Danica has no idea where she is and what she is about to see. Her trip off the van is like the trip on: carried by two, bored delivery workers onto a small forklift. Once stacked on the forklift, Danica and the J-twins (as she calls them now) are driven across an open-aired parking lot, up a ramp, and through a double set of doors. The ceiling on this building seems very similar to the one in Delvin's store prep area, which makes sense since she thinks it's another clothing store. Although, she wonders now that she has seen more of Delvin's operations, should I be putting “clothing store” in quotes?
Being on top does not help in this case, but they eventually stop. The bands hold her tightly, so she barely shakes from the sudden stop. After a few moments, the curly-haired-guy and the stick-of-a-woman pick up each frame and set them down on the floor. Just like in the van, Danica is now on the bottom. She can feel impatience rising up in her, but she squelches it, reminding herself that she has no place to be rather than here. She is an object to be called upon only when needed, and if she is not needed, then she has nothing to do and nothing to worry about.
After a while, no more than 30 minutes (maybe?), she hears Delvin's voice and another man's. “...so we have J7 in the summer dress and J9 in the shorts-and-suit, which leaves J12 in the...” Delvin stops as if he is looking for something. Danica can only lay in her captivity and wait, and she is still in the dark (literally) as Delvin does not finish his thought before he is interrupted. “Ok, Muscles, grab the top one and put her through the de-packager. When she is done, dress her in this.” Danica assumes he handed her or him something.
“Confirmed” replies the deep but feminine voice. Oh, Danica raises one eyebrow, there are other androids here working. J7 and frame are lifted off, letting Danica see more of the back of J9's head. “You and I can get J9 to her spot, and then Muscles can come back for J12.” Danica realizes she is about to be discovered, so she puts on her neutral face and watches J9 rise up and get carried away. As she lays there on the floor, it does not take her long to realize that they did not notice her. Come on, Delvin, Danica screams silently, I was laying right here in front of you!
She can hear noises of people (or maybe androids) moving in the large room. There are other noises of items being pushed or pulled along table tops (maybe?), clothes being hung up (metal hangar on metal rod), and the sound of a large sewing machine (well, at least it sounds like one). Danica keeps her cool and lays in her frame comfortably. Actually, she thinks for the first time, I had not noticed how comfortable this is. It is like being in a hammock that you cannot get out of, but you are just floating restfully above the ground.
Time slips away, as she begins to daydream in her 'entrapment hammock', enjoying being herself now. A shadow falls over her as someone comes up to the frame. They are upside down to her perspective, so she cannot quite make them out. They bend down and lift the top of the frame off the ground, so Danica is rotated up to face the wall. She can see the wall is similar to the ceiling: very industrial looking.
She is then picked up slightly and carried by Muscles or some other android (there is no way a regular person could pick me and the frame up like this and walk). Danica can see part of her world bounce slowly by as she can now place the sounds with their cause. People (or maybe androids) are folding clothes and placing them in boxes, which are then slid down the table top to another person that does the same. She can see that in some places, they have to pull clothes off hangers and fold and place in boxes. Sometimes the clothes in the box are removed to be hung up, only to be replaced by another set of similar looking clothing. Wow, she thinks, this a major operation of clothing, maybe I was wrong about this being illegitimate.
Nearing the end of the line, she can see boxes being sealed up and labeled by androids. They are more obvious as they are wearing see-through plastic outfits that show off articulated joints and their very smooth, shiny skin. These must be the lower end processing units, as they are repeating the same basic maneuvers over and over again. She feels the bands on her tighten as she is swung around quickly and leaned against the wall. Whether it is good or bad, she is leaned facing the wall, so she does not have to maintain the neutral android facial expression. However, she wonders if Delvin will see her or not.
Before she can finish that thought, she hears Delvin talking to someone as he comes closer. “...right, and those others on the left.” Looking down with her eyes without moving her head, she can see his shoes as he stands right next to her frame. They must be his shoes, Danica chuckles to herself, as nobody else would wear such nice ones in this environment. “What are you doing here?” he whispers softly. Before she can answer, he says loudly, “Yes, yes, that looks right!” Unsure of who might be listening, she whispers in return, “Maid was unable to locate J12, due J12's maintenance schedule. Maid was designated as J12 for MISTER Baxter's needs.” She emphasizes the “mister” like the technician, and can see his feet shuffle, as if he cannot believe what he just heard.
“You have today off, Danica,” he whispers sternly, “I didn't need you here today.” Breaking character, Danica spits out raspily, “Well, Old-man Technician shouldn't have taken every android you own and decide to upgrade them all in one day. AND, the ones he didn't upgrade, he took apart!” As she finished, the thought occurred to her that maybe she could have said that better...or differently...or maybe not at all. Even in the loud room, she can hear him sigh heavily. Watching his feet only, they shuffle again.
“Indeed,” he whispers, but then says loudly, “Indeed!” Danica can see another pair of shoes now standing next to Delvin. They are more casual with laces like tennis shoes. “I didn't think we had a maid outfit on the runway today?” she hears the voice of the tennis shoes say. “Indeed,” Delvin repeats again, “There was a mix-up, and my in-house android was sent over instead of my in-store one.” Danica can feel a hand on her left butt cheek, as it works its way up and down and squeezing her slightly. “Oh nice,” the voice of the tennis shoes exclaims, “It's got the new realistic skin...look!” He gives Danica a hardy slap on the butt, “See, looks and sounds real...” Ow, Danica exclaims, that hurt! Delvin, not sure if Danica might break character or not says hastily, “Yes, yes, it's great, but we need to be thinking of what to do with her...uh, it. Obviously she can do what J12 should have done, but do we even need her...uh, it.” The man in the tennis shoes seems to think it over, as there is a pause in the conversation. Danica waits patiently, but she can still feel where he spanked her...it's like one butt cheek is hotter than the other.
A snap of the fingers and Danica hears of her fate, “You know what, your Maidbot here is much curvier than J12, which means she is more realistic, which means...wedding dress.” Delvin immediately rebukes that, “No, Szet, no, I'm not ready to reveal the newest wedding dress today, and we were saving that for next month's gala.” Szet (wonder if that is his real name or just short for something else, Danica wonders) butt's in, “True, but the only reason you have not revealed it is you have not had a girlfriend long enough to wear it for you, or you don't like any of the android's wearing it and not doing it justice.” Delvin seems hurt and replies, “That's not true at all...” But again, Szet says, “Oh drop it, D. You know good and well it is true. Look, put this high-quality butt,” Danica can feel a single finger poking her in the other butt cheek, “in THE wedding dress.”
Danica cannot see his face, but she assumes Delvin is contemplating it all. The noises all around her go on as if nothing is happening here. They have their purpose to fulfill, and so does she. But the question is: what is her purpose today? With another heavy sigh, Delvin says, “Fine. Get her, uh, it, out of this and into the dress. Set the machine on highest quality...I want the maid costume, the wedding dress, and the android unharmed.” Danica hears Szet laugh loudly, “That's a boy, let's make some money!”
After he leaves, Delvin whispers, “Don't worry, the machine will get you out of the frame and those clothes, shine you up, and put you in the most stunning wedding dress ever, if I do say so myself. After that, you can show it off on the runway today with some of our biggest clients, and then,” he pauses momentarily, “if nobody catches on, we can go home and collapse.” Danica smirks slightly, gulps loudly, and says with a joking sigh, “Confirmed.”
Danica's frame is lifted and placed just a few feet from the wall where she was leaning. She is now facing outwards, and can see some parts of the room. Evidently, she is facing the loading area, as boxes of clothes are being loaded onto vans to be driven out to stores. For Danica, she will not be leaving yet, as the machine begins to unravel her bonds. The elastic bands are cut (or perhaps untied) and removed, leaving Danica standing “free.” The pressure on her arms, legs, and neck that seemed so foreign at first, now seems odd to not be there. Not given any instructions, she stands at attention, watching the activity of the loading dock.
A set of shiny metal arms with silvery hands begin to remove her outfit. Strangely enough, they do not need her to move to remove the clothes. Somehow, the machine is unraveling or undoing the outfit, and pealing it off her. As the corset is removed, she can feel her breasts come down slightly, as they are no longer being squeezed upwards. The cool air condition feels good on her exposed stomach. Still unsure of how it is getting her gloves and socks off, she notices another body part that is allowed to relax downwards as well. Uh oh, Danica panics, I don't think androids have fully articulated units below their waist. As expected, when she is scanned an error is sent, when it registers the “anomaly” below her waist.
In a few moments, Szet comes over staring at her. “Oh wow, look at the size of that thing,” he exclaims touching it ever so slightly than saying to Danica's face, “You must be so proud of how real it looks.” He looks back at it, and touches it again, almost worshipfully, “It is just so beautiful.” Szet's voice breaks a little, like he might be crying. “I just...ummm,” but then he regains his composure, “Uh, go ahead and sheath it...no augmentation needed, then shine the whole exterior all over.”
Fortunately, Szet was looking down, and could not see Danica blushing a deep red, even through her shiny make-up. That might be the best compliment I have ever received about my physique, and definitely the best ever about my womanhood. She feels warm all over from how he talked to her and touched her so reverently. Still basking in the glow, she hardly notices the soft tube that is slipped over her unit and then adhered below her waist and two smaller cups that are pressed over her nipples. Before she can even guess what was done top and bottom, her body is sprayed with some sort of liquid.
As the liquid runs down her body, a set of rotating brushes begin to work it in. Stealing a look down at herself, ever spot the brushes touch with the liquid makes her skin look shiny and smooth. Bending slightly, she looks past her breasts to see a rather-large, smooth mound below her waist. Smiling slightly, she notices now that her nipples have 'disappeared' giving her two other rather-large, smooth mounds. Huh, she reasons, I'm gonna look more fake now than when I wear that android suit.
With her face still shiny from this morning, the machine finishes up the rest and blows warm air on her to dry the finish. Danica continues to smile as it scans her again, giving her a green light of approval. From there, she can see white fabric coming into view. As with all other female clothing, it is shiny, and possibly tight fitting, but this material looks to be much thicker than the other stuff she usually wears.
As she looks at the folds and sequins and lace features, she becomes distracted and then completely enamored with what the machine does next. The dress is being laid on her in pieces, and while being held in place by small, silvery hands, this machine is literally sewing it together. Each panel of each part of the dress begins to connect to other pieces as this giant sewing machine goes to work. She is naked now, but soon she will be wearing a dress that she did not put on...it was sewn on her.
The under corset goes on, and feels like it has metal or hard plastic underneath. Danica can feel her waist being constricted with each stitch. Woah, she exclaims, and I thought the Sexy Maid uniform was tight. The corset is white and goes from just below her waist to just below her breasts. The arms pull away as the machine makes a beeping sound. Unsure of what that means, Danica continues to hold her pose, hoping she did not do something wrong.
In a few moments, Delvin comes up to her. Eyeing the corset, he runs his hand along the seam. “Excellent,” he mumbles. Taking out a tape measure, he stretches it across and then around Danica's waist. Holding his thumb on the number, he pulls it back and remarks, “Hmm, really need another inch or two removed to fit properly.” Looking up to Danica, he mouths the word 'sorry'. She would like to react to that, but she is not sure if anyone is watching, so she maintains her neutral facial expression. Knowing there is no going back now, he says to the machine, “Give her another 10% reduction then proceed to the next phase.
Danica feels the machine undo what it just did, and she finds breathing much easier. Oh no, she moans, it's going to be tighter than that? The machine has reset itself already and begun to redo the under corset on her. With each stitch, Danica can feel her waist getting smaller and smaller. Uh-oh, that feels so tight, she thinks to herself in some discomfort. How do women breathe in these things when they wear them? But with the corset in place, comfortable or not, the machine moves on, not asking if Danica needs anything. Why would a machine worry about another machine's feelings?
A pair of panties are put on her, that are white, look soft, and have lace trimmed all around the edges. They are basic, not fancy, and probably took less than ten stitches on each side to attach them. They are soon covered by what looks like a pair of bike shorts, to Danica. They cover the panties and go down about mid-thigh and have lace trimmed along its waistband and also down its sides. As they are sewn on, she can feel her butt cheeks getting a slight lift.
The next part is just confusing. Two bowls made of plastic come out and are placed over her breasts, nearly matching her skin color. They add a bit more size to her chest, but that is not the confusing part. Her breasts now have a more “bullet-shape” to them. They seem to extend further out and have a less rounded, and more conical shape. Danica has no idea what the reason for this is, but the “bullets” are attached with a small amount of adhesive, then the bottom of each is sewn to the top of the corset, making it one piece now. Danica thinks with a slight smirk, I feel somewhat comical as my chest is now somewhat conical.
The skirt is next and it looks like thick strips or maybe folds (hard to tell). Starting at the top of the corset, the silver hands put a horizontal fold or strip of the thick material around her. Once in place, the next strip is sewn to the above strip. The material is like the chauffeur outfit, so it feels heavy and thick, almost like a leather. Within a few seconds, it has added all the pieces of the folded dress down to the bottom of her 'biker shorts'. While she can't be sure, Danica feels pretty confident that this will be the heaviest outfit she has ever worn.
The next fabric which is laid above her corset feels light and airy. It drapes over her “bullet chest” and then is sewn in place to the corset, front and back. This material goes to the bottom of her neck, then goes beyond that to the edge of her shoulders. In stark contrast, she feels, this material weighs nothing compared to the skirt material. She cannot see through it, so it is still opaque, but much lighter and probably easier to move around in.
The sleeves and gloves are sewn on next. Each finger is individually sewn on along the sides, completely encasing the tips of her fingers all the way up to her shoulders. The sensation was so surreal, as she could feel the tiny extensions of the machine slowly working its way up and down each finger, her forearms, her biceps, and finally attaching to the material at her shoulders. This fabric is the same light and airy material on her shoulders and feels so nice against her skin. It has a slight sheen to it, but not much. But keeping with the contrasts, something completely different begins to be added to her outfit.
The silver hands begin adding what appears to be elbow pads, back-hand covers, and shoulder-sections of white armor. The plastic material is light, so it would not actually provide any protection, so Danica feels like it must be aesthetic. With sounds of small plastic screws being inserted, the sections of the slim elbow pads, the narrow shoulder protectors, and covers for just the back of her hands are attached together around her. Then, they are sewn right onto the material that is right against her skin. Like some type of doll, the silver hands move her arms up and down and around, bending her elbows and each of her fingers. She can hear the plastic gears or the parts within these attachments moving around to her every controlled move.
After another green light, she notices that according to her field of view, she is getting shorter. She knows she is not shrinking, and the frame itself does not seem to be moving, yet she can tell she is going down. Before she can reason it out, she feels a warm liquid on her feet. The goo seems thick and probably kept warm to keep it as a liquid. The warm sensation comes up to her ankles. Her toes are pointed down somehow, arching her feet slightly, then she notices she is rising back up again. With no one watching, she takes a quick peek down at her feet. They are completely encased in the most perfectly looking, shiny material. It is like she got dipped in a fast-drying plastic. Her feet are surprisingly, comfortably covered in bright white, and it looks like she is wearing ankle boots with a slight, solid heel.
Unsure of what could be next, Danica sees the silver hands heading for her head. A new hair do, she questions. As if answering her, she feels her hair being moved around and woven together with some other type of material. She cannot see what is going on, so she patiently waits the few seconds it takes for the machine to give her a “new do”. The machine scans her again, and for the final time, she gets a green light. A monotone voice commands, “J12, step out of the sewing machine and await further instructions.” Now Danica knows she is free to do whatever she wants, and there are no controls forcing her, but if she is going to pull off being an android (again), she has to do what they would do. Stepping slowly, as she has no help from any android-tech clothing, she walks off the frame, down the two steps, and onto the concrete floor.
Figuring she should look like she is waiting for “further instructions”, she folds her hands in front of her, just below her waist, and crosses her right foot behind her left then placing it flat on the ground on the other side of her left. Hmmm, she reasons, feeling the back of my hand covering, I'm pretty sure it is plastic. It must be high quality, as it is so smooth and light. And my feet, she thinks, are like they are wearing nothing, even though I know they are. This is amazing!
Within a few moments, Delvin walks up to her with Szet. “Wow,” Szet says loudly, “I told you...the perfect dress for the perfect refrigerator.” Delvin chuckles at the joke, examining the dress. He runs his hands along the folded lines of the skirt, “Yes, texture looks right with some added depth.” He puts his hands on her biceps to feel the other material, “Again, just the right touch of sheen and femininity.” Szet makes a fist and gently knocks on her “bullet breasts”. He laughs, “Yep, hard as a steel track.” Grabbing her right arm, Delvin pulls it up and away from her body. “Do you think the military-looking covers are too much?” Ah, Danica thinks, so they were military inspired.
Szet shakes his head, “I don't think so. I mean, they really do set off the dress so well, and how else were you going to get the arm streamers.” Delvin nods as Danica wonders, arm streamers? And with that, Delvin grabs something from the back part of the hand guards and stretches it out to attach to the elbow guards. He then does the same from the elbow guards to the shoulder guards. “True,” Delvin remarks, “I really wanted the arms to match the same streamers on her face.” Szet, deciding to help out, does the same for her left arm. I really wish I could see myself, Danica asks herself hopefully.
Returning her hands to just below her waist, they both step back to view her. Szet has the look of a man that is undressing, redressing, then undressing her again. Delvin has the look of...hmmm, Danica wonders, what look is that? She keeps her neutral pose and facial expression, as Delvin nods and says, “Go ahead and have J12 delivered to the stage. I'll find her facial accessories to put them on myself.” Szet replies with a “Sure thing,” and walks off opposite of Delvin. So, I'm pretty, Danica thinks. At least, that is what these guys think. I'm wearing a wedding dress that was custom made, and even though I'm standing in a noisy garage-area, I'm all alone now. No wonder they don't give feelings to androids, she reasons to herself, they would be so sad all the time. 'I need you'...'stand there'...'help me'...'don't move'...it is all very confusing whether people really need androids or not (or just want them).
Szet returns to her field-of-view and commands, “Follow me, J12.” Danica nods and replies, “Confirmed.” Szet turns around and starts walking back through the store-prep area. Danica, not quite as fluid as she would like, follows him. She notes her boots feel wonderful, as if they help her maintain her balance. As they pass the spot where she was delivered, she notes the heaviness of the dress. The thick folded leather, while looking quite nice, adds such a weight to the dress that the word 'cumbersome', comes to mind. Moving onto another area, Szet opens a door to what looks like a carpeted office-area.
He looks down at his tablet, making notes or sending messages. Danica continues to follow, now noting that the plastic armor restricts her movements slightly, but seems to help her move more easily. He turns a corner, and then another, and still another, until Danica is quite lost in the maze of the building. Sure would be nice to have that floorplan projection from Mainframe right now, she wishes. Szet opens one more door and ushers her into a dimly lit room.
The small room is mostly empty with a few chairs along the wall. There is another door, slightly ajar on the other side, with plenty of light coming in. In various places around the room, other androids dressed in outfits and costumes stand in neutral poses. Evidently, Danica figures, that is standard for all androids, no matter their processing power. Szet indicates where to stand and leaves with, “Wait here, sweet bridal babe.” She expected some sort of 'love tap' after that nickname, but he leaves without even a wink. And again, Danica is alone in a crowded room, except this one is eery. It is full of 'people', yet no one moves or reacts to the others. She can see the J-twins in their outfits across the room, so it looks like the “band is back together”, Danica chuckles to herself.
Time is again uncountable, but eventually, Delvin comes in with two other helpers. They are female, and look to be young. While it is hard to tell, Danica is guessing they are fresh out of high school or college. They wear very casual outfits, so definitely not showing off at this 'show'. They are both blonde: one crew cut and one mohawk. The crew cut girl looks rather short and too thin to be healthy, as her small frame is wrapped in a light green, skin-tight suit, covering her body from ankles to neck. She has a bikini top and bottom that are a dark green over top of the suit. Her chest is flat and there appears to be no 'womanhood' bump either. Her shoes look like sandals.
The mohawk girl looks to be wearing three tops and two pairs of shorts and 1 pair of mismatched shoes (maybe?). She appears to be the opposite of her coworker: quite tall and a little over weight or possibly large framed (hard to tell). Mohawk girl has a dark red, long-sleeved shirt that is stretched over her large arms. The short sleeved shirt over top of that is white, loose-fitting and very shiny. The final shirt looks like some kind of blue tanktop, but again quite loose. Her shorts are stretched tight over her larger thighs, but covered again with another loose-fitting pair. Her “womanhood” bump is noticeable, even under the loose shorts. Her shoes are boots that come to her knees, leaving several inches of bare skin exposed between the tops of her boots and the bottoms of her shorts.
“Ok, ladies,” Delvin says with a wave of his hand, “You have the order, so go ahead and line them all up. Do a final double check of their outfits and software...I don't want any mistakes today.” Danica can tell he is on edge again, and the ladies must as well, for they reply with a curt nod and get to work. Each lady taking an android to verify what they are wearing and where they should go.
As they start to line them up one by one in front of the slightly opened door, Delving steps up in front of Danica. “Hope you are holding up, alright,” he whispers, as he grabs some things out of his pockets. Figuring she can not be heard from across the room, Danica replies in a whisper, “So far, so good. This has been a strange day, but then lately, they all have.” He chuckles knowingly and says, “I'm sure.” Having retrieved what he needed, he says, “I'm putting some streamers on your face that will connect from your ears to your nose to match the ones on your arms. The fabric will also match what is in your hair too, so it should look perfect.”
Danica can see and feel him attaching something to his left ear lobe. She feels some string or bands drape along her cheek as he attached something to her left nostril. He repeats the process saying, “I'm using magnetic backings. Most androids have multiple piercings that are hidden by flaps of skin, but you don't, so magnets it is.” She winks at him and he winks back. Her curiosity getting the best of her, she asks, “Is there any way I could see myself?”
“Already thought of that,” he says to her stepping back. Holding up a phone or camera, he clicks her picture. Stealing a glance over his shoulder, he sees that his two assistants have two of the android models in line and are prepping two others. They are too busy to notice what he is about to do. Holding up his screen, he shows Danica what she looks like. Danica is visibly stunned, actually moving her hand to her heart in surprise. She cannot believe that is her. Regaining some composure, she returns her hands to their rightful, neutral position.
Her hair, even though it is short, has been tightly braided against her scalp with a white thread or string running in and through it. As he said, the threaded braids of her hair match the threaded white bands looping along her cheeks, and those hanging bands match the ones that are draping off her arms. Her silky smooth top contrasts the rougher look of her skirt, which causes her shiny, smooth boots to pop. This is all more than she can imagine. She watched the sewing machine work in pieces, but seeing the whole thing is almost overwhelming.
Sensing that, Delvin reminds her, “You got to walk the runway and then you are done, okay. Just hang in there a little bit longer...and for the record, you look absolutely beautiful.” Up on his tiptoes, he steals a quick kiss to her cheek, then says, “Ok, just following their commands...walk out the door when told...down the runway and then back and then down again. The MC will direct you if you need to do more. Okay? Good.” He checks the time, curses under his breath, and runs out the door they all came in. Beautiful, she repeats, I'm beautiful.
Standing in line, she can see the other androids walking out the door. Each one is stopped while mohawk and crew-cut do a final check. Danica can partially see into the well lit room beyond. It is what she expected: a long open runway, surrounded on both sides with tables and chairs, all facing the runway. The androids that have gone on before her have done as instructed: they went down the runway and back and down again and then walked to various places around the room to pose along the walls. The people in attendance are a mix of men and women. They look to be dressed very nicely themselves, and clap with each new outfit that is announced.
Nervous, Danica says to herself, that is the feeling I have now...nervous. I'm not a model, nor have I ever wanted to be. I'm not into fashion, yet I'm displaying the latest there is. I am not an android, but they think I am. It just seems like I am always put into situations where I'm lost. Hopefully, she recalls, no one has caught me yet, so maybe no one will catch me now.
At the door, mohawk asks, “Designation?” Danica replies, “J12.” She hears a spray bottle and then feels someone wiping her skirt. Crew-cut says, “She looks fine...send her on.” Mohawk nods and commands, “Begin runway protocol. The man speaking through the microphone has temporary administrative rights, so do as commanded by him. Understood?” Danica replies, “Understood.” Crew-cut then adds, “Turn off neutral stance.” Danica assumes she is supposed to uncross her feet, so she does that: left foot on the left and right foot on the right, together. Satisfied, mohawk commands, “Then go ahead and start walking.”
Danica wanted to take a deep breath, but androids do not do that, so she starts walking slowly forward. As she passes through the door, it closes behind her (no going back now, she reasons). The bright lights make it hard to see clearly beyond the runway, but that is a good thing. Maintaining her slow walk with her hands clasped just below her waist, she walks along the runway. She can hear slight gasps from the crowd. She knows she cannot react, but she wants to stop and look at them to see what kind of 'gasp' it is. Are they happy or excited or shocked or repulsed?
As she nears the end of the runway, she can hear the man over the microphone, “And here gentlemen and ladies, we have the final piece...the surprise none of you knew about. This is Delvin Baxter's finest work to date, and an excellent addition to today's fashion show. This is a one of kind, wedding dress designed for the ex-military woman. Who would not want to look as feminine as this yet still maintain the look of strength and courage?” The audience is now 'ooo' ing and 'aah' ing as Danica walks by. She pauses at the end of the runway and walks back. The man says more things about the dress, but it is lost on her.
As she turned around and walked back, she sees someone standing by the door she entered. The man is tall, wearing the same military uniform from her homeworld. You can tell he is well-built, even though he is covered in armor and weapons. Danica wonders what he is doing there. He looks so out of place. As she nears him, she recognizes him: Danc! What is Danc doing here? She screams. But then she yelps in fear to herself, I'm Danc. Then who is...but before she can finish it, he raises his blaster to aim at her. I can't stop walking, but I can't ignore him. Help, she screams internally, doesn't anyone see Danc...uh, I mean, me?
Completely at a lost, she stops moving, standing at attention at the beginning of the runway. The end of the blaster just feet from her face. Waiting for the blast to dismember her, she cannot face Danc, not now. She turns around, her back to him. Go ahead, Danc...she says to herself, do it! Look what I have done to you, and I deserve this...do it!
The man continues rambling on into his microphone, ignoring the soldier bent on destroying this fashion show. He embellishes on the workmanship of the dress, not even mentioning that most of it will be gone once Danc pulls the trigger. The man highlights the contrast of fabrics, while Danica waits for a single blast of immeasurable light and heat. The man with the microphone thumps the podium with glee, sending the audience to clapping, and Danica is rocked back into reality, remembering who she is and what she is doing now. She can almost hear a man in her head yell 'no', but with a relieved sigh, she says to herself, too early Danc...you will get your turn again.
The next few minutes are awkward for Danica, as the audience is given the ability to get up and inspect all of the outfits. Some go to specific outfits, while others wonder around, and maybe it just seemed this way, but Danica felt like everyone came by to check out the wedding dress. None of them touched her directly, as that may be a faux pas thing to do. But they talked all about her shape and how the fabric “hung” on her, or the artistic genius in the many uses if textures and materials. They were talking so fast with such large words, Danica really did not know if they were happy, mad, or insane. She knows she has been a mannequin in a store window and she is sure she has gotten similar treatment before, but this time: she knows it...she is aware. She can hear their comments and remarks, and it is like she is not there. She is simply a form to hold the dress and nothing more.
Once again, time becomes irrelevant, as it seems to stretch onto forever. Eventually, Delvin comes into view and begins talking to the audience still gathered. His newly pressed suit looks stunning on him, Danica notes. He waves his hands and smiles broadly as he points out different features of the dress. He has a certain sparkle in his eye, as he goes through his speech on his creation. Danica can tell he is quite proud of it, and has probably rehearsed this sales pitch a hundred times. The audience gathered seem to hang on every word, and Danica as well. She would stand taller or straighter if she could, but she is already as straight as she can be. She might be tempted to even smile broader, but she is not sure if she could: her smile feels as big as it can be.