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  Hayley was not surprised to find that Portland's car did, indeed, scrape on everything. Portland didn't seem to care, though. Well, she cut pretty extreme angles pulling out of the parking lot, and she was dodging potholes, but she didn't really slow down at all. The sound of plastic grinding against a speed bump was followed by a solid metal-against-stone sound, which grated on Hayley's nerves.

  “So, where are we going?” Hayley wasn't sure how much stress she could take. She wanted to have fun riding in Portland's car, but every sound made her concerned for the longevity of the poor thing.

  “Hills out west, forests out east, dealer's choice.” Portland rounded a corner at a much higher rate of speed than Hayley would have ever been comfortable with in her own car. The front end pushed a bit, and the rear felt like it floated a little too much, and Hayley was concerned that they were straight on with the road, well before Portland was on the right side, but somehow, by the time they were through the intersection, they were on the right side of the road and accelerating.

  “It's a little dark to enjoy trees, right now, but it might be nice to see the lights of the city from a higher vantage point.” Hayley was gripping, white-knuckled, the odd ring and nylon strap set up that hung above her.

  “That's what I was thinking. Nice job, Hayley.” Portland turned her head and smiled at Hayley, not slowing down at all. Eyes back forward, Portland dodged a car that was going slow, although Hayley imagined he was probably doing the speed limit. At least she used her signals to change lanes back and forth. A small relief, considering the rest of the dangerous stuff Portland was doing.

  They were in the foothills in no time, and Hayley discovered that there were several small roads, a few paved, the majority dirt, that led up and through the rolling hills. Portland chose only the paved ones, though, for what Hayley believed were obvious reasons. They seemed to be driving high up into the sky, higher than Hayley had thought possible, and when they passed through breaks in the surrounding hills, it exposed the city below laid out in pointillist geometries of lights.

  Portland was working the wheel back and forth, smoothly, but quickly, ignoring the view. “The hills are higher than they look from town, huh?” She reached out and touched Hayley's thigh for a split second, before returning to the shift knob, and down-shifting for the umpteenth time.

  “I had no idea.” Hayley sounded dreamy, off in another world. “I've never been up here before. I've never driven around without a destination, before. It's really pretty up here.”

  Portland slowed a bit, and dragged the car around another tight curve, before taking an unpaved offshoot that she had to have known about beforehand, Hayley figured. There was no way she could have seen it at the rate they had been moving. It was rough, and the car let them know how displeased it was, but Portland remained unconcerned. The car vibrated over a section of washboard dirt, and Hayley thought they were surely going to lose control and fly off the side of the hill, but Portland managed it well enough. Soon they had arrived at a small cul-de-sac of dirt, with a few concrete curbs and dirt cut-outs that looked like proto-driveways. There were no houses. Portland stopped the car and got out. Hayley followed, stretching her arms and back. It felt like she had just gotten off of a very long, very rickety, roller coaster ride.

  “Multi-million-dollar homes were going to steal this view from us.” Portland informed Hayley. “But, through some miracle, the project fell through, and now we have a nice parking area to look out over the city from.” Hayley couldn't be sure, but something in the way Portland said this made it sound like she had something to do with the project falling through. Hayley certainly would not have been surprised if she had. Portland sat on the hood of the car and looked out over the city, and up at the sky. Hayley stood beside her, and when Portland's hand found her's, she did not shy away. When Portland drew her closer, she did not shy away. When Portland cupped her tiny face and drew her mouth to her, she did not shy away. Hayley's mouth was musky and slightly sweet against Portland's strawberry and burning electronics taste. Hayley had never considered engaging in sexual activity with a prosthesis, but, if this was what it was like, she was certainly eager to find out how far she could go.

  After several minutes of back and forth, Hayley was yearning for more, but Portland pulled away. “You want to go back to my place?” Portland had lost a bit of her domineering attitude, and she had seemed to take on a slightly shy mode of speech. Hayley found it even more charming, and decided it suited Portland just fine. Hayley was nervous and excited, and wanted badly to go back to Portland's, with no regard for anything but how soon they could keep going. This was presented as a wide-eyed, dreamy nodding, and she had to catch herself, because she almost drooled a bit.

  The car ride back to Portland's apartment was the longest Hayley had ever experienced, and not for Portland's lack of speed. Hayley went through many different scenarios in her head, on the ride back. Many of them had amazing endings, and somehow, none of them had a bad end. She smiled to herself and set a hand on Portland's thigh. Portland let it stay, assuring, without words, that it was not a distraction from her driving. When it strayed deeper into the inner thigh, Portland adjusted her legs to give more room for the hand. Hayley was surprised at how warm it was, even through the jeans.

  Portland stumbled a bit with the numbers on the keypad to the parking lot, but, after a couple of tries, they were in. She didn't waste time backing into her spot, though, she just pulled straight in and jumped out of the car. They were in a mad rush to get upstairs, and all the security measures now seemed so unnecessary and intrusive. These barriers were more frustration than protection at this point. Finally, they were at Portland's door, and Portland led Hayley through and into the apartment. She had not even waited for the door to finish closing before she was removing her clothing. Hayley realized she had never seen a robot body naked, and she had never been with another woman before. She was hitting milestones left and right, tonight. Portland left a trail of discarded clothing on the path to her bedroom, and Hayley added to that trail as quickly as she could. They could worry about it in the morning, unless they were busy, which Hayley was starting to think might be the case. She smiled and fell into Portland's arms.

  Chapter 4: In the Morning

  Hayley woke up in the brightness of the room, and it took a second for her to remember where she was. The uncovered windows revealed a cloudless, rich blue sky. She guessed that the sun had been up for a decent amount of time, based on the small window of sky she could observe from her prone position in Portland's bed. She heard the clicking of a keyboard and rolled over to see Portland sitting at a small desk across the room.

  “You're up early.” She croaked out, before clearing her throat.

  “I don't sleep.” Portland replied, offhanded, then stopped her typing and twisted her head around to look at Hayley. “That's a good point: The new body doesn't need to sleep, either. No one ever figured out what sleep was for anyway, so they just got rid of it.” She smiled, and Hayley wasn't sure that was entirely accurate.

  Hayley got out of bed and dragged herself into the bathroom, “I don't do that, either.” She heard Portland laugh, as she closed the door. Hayley lifted the lid on the toilet and winced at the empty pool smell, an ancient wetness that had been left to rot, but she sat down, anyway. The first flush barely did anything, but the second flush replaced some of the water that had evaporated over however long the toilet had been in disuse. She stared in the mirror as she washed her hands, noting her hair was a mess, and her makeup was dull and smeared, what was left of it, at least. She didn't see any makeup on the counter, and was confused for a second, before she came to an understanding. She sighed, and washed her face. Better no makeup than messed up makeup. She wet her hair, as well, and started running her fingers through it. It wasn't ideal, but it would do. She left the bathroom, and Portland was still at the computer.

  “You know, you still have to clean those things, even if you don't use them.” Hayley chide
d Portland.

  “What things?” Portland looked up at her. “The toilet? I clean it from time to time, when it starts smelling stale. There's a brush in there, if you want to use it. Left drawer.”

  Hayley thought, for a moment, that she was telling her that she could clean the toilet, if she wanted, then realized the more likely option was that she was referring to her hair. “Nah, I'll just pull it into a ponytail. Good enough, for now. I've got to go home and clean up, anyway. Thom and one of my mom's friends are meeting me at my parents' house, today.” She leaned down and kissed Portland on the top of her head. She wasn't sure how Portland would take it, but was pleased to see her smile up at her.

  “You want me to come, too?” She didn't seem sincere, but Hayley seriously considered it for a moment.

  “No, I don't think that's necessary. They're going to try to talk me out of going through with the transfer, but I think I can persuade them.”

  “Oh, then it's probably better that I don't go. I'm torn about that, myself.”

  “What's that mean?” Hayley felt slightly defensive, although she didn't understand why she would feel that way. It wasn't a personal assault, and Portland had mentioned a similar thought the evening before. “I thought you were all for me getting a robot body.”

  “Oh, I am. That's why I'm torn. I think everyone should have a robot body, but that's an unrealistic future to consider. Some of us are going to have to stay behind, and do things the old way. It's unavoidable. And you are a shining example of humanity. It would be a blessing if you stayed behind to disseminate your genes.”

  Hayley was taken aback by, what to her seemed to be Portland flip-flopping on a stance. Something that she would not expect a person of Portland's... self confidence... to do. “I hadn't really considered that, either. All this stuff you keep bringing up just makes me feel like I was going into this completely blind.” She stood with a hand on Portland's shoulder for a few moments in silence. “Do you think I should stay flesh and blood?”

  “No. No, I shouldn't have inserted doubt into your plans. Sorry 'bout that. Sometimes I don't think before I speak.” Portland turned away from the computer and set her hands on Hayley's hips, looking up into her face. “Look. It is better to be synthetic. So much of humanity is worry, and it can cause good, but it mostly causes bad, so it's better to get rid of as many worries as you can, right?” She waited for Hayley to nod. “You'll still find things to worry about, and trick yourself into believing you need things you don't need, love people that aren't worth loving, et cetera. No amount of robot body is going to remove your basic humanity. You'll still have quirks, you'll still be you. You'll just be relatively immortal, and eternally young. No big deal.” She smirked, and Hayley laughed.

  Hayley leaned down again, and kissed Portland on the forehead. “Okay. Sure. I'm going to take off. Can I call you later?”

  “You can call, or just show up, however you want to do it.” And Portland told her the passcode to the apartment. “You're always welcome here, Hayley.”

  Hayley blushed and was at a loss for words. How our lives change in a single night can be astounding. No one, outside of her parents, had ever given her unrestricted access to their home. Not one boyfriend, nor any of her good regular friends. This person, who twenty-four hours ago was a complete stranger, had just welcomed her into her life more easily and completely than anyone else ever had. It was unbalancing and terrifying and wonderful. Hayley wasn't sure how much of a relationship this meant Portland expected them to have, or how much of a relationship she would be ready to have with this woman, and she was going to have to spend some time thinking about this one. Which was fairly unusual for her, as she liked to spend as little time dwelling on things as possible. It helped to keep her positive attitude intact, even in the face of certain doom.

  “Well, then, how about I come back after my parents' house, today? Are you busy later?” She was getting a nervous jittering in her belly, a feeling of illicit thrill, the same as she had the previous night. She knew that this would go away after time, if they continued to get together like this, but for now, she was going to enjoy every awkward feeling as fully as she could. This tentative understanding, mixed with the unknown and the new was the best part of every relationship she had ever had, and she had treated it as a negative effect far too many times. She was going to savor it this time. Who knows how many more of these she would get in her life, especially after becoming a robot?

  “I've got some work to do, but I'm sure I'll be done before you get back here. If not, come on in, make yourself at home. The water in the sink is drinkable, there's food in the freezer, dildos are in the top drawer over there, if you get bored.” She smiled at Hayley, a mixture of wicked delight and a comforting knowing.

  Hayley felt the heat rising in her face, and knew that it was less about the embarrassment and more about the interest. No one had ever made her feel like this before, and she was impressed by how much Portland could be a commanding presence, without being a domineering person. At least, that was what she told herself, in explanation of the overly active sex drive that Portland seemed to foster within her.

  “Now, I'm torn between wanting you to be here and not, when I get back.” She winked at Portland, and turned to leave. “Although, I guess I win, either way, huh?” She let the words carry across the apartment as she floated down the hallway to get her shoes.

  Portland heard the door click as she left, and she leaned back in her chair, head cast to the ceiling, thinking about what this would all mean for her now. Was she ready for a relationship? Would the girl even be in this long enough for a relationship of any sort? This was just a thing for fun, for now, but feelings could get mixed up in it pretty easily, and she didn't want to hurt the girl, at all. She had really only had one serious relationship, and that had ended on a sour note, and she wasn't sure she was ready to let that go. And then she realized that what had started out as keeping herself available, just in case, had turned into a decade of celibacy. Until it was broken last night. Maybe that was alright.

  Chapter 5: Accessories

  Dave rolled his window down, letting a snake of cold air crawl into the cabin. He shivered as he emptied the contents of a convenience-store-branded cup onto the ground below. He shook it a few times, casting droplets of sticky brown liquid against the door and his arm. He didn't seem to notice. Greg expected him to roll the window back up, after he was done, but was disappointed to see Dave slide his arm back inside, and drop the empty cup to the floor, making no move to roll the window back up. The air in the cabin had grown luke-warm, and Greg was getting irritated. When it became obvious that Dave was not going to roll the window back up, Greg took it upon himself, lifting and holding the switch on his side. He watched the window crawl back into place, reflecting Dave's profile on its way up, giving him two perspectives on Dave's vacant face.

  Greg watched the girl enter the gated parking lot, and disappear.

  “Damn. I can't see where she went.” He leaned forward, as if he believed seeing more of the outside world through the windshield would give him sight beyond a five-foot-tall brick wall. It did not. “Dave, run out there and see if you can see where she went. Maybe there's windows on the hallways or something.”

  Dave jumped out of the van, determined, full of action, and ran to the gate. Greg watched him look around for witnesses, before jumping and placing his hands on the top of the wall to pull himself up. He did not make it on the first try. Greg shook his head, watching the reactions of the couple walking up the sidewalk toward Dave. He, apparently, wasn't very good at looking for witnesses. Dave continued to not see these two people as he made a second attempt, which was successful, more or less.

  With Dave gone, Greg could do nothing but sit and wait. He did not expect Dave to be gone for long, but he had made a habit of underestimating Dave's incompetence. After several minutes passed with no sight of Dave, Greg started to worry. What if Dave were injured, or worse, what if security had caught him.
Greg looked over the outside of the building and saw that there were cameras at the corners. He hoped they were not being watched in real time, or better, that they were dummy cameras, only there to display security, not enforce it. He could feel his face getting hot, and began to worry about his blood pressure.

  Finally, though of little actual relief to Greg's pains, Dave reappeared over the short wall. He stepped out in the street, and had to stop and jerk back to avoid being hit by a car. Apparently, not good at looking for traffic, either. Somehow, he managed to make it back to the van in one piece.

  “Like a ninja.” Dave praised himself, as he got in the van.

  Greg made sure to tell himself that he had not heard this, twice, before responding. “Did you see her? Were you gone because you were watching where she went?” Greg, sticking hard to his position as underestimator.

  “No, I couldn't see anything. The whole damn thing is solid brick.” Dave was huffing, struggling with recovery after his five minutes of exercise. “Keypad parking lot, keypad door. Probably more inside.” He was slowly calming his breathing. “Probably keypadded the elevator, too. Like the President lives there or something.”

  “No, that's a good thing, Dave.” Greg delighted in seeing Dave's questioning furrow. “I've never met a locksmith in my life, but I have met someone who has all the keys.” He smiled, and Dave's face relaxed into a smile, which told Greg that he understood. Maybe Dave wasn't as dumb as he seemed.

  “That's a piano joke, right? I think my dad told me that one, a long time ago.”

  Greg was not a violent man, but he found Dave to be a most inspiring person. He took a deep breath and counted to ten. Then counted another ten, in a different language.

  “It may very well be, Dave.” Breathe in. Grit teeth. “But, I was talking about Mei.” Breathe out.

  “Oh, yeah. That's good, too.” Dave agreed quickly, then, seemed to have second thoughts. “But, Mei costs money. Like, micro-transactions. I don't have a lot of money.”