The Expo
The Expo
"This is a disaster."
Jane Winters watched as her boss, CEO Roger Morrow of Raven Companion Robotics, buried his face in his hands. "How could the software team fuck up this badly?" he moaned.
"It was a tough deadline to begin with." Jane explained. "And then there was that unexpected data loss, and then those few days the whole team was laid up with food poisoning..."
Roger groaned. He too had been struck by that tainted catered chicken at the office holiday party. "So our new flagship android is going to be one of the headline attractions at the big Robotics Expo this weekend, and we don't even have an artificial intelligence that can run on the new hardware. It's just going to be a useless mannequin!"
"At least the body is complete. That's... something." Her attempt at delivering good news was so lame, Jane instantly regretted saying it.
The two sat there, in miserable silence, for seconds that felt like hours. Suddenly Roger perked up. "We can use Vanessa!" Jane arched an eyebrow. "Who's Vanessa?" "She's a virtualized employee in finance. We can put her in the prototype, right?" Jane nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, it's compatible with a VI matrix." Roger was getting excited. "This can work. We can salvage this. Here's what we're going to do..."
2____
Vanessa reclined in her beach chair on fine white sand, enjoying the warm sun on her skin. Her beloved collie, Max, played on the shore, dancing in and out of the surf and sniffing at seashells. She heard the blip of an incoming message, and glanced up to see a window appear in her vision: an incoming video console request. She replied with a thought:
VANESSA> Just a moment.
Vanessa sighed, and got up out of her chair. This had been her lunch break. She never needed to eat lunch, of course, but as an employee of Raven Companion Robotics she was entitled to the break anyway. With a thought, she froze the virtual reality beach. The waves paused, and Max was frozen in the air, mid-frolic. A door materialized on the beach near her, and she opened it. As she stepped through, her bikini was replaced with a sharp professional dress suit. Beyond the door was her well-appointed virtual reality office, with screens hovering in the air, a tidy desk with a fancy webcam, and a framed picture of Max. She accepted the call, and a new virtual screen appeared in front of her, with the image of an unfamiliar woman.
Jane had gone down to the Finance department, and settled herself at the video kiosk that was, in a sense, Vanessa's desk. Sure, Jane could have called her from anywhere, but this was the closest equivalent of going to an actual face-to-face meeting with Vanessa, a virtualized intelligence. Unlike AIs, Vanessa was a digitized human mind. A rarity in this day and age, an emerging technology only available to very few people. Vanessa resided on a computer somewhere in the building's server room, but Vanessa still had a desk here in Finance where people could talk to her directly via a monitor and webcam. Vanessa's realistic 3-d rendered face appeared on the screen, backed by what looked like a personal office.
"Hello, Vanessa? I'm Jane from Marketing, I don't think we've met." "Hello, Jane. What can I do for you?" "As you may have heard, the new Jenny model is making its debut at the Robotics Expo in Las Vegas this weekend." Vanessa hadn't heard. She knew that the company was releasing a new Jenny model companion android at some point in the near future, but she paid little attention to the fine details of what R&D and Marketing were doing. "Sure," she said, unsure. "There's a problem with the artificial intelligence. It's not ready yet. The new Jenny won't be able to function at the Expo." "That sounds like a serious problem." Vanessa said, still not understanding why Jane was telling her this. "The new Jenny is also compatible with VI matrices."
Suddenly it all made sense. "Oh." said Vanessa, in a neutral tone unrepresentative of her swirling thoughts. Jane spoke the conclusion Vanessa was already thinking: "We were wondering if you would be willing to be the Jenny's intelligence. Just for the Expo, three days total." So they want to stick me in the robot body. "This isn't really part of my job description. I do spreadsheets. I work better in cyberspace, not..." she was about to say meat space, but caught herself, "...physical space." "Mister Morrow will be granting you double overtime pay for every hour you're in the Jenny, day and night." Vanessa's artificially rendered eyes bulged. She'd be making a solid month's worth of money in a single weekend. Despite her reservations, she didn't need any more convincing. "Okay, when do we start?" "Tomorrow morning at 9 am. I'll have the robotics team contact you with the technical details."
3____
The following morning, Vanessa was petting Max in one of her virtual homes, this one a replica of a penthouse suite overlooking Denver. She had once lived in that city, though never in such a nice apartment. The snowcaps of the Rockies in the west caught the morning sun, clearly visible through the crisp, thin, simulated air. She had dressed herself in a combat pilot's flight suit to get herself pumped up. "Be a good boy, Max. I won't be gone long." As if on cue, the door to her apartment began to glow a soft green. The prototype Jenny had been connected to the network. Max sat obediently as Vanessa opened the door, and stepped into a physical body for the first time in years.
Vanessa opened her eyes. The robotics lab came in to sharp focus. "Nice eyes," she thought, and glanced to the left. Her vision shot to the right, not the left. "Huh?" She tried to look left, but her vision was all the way to the right. She tried to look right, and her vision darted left. "Reverse X-axis on eyes," She said. "Just a sec." said a technician behind her. Vanessa felt a mild twitch. "How about now?" Vanessa looked around. "Better." She turned her head slowly. Jane was there, and several technicians, one of whom was unplugging the network cable from her left hip. She looked down. She was seated in a large, soft chair, dressed in a simple tank top and shorts. Her bust was considerably larger and perkier than anything her former body had ever possessed. She held her hands up to her face. They looked soft and delicate, with perfectly symmetrical fingernails at the tips of slender fingers. She looked closer. They even have artificial fingerprints. "Enjoying it?" Jane asked, moving in closer. "It's certainly good hardware," Vanessa replied, dodging the question and examining her arms. She tested her sense of touch by poking and gently scratching her palms with her fingernails. "Better than any robot body I've been in before." She cupped her breasts through her shirt.
Jane smiled. "Jenny, stand up." Vanessa stood up, involuntarily. "WHAT THE FUCK!" she screeched. The lead technician raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Relax, relax, it's just the control software." "I know what it is!" Vanessa's voice was rising in pitch. "Turn it off! Now!" "It's completely integrated into the system. It can't just be turned off." The technician said, apologetically. Jane, meanwhile, had taken a step back and had her phone to her ear, making a call. She stared into the middle distance, giving no indication that she was listening to Vanessa at all. Vanessa was getting more agitated. "I won't be a slave or a puppet. The deal is off. Get me out of this body now!" The technician sputtered, looking back and forth between Jane and Vanessa. Jane turned to Vanessa, phone still to her ear. "Mister Morrow is willing to raise your compensation to quadruple overtime." It was Vanessa's turn to sputter. "This... is so... dehumanizing..." "Plus a considerable bonus, based on your performance at the Expo," Jane added, "ten percent of your annual, plus or minus."
The offer hung in the air for a few tense moments. Vanessa exhaled with a resigned sigh. "Fine. Let's just get this over with." "Confirmed." Jane told her boss over the phone before hanging up. She admired the way Vanessa was staring daggers at her. This model's range of facial expressions is really quite impressive.
The next hour involved a series of motion and sensory tests, verifying that Vanessa could operate the robotic body properly. While the technicians did all the testing, Jane just watched quietly, sitting in a nearby office chair, with a light, satisfied, calm smile. Vanessa, for her part, had calmed down and cooperated with the technicians who had explained to her that Jane was now her "owner" for the control software's purposes. The software was set to respond to "Jenny", not "Vanessa". Vanessa wondered why Jane had felt the need to use it earlier. A test? A joke? Some kind of power move, a display of dominance? She occasionally glanced casually in Jane's direction. The woman's smile never drifted a millimeter out of position. Yup, definitely a sociopath, Vanessa thought. And I'll be under her total control for three whole days. This had better be worth it.
4____
Vanessa and Jane sat, facing each other, in the back of a black stretch limousine, on their way to the convention in Las Vegas. The vehicle's air conditioning struggled mightily against the blistering heat of the southern Nevada desert in the late afternoon. Before departing, Vanessa had changed into a fitted red dress, issued by the company, with a plunging neckline and a slit that showed a lot of leg. She was given nothing else. No underwear, not even a thong. Jane and the technicians had at least shown the decency of letting her change in private. At first, Vanessa had been embarrassed to wear the outfit, but upon looking in a mirror, she had to admit, she looked damn good. A precision designed outfit on a precision engineered body.
Across from Vanessa, Jane sat wearing a new outfit of her own. A very professional black-and-white skirt suit combination with a matching handbag. It fit Jane almost as perfectly as Vanessa's dress fit herself. Almost.
They had spent much of the limo ride going over what they would be doing at the Expo itself. Beginning Friday afternoon, it would last into the evening, then all day Saturday and most of the day Sunday. Jane would be getting only a few hours of sleep the next two nights. "Serves that bitch right," part of Vanessa had thought. But her heart wasn't in it. Jane hadn't exercised the control programming once since that initial "stand up" command. Maybe she had been unfair to resent the woman as much as she did. Jane had negotiated the pay increase from Mr. Morrow, after all.
"May I ask you a personal question?" Jane asked. "No." Vanessa thought. "Sure." Vanessa said. "Despite your obvious reservations, you were persuaded to help us by the offer of money. Why?" "I'm not sure I understand the question. Why what?" "Why do you want money? What would you spend it on? You don't eat, drink, or pay rent. You don't need to maintain a home or drive a car. You're a computer prog-" Jane stopped herself when Vanessa shot her a glare that could have turned a lesser mortal to stone. "...you're a virtualized intelligence." Jane corrected. "I was just curious, you don't need to answer if you don't want to."
Vanessa softened her expression, and gazed lazily out the window at the passing expanse of dust and rock. "I help my family with stuff." "You have family?" "Well, not a husband and kids. But I help my brother pay his bills, and I'm putting my niece through college." "And they're... human?" Jane asked, with all the uncertainty of a senior citizen asking a teenager what the latest slang meant. "Of course. You know I used to be human, right? That's what makes me different from AI." "Right. I guess that brings me to another question. You seemed reluctant to have a body. I thought you would jump at the chance to have a body again."
Now Jane was getting too personal. "I have my reasons." Vanessa said, still looking out the window. "What could those reasons be?" This dumb bitch wasn't getting the hint! A dozen thorny, nasty responses and denunciations sprang into her head. But no, she wouldn't lose her cool. Vanessa took a steadying breath. "I had a really hard time with my original body. Not many good memories. Lots of pain. And the day I was free of that was the best damn day of my life. Okay?" Jane gave a slow nod, deep enough that it may have actually been a little bow. They rode in silence until they reached the city.
5____
For Vanessa, the first event of the Expo was the act of getting out of the limousine itself. A red carpet event, where the hottest new models made their debut as if they were arriving at the Oscars. Not just any robots were participating in this part of the show, only the most anticipated, featured models of the Robotics Expo were making this walk. Her limousine had waited in a line of other, similar limos each disgorging their expensive cargo until at last, it pulled up to the curb in front of the east entrance. As the sharply dressed chauffeur walked around the car to get the door, Vanessa looked out the tinted window, and saw a sea of photographers held at bay by velvet ropes.
The door opened, and the lights and sound hit her all at once. "Making its debut this year, Raven Companion Robotics' Jenny model six!" a cheerful woman's voice announced over loudspeakers. "Smile, Jenny!" she heard Jane say behind her, and Vanessa emerged from the limo with a smile whiter than a glass of milk in a snowstorm. She didn't resent the use of the control program to make her smile. She had completely forgotten to, and it's not like Jane could call her anything but "Jenny" in this environment. The M.C. continued, as Vanessa walked down the carpet: "The latest iteration of the bestselling Jenny series features the very latest in materials science and artificial intelligence, to give you a personal companionship experience like no other!" Vanessa gave a gentle wave to the gaggle of photographers as she approached a discreetly marked 'X' on the carpet. Jane followed several paces behind her.
When Vanessa reached the 'X', she stopped and struck The Pose. It wasn't much, and she had rehearsed it in front of the mirror back at the lab. She turned to face the press corps, and stuck her hip out to one side, still smiling. Her shapely leg became even more exposed from the slit of her now-shifted dress. She rolled her shoulders back a little, emphasizing the fullness of her bust. The Pose was simple, but effective. It was no doubt the carefully curated product of market researchers, focus groups, statistical models, and fashion experts. The photographers responded with a renewed fusillade of camera flashes, as well as some shouted comments. "Looking great, Jenny!" "Turn your head this way!" "Show us your tits!"
Vanessa would hold The Pose for 5.2 seconds, timed with millisecond precision, before elegantly turning and continuing down the carpet. But when the appointed time came... nothing happened. Vanessa stood, frozen in The Pose. "Stupid body, MOVE!" she screamed internally, but the Jenny remained locked in a mannequin-like state. Jane approached from behind and spoke into Vanessa's ear. "Time to go, Jenny." "Something's wrong. I can't move." Vanessa said, through her immaculate teeth.
The M.C.'s voice rang out. "Stepping onto the carpet, meet Alice! Dextron's latest personal assistant is the ultimate in-home caretaker, ideal for senior citizens, the disabled, and anyone who needs a helping hand." Vanessa knew the next robot was walking down the carpet. She needed to get out of the way, or risk making an embarrassing scene. Jane shared the same urgency. "Jenny, system restart," she spoke quietly and tersely.
Vanessa felt her systems powering up. She hadn't remembered the act of shutting down, she never did. It was disconcerting, and one of the reasons she didn't like being in a robotic body. In cyberspace, she didn't need to be restricted to a single machine. If the computer that housed her mind needed to be rebooted, she could just upload into another machine temporarily. Permanent uptime. Being turned off and on would never not be weird. Vanessa blinked, then turned her head. She could move! She pivoted into her rehearsed turn, and strode down the carpet, projecting a confidence she definitely didn't feel.
6____
The robots and their respective handlers who had walked the red carpet were guided into the Ready Room, an open space where last-minute adjustments could be made before entering the main Convention Center floor. Vanessa watched as people tugged at outfits, plugged in diagnostics consoles, and opened maintenance panels on a variety of robots, every one a prototype of some kind or another. Vanessa, as a Jenny personal companion model, was one of the few that could pass as a human. Alice, the caretaker robot who had followed her, had a generally human shape, but with a smooth spherical head, and soft strong-looking plastic arms that could probably carry a 500-pound man. Vanessa stood still as a Raven Companion Robotics technician was tapping away on a tablet, connected to the nape of Vanessa's neck by a data cable. The tech was a woman whose name Vanessa hadn't caught, but had a cute face and bright, intelligent eyes. She had been back in the lab too, although they hadn't spoken directly.
"We can't have her malfunctioning like that." Jane was clearly agitated. "We have a high expectation of quality. People are afraid to get intimate with glitchy artificial intelligences." Vanessa was on the brink of loudly and angrily reminding Jane that she was NOT an artificial intelligence, but the technician spoke up first. "It's not the fault of the intelligence, ma'am. It was hardware. The Jenny body glitched out. I'm trying to figure out why." She maintained a professional calm. Jane sniffed and looked at her phone. "NuTech's construction android leaked lubricant all over the red carpet. People will be talking about that blunder, and nobody will remember that Jenny needed to be rebooted in front of the press." She looked at Vanessa. "A minor hiccup, fortunately not a complete debacle." Vanessa bristled. It hadn't been her fault, but Jane was still acting like Vanessa had screwed up somehow. Remember the paycheck. Remember the paycheck. Keep cool.
A few quiet seconds later, the tech spoke up. "It's the optics. There was an overload that came from Jenny's eyes, and it caused a fault." "Camera flashes," Vanessa said. "Lots of them." "Well that's not good." Jane frowned. "This is a big expo. There are going to be lots of cameras." "I can patch the issue," the tech said. "I'll just need to edit the..." Jane cut her off with a dismissive wave. "Spare me the details, just do it. How long will it take?" "Twenty minutes, ma'am." Jane nodded and stepped away, dialing on her phone and raising it to her ear as she walked. Vanessa stood in place as the technician tapped away on her tablet.
"I didn't get your name earlier..." Vanessa said to the technician. "It's Erin." "Erin, it's nice to meet you." "Same. And... I'm sorry I called you 'the intelligence' earlier. I know you're a VI, with a name. Vanessa, right?" "That's right, though you should probably call me Jenny while we're here." Erin smiled, and Vanessa thought she felt her heart flutter. What a pretty smile. Erin tapped on her tablet some more. "Well, um, Jenny, I'm going to need to give myself admin access to your systems so I can fix the glitch." Oh great, now a second person gets control over me, Vanessa thought. But on reflection, she didn't really mind this one. "Go for it."
Erin and Vanessa exchanged small talk as Erin worked. Erin had graduated from a prestigious tech school four years ago, and this was her second job since then. She had just moved into her own place, which she described as "a million dollar broom closet, because Los Angeles is Los Angeles." Vanessa explained that she had been virtualized nine years ago at the age of 20, one of the first thousand or so people to undergo the procedure. She had owned and used several robotic bodies over the years, but more and more she found herself preferring to exist in cyberspace and not bother with having a body at all. She still kept a basic robot body in storage, but she hadn't used it in several years and was thinking about selling it. Her beloved simulated dog Max was based on a real collie her aunt had owned, and he held a special place in her heart.
Erin continued tapping on her tablet, then: "I'm going to need to reboot you. Is that okay?" Vanessa blinked. In the years since she had been virtualized, it might have been the first time a technician had asked her if it was okay to reboot her. Typically they just did it without saying anything, with all the casual energy of flipping a light switch. "Um, yeah. You can reboot me whenever you want." Vanessa stammered. God, that came out awkwardly.
After Vanessa powered back up, Erin continued toiling on her tablet. Vanessa couldn't feel the changes the technician was making to her body's firmware, but she knew how important it was. So she just stood there, playing the role of a submissive robot undergoing maintenance. Erin glanced off in Jane's direction. The marketing executive was still talking on her phone, out of easy earshot. Erin looked back at Vanessa, and spoke in a quiet, conspiratorial tone: "Is it just me, or is Jane kind of an asshole?" "HA!" Vanessa's expression of mirth was loud and sudden enough to draw some glances. "Oh yeah she is."
7____
The Raven Companion Robotics space on the main Convention Center floor was one of the larger displays in a high visibility area. Their zone was bounded by velvet ropes in front, and framed by marketing displays behind. The displays scrolled through images of Jenny. Jennys of various skin tones and hairstyles, Jennys wearing a plethora of different dresses, swimsuits, and lingerie. All different, but all unmistakably Jenny. Vanessa stood front and center, still wearing the red dress, smiling. She reflected on how difficult it would be for a human to smile this much for this long, but her mechanical face was clearly up to the challenge. Jane and two other marketing people handed out promotional materials and answered questions for the expo's patrons crowded around the periphery of their space. One particular person among the nearby convention-goers drew Vanessa's notice. He wore a bright green shirt and cargo shorts, and sported a bleached-blond spiked hairdo that fairly screamed 'I AM THE CENTER OF ATTENTION'. He held a smartphone at arm's length, capturing selfie-video with the Jenny displays behind him.
"Yo, this is Tech Hawk, coming to you live from the robotics expo in Vegas." He said to his phone-camera. "The new Jenny is on display, and she's looking fine." Vanessa had never heard of this guy, but he clearly fancied himself some kind of social media influencer. Whether he had ten followers or ten thousand, she couldn't guess. Still, she proffered a simple wave in his direction. Jane appeared next to him. Her movement had been so subtle yet so brisk, it was as if she had manifested out of thin air. "We are proud to debut the Jenny Model Six here today," Jane said, partly to Tech Hawk, and partly to his live web audience. "She is the latest and greatest of Raven's renowned personal companion androids." It was a mini-pitch Jane had been reciting with such repetition and regularity, the woman might as well have been a robot herself. "Can I have an interview with Jenny?" Tech Hawk asked. Jane didn't flinch. "Maybe just a question or two. You aren't in our schedule, and you can refer to our press releases." She turned to Vanessa. "Jenny, come here please."
The obedience programming kicked in, and Vanessa walked over feeling like a dog on a pulled leash. Remember the paycheck. She smiled beatifically at Tech Hawk. "Jenny, you're looking hot." Tech Hawk said, his eyes clearly fixated on her cleavage. "What makes you better than the Jenny Model Five?" Vanessa had memorized the marketing materials, and launched into the standard spiel. "Well there's just so much. Improved processing power, a revolutionary personality matrix, and the most realistic body entering the market this year. She struck The Pose, and admired herself on Tech Hawk's phone screen. It really is a great look. "What's your favorite sex position?" That... was not in the marketing materials. Time to improvise. Think like a sex bot. "Whatever gets you hard the fastest," Vanessa said with a lusty, breathy voice. She extended her hand and touched a single finger to his chin, "and keeps you hard the longest." It was, of course, an appeal to the basest sex fantasies: putting the user's pleasure first. That's what personal companion bots are for. Tech Hawk, for his part, seemed satisfied with the completely question-dodging response. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but Jane interjected with lightning speed. "Thank you, Jenny. You can find more at Raven Robotics dot com. Jenny Model Six will be available to the public next season, watch our press releases." Jane said in a tone that conveyed cheerful marketing, and an undertone that made it clear that this was the end of the conversation. Jane and Vanessa stepped back from the velvet rope, and Vanessa resumed her default position, smiling and sometimes waving to the public.
"You handled that well." Jane said, before rejoining the other marketers and handing out swag. Vanessa was bemused. As I live and breathe, I think that woman just paid me an actual compliment.
8____
At 9 pm, the expo closed for the day. The crowds dwindled, and disappeared. It would resume tomorrow, but for now the noisy bustle had been replaced by serene quiet. Staff and technicians spoke in conversational tones, no longer needing to raise their voices over the din. Janitors, both human and robotic, cleaned floors and emptied trash bins. Vanessa had plugged into a wall outlet to recharge, and Erin was running more diagnostics. Jane looked up from her phone to address Vanessa. "In half an hour, we'll be going upstairs to the private presentation." "I remember seeing that in the schedule. What is the private presentation, exactly? Jane looked down at her phone. "We will be presenting you to a select, private group of people. This is not something that is open to the general public." That wasn't a very descriptive response. Vanessa was about to ask for more information, when Erin spoke up: "They'll mostly be corporate executives. They're interested in making sponsorship deals. They want the new Jenny to model their swimsuits, promote their merchandise, appear in ads, that sort of thing." "We will also be changing your outfit." Jane added.
9____
The private presentation was held in what was usually a medium-sized conference room, but the conference table had been removed. Twelve people sat in comfortable-looking chairs along the walls, facing inward. They were men and women in impeccable professional attire, with one glaring exception: Tech Hawk, still wearing his aggressively green shirt and cargo shorts. Vanessa had no idea how much clout that guy had, but apparently it was enough to get him into this room. Jane sat in the chair nearest to the door. Vanessa stood in the middle of the room, dressed in a silk nightgown so thin that her dark lingerie could clearly be seen beneath. On cue, Vanessa shed the superfluous nightgown, letting it fall lightly to the floor. Her bra and panties were black, with crimson highlights sewn throughout. They were delicate, lacy things clearly designed for aesthetics and eroticism, giving the impression that they could fall to pieces at any moment and reveal the intimate regions beneath. Once again, she struck The Pose. The effect was different with this new outfit, but she had no doubt that she looked damn good, which was the main thing keeping her from freaking out that she was nearly naked and being ogled by a dozen strangers.
Jane spoke up. "Ladies, gentlemen, I'm sure you've all read the press materials. I am happy to answer any questions. You may speak with Jenny if you want, but please be advised that this is not the final version of the intelligence that will be installed when we release the final product." Vanessa turned slightly. She would turn forty-five degrees to the right every seven seconds, completing a full rotation every fifty-six seconds. The VIPs encircling her would get to see her from every angle in slightly less than a minute, every minute, for the next half hour. Good thing robots are good at boring repetitive tasks, she thought dryly, counting the milliseconds until her next fluid, seemingly-natural adjustment.
The VIPs began to ask their questions, and Jane answered them with crisp professionalism.
"Will the genitals be interchangeable?" "Yes, we will be offering a wide variety of genital options, just like the Model Five."
Vanessa turned again.
"Can we use Model Five parts with the Model Six?" "No, the Model Six is not backwards-compatible with other Jenny versions."
Vanessa turned again.
"What's the battery life?" "Similar to the Model Five. Roughly three hours of intense activity, upwards of thirty-six if she's idle. Full recharge takes two hours.
Vanessa turned again.
"When is the next male model coming out?" "We will be making a press release about the next model of the Johnny series soon. Watch our newsletter."
Vanessa turned again.
"Will there be a breastfeeding option?" "There are no current plans to offer a lactating breast option." "You can still suck on them, though," Vanessa added in a sultry voice. The VIPs chuckled. Jane shot Vanessa a look. Speaking up when not being spoken-to was not part of the plan. It wasn't a hostile glance, but not approving either. It was a neutral "I see what you did there" kind of look. Jane cleared her throat. "There is a thriving modding community around the Jenny series, which we support. I have no doubt someone will build any breast model you can imagine within a month of release."
Vanessa turned again. Almost all the questions were for Jane. Some of the questions were directed at "Jenny", but they all were about her personality. "What's your favorite color?" "Do you prefer long walks, or cuddling on the sofa?" "What's your favorite kind of music?" Painfully dumb, pointless questions. She answered them in a candid, matter-of-fact way that seemed to satisfy the gathered guests, but the real answer, the one she could never say, was "Whatever you want it to be! Jenny isn't a person!"
Vanessa turned again. Abruptly, two hands came from behind and started groping her breasts. She turned her head sharply to see it was Tech Hawk. "These are about the same as the Model Five's," he said. Vanessa was a fraction of a second from breaking his nose when Jane stood up. "Mister Harper," she said, in a tone so sharp it could cut glass, "we have not consented for you to touch the merchandise. You will sit down now." Tech Hawk raised his hands in a "What did I do wrong?" gesture, and looked pleadingly around the room. There was no sympathy to be found, just eleven more pairs of eyes that silently said Sit down, you idiot. Tech hawk deflated, and silently and swiftly returned to his seat.
Vanessa nearly whistled as she re-adjusted her lacy bra. Watching Jane channel the entirety of her ice-cold-bitch energy at Tech Hawk was the most satisfying damn thing she had seen in years. The smile on her face was genuine as she turned again, and the Q&A continued.
10___
Vanessa, Jane, and Erin stood in an elevator together, descending toward the main level of the Convention Center. Vanessa was once again dressed in the vapor-thin silk nightgown. For the first time since Vanessa had met her, Jane let herself slouch slightly. "That's it for tonight. I'm going to my hotel room. Erin, please bring Jenny, I mean Vanessa, to storage. I'll meet you there at oh-seven hundred tomorrow." Erin nodded. Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "Storage?" "Of course," said Jane, patronizingly, "You're a robot, you don't need to sleep. There is a secure storage room here in the convention center for equipment that needs to be kept overnight. Were you expecting a hotel room?" Vanessa bit off a reply. Remember the paycheck. Remember the paycheck.
The doors opened on the ground floor, and Jane left the elevator. Erin and Vanessa remained, heading for the basement. The doors closed, and a quiet stillness hung in the air as the elevator descended. Getting off in the basement, Vanessa wordlessly followed Erin down a corridor, then turned a corner. Erin swiped a keycard, and opened a door. Inside were the expensive digital displays and projection equipment that Raven Companion Robotics felt was too valuable to be left on the Convention Center floor overnight. "Here's the equipment closet." Erin said. "Yup." Vanessa said.
Several heartbeats passed, then Erin spoke again: "Would... would you like to come to my hotel room instead?" "Yes. I'd like that."
11___
Vanessa was a bundle of nerves as they walked down the hotel corridor toward Erin's room. Was Erin attracted to her? Was Erin even into women at all? If she made a romantic pass at Erin, would she be creeped out? Vanessa could detect her CPU temperature rising as she over-analyzed her interactions with Erin so far. Erin swiped her hotel keycard, and opened the door into her room. The soft glow of a desk lamp dimly illuminated a clean mid-range hotel room with a queen bed, desk, and small sofa.
Erin put down her bag. The door clicked closed behind Vanessa. And then Erin was on her, kissing her with passionate ferocity and pulling her clothes off. Vanessa's immediate thoughts were "Holy shit!" followed closely by "Hell yeah!"
Their clothes littered a path as they made an awkward four-legged dance in the general direction of the bed. Hands were all over the place, ranging from nipples, to labia, to a steadying brace against a wall to prevent tripping over each other. Although Vanessa didn't need to breathe, she did need to pull her lips from Erin for a moment to speak. "Use the control software." "What?" "Call me Jenny. Use me like a Jenny."
Erin smiled that amazing smile. "Jenny," she said, "get on your knees and eat me out." The state-of-the-art sex bot obeyed, and for the first time, Vanessa genuinely enjoyed being treated like an object.