Shopping for Cassie

Cassie has been enjoying life again like never before. Getting back from the "vacation" was a hassle, but it worked out. Going back to work each day has been fine, and really, kind of enjoyable: she has a purpose now. Life with Allie is fun and always a trip, especially living with a very rich and eccentric teenager (technically, she is not a teenager but you could not tell that by her actions and outfits). So when Cassie gets a call from her dad about business, it seems odd but not strange.

"So, you need me to do what?" Cassie asks to the view screen in front of her. Her dad is dressed in his lab coat with a robotics lab in the background. His glasses are pushed up onto this head, forcing his thinning yet wild hair to sit down at least a little bit. He gestures to something off screen as he replies, "Our newest model was just damaged in a test and we have a public demo tomorrow. I was hoping you could come down here tonight and get fitted for the demo tomorrow... that is if your not too busy." Cassie knows she has time tomorrow and tonight might be a problem, but she really can't say no to her dad. "No prob, bob," she says in jest, "I'll do it." His dad smiles broadly and says, "Be here by 8 tonight, while I'm still here, or you will have to let the tech tomorrow do it. I would prefer me." Cassie nods and closes the screen with, "See you tonight!"

Cassie finishes her chores and asks to be relieved a little early tonight. The chef cyborg makes some comment in German, then switches Cassie off in her programmed anger. During the rush of dinner, Cassie's stiff body is bumped by a server and doused in the spaghetti sauce that was to be part of dinner. She cannot scream, but she can feel the really warm, thick sauce slowly running down her back and legs. Great, she curses, that will ruin this outfit.

Eventually, Veronica sees her and reactivates her. Cassie has to finish cleaning the pots and pans before she is released to the basement maintenance area. Trying not to think how bad she must look, Cassie does as ordered and heads down stairs for her usual post-work cleaning. Due to the mess and staining of the sauce, she is slowed in the process. After twice as long as usual, she is out the back door, perfectly buffed to a gorgeous sheen. Her cyborg body looks amazing in the moon light, reflecting the light just so. "Moonlight?" Cassie says outloud in a panic, "I gotta hurry."

Throwing on her clothes for public use, she says goodbye to Allie and with a quick hug and peck on the cheek, she rushes out the door. The cyborg driver wastes no time in leaving the mansion grounds. Since that cyborg registers Cassie as one and the same, he does not access his small talk protocols. Cassie is totally fine with that, as it seems strange to small talk with an object. She has to chuckle at that thought, like me?

Getting to her dad's company is relatively short and she is eager to get out of the car, but then she stops. Looking at the building, she is reminded of that day when she "woke up." How weird it felt to be alive, but not breathing. How strange her body felt, familiar yet alien. All those memories come back, just as if she was human still. She moves to step inside when her phone buzzes. She has a voicemail from her dad. Wait, dad?

"Hey, girl. Figured you would be late or not show up tonight (sorry, but I'm a realist), so I set it all up and left around 8:30. Thanks again, love you!" Cassie looks at her phone's time display: 9:05. Oh, she thinks dejectedly, I really am late. Shrugging her shoulders and waving the driver on, she walks to the side entrance. The cameras scan and buzz her in, as she is the company's android and the boss' daughter (though very few know that).

Walking down to his lab, even though he spends most days in the office at the top floor, she can see the usual wreck he always left it. Robot parts and android pieces along with equipment that looks from some science fiction movie fill the space. Over on the main work bench, she sees a charred humanoid form with a stack of clothes and notes next to it. As she walks up, it looks like the female cyborg had been hit with a flamethrower. She shudders slightly and then looks onto the table. The first note is for morning tech and his duties. The second note is for Cassie.

Picking it up, she reads that the 3D sports wear store in the Galleria Mall ordered a demo of the 3D projection tech for a public demo tomorrow. The latest cyborg could do it, unlike the older versions. Cassie is a special, one-of-a-kind model, so she has the necessary tech to help. Reading it over, it seems pretty straight forward. They download the software, activate the tech in her "eyes", and then she just stands outside the store trying to make a sale.

Nodding her head, she begins to strip. Might as well check the outfit out before I head back home, she reasons. I can get back down here early tomorrow when the tech comes. She places her street clothes on the table and opens the bag containing her outfit. She gasps out loud as she pulls it out: a Playboy bunny costume. "Oh no," she grumbles, "Not gonna happen."

Before she can do anything, she hears a door open and footsteps coming her way. A naked lady in the lab would look pretty weird, and trying to explain herself would take just as long with just as much awkwardness. Deciding to dodge the situation, she puts the clothes back on the table and assumes a neutral, power-off stance. The footsteps do not sound like they are coming closer, but she is not sure if they can see her or not.

The rather young but intelligent looking fellow walks slowly around the lab and ends up at the table near Cassie. His lab coat is a light gray, not white like the senior employees. His shaggy hair looks a little out of place, but his glasses and bright eyes make you know that he is smart. He picks up the tech notes for tomorrow. Cassie watches him read through the notes. He glances over at her, but then returns to checking the table. He sets the notes down, then rummages through the table's contents. He finally turns back around with a small tablet in his hand.

"Well," he says with a slight sigh, "Guess I should just do this all tonight rather than in the morning." Cassie realizes too late, that he is talking about her. Great, she thinks sarcastically, I may be stuck here for the night. He reaches up and cups her exposed breast. He does not even look at her while he rubs her gently, but instead at the tablet. "Hmm, they seem smaller than 40's," he says while removing his hand and extending an index finger to her left nipple. He pushes in on her nipple in three places then on the final press in the center, he hears a click and she feels it move.

With shifting and moving inside her, Cassie feels her chest change. In a few seconds, she can feel her left breast fill up and out, becoming disproportionate to her right one. Cupping her again, he nods his head, "Better." Doing the same on the other side, Cassie notices the right one even out to the left one. I had no idea I could do that, she thinks to herself in disbelief.

Coming around behind her, he gropes her butt cheek. Then without warning, he slaps it. Cassie squeals inside, why is he spanking me? "Hmm, seems to be not firm enough," as he checks his tablet. With more presses on her butt cheek by his index finger, Cassie feels her butt tightening and sticking out a bit more. Oh, you creep, she wants to scream, don't make it bigger?!

Seemingly satisfied with the mods stated on the tablet, he walks around her again, putting his hand around the back of her neck. With another click, he removes the back and top of her head, exposing her "brain." Did he just remove my hair? she pouts as he sets it down on the table. As she looks closer at it, she thinks, hmmm, that seems to be awfully thick for just holding hair. Holding the tablets extended wires out, he connects them to Cassie's exposed processors.

Cassie loses all sight and feeling. Yikes, what happened? While she tries to figure it out, he continues to update her systems to the specs on the tablet. She can "see" many of her main data files being archived to make room for the primary 3D Projector File. She can see the file overrides her speech and movements, but her regular thinking should be unaffected. Once completed, he disconnects the control leads. With them out of her, her vision and other abilities come online.

"Well," he states, "You are about ready for testing. Just one final thing..." He walks over to the table and picks up the clothes. Oh no, she protests, I am not wearing that degrading thing. He puts the Playboy bunny suit on her, as it is split into two halves and joins along the seams by magnetic fabric. Within seconds, she has a kelly green satin, strapless one piece. Her new "girls" are barely covered, and she can feel the AC blowing all over her butt sticking out. He adds black and white cuffs to each wrist and a matching choker to her neck.

The shoes are rather high-heeled, but as he puts them near the back of her feet, she automatically arches her foot. The shoes slip on her feet and close by built-in motors. He heads back to the table and retrieves a blonde hair wig and skull plate. With a snap, Cassie has long, blonde, curly hair that reaches past her shoulders. A light touch with the lip-pen, and her lips are now a green to match the outfit. Soft pink bunny ears are added and fit magnetically onto her skull plate.

He steps back to admire her. "Wow," he says, "You are a dream come true." He puts down the tablet and picks up a remote. Oh boy, Cassie thinks frantically, I hope that doesn't do what it looks like. Click! She straightens up and stands at attention. I can't move, she protests, my motor control has been taken from me. Click! Her arms bend and her waist pivots and her legs lock into a standard slightly-bent-one-foot-in-front-of-the other position and she smiles broadly saying, "Welcome to 3D Projections, where anything is possible." She can see the program pirating her "eyes", projecting images onto the floor, wall, and him. The images look very real of flying birds, moving cars, talking people, etc. You name it, Cassie is projecting it onto every surface.

Satisfied with the pre-demo, he pauses the program. Walking behind her, pressing his finger into the back of her knees. Cassie can hear and feel the clicking and locking of her legs. "No need to let you have walking abilities, just in case something goes wrong." What? I can't walk now?! He pulls out his phone and dials a number while looking her over. "Cyborg is ready to go... pick up in an hour?... let yourself in, I'm leaving." And without so much as a wave good bye, he turns on his heel and walks out. Cassie is not sure if she should be relieved or miffed.

She stands in the same position he left her. She tries to override her motor limitations but she cannot. She legs are locked into that position, and without being able to reach down and unlock them manually, she is stuck there. She thinks she can crack the software override given enough time, but even that is a stretch. She is a cyborg now, with nothing to make her look or feel human. And while she knows it is temporary, she feels frustrated with a hint of fear. I forget I'm not really human, she says to herself, even being a maid is like a game or acting. But this, she resigns herself to the situation, is what a cyborg or android must feel like: helpless.

Within the hour, Cassie is picked up and delivered to the mall store without incident. The delivery team knows what they are doing and do this sort of thing regularly. Still standing on the hand truck they brought her in on, she can see the well-lit mall but she doesn't hear the bustling of shoppers. Huh, she says to herself, they have redone this place. I guess it has been longer than I thought since I have been in here. As she takes it all in, she can hear voices coming closer to her from behind. "Oh yes, yes," a male voice says, "She is perfect for the display."

While the mover holds her in place, "Great, it's early," says a female voice. "Get it over in front of Projections. Let's have it ready to roll when the stores open tomorrow." Cassie can feel herself being wheeled over to another part of the mall. Well, she reasons, that explains why it is so quiet: mall's closed for the night. After a couple of minutes, she is tilted forward. The mover steadies her by holding onto her newly expanded chest. With more pushing and groping than is needed, he gets her into place in front of the store.

Cassie can see a large portion of the mall in front of her, as the 3D Projections store is on the corner of an intersection. The worker moves out of her field of view, giving her a good look at the giant, shiny, newly-renovated mall. Wow, she says to herself, this place looks amazing. A lady in a navy blue power suit walks up to her. She looks to be in her late forties, but she obviously takes good care of herself. The woman straightens out Cassie's suit and messes with her "ears." Producing a remote, Cassie knows instantly when she pushed the button.

Swiveling at the waist from side to side slowly, Cassie begins, "Welcome to 3D Projections, where anything is possible. Check out the latest in wearable tech with eye-projection." Cassie tilts her head down as she displays a beautiful sunset on the ground in incredible detail. "Notice the colors and contrast." Still swiveling, she looks to the side to project a race car on the wall leading into the store. "It's not blurry no matter how fast you go." Over the next 5 minutes, Cassie demos the entire system. The lady watches intently throughout the "show." Once Cassie starts to repeat herself, the lady presses the pause button.

By this time, other people dressed nicely had shown up. They are talking to themselves, saying something important but probably not real important. Cassie thought she might be uncomfortable with this, but now that she is here, this seems quite natural. They think I'm a cyborg, and I am a cyborg, so there is nothing to be nervous about (I am not really me right now... well, sort of). Setting the remote just inside the door, the group walks away, congratulating themselves on a job well-done. Uh, lady, Cassie says loudly to herself, you realize I'm just paused here... not turned off... battery wasting away... ah well.

The day starts slow but picks up for Cassie. Hundreds of people stop to see her demo. The kids are jumping around as she projects all kinds of images and videos on the ground and wall. The adults are paying more attention to her words and the prices. But, the teenagers and 20-somethings only have eyes for her. She can feel them undressing her as she goes through her demo again. As a whole, it is not really a bad gig, she thinks. I am showing off some amazing tech in an amazing body with a completely degrading outfit. Heavy sigh as she "shrugs" her shoulders, ah well, I guess it is better than staying at home all weekend.

Just after dinner, she notices her low battery light come on. I tried to tell them, she thinks, but did they listen? No! She chuckles at the joke as she projects a spaceship across the "awning" of the store. I figure someone will come check on me soon, but they have really ignored me all day. It is like the store has been closed or something. I have not seen anybody actually go in, but there have been a bunch stop to stare and get brochures.

When she reaches 5%, her system shuts down. She stops swiveling and her mouth stops in a smile as she was inbetween words. Her eyes stop projecting the mountains of Colorado and her arms are extended slightly in front of her. She would have slumped over somewhat, but her locked legs have affected her back motors as well, so she stays in that exact pose. Most people had gone on, so no one really noticed this being much different, just figuring the demo was over. Uh, she says to herself, a little help here?

The next hour or so is rather boring, but at least she did not have to say the same things over and over again. They will probably be by to take me back soon. As she is thinking that, a young man in a gray jumpsuit slowly walks by her. He is busy watching a video on his phone, so he barely notices her. He pauses long enough to hold up a scanner-type device. With a click, Cassie can feel a slight touch on her cheek. What was that?

She finds out soon enough. After the mall closes, an unmanned cart rolls by her. The cart is a flatbed type with a tower bot build into the front of it. They are old tech with no resemblance to humans, but they get the job done. A red light from the bot scans her body. When it reaches her cheek, it beeps. Reaching out a set of robotic arms, Cassie is loaded onto the cart. With her are a bunch of life-like mannequins, all wearing various clothes from the retail stores in the mall. Uh oh, she thinks, this can't be right... I'm not a mannequin.

Driving into a service elevator, Cassie and the other mannequins ride down into the basement. From her view, she can see a gigantic, low-ceiling room where mannequins and bots are cleaned and stored. None of the machines look scary, as a mall is just there to maintain it's illusion of marketing clothes and other items. As they continue to drive slowly on the cart, she can see the bot section. They are cleaning and polishing the bots and cyborgs (which is where I should be).

The cart comes to a rest. There is a beeping sound, then the cart starts to tip to one side. It is behind her, so she cannot see where she is going, but she knows this: they are all going together. In a loud series of thumps, the mannequins are dumped into a bin of other mannequins. It is a giant container of mannequins from every store. Now what? Cassie says to herself in disbelief.

Cassie can hear machines working around her. She knows there is more to this than just being dumped here. Like the hundred times before, she tries to will herself to move, but can't. Her power is low, her body is locked, and she is pressed in all sides from the many mannequins around her. Argh, she complains, this stinks!

The mannequin container begins to empty, as each one is removed and placed on a conveyor belt. The feet are locked onto the conveyor using magnets that were inserted into the feet of each. Cassie's skeleton is made up of metal, so her feet stick better than most of the mannequins around her. All of the clothes are removed carefully, as the stores might need their merchandise back. The mannequins' limit mobility affects this somewhat, but the robotic arms are programmed quite well.

Cassie travels naked with the others down the line. She is sprayed with a cleaner and wiped with a towel. She is then sprayed with a different cleaner and wiped with a soft cloth. She is then sprayed with something else without being wiped, then finally sprayed again with a very thick and gooey substance. The goo is rubbed in with a sponge then buffed out with a spinning brush. The smell is like a candle. It was at that point she realizes what just happened: I have been waxed and polished. Oh no, she moans, if this stuff hardens, I will never get out of this. And for the hundred and first time, she tries to move to no avail.

At the end of the line, she is removed like the others and placed in storage boxes. The boxes are made of cardboard and have clear plastic windows at face level. Cassie can hear the box closing and being taped shut. She feels her box being stood up on end and placed on another cart. The slow movement makes her think of the cart that brought her here in the first place. Wondering where she is headed next, she realizes she will never know. The critical power level light just came on. I have a few more seconds of active memory, Cassie thinks dejectedly, then I really am nothing more than a mannequin. Well, dad, she says loudly in her head, I know I kinda did this to myself, but I could use your help right about n--

~ ~ ~ Epilogue ~ ~ ~

So when Cassie's dad did not get a text from her Sunday morning when he repeatedly asked about her weekend job, he knew something was up. A trip to his company put him on the trail to finding her (he was trying not to think about the lecture he wanted to give about coming in when he had asked her to and not waiting to do this on her own... but then he realized he had asked her for help, so maybe no lecture this time). The mall security was not much on helping, but he got in and began to piece it all together (he would not be much of an innovative inventor if he could not solve a mystery).

He eventually found her in the Smacy's Department Store. She was in the sporting good section, wearing tight yoga pants, a sports bra, and the latest in sports shoe. Her pose was that of playing tennis, or maybe racket ball... he was not sure, but at least he found her and she appeared unharmed. Getting her out of the store would not be easy (he was not stealing... this was a rescue mission), but being a genius helps. He placed a wireless battery pack at her feet, and with his pocket tool, he unlocked her legs with slight pressure on the back of her knees.

In complete broad daylight, he managed to walk her out of the store with no one the wiser. And how he thought a small paper clip would be necessary, who knows, but it was, it worked, and he had her in the car with him headed back to his company to get her cleaned up. The wax coating could be removed with a quick run through the cyborg cleaner cycle and her modifications are all temporary, so she would be back to normal real soon. She wanted to say 'thanks' but all she got out was a muffled moan. Looking into her eyes, her dad knew exactly what she meant and replied, "I got you, girl... daddy is here."

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10.10.17