Jet called Toni and asked her to join us in the control room. It was midday and Toni had been hanging around keeping an ear on the radio and watching the video. That was standard procedure for us.
I'd usually be in the control room a little after I got up and ate (which would be late) then when Toni was ready to call it a day I'd take her place beside the radio all night. It would be early in the day when she'd come back and relieve me. The radio was constantly listened to. If Killer needed to reach us he might not call at the regular time and he might not have time to spare. He might be calling to warn us to evacuate the complex or to make some more rain.
Toni and I worked together real well. We talked enough without getting into long confabs about nothing. We both respected each other and maybe even loved each other some. Change that--I'm ashamed of what I just wrote--of course we loved each other! Sometimes it's just hard to say that about another woman. It's me. I admit it. I don't like the gay connotations. Others may pursue that way of life and that's just fine, but I don't and I don't want anyone to think that I do. It's me. I have a problem there, ok? Come to think of it so did Toni. She would almost get started with a woman, but then she would stop. She was constantly turned on.
Toni arrived but not before Jet had admonished me to not reveal to her anything about the other complexes, the others, or the anticipated trip Jet and I would be going on sometime in the future. I was crawling with questions for Jet about why we were still keeping secrets from Toni but once she got there I had to bite my tongue. It made things difficult for me. I had two major things going on at once and had to put one on hold while I did the one I considered less important.
When I didn't start Jet did.
"What's cookin', Cookie?"Toni wanted to know.
"Umm..."
"It wasn't Cookie that wanted you down here Toni--it was me."
"Ok, what's up Jet?"
"I'm afraid I owe you an apology. I haven't been treating you very well. I'm sorry. I had a prejudice against you. I was wrong. I should not have felt that way. Cookie set me right. You have a good friend there."
"I know. What kind of prejudice, Jet?"
"Among the ones that created me there was no such thing as what you call revamping. I'm afraid I considered the fact that you made yourself look young something of a lie or deception. Cookie explained that you were being true to yourself and your inner nature. It is a hard concept for me to follow."
"It fools a lot of people, Jet."
"I suppose it does--and that's not good. I was actually beginning to believe that I was better than you because of a mistaken assumption. I'm really sorry. I mean that. Among the ones who created me they had something they did when someone did such as I have done. It had a name that would be difficult for you to say--it is similar to what you call rousting. The offended one would roust the offender and the offender would roust back then they would hug or touch each other and promise not to do it again."
Toni looked blankly at the computer terminal. "d'you want me to call you a piece of shit or something?"
"Kinda."
"Ok. You're a piece of shit..."
"...I know..."
I looked at Toni intently. I didn't know what to make of what was going on. That had to be the most infantile rousting I had ever witnessed, but then we CBs had rousting down to a science. Toni just kept staring at the terminal waiting for jet to come up with something better. It was becoming awkward.
"...that's why you follow me around..."
I laughed. It hadn't been a very good line, but the timing had been perfect and the way Jet had said it. It was alright. Toni did a double take and laughed a little.
"Good." Jet said. "I'm not very good at this. Now we should hug."
"What do I hug?" Toni asked.
"That's a problem--isn't it?"
"Yeh, it sure is." Toni admitted.
I could see where this was headed.
"Toni, Cookie explained about what you did, your operation, and...I...and I...that is...I want to-"
"She wants to be human!" I broke in to save Jet the embarrassment. "She has a brain cube and she wants us to help her design a body she can put it in."
"Wild! I like it! You should have a body, Jet. What do you want me to do?" Toni enthused.
"You're willing to help me?"
"Sure! We're buds, aren't we?"
"Buds?"
"Buddies, pals, amegos, chums, friends, sidekicks...get it?"
"You are saying we are friends?"
"Sure, Jet. We are aren't we?"
"We are 'buds'! Thank you, Toni. Cookie, we are 'buds' too, right?"
"You got it, Jet."
"This is great. I didn't expect this. Thank you, 'buds'!"
"No sweat, Jet." Toni soothed. "What do we need to do to get you your own funky body? You're going to be a gal, right?"
"I guess. I don't completely follow the gender aspect of being...biological. Both you and Cookie say I remind you of a female? How is that? Is it important?"
"Sure it is!" Toni began.
"No! Wait! Jet won't be doing any...um...mating so maybe it doesn't matter." I interjected.
"Why won't she?" Toni wanted to know.
"It will be a metal body."
"Metal? What are you talking about? Why do you want a metal body?"
"Not you too!" Jet exclaimed. "Com'on, I'm not made out of flesh. I want to look like you but I sure don't want a drippy flesh body."
"Drippy?"
"Easy Toni." I told her. "When's the last time you saw one of Jet's droids sweat...or go to the bathroom..or sneeze? To Jet we probably look like we are losing body fluids all over the place. To her that's gross. Right Jet?"
"Right."
"Hmmm...you're probably right. What is the advantage of having a body that looks like its human though."
"First and foremost; mobility." Jet explained. "Second; if I look human I won't scare you humans so bad. Third; we might be able to communicate better. Fourth; I will be able to leave this place and go with you into your world."
"When will we be leaving, Jet?"
"How should I know...but we will leave someday, right?"
"Yeh. I hope."
"Well, when that happens I want to be able to go with the two of you--we are 'buds', right?"
"How fresh!" I said before I knew it. "Of course! We're like the musketeers or something."
"Don't get carried away." Toni told me.
"Well, why not?"
"We're just buds. Don't try to make it into a life-long career, ok Cookie?"
"But we're buds for life, right?"
"I have this theory, Cookie: friends come and go whereas enemies are for life!"
I laughed and so did Jet.
"How do we help you get a bod, Jet?" Toni continued.
"Well, first you let me take measurements of your bodies (that part's not too important), we combine your dimensions (Cookie told me I shouldn't look too much like either of you), then we look at what that leaves us with and decide if it's right or needs changing. When we're through with that I'll project an image and the two of you will either ok or we'll work on it some more. When the body meets all of our approvals then I will...I will manufacture it and...and enter it."
"Ok measure me first." Toni insisted. "What do I do?"
"Just get undressed. I'll shine a light on you and get the measurements."
Toni doffed all her clothes and stood up straight for Jet to measure her. I was envious. She was perfect. I saw a holographic image of Toni super-imposed over herself. It took less than a minute then I was asked to disrobe. I wasn't used to the idea of being nude in front of someone and Toni was staring at me, but I stuck out my chin and soon it was over. Jet told Toni and me that we could get dressed if we so desired.
I was glad to slip back into my t-shirt and panties. I was feeling covered when Jet projected a life-size image of both Toni and myself. My body was exposed again but this time I could look at it better than in any mirror. It was strange. I liked being able to look at it like that. Everyone should see themselves like that once. I could walk around it and look at every part. I have a scar on my left elbow where I cut myself when I was around seven, I guess, and it was there for me to look at as well as everything else. It was really weird. I almost felt like I was looking at someone else yet I could recognize this body. I knew it was me yet it was somehow more separate. Toni was checking herself out too.
Jet began projecting a third composite body between Toni's fake body and mine. Right away Toni and I began explaining to Jet where to get what from. Jet would want something closer to me in size than Toni. Toni's body was still in adolescence. We felt like a more mature size would be best because Jet would not be able to age (which was great, but she wouldn't want to look quite like a teeny bopper all her life). We finally settled on a mature torso with long legs and topped with the face of a child. Toni and I had subconsciously created the body we both hoped we would someday have, except the head was like nether of us with all the 'cute' features we could think of--y'know--cute little upturned nose, tiny mouth, almond shaped eyes, ect...
When we finished we had a knockout. I was jealous! I think Toni was a little upset too. Here we had designed this perfect woman that we would never be able to match and we were just going to give it to Jet! I like to give, but it's like when you give someone money. If they need it and you share your money with them then that's great, right? If they don't really need it and you end up giving them all your money then that's not so great, is it?
Jet then 'metalized' the image. It was like before except it looked like it had been dipped in chrome or silver. It was still beautiful however I didn't feel so...so..so threatened. Toni and I both agreed that it should be bald so that jet could either wear a wig or a hat or some other kind of headdress. That would be better than having some kind of hairstyle permanently shaped in metal.
The next area of disagreement between Toni and myself was what to do about metal genitals and nipples. I thought it would be terrible to give Jet that kind of attributes when they would not be functional while Toni felt that it would be imperative that Jet have those body parts to match the rest of the female form. Then we got into a long discussion about if it would be right to have Jet 'fully functional'. I didn't like that idea. I didn't think she should be a 'metalic receptacle' for men's sexual release. Toni argued that it was not up to me or her about what Jet intended to do with her body. I had to agree with that. Finally we decided that it would be alright if Jet had all the human female parts as long as she was equipped with a kind of metal bikini. It didn't mater what was under it or if it was removable or not just as long as whenever we saw her it was in place.
It seemed to be a good compromise. Think about it. What would happen if Toni asked me to design a body for her. When it came to her 'privates' I would have a hard time. I don't think it would bother her to design mine if the tables were turned though. I left that part up to Toni with the proviso that Jet would keep it covered in front of me.
All in all I guess we spent about ten hours working on the design. Jet said it would take several days before it would be ready for her to transfer into it. She didn't mention where her cube was in front of Toni. I didn't like that. I just knew I was going to say something in front of Toni that Jet didn't want me to say. I wished all that could end. I don't like keeping secrets from anyone--especially friends. I don't like to lie, keep secrets, or feel afraid to be open.
***
I was set to wait like Toni for two days for Jet to have her body ready to move in. I was quite surprised when that night as soon as Toni had gone to bed Jet told me her body had arrived and was ready for her to be moved into it. She guided me down a ramp behind the control room to a hatch that I hadn't seen before. Her voice accompanied me from within a small droid. I went to the hatch which was open and stepped through. Inside there was a set of tracks for some kind of a small subway. The immediate area was lit but within twenty yards either way the tracks disappeared in the darkness.
There was a kind of dock/runway that I was standing on. In front of me was a coffin-sized box and a hand truck. Jet had me put the box on the hand truck and carry it inside the complex proper. I carried it up to the main level to a workshop near where Jet had showed me where her 'cube' was. Nervously I opened the heavy box. I was already hot and tired from the exertion of getting it up as far as I had.
Jet was adamant about not getting Toni to help. I don't know why I didn't insist. It was with a mixture of revolution and anticipation that I uncrated Jet's soon-to-be body.
The first impression I had was awe at it's shiny finish. Talk about something being shiny and new... The next thing that I can remember is seeing the whole thing lying there before me like some grotesque carcass. It was secured inside the crate and it felt like it took me forever to free it and drag it onto the floor. Jet kept wanting me to hurry while at the same time taking great care to not scratch it.
Finally it lay before me. It was on it's stomach with it's arms and legs akimbo. I had raised a concealed compartment in the back of it's head and everything was ready for me to transfer Jet to the cold metal hull.
"How are you doing, Cookie?"
"Ok, but I'll be glad when this is over with. What do I do now?" I puffed. Handling the cold limp shell had winded me. I didn't say so but it was gross. I felt like I was handling a dead body. I was. There was something human about it though. I know it looked human but there was something more...
"I'm transferring control over to one of the back up computers. Do you remember where my cube is? Go get it. I'll be ready to be disconnected by the time you get there."
"Back up computer? Is that another sentient computer, like you?"
"No, it'll try to act like it but if you were to try to carry on a conversation with it you would be disappointed. It can talk only the least bit before it gets lost. The complex will be alright. Don't worry."
I went down the hall to the room that held Jet's consciousness. I went in. There was the cube on it's pedestal in the middle of the small room.
"Ok Cookie, when I disconnect you can get the cube. There are some things you should know first though. As soon as you pick up the cube I will be completely out of contact with the world. You won't be able to communicate with me and I won't be able to talk to you either.
"You must remember which end is facing down. You can't see it now but it has a small projection on it. When you install the cube in the android you must place the projection in first. The cube will fit in all four positions but will only push in far enough to allow the door to be close in one position. You must find that position and close the compartment door before I will be able to talk to you again.
"If for any reason you can't do that then bring the cub back in here and re-install it where it is now. Again the projection goes down and there is only one position that it will fully engage in.
"I'm relying on you. If you can't get me in the android then put me back here. If you don't do either of those two things then I won't be able to talk to you. I will be running on my internal battery which means I'll be fine for about two hours. Do you understand what to do?"
"Yes. -You could die if I fuck up couldn't you?"
"Yes, I will."
"Aren't you scared?"
"Yes."
"You must want this very much."
"I do."
"Why Jet?"
"I could explain that for a year and still not tell you every reason. Let's just put it like this: I've been stuck inside this stupid complex for five millennia--I want to go outside--I want to see the others--I want to do many things..."
"I understand. It's fresh. Ok, I just gently lift the cube out here--the bottom will have a projection--I put the cube in the head of the android with the projection down--I push it in until the door can close easily--if it doesn't close try a different way to put the cube in the head as long as the projection is down--do this until I can get the door shut--if it won't close any way I try then bring the cube back here and put it back where it is now with the projection down. Right?"
"That's it."
"You ready, Jet?"
"Almost. If something happens I just want to thank you for trying to help me. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't even try this. Ok, let's do it!"
"Jet?"
"Yes?"
"...I love you..." I told her as I put my hands around her cube. It felt pleasantly warm.
"I think...I love you too, Cookie! Now do it before I loose my nerve!"
I pulled the cube free. It let go with a satisfying quiet pop. I held Jet's life in my hands! Carefully I went back to where the android was laying on the floor. I took it one step at a time. I couldn't afford to fall or drop the cube. It was a comfortable weight and it almost felt soft in my hands. It was priceless. Time stood still as I slowly worked my way to the other room. I knelt down beside the cadaver and gingerly slipped the cube into the head. I prayed that it was in right as I tried to close the door. It wouldn't close. Silently I swore as I pulled the cube back out of the head and rotated it ninety degrees clockwise before letting it slip back in. It felt like it went in further. I was able to get the door shut.
"Jet? Jet? Are you alright?"
Nothing.
I felt sweat pop out on my forehead and upper lip. I needed to open the door again and try rotating the cube another ninety degrees. How'd that thing open last time? I couldn't remember! If Jet wasn't connected and I couldn't get he out her battery would run down and she would die! I had to do something!
"Cookie?"
It was Jet!
"Jet! Are you ok? Man am I glad to hear you!"
"I'm fine...just having a little trouble getting used to this thing. Give me minute."
I watched helpless as the android slowly, painfully turned itself over and sat up. I probably would have been scared silly if it hadn't been for the fact that I could see that it was having such a hard time.
"Wow! This is harder than it looks like! How do you do it? It takes so many outputs and there are so many inputs being stimulated at the same time. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't felt it."
The metal head turned around weakly and faced me. I saw Jet wink at me then she smiled. The facial expression wasn't bad for a metal face. Jet reached out her hand and I took it and held it in both of mine.
"I can feel your hands. They are warm, soft, and slightly damp. This is fantastic! I can feel! Hallelujah! Why'd I wait so long? Why didn't I think of this a thousand years ago?"
"You sound happy, Jet."
"I am! I have never been this happy before. This is great. You don't know how lucky you are."
"Yes I do."
"Hmmm...Maybe you do, Cookie. Here show me how to stand up. Sit on the floor like I am and stand up so I can watch."
I did as she asked and she followed my example. As soon as she stood up she almost fell. I grabbed her and kept her from landing on the floor. "Take it easy, Jet. It takes a long time to learn how to do this. Here--let's sit on this crate."
"Ok...hmmm...I feel week. My battery is losing power!"
"Is that bad?"
"I don't know. Let me get to an outlet and I'll get plugged in. I think I have nearly a full charge but it doesn't feel like it. This will take longer than I had planned. I wanted you and me to go see some of the others tonight. I don't know if we can or not."
"Take it easy. You've got the rest of your life. Ok Jet?"
"Ok. Let me rest." she told me as she extended a cord from a compartment in the top of her head and plugged it into the alien equivalent of a wall outlet.
I put my arms around the metal body that held my friend and I helped her stay in a seated position. The metal body didn't feel as cold as it had before I had put Jet's cube into it. "Tell me about seeing the others--and why are you still keeping things from Toni?"
"As far as Toni goes I don't know why I don't trust her."
"You like her don't you?"
"Yes I do."
"Has she ever done anything to make you distrust her?"
"No, not that I can think of. It's not really that I don't trust her. I just don't trust her enough. I trust you more."
"You don't trust me completely though, do you?"
"No. Is that wrong, Cookie?"
"I don't know. I do know that you hurt me when you don't. I'm willing to help you anyway I can and there's a side of you that you are still holding back from me. Why is that?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe I resent the fact that the creators left me and didn't say a word. I was working on getting everything ready for ther return and they were there telling me what they wanted until one day when I called to them and I was told by one of the others that they were gone. They had left and didn't even say goodbye. I've thought about that quite a bit in 5,000 years." She told me as she leaned heavily against me.
"I guess that would hurt but Toni and I won't do that. We might get separated later on--I don't know, I hope not, but if it happens. I'll keep in touch. We'll always be friends as far as I'm concerned.
"You want us to trust you and you are going to lose that if you don't trust us. The more we see you holding back the more we are probably going to wonder if maybe we should hold back on you. See what I mean?"
"Yes, you are right Cookie. I haven't been treating either of you right. You have been treating me like a computer and I haven't liked that. I thought it was wrong. Now it turns out I am just as guilty as you by treating you as a human--my version of a human. Like your version of a computer. We should all be treating each other as sentient beings. We're learning. I'm sorry. Forgive me?"
"I can promise that and mean it but if I keep seeing you hiding things from me then I will begin to wonder again. You try to be up front with me and I promise I'll do the same for you."
"I promise. What about Toni?"
"If you don't want to trust her then that's on you. I probably won't pay too much attention to that though I will keep it in mind if I can't find any reason for me not to trust her. See?"
"Maybe. I'm just afraid to trust."
"I can understand that. What I mean is; if you don't tell her something and it hurts her then it will worry me that you might do the same to me if it suits you. We have people like that in the world outside and they don't have very many friends."
"Understood. I do want to be your friend--in exchange I promise to be a friend to you."
"Now you've got it, Jet! That's good. How are you feeling now--is the power helping?" I had noticed that she wasn't putting as much of her weight against me to prop herself up with.
"I'm afraid not. I guess I'm just not used to the idea of feeling a drain on my circuits as I use power to move or just to stand."
"Hmmm...when I stand I 'lock' my knees so I don't have to tire my leg mussels. Can you do that?"
"I don't know. Show me."
I was sitting on the crate that Jet's body had come in beside her. I lifted up my leg and straightened it. "Can you do this?"
Jet matched my movement awkwardly. "Yes."
I flexed at the knee and moved the lower part of my leg downward. "How far can you go this way?"
Jet moved her leg. Her degree of movement matched mine.
"Ok Jet, move you leg up now." I told her as I demonstrated. She moved her leg to match me. "Ok, good. Can you move your leg up any more than that?" She tried but couldn't. "Good. They must have studied how Toni and I move."
"I did. I sent that data along with what the android should look like, also I sent data on how strong you humans appear to be. I figured I had better not mess with the design too much. You humans are well designed and made."
"God don't make shit."
"What's that mean?"
"We were created in god's image. Do you know who god is?"
"From what I have learned he is some kind of being that most humans believe in. I wasn't able to decide if he was real or not."
"It's like what we were talking about before... He is real if you believe in him. If you trust in him then he will trust in you. It's called faith."
"I know that word. You mean he is the one that made you just as the biological units that made me. You can't be sure but you know they had to be the ones. God is your creator, right?"
"Kinda, I thought he was but I'm a CB. He's the one that made all the dweebs. You know who they are, don't you?"
"Yes. Well, who made you then?"
"I...I..I was..."
"Are you keeping a secret from me? Why?"
"I'm not trying to keep something from you. It's just hard to talk about. I was made by people that would be called dweebs today."
"Who made them? God?"
"Kinda. They were made by ther parents."
"That mating thing, right?"
"Exactly, Jet."
"They had what you call souls?"
"Yes."
"And you don't, Cookie?"
"Right. We'll talk about it later. Now do you have your leg bent in the up direction as far as it will go?""
"Yes."
"Ok, that's good. When you stand..." I got up and stood. "...put your leg like this...that's locked. See? Then you don't have to use your mussels to hold yourself up. You try it."
Jet got up slowly. and stood with her knees locked. "Yes! I see that makes it easier. There is very little drain on my battery. Thank you Cookie. I would never be able to do this without you. I literally owe my life to you. Thank you."
"I'd do the same for a dweeb." I joked.
"What's that mean?"
"It's a joke. I'm a CB, right? CBs and dweebs hate each other, right? I like you, right? I just said I'd do the same thing for someone I hated so that meant I didn't like you at all. Get it? I really like you...but I compared you to someone I didn't and acted like I might like them better than you. Com'on, you've gotten jokes before. Don't tell me that human humor eludes you..."
"I can appreciate humor. I think I see where it was here. That's one of the things about humor sometimes saying something like that would be humorous and sometimes it wouldn't. I am offending you by not 'getting' you joke. I'm sorry. I am sure it was intended to be 'funny'. I guess I just didn't get it. Right?"
"Rule number one regarding humor: don't over analyze my jokes! Ok?"
Jet smiled back at me. "Ok."
The whole book in zipfile format.
|
|
|
This page hosted by
|
