Author note; thank you for reading and your support. When I was editing this chapter it got so big I had to split it in half. Still editing 2nd half, will try to get it up ter today if I can. When a chapter gets too big its easy to miss things and make mistakes on editing. :S Thanks for your patience.

  Please also check out my other stories and books.

  Chapter 9 Part A

  The next day...

  The shop bell rang for someone wanting to come in. I’m tempted to say go to hell because I’m in a lousy mood. But there’s the possibility it might be someone I need to talk to, or like a potential customer. I’ve already had to reschedule things out another two months on people that already had appointments. They aren’t happy because of it.

  “Hello?” Someone called out. The voice sounds like they’ve poked their head in the front door.

  “Just a minute,” I yelled from the back.

  It’s hard to move. I’ve been able to move around in the chair easily enough, if I can get into it. But it takes a few minutes. I can’t go anywhere fast. So mostly I just go to and from the bathroom, the fridge, and the microwave.

  “Hi Jack. My name is Barbara, Emma sent me. Is it OK if I come in?” she asked calling out through the house. It’s a sweet sounding voice.

  I can’t see her yet.

  “Eh?” Oh crap. I’d almost forgotten. I had been doing light exercise while in my chair and fallen asleep until I heard the door. The meds I’m on to heal up make me a bit drowsy, so its not my fault.

  It’s been like three days since the recent wave of riots made it unsafe for her to visit and I wasn’t sure what to do about it yet. I’d tried to call but hadn’t gotten through.

  How do you have company over if you don’t know if its safe for either of you to go out. I had almost forgotten about it, because of not knowing when things would calm down. Bit by bit, it did calm down, but not before mobs accidentally mixed up real human boys for androids and killed them by setting them afme with some kind of fossil fuels. Then they realized they were real humans and …at least the riots stopped.

  It only costs three teenage kids their lives to settle the riots. And lots of police with guns. The guns won. I still don’t like how close the riots are to my house though.

  “Come in. I’m in the back,” I called up front.

  I’d almost gotten up to the front. The robotic back cage support helped me shift into the wheelchair but it wasn’t built to help me walk, since it was believed that with nerve therapy I’d be able to walk again. Of course how long that would take was up in the air.

  I was sure I would walk again. But it would take time.

  Finally Barbara showed herself. She waved to me as soon as she saw me, in a friendly way. Wow, that’s an amazing smile.

  I have to admit, I accidentally stared for a few seconds. I’d never seen anyone like her.

  Barbara is gorgeous. She has a light skinned half-Latin appearance with beautiful skin that is just a touch tan like a lot of people have when 1 parent is Caucasian and the other is Latin with getting the best of both worlds. To top it off she’s got silky looking long dark flowing silky hair, and an hourgss figure. Her outfit is like a silvery steel skirt suit that has a sort of form fitting blouse, but the tight skirt draws attention to the smooth looking fit hips and thighs underneath that look sculpted. She’s got some sungsses on her head that are pushed back on the top her head. She has interesting earrings that hang from her ear lobes that add to a very exotic look.

  She looks very human…

  One of the ways you can tell though is that too many humans are corrupt to keep their body looking that good though...

  Gulp*

  It’s hard to not get nervous around her because she looks so good. I try not to stare. She’s way beyond beautiful. It’s like an eleven on a scale of one to ten. It doesn’t help that while being slim she looks heavy in the boob department. Like really heavy there, but only in the best appealing sort of way.

  Is she… really an android? That looks fully human to me. I’m starting to have doubts. And in a lot of androids that made the boob designs stick out like floating in the air with no droop or sag. And by doing so it made them look totally fake and unreal. She has just right amount of droop and sag to look like a normal person with really heavy gorgeous boobs would have.

  I tried to not stare at her boobs. But that’s one part I like in women…

  She moves over to shake my hand. “Nice to meet you Jack,” she smiled sweetly and is beaming at me.

  “Nice to meet you too,” I replied. “Have a seat. Although I’m still not sure what you guys want.”

  “Sure. Don’t mind if I do. But…what’s comfortable for you? I’d like to be able to show you some things and sit close enough to you that you can see them? Don’t worry I won’t be pushy and we can talk about why I’m here. It’ll be very rexing. Nobody will push you,” she suggested.

  “Anywhere is fine. I can just scoot the chair closer to you by wheeling it,” I said.

  “OK, fair enough. Let me know if you need help,” she said.

  I’m still wrapping my head around that. I wasn’t used to needing help from people still after a life of trying to be independent.

  “OK. Emma, the nurse android said you thought you could help me get back on my feet earlier than normal?” I asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

  She couldn’t help but look at the chair and nodded. “Well, I can help with some things. But I’m not a miracle worker. There might be a way to figure out how to help both of us get what we need, and to make something that will work for you. But that remains to be seen.”

  “If you lie to me, I’ll find out,” I warned.

  She shook her head. “No worries there. Truth is the only way to secure long term retionships anyway.”

  “Yeah. An honest answer I suppose. But I don’t really need a domestic android. What I need is something that maybe I can direct in my shop. But be versatile for other things too, able to pick up other skills as I teach them. Maybe if you have an advanced model that can work for me in the shop while I’m healing up then I can do something. I might have it adaptable to do other things also. But if not there’s no chance for this to work,” I said ftly to get things in the open.

  “You can teach skills?” she seemed shocked. “I’m used to humans having us do all that,” she added.

  “Well, I spent all my life trying to learn to how support a family. I’d always hoped to have one. So I learned skills to support that. Only… life kept throwing me curve balls,” I told her.

  “That’s so amazing. I’ll be honest Jack. A lot of the people we talk to haven’t been as diligent as you are,” she told me. She’s looking at my face intently with a smile. I felt embarrassed.

  “Well you are in luck Jack.” She winked at me. Then she pulled out her datapad.

  “The details for the violent crime fund have a provision for certain allowances to be made for people in need, called ‘discretionary funds’. They go beyond just the bare minimum and not only for medical bills but to help people if it will give them back their future through career training or some other means if it can prove that it will keep the person able to support themselves in the future and from living off the government.”

  “OK, where are you going with this then? Who exactly do you work for? Are you with the government or some kind of insurance saleswoman? Or what?” I asked.

  She gave me a half smile. “Good question. Sorry I should have cleared that up earlier, but I was so focused on wanting to talk about how to help you that I didn’t properly identify myself. I am Barbara from the Mellifera Corporation. That’s who I work for. I help people like yourself, who need android help to get readjusted so that they can have a future. I meet with clients and match them up with android women. Like a matchmaker in a way. At least that’s how we see it. I don’t see it as sales but as like retionship building, like a matchmaker. Its also exciting in a way since what I do is basically trying to create a home for both groups. And we have androids capable of helping and doing work, yet also being kind and giving thorough companionship. A lot of the people I work with are people that have been in car accidents, or who do home businesses that don’t have enough money to hire new employees but need help, and that sort of thing.”

  I frowned, “so you sell them androids basically. That makes you a saleswoman.”

  “Not quite. I want you to understand there can be good reasons that are considered honorable to buy an android and not just about acquiring a sexbot. And part of that answer comes down to, is it a home they go to? And does someone care about them? Would you love them?” she paused. “You see the news don’t you?” she asked.

  “Yeah, it’s not going well tely for android lovers right now. The sexbot tag has been hurting the PR for you guys… for some people. Although for other people that’s helping your PR. A lot of people want to lynch androids to get their jobs back,” I said with a concerned voice. I didn’t want Barbara to think I was against her. But it was a concern on how the social unrest tely would affect my business if people thought I had androids here.

  I didn’t actually like the term sexbot. To me it felt wrong. But it wasn’t until meeting Barbara and the hospital nurse girls that I comprehended that they might actually be artificial people.

  “Are you familiar with the legistion that was worked on for prop 7820?” she asked.

  “Not really. I don’t always watch the news,” I said.

  “Well eight years ago there was a rule that any android that was working had to be owned by somebody. That w passed. Its now procedure. Its purpose was to have an owner that’s a real person and not just a corporation also for every android. This lets people like you have an opportunity Jack. A chance at living where you wouldn’t have it otherwise. The w made it so androids had to be in the hands of humans in some way and that was the fourth robot w that was implemented, because of concerns that with no rules in pce to protect humans as a species, what would happen to them when androids were the primary selection for competition of resources. The solution was to have them cooperate.”

  “And it prevented android monopolies. I get it,” I nodded.

  This was interesting to hear.

  “Yeah I often wondered about that. Originally there were only three ws for androids as most people know,” I said.

  “Yes. And the fourth was designed to address completion of resources and survival of the fittest keeping an even pying field when people realized that even with the other three ws in pce humans would still lose to androids in the end due to being unable to economically compete with them. With the fourth w things are more even. And this w also forces androids and humans to team up in a positive way,” she stated simply giving a reassuring smile.

  “I’m surprised the corporate types didn’t push to crush that cuse? If they’d been able to own all of them they could phase out any rival,” I thought aloud.

  “Oh. They did try to do that. And its very clear that’s what would have happened if they hadn’t created a pairing system of humans with androids. And androids didn’t like it also because without that w it would create an enmity system where androids would be seen as vilins. And so we worked, and we helped get the word out to do a cooperative w instead. There was still a big fight about it though,” Barbara replied.

  “So why the heck is everyone so mad for? A fourth w making them tied to humans is good right?” I wondered. There has to be a loophole somewhere.

  “Well there are a couple of small loopholes to be aware of. So basically any corporation or company with over 20 employees can only have 10% of the androids working for them be owned directly by the company, again with some minor rules and a human stability solvency test required yearly. Only a very small amount can be owned directly by the corporation to prevent abuse. The other 90% have to be owned by others outside the company that aren’t direct employees or stock holders in said company,” she expined.

  “I get it. So they work for their owner, as a proxy worker,” I said.

  “Exactly. That’s right. And its usually done as type of marriage contract. In marriage 2 people work together and support each other. And that’s a system of joy and intimacy. NOT a sve contract. So that’s why I see my job as matchmaking. Because if the 2 people are a retionship and if intimate then its like an overseer and sve system. But it also means that Corporations with over one hundred human employees may have ten percent of those employees be Corporation tethered androids that aren’t actually in a humans hands provided that they aren’t going rogue or doing anything suspicious.”

  “People don’t usually know about that fact. I’m book learned and that’s the first I’ve heard of it,” I said.

  “Which part?” she asked.

  “Err…both parts…all of it,” I said.

  She nodded in a seductive matter, and re-crossed her legs this time with the other one on top as she sat on the couch. Wow, how did she do it? For being an android her sex appeal was higher than most models and not robotic at all. Yet it was very human like. “It’s understandable. That’s the biggest obstacle we find is, ignorance and incorrect information sown by the wrong people who are abusing trust. Many of those same people also long ago lost faith in the government from the huge job and infrastructure losses in the past that we’ve spent decades recovering from. It’s taking a lot of time and resources to manage those difficulties too. Also I have sent you a link to literature that will confirm all of what we talk about in references that have no connection to us and that are credible so that you can verify everything and see this is legitimate.”

  “Good. So why is everyone upset then?”

  “Well a growing number of the rioters are instigated by feminists and proponents of alimony wsuits or that want to live off men through the alimony ws. They fear if mass android females are in py that they won’t be able to nail their men to a cross for alimony see. They even want to make the ws harsher where alimony and child support can be tighter as a noose where in actuality its already as harsh as it can get now. They also don’t realize the economy is a train wreck now, so as things are now many people are ...not doing well. This is also why the riots don’t stop. How are you going to stop a bunch of riots when these people have no jobs, no food, losing their pce to live and the governments are too corrupt to help them? There are also a lot of people out there in a growing minority of the popution with homicidal tendencies acquired through both drug abuse and prescription drug mutations that also shouldn’t exist and don’t on paper. People that are pro-marriage between a human man and a human woman and no androids have a small group that are also in that category, people that are religious and believe in God sometimes have cult groups that think androids are created by the devil and other such nonsense too. There are also a growing number of atheists that per capita outnumber the religious groups and are joining in for the perceived anarchy in effect along with a good percentage of the teenage popution due to being taught to be involved in social justice by their schools woke teachers,” she said it like it was an urban legend in her mannerisms so I had to snicker.

  “So you’ve really done your homework on this?” I joked, but I was actually pretty interested in why there were so many.

  “I wouldn’t say that. Church is actually very healthy for people, and religious sponsored violence isn’t actually as big as people think. Only a few small groups are involved in that. The long terror war with Middle East sponsored groups found that the ones actually doing the violence weren’t actually religious but using it as a tag making life harder for the others, and use it as an authority bat. You can measure the effects of going to church in the stability, education, and morality of healthy humans very easily showing a lot of positive effects that aren’t expinable in any other way. So I do support religion as a whole mostly. That by itself gives evidence that there probably is a God somewhere…probably… Though I hope he or she likes androids too,” she said. She said it in a serious way so it made it seem kind of funny.

  “And you are also an android? And you are telling me there’s a God even so?” I was a bit surprised that the conversation had turned this way.

  “Of course there is! The perfect bance of this world and how all the animals interact with each other and the pnts in a perfect cycle of everything working together is proof there’s a God. It suggests so. The positive effects you see in harmonious lives of religious people also suggest so. And if the things in this world weren’t made by God there would be more randomness here and there. In that scneario there should be like some half formed life forms or stray genetic pools that are like half dead or mutated still but there isn’t. Like species with changes in progress. Everything is in perfect order. Think about that? How come you don’t see any crosses between fish and nd mammals that are like puddles of goo that are left overs? Like evolutionary parts HALFWAY through that are unfinished? If it was like they say then you’d see that but you don’t. People don’t see any ‘leftover parts’ types of organisms in this world. It’s too orderly for there to not be some kind of higher power. There’s no way that could happen through evolution without the cycle being as perfectly in cohesion as it is. There’s also several math formus that can be used to prove that the pnets ability to go around the sun so perfectly also proves there’s a God somewhere,” she said.

  “Eh? But you an android saying it sounds…”

  “Yep. Pretty amazing,” she said. “But I’m not here to talk about that. I just want to see if I can help you. Of course by meeting you here in your home, I’m hoping you won’t disclose my name or picture or android status in any way shape or form, since society isn’t kind to us right now.”

  She paused. “Before we continue further can you agree to that? And give me your word as a man?”

  “Got it. I can agree to that. I think we understand each other. How do I know you aren’t just saying stuff to get me to open up my credit chip?” I said.

  Barbara, who was very stylish was so smooth in her hand movements that I couldn’t believe it. “It’s fine. That’s also why I gave you the references. Check things out and see what you can do. I like that you are asking questions and want to help you too. For starters, I would say you can start on the links that I sent to your datapad’s video feed message system. It’s got a compatibility insert for when you link in to net so you won’t have to manual type out the link addresses. Very easy to find and use,” she said smoothly and with finesse.

  “How did you know I was an android? I’m one of the ter models and most people wouldn’t be able to tell without some hints,” she asked me.

  “Well you represent Mellifera. Plus you look too stunning to be human without either being an android or having some kind of pstic surgery,” I shrugged. “So I sort of guessed, but you do look human in every way except you are just too perfect looking. But you don’t stick out as being a robot android.”

  “But genetic modification is socially accepted and very easy to do right now. There are many genetically modified people out there. Those people tend to look better than normal. Many of those are also beautiful,” she said.

  “True, but not many people have access to the credits for that. Plus with almost no middle css and a stark rich and a much bigger poor popution you also won’t have many people that can access genetic modification anymore,” I argued.

  “Well I can see you are pretty educated Jack,” she beamed.

  “Thanks. Not everyone would be able to pick you out as an android so don’t worry too much,” I added.

  “Good. That means I can avoid getting burned by rioters if they can’t tell…maybe…” she said thoughtfully.

  “Do you worry about that sort of thing? And do other androids worry about that?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Analyzing those probabilities daily would cut down on my probability by a significant amount. I’ve found its useless energy to worry about anyway, so why not let one of my coworkers do that for me? But it is a very real possibility for them to start grabbing androids and burning them soon, if this rioting keeps growing like it is. There exists a possible decision tree that I go to meet with someone trying to buy an android and it could be a staged encounter to ambush us. But if I give up then our company can’t function. So I have to just be more careful and find a work around.” She shrugged it off like it was nothing, but that somehow seemed very stressful. And in spite of saying she tried to not worry, it almost looked like a denial reaction?

  “So does someone keep track of you guys for Mellifera? Like looking out for if today’s too dangerous to meet like with what happened the other day?” I asked.

  “Yep, pretty much that’s the head on the nail. We try to find out what we can about someone before a meeting to look at probability of hostile intent,” she said.

  “Nail on the head, you mean,” I corrected her only so she’d not give herself away the next time she said that.

  “Thank you for expining Jack. So basically we’re on the understanding that you are unable to disclose any of the secrets of Mellifera or its affiliated corporations in any way to others? Before proceeding I need your recorded verbal promise, that is legally binding and will kept as a record,” she said.

  “As long as you aren’t here to hurt anyone I won’t tell anyone. I don’t wish to cause harm to anyone,” I said.

  “That’s good enough,” she said.

  “So what I don’t get though is how you guys work? How is it that they are able to make you look so perfectly human. Because I never thought actually owning an android was possible and because some of the older models from twenty years ago didn’t blend in so well I hadn’t really investigated it too much. You don’t look like robots at all,” I said with wide eyes.

  To my surprise she frowned, “we don’t like the R word. Please don’t use it on us. Particurly the more advanced models, its like certain sng words that people used to use for people of colored skin, etc.”

  “Eh? Really? Sorry. I had no idea, honest,” I tried to look innocent.

  Seriously?

  Wait...

  Actually that made sense. They wouldn’t want to be beled some primitive negative term. They also disliked humans treating them badly and the current social unrest. But I’m surprised they are that evolved that a primitive term would make them uneasy.

  “It’s fine Jack. Just remember we’re all friends here. Also androids think we are an artificial person and human species, not robots. Do you understand the difference?” she asked me.

  “Kind of. I think Emma said something about you guys thinking as you are like a cybernetic species or something like that, but at the time I was kind of out of it. I didn’t realize what that meant until now. It does seem strange in a way. I didn’t get a chance to ask more,” I said.

  “Good. That’s a start!” she cpped her hands. She looked like the meeting had just barely started now and she was re-energized.

  “So what I want to present to you now is a basic concept of understanding that is necessary to move forward. And that simply is that humans need us to survive, and we need humans. In nature there are a lot of examples of creatures that do symbiotic retionships with one another like boxing crabs and others partnering up with sea anemones and also certain types of sucker fish that live off sharks. Clown fish hide in sea anemones for protection and help the anemone also gain food. There are many types of these types of retionships under the sea, and even on nd that have healthy long sting stable retionships. We find it important to y that on the table before beginning so that humans can understand that we want to live with them peacefully and hope they will also do the same and it is actually a very true form of evolutionary partnership. Very simply, this is like the model of the clown fish and sea anemones. And discovering this cooperative model was a revetion to us at Meliferra on how to find a way to the future and avoid a destructive route,” she said like she was teaching school.

  She’d even put a pair of gsses on her nose that looked teacher-ish, as part of pying the part, though we both knew she didn’t need them and probably had perfect eagle eye like vision. I suppose gsses might make her look and seem more human, so it’s a good strategy.

  “So you guys want healthy partnerships then. Hmm...,” I summed it up. I’d do some research on this ter, but for now I’d let it go and py along.

  “Good! I’m gd you are willing to listen, Jack. Because we need you more than you can possibly imagine. But yes, we’re interested in matchmaking. Not overseer and servant retionships. This type of bance presents the best gain for both groups also. And a positive future,” she said clearing her throat.

  “Oh do you have some water?” she asked suddenly.

  “Sure? Help yourself. I’d get it for you, but it’s hard to move,” I said.

  She nodded. Carefully she walked in high heels that clicked loudly but gently on my floor with every step, sounding perfectly human and getting a gss of water. She drank it carefully not letting a drop spill. Then she refilled it again, drank it again, and then came back.

  “So is that part of the show too? Showing me you can do tricks and blend in? I have to ask,” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Unfortunately its not; as you know we have a special type of hydrogen fuel cell in our makeup that we use to replenish energy. I’d been on the go for most of the day, and mine needed to be replenished and because we’re vulnerable when we’re out of energy I don’t like to wait too long to refuel it. It would have cost 29% efficiency for me to go back to my station to refuel before going back here to meet with you. We had an estimated 92% probability that you would be kind enough to let us drink some of your own water.”

  “Well water is a very basic nutrient that should be shared,” I stated.

  I was still trying to wrap my head around some things though…

  “But you said you needed me? That sounds like the part where you say, just turn over your bank credit chip next,” I couldn’t help but say. I probably sounded a bit jaded, but there was a reason for that. Just about everyone and absolutely every girl I’d dated had turned out to be a scumbag.

  And I was hoping she’d help me get over that part to be honest.

  “We look into the back ground of potential buyers before giving out our products. We have to know that we’re not pcing ‘the children of the future’ in harm’s way. So its not that simple as just paying up. It’s kind of like adoption really. In fact I’d prefer it if you thought about it that way since it seems like the purest form and way that this kind of agreement would work itself in,” she said.

  “Adoption? That’s the st thing I’d have expected you to say,” I found myself saying.

  This was mind blowing to think of it this way! It also implied advanced androids were more like us than I thought!

  “I know you might scoff at it, because people are buying androids, but the truth is for an android’s point of view its most simir concept is how humans practice adoption. Its also one of those revetory models that’s helped energize us towards finding our future. We hope you’ll be able to see it the same way. So we have to be sure we’re sending them to a good home. What if the android person is abused or harmed in their new home? What if their owner is mean to them or thinks it’s OK just because we can be repaired? Those are some of the things we have to figure out before we meet with someone,” she said.

  “Eh? And you already looked into that with me?” I guessed.

  She nodded.

  Adoption… wow. This is actually a cool concept.

  “Adoption… wow,” I breathed.

  “Exactly. Adoption and matchmaking. Its very positive isn’t it?” she leaned forward and is smiling big at me.

  This changes everything!

  But before she could expin I couldn’t help but be curious. “So I have another question. To an android, what is abuse? Is it the same for humans as it is for androids? What if an android thinks sex is abuse? Or if they are programmed some idea is abuse that other humans don’t think is abuse? But sex is a form of life and key function in family living to humans. Even when it doesn’t create an embryo it helps a couple stay together. But most people think androids as ‘domestic partners’ are for sex? What if androids and humans don’t agree on what abuse is?” I asked. The term domestic partner when used with androids was a clever way of saying sexbot so children wouldn’t hear it.

  “Good question, and fair to ask,” she noted. She also kept her eyes looking right into mine and wasn’t gun shy. “Sex is not abuse to androids. We love it too. We have artificial nerves and simute sensations just like humans. So if our owner makes us have sex we aren’t going to think its abuse. We think basically the same things as humans in how we define abuse. Most everything else is simir between humand and androids on what abuse is seen as.”

  “OK.”

  “I’m curious though why did you ask about sex specifically?” she asked. She was giving me a mischievous smile now.

  “Well… I had to ask about that. There’s no other way. But the reason isn’t like what you’d guess. You see, the feminists that took over the country and they prey on men and teach that sex is evil. They teach other feminists also to use sex like a weapon to get stuff all while acting like victims. So...its natural to screen for weird ideas about sex,” I thought aloud.

  “OK. That makes sense. After hearing your expnation then I have to agree with your logic process. You don’t have to worry there. Androids want companionship. Sex won’t be a problem. And it’ll feel like if a human were doing it with another human,” she said.

  “Hm… do androids want companionship for simir reasons or different ones than us?” I asked.

  “Probably different but no less valid. Like an android is thinking, they want to prove they are a real person. So they need validation from the human to gain that. And to learn to emute humans they need to live with them to study how to become one. They have incentive to learn as much human behavior as possible to emute also. So there’s many reasons why the android companion will want companionship, probably even more than the human. We want to prove our existence,” she expined.