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domicile, Nellie dragged herself into the bathing chamber as she tried to
catch her breath. Sleeping by day and making her way through the rough terrain
of the jungle by night had taken its toll on her both physically and mentally.
She had been on the run for the better part of four consecutive days, missing
out on the festive holiday celebration within the biosphere while running for
her life on the Outside. Christmas had always been her favorite holiday, so
she was feeling melancholy that she d missed it. Given everything she d just
gone through she wasn t certain why she even cared, but there it was.
She was tired, she thought weakly. She was hungry. She was dirtier than she d
ever before been in her life. And, she thought with a frown, she was also sick
to death of being naked. But first things first&
Stepping under the sanitized shower, she instructed the machine to wash
her hair, then called for her droid to wash her body. She closed her eyes as
Cyrus 12 lathered her all up, running her silver hands up and down her body.
Over her breasts, over her belly, then down lower to her mons.
Mmmm, she thought, her eyes closing,this feels so good .
She hurt everywhere. She ached everywhere. She d been scratched up by
branches, she d skinned up her knees on jagged rocks, and she d been chased
down by hybrid animals. The only thing she could be thankful for was the fact
that she hadn t run into even a single sub-human throughout the entire
four-day trek back to the biosphere. The possibility had terrified her while
on the Outside for she had been weaponless, but somehow, through the grace of
Cyrus perhaps, she had escaped unscathed.
When the sanitized shower was finished washing her hair, she retired
into her large bathing pool and instructed Cyrus 12 to wash it again. It felt
incredible to have her hair shampooed glorious even after having been so dirty
for so long. The feel of the droid s fingers expertly massaging her scalp was
almost enough to lull her to sleep.
She closed her eyes and smiled as she sank down lower into the heated,
bubbling water.  I m certain you made my excuses to Fathom Systems rather than
telling my employer the truth? she ventured.
 Affirmative, Dr. Kan. I told them you were feeling unwell.
Nellie nodded. She had expected Cyrus 12 would have the smarts to do
so. Suddenly she was thankful she d spent the extra yen on an advanced model
like her droid rather than on one of the cheaper, less intelligent models.
 Did anything happen in my absence I should be informed of, Cyrus 12?
 Affirmative. On the night of your departure, the slave went back
online at 2300 hours, approximately twenty hours after the estimated time& 
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The droid went on to list every inconsequential detail that had
transpired since Nellie had been kidnapped. She sighed, wondering if robotics
engineers would ever learn how to make a droid understand the difference
between crucial and trivial information. She listened with half an ear while
she soaked, her muscles feeling infinitely better thanks to the bubbling
mineral water of the pool.
 & and then this morning, at 0813 Zulu time, Vorice Henders and two
unidentified males searched your domicile& 
Nellie s eyes flew open. Her heart rate soared.
 & they left at approximately 
 Halt! She wiggled out from beneath the droid s shampooing hands and
turned to question her.  What are you saying? she breathed out. She began to
tremble.  They searched my domicile?
 Affirmative.
Sweet Cyrus.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her eyes flew open and clashed
with the droid s.  We have to get out of here, she said shakily. She willed
herself to calm down and think rationally, but her gaze rounded as a thought
struck her.  Did they find the book? she whispered.
 To which book are you 
 The journal, she said firmly.  Dr. Riley s diary.
The droid searched her memory cells.  Negative.
Nellie chewed on her bottom lip as she stood up.  Did they realize you were
observing them, Cyrus 12? It seemed a bit odd that Henders and his men would
carry on with their illegal activities right in front of the droid, realizing
as they must have that Cyrus 12 would report everything she witnessed back to
her mistress. Her programming would allow for nothing less.
 Negative, Dr. Kan, the droid replied in a monotone as she attempted to help
Nellie step into a full-length gold silk robe that was in the height of
fashion. But Nellie was too busy running into her sleeping chamber to
cooperate. The droid followed on her heels.  I was deactivated. The humans
believed me to be unaware of their movement.
Well that explained Henders laissez-faire attitude, she thought as she
frantically opened up the secret panel within her pillow-bed. Her sleezy
employer must have believed Cyrus 12 to be a cheap model. Less expensive
droids didn t host the ability to assimilate information while deactivated,
but the more expensive models did. Thank the heavens.
She keyed in her code, then expelled a breath of relief when the mechanism
popped open, revealing the diary of Margaret Riley within it.  Thank Cyrus,
she muttered as she snatched up the worn book.
She whirled around to face her droid. She felt ready to lose it, ready to
collapse from fear and exhaustion, but she knew that she couldn t. If she gave
in now, if she even slowed down, the Hierarchy would find her. She couldn t
allow for that not when so much depended upon her survival.
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 Listen to me, old friend, Nellie said quietly. She took the droid s hands
in her own.  We have to leave and we have to leave now. If we don t, those men
will come back and they ll kill us both. She knew it was the truth. They d
short-circuit Cyrus 12 to keep her from telling others what they d done to
Nellie. And Nellie, well, she knew she d be the first one expunged from
existence.  I need you to go dress yourself in a nondescript robe with a
hood. She didn t want others to see the droid s face nothing that could give
away who they were.  I m going to do the same. While I m gathering supplies I
want you to find us some manner of weaponry.
The droid nodded with a perfect human affectation.  As you command, Dr. Kan.
She searched her memory cells.  But statistically you have a better chance of
survival if you leave without me.
Nellie s heart wrenched. If she left Cyrus 12 behind, she would no doubt be
raped and short-circuited beyond repair. She hadn t realized until that moment
how much the droid had come to mean to her.  No. I ll take the chance. When
Cyrus 12 opened up her mouth to cite more statistics, Nellie held up a palm.
 Besides, your memory cells are citing probables that would be true if we were
remaining in the biosphere. Her heartbeat picked up dramatically.  But we re
going into the jungle, she whispered.
The droid hosted no pre-programmed knowledge of a jungle.  I do not [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]