dismantle, where my consciousness lurked. They did it routinely on femdroids, when assembling, upgrading, or for routine servicing. It was not like surgery on a living person. They would copy my memory banks, where the secret was most likely to be.
Ordinarily civilians were not permitted in the assembly lab, but this was a special circumstance. Banner and Mona took chairs and watched, she holding Bela. She offered him the milk bottle, but he turned his face away, refusing it. He preferred my breasts unless he was really hungry. He was pretty well set in his limited ways, just like me.
First they removed my head. This was a painless procedure. In fact I did not suffer pain as such, being mechanical, though ordinarily I was careful to maintain my several body parts. I remained conscious. They set my head on the table. “Now we must interrupt the power,” the technician said. “So that nothing shorts out.”
I blinked my eyes, acknowledging, as I could no longer talk without a supply of air from the torso. I knew my awareness would cease; the question was whether it would come on again when they reassembled me. If not--
He opened a panel on my skull and touched the power switch. I faded out.
Chapter 6:
Woman
Bela made a cry. Somehow he knew when Elasa's consciousness stopped. Mona comforted him. “They will turn her on again within the hour,” she said soothingly.
Banner felt cold sweat. He was terrified that his wife would not return to full function when reassembled. But all he could do was wait and hope.
The hour seemed interminable. The technician extracted and recorded each part, then returned them all to their original locations. “All done,” he said cheerily as he touched the switch.
Elasa's eyes opened. Her brain was functioning. But did that mean she was conscious?
The technician put her head back on her torso. “Speak, Elasa,” he said.
“Of course,” the unit replied.
Banner felt a deathly chill. That was not Elasa .
He exchanged a look with Mona. She shook her head. She knew it too.
“You are through here, Elasa, ” the technician said.
The femdroid got up and walked to us. “Give me my baby, please,” she said.
Mona gave Bela to her. She opened her shirt and put his little face to her breast.
Bela turned his face away, refusing to nurse.
“But Bela, you have to be hungry,” the femdroid said. She tried the other breast.
Bela screamed in protest, working himself rapidly into a tantrum.
Oh yes, he knew.
“I don't understand,” the femdroid said. “You've always nursed before.”
Mona took back the baby. She proffered the bottle, and this time he took it.
“She's not conscious,” Banner said tightly. “You turned her on, but now she's just a femdroid. The spark has been extinguished, exactly as she feared.”
“Like a fire,” Mona said. “Once you put it out, you need a new spark to ignite it. That spark isn't there.”
“I'm sorry,” the technician said, and retreated. He wasn't really to blame; he had merely done his job.
“They won't have the secret,” Banner said numbly. “They lost it the moment they turned her off.”
“I will take care of Bela,” Mona said. “What else can I do? I'm the back-up.”
“You can't,” he said bitterly. “You have a life of your own.”
“I'll do it. It's the commitment I made when I agreed to this deal.”
“You'd have to marry me and devote yourself to him.”
“I will do it.”
“Oh God, Mona, no! You're a fine and worthy woman and a great sexual partner, and I like you a lot, but apart from needlessly sacrificing your career and life, you aren't her .”
“I'm not her,” she agreed. “But what else can we do? She would not have wanted Bela to languish.”
“I'll take care of Bela. I can do that much. He's my son.”
Mona did not make the obvious retort about being the genetic mother. “You will need time to adjust,” she said. “I will go home with you and help out, with Bela, with you, whatever is
Ordinarily civilians were not permitted in the assembly lab, but this was a special circumstance. Banner and Mona took chairs and watched, she holding Bela. She offered him the milk bottle, but he turned his face away, refusing it. He preferred my breasts unless he was really hungry. He was pretty well set in his limited ways, just like me.
First they removed my head. This was a painless procedure. In fact I did not suffer pain as such, being mechanical, though ordinarily I was careful to maintain my several body parts. I remained conscious. They set my head on the table. “Now we must interrupt the power,” the technician said. “So that nothing shorts out.”
I blinked my eyes, acknowledging, as I could no longer talk without a supply of air from the torso. I knew my awareness would cease; the question was whether it would come on again when they reassembled me. If not--
He opened a panel on my skull and touched the power switch. I faded out.
Chapter 6:
Woman
Bela made a cry. Somehow he knew when Elasa's consciousness stopped. Mona comforted him. “They will turn her on again within the hour,” she said soothingly.
Banner felt cold sweat. He was terrified that his wife would not return to full function when reassembled. But all he could do was wait and hope.
The hour seemed interminable. The technician extracted and recorded each part, then returned them all to their original locations. “All done,” he said cheerily as he touched the switch.
Elasa's eyes opened. Her brain was functioning. But did that mean she was conscious?
The technician put her head back on her torso. “Speak, Elasa,” he said.
“Of course,” the unit replied.
Banner felt a deathly chill. That was not Elasa .
He exchanged a look with Mona. She shook her head. She knew it too.
“You are through here, Elasa, ” the technician said.
The femdroid got up and walked to us. “Give me my baby, please,” she said.
Mona gave Bela to her. She opened her shirt and put his little face to her breast.
Bela turned his face away, refusing to nurse.
“But Bela, you have to be hungry,” the femdroid said. She tried the other breast.
Bela screamed in protest, working himself rapidly into a tantrum.
Oh yes, he knew.
“I don't understand,” the femdroid said. “You've always nursed before.”
Mona took back the baby. She proffered the bottle, and this time he took it.
“She's not conscious,” Banner said tightly. “You turned her on, but now she's just a femdroid. The spark has been extinguished, exactly as she feared.”
“Like a fire,” Mona said. “Once you put it out, you need a new spark to ignite it. That spark isn't there.”
“I'm sorry,” the technician said, and retreated. He wasn't really to blame; he had merely done his job.
“They won't have the secret,” Banner said numbly. “They lost it the moment they turned her off.”
“I will take care of Bela,” Mona said. “What else can I do? I'm the back-up.”
“You can't,” he said bitterly. “You have a life of your own.”
“I'll do it. It's the commitment I made when I agreed to this deal.”
“You'd have to marry me and devote yourself to him.”
“I will do it.”
“Oh God, Mona, no! You're a fine and worthy woman and a great sexual partner, and I like you a lot, but apart from needlessly sacrificing your career and life, you aren't her .”
“I'm not her,” she agreed. “But what else can we do? She would not have wanted Bela to languish.”
“I'll take care of Bela. I can do that much. He's my son.”
Mona did not make the obvious retort about being the genetic mother. “You will need time to adjust,” she said. “I will go home with you and help out, with Bela, with you, whatever is
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