The show is finally over and everything must be put back as it was beforehand. Delvin gets the android models to walk back towards the prep area (fortunately, Danica is not first, so she follows the ones in front of her). He begins directing the other android helpers to return this room as it was before the fashion show. He gets Szet to organize the return of the androids to there regular locations, while he handles the outfits. He steals a quick glance at Danica marching out with the others, reminding himself he has to tell her of a conversation he had today, but more importantly, he has to find a way of thanking her for today.
Back in the prep area, each android waits their turn to be “unstitched”. Well, most of them, Danica notices, as some of the androids were able to remove their own clothes to return them to Szet. Danica assumes that since she is replacing J12, then it is assumed she cannot do this on her own. She also notices that some androids are sent to packaging, while others are put into storage pods, and still others begin helping with tasks as ordered.
Danica is the last one in the giant sewing machine. She stands still as the machine undoes everything that was done to her in the process. As her dress is removed, she continues to watch all of the movings around the prep area. There is less and less now, as all the outfits are now packaged up, nearly all androids have been stored away, and the only humans are Szet and Delvin. They are looking over a common tablet, discussing the day.
Eventually, Danica is released from the machine, and she steps down out of it as a naked android. Szet sees her and points out, “There's your superstar, D. She stole the show today!” Delvin chuckles and claps Szet on the shoulder, “Indeed, what a day!” Taking his eyes off Danica, he looks at Szet, “But none of this would have been possible without you encouraging me...thanks, my friend.” They embrace, like two old friends, in a warm hug. It is hard to see, but they both look like they might choke up from this touching moment. Danica remains motionless through it all.
Stepping away, they say their goodbyes and make a comment about doing lunch sometime this week. Szet is out the garage door, closing it behind him, within a few moments. Delvin looks to Danica and says, “What a day, right?” Danica does not smile and replies, “Confirmed, Master Baxter. J12's batteries are low on power.” Delvin smiles and adds, “Uh, no one here but me now, so you can be you, Danica.” She relaxes visibly and says, “Thanks...oh, I feel so stiff right now.” Looking down at her naked android body, he then says, “Hmm, well, I guess you can't be completely yourself looking like that...I wish it would have cleaned off your android coverings better.”
Looking down at herself, she definitely does not look human. Her smooth skin has a lovely sheen, similar to plastic, that is not natural, not to mention that her nipples are still covered, as well as her womanhood. Shrugging her shoulders, she replies, “Well, I figure nothing a good shower won't fix, right?” Delvin nods wearily and says, “Come on, let's go home...I will tell you the amazing story from today on the way.”
Even though it seems silly, there are rules about androids going in public naked. The maid uniform had been cleaned and vacuum sealed earlier in the day, so she had to put on something else. With the maid uniform tucked under his arm, Delvin hands her a simple romper, as he called it. Stepping into the shorts, she pulls on the top and buttons the front up. The romper is snug but not overly tight. It “sports a lovely, spring floral pattern” that makes “all women feel happy”, or at least that is what Delvin says (he might still be in 'salesman mode', she chuckles to herself). Slipping on a pair of foot coverings, they are nothing more than sandals that formfit around her toes. Delvin says they are disposable, and Danica reminds herself while looking at them, which is fine by me...they are not comfortable at all.
In the car with Danica at the wheel while the car does most the driving, Delvin sits in the backseat, eyes closed. “What a day,” he breathes with a heavy sigh. Danica, curious to hear the story, does not ask. She decides to play it more android-like than human-like while in the car. She still remembers what happened the other day when she brought more human from the front seat than Delvin thought she should. “Fashion show...”, he mumbles, “1000 plus outfits packaged and out the door...”, he continues, “Lost count of how many androids were coming and going...”, ducking his head down slowly.
“But,” he says opening his eyes and looking at Danica's eyes through the rear view mirror, “Your surprise visit and performance today were nothing but a miracle.” Ah, Danica thinks with a smile, I get to hear the story. “Besides fashion, I was to continue reeling in a big fish in hopes of a near-future transaction. A certain associate from across town was to meet with me today, so that I could persuade him further to go with my organization. Well,” he says leaning back in the comfortable seat cushion, “You did it!” Danica, though happy for him because when he succeeds I succeed, is confused as to what she might have done today to help him.
Not waiting for her reaction or question, “He was in the audience when you walked out in THE dress. He was speechless by your beauty in that stunning dress. Well, he could not imagine that any other organization could offer services to match what he saw in you. His quote, and yes I still remember it exactly, 'creativity and precision in such a dress upon that perfectly selected android can only mean quality and success beyond all others' “. He smiles broadly, though fatigued, yet unable to contain his glee. “We just landed the biggest deal in my career, and pulling it off will ensure my rise towards the top.” Putting his hand up, he adds, “I know you are only in this to get what you want, but I feel very confident that this new deal will leverage my other associates to expedite the task I gave them. It's a win-win for us both.”
Danica smiles, genuinely happy, She thought her day could not get worse as she was packaged and shipped earlier today, and now she is the one who helped them both. I can leave sooner now, and go back to...to...hmm, so conflicted. I have a goal that seemed so clear last week, but now, what do I have to go back to? What life will I return to? She is shaken from her thoughts with Delvin tapping on the back of her seat, “Hey, you can be you now, so drop the android personality. You are Danica not J12, okay?” Shaking her head and laughing, “Sorry, Delvin. I have been acting an android all day, that it is hard to remember what being a person is like.” She then adds with genuine pleasure, “That's great news...excited for both of us!”
The next few blocks go in silence, then Delvin begins to make a call. “I'm starved, so I know you are, too. I'm thinking pizza, breadsticks, and their strongest drink on tap. Sound good to you?” Danica figures pizza on any planet is about the same, so she nods emphatically with a thumbs up. He begins to place the order, as she turns onto the street they live on. The city feels so inviting in this part of town. As dusk is upon them, the city reawakens in light all around. Signs and street lights and cars and trucks, all provide a beautiful palette of colors that paint the tapestry of the city in multi-hues. Tired and hungry as she is, the beauty of night time in this city is still breathtaking.
Parking the car and not even bothering to let him off at the curb, Delvin and Danica exit the vehicle together and walk to the elevator. During the week, any number of vehicles might come through here as part of the business, but on the weekends, it is usually just Delvin himself. In the elevator, Delvin says, “Let's take a shower, change into something comfy, and hopefully the food will be here by the time we are done.” Danica nods her head, the fatigue of the day already starting to wear her down.
The elevator door opens into Delvin's bedroom, as they both turn towards the bathroom. As he enters the room, the shower starts up. Danica, not really thinking about it, steps right into the hot stream of water. Delvin's personal shower is quite large, with 4 different water streams for cleaning oneself. There is no door on it, but it does contain more than one seat to rest, if need be. Danica picks the one closest to the shower doorway and starts rinsing off the “android shine.” Delvin makes a slight sound, as he begins to undress, which goes unnoticed by her.
Moments later, as Delvin walks by her wet, naked body, Danica realizes what she has done. “Oh no, Delvin, I'm so sorry...I did not even realize...” Delvin holds up his hand, stopping her apology. He takes the water stream where you get the benefit of two showerheads, and says, “Think nothing of it...you deserve a shower in the best I can offer. And while I did not mean you and me together when I said, 'let's take a shower', I am not complaining.” He says the last bit while looking over at Danica's body.
Danica thinks to cover herself, but then does not. I'm so tired and I just don't care right now, she thinks. I just want to get clean and get some food and get some sleep. He probably feels the same way, and as she thinks that, he turns away and begins washing himself. She notices that she will need some of her soap, but before she can look for any, her right nipple cover falls off. Her nipple springs outward, having been confined all day. “Oh,” she moans softly. Before she can recover from that feeling of relief, the other falls off, thanks to the hot water hitting it. Again, she moans, placing her hand on the clear wall in front of her.
Delvin cannot make out what she says, but based on her posture, he reasons, “Yeah, there's some lady soap and shampoo to your right. I always keep it handy...just in case...not that I need to...often...well, you know...” Danica waves her hand at him, not even answering his weak attempts to cover up the awkwardness of that statement. She walks over the shower caddy and finds a bottle of Pink Foam and Pink Fathom. Within a few moments, her entire body is covered in soap suds.
As she attempts to step back into the shower stream, she feels another great relief. Her sheath below her waist loosens and begins to fall off. A 'freeing' sensation washes over her as her unit 'relaxes', finally from being restrained all day. That moan was too loud for Delvin to ignore, so he walks over to her. “Everything alright?” She nods, with her back turned, and replies, “Yes, my, uh, sheath came off.” Delvin smiles, “I'm sure that feels good...sorry that it was kept trapped for so long.” Danica nods, relieved to be free. He adds with a smirk, “But if you think you need some 'help' cleaning, don't hesitate to ask.” She chuckles at him and replies, “I'm afraid your attempt to clean me would only make a bigger mess.” Shrugging his small shoulders, he nods his agreement and goes back to his shower heads.
Danica is soon in her room putting on some casual clothes. Her underwear is the softest she can find: pink boy shorts with a strapless bra. She finds a robe that looks soft on the inside with the usual shiny exterior. It is a deep purple and goes all the way down to her ankles. Feeling the soft material wrapped around her, she smiles and hums softly heading to the stairs. As she descends them, she can see Delvin coming out of his bedroom. He has on a similar type robe in green. He looks much more relaxed than the ride in the car, and his hair has a bounce and sheen to it that makes Danica want to run her hands through it.
In the main, living room, they both settle on the coach to watch something on the TV. Delvin is still channel surfing when Mainframe says, “Pizza delivery service is nearing the front door. No android is activated to answer it.” Delvin nods his head, “That's fine, Mainframe. I'll get it.” Danica moves to protest, but then he hands her the remote and gets up quickly. Smiling at his back, she turns to keep searching for something to watch.
She cuts her eyes to the front door to see the same guy who delivered the groceries is now delivering the pizza. Hmmm, she reasons, must be a food delivery service for all restaurants and grocery stores. She can see his disappointed look as Delvin is talking to him. The guy even makes a slight move to see around Delvin. Danica finally realizes why: he is trying to catch a glimpse of the Maid. With a snicker, she mumbles, “sorry to disappoint, but the Maid is done for the day.”
Delvin returns with the great smelling food. The channel was on a sports event when Danica sat it down. Neither really cared, as they dove into the food, both of them famished. One after one, the pizza slices are consumed along with the breadsticks. With each slice, another bottle of blue or pink is also consumed. The evening carries on with them chatting about the day, savoring the food, commenting on the game, and most importantly, enjoying each other's company. They laughed and laughed over what went on today. They have no one else to share it with, because no one would believe it, so that leaves each other.
Danica is not really sure how the evening ended. At one point they were watching the game, and then the next, she woke up on the couch, covered in a blanket. Holding it close to her, she sits up. The coffee table is covered in pizza boxes and pink or blue bottles. She goes to stand up, and notices that she is not wearing her robe anymore. In fact, she is not wearing anything anymore. Wrapping the blanket around her, she stands up to look for her clothes. She finds her panties on the other chair, her bra behind the couch, and her robe is by the large, floor-to-ceiling windows. What happened last night? she wonders.
She decides a trip to the bathroom is needed first. Stumbling on wobbly legs, she makes it to the main floor's bathroom. It is rather large for a guest bathroom, but if you are trying to impress people, this will work. Tiled floors and walls give the room a finished touch, and the lighting is quite warm and inviting. Danica takes little notice as she has other things on her mind. Washing up afterwards, she hears voices coming from outside. Delvin must have turned the TV back on, she figures.
Opening the door, she can clearly see the living room, and notices that it is not the TV. Standing around the room are half a dozen men in suits. Each one looks like they paid a lot of money for their clothing, and maybe just as much money to have it pressed and cleaned. Hoping to go unnoticed will not work, for they all turn to look at her when she opened the door. Whatever red you might think a “blush” should be, hers was 10 shades deeper. Scanning the room, she sees no exit, especially with all of them looking at her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees movement but is too frozen to react to it. “Ah, gentlemen, you must excuse myself and Danica this morning for our appearance. We were not expecting you.” Delvin says, coming up next to Danica to put his arm around her. Danica is not sure what he is wearing, as she cannot take her eyes off the suits of men. The one man nearest the door clears his throat and barks, “Clearly.” Delvin continues, “We had a very busy and productive day yesterday, worthy of a celebration.” The men look around the room, and while they seem displeased with the mess, they do not seem mad about the reason.
One of the men motions to the large dining room table, which Delvin replies, “Yes, the dining room table will be perfect.” Turning to Danica, “Say, darling, why don't you go to our room and freshen up. And if you would, turn on the Maid and send it down here. I'm sure these gentlemen are thirsty.” With a peck on the cheek from him, Danica nods numbly and heads for the stairs. Her clothing is scattered throughout the room and she is wearing a blanket, so if she had a good word to speak at that time, she could not think of one.
The men do not start speaking again, until she is out of the room and the bedroom door is closed. Throwing off the blanket in a flurry, she grabs the maid uniform off the bed where he had left it yesterday and rushes through the secret hallway. In her room, she quickly dons the maid uniform. But halfway through, she realizes these guys will be very close to her. They will recognize me. Taking it back off, she puts on the android suit first. Zipping it up, she then starts to put on the maid uniform. Mainframe says, “Danica, do you wish to activate T12?” Danica shakes her head, “No, Mainframe, I will be activating the Maid. No cleaning protocols today, the Maid will be serving Delvin's guests.” Mainframe seems to ponder that statement and replies, “Understood, Maid activation is ready at your command.”
Getting the maid uniform on over the android suit was not easy, but it fit, tightly. With the android suit and the gloves, her hands feel very stiff. Her knees are stiff as well, but her feet seem usual. She does not even both with the headband or make-up, as she is now bald with the suit on and what good would the make-up do. Satisfied, she says, “Mainframe, activate Maid.” Mainframe acknowledges her command and steps her through the same procedures as yesterday. She looks left and right and flexes her arms and marches in place, and gets the floorplan pushed back into her field of view. “Guests are waiting, Maid. Begin serving them.”
In full control of herself and the “heads-up display” being projected, Danica makes her way through the secret hallway, down the elevator, and out of the kitchen area. The men continue talking as Danica walks slowly over and stands behind Delvin. She crosses her legs and hands and waits to be tasked. In a few moments, when Delvin can interject into the conversation, he asks, “Gentlemen, what can I get you to drink?” Danica looks around the table as each person orders a different drink of some type. Taking note of the names, she nods her head and says, “Confirmed.”
Back in the kitchen, she mumbles, “I have no idea how to make any of those drinks.” Looking around the kitchen, she sees a device highlighted in her view. Walking over to it, the label says, “Drink Maker 1500.” Ah, she thinks, this must be what I need. Pressing the screen, she enters the names of the drinks. The machine requests certain types of glasses or mugs to be places under the spout. Following its requests, Danica quickly places each glass where it needs to be, and within a few minutes, she has drinks for all of them.
Pulling a tray from the cabinet, she carefully loads them up. Walking slower than maybe she needs to, she works her way out to the table. Getting a little help, she notices each person highlights when she grabs their drink. Again, it makes sense, she reasons, my brain heard and saw all that was ordered, so if it can take in that information, then it can push it out as well. She places the drink in front of each man, then goes to stand behind Delvin, still holding the tray.
Danica has not heard much of the conversation, as she has been too busy with drinks. Now that she could listen, she is questioned. “Delvin, is that droid encrypted?” Delvin turns to face the man who spoke, “Yes, it is. Guaranteed that nothing will get out of it.” The man seems suspicious, and adds, “Well, we brought you something to ensure that. Turn off your droid.” Delvin and Danica are both unsure of where this is headed, but they comply with the request. He presses her left ear lobe, and Danica feels the android suit powering off. Following the motion she feels, Danica slumps over, nearly bending in half, dropping the tray onto the ground with a loud 'klang'.
Though 'powered off', Danica can still hear their conversations. “With your new position in the organization, we felt is was time for you have an encrypted droid provided by the family. This makes sure everything is on the up and up.” Delvin smiles and nods, “Absolutely, I am honored to be given this opportunity, and I know this is just the beginning.” As he says that, a woman walks in the front door. She is wearing a suit, obviously tailored by the same place as the men.
This woman has a purple suit on that nearly glows, it is so shiny. The pants are not tight, so they krinkle with every step. The shirt is white, button down, with it's own sheen, but mostly covered by the black tie in front. The purple coat is buttoned in the front and squeaks slightly when she moves her arms. Her face is not attractive, nor ugly. She is very plain, you might say. Her hair is slicked back and is nearly as shiny as the suit she is wearing. She walks briskly up to the table and stands at attention. As she crosses her legs and hands, Delvin asks, “She's an android?”
The men all chuckle, “Yes, yes, 'she' is. This is our latest encrypted droid. She will keep a close watch on you and a closer watch on our assets. Now that you are closer to the circle, we trust you more and also watch you more.” Not sure how Delvin feels about this, but I know this does not sound good, Danica thinks. “This is Olga17. You already have administrative rights to her, and she has been updating herself in the hallway with Mainframe's help.” Delvin nods his head, “Well, this is impressive.”
“And now, as we finish out discussions, Olga17 will dispose of your old android. You will not need it anymore.” Olga17 walks around the table towards Danica. Of course, Danica screams to herself, I finally get comfortable with being me and I get thrown out. Delvin is thinking also and plays off his growing concern, “That is amazing news. I have been wanting an upgrade for some time.” Turning to face as Olga17, he commands, “Take T12 to the store prep area. I'm sure you have the floorplans for it. You can put her in storage until my crew comes in tomorrow. T12 will be an excellent permanent addition to my fashion store.”
No one questions him, so Olga17 easily picks up Danica and throws her over the android's shoulder. As the conversation begins again around the table, Danica is carried to the service elevator. On the trip down, as she dangles there, Danica thinks about her future. I assume my android days are over with Olga here, no complaints from me there...figure I'll just sneak back up the elevator after Olga leaves.
Down in the store prep area, it is quiet...just like yesterday. Wow, Danica thinks, that was yesterday? Laying her on a flat table, Olga17 quickly removes Danica's maid uniform. With Danica as a naked android, Olga17 takes the outfit to the cleaner and sealer for storage. Olga17 returns quickly and switches Danica back on. “Override O17. Sit up, T12.” Danica did not need to comply, as the suit follows the commands, since it was switched back on and 'overridden'. “State designation.” Danica replies without any help from herself, “Designation: T12.” Olga commands, “T12 will perform a system reboot, purging its memory databanks.” Danica screams, please tell me this won't affect me! She cannot tell any difference at first, as the suit seems to get warm then cooler in places. Her 'heads-up display' winks out then comes back on then shuts off completely. “T12 has been reset to factory settings.” Olga17 nods in compliance, while Danica realizes that the suit has no power over her directly, so she is safe from being 'reset'.
Danica is ordered to the Transmogrifier. This is my day off, Olga, Danica screams in frustration, I am not supposed to be displayed! Olga17 ignores Danica's mental screams and begins the process. You have not posed me, or told me anything...what are you doing? Danica continues to monologue to Olga, even though it seems to have no effect. With no explanation, Danica becomes a mannequin, standing at attention. Olga17 reaches in and lifts her out of the machine.
With no pleasure or malice, Olga17 removes Danica's mannequin legs. Following the update from her store wide search, she places stockings on both of Danica's legs and mounts them on a stand pointing upwards in the “Leg” section of the store. Danica's arms are removed next. Gloves are placed on them, and they are also mounted pointing upwards in the “Hand” section of the store. Her head is removed and placed on the table, while her torso is dressed in some underwear put into the “Lingerie” section. Finally, her head is put into a bin under the counter, as there was no need for another head for display.
Checking her list, Olga17 verifies what has been done.:T12's legs were put into red and white shiny stockings for display in the sector 4, T12's arms were into purple and cream shiny gloves for display in sector 6, T12's remaining torso was put into light green soft panties and bra in sector 13, and T12's head was put into storage until reassembled or repurposed. Nodding with android satisfaction, Olga17 returns upstairs.
Back in the apartment, Delvin is getting dressed to leave. As Olga17 exits the elevator, he commands, “Clean up the mess downstairs and whatever Danica asks of you. Tell her I will be home soon. Some urgent business has arisen, and I should not be gone more than a day or two.” Olga17 nods her head and replies, “Confirmed. Would Master Baxter prefer a formal apology to Miss Danica from Olga17, or would Master Baxter prefer to wait upon returning home?” Delvin finishes putting on his coat as he walks down the stairs. He can feel the eyes of the group of men watching him, and though he wants to say something to Danica, he knows she is not in the apartment at the moment.
“No, no, I got it. She trusts me.” The men follow Delvin out the door, remarking, “Trust is in short supply with a woman...glad you have found someone, Delvin.” The close of the door hides his heavy sigh of relief. Another win for me thanks to Danica, Delvin thinks, meeting her has been the best thing to happen to me in ages. She has been so flexible, he thinks as they all go down the stairs to the sidewalk, she has a way of keeping it together without coming apart. As he glances in his shop window, wouldn't he be surprised to see parts of Danica throughout the entire store.