walk into the white house with it, okay?" His voice was hushed now, hurried. "Just calm down and tell me what happened."
"We were arguing," wiping the tears from her eyes, Vera held the back of her hand to her nose by habit. "He had the nerve to accuse me of cheating- me! The arrogant jerk! Anyway...I said I hated him, and he lost it. He hit me Lewis...but,"
"But?"
"Something's wrong with me," her voice lowered to the barest murmur. "The marks are gone, Lewis! They faded as I looked at them! What did you do to me today? I think I'm going crazy!"
"Calm down," it was soothing to hear his voice so confident, and Vera relaxed. "I'll take care of everything. The android will be ready to replace you tomorrow. Will you be alright that long?"
"I, I think so. We have a diplomatic dinner this evening, so Howard won't risk an incident when dignitaries are here. But Lewis...you will come tomorrow?"
"I'll come. Just stay calm."
"I will. Okay. Thank you, Lewis."
"Of course. I'll see you soon."
She waited for him to disconnect, but there was a momentary lapse, and a woman's voice drifted across the line.
"...that all about?"
"I didn't know how to tell you. The android...it thinks it's you."
Her fingers tightened over the receiver, a grip that put fracture lines in the plastic as she strained to hear.
"Isn't that the point?" The woman's voice sounded bored.
"Vera, Howard hit it. He thought the android was you, and he hit it. Things are getting a little out of hand, aren't they?"
Vera? Knees buckling, she hit the carpet, trembling badly with the phone still clutched to her ear. Vera? Who was he talking to?
Lewis sounded frustrated now.
"We have to extract her from there and modify her programming. The android is supposed to realize it's a copy!"
"I don't care, Lewis! What's the big deal anyway? So it thinks it's me! Isn't that better?"
"No, it's not! An android given a task to do will never break protocol, but Vera, this one doesn't realize there is a protocol! This whole thing could blow up in our faces!"
"How, Lewis?" It was scathing now, irritated. "What's the robot going to do if it gets upset with its living situation? Kill the president?"
The receiver slipped from her fingers, cracking sharply against the table before clattering to the floor. Shock was rippling through her, but in numbing waves. Vera Wagner...she was Vera Wagner, wasn't she? Anything else was ridiculous...wasn't it? Yet, that woman's voice...it sounded eerily like her own. Hadn't it?
The very idea of replacing a human being with an android was impossible- her eyes widened. Lewis. If there was one person on the planet with the genius to do it, he could. Terrified of what she'd see, Vera went slowly back to the mirror, staring intently at the glass. Her pale reflection and deep brown eyes stared back at her. Angelic features, raven black hair, shapely figure, she'd been on the cover of every woman's magazine on the planet since becoming first Lady.
"I am Vera Wagner. I am Vera Wagner...aren't I?"
Blue eyes blinked at her before transforming back into brown.
"No..." tears pushed hot at her eyes, burning. "No...Lewis. What have you done,"
The impossibility of it made her sick. Memory surfaced, a heavy hand slapping across her face...a feminine voice saying 'kill the president'. A dormant subroutine activated. Protect the owner. It was the most basic of programs, the primary directive. If she was not Vera Wagner, then the real one, the human woman, was in danger. Howard Wagner posed a serious threat to the health and safety of Vera. He must be eliminated.
Crystal blue swirled into the chocolate of her irises, the electric color taking over. When the door to the suite opened, her head lifted, held at a slight angle. Heavy footsteps tread the carpet to the doorway of the dressing room.
"Done pouting, darling?" The sarcasm was thick in his voice. "We have dinner with the ambassador and his wife in twenty-five minutes."
"You are going to be late." It sounded different now, the smooth, honeyed voice coming from her lips. Howard Wagner frowned, staring at the stiff shoulders and motionless form of his wife.
"Excuse me?"
She turned and he gasped, astonished at the blank expression on her face, and the blue fire burning in her eyes. Head held at an angle still, she took a step toward him.
"You are going to be late."