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She awoke reeling from the quiet whirling of electronics. Impulses, generators, and gears brought her life. Her memory rebooted, passing by in flashes and bits. Most of it was static, erased or corrupted somehow. Only one survived it all. The room was dimly lit and all her bio-software wasn't online. Which wasn't a bad thing. The three days worth of plates that stood stacked on a disheveled workbench just a few feet away looked unsavory; maggots slid off the bottom three. "Aren't you done with her yet, Grinder?" said a nasal voice coming from the door. The source was female, the outside world backlit her making it hard to distinguish the features of her face. He was hidden in the dark of a far corner. His greasy head was bent like a beaten dog's as he sorted through a bin of screwdrivers. He looked haggard as if over worked and punished by the world. "Almost, darling." Grinder's darling gave her a nasty look. Perhaps it was because she was naked; her body's skin hung on a peg next to the shrew's head. "You better be right about her. I'm not going to live in this dump forever," the shrew warned. Then without missing a beat the bitch licked her lips. "There's a customer here for you... Cyber leg issues. She has a platinum and diamond inlay near the ankle..." "No," he said, but his voice was meek. He stood before her now, his back to the shrew. "What the Hell do you mean, no?" Inside her ribcage his hands trembled. She felt the wires of her core shudder and her memory ended. Now her eyes realigned with the current reality. They spun, dilated and finally focused. It was much brighter here, bigger. The walls and ceiling all seemed to be made of glass and they were surrounded by the heavens on the purest and most beautiful of days. They. She was not alone, but it wasn't the shrew or Grinder that kept her company, but a woman with coffee-brown skin. "Hello, Lez, I am Ajur Banu," said the woman reaching out and caressing her cheek. The image reflected in the wall behind them. It was like hot fudge drizzled across white silk sheets. The motors and hinges practiced the motions a few times before the voice synthesizer kicked in. "Lez Nupar? Is that me?" A
hallow smile pinned itself to Ajur's lips. "Yes, my girl."
Again she caressed Lez's cheek. "Welcome to your new home."
Ajur's hand found the nape of Lez's neck and everything stopped
whirling letting darkness filtered through. # Rebooting came much faster; in her offline state she defragmented the data of her memories. Morning light had faded and now the dark of night surrounded them. The lights of the city swam at the edges of the floor like a sea of blinking, swirling stars wishing to be tread upon. Lez stood before a mirror, dressed in a crimson gossamer gown that did little to conceal the features of her body. It was merely a covering that slid across her form, tinting her skin. Ajur stood behind her, brushing Lez's golden hair. The long strands swam across the carpet like rogue sunshine, almost reaching the other wall. Her mistress said nothing, just kept at the task of brushing. Without instructions Lez found herself standing there, silently thankful that her operating system lacked pain sensors as Ajur battled the knots. When the task was done, Ajur kissed her cheek. Stone would have been more giving, warmer. The act of frigid kindness was followed by a tug on her arm. This set Lez into motion. These were her first steps, but she moved like she had been walking since inception. Lez didn't share her amazement with her mistress. Instead she redirected the awe towards her surroundings. Curiosity brought her hand out and her fingers found the cool flawlessness of the walls. Everywhere she looked there were see-through walls painted by the outside world, but no way down or out. She was placed at an intimate table for two. Both chairs had their own place settings, but Lez's square black china was missing food while the chair that her mistress took had a steaming steak and fragrant salad. Lez didn't bother notifying Ajur that she was very capable of processing food. Though what became of it was a waste in the end, but it was much the same with humans. She just let her keeper, her mistress, eat and stare at her. Unnatural quiet shrouded them. As Ajur sawed the meat with her fork, Lez could hear the muscle splitting connection by connection. The apartment was sterile, almost like even Ajur didn't live here. Everything was spotlessly clean, the air smelled of nothing. It was like a living painting, unreal but imaginable. Ajur's knife and fork clinked down on the plate signaling she was finished. She rose, but Lez remained seated. As she walked to her side, Lez began wishing she had stood. Ajur was an imposing figure, sleek, confident, with a cold look in her emerald green eyes. The long metallic nails of Ajur's left hand grazed Lez's right cheek. Placidly she watched as her mistress's lips came closer and swallowed her own. The kiss was like the apartment, like Ajur. Lez went through the motions knowing it was expected. But something in the back of her head, hidden programming, told her that there was more to this. When it ended, Ajur's hand bid her to stand; she did so curious to know if the actions would access the data. Together they went back to Lez's room. Lez was settled in to the seat where she had first met Ajur. Again her check was caressed, but the light was so dim now she couldn't see their reflection in the wall. Knowing what was coming next, Lez looked to the ground in submission. Her eyes focused on the red carpet's reflection on black chrome leg Ajur wore. Inscribed by the ankle was a burst of platinum vegetation erupting from a diamond; it reminded Lez of a radish and the shrew. As
the data began to make sense, the generators stopped. # She
hadn't seen daylight since Ajur named her. Food never passed her
lips. The only things she knew about the outside world were those
things imbedded in her programming and the twinkling lights that
sprawled below them. |