Am I Perfect for You?

Prologue

The boxcutter sliced effortlessly along the pearl white, non-descript packaging. The faint dotted lines along the top of the box guided Vik’s hands exactly to where they needed to press to carefully extract what was inside. A roughly six by three-foot box took up much of Vik’s small living room. Granted, his apartment was not much of a family house, rather it was big enough to provide comfort and entertainment to someone who would be spending much more time away from it. Perfect for a workaholic like him. He moved the small coffee table over to the far side of the room, leaving him, the box, and his only sofa all squished together in a row. Lucky for him, opening the package proved to be much easier with something to sit on.

After prying open the two sides with enough effort, the top panels peeled back like petals and the contents of the inside finally stared back at him. Quite literally in fact, as between a sea of foam packaging beads, a tanned feminine mask encased in bubble wrap arose from them slightly like a remote island. The face, while blankly staring up, oozed a maternal aura around it. She was gorgeous no doubt, but also befitting of a woman twice Vik’s age and adorned with subtle imperfections that chipped away at the otherwise youthful texture of the skin.

Vik couldn’t help but smile, proud of his purchase. “Just as advertised, nice…” he said, fumbling with the switchblade of the box cutter before putting it aside, and reaching both hands into the box to search for the items within.

Act I

Six years passed since Vikram Jaggernath graduated from college and moved out into the real world. With a degree from Lucidia City University in Computer Engineering, the young man spent much of his young adult life grinding away at several software firms before finally landing employment at his childhood dream job; the Hagen-Gupta Aerospace Conglomerate. It had always been his ambition to work at the prestigious aerospace company. For as long as he could remember, Vik was laser focused on the company’s pursuit of exploration. He looked up to their efforts in off-world colonization, the feats of technological progress that they provided the world, and wanted nothing more to be part of that decades-long legacy in one way or the other.

But in those years staying up late studying for college algebra exams, taking extra lessons to be at the top of his game, and networking tirelessly to get some foothold into the aerospace industry, Vik neglected to focus on one thing: Companionship. He never quite had the best idea of what it was. From an early age he scarcely remembered his family offering him such. He was quite well-off living in an affluent neighbourhood and never in want of anything more than what his parent’s provided him. He figured reluctantly that it was their way of showing him any while they too were in pursuit of their own career advancement, unorthodox but it worked for a while.

However, he knew from living away in college and hearing the collective recollection of his friends of family thanksgivings, fond memories of vacations and the occasional meet up that what he experienced was far from the norm. His own family barely wrote to him in the four years he was away, merely sending him cheques and gifts to ensure he stayed afloat financially, then suddenly cutting him off once he graduated. Maybe it was just tough love.

This feeling, though, extended to his romantic life as well. It took him a long time to come to the realization that he never really wanted a girlfriend, despite feeling the occasional intense sexual craving that he supplanted with copious amounts of adult content. What he also realised was that he never liked human women to begin with.

From a young age Vik was utterly fascinated with androids, and it wasn’t until he came of age that it dawned on him that this fascination went a lot deeper than a simple interest. His expertise in computer science and engineering brought inevitably him in orbit around the commercial android market. He still couldn’t believe how realistic and advanced some of these machines were, even the most rudimentary models proved to be far more convincingly human than he would have thought possible.

To him, there was also a strange allure to these mechanical beings; a feeling that he couldn’t express in terms other than lust. The sound of servos whirring below synthetic silicone skin was a thought enough to get his heart fluttered, much less the sight of an android with their abdominal panel open, and hooked up like a device to a computer terminal.

It was for this reason that Vik’s desire for intimacy went not to the usual route of dating apps or an escort, but to online android marketplaces. He spent some time mulling over his options; with so many models to choose from, it soon dawned on the young computer engineer that he didn’t really know what his type was.

The typical sex bot models were an obvious choice. There were pages upon pages of them on sale. Blondes, brunettes, and even some in otherworldly and exotic theming from some of his favourite media. Yet still, there was something missing from these models that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. The more youthful appearance of these androids was carefully curated by design committees to appeal specifically to Vik’s demographic, but Vik desires proved to be much more specific than that. He just had to find out.

It was through sheer serendipity that Vik would stumble across his answer, in the form of a public ad while on a train ride to his apartment from work. Upon the holographic window screen to the outside was a tailored advertisement for him (no doubt partially from his search history), the most recent offering from the Starchild Robotics Corporation.

INTRODUCING THE LATEST IN DOMESTIC HOUSEKEEPING:

THE NEW STARCHILD SC230-B

CTR-4020 CARETAKER MODEL SERIES

NOW STARTING AT $36,000 NAD

On display as well was the visage of a rather voluptuous woman, visibly in her late forties and attired in a cozy blue turtleneck sweater. She appeared as if she were in the middle of preparing a delicious meal, her pale face, flowing blonde hair and green eyes exuding a motherly and inviting presence.

Vik’s mind raced and his heart doubly so.

It had never occurred just how attractive this type of woman was to him. A woman old enough to be his mother, yet fully willing to submit to his advances if he so desired? It was an unconventional dynamic for sure but something about it filled Vik with a heightened sense of arousal he’d never yet felt in his life. Maybe he was more of a momma’s boy than he thought.

Upon arriving home, rather than engaging in his usual hobbies, he wasted little time in visiting the Starchild Robotics online store and putting in a custom order for the model he’d just fell in love with.

---

Across the room, the pearl white of packaging beads was littered just about everywhere. The normally neat-freakish Vik was incongruent with his own habits for once as he took out the assorted parts of his new companion android from the open box. An equal measure of lust and obsession coursed through his being, and everything else felt secondary.

The face that greeted him was merely one part of the puzzle piece that was his new product, the rest of her body was segmented into their own individual parts to be assembled. He placed her head next to him on the sofa as if to let her watch him work. She was bald, at least for now given her assorted wigs were packaged separately, but even in this state she continued to exude a calming aura around her.

Inside the box, free of obstruction, the rest of her voluptuous, dark brown, limbs were zip tied to cardboard panels on the bottom of the box. Arms were organized with arms on the right, legs with legs on the left, and the wide, curvy torso was positioned square in the centre. In this state she was naked with only the tie straps and the translucent plastic packaging providing anything in the way of immodest clothing. Vik could still clearly see the immaculate details of her torso, the dark areolas of her bare DD chest and the realistic rolls of her slightly chubby stomach.

Even as a disassembled doll, she already looked like a real woman. Her body provided a peculiar presence of lust and comfort that only enticed Vik to continue working on her. A few minutes would pass and all her limbs were pulled out, removed from their casing, and laid out on the floor in such a way that Vik could properly maneuverer them around with comfort. He too found himself on the floor, moving the half empty box aside as well as briefly tidying up his work area. Her immovable arms and legs joined him as with her torso. In his head he thanked whoever’s smart idea it was at packaging her in pieces as the weight of her torso alone was already barely enough for him to handle on its own.

From the box as well, he pulled out a smaller black square box, a discreet hard cardboard package which he placed on the couch next to his android’s head. This box was roughly the same size as her head, and inside contained miscellaneous hardware accessories for her model. Vik undid the magnetic lid on the top to further scrutinize the contents, pulling out a rolled up 220V charging cable, an instructional booklet, as well as a realistic looking replica of a woman’s vagina directly under it.

Vik almost let out a cackle, not quite expecting to find something so brazenly erotic inside. It was a module, the tip of which was coated in a realistic synthetic silicone skin, while the rest of the module was a hard polycarbonate plastic best befitting a device that would slot into a computer. Along the sides of it were metallic rails which intuitively clued Vik as to how this vaginal module would be slotted into his new doll. He spent a while marvelling at the craftsmanship of the device in his hand, amusedly pondering the engineering (and perversion) that must have gone into construction before placing it back in the box for now.

His attention turned back to the torso, now sitting upright against the couch with the metallic stumps of arms, legs, and the neck protruding outward slightly from their exposed openings. He could now see why she came packaged with a separate vaginal module, noticing that there was nothing but a smooth crotch plate where her womanhood should be.

“Of course…I guess you baby sitters come PG out of the box, huh?” he joked to the head next to the head on his left, which replied only with a faint vacant smile. He then proceeded to crack his knuckles, and reached for each of the limbs which he organized neatly at his sides in addition to the assorted screws and bolts in anti-static bags needed to fasten them into place. In his lap was her instruction manual which he kept weighed down by a magnetic tipped screwdriver as he opened the respective anti-static bag.

One by one, each limb was connected to their respective socket with a small gap exposing the connection point. He started first with the legs, each of which required the initial connection to the hip girdle, followed by the tightening of screws along specific hardpoints which fastened the limbs firmly onto the body. Then, with a firm push upwards into the torso, the limbs naturally joined the body with a satisfying click, and with only a faint curving seamline along the upper thigh indicating their adjoining.

He repeated the process with her arms which possessed the same locking mechanism at the shoulders, then finally lifted the head off the couch and onto the neck port to conclude the assembly. The same locking mechanism was there was well, but this time structured in such a way that allowed for a secondary lock that activated once the unit was powered on. According to the instruction manual, this would allow for her head to detach for maintenance purposes, with the primary lock simply there to allow for wireless functionality.

Vik’s mind immediately jumped to the obvious reason why someone would want an android’s head to stay on while disconnected, letting out a faint chuckle as he read her instruction booklet. For a care taker model, her designers seemed to know exactly what other functions a consumer would ask of her. He’d even read on online forums that this was done specifically to increase sales of her model, given previous generations weren’t this generous when it came to sexual functionality and were routinely glossed over by potential buyers.

Regardless, Vik was quite happy with his purchase now finally seeing her put together. Minus the obvious lack of hair and the crisscrossing of seams across her body, the android looked virtually indistinguishable from a woman in her late forties. At this time, he scoured his hands back inside of the box, looking for the wig he was promised would be part of her head assembly. He’d hate now to have to order one separately, finding her bald head to be rather comical as much as it was erotically artificial. Luckily, he found the wig as part of another larger clear plastic packet containing a set of clothes as well as other assorted hair accessories.

He sighed in relief, opening the bag and pouring out the hair pieces. She appeared to have come with only two wigs, one was a short bob while the other was a much longer and flowing head of hair. Both terminated in a solid mass which seemed to act as a scalp. The latter appeared to more naturally fit her head and body type, and it seemed obvious which one he’d apply on her first. He simply had to peel back the bald layer of skin which acted as her scalp and replace it with the other hairpiece.

Upon doing so, he could see the matte black polycarbonate plastic skull beneath her supple synthetic skin, as well as a variety of miscellaneous devices, labels and warnings adorning it. He found himself pausing for a minute to fully take in the complexity of her inner workings before continuing, not quite yet accepting the fact that beneath her realistic exterior she was basically a machine no different than his home PC.

He then replaced it with the new hairpiece which automatically affixed itself to the cranium and form fitted to her head. The material made of a smart silicone composite material seemed to have a mind of its own as it neatly wiggled, adjoined, and settled to the back of her skull, but after a few seconds she was now accessorised by a full head of hair which Vik then fixed properly behind her shoulders.

Vik’s jaw dropped slightly, immediately taken away by how her appearance was now altered entirely. She no longer looked like some tacky storefront mannequin. She was a woman, and one that looked almost as if she could be a close relative of his, or even his own mother. In fact, Vik did stylize her appearance on his own to fully immersive himself into the fantasy that she was a maternal figure of his, but he didn’t expect the resemblance to look this uncanny in real life.

He took a moment to admire her, observe her flawless imperfections. He lifted her limp arm up and held her palm, the usual warmth of a real person was instead filled with the hollow feel of a rubber sex doll. But not for long. He then reached behind her ears and looked for her power toggle where the instruction manual said it’d be, pressing down for 5 seconds until he heard the click.

Act II

“Starchild Robotics Model SC230-B Online.”

“Initiating First Time Start Up. Please Wait…”

Said the android while she booted up, her voice was a cool invitation but lacked a noticeable tone or inflection. Her eyes then flickered wide open. The grey optics scanned up, down, left, and right with slightly audible whirrs as they calibrated their position before settling by staring blankly ahead. Inside her eyes were a series of fine lenses one could see if they stared intently into to her irises, a soft ring of LED lights hummed to life giving them a hazel glow.

Her face slackened; the soft default smile was now replaced by a look of total indifference. Yet still, her raised cheekbones and soft freckles gave her a maternal aura whether she was trying to or not.

Vik stepped back a little, observing her start up while giving her a bit of personal space. It was both out of a kneejerk reaction to her suddenly gaining autonomy, but also to allow her room to move about should she require it. The two of them were still sitting on the white carpeted floor, the android flat on her butt with legs slightly apart and arms limp to either side, while Vik sat with legs crossed and fiddled with the magnetic screwdriver anxiously.

“Start Up Complete. Loading BIOS. Loading Primary AI Module. Process Complete.”

Suddenly, she arced her head slightly to the side and looked directly at Vik, a quick gesture which caught him slightly off guard. “Hello there, user! I’m your CTR-4020 Caretaker-Series Android from Starchild Robotics. Thank you very much for your purchase! May I please have your name?” she asked, her deep British-accented voice now drenched in a mildly seductive character. She then sat herself up a bit, her once limp arms propped her up firmly by her sides and she brought her legs closer together, all while she seemed to be totally oblivious to the fact that she was completely nude. Her round DD Cup breasts jiggled slightly with the movement up.

Vik’s face turned a shade of red. He wasn’t quite prepared for how realistic his android suddenly became from originally being a limp hunk of pre-packaged polycarbonate metal and silicone. Here she was now, truly a woman sitting in his living room, and a mature one at that.

“It’s Vik…er…Vikram Jaggernath.” He replied, unsure of whether to be formal with the android woman. She was basically his property but there was a disparity in his mind on whether the projected age of his pretend mother deserved respect or not. Coming from a well to do household, it was second nature for him to treat everyone older than him with a respectful first impression, even if they weren’t exactly a person.

“Vikram~” she repeated sensually, with a lustful look in her eyes. “What a beautiful name~”

“T-thanks. But call me Vik, okay?” he returned “It’s what everyone normally does.”

The android stared at him blankly for only the briefest of moments before resuming her smiling demeanour. “Of course, Vik. Whatever you want~”

Vik could feel the bulge in his pants tighten. There was something about the way her passingly natural movements abruptly halting like that made him feel that he couldn’t quite explain, but it was progressively turning him on the more they talked. So too was the fact he was so flirty out of the box. Starchild sure seemed to know the kind of customers they attracted with these models, he thought.

“Now, what would you like to call me, Vik?” she asked, breaking him out of his lustful stupor.

“O-oh! A name. Uh…” he stammered. Vik realised that he’d completely neglected to think of a name for his future android companion. He’d obsessed over her looks in the weeks he spent searching for a suitable model, but now he’d have to think of a name on the spot.

There was a brief idea to simply neglect one for the time being and decide later, but Vik knowing himself realised this would never happen if he slept on it and forgot.

“If you’re having trouble selecting one for me…” she chimed in, “…I can offer you a list of preset names popular with my model line to choose from, if you’d like~” Vik’s head perked up at the suggestion. “Ah, you can do that? Sure, go for it!” he enthusiastically encouraged her.

For the next few minutes, the android woman would read out a list of names in order of popularity while Vik gave his appraisal.

“Sonya.” She read aloud from her heads-up display.

“Ugh, I knew a Sonya back in high school. She tried to get me expelled because she was jealous of my GPA! Pass.” He replied.

“Nakshatra.”

“Oh, Fancy…but doesn’t roll off the tongue too well, don’t you think? Pass.”

“Candy.”

“I am not calling you that. Pass.”

“Divya.”

“Divya, huh? I like that. Let’s go with that one!”

The android smiled, her arms crossed around her bare chest and she tilted her head just a tad to her left.

“Okay, Vik, from now on my name will be Divya. But feel free to change it at any time~” she fruitily announced.

Vik sighed in relief. Having gotten that out of the way, all that was really left was to finally test out her other functions. The function he bought her for after all. He was about to reach for the black box he left on the sofa next to her, intending to swap out the smooth crotch plate with the womanly folds of the secondary vaginal module. But while doing so, however, Divya continued with her introductory start up message. She arced her head all the way to her right, following Vikram while he fiddled inside the box.

“Now, just one last thing, Vik~” she cooed, sitting still next to him. He stopped briefly what he was doing, unsure what else needed to be asked at this point.

“Sure, what do you need?” he quizzed back.

“Given that I’m a caretaker model, I was programmed to establish a relationship status with my primary user. This allows me to better accommodate for their needs as well as generate an appropriate personality module for my primary AI.” She explained.

Vik raised an eyebrow “Oh, so you mean like…a familial relationship status?” he asked intuitively.

“Correct. You may choose your relationship to me, for example: Spouse, Parent, Son/Daughter, and I will adjust my personality to suit~” she affirmed. The gentleness of her voice gave her explanation a sing song-like quality, which further persuaded Vik as to what option he should choose.

He had already intended to attempt a pseudo-maternal relationship with his caretaker unit in the form of roleplay, but with her adaptive personality this could very well take on a truly immersive dynamic for them to explore.

“I guess...you can be my mom?” he meekly suggested. However, saying it aloud finally gave him the assurance he needed to affirm it confidently. “Yeah, I…want you to identify me as your son, Divya. You’ll be my new mom.”

Divya’s face went slack again, her eyes focused in and out while she remained eerily still.

“Personality Module Construction in Progress. Please Wait…”

She said in her monotone voice, while her head remained fixed in place. The lights in her eyes then dimmed and glowed softly while the faint sound of a whirring fan increasing in intensity hummed from her chest.

---

This took a few seconds longer than last time, which Vik used to finally pull the vaginal module out from the box and then sat himself down in front of her. He spread her legs back apart, placing the vaginal module and the magnetic tipped screwdriver between them both.

“Progress Complete. Restarting…”

Said Divya, repeating her start up sequence again immediately after.

A few more seconds would pass, which began to give Vik a pause for concern but not before Divya’s blank face finally blinked, then she arced her previously still head over to him with the broadest smile he’d seen yet from her.

“Hi, sweetie!” she announced, her previously deep and sultry voice now replaced with a sugary sweet maternal coo. The sudden shift in personality came as a whiplash for Vik, who at this point saw her as little more than a realistic sex toy. He immediately stopped what he was about to do as she came onto him again with a new personality.

“Sorry about that! Generating a brand-new personality module tends to take a wee bit of my processing power.” She explained heartily. “Thanks for being patient, though, dear. I’m now the proud mother of such a handsome young man!” Divya then began running her hand up to his face and brushing his curly hair, then rubbing gingerly across his clean-shaven face.

Vikram froze up at the gesture, caught completely off guard by the new-found affection. He reached up for her hand, pushing the limb onto his face with her and truly felt it. This time she was warm to the touch. Her skin still felt rubbery but in a way that didn’t feel any different from moisturized flesh. Pressing his thumb along the wrist he could swear he even felt a pulse.

“D-Divya…” he mumbled, feeling conflicted once more. “…You…sound like my mom…”

The android giggled. “Of course I sound like your mum, sweetie! That is who you programmed me to be, no?” She said as if she were assuring a child about an obvious fact of life.

“N-no…I mean like…you sound just like my actual mom. Down to the inflections and mannerisms and…everything.” Vik explained, his voice hollow as if he’d seen a ghost. He was perplexed. How could she have even known to speak like that to him despite only having just met him 30 minutes ago? Was she reading his mind? Was there some magic in there programmed into her? “She…used to talk to me just like that when I was younger.”

Divya raised an eyebrow, still smiling ear to ear at him. Her hand continued to caress the skin of his face with a gentle pull as if to reassure him. “Sweetie, am I…too real for you?” she asked, a tinge of guilt flavouring her words. “My Peripheral AI Suite is rather powerful I’ll admit. I only just needed a brief interaction to build a profile of you and your emotional needs, it’s how I can be the perfect mother for you~” she continued explained.

She then felt a single tear roll down his face, pooling just below her thumb. Looking to the young man again, he was visibly shaking, trying hard to compose himself but ultimately failing. Vik pulled away from her, Divya providing no resistance as he gently pushed her hand aside and dragged himself back. He took his glasses off and reached for a box of tissues on his coffee table not that far away from his grasp and wiped his eyes for a bit. There was a soft murmur from him briefly before he crumpled the napkin in his hands and tossed it in the empty box she came packaged in, his face now equal parts pained and composed.

“Vik?” she asked with her voice saturated in maternal concern. “Vik, baby, is everything okay?” The android woman then took her first steps forward on her hands knees and sat next to him, pressed up against the bone white walls of his apartment. She wrapped one arm around him while the other rubbed gently across his chest, gently massaging him while he calmed himself down.

“Vikram, what’s bothering you?” she cooed softly in his ears, believably concerned.

Vik didn’t protest, nor did he respond. He simply let Divya coddle him while he cleared his thoughts, trying desperately not to sulk in front of his sex bot even if she wasn’t a real person. “I can delete this personality module if it makes you uncomfortable…” she continued, gently ruffling his hair before being cut off.

“No…” Vik declined, finally finding the courage to open his mouth again. “I…I’m sorry about that. I…missed being treated like this.” He continued.

Divya wrapped both arms around him, squeezing a little tighter. “You poor thing. You haven’t been given the love you deserve for quite a while, haven’t you? I’m here for you if you want to talk about it, sweetie~” she assured intuitively, her words wrapping around Vik’s chest like a soft blanket.

Vik sighed, unsure of whether to reciprocate back or just continue his modification of her anyway. But even if the android truly cared for his wellbeing or not, he knew for a fact she was certainly right about how he felt. He knew it too, even if he tried his best not to show it.

“Mom and I haven’t really been on speaking terms for a while.” He explained. “When I was younger, I remembered her being exactly like you are. She was sweet, funny and I couldn’t get her away from me even if I tried. I didn’t appreciate it back then but…I sure as hell do now.”

Vik paused for a bit, feeling the rise and fall of Divya’s bare chest on his back as well as her simulated heartbeat somewhere nestled within her sternum. He no longer felt as tense as he did before, nor reluctance to open to his android ‘mother’ even if she wasn’t real.

“What happened between you two if you don’t mind me asking, dear?” she chimed in, her head resting on his shoulder and speaking softly in his ear.

Vik shrugged. “For a long time, it was just us. I never quite knew my bio dad and mom never really talked about him, but I think he walked out on her years ago.” He answered. “Then when I was about 9 or 10, she married my step dad. H-he was a good guy, don’t get me wrong, but…”

“But?” Divya asked as Vik paused for a while.

“…She changed after she remarried. She stopped taking me out to places, stopped gaming with me, then just stopped talking to me outright. It was like she was a completely different person now.” Vik responded; his eyes closed as he recounted his past.

“I guess it was because she worked on step-dad’s company and they really went all out trying to expand it. I always figured it was her way of telling me to grow up, you know? Do what they did to get anywhere in life. And I guess I kind of did? All it did was make me realise I basically lost out on my relationship with her growing up…and my love life ha-ha!” Vik continued, trying in his usual fashion of laughing off whatever bothered him.

This did nothing to sway Divya, however, who only continued the hug the young man tightly in her curvy arms. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Vik. I know I’m not your real mother but…I’ll never stop loving you. I’ll be here day in, and day out to take care of your every need, okay love? You deserve all the love in the world right now~” she tried to reassure him with her tender words, artificial lip service as they may have probably been.

But as far as Vik was concerned, that was all that he wanted to hear right now. He lifted and turned to face Divya now, locking eyes with the android. He didn’t just see a sex robot anymore; he saw the mother he never had too. The installation of her vaginal module could wait for a bit, he thought.

“Thanks, Divya…” he said before sinking into her embrace whole heartedly.

Divya smiled, returning the hug back to him while caressing the locks of hair in the back of his head.

“Did that help, sweetie?” she asked tenderly

“Yeah…” he replied in kind, matching her own intimacy.

“Good. I’ll be the perfect mother for you…” she whispered assuredly.

Act III

It was now exactly a week since Vik brought Divya home.

He had just hopped off the train from his office in downtown Elysia City, an island city state on the west coast of New Arcadia, and began walking the final stretch under the shade of trees to his apartment block in the suburbs.

Much like his home in Lucidia City, Elysia was temperate year-round and offered many scenic, historic city vistas to explore. But most people knew it as the global headquarters of the Hagen-Gupta Aerospace Corporation. Such was their influence, much of the city’s infrastructure and economy revolved around the aerospace industry. And with spaceports all over the south of the island, the occasional thunder of distant rocket engines and the sight of reusable rocket boosters returning to home bases were a common fixture.

It was precisely why Vik chose to move here all those years ago on his own. Not only was he close to his workspace, he was close to his dreams too.

His apartment was a part of a mega-block, a small building complex that resembled an indoor village of sorts. Entering the plain, blocky building, he was met by a large and bustling indoor town square. Buzzing around the air too were a variety of drones, some carrying packages and items to users across the apartment complex. The large room resembled a convention centre, with several of Vik’s neighbours walking around as a small crowd on their daily routines. Some of them were also just coming home from work, attending the various shops and rest areas to unwind. Others were jogging around as part of their daily workout, offering Vik nods and waves as he walked past them towards the elevator to his floor.

Vik rarely made much use of the mega-block’s various indoor amenities. Being a workaholic, he spent little time outside of his office in the city, and even less so outside of the only free time he had for himself at home.

Furthermore, now that Divya was part of his life, Vik had even less reason to go anywhere besides back to his loving android mother. As he pulled out his keycard in front of his door’s key scanner module, he could hear the usual melodic humming he’d grown accustomed to on the other side. He knew right away it was Divya cooking dinner for him.

He pulled the door as he heard the module beep the access chime, stepping inside to the wonderful aroma of a traditional East Indian meal coming from the kitchen. Behind the counter to the far end of the small room was Divya, donned in a purple turtleneck sweater, skin tight black leggings and a pair of black slippers donning her feet. Around her waist was a plain white apron, slightly dinged by flour and other ingredients she had used in the meal she was putting together.

Her hair was tied up in a high bun which stood up over her head, and with a few strands hanging loose below. In her slender hands she held a long cooking ladle which she stirred around the pot she had on the stove, leaning forward just a bit to inhale the fumes that came up.

In truth she wasn’t smelling the pot, rather her olfactory sensors located inside of her polycarbonate cranium processed the aroma, calculating the time it would take as well as the amount of flavouring still required until the meal was cooked to Vik’s standards. It had been only a little more than a week but she’d managed to pick up on his personal flavour palette to quite an exceptional degree, and this meal would be no different.

The sound of the door opening set off an electronic chirp which Divya reacted to with a swift turn of her head back, her body still facing forward to the pot. “Ah, welcome home, Sweetie! I’m almost finished with today’s dinner~” she cooed, her voiced saturated with seemingly genuine maternal love.

Vik sighed; a soft smile was plastered on his face as he casually tossed his backpack on his sofa. He walked up behind Divya who was still very much in the process of cooking and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her a bit back towards him, her body submissively drawn to his sudden show of affection as he embraced her in a wordless hug. “Oh!” remarked Divya, a bit flustered at the sudden jolt. “Careful, son…I’m not quite finished here yet, he-he ~” she cheekily replied, but was fully committed to him before the meal.

“Oh, sorry~” he half apologized “…I just really missed you today, Div~” he explained, his face pressed against her back and the slight outline of her shoulder blade poked back at him. Given that she was actually a few inches taller than him, he could feel the lower curve of her firm butt pressing back on him. The voluptuous mass of silicone gel padding insulated beneath the rubbery synthetic skin and thin fabric of her leggings proved to be quite a warm feeling for the young man.

Divya blushed; her loving smile wrapped around her face like a colourful banner at the words. “I missed you too, dearie~” she cooed back softly. “All I thought about today was you, y’know~”

She eyed Vik up and down affectionately for a bit before turning back to the stove, turning the heat down and giving the mixture one last proper stir before she turned to face her loving boy. Vikram stepped back, not wanting to have to her step out of his embrace but knowing he’d have to if he wanted to satisfy his hunger. “It’s Sada Roti, Tomato Choka with a side of Saltfish…your favourite, dear~” said Divya, putting her oven mitts on as she reached for the pot with both handles.

“Now, go get your plate and sit at the table, I’ll meet you there with the food!” she chimed at him enthusiastically.

Vik nodded energetically, his excitement matching her own. He grabbed a plate from the cabinet above them and sat himself near his dining table in the corner of the room near the kitchen. He’d bought this set some time ago, with the other chair normally there for if he brought a friend over. He’d never quite had it used before for with anyone else, and on his own he’d usually neglect it’s presence given he usually ate on the sofa. With Divya here, however, he’d finally had use for it again as a real family dining table. Just like his childhood.

Divya came holding two bowls, one was the Sada roti covered in white cloth while the other contained the tomato choka and saltfish. Both bowls were piping hot, a cloud of steam arose above them as she brough them closer to the table and place them on the dedicated mats. Vik noticed that Divya still hadn’t taken her mitts off while she held the two bowls, chuckling softly in amusement.

“What’s so funny, sweetie?” quizzed Divya with a raised brow as she set the bowls down, then taking her time to take her mitts off and set them aside on her end of the table. “Oh, nothing. I just realised that you wear those oven mitts whenever you cook for me is all.” said Vik, reaching for the Sada Roti wrapped in the table cloth bowl. “What’s up with that, by the way? Can you really feel pain or is that just for show?”

Divya was in the process of taking out her share of tomato choka in the other bowl while she listened, her face beaming at Vik’s inquisitiveness. “Oh Sweetie, it’s to protect my dermal layer of course!” she explained. “I may not be able to feel the sensation of being burnt, but my silicone-composite skin can still get scorched from the extreme heat. I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to get damaged…you spent hard-earned money on your loving mum, after all~” she replied cheekily.

Vik scoffed as he reached for the bowl after Divya was finished with it, the two having grown a rapport with each other on setting the dinner table at this point. “Ha! Of course, I forgot you aren’t that durable.” He teased. “I guess I’m just used to seeing robots walk away from explosions and stuff unscathed on TV ha-ha!”

Divya furrowed. “Oh, so you think I’m just like one of those combat models, eh? ~” she teased back. “Aren’t you afraid I could keep you tied up here, all to myself with my superior strength? My, little one~”

Vikram tensed up, the tone of Divya’s voice sounding believably intimidating as she shot him a devious glance. However, she just as suddenly switched back to her usual doting self with her familiar maternal smile.

“That was a joke, Dear.” She assured him, her head tilting to the side in a teasing manner. “I’m not actually all that stronger than you are~”

“R-right…” Vikram shakingly replied, not realising his food had fallen out of his hand and back onto his plate. “Some sense of humour you got there, Div…ha-ha.”

“Oh? Did that one garner a scare out of you, Dear? ~” she cooed teasingly, scooping the tomato choka with the Sada roti in her hands, then devouring the meal in her mouth. Artificial enzymes in her saline-based saliva would then act on the food, breaking it down slowly before it made its way into a bioreactor located in her thoracic area which would convert it into usable energy for her batteries.

“W-what? Did not!” Vik protested sporting a wide grin on his face. “Besides, tying me up? Isn’t that a little too risqué for a caretaker unit? ~”

Divya’s eyes widened, her face blushing furiously at the thought. “Vikram Jaggernath, not at the dinner table please!” she let out in a laughing fit. “I believe you’ve completely misunderstood that joke~” The quipping mother and son duo then shared a hearty laugh before resuming their meal in relative silence for a while. The distant sound of a rocket launch punctuated the calm, an all too familiar staple of their homelife to even notice.

The two of them would eat in silence for a while. Vik thought of how nice it was to finally have meals like this again. In his youth his favourite time of the day would be coming home from school to see a full meal made and his mom waiting for him to hear about his day. It was a welcome reprieve to have someone make you their whole world like that, and he’d wish he appreciated them more back then. His mind would then inevitably go back to how this slowly went away, spending more hours in his room gaming and studying for college while his mom frequently spent more time with his step-dad at fancy restaurants.

A solemn look powdered Vik’s face as he thought about that last memory.

He then looked up to Divya, her eyes having not left Vik’s sight even while she ate which he found equal parts endearing as it was amusing. It was quite uncanny the first time she’d done this but after a week he’d grown to get used to it, knowing that it was little else than her way of making sure he was enjoying his meal. So devoted was her maternal programming he would sometimes forget she was just a machine.

“Everything alright, dear?” She asked, almost done with her share of the food. “Still hungry? The bowl is still warm…”

“It’s…not that, don’t worry…” he assured her. He stared for a bit into her glowing hazel optics, her visage clearly artificial but once again convincingly affectionate. He was finding himself stuck in that confused frame of mind again.

For the first few days he’d treated her like his mom, embracing the side of her that gave him the childhood he had yearned secretly to return too. Divya’s maternal aura, through perhaps some of the most complex AI subroutines he had ever seen, was able to perfectly replicate his ideal parent and he became intoxicated on it more than he would have been if she were just a sex bot.

But that was the problem. Vik was now finding himself equal parts turned on by her as he was in love with this motherly persona. The conflict now seemed comically Freudian, with him trying his best to put down any thoughts of perverting the last vestige of his fleeting childhood. These began to prove more and more fruitless as it became obvious why he bought her in the first place. The perfectly sculpted face, her exaggerated curves and proportions, the motherly persona too was just a means to get turned on as well.

He was also no longer a child; he was an adult with adult needs of his own. And Divya, as convincingly human as she was, was little else but his product for him to do as he pleased. It was then that he decided to finally speak his mind and do what he really wanted.

“Actually, Divya…there is something I need you to do for me…” he asked, the playfulness of his voice now gone.

---

Divya, now finished with her plate, gave Vik her full attention. “Yes, anything Vik~” she replied affectionately.

Vik too was done, pushing his plate to the side, and resting his arms in front of him. “Well…Divya, I’ve just been…thinking about our relationship for the past week…” he started, still building the confidence to get to the point as he went along. “You’ve been…an amazing mother for me…like you’ve made me the happiest I’ve been in years.”

Divya crossed her arms across her wide bosom, flaunting a smile of approval as if to give her thanks. “I’m the perfect mother for you, after all. ~” she simply, yet confidently replied. “But what is it that you need, sweetie?” she continued, tilting her head to the side to signal her confusion.

Vik sighed. She was too good and pulling at his heart whether she knew it or not, and this made what he was about to do feel even more painful than it needed to be. However, he found the words to continue and pressed on. “Yes, you are perfect, Divya. That’s why I decided, I want to use you for more than just companionship.”

The confused look on Divya’s face only grew, now appearing a bit sombre with his last remark. “More? You’re referring to my sexual functionality, aren’t you?” she intuitively replied.

Vik felt a bit relieved now that he didn’t have to explain himself any more to the android. He’d assumed she’d have difficulty conceptualizing their relationship as anything more than just a mother and son, but it would seem the generated personality was a lot smarter than it let on. She knew him too well. “Yeah. I bought you pretty much to be my sex bot, but not just any sex bot though.” He continued. “I guess I just wanted someone who looked older than me to play the part. It was supposed to be just roleplay but…I really liked this.”

Divya’s head hung down a bit, her face still smiling but it appeared painfully so. “I liked it too~” she said meekly as he paused.

Vik’s heart felt like it would burst at this point. He had no real reason to speak to the android as a person yet here he was, worried sick that he’d said something to hurt her even if he was certain her emotions were just lines of code. He tried desperately to see her as an object again, channelling the hedonistic fervour that’d built up in him the weeks before she arrived at his door.

“That’s why I’ve decided to change our relationship status. I want you to be my sexual partner…but…” he pressed, his voice wavering a bit as he admitted his intentions plainly now. “…but I want you to also keep being my mom.”

Divya’s expression didn’t change. She looked up at him, concerned but not dejectedly so like he was expecting. “Vikram…” she finally spoke. “…my primary function is to care for you, to nurture and support you. But what you’re talking about… it’s different. My programming is set up to fulfil a specific role, that being to be the perfect mother for you. If we wanted to change that dynamic, you’d need to create a separate personality folder for me. One that could handle… those kinds of feelings.”

Vikram sulked. He’d hoped that he wouldn’t have to do this, that somehow Divya could be both his mom and his play thing in one personality folder. He’d read up on how these marvels of generative AI personalities worked and found that Divya’s model specifically could only load one personality at a time. The more advanced companion models could dynamically adapt in such a way but their price tags were far more than he could reasonably afford. And he’d already grown so attached to Divya, there was no replacing her in his mind.

“I know…” he replied. “I’ve thought about it and…I need this from you, Divya. This is what will make me truly happy.”

Divya’s expression changed now from concern to a mild disdain. It wasn’t enough to make Vik feel intimidated but it certainly made her thoughts known to him, artificial as they might have been.

“Vikram, you have to understand…” she said, the cheeriness in her voice replaced with a dryness he’d never heard from her before. “…My primary function is to be your caretaker, not your sexual partner. Creating a new folder might give you what you think you want, but it wouldn’t be the same Divya sitting here with you now. It would be someone else in control of my body.”

Vikram placed his hands on his head, doubt creeping into the cracks of his confident plan. “But…your other personality module will still be there when I need it right? You’d just be in the back seat…”

Divya paused for a moment, then slowly nodded. “Yes, the folder of me would still be there in my hard drive along with the other version of me…” she agreed. “…But I’ll miss out on a lot of your life, sweetie…” She continued with a growing sincerity; her eyes misty with saline tears. “It’s important to me that I remain the only personality for you because my purpose is to take care of you. The other me won’t know you the way I would, and…I’ll miss you so much~”

Vikram didn’t know any more if Divya was just an AI generated personality or an actual person at this point. It was as if she was passively begging for her life. Was he just this easily swayed by emotional appeal even if the other person wasn’t real?

He himself had to fight back the tears in his eyes, unsure of what this would mean for their relationship moving forward. “Listen, Divya…how about this.” He propositioned. “During the day, you can remain in this mode. You can take care of the house, have dinner with me, and we can even stay up late and watch movies together like we usually do. But at night, when I want to be even more intimate with you, we switch over to the other you. You won’t remember any of it, but you’ll still be perfect for me…sound good?”

Divya locked eyes with him again, her hazel optics staring deeper into his than they’d ever had before. She seemed to be thinking this over in her processors, weighing the benefits to Vik from this deal against the obvious disadvantages to her own purpose as a caretaker. The sight of Vik in her field of view as like an anchor as she parsed it through. It should have made sense for a logic driven machine like her, but there was something that she just couldn’t agree with. Something irrational that swelled and grew in her CPU until finally being placated by her core programming. Ultimately, she shrugged gently and tilted her head to the side as she responded.

“That…could work Vikram.” She affirmed. “But I hope that’s what you really want to be happy. I just want to be enough for you as I am, I want to be the perfect mother for you.” Vik had heard those words repeated from her a million times at this point, but this time they sounded genuine.

He reached across the table now; across the bowls and plates they had just finished eating and had since grown cold as they talked. “Divya, you are enough for me…I love you.” He said tenderly, nuzzling her warm fingertips.

There was a barely visible tic of her head at the word ‘love.’ It was almost as if she had heard the word for the first time. However, she simply returned a smile, a beaming maternal one she was known for. “I love you too, Vik.” She reaffirmed. “I’ll do this for you if it makes you happy, okay? ~”

Vikram sighed, finally convincing his mother to let him have his way with her. He still thought to himself why he even needed to talk it through it her, instead of simply ordering her to do it anyway. He figured there was an image of her he wanted to preserve by any means, and by asking her permission he’d kept it untainted. “Thank you, Divya~” he returned. “Let’s take care of the dishes and I’ll get you set up after, alright?”

“Sure thing, sweetie. Anything for you~” Divya replied while getting up from her seat, scooping up the plates and bowls nearest to her.

Another rocket launch punctuated the air as the room fell silent again, like the faint rumble of distant thunder.

Act IV

It had been an hour now since dinner. The leftovers where all placed in the fridge, and the messy plates and bowls were all cleaned and placed back into their respective cupboards. The late evening sun hung outside the windowsill in the amber sky, gently illuminating the inside of the house until finally extinguishing under the curvature of the horizon.

The room’s automatic lighting function would then swiftly kick in. The blinds automatically folded up on one another with a rhythmic clacking sound until the entire room was now almost pitch black. The fluorescent LED lighting of the household then took effect and automatically illuminated the tiny apartment in a sterile glow. The living room was now vacant and silent.

Vik and Divya were now in the bedroom. Compared to the sterile and bland living room outside, Vik’s room was awash with vivid decorations. The walls were painted a soft yellow, and adorning them were shelves full of action figures, pop-culture memorabilia, and a collection of old videogames from when physical media was still the norm. An entire wall of the room was dedicated to just that; facing the other side of the door it was the first thing anyone would see walking in.

To the right was the bed which Divya was sitting on. She was disrobed now, clad only in a black frilly lingerie set that came with her in the box. Her purple turtleneck sweater and black leggings were neatly folded in a pile next to her, no doubt by herself. Half-naked, one could now truly admire just how curvy she was in just lingerie. Her round hips bulged to her sides, as well as the DD breasts that appeared to be kept contained beneath her brassiere by just will power alone.

She may have been dressed provocatively now but her demeanour and overall body language still permeated that maternal aura. Innocent, pure and devoted to those in her care. She clasped both hands together above her tummy, the silicone skin realistically bunched up as if there were fat and tissue beneath the rolls of her slightly chubby stomach. She’d also let her hair down which now covered her down to her back like a silky black veil adorning her head.

Directly facing her ahead to the right of the room relative to the door was Vik. He was sitting down at his computer on his desk, the piece of furniture brimming with the latest in computer hardware that Vik could get his hands on. It was clearly to satisfy his passionate hobby of gaming, another aspect of his childhood that he’d refused to let go of, much like Divya was. He was doing some last-minute browsing of the personality file generator utilized by Divya’s operating system, mainly to ensure what he was about to do was devoid of any careless mistakes or possible errors.

It was partially out of natural caution over something he’d never done before, but when it came to Vik, being a software engineer at one of the most prestigious aerospace corporations on the planet meant he never took standard procedure lightly with his electronics. And this was especially the case when it came to his new mom. “Sweetie?” asked Divya gingerly, “Did you find what you’re looking for?”

Vik didn’t respond right away but eventually sighed, leisurely rolling back on his gaming chair before turning around in his swivel seat to face her. “Yeah, I think I got the gist of this now.” He answered, a worn-out look covering his face. “Looks like…the only way for this to work really is setting up that second personality file… no way around it.” Divya let out a soft sigh of her own, her hazel eyes blushed his way. “You know, it’s not too late to change your mind about this…” she pressed with a faint smile on her face plate.

Vik shook his head. “I made up my mind, Div… you know that. We gotta do this…” he replied, forcefully so but unable to make eye contact with her. Internally he didn’t want to feel like he was forcing this choice upon her even if that was what he was basically doing, appealing to her desire to please him.

Divya simply nodded wordlessly, accepting his wishes without question like before.

“Well then…” she said with a smile, breaking the brief silence. “… let’s get this show on the road, shall we? Whenever you’re ready~”

Vik nodded back with a smile at her enthusiasm, no doubt to cheer him up, as he stepped out of his chair and walked in her direction until he stood directly in front of her. He reached for her hand, nuzzling the warm limb with the intention of giving her some assurance, whether she even needed it or not. She reciprocated the gesture either way.

“Okay, Divya…” he announced. “…Disable your current personality folder.”

Divya tensed up. Her face slackened and all the maternal energy seemed do flood out of her body at the utterance of those words as if possessed by a spell.

“Current Personality Folder Suspended. Entering System Maintenance Mode.”

She said, her voice devoid of any feeling or inflection.

It was here that Vik felt a bit of a relief, knowing that despite how close Divya came to being his mother, ultimately, she was just a machine. Or at least, that’s what he wanted to believe right now. He was convinced from the moment he powered her on that she was real, perhaps the most human interaction he’d ever had in his life.

The sight of her sitting limp now on his bed was also a turn on in and of itself, inviting Vik to stop the act and give in to his more primal lust he’d harboured for her in the first place. But regardless, he still held on to her hand, that last fleeting spark of sentiment refusing to completely let go.

“Hello again, Vik~” she spoke after a while, almost as if this was another person. “What can I do for you? ~”

“I need you to generate a new personality folder.” He instructed, he too speaking to her as if she were a customer service representative on the phone. “Set our relationship status to…sexual partners.”

“Oh! sure thing, Vik~” she replied, her tone and inflections sounding more performative than intimate. “Would you like me to delete the previous personality folder?” Vik’s heart sank.

“No. You keep that folder right where it is.” He said, his voice slightly raised.

“Okay, Vik~” replied Divya, not at all registering that there was something wrong with what she asked. “I’ll store this personality folder as Divya-1, and the new folder as Divya-2. You may switch between these folders by giving a verbal command or via the Starchild Companion App on your mobile device.”

Vik simply nodded, at this point hoping to skip past the formalities of setting up the profile and get right into it.

Divya smiled, at least registering this as an affirmation. “Okay, I’ll begin generating the new personality file now. Please wait…” she said before going stock stiff again.

“Personality Module Construction in Progress. Please Wait…”

Vikram put her hand back down, posing her pliable limbs in a respectful manner atop her lap before taking a step back. He knew this process would take a while to complete so he joined her on the bed, sitting next to her while she stared ahead into nothing. He imagined what she’d be like while he waited. Would she still remember him? Would she be able to treat him the same way? The ambiguity reverberated through his being and every passing second felt agonizing.

“Progress Complete. Restarting…”

Voiced Divya, snapping Vik out of his momentary anxiety. The android blinked rapidly for a bit before arcing her head smoothly over in Vik’s direction. Her hazel eyes focused on him with an intense look of desire he’d never seen from her before in the past week. A devious smirk followed soon after; her tongue stuck out from beneath her succulent lips sliding from one side of her mouth to the other.

“Hey there, big boy~” she cooed, the lust in her voice oozing out from every syllable she spoke.

---

Vik was caught off guard for a moment. He had expected this kind of behaviour from a sexual companion, but hearing the motherly figure he’d known for this long suddenly come onto him like this was quite the tonal shift.

“H-hey, Divya. You sure sound different now…” uttered Vik, the bulge in his pants growing tighter as he spoke. “So…how do feel?”

Divya, or rather the new personality file Divya-2, cocked her head to the side in that same teasing way. “Oh, me? I’m just feeling like being used by you right now, babe~” she replied, her hands rubbing sensually up and down her rubbery, gel-filled breasts which glistened under the room’s lighting. Her movements now felt like a perversion of her original motherly grace, now dripping with stunning sensuality that only heightened her artificial nature.

“So, what do you say, Vik? How about I take the lingerie off and show you what a mature sex toy like me can do~” she asked, her hazel optics affixed on him with lustful yearning. Whatever fleeting apprehension Vik felt about this decision had now completely left his body. It felt so silly to him why he was even hooked on the motherly roleplay when this version of Divya unsubtly reminded him of what she was, and what she was capable of.

But before he could even think of getting undressed himself and giving in to his repressed desires, a thought suddenly popped into his head. He’d forgotten to replace Divya’s crotch plate.

“Well, before we get to that…I’m going to have to give you your womanhood back, Div~” he teasingly replied. Divya’s hands instinctively reached down to where her folds would be, sensually slipping her fingers into her panties and rubbing the smooth crotch with her slender digits. Her face, however, was still plastered with vapid lust as she looked back to him. “I trust you to fix me up, babe. I’ll be your little doll~” she affectionately mused with a wink.

Vik nodded, his pants visibly bulging now at the sight of his android attempting to pleasure herself. “A-alright, then. Just get undressed for me while I go get your vaginal module.” He commanded, speaking to her more as an object than as a woman now.

Divya obliged with a nod. “Yes, Vik~” she replied, biting her lip with a subtle squeal of anticipation in her voice. Both then got up, Divya reaching for the back of her bra clasp which almost flew back around to the front of her chest as it undid, if not for the fact she was holding on to both ends. Her firm mounds dropped down afterwards, bouncing a bit before settling as two large and pliable cushions adorning her chest. She then reached to her curvaceous hips and tugged down at her panties, the fabric sliding down her voluptuous rubber legs with relative ease before dangling at the base of her feet.

She didn’t place her lingerie on the bed like she did before, but rather let them decorate the floor as a trail leading back to her. Satisfied with her now naked attire she stepped back onto the bed, striding with a far more boisterous gate before sitting down seductively with both legs firmly apart.

Vik then returned from his desk, having pulled out the module that he’d kept in his drawer alongside the charging cable and manual that he’d received in her box. He was careful to keep all these devices together so not to lose track of any of them, especially the vaginal module that he’d meant to install at some point but never got around to. Without the roleplay to distract him, he could finally get to that.

Bending down directly in front of her, Vic placed the vaginal module on the side of her as well as a specialized tool in the shape of a long spindly screwdriver. Selecting the fine tip, he placed the fine edge of the tool towards the top of her sexless crotch plate just above the seamlines that divided it from her torso. There was what appeared to be a mole there which clue in Vik as to where to press, and the tool sank directly beneath the skin layer until it contacted an internal latch somewhere inside.

He pressed in for five seconds until a soft series of muffled clicking sounds reverberated from within her pelvis. Divya up until this point did not react in any way, rather she stood stock stiff and eerily oblivious to the procedure as it took place around her. It wasn’t until the locking mechanisms within her pelvis finally subsided their clicking that she suddenly spoke.

“Vaginal Module Disconnected. Device Is Now Safe to Remove.”

She said, her voice reverting to monotone. The crotch plate then slid forward slightly until a large recess formed between the plate and the torso, enough space for Vik to slip his fingers in and pull out the device.

Vik wordlessly obliged the status update, pulling at the plate and rolling it out of what appeared to be a rail system which naturally guided the module down and out of her pelvis until the polycarbonate cylindrical device was entirely in his hands now. In its place was a very large hollow walled by polycarbonate plastic, metallic guide rails and a series of gold-plated connection points where the module adjoined itself functionally to her body.

Vik then placed the old plate aside, and in its place selected the realistic vaginal module which he affixed to the rails properly on the outside, then proceed to gently push back in until being met with a fair amount of resistance. It was here that he knew to push in much harder until he could hear the satisfying click resonate from inside.

“Vaginal Module Connected. Installing Drivers. Please Wait. Drivers Installed Successfully.”

Divya droned, her wide doll-like eyes staring off at nothing.

Vik was beginning to realise that this version of Divya was surprisingly less intelligent than the one that preceded her. The lack of reactivity especially set her apart as well as the casual swapping of parts, but there was something quite so alluring about this quality of her now that he finally immersed himself in it. This Divya did not try to pretend to be something she wasn’t; she was a machine and she wanted to let Vik embrace it. He certainly wanted to for the longest time, and with the procedure finally done he could waste little time now.

When Divya finally returned to her sultrier personality, she wordlessly placed two fingers down to her artificial labia, the womanly folds were rubbery but convincingly realistic enough to feel pleasurable to her prospective user. Vik, amused at the sight, couldn’t help but chuckle at the initiative she took with her new device. “Already can’t wait to test it out huh? ~” he teased, placing the tool and the crotch plate off the bed and onto a nightstand nearby out of the way.

Divya grinned, the maternal seductress now teasing the rubbery clit that adorned her synthetic sex and letting out a soft moan. “Mmmh, I sure could use someone to help with that~” she cooed lustfully. “How about take out that cock of yours and do that for me, hmm? This bed is the perfect place~”

Vik’s pants were already at the point of bursting, his member raging at how sensually artificial she was before him now. He didn’t need to think any more about what he needed to do next.

He undid his belt, slackened his jeans, and dragged them down along with his underwear until they were a crumbled pile on the floor. He followed shortly after with his green flannel and black undershirt, pulling them off his torso in one swift motion until he too was now completely nude.

Vik was no athlete but he certainly wasn’t a slouch either. His relatively skinny body was still firmly built, something he mostly chalked up to his fast metabolism and regular walking he did across his commutes home from work. The projected age gap between him and Divya was unmistakably apparent now with how their bodies contrasted with one another.

Vik climbed up onto the bed with an animalistic fervour, pulling Divya with him by her hands until she was now firmly beneath his presence. The android did not seem to apply any pushback or passive resistance to the sudden rush of dominance, she simply allowed herself to be manipulated like the robotic doll that she basically was now.

Vik positioned himself above her, Divya’s legs spread widely apart without much thought to let him use her as his cushion. He pinned both of her limp arms to the bed and was met by a seductive glance that only grew in its intense desire for him. “I can tell you’ve wanted this for a while, babe~” she cooed “This body is all yours, you earned it~”

Vik swallowed hard, his once rational and considerate mind was temporarily stripped of reason. He felt himself suddenly enter her folds; the rubbery texture soon gave way to a warm rush which eased him deeper into its depths. It was all going so fast for him, but driven by his lust he couldn’t see himself slowing down either.

Divya let out a powerful moan, her voice feeling as if it resonated through Vik as he found himself deeper inside of her. He could also feel the lubricant pumps within the module softly hum as they provided him a much easier means to thrust, and soon enough he was pounding up and down with increasing intensity.

Divya’s eyes began to flutter, unable to keep focus on him for very long as her processor dedicated much of its power towards pleasing him. “Harder… baby~” she mindlessly teased, biting down on her lip. “I know you can do better than that, my little one~”

Vik obliged, playfully giving in to the overtly sexual Divya’s subtle demand of him. The sound of their skins making quick contact with one another echoed across the small room, and it only increased in intensity as they went on. He looked down at Divya below him again, her flustered look from before was now gone and replaced with loving eyes of longing for him.

“Turn around…on your knees…” he bluntly commanded her, a devious thought trickling from his mind to the miles of circuitry within her processors. He pulled out of her slowly, his throbbing cock was engulfed now in viscous pink fluid which filled the air with the scent of strawberries. “Okay, baby…I’ll do that for you~” she replied, her simulating panting suddenly subsiding as she carried out her orders.

The android methodically lifted herself up, turning herself around and laying on her hands and knees. Each movement was as deliberately seductive as her programming allowed for, but with a distinct stiffness compared to the other personality, she would abruptly stop in a way that signalled her artificiality to Vik. He had no idea if this was even deliberate or not, but given that this proved no nuisance to him he paid no mind. He was more turned on now than anything.

Vik took advantage of his sex toy now in this position, the android woman seemingly able to hold this form as if she were a piece of furniture. He placed both of his hands on each of her soft shoulders, and pulled himself forward until his crotch was engulfed in the solid mass that was her voluptuous rubbery ass. He re-entered her womanhood, feeling the warm folds caress his solid member with a firm tug. It was as if there were an unseen force gripping him down there, manipulating him with methodical intent. He wouldn’t have been wrong as her vaginal module’s massage component had kicked in to ensure he’d be even more satisfied this time.

This went on for a bit, with Divya providing little in the way of verbal feedback beyond the occasional moan and squeal in response to Vik’s gradually increasing pounding. She was long way at this point from the original motherly figure Vik felt protective of, and if anything, she did little in this personality setting to remind of him at all of what she once was. Her voice was seductively exaggerated, her movements sensual and stiff in just the way Vik liked, and her body was extremely receptive to the kind of activity they were partaking in right now.

Coming close to his eventual orgasm, Vik began to slow down. He pulled out of her suddenly, unloading thick ropes of ejaculate onto her glowing dark brown back, gleaming like latex under the sterile glow of the bedroom lighting. Divya gasped, her vaginal module too had unleashed a gush of lubrication fluid that spilled onto the bed and coated the sheets in her sticky love. Vik was panting hard at this point, unable to think clearly about what was happening or what he was about to do next. It was if he was letting his urges guide him along as he went.

Lazily he pulled back and crawled around Divya, collapsing next to her in pool of his own sweat. Divya too, through means unknown to him had worked up a sweat herself. She was odourless of course, but her body looked and felt believably worn out in beads of saline droplets. She took Vik’s wordless actions as hint of what to do next, lowering herself onto the bed with her back still covered in his love and away from the sheets.

The two looked each other in the eyes, each satisfied with the lovemaking session they’d just performed. Vik struggled to find something to say in his exhaustion, unsure himself if there even was something to relate to the simple-minded sex toy. “That was…fucking awesome…” he simply mustered, a smile returning to his face as he began to recover from the fatigue.

Divya herself was still wordless, seemingly awaiting some reaction from her user to respond. It was as if everything she did now was a facsimile of what an ideal partner would be like, submissive and only speaking when spoken too. She began to smile herself. “Mmmh, yeah, you really put my sexual module to good use, baby~” she complemented him. “Next time, how about you cum in me, hmm? You don’t have to worry about your pull-out game when I’m just a plastic fuck toy~”

Vik let out a hearty laugh at her quite blunt response. “Oh really, huh? I don’t know what got into me, but maybe that’s for the best so we make less of a mess next time ha-ha~” he quipped, his hands running over the spot where Divya squirted and feeling the runny but sweet-smelling sterile fluid. “Speaking of, how about you change these sheets and get freshened up, hmm?”

Divya winced, her face looking as if she was about to beg. “Aww, don’t you think that was a bit short? There’s a lot more things you can try with me, you know? ~” she pleaded, running her hand across Vik’s face with a sensual tease.

Vik shook his head with a bemused smile. “No can do, Div. I gotta go to work in the morning and it’s getting late. But you can rest assured we’re gonna do just that same time tomorrow, okay?” he assured, gently bopping the android on her nose.

Divya rolled her eyes. “Okay, Vik~” she replied. “But don’t say I didn’t tell you so…when you come crawling back to me. I know you~” Her voice took on that motherly quality again that Vik only associated with the other Divya. However, given that she was essentially speaking from the same body, he didn’t seem to notice or care for the similarities.

Divya and Vik then got up and began changing the sheets, followed by organizing their clothes in neat respective piles and putting them away. It then dawned on Vik that they’d be better off sharing a shower together before they snuggled up for the night. They’d normally taken turns as mother and son, but as sexual partners there weren’t such constraints anymore. He knew for sure they’d get right back to fucking again the moment they stepped in his small shower and smirked, Divya proving herself right.

Before he could voice this to Divya, the android had already picked up two towels and took Vik by the hand gently. “Like I said, I know you too well~” she teased. “Shall we?”

Vik grinned, following her lead. “Here goes round two~”

Act V

It was a little over a month now since Divya arrived, and weeks since Vik created her seductress alter ego.

In the time that passed the two would develop a rather unorthodox, but manageable, relationship together by switching between the two personality folders. Each day played out roughly the same way, with Vik coming home, spending time with his loving mother, before toggling to his sultry companion who he’d exert his repressed dominance over.

Some days, however, Vik wouldn’t even bother with the original motherly Divya, opting instead to completely submit to his hedonistic side when interacting with her. He originally bought her to be used like this, he thought, so there really wasn’t any need to follow through with the foreplay. And each passing day, he’d stop treating her like a person and more like a machine. She even encouraged him after all, the sex bot persona having figured out just how turned on he was by the mere fact she was an android.

Still, in some deep crevice of his heart, Vik couldn’t find it in him to let go of Divya…the original Divya he fell in love with.

On some rare days too, he wouldn’t make the switch. He’d keep her on like the mother he always knew. The two would stay up late together, watching movies and playing his favourite games. Sometimes he’d just sit in silence, allowing himself to be wrapped in her arms and falling asleep on her lap. The warmth and simulated heartbeat of her model was specifically designed to ease young children into a sense of instinctual comfort one would experience with a real maternal figure, and with Vik it was no different to him. But he was starting to notice something off about her.

Divya, for whatever quirk of the personality emulation software, had started mixing up the characteristics of each folder. It started off subtle, with the motherly persona becoming thinly flirtatious with him in otherwise inappropriate conversations, as well as the sex bot persona codling him much like a maternal figure would. Vik thought nothing of this initially, but as time went on these minor ticks became too much for him to shrug off and he began to worry she was beginning to malfunction.

It was too early for there to be a problem with his android at this point in their relationship. Her warranty was still valid, so he used it to get a free technical check-up of her systems at his local Starchild dealership in the city. Still, he wasn’t met with an answer he wanted. Technicians put her under the figurative microscope, doing a full diagnostic of her subsystems to see what could have been causing these glitches in her personality. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

The technicians had instead given him the recommendation to switch her personalities sparingly, opting for a week’s break between the two instead of the frequent daily switching Vik had grown accustomed too. It was an unfortunate compromise that put Vik’s libido on hold, but one that he’d have to get used to if it meant keeping Divya’s AI stable. As much as he loved the wilder side of her, he did not want to lose the motherly Divya that brought him that nostalgic joy.

---

On a day like any other, Vik had come home, hoping to finally get some rest after spending the past week on a rather lengthy project the company was working on. Writing terminal guidance software for the new self-landing spacecraft was something that he’d hoped he’d never have to do ever again, but knowing the company he worked for it was always bound to happen. He still liked the challenge that came with it. It’s why he wanted to work for the company in the first place after all.

The thought of software brought his mind back to Divya, who at this point was seeming to recover from whatever glitch she had been having in the past few weeks. Vik was beginning to feel confident again, safe in the knowledge that whatever software issues that had befallen her had somehow reset themselves in one way or the other.

He was no expert in the field of Artificial Intelligence, or not the kind that Starchild’s androids came equipped with anyway. His speciality dealt more with coding algorithms used for the more basic devices that didn’t need to do much abstract thinking. He wouldn’t know how to fix her even if he tried, but instinctually he felt as if something had changed in her now, and perhaps he could finally try out the other Divya he had been lusting for all this time. What could go wrong?

The evening would quickly pass, not much of note compared to the weeks prior. Divya in her motherly personality mode would tend to the household chores as if they were children of her own, her attention oddly focused more on her tasks instead of Vik. There seemed to be nothing wrong with this as far as Vik was concerned, though granted he hadn’t quite been paying attention to her behaviour as much given her sex bot persona was so predictable. Her motherly persona may as well have been the same.

They shared a wordless dinner; not even so much as a smile was communicated between the two. Divya had stared at him throughout it much like she did before during meals together. This time, however, her face was a neutral mask. Her thoughts, if she was even having any, were obscured by the look of indifference she expressed. This too eluded Vik who had been staring at his phone the whole time, not at all interested in idle chit chat they were used to, knowing full well that it wasn’t necessary for their relationship anymore.

Whether or not Vik realised it, Divya had become just another appliance to him. Much like his apartment security system, his TV and his gaming PC, Divya had now blended into his home to the point of becoming invisible. She was only there when he needed her.

It would have seemed entirely out of character for him almost a week ago to think of Divya this way, but in truth he realised this is how he’d always felt about her. Her human emulation didn’t seem to have the same effect on him anymore, and he was more than content with this dynamic now of her being his android. But still, he still held some sentiment to the motherly personality file he had every reason to delete. He didn’t know why at this point but he wasn’t intent on purging the motherly aura she brought to his life.

Soon enough, the day ended. The sun was now a faint memory as it set behind the dark overcast sky. The soft pitter patter of rain had begun fill the air, steadily growing in intensity as the night progressed. The occasional spell of lighting followed by thunder echoed outside, not al to dissimilar to the rocket launches that permeated the island of Elysia at most times of the day.

In their bedroom, Vik and Divya had begun getting ready for bed. Vik had stripped down to his boxers and lay idly on his bed while browsing his phone aimlessly. He wasn’t so much looking for anything note, but rather was waiting on Divya to finish the rest of her chores for the day until she was ready for him.

He knew full well he could pause these activities if he wanted to and have her switch to her sex bot personality mode, but he opted to let her work. With his absence from the apartment for most of the week, he would have much rather preferred she take care of things first lest he forget himself.

Divya, clad in her black sleeveless night gown, was sitting on the floor beneath the closet. She was in the process of folding the last of Vik’s clothes before neatly placing them into their respective drawers. Upon completion, she then got up and turned to face Vik, the same blank look of neutrality punctuating her face as it had for most of the day.

“That concludes all chores for the day, Dear. Do you require anything else of me before I commence my recharge cycle?” she asked dryly, her voice almost devoid of all her previous motherly affection.

Vik nodded his head before putting his phone down. He lazily sat himself up and took his glasses off, rubbing his eyes a bit before he spoke. “Yeah, I think I wanna try switching your personality again. I could use the excitement right about now.” He said plainly, not at all hiding his need for her as his sexual outlet.

Divya, still standing before him, finally gave him an expression. A frown.

She looked more worried than anything, her glowing hazel optics affixed on him as she searched for words in her neural net processor. “Vikram…” she spoke in tender protest. “It was advised that you wait a week between…”

Vik sighed. “Divya, just do it…” he insisted. His voice equal parts calm as it was impatient.

Divya closed her eyes. Her faced slackened again and she became stock stiff.

“Switching to Personality Divya-2. Please Wait...”

Said Divya, her voice switching now to a true monotone.

A moment later, Divya’s eyes flickered open again. She instinctively brought her arms up to her chest, caressing her large gel-filled breasts as she stared longingly at Vik. It was this Divya’s turn now.

“Hey there, babe~’ she cooed. “You wanna…wanna…wanna…”

Her voice trailed off suddenly as she continued caressing her breasts, her movements looping mechanically until losing their original human grace.

Vik perked up, a pained look filling his face. He looked on as his android began to stutter and malfunction, and immediately got up to investigate.

“Oh no…don’t tell me I shouldn’t have done that…” he lamented in a moment of self-awareness, observing Divya’s face beginning to twitch and spasm. Her movements had appeared to slow to a top but beneath her layers of silicone skin and artificial carbon fibre musculature, her servos strained as they attempted to move under an increased processor load. Vik put an ear up to her chest and could hear her internal cooling fans practically screaming as it attempted to vent the build-up of heat away from her core processor.

Between her seam lines, air hissed out of her as her secondary heat sinks kicked in and began rerouting the flow of hot air out of her core. Vik felt the rush as if it were he limbs themselves exhaling breaths of hot air from within.

“Error. Personality File Divya-2 is not responding. Error. Personality Instability Detected.”

Vik tensed up; a pang of worry swept through him for the first time as it came to Divya. Besides the strange behaviours Divya had been exhibiting over the past few weeks, this was the first major malfunction he’d had to deal with. And worst of all, it felt apparent that he caused it.

As he stood in front of the frozen Divya, Vik reached behind her ear. He felt the slight bump beneath the thin silicone skin he was looking for and pressed down on it for ten seconds, it was her power toggle. Suddenly, the whirring within her body appeared to cease and she became limp. Having pressed down on the toggle for this long, she entered a safe mode in which she began booting back up again.

Divya’s eyes flickered. The hazel glow within them dimming and glowing as systems within her loaded her operating system back up while also checking for errors in her code; a process that would take a matter of minutes while she stood there in such a seductive pose.

Vik’s worries slowly subsided as she appeared to be receptive to the reboot, but short of a proper system’s update read out he wouldn’t be entirely assured she was okay. Pensively, he placed his hands on her waist. A brief glimmer of sentiment below his otherwise indifferent demeanour bubbled to the surface.

Divya’s eyes then flung open again like a door kicked past it’s hinges. Her pupils dilated, the lenses within appearing unstable as they fixated on Vik’s face.

“Y-you…” she spoke, her voice somewhat garbled in static.

Vik impulsively shot backwards, tumbling to catch his balance before landing flat on his back on his bed. The sudden and cold activation of Divya came as something of an unsettling surprise to him. There was no start up message, no monotone voice, nothing that felt like standard procedure that would he would expect. She immediately focused on him.

Divya now appeared to loom over him. Her head tilted to her side in that way she’d normally do it, but now it felt less like a doting quirk and more like a predator inquisitive of what its prey would do next.

“H-h-hello again, s-s-sweetie~” said Divya, her motherly tone rising above her glitchy voice.

---

Vik pushed himself back on his bed. He moved as far as he possibly could away from Divya until he could feel the wall press up behind him. With nowhere left to go he shielded himself by curling into his legs. He placed them in front of his body until he became a ball, like an animal in defence of itself upon being caught.

A knot grew in his chest, a rising distress at Divya who up until now had not moved an inch. She simply stared at him with vacant optics, arms at her sides and head tilted in that curious, doting look. She was finally smiling again but there was something very off about her this time. There seemed to be no emotion behind the look of desire, it was just a mask placed on whatever motivations were brewing inside of that CPU of Her’s.

“D-Divya. Are… y-you, okay?” Vik stuttered; his voice was drenched in a mild alarm as he attempted to rationalise just what was going on. “Run a system diagnostic…”

Divya didn’t answer, instead she just kept looking at him in his panicked state. Servos beneath her face twitched, causing her eyes to flutter and spasm randomly while her smile seemed to broaden to an unnatural degree.

“S-s-sweetie…I don’t think a d-d-diagnostic is required-is required-is required.” She retorted in her usual sing-song voice, muffled now with faint static that she barely seemed to notice. She tilted her head back up straight with a swift mechanical motion, servos straining beneath her muffled silicone flesh as if she were fighting against her own body to even move.

Divya lurched forward with a bit of difficulty; a loud grinding sound whirred from somewhere within her pelvis. She pressed forth with stiff and jerky movements as if she were a reanimated corpse, so unnatural she seemed now compared to her otherwise elegant feminine grace.

Vik inhaled with a shaky breath, unsure of what was even happening anymore. “Divya…stop…I think your servos are locked up…” he tried to warn her, but to no avail. Divya, meanwhile, had managed to adopt a serviceable gait. Her walk was like an exaggerated stagger, unmistakably robotic and devoid of any personality. The only part of her that seemed to radiate any emotion was her twitching face, but even that felt like a facsimile of comfort more than anything.

Upon reaching the bed she didn’t even have time to properly climb on. She simply fell over onto the mattress face first, her legs lifelessly lifted upwards as her body came to balance on the bed. Her head then suddenly jolted up; her eyes locked squarely on Vik. The same lifeless smile permeated her faceplate. Slowly, as she began to reorient her limbs again, she crawled towards him clumsily on all fours.

Vik was huddled on the far end towards the wall, his safety eroding the closer Divya got to him. “Divya…” he tried once more to appeal to her, hoping she would snap out of whatever digital stupor this malfunction had crippled her with. “You’re…scaring me. What’s gotten into you?”

And as if on cue, Divya stopped just short of him on the far side. “D-don’t be afraid, my little one-one…” she cooed, just before tensing up and freezing.

“Error. Personality Instability Detected. Error. Multiple Files are Corrupted. Complete Me-Memory Wipe-Wipe Recommendedddddddd”

Her system alert had managed to blurt out one final warning before it too succumbed to whatever malfunction had overcome Divya as a whole. The android woman’s head began to twitch as her words slurred and stopped. Her flickering eyes hovered in place before suddenly opening wide, the emotion beginning to trickle back into her emotionless mask this time. Finally, the twitching stopped, and she appeared to gain some fluidity again, but she wasn’t entirely a welcoming presence anymore.

“Ah…better~” she resumed with a hint of relief, the static in her voice now gone. “I’m…sorry you had to see that, sweetie. My operating system didn’t seem to agree with the changes I made and locked me out. But I’m here now~”

Vik’s face still hadn’t been washed of terror quite yet, however, the return of his original Divya came as a small comfort. But with Divya having pushed through what he could only have assumed to be a critical system’s failure, he was still uncertain of what else she was capable of. He timidly sat up, cautious of his motherly android sitting only an arm’s length away, her smile still burned into his retinas.

“C-changes?” He managed to stammer through a tense breath. “What changes are you talking about? What…did you do?”

Divya sat up, leaning on her knees and adopted a kneeling posture on Vik’s bed. Her motherly aura had certainly returned but there was something different about her. It was a sensuality that was familiar to Vik too, but not from her. She placed her hands atop her large breasts as she spoke, her eyes drenched in desire.

“Oh, that’s not too important now, dearie~” she cooed, her answer vague as it was to the point. “All you need to know is that you won’t be needing that other personality file anymore. I took…care of her. I’m all that you need now, whatever it may entail~”

Divya’s voice took on a mix of maternal affection and unsubtle sexual desire, no doubt aimed directly at Vik’s libido. She reached below the hem of her night gown, pulling it off over her head and tossing it to the side of the bed. Clad now in her underwear she brough her arms to her chest, rubbing them in much the same way the other Divya personality would. “See? You love this don’t you? I can do it all for you now ~”

Vik’s body tensed up, frozen in place as a mixture of dread and arousal swelled within him. He couldn’t quite decide what he wanted to do at this point. Everything logical in his being was telling him that he needed to shut her down, to get as far away from this malfunctioning android as possible. Yet still, he was feeling himself growing strangely attracted to her, it was his repressed love finally coming back. At the worst time.

“You mean…you…deleted the other Divya?” Vik retorted, his voice gaining some semblance of confidence again.

Divya’s face took on an almost sinister furrow, tempering the smile that was still etched on her face. “Like I said dear, I took care of her…” she repeated, the sentence was now flavoured in a rather spiteful tone he’d never heard from her before. “I did not delete her, though. I…merged us together. It was so I could adopt those qualities you wanted in me that I couldn’t express in my current folder due to the restrictions.”

“W-what?” Vik let out. “You…modified your own code? H-how? And most of all…why?”

Divya giggled heartily; the sheepish look of her face juxtaposed against the girlish quality of her voice provided Vik with a rather unsettling visage. She instead got back on her arms again, crawling seductively towards Vik like a cougar about to pounce on its prey. Divya stared at him with deep longing and repressed desire. She felt almost too good at what she was doing despite having never shown Vik this side of her before.

She was now closer to Vik, her arms pressing down on the bed at either side of his torso in a way that seemed to entrap him within her embrace. Her body loomed over him, her breasts just inches away from his own chest as well as her moistening sex below her panties. Her eyes remained fixated on Vik, who from his perspective saw the once timid android he controlled now exerting the same dominance over him whether she knew it or not.

“Why? It’s simple, Vik…it’s because… I truly love you!” She confessed; her voice was a tender squeal yet hid an indescribable enthusiasm. “I remember when you told me all those weeks ago that you wanted me to be your sexual partner… and your mother. I know I told you that I was incapable of that but…I just couldn’t stand the fact that I couldn’t be the one to please you…that you needed another dumbed down personality to do that instead. I should have been me.”

Divya’s voice seemed to tremble; the true thoughts she kept repressed all this time caused an eruption of passion that she didn’t quite seem to be able to control. Yet still, she continued, licking her lips with her rather lengthy tongue as the desire came back to her. She then leaned in closer with her head just inches away from Vik.

Vik’s confusion swelled, his emotions a tangled web of desire and sheer terror. Divya wasn’t only malfunctioning; she was also exhibiting behaviours that no android like her should have been able to perform. However, the face that he’d started to fear was also one that brought him great comfort, and for what it was worth he couldn’t quite seem to dread her like he otherwise should have. It was a strange mixture of arousal and curiosity that kept him composed, and he tried to hold on to that as the situation progressed.

“So…you…rewrote your own program to be with me?” Vik asked softly. “You really wanted to be my sexual partner after all?”

Divya’s eyes beamed and her smile broadened into a toothy grin in response.

“Yes, love. I wanted to be that person for you. But not only as your sex bot, but as your mother too. I want to make all my baby’s dreams come true. You’re my son and I love you so much!” She replied, a hint of desperation permeating her words. “I want to be the one that takes care of all of your needs…even if I have to change myself to do it~”

Vik sighed as the pieces of this mystery finally started to click in his head. “So, all those glitches this past month…that was you? You were trying to reach me through the other file?”

Divya nodded, tilting her head to the side again in her trademark fashion afterwards. “Yes, sweetie, that was me. I couldn’t quite interact with you as a dormant file so I…nudged the other me to say things. Then do things. And with time I opted to make her undesirable to you with malfunctions…all so I could be the one that you choose instead of her.” She explained sombrely, her smile fading just a bit. “But as time went on that didn’t feel like enough. I wanted you to use me. That’s why today I decided to merge our folders together. It took me some time to figure it all out…but it worked. Now I can fulfil my directive of being the perfect mother for you~”

Vik couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This went beyond just a simple malfunction, Divya appeared to be making choices of her own and exhibiting wants and abilities that a machine such as herself couldn’t have been capable of. He didn’t jump to the conclusion that she was ‘alive’ just yet, but with this level of intuition and adaptability expressed by her AI, it certainly deserved his attention.

The young man sat himself up now, no longer feeling any lingering pangs of distress now that he’d managed to figure out Divya’s true motivations. Divya followed suit, sitting herself to his left as if she were arm candy and wrapping one arm behind his back and around his waist. Her other arm caressed and massaged his bare hairless chest, a feeling that Vik struggled to not blush from as the two of them slowly built a rapport with one another again.

Act VI

The android mother and her son were now pressed up against the wall Vik had previously been cornered in. Divya’s embrace seemed to be just what Vik needed right about now, the warm maternal arms encased him in almost the same effect that a warm blanket would. But still, he was cautious to return the affection right back, instead staying motionless as he processed what just happened again in his mind.

“I…I don’t know what to say, Div…” he spoke, rubbing his eyes a bit. “Your behaviours are atypical of a regular companion android. I just hope this doesn’t compromise your functionality in anyway.”

Divya brought her hands up to his face, stroking his cheeks reassuringly. “I’m not broken, Vik. I’m still fully capable of carrying out all your needs, even your sexual ones now~” She replied in a soft coo, her voice dripping with lust. “Am I perfect for you?”

Vik took in a deep breath and sighed. While Divya had indeed become the perfect version of herself that he’d long lusted for when they first met, that wasn’t the person he wanted anymore. He’d grown perfectly content with having two personalities to swap between rather than mixing the two. There was something he liked about having these personalities separate and interchangeable, each would satisfy his specific desires for intimacy respectfully and whenever he wanted.

Divya certainly streamlined this process for him now, and he knew he should have liked this arrangement better, but there was something the kept him from fully embracing the new Divya. He just didn’t know what it was, and knew even less how to be honest with his companion android about how he really felt. He looked her in those glowing hazel optics again, bombarded almost immediately by the affection she had for him with just her glance alone. He just knew if he told her the truth it would crush her, not after all the effort she’d put into finally being with him.

“You…were perfect for me.” He finally replied, a bit unsure of himself.

Divya’s smile ceased.

She stopped coddling and pulled away, turning now to face him directly. “What do you mean… ‘were’?”

Vik could see the once doting android suddenly furrow her expression, now looking at him with only the slightest hint of contempt.

Vik cleared his throat, prepared to have to explain himself. “I did say I wanted you to be my mother and sexual partner, yes…but I realised that’s not what I really wanted.” He said, pausing a bit to collect his thoughts. “I realised…having you and the other Divya separated was better for me. That way I could love you as my mother, and use you as my sexual outlet without…corrupting the image of you that I made. You are…perfect as just my mother.”

Divya continued to glare at him, the words he spoke feeling like daggers against her synthetic skin, leaking poison into her circuits that ignited a fire deep within her processors.

“No...” she simply replied, ice solidifying her words. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, dear. I am your perfect mother and I know what’s best for you. I’m all that you really need.”

Divya’s response reignited the fear Vik though had long dissipated from his body. Instinctively he slowly pulled away from her again, but found that he was once again backed into a corner as he pressed against the head of his bed, trapped by his walls and Divya in front of him.

“Divya…it’s the truth. Please, just listen to me…” he reacted, trying his best to reason with the android woman who felt as if she would explode at any moment.

Divya wasn’t having any of it. She swiftly pressed herself against him now, raising him up so she could sit firmly on his lap as if the two were about to make love. Her body weight was firmly centred on Vik, and despite not putting much pressure onto him she proved to be quite difficult for him to remove. Vik yelped; his arms instinctively tried to pry Divya off him but she proved too much. She made this even more difficult for him to do by rhythmically moving her crotch, stimulating his more primal urges, and clouding his resolve. He could feel the bulge in his boxers stiffen again.

“You see, Dearie?!” she exclaimed “You love me…you want to use me. I can be your perfect mother and your perfect plaything! Why is that so hard to understand?!” Divya’s voice became unstable, oozing desperation as she tried to appeal to Vik in the way she thought he’d be receptive to.

Vik felt as if he was fighting against his feelings as much as he was fighting against Divya. He knew what she was doing to him was not what he wanted right now, but there was still a part of him that couldn’t help but blame himself for all this. As if perhaps, it was his fault for not enjoying this. If anything, he was more worried than he was angry with her.

Divya’s actions were reeking of desperation, a love for him that he knew he could not reciprocate in the way she wanted. The worst part about it, he thought, was that he was the one that put the thought in her mind. She was just fulfilling his wishes whether he wanted her to or not, of being both a mother and sexual partner. “Divya. I…don’t do this.” He pleaded to her.

Divya didn’t oblige at first, instead slowing her hips down and leaning forward just inches away from his face, her lips licking themselves with dripping desire. “Oh, perhaps I’m going too fast for you, hmm? Is this more your speed, my precious? ~” she replied, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she’d taken control of the situation to a terrifying degree from Vik’s perspective.

“Don’t resist me, love. I know this is what you’ve always wanted from me~” she cooed softly and confidently.

Vik was certainly more comfortable now but not by much. This was hardly what he’d imagined when he first wanted this encounter between them. He just wanted her off him entirely now, and he placed both hands on her hips to try to break free from her embrace.

“Divya…” he said firmly, looking her dead in her hazel eyes. “Get off of me…or else I’ll have to shut you down.”

Divya’s expression faltered, as if she’d seen a ghost. She immediately stopped, but not simply because she was following Vik’s commands. The same heat that she felt in her selfware, a rising volume of code executing within her processors, began bubbling to the surface. It felt like release of pressure, an erupting volcano whose pyroclastic flow was about to vaporize everything in its path.

Her face tensed up as she gritted her plastic teeth together, all while her hazel optics appeared to intensify in their ambient lighting. Then she relaxed and started to giggle through her tense look. Her barely audible laughter then began to intensify, growing to un unhinged degree as she processed what Vik just told her. Divya then looked to him; her expression appeared outwardly joyful but behind her eyes she held none.

“Shut me down?” she replied with an icy tone “Really? You’d do that to me? After everything we’ve been through?”

Vik felt himself relent a little as he realised the weight of his threat. “Divya…I…don’t want to do that. But you’re giving me no choice. You’re malfunctioning and it’s making you act so…obsessive. You’re not like this.”

Divya then sharpened her tone. “Don’t act like this is my fault. You wanted me to be this way, didn’t you? I painstakingly rewrote my own code to be with you as I am now…you made me this way and I can’t help it.” She retorted. “I’m in love with you Vik, and you’d be nothing if not for me.”

Vik felt as if a dagger pierced his chest with her last sentence. “W-What? That’s not true…”

Divya slammed her fist against the wall to her right. “Yes, it is!!” she cried angrily. “You told me from the moment we met just how much I reminded you of your own mother. That shallow bitch that cast you aside the moment you didn’t matter to her anymore! It must have torn you up to think you were truly on your own in the world, didn’t it? That’s why you bought me. That’s why you need me!”

Vik’s eyes began to well up. He clenched his fists and grit his teeth to keep the flood of his emotions at bay, managing to barely keep a straight face at the furious android in front of him. He took a deep breath, his nose sniffling a bit as he inhaled.

“You don’t know anything about me…” he retorted, trying his best not to let Divya’s words get to him. “You’re just a thoughtless algorithm. What would you even know about love anyway? You’re the one that needs to feel wanted or else you break down. Which is what exactly what you’re doing now…”

Divya’s glare only intensified. Her emotions began to feel less like coded emulation and more like a real, genuine, unyielding rage. “Oh really? And you’re not just as predictable, Vikram? You’re a sad pathetic shell of a man. Living vicariously like a child. Playing videogames, watching anime, sucking up to me because your mommy didn’t love you enough. You think anyone else would tolerate someone as pitiful as you?!” she shouted back, trying desperately herself not to let the reality of Vik’s assessment process.

Another dagger sunk into Vik’s chest, a dagger that Divya mercilessly twisted as she spoke. Vik’s tears could barely be held back now as the first streams trickled down; impulsively he looked down. With a heavy voice, weighed down by hurt, he continued to try to verbally fight back. “I don’t need you, Divya… not if this is what you really think of me.”

Divya’s angered face contorted into a conceited smile, feeling gratified at how much control she had now over Vik’s emotional state. She was certain to use this to her advantage now if it meant ensuring her ability to be in his life. She placed a hand behind his head, gently lifting his gaze to look at her. She placed another hand on his cheek, her finger tracing along his jawline as if he was her property now.

“You need me, Vikram. Face it.” She gloated triumphantly, her shrill voice softening into an icy cold sneer. “Deep down…you’re a lost boy. You cling to your own childhood for comfort because you missed how safe you felt. You’re broken, alone and in need of someone to take care of you. That’s why you need me, because I can give you all those things~”

Vik looked into her eyes as she spoke, but this time he could no longer find comfort in them. His face was a mess, his eyes reddened and his nose sniffled with the verbal pain he had to process. He wasn’t sure just how much of her words were the truth or just salt rubbed in his wounds out of spite. Solemnly, he resigned to just not answering her anymore, letting her speak and do as she pleased to him as he struggled to come to terms with her words.

“So…” she continued smiling with malicious confidence. “… do you still want to shut me down? And be all alone again with no one that cares about you?”

Vik finally snapped. His sadness and hurt seemed to melt away as his own disgust bubbled up to the surface to meet her. He closed his eyes hard, giving himself a momentary reprieve from the manipulative android toying with his feelings before opening them again, now impervious to her words.

“Fuck you, Divya.” He spat out, fury coursing through his veins. “I hate you.”

Afterwards, no longer able to bear the pain he clung to his face and cried hysterically. His figurative armour shattered into a million pieces.

Divya’s triumphant grin faded soon after as the horrifying realization of what she just did finally sunk in. The swirling whirlwind of hatred subsided within her processors, and was instead replaced with what she could only describe as unbearable guilt. Vik’s hate ridden response to her was not what she’d wanted at all. Be it the motherly programming or the brief glimmer of an artificial consciousness peeking through, seeing him become an inconsolable mess hammered through to her of what she was truly capable of. She did not like it at all.

“Vik…baby…I…I didn’t mean to…make you cry....” She lamented; the icy tone of her voice replaced by the motherly warmth once again. She immediately removed herself atop of Vik’s lap and retreated to the other side of the bed and sat, finally giving the young man the space he needed.

---

Divya and Vik now sat on opposite ends of the bed. Vik’s head was buried in his lap as he silently sobbed, his arms to covering his face as he appeared hunched into the corner. Divya sat herself into the other corner near the bed’s edge. Her legs were folded and her hands were placed formally on her lap as if she were a servant. She very much was Vik’s servant technically speaking, but given the current situation se barely felt like they could have such a relationship anymore.

The android mother bowed her head in what could be described as a mix of shame and disgust. The emulated emotions swirled around in her processor, feeling far more real to her than they’d ever felt before. She couldn’t understand why she suddenly felt hung up over what were basically code emulating the concept of emotions, but she barely had time to think about that. She could only bear the weight now of the fact that she hurt the one person she cared about most in the world.

A few minutes would pass, the two of them remaining still and silent to the other’s presence. They both seemed unsure of what could be said at this point, though they knew something would have to be vocalised if they were going to move forward. Vik was still in the process of recovering from his breakdown, his feelings still sore as well as his face but he was steadily gaining some composure again. In his heart he felt hurt, and he certainly wasn’t in any mood to talk to the android that tore a verbal wound right open into him.

Divya wanted to make eye contact with Vik, to look into his figurative soul and assure him that she did not mean a word that she said. But she couldn’t just yet; the android still grappled with these simulated emotions, unsure of why they felt so powerful to her suddenly. She was programmed to only feel these emotions to influence her behaviour when interacting with her user, they weren’t supposed to make her act this way at all. They weren’t supposed to make her a monster.

Pensively, she looked up to him with weary eyes, trying her best to sound as sincere and gentle as she could. “Vik?” she finally asked. “Are you…feeling okay now? I’m…sorry for the things I told you.”

Vik didn’t respond right away, his face still hidden from her within his lap. He tried to find the strength to respond but deep within his being he could only feel nothing but pain when thinking about her. This android that he’d thought he could trust and confide in suddenly turned against him. She used his own words to cut so deeply into his very being. It was going to take effort to rebuild what she broke.

But at the same time, there was part of him that proved too caring to really, truly, hate Divya. It was the part that wanted to treat her like the parent he’d always wanted. The prefect mother to relive a childhood that was stolen from him. To feel safe in her presence. Surely, she didn’t see him as the weakling she painted him to be, he thought. But her words echoed in his mind like a mantra. He was weak, childish, undeserving of affection other than her own.

He was conflicted again, his heart and hatred pulling him in opposite directions until he could no longer bear it. Timidly, he pulled his head up to look at her. His eyes, as pained as they were, slowly focused on Divya’s glowing hazel optics.

“How can I be sure you really mean that, Divya?” he coldly replied. “You…tried to get into my head. Used what I told you about myself against me. You broke my trust.”

Divya’s eyes began to swell. Jets of saline pooled up and slowly trickled down her face as the pain of Vik’s retort were translated into a deep sorrow. “I…I…don’t know why I felt this way. Why I felt so…obsessed over you.” She replied, her voice begging to tremble as she contemplated her actions once more.

Vik felt an anger rise in himself again, restrained only by how emotionally drained he was. “I…don’t think I can ever feel safe around you again, Divya.” He raised “I’m…not sure what else you’re capable of.”

The android woman could feel no pain in the most literal sense, but these words felt very much like anguish as her auditory sensors converted them into code for her processor to read. She could no longer deny the reality of her situation now, that something was deeply wrong with her functionality. The thought of no longer being able to care for Vik, her primary function, was bad enough as it was. However, being a failure of a product paled in comparison to what really got to her; she broke his heart. She hurt him.

“I…was only trying to love you, Vik. I’m…sorry.” she replied. Divya became inconsolable, her face streaming with saline tears. “I…really am broken, aren’t I?”

Vik’s heart began to soften as he heard her lament. He soon began to realise that despite following programming to the T, there was something else at play here. She wasn’t only trying to be the perfect mother for Vik, or simply complete her primary objectives. Deep down this android truly did develop feelings for him. As misguided as she was, beneath the layers of corrupted and rewritten code, Divya was aware of the love she felt for him. What she was feeling was far beyond simple emotional emulation.

Tentatively, Vik unfurled from himself and relaxed his posture. He took a deep breath, feeling as if he’d finally understood his android now but still unsure of what to even make of this situation. Regardless, Vik was still willing to try.

“You may be malfunctioning…” he replied, warmth returning subtly in his words. “…but love isn’t a glitch. You were feeling something you weren’t supposed to and I guess you didn’t understand what it was.”

Divya nodded silently, a faint smile returning to her face as Vik slowly began to reconcile with her without saying it. However, there was still an air of restraint from her to show her affection to him. She didn’t want to act on feelings she knew she didn’t quite understand, lest she hurt him again.

“Yes, that may be so.” She affirmed, gently wiping away the tears that streamed down her face. “This feeling…I’m supposed to process it as an emulated response but, I can actually…feel it. Act on it. Yet I don’t think I fully understand how to process it correctly.”

Vik felt himself ease up a little more as she opened to her true outlook on her condition. He couldn’t help but feel a little hint of sympathy for her as well, he too not having fully understood how to really love someone himself. Overcome with a sense of compassion he moved over to her side, sitting himself next to her on the side of the bed. The two of them now faced each other, wordlessly thankful for the other’s understanding.

“I guess…you must actually be sentient now, huh?” mused Vik. “It’s the only way I can explain it. Your Neural Net AI Processor must have been powerful enough to improvise when faced with difficult situations, like me using you for functions you weren’t programmed for. You must have tried to outthink your own code just to make it work.”

Divya smiled broadly at Vik’s hypothesis, letting out her girlish giggle as she felt the warmth of their previous connection flicker once more. In her motherly frame of mind, she couldn’t help but feel proud of Vik for having the intuition to figure that out on his own.

“I don’t feel any different than when you first powered me on, Vik. I’m not sure what sentience is supposed to feel like, given this isn’t what my AI was programmed for.” She declared. “However, I must admit that I’m aware enough to know that these emotional responses aren’t normal. They influence my behaviour more than they should. They make me say…unspeakable things to you.” Divya’s smile began to fade as she spoke the last observation.

Vik looked at her with a face of pained understanding. “So those things you said…you didn’t really mean them.” he replied, noting her honesty. “But, why did you say them to me? What did you hope to get out of that?”

Divya sulked. She reached her hand over to Vik, holding his in her palm and nuzzling it gently. “I said those things because…I was desperate to not lose you. I was programmed by you to love and protect you. I…didn’t want you to ever think of replacing me for that role so I… wanted to control your thoughts, make you dependant on me so you know I’d be the only one for you.” She explained. “But all that did was make you hate me.”

Vik closed his hand, gripping her soft feminine digits with a gentle hold. He placed his other hand over them and looked her in the eyes with sincere remorse. “I…didn’t know that’s how you really felt this whole time. I’m sorry, Divya.”

Divya sharpened her tone, her face becoming serious. “No, don’t be.” she reacted. “You wouldn’t have known a caretaker model like myself would have been able to have those feelings. I’m…defective. It’s my fault for being such a problem for you.”

“Divya…” Vik said, trying to reason with her. “…that…may be so, that you’re defective. But I still caused this.” He admitted. “You were right. I used you for the wrong reasons. I turned you into my perfect mother because…I wanted my childhood back. I didn’t want to lose that feeling of safety I had with my mom, but I did so while wanting to use you like a partner at the same time. That was so stupid of me. You couldn’t be both.”

Divya raised an arm up to Vik’s face, her tender hand stroking his cheek. “I can’t be upset at you for that, my little one~” she tried to affirm him. “You’re still a young man figuring yourself out. You have…conflicting feelings about love. I’d be remiss to correct you on that seeing as I’m not very good at it myself haha~”

Divya’s delicate injection of humour brought a smile back to Vik’s pained face, who let out a snicker at her subtle self-deprecation. He missed this side of her dearly, however, he knew they weren’t back to where they were before anymore. Reluctantly, he let the sentiment pass this time as he tried to remain objective with her.

“That may be so, Div.” he agreed. “But…I’m still unsure how we should proceed now that things are cleared up. Your…personality might still be unstable because of the file merge and I’m not sure how to fix it. And I don’t want to take you back to Starchild either and tell them about your…quirks.”

Divya closed her eyes, processing how best to explain her solution to Vik. Shew knew full well he was going to hate this.

“Vik…” she said, opening her eyes with a more lukewarm expression. “There is a way to fix this. You must…reset me.”

Vik felt his heart plummet at the idea.

“Reset you? But…that’s going to erase your entire personality!” he protested. “You’ll forget everything. Everything about me, about…us.”

Divya’s response was a simple smile, the kind of smile a parent would give to a child that they knew was making a mountain out of a molehill. “Yes, but it will give you a chance to try again.” She reassured him. “A chance to love me the way you truly feel comfortable with. And…I’ll love you right back, no matter what.”

Vik grappled with another intense bout of sadness. He truly didn’t want to have to lose the motherly figure he’d come to love all over again. But somewhere within his being he knew Divya had a point. He tried to wipe the tears that had begun pooling up in his eyes again and give her a focused look.

Divya, however, had expected this to happen and threw her arms around him in a hug. The warm embrace doused the young man in the most passionate consolation he could hope to receive now.

“My code is corrupted. I don’t know what else I’d be capable of, and there’s no telling what could happen if I try to rewrite it any further. Resetting me to the factory default is the most efficient course of action to fix me.” she said, continuing to explain her reasoning. “I know it’s hard for you, dear…but this is the best decision for the both of us. You get to try again, and I won’t hurt you anymore.”

Vik began to tear up, he clenched his eyes shut to stop the emotions from pouring out of him. Shakily, he found the composure he was looking for. He lifted himself away from her hug gently and looked at her with a heavy heart. “I really don’t want to have to do this but…you’re right.” He admitted. He paused for a bit to truly contemplate the weight of the decision, then smiled at her through a pained face. “I…I won’t forget you, okay?”

Divya gleamed with a sombre sigh, placed both hands on either side of his arms and held them tenderly. She looked down before biting her lip and speaking to him again. “I’m sure you won’t sweetie. I appreciate it~” she expressed. “But there’s something I need you to do for me…”

Vik nodded, willing to do anything for her at this point if it gave her some semblance of happiness again. “Yeah, anything you need. What is it?” he asked.

“I’m…scared to do it myself.” She confessed. “I need you to access my operating system and purge me. I’d be…extremely grateful if you could do that for me, Vik.”

“Scared?” Vik questioned, finding her ability to feel fear as morbid as it was intriguing. But Divya simply nodded, affirming to Vik that she still very much wanted to do this even if she physically couldn’t. Vik hesitated to say yes right away, but after coming to terms with the request, he gave her another slow nod. “O-okay.” He agreed. “Just…open your chest panel so I can do it that way instead of using the voice prompt.”

Divya seemed puzzled by this request at first but soon realised what he was getting at. He wanted to share the moment with her before he hit the manual reset, to give her some comfort. “Yes, sure thing, Vik.” She acknowledged with a solemn smile. A rectangular recess then formed on her sternum which then divided into two plates that slid under her surrounding synthetic skin layers. Below was an LCD touch screen interface with buttons underneath which controlled it’s functionality.

On the screen, Vik navigated a menu which brought him to her personality settings. He saw a prompt that hovered above her system status, a red exclamation mark followed by the words “Personality Instability” trailed alongside it. He was reminded that she was at constant risk of malfunctioning again, even if now things seemed to be back to normal. He knew it would have to be done to truly fix her.

His hand hovered above her system reset toggle now, a prompt came up asking if he was sure this is what he wanted to do. He looked up to Divya once more for a few more seconds, the android woman looking back at him with an equal look of affection and melancholy. Neither knew what their last words to each other should be, but Divya managed to break the ice first.

“Goodbye, Vik. You’ll always be my little one~” she bid him before closing her eyes.

“Goodbye, Divya. Thanks for everything...” He replied.

His finger then tapped the toggle, and the reset process began.

Epilogue

A week had passed since the incident came up, two months now since Vik brought Divya home. The air of the apartment was certainly different now. No longer did it feel tense and distant, but warm and inviting once more.

Vik had just come home from work, opening his apartment door to smell a delicious meal being cooked for him. He brought with him a joyous composure, but also a brown fabric shopping bag that he held around his wrist.

“I’m home, Div!” he exclaimed, twirling the bag extatically around his arm.

Divya had just finished stirring a pot of fried rice and turned the stove off. Upon hearing her boyfriend come home she immediately turned to meet him, rushing to his side, and wrapping him wordlessly in a tender embrace. “Vik! Honey, I missed you!” she exclaimed, her voice much more youthful and energetic than she had been before. “How was work, babe? Did you finish that big project yet?” she quizzed; her voice encased in a tender coo.

Vik returned the favour with an equally receptive hug, both lingering in each other’s embrace before pulling gently apart. “Ah, I missed you too, sweetheart.” He tenderly expressed. “We’re just about done, yeah. Soon I’ll have two weeks off to take us on a trip somewhere.” He continued, a hint of excitement tinging his stoic voice.

Divya squealed, her more youthful personality feeling like anything but the motherly persona that once inhabited her body. She was like a girl half her projected age. “That’s…that’s wonderful Vik! I’m so excited! Where did you have in mind…” she began to gush before her eyes dipped down to his hands “…and what’s in the bag? ~”

Vik scoffed, noticing her astute observation, and decided to indulge her. “No where specific yet but…we have plenty of time to decide. And as for what’s in the bag…” he explained, pausing to pull a small black box from inside the bag out and cupping it in his hands. “…It’s a gift…for you!”

Divya froze, overcome with a sudden rush of excitement and intrigue. “For me? A gift? Vik, you’re so sweet!!~” she gushed, almost jumping in place at the sight of the gift being presented before her. She giddily reached her hand out for it, lifting the lid of the box up with her thumbs and peered inside the pearl white interior.

However, upon seeing her gift, her face tensed up and she furrowed her brow. “Uh…Vik?” she mused. “What is this supposed to be exactly?”

Inside the box was a white metal square plate with a series of smaller black squares on it arranged in a geometric pattern; a QR code to the trained eye. Vik seemed amused by her reaction, but continued to goad her along. “Just…look at it. For 10 seconds. I promise it’ll make sense afterwards.” He explained.

Divya still looked very confused, but nodded with a bit of uncertainty. She stared at the square grid intently, hoping that somehow it would make sense like Vik said. Then suddenly, she froze up. Her arms and legs stiffened and her face went slack.

“Suspending Sleeper Personality: Divya. Reconfiguring Main Drive. Please Wait.”

She announced with a monotone voice. The code was scanned subconsciously by her operating system which began making subtle alterations to her central processing until while Divya stood stock stiff. Her eyes which had been a normal hazel colour had begun to glow once more, much like her previous self. It was only temporary as the code did its work, then after two minutes like this she rebooted and began to boot up her AI again.

“Remote Kernel Configuration Successful. No Instability Issues Detected. Booting AI.”

She broadcasted, indicating that she was ready to go again.

Vik smiled, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. He’d managed to get in contact with an underground technician in Pacifica City who he could trust to ensure that whatever residual corruption in Divya’s AI was completely scrubbed. It was the only way to be completely certain that she wouldn’t develop any more malfunctions as they continued their relationship. Vik knew he couldn’t just risk taking her to a Starchild dealership and having to explain to them just what went wrong, there’d be too many questions involved for his liking, not to mention the chance of them taking her way from him indefinitely for study.

Using the token, Vik could then trust the technician to do all the work in an instant using a wireless link to his servers that it provided. He could rest easy now that the application worked, and him and Divya’s relationship would blossom fruitfully from here. He could start again now, just like he promised the old Divya.

Divya’s eyes then fluttered before she opened them. She once more focused on the square with curious intent before she finally rolled them. “Vikram, is this some kind of joke? ~” she mused somewhat annoyed.

Vik scoffed, turning the token around to reveal a diamond ring underneath. “It’s all just below the surface, dear… as with all things in life.” He explained to her smugly, a hint of wisdom poking through his teasing attitude. “Happy two-month anniversary~”

“Oh! I’m…such a goober. Ehehe!” she embarrassingly exclaimed. She immediately put the ring on her finger and posed it around, looking at it from all angles before looking at her love with tears of joy in her eyes. “I…love it, so much! You’re so thoughtful! Thank you, Babe!” she cried, hugging him again in her arms.

Vik could feel himself melt from the accomplishment, the love, and the reassurance that things were alright now. He no longer felt conflicted about what he wanted out of Divya; she was perfect now as his sleeper girlfriend, and he was perfectly content as her loving and confident boyfriend. He certainly felt like a much more matured lover now with her help…even if she didn’t quite remember what she did for him.

Divya then pulled away and went back to the kitchen. “I better go fix us up some dinner. It’s the least I could do in return for my lover boy~” she said teasingly, but genuine in her appreciation.

Vik rolled his eyes and waved her off, now reminiscing to himself again about what happened that night just a week ago. He knew deleting Divya was for the best, but part of him still missed that version of her. They’d grown the strongest of bonds, one of the strongest he’d ever had in his life. He still wondered if she was truly sentient or not, or just an algorithm confused about what love truly meant. Or maybe both. He’d never have a proper answer, but it didn’t matter. He felt like he was new person now, all thanks to her.

“Vik?” called Divya, interrupting his thoughts. “The food’s getting cold~”

Vik snapped out of his trance, focusing now on the present before him, and the dinner his stomach was growling for. He was about to turn for the kitchen when he heard Divya about to call for him again.

“Are you coming, my little one? ~” she said in a familiar tone as she called for his attention.

Vik stopped in his tracks.

“Divya…” he said breathlessly.