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JNE-99

By: gystex



Note: I wrote this story before seeing the movie "A.I." where I was surprised to see some of the same concepts presented. I'd like my readers to be aware that I did not deliberately copy ideas from that movie.

* * * * * 

"And that brings the 180th annual Oscar Awards ceremony to a close. Goodnight everyone!"

"Off," I said. The TV didn't respond.

"Off!" I shouted louder, which finally tripped the switch. The wall reverted back to its image of a city at night, which I'd programmed in for the week. Didn't change the fact that I lived in an old, trembling house in the middle of one of Denver's "lost suburbs", while everyone who was anyone was heading back into the inner city - or the space colonies. It used to be that a college degree was enough without the Master's certificate, but with the machines taking over all but the most elite jobs, the only employment left for a human being absolutely required a higher education. And homework and I just don't mix.

My name is Sandi, and I'm a 23-year-old dropout from college - and hence, from life. Not that I'm destitute or anything, that just doesn't happen in the modern world. After the population drop of the last century, coupled with recent advances in both waste reclamation and energy production, there just wasn't any such thing as a "poor" person anymore. But there were people like me, who would have worked for a living if only they could, and found themselves living in the neighborhoods left behind by a mass of humanity that no longer needed them. I had bought the house I lived in for less than it might have cost me to get a moderately decent car. I had a few hundred thousand euros in the bank that I'd been saving for a lunar trip, but without a master's degree, no moon-based company would hire me. Precious few terrestrial companies would either, and even if I did get hired on I'd just be facing the inevitable layoff when someone built a robot that could do my job. Hell, with the advent a few years ago of the whorbot, even the world's oldest profession was no longer available. A human woman can't compete sexually with an android that can look like anyone and will do anything its master desires, without inhibition or guilt.

One might wonder why I'd be so concerned about education and employment if I had money and a place to live as it was. Well, it gets lonely, that's all. Ever try getting a date when you've got no prospects? It's the same in any century - there was a time when a woman needed a rich father to be desirable, or proper societal charm, or big tits, whatever was in vogue. These days, money doesn't matter much and everyone's beautiful, thanks to genetic engineering. What matters is your prospects in life - how far you can go. And with only a bachelor's degree, you go nowhere.

I guess it was that evening in front of the TV that more or less was the start of everything, and set in motion the events that would change my life. The show was on my mind as I dialed up a white wine and slumped into the other room (when you're the only one who lives in a huge house, any room you're not in is the "other room". Why name rooms when there's no one else there to go looking for in them?) Anyway, the significant thing about this year's Oscars, made even more so by the fact that no one had called any attention to it, was that every film that was nominated was completely digital. Actors, like so many other human endeavors, were a thing of the past. The machines had taken over yet another facet of life. Soon there wouldn't be a need for human beings anymore - not that I would have noticed if they all vanished. I was alone anyway. And I was lonely.

That was the moment that I decided to exercise the final resort of the terminally desperate. I gave up.

"Phone," I said, and the wall lit up. "Get me in touch with Androids, Incorporated."

There was a pause while the connection was made.

"Good evening," said the receptionist at the other end - robot, of course, but you couldn't tell outwardly. "Thank you for calling Androids. How may we serve you?"

"Sales," I said shortly. No point in being polite to a robot.

Her smile never faltered. "One moment!" she said brightly.

*********

"All right, Ms. Greene, that's one Alpha Male number JND-99. Are you sure I can't talk you into an upgrade to one of our new models? You should be aware that a used robot always retains memory from its previous position - there's just no way to wipe the brain completely."

"I don't care. As long as it doesn't call me by the wrong name or go running back to its previous owner, I can live with it."

"Not to worry, Ms, we guarantee all our robots against that sort of loss. And if you're unsatisfied in any way, please feel free to contact us."

I broke the connection. There went half my savings in one fell swoop. But, like I said, there weren't any prospects for me on the Moon anyway, so who needed that trip? And a robot wasn't the ideal companion, but I'd gotten to the point where I was willing to be satisfied with less.

*********

The package took three weeks to arrive, which should have tipped me off right there. Delivery of a customized robot only took two weeks; this one was an off-the-shelf job with a memory wipe and just the basic reprogramming. I should have had it in one-quarter the time.

But the box did arrive and I was glad to have it. My next mistake was cracking the seals before I'd looked at the shipping label. The box opened and revealed my new robot companion.

Female.

I stood there and stared at it for a while, blinking furiously as if that would change the slim, fair, feminine form in front of me to the tall, dark, muscular man I had ordered. But there was no denying it - I'd been sent the wrong robot.

The next hour was spent hollering at the implacable face on the screen that represented Androids, Inc. I got nowhere fast. I had opened the box; therefore the robot was mine. They offered to buy it back at half-price now that it had an additional owner on its resume, but I was damned if I would accept that. Finally, they agreed to replace the body with a male, and transfer the brain. A cross-gender brain swap wasn't recommended, but it was as far as they were willing to go. And I would have to wait five months for the technician - a human, therefore in high demand. The thing on the other end of the screen was just as much a machine as the screen itself; there was no point in arguing with it. Customer Service was one of the first places humanoid robots were ever installed.

In the meantime, I could either let my android sit in its box and collect dust, or activate it and at least have someone to clean the house and such. I went over and took a closer look at my new appliance.

It was modeled as a brunette, about five-foot-six (same as me), slim, attractive (obviously - why make an ugly robot?) and, from what I could tell, very well-made. The skin was expertly created and toned, the hair was fine and convincing, the overall appearance precisely human. It even had a tiny freckle on its cheek and a very, very slight bump in the bridge of the nose, robbing it of the perfection that would have made it seem less real.

I suddenly felt something I hadn't in a long time: self-conscious. It was almost as if I were in the presence of an actual person. Oddly, I even felt the need to make a good first impression. I was halfway up the stairs on the way to the shower when I realized I was being silly, but I didn't feel silly enough to go back down and forget about it. This was the closest thing I'd had to a guest since I'd dropped out of college, and the need to present a decent appearance overrode the knowledge that it was, after all, just a robot.

*********

So, half an hour later I came back down the stairs, showered, clean, and dressed, even wearing a light touch of makeup - something that women hardly bothered with anymore, what with genetic and cosmetic surgery being readily available. Perhaps I was thinking about how perfectly sculptured the robot's features were, and actually found myself competing with it on that level. Silly, I know, but that's one of the things that makes us human and them robots.

I hovered the box into the living room (suddenly it wasn't the "other" room anymore) and took the activator from its protected pouch.

"My name is Sandi Greene," I said into the activator with a clear voice. "On. Off. A, B, C, D..." I recited the alphabet and several sentences written on the instructions. It was all to calibrate the device to my voice. Once complete, I slid the activator into its receptacle deep inside the robot's ear and stepped back.

Ten seconds later, its eyes slid open. I was startled to see what a vivid shade of green they were - it was the first obvious clue that the thing in front of me wasn't human. I wondered why it had been made that way, as the eyes were one of the easier parts to fake - the technology for convincing false eyes had been around for over a century.

The robot didn't move or speak. As the human, it was my place to speak first.

"What is your designation?" I asked.

"I am Alpha Female JNE-99," she said. Her voice was another shock - it was low, breathy, almost sensual. She, I mean IT, dammit, was full of surprises.

"Are you aware that you are not the robot I ordered?"

"No."

"What is your purpose?"

"I was programmed for housekeeping, domestic service, and simple companionship."

"How many previous owners have you had?"

"One."

That surprised me. The robot I ordered had five owners. The fewer owners, of course, the more valuable the robot. I realized that I might be able to sell this one at a profit. Oddly, I was no longer so sure I wanted to, though I couldn't figure out why. Was it simply that I hadn't talked to anyone for so long that even a robot seemed like a potential friend? In any event, I figured I'd get some use out of her. It. Whatever.

"JNE-99, I'd like you to familiarize yourself with this house and its grounds, then begin cleaning from the attic down. I'd also like you to serve my lunch at noon, and dinner at five-thirty. Do not clean rooms that I am in at the time. Is all that understood?"

"Yes, Ms. Greene."

For some reason, I didn't like that - it made me feel old, or something. "Call me Sandi," I said. "And I will call you... Jenny."

"I like that name, Sandi," she said.

That was an odd response - she should have simply accepted the name, not given me an opinion on it. Must have been old programming resurfacing - probably her last owner had called her Jenny, it was natural considering her designation. "Go to work, Jenny."

She smiled, and went up the stairs to begin learning the house.

Jenny proved an excellent cook, and an efficient housekeeper - she was already at work in the basement when I went to sleep - in a freshly made bed, for the first time in what seemed like months. I could barely hear her working down in the basement as I drifted off.

*********

I awoke the next morning and rolled over - to find someone was in bed with me!

Startled out of my wits, I jumped out of bed and screamed.

Jenny jumped out of the other side and assumed a protective posture. "Sandi? Are you in danger?" she asked, eyes sweeping the room.

"What... what were you doing in my bed??" I asked in a hoarse whisper.

"Is that not appropriate, Sandi?" Jenny asked, relaxing her pose as she saw that there was no threat. I remembered that domestic robots were generally programmed to act as bodyguards.

"No, it's not fucking appropriate!" I shouted. "What the hell gave you the idea that it was?" I realized that on top of everything else, she was naked!

"It is in my memory banks," she said. "I am to sleep with my owner. It is a standing order."

"Well, I sure as hell didn't give it to you!"

"I apologize, Sandi. I will not sleep with you anymore. I have finished cleaning the house, as you requested, and in anticipation of your needs I am ready to prepare your breakfast."

"Put on some clothes first, for God's sake," I muttered.

"I will do so. Do you have a preference for what I should wear today?"

"I don't fucking care, just put on what you came out of the box with!"

"Of course, Sandi." She left the room.

*********

It was fairly obvious in retrospect what had happened - her previous owner had obviously used her as a sexual companion, and some of his commands had survived the memory wipe. It happened from time to time, especially when the memory wipe was inexpertly done - like, when another robot did it. From what I could tell about the screwed-up company that had sold me this thing, they probably botched the job. I began to wonder what other surprises lay in store for me, and whether I might not be better off returning Jenny to the crate.

Breakfast put those thoughts out of my mind. Having eggs benedict in a kitchen that was sparkling clean for the first time in living memory made me decide that in spite of her faults, Jenny was worth keeping active.

"What can I do for you today, Sandi?" Jenny asked.

I shrugged - I really had no idea. If she were the male robot I had asked for, then I would've known exactly what to do, but things being what they were, I had to think of something else. Most of my days were spent in front of the TV or on the net, but that suddenly seemed like a waste of time with Jenny around.

For some reason, I thought of her as I'd seen her that morning, crouched and ready to spring into action to protect me against danger. And naked, let's not forget naked. Naturally, she had a perfect figure, slim where she should be and built everywhere else. Her breasts were full and round, her waist narrow, her hips curvy in just the right way. Her legs were long and toned. She was, essentially, the ideal female form. It made me conscious of how I'd let myself go a bit lately.

"Jenny," I said, reaching a decision. "Go upstairs and select two jogging outfits, one for each of us. We're going for a run."

*********

The jog was exhilarating - I realized how much I'd cheated myself lately by not going out and getting exercise. And Jenny surprised me again, though not quite in the same way. Before we had started, she put me through a vigorous stretching and warm-up routine, which she claimed she had downloaded from the net while selecting out outfits and customized to my particular needs and body type. Add personal trainer to her previous duties, something I hadn't even thought of but was glad to have.

Naturally, she could have outlasted me easily, but she seemed to pick up on my cues and ran exactly at the pace I would have wanted. She even showed evidence of heavy breathing and perspiration as time went on, and rested with me at intervals with a properly winded posture. If only she could have carried on a normal conversation, I never would have thought of her as a machine.

But it was a skill she didn't have. Her words were too formal, her sentence structure exact and perfect, and she couldn't make small talk to save her life. I'd say something like "Check out that hovercraft up there," and she would say, "Model 4180 Porsche twin-jet, 2103." She was all facts, commands, responses. She was a robot.

All the same, I enjoyed her company. She was something I realized I needed far more than a sex partner.

She was a friend.

*********

"Okay, Jenny, I want you to watch these films next. Remember, the point of all this is to teach you to talk more like a regular girl, instead of a robot. Get it?"

"I understand, Sandi."

"Jenny..."

"I mean: Sure, Sandi, I get it."

"Good. Now while you watch those, I need to take care of some other crap. Come find me when you're done, okay?"

"Okay."

It was progress. Last time, she'd answered with "Yes, Sandi." Making her watch all these chick films was helping a lot. I had amassed quite an impressive library of cheesy girl movies over time, and they were finally doing me some good.

I went into the den while Jenny watched the films at about two hundred times the normal speed, and started going through some old records that I had never thought I'd pull up again. They were my college transcripts.

*********

"Hey, Sandi? Ready for a workout?"

"I'll be right there, Jen!"

Jenny was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, doing her stretch routine. She didn't need to, but she did it anyway. It was one of the ways she shared in the "human experience" if you will.

Today we were playing tennis. Jenny had never played it before, but she'd read up on the rules of the game and some strategy points. It had been a long time for me. I was on my high school team, but hadn't played since.

We jogged down the path to the tennis courts at the end of the block. The courts had fallen into disrepair over time, but Jenny had spent the last three nights resurfacing them until they were like new. When we got there, we took up positions at either side of the court.

"Ready?" I called.

"Ready!" she responded.

I sent a serve over the net. Jenny ran for it, tried to hit it, missed completely and fell on her face.

"Jenny! Are you all right?" I asked, running forward.

"I'm fine, fine," she said, getting up and brushing herself off. "That was strange. It just wasn't where I expected it to be. By the angle of your arm on the serve, and the velocity with which the racket struck the ball, it should have been two feet to the left of where it actually went."

It was odd - I was suddenly reminded that she was a robot, a machine, and it bothered me. I had felt genuine concern for her when she stumbled, even though I should have known it wouldn't hurt her. And now, with her technical talk about the trajectory of the tennis ball or whatever, it was like a bit of a slap.

Jenny noticed the odd look on my face. "Sandi? Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure, I'm fine," I muttered. "Let's play. And just watch the ball, don't worry about vectors and crap."

"Okay, Sandi."

*********

"You're sure you're all right?" Jenny asked for what seemed like the tenth time.

"It's just a pulled muscle, Jen. I haven't played for a while, that's all."

I winced as I sat down heavily in the recliner by the TV, rubbing my aching shoulder. Jenny had improved fast at her tennis game, so fast that within two sets she was running me all over the court. It was just another reminder of her inhumanity, and it bothered me more and more. My best friend, the machine. I felt absolutely pathetic.

"Will you at least let me rub it for you?" Jenny asked.

"Oh, all right, if it'll make you feel better."

"I want to make you feel better, Sandi."

"Do what you want, okay?" I growled.

Jenny apparently took that as an invitation, and went around behind me to work on my shoulder. I winced again when she touched it.

"Just relax, Sandi. It'll be sore at first, but it will get better."

I tried to relax, and soon, Jenny's strong, untiring fingers were massaging deeply into the affected muscle. The pain seemed to be pulled away with each stroke, and soon my eyes closed and I began to really enjoy her expert attentions.

"That's great, Jenny," I mumbled. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"Oh, that's all right," she responded. "Hang on, I'll do the other shoulder too."

Jenny shifted position and began working both my shoulders, rubbing with wonderfully firm pressure that would have been painful if she hadn't known exactly how to apply it. She worked her way down my arms, up my neck, and down my back, rubbing each muscle she touched into a state of perfect relaxation.

It wasn't long before I began to fall asleep in her hands... those soft, slim, lovely hands that rubbed over my body, on the small of my back, across my thighs... back up over my hips and waist... under my shirt... across my breasts... warm lips touched my shoulder, a wet tongue slid up my neck -


JNE-99 Ch. 02



Note: This is a sequel to the first "JNE-99". This story will not make sense to those who have not read the first one. 

"Next Stop, UN Terminal. Prepare for arrival." 

There wasn't much preparing to do. All my carry-on luggage fit in my jacket pocket, and I had already taken a moment to freshen up. Preparing for arrival meant nothing more than sitting tight for another minute and a half. The only difference was the slight downward and barely forward pressure that indicated the train was slowing. 

Still, the idea that I was reaching my destination gave me a bit of a rush, and I squeezed the hand of my traveling companion. 

"Nervous, Sandi?" asked the slim girl at my side. She gave me a pretty smile, and gently squeezed my hand back. 

"Maybe a little," I said. "This is the proverbial It, you know. I'm getting my life back. It's been a long time." I took a deep breath. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you, Jenny." 

Jenny's brilliant green eyes seemed to twinkle. "You did it all, Sandi. But I'm glad for whatever help I could offer." 

I leaned over and gave her a quick kiss, feeling the familiar tingle in my lips as I did so. I wondered how it was that she inspired such feelings in me, since I knew that no matter how she might seem, she truly had none of her own. 

Jenny was my best friend, my constant companion, and my lover. But she was one other thing too. 

She was a robot. 

* * * * * 

The train emerged from the airless tunnel through which it had crossed half the continent and slowed to a final halt in the underground terminal where we were to disembark. At one time the United Nations had been headquartered here, but that was before I was born and the complex had been one of the many casualties of the brief "global warming" period at the middle of the 21st century. By the time the water level had receded and the area was fit to build on again, the UN had firmly re-established itself in New Zealand, and the former headquarters became the main New York terminal for the planetran system. The tunnel continued on across the Atlantic to London, and eventually around the globe, branching off to every major city along the way. 

As I stepped off the train, I took a deep breath and felt reborn. My home in the lost Denver suburbs was miles behind me (though still in my name, it didn't pay to sell it) and I was back in the city, where humanity really lived. For the briefest moment, I felt a bit claustrophobic with the large crowds of people streaming about me - it had been a couple of years since I'd been in such a place. Jenny's presence at my side was infinitely comfortable. 

The process of disembarking, checking out through security, arranging for transportation to my new apartment and seeing to it that my luggage was brought along took almost two hours. It was a hassle, one that I knew from my studies of cultural history had been a problem ever since the first railroads were built, and it had only gotten worse as time went on. Efficiency of travel improved as time went on, but so did complexity, and the latter increased faster. It was common stand-up comic material that a trip such as mine from Denver to New York took about thirty minutes, four hours of which were spent in the terminals at either end. 

But in any event, we got through the system and on our way to my new apartment. 

An air-taxi wasn't the cheapest mode of transport, but it had been a while since I'd seen New York and I wanted a good view. The taxi driver was a robot, and my first order to it was to take us to our destination in silence. For some reason, in New York they program the taxis for inane small talk. 

The cab lifted smoothly off the ground, and I pressed my face against the window to take in the sight of Manhattan. 

Of course, the most prominent building was the Empire State Building, housed in its protective dome that kept the two-hundred-year-old structure safe from the elements. It was the one significant building that had survived the flooding of Manhattan, mostly because all the stops had been pulled out to save it. In the end, it would have cost about one-tenth as much to let it be destroyed and then rebuild it, much like they had to do with the rest of the island. Oh well, sentimental value and all. It was the tallest building on Manhattan by half due to new building codes, though mile-high skyscrapers surrounded the island on the New York and New Jersey shores. It's funny to look at old pictures that show Manhattan with the tallest skyscrapers in the world, where now it's more of a valley between leviathans. 

Real-estate prices in that valley were astronomical. My apartment was on the Jersey side, where it was still possible to find a place for less than three thousand euros a month. 

* * * * * 

"Where do you want this, Sandi?" 

"Mmm... right there. Under the stairs." 

Jenny lifted the three-hundred-pound steamer trunk with no visible effort and slid it gently into place where I had indicated. She was great to have around for this kind of thing. It was a double-edged sword, though, because I didn't really like seeing these reminders that she was a robot and not a person. There was some part of me that was never entirely comfortable with that. Still, it hardly made sense to hire a moving crew when Jenny could do it all. 

"That should do it, I think," Jenny said. "I'm a bit dirty from all that moving. Mind if I take a shower?" 

"No, go ahead," I said with a wave. Jenny had done almost all the physical work, so I hadn't even broken a sweat in the moving process. I was feeling a bit travel-weary, however, and more than a little strange in the apartment. I had gotten used to a 4,000 square foot house all to myself, and to make the adjustment to a three-room apartment would take a little doing. It would have been nice if it were possible to live there and commute to New York, but the trip I had just taken convinced me of the impossibility of that. I could telecommute, of course, but that was seen as something of a passing phase. It was pretty much accepted as a matter of course that the real doers and shakers were there on the scene, not punching a keyboard a thousand miles away. 

I looked out the wide picture window, across the water to the island and the shore beyond where other skyscrapers formed a nearly solid wall of twinkling lights and high-rising steel. I was back in the city, among the throng of humanity I had avoided for so long, and yet I still felt lonesome. I needed something to shake me out of this funk. 

When I heard the water come on upstairs, I got an idea as to what the something was. 

* * * * * 

Jenny's silhouette on the frosted glass of the shower echoed the perfect embodiment of the female form. Her breasts were high, firm, and pleasantly large, her waist narrow, her bottom rounded and smooth, her legs long and toned. She had turned around to let the water flow through her hair. I felt my pulse quicken as I dropped my clothes and pulled open the door to the shower. 

"Sandi!" she said happily. "Are you coming in with me?" 

"I thought I might," I said with a grin. The shower was large, with plenty of room for both of us. I stepped up close to her anyway, touching my body to hers. Our nipples met at exactly the right level, and I felt mine go hard upon contact. I shivered with the delight of the sensation. No one but Jenny had ever had the power to arouse me so quickly and completely. My lips were on hers before I was even aware of it, and our tongues caressed each other even as we felt each other's bodies up and down. 

I had never made love to her in a shower before. Her skin felt wonderfully soft and lubricated under my hands, and I loved the way our tits slipped across each other. My kiss became hungry and lusty as I forcefully licked at her lips, across her cheeks, down her neck, back to her lips again. In bed it would have been wet and messy, but in the shower we were wet anyway, so I felt like it didn't matter. Taking her cues from me as she did so well, Jenny returned the kiss in kind, and soon she had made her way down to my tits, where she pulled each nipple into her mouth. Knowing that I liked it a little rough, she sucked hard and long, until I was moaning out loud with lust. 

Before I knew it she had me pushed up against the wall, my legs spread wide. The shower sprayed a fine mist into my face and across my breasts as she dropped to her knees and deep-kissed my pussy as if it were my mouth. Her tongue thrust inside and moved slowly in and out, driving me up close to the edge. 

But before I lost control completely, I pulled her away and slipped down to the floor of the shower with her. Lying down on my back, I motioned for her to spread her legs over me and let me lick her in return. Jenny had shaved herself bare at my request some time ago, as I loved the feel of her smooth, soft pussy against my face. 

With the warm water of the shower cascading over us, we licked each other's sweet pussies and I felt myself build to climax. My whole boy tensed as I came, and I felt Jenny do the same, quivering even as I did, the sweet cream of her sex melting on my lips. 

The high lasted for a delicious moment, and then I rested. And then, as if on cue, came the harsh reality. 

She is a machine. She feels nothing. She reacts only as programmed, no more. 

I shook the thought out of my head, but it wouldn't go away. In the heat of passion, Jenny was my lover without qualification, but when it was over, my mind always reminded me of the undeniable truth. For all the love I felt for her, for everything she was to me, for all she had done to brighten my life, Jenny was not truly a woman. She was literally inhuman. 

I was in love with her, but no power on Earth could make her love me. She could never feel anything at all. 

* * * * * 

As always, it didn't take long for me to submerge the ill feelings I had about my relationship with Jenny. Still, they were always there, and I wished I could do something about it. I wasn't even sure what I felt. There was some self-loathing, to be sure, as I felt that perhaps I wasn't good enough for a "real" person. Shame and embarrassment, for being a robot's lover. Guilt was the strangest feeling of all, as I felt badly for thinking of her as less than human, when in fact she was, and wouldn't even be distressed if I thought of her as such. 

We slept together as we usually did, but I didn't make love to her again that night. Jenny, of course, didn't press the issue. I might have preferred it if she had. 

* * * * * 

I didn't sleep well that night. My dreams were troubling, dreams about holding Jenny in my arms and finding her cold and metallic to the touch, or gazing into her eyes and watching them glow with a cold, green light. She usually stayed by my side through the night, pretending to sleep, but on this night she was busy setting the apartment in order. I woke at least a dozen times alone, wishing she were by my side but at the same time glad she wasn't. 

Morning came far too early. 

"Sandi?" came her bright voice from the kitchen. "Sandi, it's time to wake up! You don't want to be late on your first day!" 

"I'm up, I'm up..." I muttered, rolling out of bed and into the shower. The strategically placed massaging nozzles of the shower scrubbed away most of the lack of sleep, and an anti-somnin pill did the rest. By the time I'd shoveled down breakfast and let Jenny adjust my hair, I felt almost normal. But I was in a foul mood; despite the claims of the stimulant manufacturers, there are some things that only a decent night's sleep can do anything about. 

I didn't look Jenny in the eye even once. Still troubled by my dreams and my waking thoughts of late, I let her do my hair without the benefit of a mirror in front of me, and avoided our usual morning intimacies. She showed no sign of displeasure at my cavalier treatment of her. 

Finally ready to leave, I gave her an automatic kiss on the lips, which she returned without our customary embrace. She was picking up on my mood. I looked for the first time that day into her intensely green eyes, wondering what she saw in mine or if she was even capable of knowing my inner turmoil. 

Jenny's eyes had surprised me the first time I'd seen them. They were a vibrant, electric green, eyes that no human being could have without cosmetic enhancements. I had eventually learned that all late-model robots were being constructed thus; so similar were they to humans, it was determined that some feature should identify them as robots. At first, I had found them disconcerting. Later, I had found them enticing and beautiful. Now, they served as a constant reminder of what she was, and I didn't like it one bit. I had asked her once whether it would be possible to alter them and make them more natural, but she had explained that it was legally impossible. She wasn't even permitted to wear sunglasses. 

"I'll be here if you need me, Sandi," Jenny said. "But I'm sure you'll have a great first day." 

I sighed. "Thanks, Jenny," I said. "I appreciate everything." 

"I'm happy to be of help, Sandi," she said. 

I frowned slightly. Sometimes, she was a bit too much of a willing servant for my taste. I opened the door to leave - 

- and almost ran into the man in the hall, his hand over my door buzzer. 

"Oh! Excuse me," he said, slightly ruffled. "Er, Ms. Greene, I presume?" 

"That's me," I replied. "And I'm running a bit late. If you need something, I hope it's quick." 

"My name is Stan Duncan, I'm with Androids, Incorporated." 

He just stood there as if the introduction explained his whole reason for being there. "Yes?" I prompted impatiently. 

"Er, I understand that your recent purchase of an android from our company was slightly awry. I'm here to collect your android and take your order for a replacement." 

I realized why he looked familiar - he had shown up on my doorstep in Denver a few months back, trying to exchange Jenny. "There was a mistake, yes, but I've decided to keep the one I have," I said, a little peeved. 

"I'm afraid that's not entirely your choice," Duncan said with a false apologetic look. "See, the android you originally ordered was of a considerably lesser value than the one you received. I have your original order here if you need to -" 

"What I need is to get to work, and you're in my way. I'm happy with the android I have, and if it's because your company made a mistake, then that's not my problem. Keep tighter books in the future is my advice to you." 

"It's just not that simple, Ms. Greene -" 

"Look, buster," I said, getting angrier by the moment, "unless you have a court order to seize my property, you'd better keep your grubby hands off Jenny. She's mine and your company will just have to deal with that fact." 

Duncan didn't move. "Really, Ms. Greene, there's no need to become agitated. We'd rather settle this without the need for a legal case." 

"Jenny!" I called, not taking my eyes off Duncan. 

"Yes, Sandi?" she replied. I saw the man's eyes flicker in her direction. 

"Jenny, I want you to stay home today. Do not go out for any reason. If anyone tries to gain entry to this apartment while I am gone, you will immediately summon the police and report a break-in." 

"This isn't necessary, Ms. Greene,” Duncan said. 

“This man is blocking my egress,” I continued. “I am feeling threatened by him. If he makes a move in my direction, you must interpret it as an attack.” 

Jenny was instantly at my side. 

Duncan deliberately backed up a step, though I saw no indication of fear in his eyes. “Ms. Greene, it would really have been better for all concerned if you had allowed us to take care of this problem without all this fuss. I’m afraid it will be necessary for me to involve our legal department.” 

“You have ten seconds to leave before I summon police and have you charged with obstruction.” 

Duncan nodded curtly, turned on his heel, and left. 

I let out a breath. “Bastard,” I whispered. 

“Would you like me to go to work with you, Sandi?” Jenny asked. “If you are in danger, I should be with you.” 

“No, Jenny, that’s not necessary,” I said. “I want you to stay home today. If you leave, they might try to take you. I’m not sure they can’t legally do that, but I do know they can’t enter my apartment without a warrant. You need to stay here for your own safety.” 

“I’m more concerned about your safety, Sandi,” she said. 

I turned to face her, and grabbed her by the arms. “Dammit, Jenny, will you stop being such a fucking machine!” 

Time seemed to stop. Jenny’s expression didn’t change, nor did her posture. I felt as though my words bounced off her and came back to hit me in the gut. I saw her mouth moving, but I couldn’t make sense of her words past the pounding of my heart in my ears. 

“W-what?” I asked. 

“I said, ‘I’m sorry, Sandi,’” she replied. “If you think I should stay at home, then that’s what I’ll do.” 

There was no hurt in her voice, no sign that my outburst had affected her in any way. She even smiled a bit. I felt sick at what I had said, what I had felt, and her indifference only made it worse. 

“Are you all right, Sandi?” she asked. “You look a little upset.” 

“No, I’m fine,” I whispered. “I... I have to go to work now.” 

“Sure, Sandi!” she said with a bright smile. “I’ll see you when you get home. Have a great first day!” 

She turned back inside and let the door close between us. 

* * * * * 

It was not the best way to start my new job. I arrived at the office with a knot in my stomach that wouldn’t go away, and tears that I refused to let loose. I didn’t even know how I should feel. If it had been anyone but Jenny, I would have felt guilt, shame, perhaps even a little residual anger, but that all applied to a situation where I’d hurt someone’s feelings. I hadn’t done that to Jenny. She had no feelings to hurt. So how was I to feel? 

“Excuse me...” 

I turned, and saw a woman I had previously seen only as a hologram - it was Lorraine Wells, the VP of Operations for Ecostar, my new employer. “Oh, hello!” I said, trying to hide my personal anguish and put on a bright and spirited face. “Ms. Wells, right? I’m Sandi Greene.” 

“Please, Sandi, call me Lorraine. We prefer to be on a first-name basis in this outfit. I was starting to get a little worried about you.” 

“I’m really sorry I’m late,” I said. “I wasn’t able to get completely unpacked last night, and I had a hard time finding everything.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” she replied in a voice that left me with the strong impression that future transgressions would be cause for worry. “It can take some time to settle into a new living arrangement. Come with me, let me show you your new office and introduce you to the people you’ll be working with.” 

* * * * * 

The ride up the elevator was a long one. I couldn’t help looking over my new boss, partly because the elevator walls were mirrored, but also in part because my liaisons with Jenny had given me an appreciation for the feminine that I didn’t used to have - or at least, I had never let it surface. Whatever the reason, I found myself more and more drawn to attractive women, and Lorraine was attractive. 

She looked to be about my age, though of course it was impossible to tell how old she really might be - what with gene therapy and cosmetic surgery, even someone on the high side of the century mark could look twentysomething. One can tell by the eyes, though, and hers looked to be somewhere over forty. 

Her body was sculpted to the current corporate aesthetic: tall, with long legs, narrow at the waist and curved enough at the hips and chest to show unmistakable womanhood. Her hair was ice-blonde and cut very short, almost a flat-top. Her cheekbones were high, her face oval and youthful with no lines or blemish. I found it difficult to determine her eye color at first, and then realized that they were green - I had simply become so used to Jenny’s vivid irises that naturally green eyes seemed colorless at first. 




JNE-99 Ch. 02



We rode the elevator in silence, and Lorraine stood almost like a mannequin. It made me uncomfortable, though my thoughts rolled in too much turmoil for me to offer conversation. I took the moment to try and relax, and concentrate on preparing for work rather than my recent one-sided fight with Jenny. 

When the elevator stopped, it seemed as if a switch had clicked on inside Lorraine. She became suddenly animated as she launched into what felt immediately like a prepared introductory speech. “Welcome to Ecostar,” she said with a gesture out the opening elevator doors. “The largest and most influential ecological management firm on the planet.” 

The room beyond felt for a moment like the outdoors instead of the indoors. A crystal dome ceiling let in the sun and the blue sky, shining down on a sculpted parkland with winding paths and towering trees. I could even see birds fluttering through the air, and squirrels scampering along the ground. Even though I had seen holographs of the place during my interview, the real sight of the offices took me aback for a moment. 

Lorraine continued her speech as she guided me out of the elevator. “Ecostar employs over five thousand people both here and in our field stations, scattered across every continent on the globe. Only the United Nations employs more people in space and on the moon. We advise all but three of the largest fifty companies on Earth in their environmental concerns, and of course we are the primary source of ecographical information to the UN. You may consider yourself a part of the most vital and influential company on the face of the Earth - and beyond.” 

Truth be told, I was far more impressed by the “office” than I was by Lorraine’s canned speech. Workstations were defined by hedges and rock walls rather than cubicles, and conferences seemed to be happening in circles of park benches rather than sealed rooms. Naturally, there were buildings here and there (I had already lost sight of the fact that we were IN a building already), but for the most part the work seemed to be going on out in the open. 

“Since our business is the environment,” Lorraine continued, “we prefer to work in a natural setting, or as close as we can reasonably approximate one. Of course, necessity dictates some need for enclosed rooms and artificial spaces, but whatever work can be done here in the Park is done here.” 

“Excuse me, Ms. Wells.” 

From behind us a woman approached with a small hand-comp. Lorraine took it from her and scanned it over briefly, pressed her thumb to the signature pad, and gave it back. As she took it, I blinked in surprise. 

The woman had brilliant green eyes. She was no woman, she was a robot. 

“That’ll do, Andrea,” Lorraine said, giving the hand-comp back. She noticed my surprise. “We have a number of robots working here,” she said. “We prefer the humanoid variety - it feels less intrusive. You’ll notice that they all wear black and gray uniforms.” 

I looked around, and saw that at least a quarter of the “people” present were indeed wearing such clothes. 

“If you stay with the company long enough, you can be assigned a personal robot to take care of your needs here,” Lorraine went on. “I’m afraid it’s against company policy to allow you to bring your own to work, however. Come, let me show you to your office.” 

I followed Lorraine into a steel and glass pyramidal structure at the edge of a flowing stream. 

* * * * * 

My day at work was long and busy. As an entry-level clerk, most of my time was taken up by such tasks as interpreting the raw data from the satellites and computers into a format that could be easily understood and used by the human beings who depended on it. It was a task that computers had yet to emulate, the subtle art of rendering complex equations and graphs into simple words. By the time I was finished with my work for the day, the sun was already setting. I had put in more than ten hours, and I was exhausted. 

“Tired?” asked Mitch. I'd been introduced to him that morning; he was our department's techmaster, the fellow who dealt with all the hardware and software glitches that the computers and robots couldn't. No matter how automated the systems got, there was always the need for a human being at the top of the food chain. 

“Beat to all hell,” I replied. 

“It gets better,” he said with an easy grin. “It’s a matter of learning what’s really important. The computers send us everything, so it’s up to you to go through it all, figure out what’s really important, and then take what’s left and form it into something that more closely resembles what the bureaucrats want to hear.” 

Despite myself, I chuckled. 

“Listen, you’re not too tired to get a little refreshment, are you? We like to break in new team members by giving them something to be hung over about.” 

I smiled at Mitch. I had never been much of an instant judge of character, but he seemed a decent guy. There was something in his deep brown eyes that felt trustworthy, and his smile was genuine. Despite how tired I really was, a few drinks sounded like a good idea. 

Then I saw before me a pair of sparkling green eyes, a gentle embrace, and loving lips that reached for my own. 

“Um... not tonight, if that’s all right,” I said, averting my eyes. “I’m just.. too tired.” 

“Hey, it’s understandable,” Mitch said. “We’ll do it some other night. Ciao!” 

He parted from me and headed out the front doors, leaving me with jumbled emotions. 

* * * * * 

The half hour it took to return home did nothing for my confusion. I felt like the day had put me through the wringer. My relationship with Jenny had once been such a source of pure joy and comfort - now I felt shame, and guilt, and even resentment against her that she should make me feel such things. I didn’t want to love a robot. I hated that she had no real feelings, that she could only react and respond, that she couldn’t know the anguish I went through over her. 

I loved her, and I hated myself for it. 

I arrived at my front door with a dark cloud over my head. I wanted to torrent of emotions to end; I craved a release. The door recognized my eyes as I approached, and slid open to let me in. 

“Hi Sandi!” Jenny said brightly, stepping into the living room from the kitchen. “How was your first day?” 

I advanced on her and forcefully crushed my lips to hers, pushing my tongue into her mouth. Jenny responded instantly, eagerly accepting my embrace and returning it. 

I pulled away abruptly, glaring into her eyes, those artificial green eyes. 

“I guess it was a good day,” she said. 

“Shut up, bitch,” I responded. “I don’t want you to talk, I want you to fuck me. Get down on your knees and lick my cunt!” 

Jenny obeyed without another word, dropping down before me and deftly unfastening my slacks to slide them down, along with my panties. Then she moved her face up between my legs, letting her tongue slide up and down between my pussy lips. 

“That’s right, fuck me,” I whispered. “Put your tongue in me and fuck me hard!” 

Her tongue drove inside me, deep into my pussy, her hands holding my legs apart as far as they would go with my pants around my ankles. I grabbed a double-fistful of her hair and yanked her head back and forth, letting her hot, wet tongue thrust in and out of me. She made no sign of discomfort or displeasure at the way she was treated, but simply did what I told. 

I hated it. “Get up, you fucking whore,” I told her. She sprang to her feet. “Get out of those clothes, now! I want you naked.” 

Jenny slid her sweater off over her head, dropping it beside her. Then she removed her pants, kicking off her shoes as she did, and finally slipped out of her panties and bra. I had tossed my own pants and shirt aside as she did. 

“Now, go lie down on my bed and spread your legs,” I commanded. Jenny moved quickly into the next room, lay down as ordered, and spread her legs wide. I threw myself down on top of her and pushed two fingers inside her, thrusting roughly and deeply into her warm wetness. 

She moaned softly, and wriggled with simulated pleasure. 

“Fuck me, bitch,” I hissed through clenched teeth. Jenny’s hand instantly moved between my legs, and a second later I felt her fingers penetrate me. She slid in and out of me smoothly and gently, the way she had always done. 

“Not like that!” I yelled. “I want it harder!” 

She picked up the pace, thrusting deeper. 

“Hurt me, you fucking whore-machine! Fuck me and make it hurt!” 

“I can’t hurt you, Sandi. I must not.” 

“Shut up!” I screeched, tears flowing down my cheeks. “I told you to hurt me!” 

“I cannot hurt you!” She slid her hand out. “Have I hurt you already? You are crying, Sandi.” 

“Damn you,” I sobbed, burying my head in her shoulder. “Goddamn you, Jenny!” 

“I am sorry, Sandi. I have upset you. I should leave.” 

“No!” I screamed at her, pinning her down on the bed. Obviously, she was stronger than I, but my order overrode her will even more easily than she might have lifted me off. “Dammit, Jenny, don’t you fucking leave me!” 

“Sandi, if I am hurting you, I must stop and do what I can to repair the damage done. Does it hurt you when I fuck you, Sandi?” 

Hearing such words in her voice had a stunning effect on me. I sat up on her body, looked into her eyes which were so bright and so green. She looked back at me with nothing but concern. 

“Yes, it hurts,” I whispered. 

“How can I repair the damage, Sandi?” 

I felt a new rush of tears, and I let them fall freely down my cheeks. “There’s nothing you can do,” I replied. “You can’t fix this. You can’t make it better. You’re not human, Jenny, and I hate that I love you.” 

“I don’t understand, Sandi.” 

I chuckled bitterly. “No, you don’t understand,” I replied. “You can’t. You’re just not real enough to understand, and you never will be.” 

“I am real, Sandi.” 

I got up from the bed. “You’re not human,” I whispered. “You’re a machine. I can love you, but you can’t love me. I can hate you for it, and you can’t hate me. You’re not real, Jenny, and as long as you’re not real, loving you is only going to hurt me.” 

I snatched a one-piece garment from the closet, and turned to leave. 

“Should I leave you, Sandi?” Jenny asked behind me. 

I paused at the front door. “No,” I replied softly. 

“But if I am hurting you -” 

“If you stay, it will hurt,” I said. “If you leave... that would kill.” 

I left quickly, before more tears could come. 

* * * * * 

I wandered around town aimlessly for half the night. It had been in my mind to try and find my new co-workers and join their party, but to stumble across them in a city like New York asks a hell of a lot of coincidence. In the end, it was probably just as well - in my state of mind, I might have done something stupid. 

The sun was actually just starting to come up as I returned home. I took a deep breath as I entered, wondering how I could face Jenny. 

She wasn’t there. 

For a moment, I panicked - was it possible that she had left, deciding on her own that it would be the best course of action? I was about to call her name when I saw a note on the table, written in her precise hand. With trembling fingers, I picked it up and read it. 

Sandi - 

It seems to me that it would be best if we did not interact for the time being. Until you instruct me otherwise, I will remain out of your presence in the utility room. I will prepare your breakfast for you before you awake in the morning and conduct my other duties while you are at work. In this way, I hope to avoid hurting you further. I must not hurt you, Sandi. 

Awaiting your needs, 

Jenny 

I screwed up the note into a tiny ball, threw it across the room, and went to bed. It didn’t help matters that my alarm went off less than two hours later. 

* * * * * 

For the next few days, Jenny remained out of sight. The only evidence of her existence was the breakfast she prepared for me in the morning and the dinner I came home to at night, in addition to the cleaning of the apartment and her usual duties in maintaining the household finances. My bed felt empty without her, and as my sleep suffered so did my work performance. I was frankly amazed that I wasn’t fired after my first week on the job - even though I was getting all my work done, I was putting in a lot more hours than it should take to do it. 

After several rejected invitations to go out, my co-workers seemed to get the idea that I wanted to be left alone, and after a time stopped talking to me. Therefore, work became as lonely as home. 

It came as no surprise when Lorraine called me into her office for a conference. What did surprise me was that she wasn’t alone when I got there - Mr. Quincy, the president of the firm, was there as well, and off to one side was the feminine robot I had seen the other day. Her name escaped me, but that was hardly important. 

“Sit down, Sandi,” Lorraine said to me. 

I did so immediately. 

“Sandi, I’m going to be as forthcoming with you as I can,” Lorraine said. “I went out on something of a limb when I hired you. There were applicants who seemed more qualified on the surface, but I preferred your open attitude when you were interviewed. You struck me as someone who could work well with people, and it was my intention to put you on the fast track for advancement within the company. However, your performance for this first week has been lackluster at best.” 

She paused, and seemed to be waiting for a response. I said, “I know my work is not what it could be. I suppose it’s taken me a bit longer than I expected to adjust.” 

“A change in environments can be difficult,” Lorraine said. “As an ecological firm, we know that well. Is there anything we might do to help the transition go more smoothly?” 

“I’m not sure,” I said. 

“If I may,” interrupted Mr. Quincy. He was a large and burly man, a little over six feet tall with brawny shoulders and a full beard, which was unusual in these times. “Ms. Greene, you were probably told that our long-term employees will generally be assigned a robot for their use. Now, usually this is something that we wouldn’t offer you for several months at least, but I wonder if we might not bend the rules a bit in your case. Do you think having an assistant might help your performance?” 

I thought of Jenny. “I don’t know,” I replied. “Wouldn’t my co-workers resent my getting special treatment?” 

Lorraine shook her head. "Don't concern yourself with that. Most of them have already been offered assistants, they've been with the company long enough. Not everyone wants one. The important thing is, do you?" 

"We have one which has just become available," Mr. Quincy said. "It's an excellent model, nearly new. An Alpha Male JND-10, I believe?" 

Lorraine nodded. "He's had only one previous owner, and the memory wipe was done expertly." 

Involuntarily, I glanced over at the robot already there. Her bright green eyes looked straight ahead, not acknowledging me. She seemed terribly inhuman compared to my warm and loving Jenny – who I had recently spurned, I reminded myself. 

I thought for a moment. "I appreciate the offer. And I know I've been given a good deal of leeway already, but would it be possible for me to take one more week to try and improve my performance on my own? I've had one or two personal matters that have needed sorting out, but with that behind me I really think I can give my all to the company." 

Lorraine raised an eyebrow. "If these personal matters are anything we can help with -" 

"No, really, they are personal." 

Mr. Quincy stirred. "Well then, I think we all understand each other. Ms. Greene, I look forward to this next week. I believe it will work out for everyone concerned." 

I nodded. "Thank you, sir." 

Lorraine stood up. “Andrea will see you out, Ms. Greene.” 

* * * * * 

Andrea walked silently at my side. I couldn’t help but feel that she had been sent with me to ensure that I did return to work instead of moping about a disciplinary meeting, and I resented it. 

“Excuse me?” Andrea asked me. 

I realized I’d been muttering under my breath. “Oh… never mind. I’m just talking to myself, that’s all.” 

“I understand. Are you quite certain you would not accept the assignment of a personal assistant?” 

I stopped and turned to look at Andrea. Her bright eyes and facial features reminded me disconcertingly of Jenny; I assumed they were of a similar model. “Why do you ask?” 

“Because it is my duty to serve the company as best I can, and it seems to me that you would benefit from an assistant. Ms. Wells finds me quite indispensable.” 

“May I ask your designation?” 

“I am NDA-99 Alpha-Female.” 

That explained her similarity to Jenny. “Andrea, please tell Ms. Wells that I appreciate her concern, but I believe I will be able to improve my performance without an assistant.” 

“It will please her to hear that. The offer still stands, however.” 

I returned to my workstation without further conversation, and took my computer out to the park to sit under a large oak. Deliberately putting all thoughts of Jenny or anything else aside, I set to work on a report to the Antarctic sector government. After a few minutes of typing away, I felt a shadow pass over me. 

I looked up. It was Mitch. "Hey," I said. 

"Hi Sandi," he replied. "Look, I promise if you say no this time, it'll be the last time I bug you. The rest of the department is going out tonight, and I thought I'd see if you were interested. There’s no work tomorrow, so you won’t even have to worry about being hung over. What do you say?” 

I almost refused, but then firmly decided that it was time to turn over a new leaf. "Yes, all right," I said. 

"You will? Great!" Mitch smiled broadly. "I'll meet you by the exit fountain at quitting time. We'll all take the trans over to the island. There's a great place there called Central Park West, you'll love it." 

"I'm looking forward to it," I said with a smile of my own. 

* * * * * 

After a few hours, a few drinks, and a lot of great times, the party broke up. I found myself wishing I'd gone out with my co-workers some time ago; they had proven to be a bunch of really great and fun people. For the first time in a long while, I felt like I was really part of the social scene again, among people. It was a great feeling. 

I wasn't blind to the fact that Mitch fancied me, either. I would say that he acted the perfect gentleman, but in his case it didn't seem to be an act. I really didn't mind when he pulled out chairs for me or ordered my drinks, and when it came time to go home, I accepted his offer of company on the ride home. 

When we got to my place, I didn't feel quite ready to say good-night. "You want to come up?" I asked. 

"Um..." he said, blushing, "I'm not sure it's the right time." 

I laughed. "Relax, I don't have any designs on your body. I just want another half hour of conversation." I paused. "My God, did I really just say that? Sorry, I must be a little drunk." 

"Apology accepted," Mitch said gallantly. "And invitation accepted as well." 

Together, we rode the elevator up to my place, where I let us both in. 

Mitch glanced around. "Nice," he said. "You've got a bit of space here." 

"It's just the two of us," I said, then quickly put my hand over my mouth. I hadn't told him about Jenny. Actually, I suddenly realized I hadn't even thought about Jenny all night. 

Mitch simply nodded. "I thought so. You have a robot, don't you?" 

"How did you know that?" I asked. 

"Well, I could tell a robot was doing your cleaning. My first job was in programming custodial robots, and I can see the signs they leave. No human being dusts the underside of the shelves, for one. And the place settings on your dining table there are lined up with mathematical precision." 




JNE-99 Ch. 02



"Astounding, Holmes!" I said, chuckling. 

"I assumed you were using a service, but when you said 'the two of us', I figured the robot lived here. So, do I get to meet him?" 

"Her." 

"Really? What's her model?" 

I really didn't want to talk about Jenny, but it seemed rude not to. "JNE-99," I said. "Alpha Female." 

Mitch raised an eyebrow. "Damn, they must be paying you a lot more than me!" 

"It was a screw-up at the factory," I said. "They were supposed to send an older model. Actually, they've been harassing me about that." 

"Well, they have to try, but they don't have a leg to stand on. One call from a lawyer on your behalf and they'll probably stop. So, where is she?" 

I swallowed hard, but my alcohol-befuddled mind couldn't think up a good enough excuse to refuse the introduction. "I'll get her," I said. 

I left Mitch in the living room and went through the kitchen to the utility closet, a lump rising in my throat. I almost knocked on the door, but checked my action and just walked in. The lights came on as I entered. 

I cleared my throat. "Um, Jenny?" I said. 

"Sandi? Can I help you?" 

Jenny stepped into the light. She looked exactly as she had the last time I had seen her, except that she was wearing the black one-piece outfit she had arrived in from the factory. For a moment, I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her lips, but I held firmly back. 

"We have a guest," I said simply. "He wants to meet you." 

"I am pleased to meet him," Jenny said. 

"Come on, then." I motioned for her to follow me out. Just before we left the room, I turned back to her. "Listen, Jenny - I don't want him to know about our personal relationship. Not the way it was before, and not the difficulties we're having now. Is that understood?" 

"Of course, Sandi," Jenny replied. "Such matters are private. I know that." 

"Good," I muttered, and led her out. 

Mitch smiled as we came out into the living room. "JNE-99, I presume?" he asked, looking Jenny over. 

"That is my designation," Jenny said. "My given name is Jenny." 

"What a shocker," Mitch grinned. He shook her offered hand. "Sandi, this is really an incredible machine. I don't think I've ever seen a more lifelike robot. If it weren't for the eyes, I'd probably never have guessed she wasn't human." 

"Well, I've worked with her on her responses to stimuli," I said, trying to keep the tension out of my voice. "Showed her a lot of movies, that kind of thing." 

Mitch raised an eyebrow. "Showed her movies? I never thought of that! I did my doctoral thesis on the programming of robots to give them more lifelike responses, but I never would have considered something so simple!" 

"Sandi has often told me of her wishes that I be more human in my responses," Jenny said. "Naturally, I must follow her wishes." 

"A noble calling," Mitch said. "Well, Sandi, if you don't mind, I'm pretty tired. I think I'd like to take my leave." 

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mitch," Jenny said. 

"I'll walk you out," I offered. Jenny headed back into the kitchen as I showed Mitch to the door. 

For a moment, he glanced back over his shoulder. "Hmm... have you ever taken her to work before?" he asked. 

"No!" I said. "I mean, that's against the rules, isn't it?" 

"Where'd you get that idea?" Mitch asked. "Half the robots there are personal ones. Anyway, I can't help but feel like I've seen her before." 

“Lorraine has one like her at work.” 

“Nah, that’s the NDA designation. It lacks some of the subtleties, like that little bump in the bridge of the nose and the freckle above the lower lip. The skin coloring is different too. Believe me, when you’re in the field these things stand out like black and white.” 

I shrugged. “Maybe you’ve seen another like Jenny, then," I said. "She's not the only JNE-99 around." 

"Pretty close. That's a brand-spanking-new model. It's only been in production for a year, and if memory serves only about a dozen have been made. That's one of the reasons I was so keen to see her. What you've got there is probably the most advanced humanoid robot in production." 

I blinked. "Really? I mean, I knew she was better than the one I ordered, but I had no idea she was that valuable." 

"Well, I'd definitely recommend you get a good lawyer. Androids probably took a big loss when they let her go to you. They won’t give her up easily." 

"I'll think about it. Thanks, Mitch." 

"For what?" 

"For giving me another chance. For showing me a good time, and for being such a gentleman." 

Mitch smiled. "It's my pleasure," he said, and left the apartment. 

For a long moment, I stood at the door. I thought about Jenny, and whether I should try to resume our friendship if not our romance. I thought about Mitch, and whether I wanted to pursue what he was obviously inviting. In the end, I just went to bed. 

* * * * * 

A knock at my door the next morning was almost entirely unwelcome, seeing as I’d managed to oversleep slightly and I had only minutes to spare as it was. Checking the screen at the side of the door to see who it was didn’t improve my mood any. 

“What do you want?” I called through the door. 

“Ms. Greene, this is Stan Duncan with Androids –” 

“I know that. We have nothing further to discuss.” 

“Ms. Greene, please understand that we would prefer to resolve this without having to go through all the bother and expense of a court case. Your purchase contract with our company clearly indicates the purchase of a model JND-99 Alpha Male –” 

“A mistake which I tried to correct from moment one. Your customer service department insisted that I keep this robot against my will, and that I would have to pay further in order to have a brain-swap. I have decided not to invest any more money and will keep the robot I have, as it is. If you had wanted to take this one back, you should have done so at that time.” 

“Our customer service department was not aware of the extent of the error.” 

“In other words,” I said tightly, “it was my problem, not yours. Now that it’s your problem you expect me to bend over backwards for you.” 

“We expect you to allow us to legally reclaim our property and accept that which you paid for in the first place. I have a JND-99 Alpha Male robot here with me. We can conduct the transfer easily enough.” 

I whipped the door open in a fury. “Duncan, you and your robot can kiss my –” 

Before I could finish my thought, Duncan’s hand jabbed toward me, a paralyzer in his fist. I twisted out of the way automatically, and he stumbled into the apartment. 

“Jenny!” I yelled, falling to one side as a result of my unplanned and unbalanced move. Duncan was off the floor quickly, and lunged toward me once again. 

I had felt a paralyzer before, though, and I had no wish to undergo such an experience again. I kicked wildly at Duncan and caught his extended arm. The device dropped from his fingers and discharged uselessly into the carpet. Immediately he dove after it, and I rolled out of the way in order to get to my feet. 

Where the hell was Jenny?? 

I ducked back behind the sofa to put a barrier between myself and Duncan, and saw that Jenny was involved in a struggle of her own. Duncan hadn’t been kidding about having a robot with him, a male model a foot and a half than Jenny and twice as wide in the shoulders. Even I could tell that this was no “Alpha Male”; this was a military-grade guardroid, fully capable of bending Jenny into a cube of scrap metal and silicone. My heart stopped short when I realized he had her in his grip and held her helplessly off the ground, where she continued struggling to no avail. 

Suddenly Duncan was leaping across the sofa toward me, his paralyzer charged and sparking. Once again I ducked out of the way, but too late to avoid catching his shoulder in my midriff. I had tensed for the blow, but it still knocked the wind out of me and dropped me to the floor. 

My hand touched something solid and heavy. 

Without thinking, I swung whatever it was at Duncan’s head, cracking him hard across the skull. The object shattered, and a red splash erupted from where he had been hit. For a horrifying moment I thought it was blood, but then realized that I had hit him with a bottle of red wine. 

Before I knew what was happening, I was swept aside by something that felt like a truck with hands. Duncan’s robot loomed over me like a monster, his eyes red and glaring. I cringed away, holding red-stained hands before my face in a hopelessly futile gesture. 

Then Jenny leaped over me and struck the robot in the chest with both feet. 

The impact bounced her in the other direction, knocking her to the ground while the other, more massive robot merely stumbled backward. I knew that attacking the guardroid would be like trying to stop a tank with my bare hands, and that Jenny had no hope of overpowering it by herself. She couldn’t protect me. I was going to die. 

Then the guardroid leaped over me and seized Jenny by one arm. 

It doesn’t want me, I thought. It wants her! 

I launched to me feet, no longer thinking rationally about how foolish it was to take on the monster android by myself. With a flying tackle, I hit the machine behind the knees and instantly felt my shoulder pop out of its joint. The impact barely registered with the powerful machine, but somehow it was enough for Jenny to break free. 

She gave the thing a hard shove with her own shoulder. 

I realized suddenly that Jenny’s initial attack had resulted in her rebounding toward the picture window, and though made of “shatterproof” plexiglass, it hadn’t been tested with the weight of a full-size guardroid. The window cracked wide open with the impact of the heavy machine, and it tumbled outside. 

With my good arm, I reached desperately for Jenny and caught her by the ankle. My other shoulder nearly dislocated as well as a sudden jerk lifted me off the floor and pulled me toward the open window, but I refused to let go. The irresistible force yanked me halfway outside, and then suddenly released. I watched the body of the killer robot tumble almost half a mile to the water below. 

Jenny hung head-down in my grip. 

“Let go, Sandi,” she said in a profoundly calm voice. “Your life is in danger.” 

“I won’t let you go!” My chest felt like it was on fire, and I struggled for breath. 

“Sandi, you must let go. My weight is too great for you to safely support. You will fall.” 

“No.” I gritted my teeth and held on. 

“Sandi, if you don’t release me, I will be forced to injure your hand in order that you will be unable to hold on to me. I don’t want to do that.” 

“If you fall,” I grunted, “I’m going after you.” 

“That does not make sense.” 

The pain in both my arms and my chest was becoming overwhelming. I kept myself conscious through an effort of will. “Since when… was you and me… about making sense? Damn you Jenny, I love you and I’m not going to let you fall!” 

“I love you too, Sandi.” 

“Then don’t you leave me! Please, Jenny, don’t die!” 

“I cannot die, Sandi. I am not human.” 

“YES… YOU… ARE!!” 

With all the strength I had left, I pulled. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was a pair of beautiful, iridescent green eyes. 

* * * * * 

I woke up in an unfamiliar room. “Wha-” I exclaimed. 

“Just relax,” said a familiar voice. 

I looked at him. “Mitch? What are you doing here?” 

“It’s okay, you’re all right. I got there at the same time the cops did.” He smirked. “I was going to ask you out to lunch.” 

“Jenny? Where’s Jenny?” 

“I’m here, Sandi,” she said. 

I turned and there she was. I felt an overwhelming flood of relief. 

“She’s refused to leave your side,” Mitch said. “The cops were going to deactivate her, but I wouldn’t let them. I hope you don’t mind, I told them I was your boyfriend. They said Jenny could go with you to the hospital as long as I kept an eye on her.” 

“Hospital?” I looked around. I was in a hospital room. “Why…” 

“Three broken ribs, punctured lung, a dislocated shoulder, and a concussion. Next time you feel like taking on a fully-armored guardroid, you might want to consider using something a little heavier than a ’48 Burgundy.” 

“The man you struck will recover,” Jenny said. 

I refrained from telling her that I really couldn’t give a crap. “Are you all right, Jenny?” I asked. 

“I will also recover,” she said with a smile. 

I furrowed my brow, and looked at her more closely. With a shock of horror I realized that her left arm was missing just below the shoulder. As I watched, Mitch took a steel and chrome skeletal arm and attached it to the stump, snapping the joints together with a small tool. 

“Her arm went down with the other robot,” Mitch explained. “This is the only replacement I had; eventually, you can get one that matches better.” He shook his head. “She must have pulled it off by force to get out of that thing’s grip. I’ve never heard of a robot doing anything like that. You must have given her some damn strong orders to protect you.” 

“She’s not a robot,” I said quietly, as I reached for the steel fingers of her newly installed left arm. I felt the cold metal close gently over my hand, looked up into her glowing, inhuman eyes. 

“She’s my Jenny.” 


THE END
(for now) 


I hope you have enjoyed this story. I welcome feedback of all kinds! 

- Gystex



JNE-99



I shuddered awake. "Jenny! What are you doing?"

"I'm giving you a massage, Sandi," she whispered, her lips barely touching my ear.

"Wait, stop!"

Jenny immediately withdrew her hands and stood up. "Is that all you want, Sandi? I wasn't finished yet."

"How… how is it supposed to finish?" I asked, trembling. I had a suspicion I had just stumbled across another latent command protocol.

"After a sensuous massage, I am to remove my clothing and have sexual intercourse with you," she replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"What would you have done next?" I asked, still in a state of shock but wanting to know what else was hidden in unerased portions of her memory.

"After kissing and licking your neck to initiate foreplay, I would have proceeded to your lips, where I would have waited for you to open your mouth slightly and thus invite me to slide my moistened tongue inside. I would have continued to rub my hands over your body. Then I would have walked around to the front of the chair, where you could watch me take my clothes off. I would have then allowed you to touch and squeeze my breasts, and kiss the nipples, to which I would have responded by moaning and gyrating my hips. I would also have touched your chest and ran my fingers through your hair. I would anticipate non-verbal cues that would indicate your readiness for oral sex. Upon receiving those cues, I would have kissed you on the lips again, then lowered my body between your legs, removed your shorts, and…"

Jenny trailed off.

"And?" I asked, more fascinated than I would have cared to admit. And I was turned on, too. Hey, it had been months since I'd had anyone but myself to take care of my needs!

"I would have been unable to follow the protocol further," Jenny said. "As you are female, you would not have an erect cock for me to take into my mouth and apply gentle suction and tongue massage. I would therefore wait for further instructions."

I raised an eyebrow at her use of the word "cock", rather than something more clinical. But, of course, she would use the word she had been instructed to use. I also noticed how she was slipping back into "robot mode" - perhaps because she was pulling up old and partially erased files.

"I think we're done with the massage for now, Jenny," I said slowly. "I'd like you to fill me a bath now, if you would."

"Sure, Sandi!" she said brightly, and left the room - leaving me to my confused thoughts.

*********

I stayed away from Jenny for the next few days, sorting out my own emotions. I couldn't deny that her massage and subsequent caressing had turned me on. I had been lonely for a long time, and the last time I'd had sex was over a year ago - and I hadn't even had an orgasm. Jenny had brought me closer than either of my previous two boyfriends.

Images filled my mind that I was unable to shake: Jenny's expertly sculpted naked body, lying next to me in my bed as it had that first night; her hands touching my thighs and my breasts; that pretty, perfect face looking up at me from between my legs, waiting for "further instructions". No matter how I tried, I couldn't stop thinking about it!

Jenny, of course, was essentially oblivious to my turmoil. She continued to keep the house clean, fix my meals, get dressed to go jogging with me each morning though we ran in total silence. I didn't dare ask her for another massage. I wasn't worried about her responses, which were perfectly controllable. I was worried about mine!

But the more time went on, the more I became obsessed with the idea. I rationalized it to myself, saying that she was just a machine, that she was no different than a sophisticated vibrator, that it didn't matter that her form was female. Kissing and making love with Jenny wouldn't make me a lesbian, because she wasn't human.

*********

"Jenny, where's my computer? I need to get going, or I'll be late!"

"It's right here, Sandi." Jenny held up the palm-sized device. "And don't worry about being late, you have plenty of time."

"I'm just nervous," I said. "This is a really important interview. It could get me back into a master's program."

"You'll do just fine, Sandi. I have confidence in you."

I smiled nervously. Over the past month, I had slowly resumed my friendship with Jenny, putting the massage incident behind me. It was hard not to, as she was totally unchanged and unbothered by it.

Actually, it had been good for me. Unable to spend time with Jenny, and unwilling to sit around watching TV and surfing the net like I used to, I had thrown myself back into my schoolwork and managed to test well enough to make my old University reconsider my status. I was on my way to talk with the people in charge.

"The cab is here!" Jenny called.

"All right. How do I look?"

"You look perfect."

"No, really Jenny."

"You have a lock of hair out of place on the left side."

I smiled. "Thanks. I don't think I'd be here without you."

Jenny smiled. To my surprise, she stepped forward and gave me a hug. "You're going to do just fine, Sandi," she said. "Don't be scared."

The hug felt wonderful. All the tension seemed to run right out of me, and I hugged her back. "I love you, Jenny," I whispered.

My eyes went wide. What the hell had I just said?

But Jenny took it in stride. "I love you too, Sandi," she replied. She pulled away for a moment, then leaned slightly forward and kissed my lips.

I was shocked at first, but then realized that she was just following up another old command. And the kiss felt so good… I couldn't bear to jerk away. It was Jenny who finally broke the kiss, softly, gently, naturally.

She smiled at me. "Go get 'em, Sandi," she said.

I left with a spring in my step.

*********

I burst back into the house. "Jenny!" I called, excitedly. "Jenny, you won't believe it!"

A loud -pop- startled me. I swung around, and Jenny was standing there with a freshly uncorked bottle of champagne. "Congratulations," she said, giving me a million-dollar smile. "I knew you could do it, Sandi!"

"And suppose I'd come in with bad news?" I asked teasingly. "What would you have done with the champagne then?"

"Not a chance," Jenny replied. "I checked the net before you got back, and you're on the active list of students for the University."

"You could have just stuck with 'I knew you could do it,'" I chided.

I felt a sudden, undeniable impulse, and before I knew it, I had Jenny in my arms and was kissing her. Jenny responded in kind, and we embraced each other warmly and closely. By the time I realized what I was doing, it felt too good to stop, though I shivered as the full reality hit me.

What's more, I dared to open my lips slightly, knowing full well what that would indicate to her. Sure enough, Jenny's mouth opened and her long, wet tongue slipped between my lips. I couldn't help myself, I let my tongue tease and caress hers inside my mouth, loving the exquisite sensation of the kiss, a feeling I hadn't felt for so long.

It was becoming overwhelming. I pulled away before it went too far. Jenny's unreal green eyes stared deeply into mine, her lips wet with my own saliva. She looked so beautiful, so very beautiful.

"Shall we have a toast?" she asked me in a warm, loving tone. How far she had come from the thing I'd unpacked from that crate so many weeks ago. I couldn't think of her as the same being as that machine.

"Are you having one too?" I asked with a giggle.

"It's a special occasion," she said, and went to pour the champagne into two glasses she had set out for the occasion.

*********

Before long, I was feeling more than a little tipsy. Jenny seemed to be in high spirits too, although that rational part of my mind that I found myself ignoring more and more told me that she couldn't possibly be affected by alcohol. She was simply responding to stimuli in the most human way possible. I didn't care anymore. She wasn't a robot, she was my Jenny.

We stayed up talking for hours, about all the opportunities that could open for me when I got my degree, everywhere we might go together, all the doors that I thought had been closed that were now open. Soon, my eyelids were drooping.

Jenny picked up on it right away, of course. "You're tired, Sandi," she said. "You should go to bed."

"I'm too whipped to make it up the stairs," I pointed out.

"Well… if you'll let me, I could…"

"What? Oh never mind, just do it."

Jenny gave me that wonderful smile, and then to my astonishment, stood up, leaned over, and lifted me effortlessly off the couch. "How's this?" she asked.

"Nice," I said, getting over my surprise. It felt good to be held like that, cradled, protected. I even snuggled into her shoulder as we went up the stairs.

Then she was laying me into bed, taking off my shoes, unbuttoning my blouse, unwrapping my skirt. I didn't care, I loved the sensation of being utterly cared for. Soon I was completely undressed, and she lay the sheets over me. Then she turned to leave.

"Don't go, Jenny," I mumbled.

"You want me to stay, Sandi?"

"I want you to sleep with me."

"Is it no longer inappropriate, then?"

"No… I want you to now."

She smiled, and began to undress. Soon she was as naked as I was, and sliding into bed alongside me. I nestled into her arms, marveling at the warmth of her skin, the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, and her steady heartbeat. She was so real, so human…

I fell asleep.

*********

I woke the next morning with Jenny's arms still around me, and I smiled. I had never been held all night before. It was a wonderful feeling.

"Good morning, Sandi," Jenny whispered in my ear.

"Mmm… hello, Jenny."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Wonderfully, thank you." I snuggled a little closer into her arms. "I think I want you to sleep with me all the time, Jenny."

"If it pleases you, Sandi."

I rolled over and faced her. "What would please you, Jenny?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I only wish to make you happy, Sandi. My own pleasure is irrelevant."

I sighed. She was still a robot, no matter how much I wanted her to be human. Suddenly I felt a surge of pity for her, sadness that she would never know the same pleasure that her touch gave me. And this wasn't some kind of cheesy sci-fi vid where she would suddenly find emotion and, like Pinocchio, become magically real. This was real life, and when it came down to it, she was circuit boards and plastic.

But she was beautiful... and I could no longer deny that I wanted her.

"Jenny," I said in a whisper.

"Yes, Sandi?"

"Do you know how to have sexual relations with another woman?"

Jenny paused for a moment. "My information is limited compared to what I know of having sex with men. Do you want me to gather further information on this subject, Sandi?"

I took a deep breath. "Yes. Please spend the rest of the day downloading information on lesbian sexual techniques."

"I will begin right away, Sandi."

I leaned in close and kissed her, trembling with anticipation at what was in store for me at the end of the day...

*********

I stayed away from Jenny that day, letting her take care of her tasks while I went about my business. I went jogging alone for the first time since Jenny had come to stay with me. As I pounded the pavement, all I could think about was how she would feel against my body, how her tongue would drive me to blissful pleasure. My mind was so occupied with lusty and sensual thoughts, I must have made a wrong turn.

When I chanced to look around, I discovered I was in a largely abandoned part of the neighborhood. Of course, even where it wasn't abandoned, the population was sparse, but this was an area with no actually occupied houses. It gives one an uneasy feeling, as the exteriors and landscapes are kept up perfectly by robots, but one knows that the interiors are essentially gutted. Every once in a while some measure comes up to bulldoze such neighborhoods and plant large expanses of parkland instead, but there are always the arguments about how it would best be done and another year goes by. In the meantime, the blight continues.

Such areas aren't entirely safe, actually. If someone wanted to commit a mugging or something, they could likely do so and get away with it before the police arrived. They'd stand about a ninety percent chance of getting caught, closer to 99 if they actually assault their victim and leave DNA traces behind, but there are always those who take the risk - out of sheer boredom, sometimes.

I got my bearings, determined that I could shortcut home by cutting through a backyard, and turned left past an old Victorian house.

Just as I went under the back deck, he struck me.

I yelled with shock as a heavy body knocked me to the ground. My wrists were seized by powerful hands and I was forcibly turned over on my back. Before I could offer any kind of resistance, a paralyzer touched my side and my body went limp.

My assailant was masked. I couldn't see anything but his bearded chin and a shock of white hair on his head. The effect of the paralyzer kept my heart beating steady even though my mind screamed for the surge of adrenaline it would take to get away. He must have known that a jogger wouldn't have anything of value on her. There was just one thing he wanted, and the knowledge that he'd be caught by the authorities within hours didn't seem to be much of a deterrent. It wasn't much comfort for me either, especially since there was no guarantee he'd leave me alive to see it.

Through the neural paralysis, I felt him force my legs apart and rip off my jogging shorts. Utterly incapable of offering even token resistance, I steeled myself for the attack -

And with a sudden whirl of motion, the rapist was knocked to off me and onto the ground.

The impact, whatever it was, spun me around and knocked my head against the concrete patio. I didn't hit very hard - actually, the whack seemed to relieve some of the paralysis effect. I was able to turn my head to the side to try and see what, or who, had saved me.

It was Jenny.

She had apparently tackled my attacker at a full run and rolled back up to her feet, and was now facing him in what looked like a Judo stance. He had his paralyzer out, looking for an opening. I didn't know whether it would have any effect on Jenny or not. I tried to move to help her, but all I could to was twitch my hands a bit.

The man struck, his weapon catching Jenny right in the chest. She grabbed his hand and twisted hard, and I heard his bones snap. The man let out a cry of pain that was quickly choked off as Jenny flipped him onto his back and placed her heel on his throat.

"The police have been called," she said to him in a calm voice. "Remain still and I will not damage you further."

The guy must have been crazy - he actually tried to struggle. He managed to roll out from under Jenny's foot and scrambled to get to his feet, trying to make a run for it. But he was no match for Jenny. She sprinted after him and leaped high into the air, delivering a swift kick to the back of his neck that stretched him out on the lawn. By that time, I could hear approaching sirens.

Satisfied that her opponent was unconscious, Jenny ran back to me and knelt beside me. "Sandi? Are you hurt?"

I tried to speak, and found that due to the paralyzer I could only whisper. "I'm just a little shaken up," I said. "He didn't hurt me badly." I felt tears well up in my eyes. "Oh Jenny, thank God for you."

She lifted me off the ground in a gentle hug. "I love you, Sandi. You're going to be all right now."

*********

When the police arrived, they were able to give me an anti-paralyzer that countered the effects of the rapist's weapon nicely. Jenny had given them a disposition on the spot, and though the word of a robot means nothing in court (they can be easily ordered to lie) her memory banks were another matter, and with a download from her brain plus the DNA traces the man left on me, I could rest assured that he'd be convicted and likely sentenced to full personality wipe. In other words, death. No less than the bastard deserved.

After taking a brief statement from me, the cops flew both me and Jenny home. Once they were gone, I completely lost it. I collapsed into a sobbing heap on the floor and just cried my eyes out. Jenny was there for me of course, and her warm arms were comforting beyond words. She stroked my hair softly and tenderly, letting me get it all out. I didn't know where she learned how to deal with an emotional breakdown, but I was very grateful for her at that moment.

It was some time before I was able to collect myself, and when I did, I felt completely drained. Jenny seemed to read my mind, picking me up in her arms as she had done the night before and carrying me up to bed, where she undressed me and herself, lying down in the bed next to me and holding me close as she had done the night before.

I drifted off to sleep feeling safe and loved.

*********

I awoke with a start. A sudden nightmare, the details of which were already faded out of my mind. Jenny, of course, awoke with me.

"Sandi? Are you all right?" she asked.

"I'm... I'm fine, Jenny," I said. The room was dark, as was the sky outside the windows. The sun had long since set. "What time is it?" I asked.

"It's one thirty-three in the morning," Jenny replied without visibly consulting any timepiece.

I let out a sigh. The nightmare had been brief and intense, but I remembered none of the actual details. Even so, I didn't feel like I could get back to sleep right away. I turned to see Jenny sitting up with me, her bright green eyes touched with what seemed for all the world like genuine concern.

I put my arms around her and drew her close for a soft, loving kiss.

She yielded easily into my embrace, pressing her soft, warm body against me as we caressed one another's tongues. I could feel my nipples harden as they grazed against hers, and a shiver ran through me as I realized what was about to happen. There was no turning back now.

I knew that Jenny would simply do whatever I asked, but it seemed so uncouth to just tell her to have sex with me. Instead, I treated her as I would a human woman, showing her what I wanted by letting my hands roam about her body and touch her face, her legs, her breasts.

Jenny's lips touched little kisses down my neck, each one a little jewel of pleasure. Her breasts were smooth and soft beneath my hands, and they rose and fell with each breath she took. Everything about her was unbelievably real, sensual, vibrant. She was, in a word, alive. And I had never felt more alive myself than I did when she touched me.

"I want you, Jenny," I whispered to her. "Please make love to me, my darling."

"I've always wanted you, Sandi," she whispered back to me, her breath warm in my ear. "All you ever had to do was ask..."

The last part of my rational mind wondered if she really meant it, or if it was just a programmed response. Then her tongue slipped across my nipple and all thought was vanquished from my mind. Whether she wanted me because of the same aching yearning that I felt, or whether it was just ones and zeros, it didn't matter. Her hot, wet lips on my tits and her delicate hands on my body drove me past the point of caring. I dropped my head back and moaned softly with pleasure, and heard Jenny moan along with me.

When I looked down at her, I saw her impossibly green eyes locked on me, filled with blatent, burning lust. She went from one breast to the other, licking each nipple to full hardness and nuzzling between them hungrily. I was desperate to taste her lips again, and so I took her face in my hands and eagerly pulled her lips up to mine, lying her backwards onto the bed to feel her body beneath me. She slipped one leg between mine, and the sensation of her creamy smooth thigh against my naked sex felt utterly delicious. Of course, I could feel between her legs as well, and was delighted to discover an exciting wetness in her pussy.




JNE-99



After what seemed like several minutes of delightfully passionate kissing, Jenny took the initiative and rolled over on top of me, arching her back and giving me a lovely view of her perfectly sculpted tits. I went for them immediately, drawing each nipple into my mouth and sucking hard. Jenny moaned and sighed as I indulged myself in her bosom. To my surprise, I found that I loved sucking tit, and it was all I could do not to turn her back over and just ravage her body.

But, I wanted to give her the chance to show me what she knew about pleasuring a woman, so I allowed her to remain on top and essentially in charge. As she slipped down my body and spread my legs wide, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.

Her tongue licked up my inner thigh on one side and then the other, drawing closer and closer to my sexual center, teasing and exciting me with each loving stroke. She had definitely done her homework; I couldn't remember ever having been so turned on by anyone's touch, and I could feel myself quickly building toward the first orgasm I'd had in months.

Then I felt her kiss my pussy lips, slipping her tongue along my slit as if she were kissing my mouth, and I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming out loud. I clenched my fists in her hair and drew her in tighter, to which she responded by sliding her long tongue deep inside me.

"Oh God, Jenny!" I cried, unable to contain myself any longer. "Oh, fuck me! Fuck me deep, lover! I'm going to come, you're making me come!!"

And I did, as waves and waves of unbelievable sexual ecstacy coursed through my body. Jenny never slowed down, but rather intensified her thrusting until I reached a second peak, and a third, thrashing about on the bed like an animal, moaning and gasping until I was utterly breathless. I lost the outside world completely, my universe was only the two of us, embracing each other tightly as I climaxed again and again.

Finally spent, I collapsed into a deep sleep. My last sensation before losing consciousness was Jenny taking me in her arms and gently stroking my body, whispering low in my ear, "I love you, Sandi."

*********

Of all the things to wake me the next morning, it was the doorbell. I sat up slowly, sliding out of Jenny's arms. "Who the fuck is it?" I asked.

"Delivery and repair service from Androids Incorporated," answered the home computer.

My foggy mind tried to make some kind of connection as to why they would be bothering me as I sleepily pulled my bathrobe on. Jenny was wide awake. "Would you like me to get the door?" she asked.

"Nah, you can sleep," I said.

"Sandi, I don't need to sleep."

I blinked slowly. I'd actually forgotten. "Well, since I'm up, I'll get it anyway," I said, feeling a little embarrassed.

I slumped down the stairs and clicked on the activation for the closed-circuit hologram. A 3-D image of my visitor appeared in the foyer. "What do you want?" I asked grumpily.

"Ms. Greene, I'm Stan Duncan from Androids Inc. You'll be happy to know that we've been able to locate an Alpha Male body for your use, and we can proceed with the personality transfer at this time. It shouldn't take more than -"

"No, thank you," I said, and clicked off the hologram. Then I went back up the stairs to where my lovely Jenny waited for me.

THE END

I hope you have enjoyed this story. I welcome feedback of all kinds!

- Gystex