The rays of the two golden stars stream into the big windows. Delvin and Danc are tangled in a knot of arms and legs, sleeping soundly. They each are wearing nothing but a smile as they enjoy some much needed slumber. Danc cannot remember how many times they went at it, but he knows Delvin teared up twice, saying something along the lines of “Oh, it just feels so beautiful”. Danc might want to forget how he begged numerous times for Delvin to open up his legs, and while it was playful at the time, it was also frustrating (which both eventually enjoyed the outcome...very much). Delvin kisses Danc's shoulder and begins to get up. Danc rolls over from the position of having Delvin spooned into his back and legs and says, “So, do you do that often with a girl you just met?” Danc knows plenty of guys back home (well, he knew of plenty of guys who used to be back home) that did just that and boasted rather boldly the next day.
Delvin's blush could be taken several ways, but he clarifies them all with a simple reply, “My dear, I can truly say that I have never done anything like what happened this past night with anyone, and I can assure you,” he pauses to turn back around and kiss Danc on the forehead, “There is no way that anyone could ever get me to do that again but you.” Unsure of how to take that, other than Danc is sure Delvin meant it as a compliment, he watches the naked man walk towards the bathroom. He can hear the shower starting up as Delvin crosses the threshold of the bathroom door.
Danc rubs his eyes and sits up. I cannot believe we did that, he says to himself in a shock. And, he adds with a frown, I cannot believe how much I enjoyed it. When was the last time I had sex? He ponders. Sitting fully up, the sheets fall down off him, and he notices something. Actually, he notices two somethings. “what the..?” he mumbles as he cups both of his breasts. Feeling their size, he says astonishingly, “They are bigger...much bigger than yesterday.” Perplexed more than ever, he knows something is not right about this, but he cannot seem to figure out how. Knowing he needs time to think, and knowing he is dying of thirst, he throws on Delvin's too small robe and heads down stairs (no way, I putting that little nighty back on...definitely sending the wrong signals).
In the kitchen, he is downing his second Pink Petal when he notes the label of the empty one in his hand. “Estrolox...” he mumbles. Going to the garbage can, he checks all of the pink labels on bottles and boxes and wrappers. Everything he eats or drinks has Estrolox in it...everything. As he ponders that, he notices there are several blue bottles and wrappers in the trash. Picking them up, he starts checking their ingredients. The power bar, Blue Belt, that Delvin eats is identical to the Pink Slip that Danc eats, except for one thing. Danc is taking in Estrolox, while Delvin is taking in Testrolox. “Hmmm,” Danc says softly, “He gets one ingredient while I get the other.” Checking all of the blue bottles he can find, they all have Testrolox, in nearly the same amounts as Estrolox in the pink ones.
Footfalls on the stairs has Danc throwing away the trash, leaving him standing and drinking his third Pink Petal when Delvin walks in. His suit is very nice, and rather casual for him. The button down is gray and the pants are a deep blue, and his hair has a certain bounce to it. “Thirsty? Me too.” Danc nods as Delvin opens the side of the fridge that is his, and snaps open a Blue Tie. He drinks down half the bottle in a much more elegant way than Danc.
They both appear to have thought more about last night, and wonder if they should say something. They would definitely say they enjoyed it, but they might also say they crossed a line. However, did they actually cross a line? If you ask, then you did, so it ruins the experience, but if you don't ask, then you never know, so it leaves the experience in limbo (is that any better?). But what if you both agree how amazing it was? However, to find out, you have to ask. Taking the lead, Delvin is the first to speak, and changes the subject, “So today, you get the apartment to yourself. I have business on the other side of town, and you can have the day off...sort of.”
Danc's sigh of relief could be interpreted as, 'Whew, I get a day off,' but in reality, it was, 'So glad he didn't ask about last night.' I'm not sure what I think yet, so I hate to add weird on top of awkward, Danc thinks to himself. Keeping the conversation moving forward, Danc asks, “Sort of?” Delvin nods his head as he throws away his drink. “Yes,” he continues while looking at her from across the kitchen, “You will need to clean up the place as part of your weekly chores as my robotic maid. Once that is done though, you are done. We are staying in tonight. I expect to be worn out from this morning and this coming afternoon. Fair?” Danc does not want to get back into that android suit so soon, but he figures he can get it all done in a few hours and maybe he won't have to put that suit on today if Delvin isn't here. Shrugging his shoulders and not revisiting his comment of being tired already, he replies, “Sure, I can do that.”
With Delvin gone, Danc is upstairs in his room staring at the android suit. Mainframe has already attempted to contact Delvin about whether or not the household android will be activated today for tasking. Even though he does not want to bother him again, Danc looks at the android suit and says, “Ugh, I don't want to put that thing back on.” As he mulls that over, he asks a question to the apartment system, “Hey, Mainframe, is there another suit to make me into a robot?” Mainframe replies in a mono- yet condescending tone, “Danica, there are no suits on the market that can make you into a robot.” Danc sighs heavily, “Are there any other clothes in the apartment that will fit me with smart-android tech?” Not expecting much, he is surprised to hear, “Yes, Danica. Other than the smart-android wear of T-12, you can also wear the Sexy Maid smart-android uniform.”
Danc stands up and puts the android suit on the bed. “Sexy Maid? Oh, this I have to see.” Using Mainframe's sensors, Danc is able to find the uniform in a box in one of the many drawers in the quite-large closet. Bringing it out, he sits it on the bed and opens it. With the lid off, he whistles, “This cannot be happening...” Inside, he sees a black and white maid's uniform. It is shiny, like all other female clothes seem like. It looks tight and what any guy would want out of a maid. There are opera gloves that look to come above his elbows, knee high socks that come above his knees, a sexy-yet-traditional maids uniform with corset to show off the hour glass figure, a neck line that goes down to his chest, and a backing that goes to the neck and wraps around it, almost like a choker (yet still connected to the rest of the uniform). Groaning softly, “So it is either look like a...a...sexbot,” pointing to the black uniform with white trim in the box, “or like this,” pointing to the standard skin tight android suit. Rolling his eyes, he turns to the box, thinking, no one here but me today anyway.
He looks inside each article of clothing in the box, and sees the standard micro-wires and circuitry to help the house system control him (just like the android suit has). Using the instructions inside the box, he rolls up the socks in a ball, then puts his foot in it, and then unrolls it up his leg. The black shiny “sock” goes from his toes, up his smooth leg, and stops just above his knee. The “sock” is all black, except for a thin white trim at the top, and drawn-on white lines in the front that makes one think the “socks” are “boots” that are laced all the way up the front. He gets the other “sock” on easily, and notes the soles of the socks are surprisingly formfitting and feel rather nice on his feet. “Probably since a maid has to stand all day,” he reasons aloud.
Finding the underwear, which is actually just the panties, he carefully inserts his womanhood, uh manhood, into it and finishes pulling up the thongs. Ugh, he thinks to himself, cannot believe I'm wearing something like this. Grabbing the uniform quickly, he steps into the skirt and wraps the corset around him. Using the same tool, he “zips” himself up, feeling the corset constricting around his waist. He goes ahead and wraps the choker around his neck, and then zips it the rest of the way up. As he gets to the top, he can feel the corset locking in, straightening his back, and throwing his chest out. Woah, he remarks looking down, I can't see my feet anymore. “I gotta stop drinking all those Pink Blossoms,” he says softly, but just the thought of one makes him thirsty, he notes to himself.
Last but not least, he pulls on the opera gloves, just like he did the “socks.” Once on, he turns his wrists around with his arms extended, marveling at their comfort and flexibility, even though they are so tight. He can feel that the tips of the gloves have extra padding, like his “socks”. Nodding his approval, he grabs the final piece. It looks like a headband that goes around his head, just above his hairline, yet it has extending wires and connections to go into his ears. Setting the black-and-white head band in place and inserting the connections into his ears, he looks at himself in the mirror.
Even without make-up, he looks like a woman. His smooth features and hourglass waist and short tight skirt totally change the way he thinks about himself. No one would think him a man now...not even himself. Perhaps, he wonders, I should start thinking of myself in the feminine when I am in “character”. It might help me not say the wrong thing in public. To complete that thought and the uniform, he steps over to the make-up station and selects: 'Maid.'
This setting is different than the others, as it applies a heavier foundation, with darker eyeliner. His cheeks get a more rosy touch, as does his now very-red lips. The lipstick has some agent in it, causing his lips to feel puffy, giving them a much fuller look. Some type of sealer gets applied and his face takes on a whole new sheen, literally. He would be unrecognizable looking like this, he thinks with satisfaction, and I definitely look like a French android maid.
Satisfied, he looks up and says, “Hey, Mainframe, I've got the smart-android uniform on. Let's try a preliminary test. Can you see if it will connect?” Mainframe replies, “Of course, Danica...initializing.” Danc feels the suit begin to get warm, as the circuitry comes to life. He feels himself stand at attention with his feet together and arms at his side. His neck straightens his head into facing forward. Ah, he reasons, must be the choker-backing connection. Within a few moments, his head turns left, then turns right, then faces forward. “Initial test commencing...” Mainframe states.
Danc's right arm bends up at the elbow and does a series of twists and moves. His left arm follows suit, just as his right arm comes down. His legs begin to march him in place, as they come 'online'. Danc can then feel the headband start to work, as he “sees” the floorplans of the apartment come into view and be pushed into his head through basic electrical signals. If my eyes can bring in information to my brain, then it stands to reason that my brain can push info out to my eyes. “Base protocols tested...rebooting in 3...2...1...” Mainframe states matter-of-factly.
Danc's shoulders slump, as his back starts to bend over. What's happening now? He wonders. As he is almost folded in half, the uniform comes back on, straightening him up quickly, snapping his eyes wide (got a little jolt there from the headband, he winces). Before he can react, the uniform does the same test: turn head left, then right, then straight; bend and twist each arm at the elbow and wrist; march in place; upload floorplans again (which had disappeared when he 'shutdown'), along with methods for making the bed and washing dishes and vacuuming the floors and etc...all showing up in his vision. This will take some getting used to, he thinks trying to reason through all the information in his field of view now.
“All systems check,” the mainframe states, “Load Sexy Maid personality and initiate cleaning cycle.” Load the wha...Danc tries to say, but then his brain is again hit with new information. Most of it is just things that the suit will take care of, so it really does not affect him directly. Within a few moments, he says in a rather high-pitched, heavy-accented voice, “Sexy Maid online and ready for duty.” Was that me? Danc asks himself, shocked.
In less than a second, he is on his way downstairs. He finds himself in the kitchen loading the dish washer and putting away clean items from earlier in the week. Every time he grabs a dish, he can see a path to walk and location to place it, even though he is being mostly controlled at the moment. The suit seems to be reacting to input from Mainframe, so while he can “roll his shoulders” if he wants, his elbows and hands are still going to move by outside input. Ah, Danc reasons, that is why the suit covers most of his 'bendable' parts: Mainframe can control Danc's movements that way.
Impressed with his efficiency during this time, he is busily putting away the eating utensils when the doorbell rings. He feels control come back to him as Mainframe says, “Maid, answer the door. The grocery delivery man is waiting for you. Ensure that each item is correct before signing.” Danc flexes his hands, as he has not had 'control' over them in a while, and then walks out of the kitchen to the front door. Even with the less-than-full-body android suit, Danc still enjoys the fluid motion of being 'robotic'.
Once there, he opens it to see a rather average man, wearing a ball cap and polo of alternating blue, pink, and green stripes. He is already smiling when Danc opens the door, but he smiles even broader when he sees who opened the door. “Good afternoon, sir,” Danc says in his thick accent, “Are those the master's groceries?” The man nods and replies, “Why yes they are, you maid of sex. May I come in?” He looks like he might start drooling as he walks past Danc to the nearby hall table to set the box down. “Before signing, this unit must inspect the contents of the box.” The man nods, never taking his eyes off the firm mountains that are at his eye level.
Danc rolls his eyes mentally, as he starts going through each item. He can see the delivery guy staring, and then he can feel the delivery guy's hand on the back of his leg as Danc bends over a bit more to reach items in the bottom of the box. Danc wants to slap him, but if he does, this 'Maid' ruse is up (even Mainframe would 'punish' him for that). He has to be an object...a thing of no emotions...as he ignores the touching and continues checking the food items. He is nearly down when he feels a hand stroking his womanhood under the skirt yet outside of his panties. Come on, buddy, Danc thinks with a frown, that just isn't right. Uh oh, Danc realizes, I'm not wearing any type of sleave or cover down there, so if he decides to sneak a feel under...he will be in for a surprise.
Hurriedly finished with counting, Danc straightens up, “All items are now accounted for, please offer a means of signing.” The delivery guy pulls his hand away as he gives Danc the tablet to sign. “Oh, what I wouldn't give you have you clean me tonight...you are every guy's dream, especially this guy.” As Danc signs, the man gets a good hold of each partially covered breast. He massages them gently until Danc hands him back the tablet. Turning on his heal, Danc walks back to the door, “Thank you, sir,” for being a hands-on pervert. Waving as he walks out slowly, “Believe me, it was my pleasure.” Danc closes the door, breathes a heavy sigh of relief, “I'm sure it was,” he mumbles softly, then carries the groceries into the kitchen.
With the box now on the counter, Danc can now start putting things up. He wonders were the...then he feels Mainframe taking over. He finds his movements mostly controlled, as he starts to put away all the groceries in their proper spots. Well, he thinks, this 'heads up display' I got going on now makes it easy, even if I didn't have my motions mostly controlled. And one added bonus: while an android, he is able to open both sides of the refrigerator. Taking a quick glance on Delvin's side, he notices that all the food and drinks look like his, except for the color of the labels.
He tries to read the ingredients to prove his chemical theory, but he can't get in close enough. His Sexy Maid body quickly moves onto the floors with the groceries now put away. He is thankful for the extra-tall “socks”, as he is on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor (“there is no way it is this dirty that I need to scrub it like this,” he thinks with a frown). Before he can decide if he is done with the floors, he is back upstairs making the bed. Wow, he marvels, I'm fast!
Due to last night's activities (which Danc has managed to forget...mostly), he strips the bed of all sheets and pillow cases. The laundry room is just off Delvin's massive closet. It is a simple washer and dryer that are stacked on top of each other, keeping the laundry room tiny at best. With everything within arms reach, he has a load running rather quickly. To be more efficient of the washer, he adds some of Delvin's clothes to it as well. He makes the bed in a way he has not done before, but Mainframe seems to have him working without any need for Danc to intervene (I didn't even know where the sheets were until my body went and grabbed them out of the linen closet, Danc admits to himself). Before long, the bedroom looks perfect, so he heads to the master bathroom.
Having built-in gloves sure is handy, Danc thinks with a smile, as he wipes down the sink and counters. The cleaning wipes smell like spring on his home planet, and they probably have a powerful cleaning agent, as he has no trouble cleaning up any mess. He straightens up to move to the toilet, when he hears the vidphone chime. Hmm, he wonders, who would be calling on a Saturday afternoon?
Since this is outside of the regular cleaning protocols, Mainframe releases him to answer the vidphone. Danc flexes his hands and bends his knees, “Wow, feels good to be back in control,” he mumbles in a satisfied tone. Walking out to the bedroom, he accesses the vidphone feature in the TV. As the screen comes to life, Danc has the desire to cross his right leg behind and around his left, keeping both feet still flat on the floor, and to put his hands together in a neutral pose just below his waist. “Huh,” he exclaims outloud, “Guess this is what I should be doing when I'm not doing anything.”
Delvin's face and upper body come into view on the screen. Danc can see he is at some type of department or clothing store, as there are racks and racks of clothes behind him. Not knowing who might be listening, Danc smiles stiffly and says flatly, “Good afternoon, Master. How can Maid assist?” Delvin smiles broadly as well, possibly admiring the view or maybe in surprise or reaction to Danc's words.
“Ah, Sexy Maid, perfect,” Delvin says in a genuinely happy way, “You are to suspend all cleaning protocols until you have finished this task. You are to go down into the store prep area to find androids...” Delvin's voice trails off as he looks to the left, then Danc hears from off screen, “J7, J9, and J12.” Delvin nods and looks back to him, “Activate androids J7, J9, and J12. Send them to packaging and when prompted by the machine, say 'Light'. I don't need them completely encased for international travel.” Danc nods his head and replies, “Maid complies.” Delvin returns the nod and says, “Wait until the delivery van picks them up, then return upstairs to your cleaning duties.” Before he turns off the screen, Delvin winks at Danc and says in a friendly tone, “Thanks.”
Danc grins, nods, and heads to the store area via the elevator. He knows where he is going, because he has been here many times. To be honest, he thinks, I have never activated nor commanded an android before, but it doesn't sound too hard. Stepping out of the elevator at the bottom level, the store prep area is quiet. Delvin's high-end store is not open on Saturdays or Sundays, which sounds strange, except that he has to have time for his “other” business on the weekend. Turning left, he steps around the clothes and tables to where the androids are stored.
Like most companies with androids, they have a separate room for them. They are stored and usually serviced there. Like a car, there are many types of androids, and it depends on what you want as to what you pay and get. The androids that lay horizontally on charging 'bunk beds' that line the walls are the cheaper type. Their processing power is weak, and can only manage base commands. It will follow you and carry your bags for you, but if you ask it to “fetch your slippers”, it will blow a fuse or something. So for Delvin's purposes, they are perfect in visual marketing, Danc reasons.
At the end of the room is a workbench with two disassembled androids. The area is littered with parts and tools. Though he knows he is not an android, it does give him some angst seeing the pulled apart androids (his time on a conveyor belt in that factory when he first arrived on this planet is still pretty fresh in his mind). Pushing that out of his head, he walks over to the 'bunk beds' and searches the labels. He finds J7 and J9 on a top and bottom 'bunk'. Each one has smooth, human-toned skin with very defined facial features, two lovely mounds of breasts, and one rather large bulge below the waist. In some ways, the bulge makes their hips look more narrow, so their waist does not come in as tightly. Looking at himself, he notes mockingly, “Tsk, tsk, no hourglass figure like me, ladies.”
Touching the green button on the 'bunk' labels, each android's eyes snap open. They sit up and work themselves off the 'bunks'. They stand at attention in front of Danc. Neither moves nor shows any facial expression, awaiting orders. “J7 and J9”, he commands, “Report to the packaging station.” Both androids nod and say in unison, “Confirmed,” then walk slowly out of the room. After they leave, he searches for J12 amongst the other 'bunks'. Unable to find the right label, he steps out into the hallway, looking for another android room.
Walking down the hallway, he finds J7 and J9 being packaged. The machine looks like a gift wrapper for androids. It has a rectangular frame going all the way around the android that is attached on the inside to the arms, legs, waist, and head of the android by some type of wire or string or elastic. J7 has just been finished, and the crane-like arms set her and her frame on the small forklift. Smacking his head, Danc says angrily, “Forgot the packaging setting.” Walking over to the control panel, he looks at the settings. Most of them are foreign to him, but at the top of this screen, the word 'LIGHT' is highlighted. “Whew,” he says relieved, “Must have been the default...close call.” J9 is next, and the process repeats. Hmm, he begins to wonder, where is J12? Stepping back out, he walks towards the main part of the store prep area. Not seeing any other rooms, he goes back into the android room again.
Eyeing the workbench nervously, he whispers, “Well, there is one place I haven't looked.” Slowly, he walks up to the workbench. On the left of the messy workstation, he finds half of one android in pieces with the rest on the floor. On the right, a nearly complete android, except the face is missing, showing all the mechanical and electrical parts behind it. He knows what is underneath an android, but it seems strange, somewhat eery, to be looking behind the face, especially when pretending to be one. He has seen the insides of people as a soldier, so why should this be any different? He doesn't know the answer, as he wrestles with his feelings.
Shaking his head, he focuses on anything to tell him what these androids are designated as. He feels like there must be something somewhere on them. He knows that the blue-capped android knows its him every day, somehow. Poking around on the android with both hands, he turns parts over and inspects surfaces for some type of marking. So intent on this, he does not hear the footsteps behind him. The rather hard smack he feels and hears comes from his left butt cheek. Straightening up, he turns around quickly to see an older man in coveralls. He looks well built for his age, but Danc has to admit he has not run across on “older” person yet. Before he can respond, the technician (by his clothes) says, “Don't take a huffy look at me, you broken gearbox, I'm pretty sure you don't belong at my workbench.”
Danc is not sure what to say, as he clearly is not where he wants to be, yet an android would not know shame, so he cannot act that way either (and did I have a “huffy” look on my face?). Regaining some of his composure, Danc replies, “This unit apologizes for any intrusion. Maid has been instructed by the Master to send J7, J9, and J12 to packaging for transit pickup to his current location.” The technician sets his tool that he had in his other hand down, and looks back at Danc. “Well, that's a problem,” the man says while running his hand lightly along Danc's exposed chest, “You see you just had J12's alternator in your hands, so that gearbox ain't going no where. And as for J7 and J9, look like you got them wrapped up already.”
Danc is really unsure now of what to do. As a higher order android, he is supposed to process like a person, but not at the depth of an intelligent being. However, he is not sure how an android would process this new information. Sensing what's happening, the old technician chuckles, “Don't blow a gasket, I got a solution for the boss.” He turns around and reaches for another tool on the workbench. Despite being messy, he seems to know where everything is.
“This is a labeler,” he says holding it up for Danc to see, “It allows me to change labels as needed. Unfortunately, all of the androids besides J7 and J9 are being upgraded this weekend, which is why he sent for them. I told him J12 wouldn't be ready, but who listens to me, right?” Danc figures he should respond so he replies with, “French Maid listens to you, sir.” The old technician playful pats Danc's cheek and says in a baby voice, “yes, you do...shiny car fender.” Holding the device up to face Danc, the technician states, “You will become J12, as there are no others, and if MISTER Delvin has a problem, I'm sure he will let me know.”
The technician orders Danc to the packaging area, addressing him as J12. As Danc leaves the room, headed to the packager, all he can think is, 'this is not at all what I wanted.' He does not feel any different, but when the old man called Danc, “J12”, he could feel the smart suit reacting. Whatever that old man did, the suit recognizes Danc as 'J12'. Rounding the corner, he can see that J7 and J9 are stacked on the forklift. “I'll be joining you soon,” Danc tells them in a low voice. Slowly stepping into the frame, he waits. Ugh, he thinks, I want to run so bad right now...but no one is here to help me. And Delvin is the only one who could protect me, Danc thinks dejectedly, so all I can do is play the part.
Thin elastic straps stretch out through the holes in the frame, looping around Danc's waist, hands, and legs. He can feel the stretchy material constricting, but not in a bad way, around his arms and legs, holding them in place. From the pressure, Danc figures, the elastic bands go from wrist to elbow and maybe ankle to knee. He can feel his arms and legs being pulled outward, while at the same time being pulled inward. The corset shields him from feeling the loops that go around his waist, but like a “web”, he is being immobilized. Another one comes from above his head, and loosely loops around his neck. While at first he panics from the location, as his neck is much more vulnerable that a real android, he breathes a sigh of relief that even though it is tight, he can breathe normally. Danc watches the world spin around, as the frame he is attached to is lifted up and stacked horizontally on the others. While he cannot physically feel J7 and J9 touching him, he knows they are bound up like him awaiting transport beneath him.
The forklift beeps and starts rolling out the door and towards the garage. Danc can only look straight up at the steel rafters overhead. The little forklift smoothly moves them along the predetermined path. Within moments, Danc can hear the sounds of the outdoors as they are wheeled into the garage loading dock. The sounds of cars on the road and birds in the trees that line the road are welcome to his ears, as he has not been outside during the daytime since he has been on this planet. As the forklift stops, Danc is brought back to reality: I have always had Delvin there to vouch for my artificial acting job, Danc whines to himself, and now I will be out where all can see me...no safety net.
The minutes roll by and Danc can do nothing but worry in his head. He cannot move, he cannot act, and he cannot change a thing. He is literally and figuratively trapped. He wants to believe it will be okay, but the more he thinks about it, the more he worries about it. Funny, he recalls, I don't ever remembering being this fretful. It is like my independence and confidence in myself have become a dependence on Delvin. As he tries to decide whether that is a good thing or not, he hears a vehicle pull up.
The sound of the vehicle seems like it is more than just a car, but by only staring at the ceiling, Danc has no idea. Two doors open and close as he hears muffled voices. Regaining his android composure, he stares forward neutrally. The top of a curly-haired man can barely be seen over the frame by Danc's peripheral vision. Then, a woman's head comes into view...wow, Danc thinks, she must be nearly 7 feet tall. Although, he admits, it is hard to judge from this position. She has the sharp firm facial features you would expect from women here, and even though she has on some type of coverall, it is still somewhat tight and shiny.
The delivery drivers do not say anything, but grab Danc's frame on opposite sides and carry it into what looks like a cargo van. Danc's frame is laid on the floor of the van, still face up. He can see both of them better now. They both have on the same light blue coverall with a bird-looking logo on the left chest pocket. They each wear a short-billed cap with the same logo and shiny look. The man looks well built (he fills his suit nicely), even if sort of short. The woman looks thinner (not a single curve on her), as if she is not really in good shape. Interestingly enough though, her bulge below her waist is about the same size as the two bulges on her chest. Unbelievable, Danc chastises himself, I'm trapped in a van going who knows where, and I'm comparing sizes like a high school boy.
They disappear and return with J9. Her smooth android skin has the black elastic cords wrapped around her arms and legs and waist and neck. Based on his thoughts before, the elastic bands do cover J9's forearms, shins, waist, and neck. Danc's vision is blocked by J7's head, as they stack that frame on top of Danc's. Fortunately, J7 and J9 are both bald, so no hair falls into his face. Not that I want to have it done, Danc ponders, but I wonder how I would look clean shaven all across my head. As he thinks on that, J9 is stacked on top of J7 who is on top of Danc. He cannot feel any added pressure, as the frames are designed to be stacked. He does notice that it is quite a bit darker now, as the frames and androids have blocked most the light that was getting to him previously.
As the van begins to pull away, Danc is again alone with his thoughts, but now, they seem more productive. Why do I keep thinking I should be doing something, he wonders. I don't have a job...I don't have a life outside of Delvin for now...I should be able to just relax and be a deactivated android. But instead, I'm all wound up about not completing my tasks at home. Although, Danc admits, they aren't my tasks nor my home. I'm just following orders. Maybe I have been going about this the wrong way, he figures, maybe I need not be so afraid of losing who I was and just become who I am now. As he starts to smile involuntary, he thinks, the soldier Danc will never be able leave this planet, but the female Danica will...if I want to survive, I must adapt and become something new.
The rest of the ride is quite peaceful for 'Danica'. He simply lays there and empties his mind. He begins focusing on who he is right then and there. He is not a man seeking transport off world...he is an android...a female android. Muscles begin relaxing from the tension leaving his body, he finds an inner peace that has been missing from his life recently. No, he resolves, not 'his' life, but 'her' life. If I am to be what I need to survive, I am Danica. As a playful notion, she says softly, “Don't go far Danc, I'll see you soon.”