NO BONDAGE IN THIS ONE EITHER - BUT THERE IS A HOT WOMAN IN A TIGHT CATSUIT DRESSED UP AS A ROBOT. YOUR CALL.

“This is it,” Toby said with a sideways look at her. “Last chance to bottle it.”

“I thought that that was a while ago,” Caroline countered. “If you think that I’m not good enough...”

“Caro, seriously...”

“Nope, let’s do this,” she said firmly. “Ladies first, right?”

“Yeah,” Toby held the door open for her. “Always ladies first.”

Caroline walked past him, taking a deep steadying breath. She felt like an idiot, but from the way the guy at the ticket barrier’s jaw had just dropped as he took her coat, she assumed that she must look fairly damn badass. Toby glanced sideways at her and gave her a very slight wink, the very corner of his mouth tilted up at the corner. She rolled her green eyes at him and then carefully arranged her face into an almost emotionless expression, her cool face reserved for troublesome patients or colleagues, the face that gave nothing away and, she knew from experience, could unsettle people.

And from the look on Kirsty’s face earlier when they’d finished dressing her up, that it was the perfect AI face.


“So am I a cyborg?” Caroline had asked as Kirsty doused her hair liberally in hair-spray.

“No, a cyborg is kinda a human with metal bits. You’re an android, kind of AI...” Kirsty shook the can, musing. “Do you watch Star Trek?”

Caroline splayed her hand into the Vulcan salute and Kirsty grinned.

“Live long and prosper,” She said seriously.

“Then think Data,” Kirsty advised. “Or EDI from Mass Effect, kinda distant, a bit alien, but not quite Terminator.”

Caroline nodded.

“I can do that.”


Toby looked sideways at his girlfriend, smiling to himself as he tucked his cane under his arm, feeling a mingled rush of pride, love... and he had to admit a certain other feeling. He was a geek at heart, a geek with a gorgeous girlfriend who looked totally stunning as an android, and as sexy as hell, especially with her distain face on. It was a face that normally worried the fuck out of him, but right now, it just made her so damn convincing.

Her tall curvy form was sheathed in a white catsuit. Under the lights it shimmered metallic, glittering silver and gold under the lights, and it was skin tight, hugging her full hips, her long legs and full breasts, boosted up 5 inches by the golden heels. He was proud of those boots, the heels and toes he’d made golden caps for, then the rest was the same metallic white as her catsuit, making her look like the heels were just part of her body. The heels emphasised her taut calves, and her languid walking style, balls of the feet first, a left over from ballet, she assured him, made them rippled delicately. He was also proud of the knee-guards. He’d been at a loss to work out how to make a joint for her knees, and when Kirsty had recommended the rollerskate knee guards, he had been sceptical... but spray painted gold, they were perfect.

The real problem had been how not to have a seam. Toby knew Caroline, and no matter how sincere her promise had been, the girl would never have gone commando, and no matter what he bribed her with. Thongs were out of the question too, but it had worked out better than he’d hoped, underneath her catsuit was a pair of tummy-tuck knickers, not that Caroline needed them, and added to the corset she was wearing, the line of the suit was unbroken... and he could already imagine the fun they would have getting her back out of it tonight. That’s if she didn’t have other plans...

Caroline’s green eyes flickered across to him, and from the very slight raise of her eyebrow, he had to force back a grin, his heart skipping a beat. Oh yeah, she had other plans.

It was probably the second corset that had really irritated her, he thought. The one she was wearing underneath was really just a padded leotard-like thing that was less obvious under the material than a bra, supporting her, but the one on the outside was purely for show. Made of dark red vinyl, it wrapped around her middle, beneath her breasts, hugging her torso to just above her waist, coming to a V shape in the centre. It was patterned with metallic swirls, the swirls continuing over the rest of the suit, especially the high neck of the catsuit. He knew she would never had tolerated a proper collar, but the snug high-neck emphasised her long swan neck, leading into her gently sloping shoulders and down her long arms. He’d painted the joints directly onto the catsuit at her shoulders and elbows, not wanting to ruin the line, but more red vinyl became bracers on her forearm, and her hands flexed beneath nylon gloves, golden gloves with red knuckles.

It was a beautiful suit, he had to admit, the best that he had made, but it was the woman that made it. Her claret hair had been pulled up into a severe bun, a battle that Caroline and Kirsty had only just won. Caroline loved her hair, but it certain had a mind of it’s own. And looked stunning. It was pulled up off her face, the bun wrapped around with plaits and pinned in place, then sprayed with a can and a half of hairspray. It wasn’t going anywhere. And her slightly pointed elven ears? Caroline had 3 studs in each of her ears along her lobes, and the right ear had a copper ear-cuff, glittering as she moved.

And the severe hairstyle, perfect for an Android, had also left her face totally exposed. He’d taken to mind that heavy make-up made her itch, and had gone minimal with a light foundation, then dusted white powder over her face. Given how pale she was already, it made her look almost ethereal, especially the silver and gold dust brushed lightly onto her high cheekbones. Her lips were delicately painted with 2 tones of lipstick, and here Kirsty had taken over, outlining the lips with an almost surgical precision, then using the darker crimson on the outside of her lips, then a brilliant blood-red on the inside of her lips.

Kirsty had also extended her eyebrows very slightly by drawing a line in dark red eyeliner from the tips. They’d also used it to outline her eyes, framed by long false lashes. The long red eyelashes clicked as they met, only emphasising her brilliant green eyes. There they’d hit a snag.  It had been a snag, but looking at her, he was glad of it, her green eyes just added that extra... thing.


“You want me to wear contacts?” Caroline had demanded.

Toby frowned. It hadn’t been her ‘no-way-in-hell’ tone, it had been amused, mixed in with disbelieving.

“Why not?” he had asked.

“I thought you liked my eyes,” Caroline teased.

“I love your eyes,” he said sincerely

“I don’t,” Caroline grinned. “Darling, I’m long-sighted. You can’t put contacts in, I’m already wearing some. I doubt androids wear glasses.”

“You wear glasses?” Toby stared at her, and had to resist the urge to bite his fist. “When were you going to tell me?”

She raised an eyebrow and gave him a long smouldering look.

“When the time seemed right,” She returned, voice a low growl.

And Kirsty had gazed at her in awe as Toby made a fast exit to the room. Caroline just winked at Kirsty.

“Boys,” She remarked lightly. “Not as sophisticated as they’d have you believe.”


Caroline adjusted her stance, pulling herself up tall, arms behind her back, shoulders down, neck-long... and fell into step alongside her boyfriend. She was definitely rubbing off on him, she was proud to say. Admittedly he looked space age, but there were definitely a few steampunk influences, the long duster-style coat, admittedly covered with metallic boxes and LED’s, was so her, and the cane, again with a lot of wires and lights, was another steampunk influence. She’d get him in a top-hat one day, if it killed her.

He was wearing heavy new-rock style boots, black combat trousers and a pair of handguns. They weren’t paper-mache, but they weren’t real either, despite the pulsing lights and the convincing weight they had to them. You know a guy trusts you when he lets you hold his guns. Caroline fought back the smile and looked around, trying to look like an android just surveying her surroundings... for defence purposes or something. It was... amazing. It was like you’d stepped 300 years into the future. There were droids, cyborgs, aliens, bounty hunters, space cops, all milling around a massive warehouse that was made up to look like a future-age market, glowing neon signs in weird lettering...

The effort some of these people had gone to. A lady looked up at Caroline, an animatronic alien fox-thing curled around her neck looking up too, winking an LED eye, a guy stripped to the waist with a seemingly cybernetic arm...

“Impressed?” Toby asked her with a small grin.

“It is certainly fascinating,” She remarked, using her best T’Pol tone.

“You’re not really an AI pretending to be my girlfriend, are you?” he demanded suspiciously.

Caroline met his gaze, raising an eyebrow.

“Would you care?”

“Course,” Toby said. “It’d mean that you’d have to go off and save John Conner or something.”

There came a shrill wolfwhistle from nearby and a guy stepped to block their path, the acrid scent of weed, so much like bad BO, rolling off him, mingling with the scent of stale alcohol. Drunk at 5 in the afternoon? Caroline thought. Pathetic.

“Nice android,” He remarked to Toby. “How much does she cost?”

Caroline took a step forwards and with exaggerated care, looked him up and down, cold green eyes taking him in. He wasn’t really dressed up, stained grey t-shirt, greasy blonde hair, battered white trainers. She raised an eyebrow.

“I’m a custom model,” She stated precisely. “You couldn’t afford me.”

The man stepped forwards and Toby stepped across, raising his cane warningly.

“This isn’t just for show,” Toby warned him softly. “Step away from my girlfriend or I will bludgeon you with it.”

The man recoiled at the dangerous look in Toby’s normally placid brown eyes, and stepped back, jabbing a warning finger at Toby.

“I’ll get her, you’ll see,” he snarled.

Toby just shook his head slightly.

“Fuck off,” he advised.

“Hey!” A tall black guy with golden wire weaved into his dreads appeared, folding his arms over his bare chest, golden and white tattoos spray-painted onto his rippling muscles. “Problem here?”

The guy vanished into the crowd and Toby grinned at the guy.

“Roy,” he nodded to him. “Still alive?”

“Still alive,” The black guy agreed, clapping Toby on the shoulder, then noticing Caroline. “Wow.”

Caroline tilted her head, fighting a smile, then raised her hand, fourth and fifth finger curled into her palm, 2 fingers slightly extended, and waved it.

“This is not the android you’re looking for,” She told him solemnly.

“That only works on the weak minded,” He pointed out, grinning. “But kudos.” He held out a hand. “Royston Jones.”

“Caroline Huxley,” she took his hand with a small smile.

“Roy is a game designer,” Toby told Caroline. “Worked on Endorian Leap.”

Caroline whistled.

“Gotta love that game,” She said seriously.

“Hang on,” Roy gazed at her. “Gamer, brains, smoking hot, prepared to dress up as an android...” his eyes narrowed. “Which century are you from, and what is he going to do in the future?”

Caroline kept her face deadpan, meeting his gaze.

“We don’t talk about the future Roy,” She stated calmly. “Paradoxes are dangerous things.”

“I could totally believe you,” Roy said seriously. “What are you, an actress?”

“Administrator for the NHS,” Caroline replied.

“You are so wasted there,” he said seriously.

“I doubt my boss would agree,” Caroline said with a small smile. “But thanks.” She glanced between Toby and Roy. “So how do you know each other?”

“Roy is Kirsty’s boyfriend,” Toby explained with a grin.

The blonde appeared, as if by magic, by the guy’s side, and Caroline had to stop her jaw from dropping. The ditzyness was all gone, her hair pulled back severely, a pair of glasses perching on her nose, a diaphanous lab coat wrapped around a blue-jumpsuited body, mysterious lab instruments in her pockets... then Kirsty smiled shyly and Caroline saw the girl that had so painstakingly done her make-up earlier.

“You have one hell of a toy,” Caroline said brightly.

Kirsty blushed bright red, and to Roy’s credit, he burst out laughing.

“Why are you late?” Toby asked, surprised.

Kirsty’s expression became... shifty.

“Wanted to pick something up,” she remarked.

And Caroline hid a grin as she gazed up at Roy over her glasses. They weren’t the same massive hipster glasses she’d been wearing before, but smooth streamlined ones that complemented her face and made her eyes look that bit...

“Nice glasses,” Caroline said mildly.

And she caught Kirsty’s wink.

“Hey, did you hear?” Roy asked after a moment. “Charles Hall couldn’t make it, you know, the guest speaker? But you’ll never guess who they got to replace him.”

“Who?” Kirsty asked.

“Joseph Harper.”

From the gasp from both Kirsty and Roy, that was pretty important.

“Say who?” Caroline asked.

“That guy,” Kirsty pointed behind her.

Caroline turned. Walking through the crowds was a couple. The man was tall and blonde, not bad looking, if a little skinny for her tastes, looking a touch awkward in the crowd, his arm looped around the waist of a beautiful woman. Her eyes were concealed behind sunglasses, but she was smiling easily, her hair worn away from her face in a bun similar to Caroline’s.

“Hey, I know those 2,” Caroline said slowly. “That guy, he used to live in the flat above ours until he got everything stolen... and she... I know her from somewhere.”

“You had the creator of Endorian Leap living above you, and you never told me?” Kirsty demanded of Toby, looking shocked.

“I didn’t know,” Toby said honestly, then looked at Roy. “When’s his talk?”

“In about 5 minutes.”

“Then let’s go bag a good seat, I want to go see,” Toby said seriously, then glanced at Caroline. “As long as that’s alright, anyway.”

Caroline gave him a small smile.

“Darling, that’s perfectly ok.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep,” She leant in closer to him, cheek brushing his. “One word though; Repercussions.”

She gave a low laugh as he blushed bright red.