New Neighbors

“Could be the power supply“, Jason mumbled as he peeked inside Nolan’s new computer.

“What do you mean?”, Nolan replied, not knowing much about computers. He only barely managed to assemble this new one by himself.

It’s been around three months since Nolan moved into Stepford, at Jason’s recommendation. Despite extremely affordable prices, Stepford was still somewhat of a hidden gem in the housing market, probably due to the many hoops one must jump through to obtain a residency permit there. But once one gained a permit, they would end up in one of the nicest cities on the continent. Nolan had to admit as much to Jason when asked if he enjoyed living in Stepford.

“Pretty sure that your power supply can’t handle your graphics card and processor. You’re getting dangerous surges, so the PC automatically turns itself off to stay safe”, Jason explained.

“Guess I’ll have to order myself a new power supply then”, Nolan replied, annoyed at the thought of having to spend more money.

“If you do, get one from Dyson. They’re of great quality and you can get them from the Dyson store downtown”, Jason recommended.

“Do I get a discount if I tell them that my friend who works there recommended me one?”, Nolan asked, referencing the fact that Jason works at Dyson as an engineer.

“Maybe if you visit when Kayla’s on shift”, Jason replied.

“I’ll keep that in mind”, Nolan said, heading to the fridge in the kitchen and returning to the living room with two beers. “You want one?”

“Sure”, Jason replied.

Nolan tossed Jason the beer, with the latter catching it in a swift motion. As they clinked bottles, Nolan noticed a moving van parking at the neighboring house’s driveway. He looked on as the movers quickly emptied the van, moving boxes and furniture into the house next door.

The house next door was recently purchased by the Morgan family, consisting of a husband and wife. Nolan had already met Trevor, the husband. He seemed friendly enough, even if Nolan thought that the guy was extremely monotonous.

“What’s up?”, Jason asked Nolan, who was still focused on the movers.

“Neighbors are moving in. Newlywed couple. Met the husband earlier today. Seems nice enough. His name’s Trevor”, Nolan replied.

“Oh, yeah, I know Trevor. He recently got hired at Dyson. He’s a good kid”, Jason remarked, “but really dull.”

“You know his wife at all?”, Nolan asked Jason.

“Haven’t met her yet”, Jason replied.

As the moving van finished unpacking and left the driveway, Nolan noticed that a fridge was still standing outside. He then spotted his new neighbor, Trevor, walking up the street towards Nolan’s house. Shortly after, the doorbell rang. Nolan answered the door, finding his new neighbor behind it.

“Trevor! What’s up?”, Nolan asked.

“Hi, Nolan, sorry to bother you, but could I ask for a favor?”, Trevor asked.

“Sure thing, what do you need?”, Nolan replied.

Trevor turned towards his driveway as he explained: “Do you see the fridge in the driveway? The moving company employees forgot to carry it inside. I’d do it myself, but it’s too heavy. I wanted to ask if you could help me carry it inside?”

“Oh. Yeah, sure, I can help. Jason’s here as well, he’ll help out, too”, Nolan said as he and Jason stepped outside.

“Great, thanks a lot”, Trevor flatly replied.

As the three men approached the fridge, Jason remarked: “That’s quite a Ferrari of a fridge you’ve got there.”

“Yeah… it’s pretty good”, Trevor replied, “now, let’s get it inside.”

“Jason, you’ve got the top, I’ve got the bottom. Trevor, make sure we don’t tip over”, Nolan replied as he and Jason tilted the fridge and lifted it inside.

“So, how do you two know each other?”, Trevor asked.

“Jason? He’s a friend…”, Nolan replied as he struggled to carry the fridge inside.

“We’ve known each other since elementary school…”, Jason added, with strain in his voice.

“I see… alright, put it over here”, Trevor said as the three arrived in the kitchen. As they put down the fridge, Nolan and Jason looked up to Trevor’s wife.

Her dark skin contrasted with her white t-shirt and panties. A pair of E-cup breasts pushed against her shirt, her nipples poking through the thin fabric. Her caramel-colored, curly hair fell perfectly around her beautiful, slightly freckled face. Nolan and Jason struggled to keep a straight face and maintain eye contact as she greeted them.

“My name is Venus. Nice to meet you”, Trevor’s wife finally spoke, reaching out for a handshake. Her voice was on the lower side, but soft and warm.

It took Nolan and Jason a few seconds to come up with a response.

“Likewise. I-I’m… uh… N-Nolan, this is my friend, Jason”, Nolan managed to stutter as he and Jason shook her hand. A faint smile formed on Venus’s plump, kissable lips before she looked down at herself.

“Oh, my… I’m a bit under-dressed… I’m sorry, I didn’t expect any visitors today. I’ll change right away”, Venus said as she elegantly turned around and headed upstairs for the couple’s bedroom. Nolan and Jason watched as she walked up the stairs, her large derriere shaking with every step.

“Thanks, you two. Would you like a beer?” Trevor asked them, seemingly not noticing Nolan and Jason staring at his wife, or not caring.

“Uh, sure”, Nolan replied.

“Yeah, I’ll take one”, Jason agreed.

“Alright. I’ll be right back”, Trevor replied as he left the two friends alone. As Trevor left, Nolan and Jason looked at each other, both smirking and with raised eyebrows.

“Woah”, Nolan said, as he nodded with an expression of approval.

“Yeah”, Jason agreed.

“Jesus, how did Trevor manage to get a beauty like her?”, Nolan asked. It’s not that Trevor was unattractive himself; he was just extremely average-looking. He looked like the kind of person you cross on the street every single day without noticing, uninteresting. “Of course, her fucking name’s Venus, too.”

“Seems a little too on the nose, doesn’t it…”, Jason replied, pondering. Nolan noticed that Jason had gone quiet.

“…Jason?”, he said, trying to pull his friend out of his thoughts.

“…Huh? Never mind”, Jason hastily replied.

Before Nolan could question him further, Trevor returned with three beers, handing one to each of the three. They clinked bottles, celebrating the Morgans’ new home. Eventually, Venus returned. Nolan and Jason eagerly watched as she walked down the stairs, now wearing a pair of green yoga pants that excellently complimented her figure.

“Would you two like to stay for dinner? We’ll just be ordering takeout tonight, but I’m sure that we’ll have a good time”, Venus asked as she tilted her head slightly.

“Thanks, but I’ve already got plans for tonight with some friends”, Jason hastily replied, coming up with any excuse to spare himself an awkward dinner with the Morgans.

“Yeah, I… I’m invited to my… niece’s… bar mitzvah…?”, Nolan replied, with less finesse.

“Oh, no problem, some other time then”, Venus replied, accepting their excuses without any afterthought.

After Nolan and Jason left the Morgans’, they headed back to Nolan’s place.

“Your niece’s bar mitzvah?”, Jason laughed.

“Dude, looking at her makes me fumble hard”, Nolan replied, chuckling.

On a lazy Saturday a few weeks later, Nolan was busy making breakfast as he gazed out of his window.

The way the Morgans’ house was built, made it so the tall living room window on the side of the building directly faced Nolan’s kitchen window, which usually gave him a good view of their living room TV. Today, however, the view inside was obstructed by a pair of curtains. As Nolan stood in front of the window, making himself a cup of coffee, he noticed the curtains on the Morgans’ window moving. As they opened, Nolan’s eyes widened. There in the window stood Venus, completely naked, save for a white robe that loosely hung around her shoulders. The way she stood at the window, still holding the curtains, allowed Nolan to get a complete view of her voluptuous form. The warm morning sun fell onto her in a perfect angle, highlighting her best features.

Venus.

Nolan’s first reaction was to duck out of the way. A few seconds later, he peeked out of the window, to check if the coast was clear. That’s when he noticed that Venus still stood there, in the same exact pose, unmoving. Despite wanting to get a better look at her, in respect of Venus’s privacy, Nolan instead closed his blinds and went on to eat his breakfast.

After finishing breakfast, Nolan opened his blinds again, expecting Venus to have left her window by now. To his surprise, she was still standing in the exact same spot, not having moved an inch. Nolan was now staring directly into her eyes, but still, she didn’t move. He moved his head around to see if she’d follow his gaze. No. He waved his hands around like an idiot. Nothing. He opened the window and asked her if she was okay. No response.

“What the hell…?”, Nolan mumbled to himself as he pulled out his phone and pointed it at Venus, beginning to record her. He left his phone on the kitchen counter until he eventually noticed that Venus had left the window.

As he reviewed the footage, he found that Venus stood at the exact same spot for another 20 minutes, before stiffly turning around and leaving. He scratched his head as he looked at the time. It was 9 o’clock.

Nolan was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard the sound of a lawnmower starting up. He peeked out of his kitchen window to find Trevor mowing his front lawn. “Weird”, Nolan thought, “the lawn is fine as it is. What’s he mowing it for?” He eventually left the window, writing the whole thing off as the Morgans just being a bit weird.

Nolan started getting concerned when the following Saturday, the Morgans did the exact same routine again.

And then the next Saturday.

And the next.

And the next.

Nolan even secretly started filming Trevor’s mowing patterns for comparison, only to find that he mowed the lawn in the exact same pattern every week, starting at 09:00 until 09:30. Venus’s routine of standing there occurred from 08:30 until 09:00, every day.

For most people who live in the area, the Morgans’ deal would be obvious fairly quickly: They’re Stepford androids. Extremely hard to distinguish from real humans, but their behavioral patterns are a dead giveaway.

Unfortunately for Nolan, he isn’t most people. He somehow managed to gain residency in the android capital of the world while clueless about there being any androids in it. To be fair, most people outside of Stepford don’t actually know that the Stepford’s population is mostly robotic; but people that visit frequently, let alone apply for citizenship there, usually do.

So there Nolan was, scratching his head, pondering as to why his neighbors were acting so strange. He’d get his answer a few days later: As Nolan was working on a fault in his car, he noticed that he was missing his spanner. After he couldn’t find it, he headed over to the Morgans to ask if they could lend him a spare one.

As he approached their front door and knocked, the door slowly swung open; it was neither locked nor closed properly. Nolan raised an eyebrow as he called out: “Hello? Trevor? Venus? I need to borrow something. You there?”

No response from inside. Nolan pondered whether he should just close the door and try again later, but curiosity about the Morgans’ behavior drew him inside. Once inside, he first had a look around the living room, in which he could hear distant chatter. As he stepped into the living room, he found that the TV was on; the remote was neatly arranged on the coffee table. He let his hand glide over the white leather couch; it was completely spotless. It looked like it was still on display in the IKEA they probably got it from. Nolan decided to test out the couch as he looked around.

Ouch. Hard leather. Very uncomfortable. The walls were as white as the couch and coffee table. There was only one picture on the wall, one of the Morgans’, smiling into the camera on a generic background. Nolan eventually stood up and explored further. He had already seen the kitchen, back when he and Jason helped Trevor with his fridge. White kitchen appliances on a black stone floor. Boring.

What Nolan found more interesting were the upstairs bedrooms. As he headed upstairs, he found a corridor that connected two rooms. He decided to check out the one on the left first, which he found was the Morgans’ bedroom.

What he found inside he didn’t expect. There was no bed to be seen, just a large closet and a dressing table. In place of a bed, there were two strange black rectangular devices on the floor, connected to the wall outlet via cables. Further inspection of the devices didn’t help Nolan with identification. He used his phone to take a picture of both of them for later research.

He peeked into their closet: It was huge. Despite the extensive assortment of clothes, there was still enough space for a whole person to fit in there. Nolan was impressed at how neatly the clothes were arranged: day clothes, evening clothes, seasonal clothes, home clothes, shoes and lingerie. All labelled. Hell, they even had dates on them.

Nolan was interrupted in his investigation by the sounds of footsteps heading upstairs.

“Shit”, he whispered as he looked around the room for a place to hide. He finally remembered the closet and scrambled inside, hoping it wouldn’t break under his weight. Once in position, he opened a tiny crack in the closet door to see the outside. He only hoped that this white fur coat he was hiding behind would cover him up enough in case somebody decided to peek into the closet.

As he looked into the room, Nolan found Trevor and Venus heading inside. They stiffly entered the room, locking the door behind them. Trevor looked down at himself as Venus gazed around the room.

Her gaze abruptly stopped at the closet. Knowingly or not, she was staring directly into Nolan’s eye as he was peeking through the crack in the closet door. Nolan almost crapped himself as she kept her eyes on the closet uninterrupted for almost ten seconds, unblinking, unmoving, before turning away. Nolan let out a faint sigh of relief as he continued watching the Morgans.

They both turned forward in unison as they… began undressing themselves. Nolan furrowed his eyebrows as he watched the two neatly undress and pile their clothes on the dressing table. Once they were completely naked, without looking down, they both stepped onto one of the strange rectangular devices. Said devices let out a loud beeping noise, before mechanical rods began extending out of both of them. The rods slowly extended upwards, until one reached Venus’s folds, smoothly gliding into them. Nolan could only guess where the other rod penetrated Trevor.

The same time that the rods finished their extensions, a loud beep emerged from both Morgans as they began twitching slightly. Nolan then noticed that his neighbors’ eyes were beginning to glow white. And, just like that, Venus and Trevor remained in said position, legs apart, rods inside them, standing perfectly still, not moving a muscle.

It took Nolan five minutes to gather enough courage to start moving out of the closet. His neighbors were in ‘standby-mode’ while directly facing Nolan’s hiding spot. Luckily for him, they didn’t seem to react to movements while in this state. After crawling out of the closet, Nolan decided to inspect them. It was only here that Nolan began suspecting that his neighbors might be robots. Might. He also started wondering whether Jason was involved at all, since he worked at Dyson.

He stepped around the nude pair a few times, trying to figure out how the rod-mechanism worked. He came to the conclusion that the two devices on the floor must be charging / updating devices (yeah, he’s got a big brain, if you couldn’t tell).

Up close, Venus was even more beautiful than from afar. Nolan was fantasizing about dozens of scenarios as he inspected the standby beauty in front of him, but he managed to compose himself, in fear of Venus reactivating. He instead gently let his hand glide over her silky, smooth skin, down to her folds. Nolan was impressed at how realistic she felt. Her pussy was still slightly wet with lubricant, used to insert the charging rod. He gave her a soft kiss on her cheek before moving onto her robotic husband.

Inspecting Trevor, he noticed that, besides the one on his head, his body was completely devoid of any hair. While both were very hard to distinguish as robots, Venus was more realistic; her skin was smoother, warmer and overall felt more like human skin. Her ‘husband’ felt more like a silicone doll. Out of curiosity, Nolan also touched Trevor’s member, being surprised at how quickly it became erect, after only a few gentle touches. It let out a slight whirring sound as it rose. Exactly ten seconds after Nolan stopped touching it, Trevor’s member automatically turned flaccid again, whirring softly once more as it returned to its original position.

“Seems like female robots are the focus around here”, Nolan thought.

He chuckled as he played around some more with his robotic neighbors. Touching, booping and groping them. Before leaving, he again took video evidence of his finds. He’d show the footage to Jason later. He then returned home, but not before setting up a small experiment: He took the pair’s underwear with him, to see if they noticed or if they were just going to walk around without it all day.

Later that evening, Nolan heard a knock on his door. Answering it, he was surprised to find Jason, Trevor and Venus waiting behind the door.

“Nolan, we gotta talk”, Jason said without any greeting, in a grim tone.

“Sure”, Nolan replied, inviting the three inside. As they headed for the dinner table, he noticed that the Morgans’ eyes were still glowing white. Clearly, they weren’t 'themselves' yet.

As Nolan watched the Morgans sit down, he noticed that Venus was not wearing any panties under her short skirt, causing him to chuckle slightly. At the dinner table, Nolan’s robotic neighbors sat perfectly still and stared into nothingness as Jason faced Nolan with a grim expression. A long, awkward pause ensued.

Suddenly, Jason burst out laughing.

“The are hell you laughing at?”, Nolan asked.

“You should’ve seen me watching you inspect the Morgans! I was sweating and praying you wouldn’t whip out your dick!”, Jason exclaimed, slapping himself on the knee.

“Wait… so you ARE involved!”, Nolan replied, triumphantly.

“Of course I am, dumbass”, Jason replied, still cackling.

“So, wait, what’s with all the secrecy?” Nolan replied.

“Whole thing’s a test to see how long it’d take the average person to find out that their neighbors are androids; I was assigned to supervise the Morgans’ progress, while also making sure you don’t break them, or anything”, Jason explained, “We were also testing new subroutines that should help Dyson bots with blending into human society better. They work like templates that you can copy and paste onto a large group of units.”

“…So, you were spying on me?” Nolan replied.

“No… I only ever monitored you if you were at the Morgans’ house”, Jason said.

“Huh… Man, you should probably work on those ‘subroutines’ some more”, Nolan mentioned, laughing.

Jason raised an eyebrow. “You saw anything unusual?”

“Jason, I don’t think that Venus standing still at her window for thirty minutes every day is a very human thing to do”, Nolan replied.

“Standing in the window… oh! Dang it, I thought I’d set that subroutine to three minutes! Yeah, that’s my bad. It’s the ‘sulk in the sun’ subroutine, only made for a short duration, but I must’ve fat-fingered it”, Jason explained.

“You should probably also crack down on how many times Trevor mows the lawn, he’s usually not mowing anything, and he also keeps mowing in the same pattern”, Nolan said.

“Right, right… I think we should just stick to the old subroutines for now…”, Jason replied.

“…So, was that why you invited me to Stepford? Just so you guys could test me?”

“Well, you were already house-hunting, so I figured I’d invite you here. Also, your tests don’t go unrewarded”, Jason said.

“Do I get to bang Venus?”

“What? No!”, Jason replied, “You get something way better…”

A few weeks later, Nolan was eating breakfast, when his new cutting-edge Dyson housekeeper accidently bumped into him.

“Oh, pardon me, Monsieur”, it spoke in a French accent, letting out a small beep as it moved around Nolan.

“Don’t worry about it, love”, Nolan replied.

He chuckled as he let it pass, watching the small, rectangular robot glide over the dusty and dirty floor, leaving a squeaky- clean surface and the smell of lavender in its wake. Nolan laughed: “Wonder if Venus can do that.”