Robo-Maid Alice

story continued from part two

Part Three

She has no idea how long she slumped there in the hallway. Given enough time, the nanites would have completely shut down and she would have been freed. However, Cleaning Bot #17 recognized the problem and ordered a recharging unit to the condo before this could happen. A recharging unit is a small bot, about the size and shape of a car battery. It has a small set of treads on the bottom and two leads on the top with extending wires and connections.

Without the need for knocking, the recharging unit remotely opens the door. With the treads, it works its way up the stairs slowly. It stops in front of the slumped Alice. With expert accuracy and precision, it extends its cables up to Alice's ears. Within moments, the recharging bot is sending electrical energy into her. Once she has enough to be able to move, it starts to drive away from her. Like a dog on a leash, she slowly follows it. Due to her reduced speed, it takes quite a while to get out the door.

It is Monday late morning, so everyone is at work. This is good for her and the team, so that no one sees this "advanced bot" walking behind the recharging bot. It leads her across the parking lot to the back alleyway. A van awaits with a lowered ramp/door. She has not received enough power to try to fight this, so she continues her slow trudge with the recharging bot.

Once inside, the van powers up and it leaves with a very slow speed. Within moments, it turns onto the main road and heads up the street. About halfway there, Alice starts to "regain consciousness." At first the world is in black and white with muffled sounds. Eventually, some color comes back with improved audio. She can see that she is standing in what looks like a moving van. A small gray box is in front of her, and two wires are dangling from her and connected to the box. She tries to look around, but she has not gotten enough power yet, she reasons. But the real question is: where am I?

"Where is she?" Michael asks out loud to the condo. He got out of the shower and freshened up after a quick anti-hangover med. Realizing Alice is not in the condo, he calls the front desk. They happily tell him they sent his bot to the cleaners due to its "stained exterior." He is outraged, not because they are rude, but rather their top-secret bot is out in the public. And to make matters worse, he thinks, they are not quite sure which robot cleaning station she was sent to. Most of the other guys on the R&D team would have handled it calmly, but Michael is not that kind of person. In this case, it might be a good thing.

In a few minutes, Alice feels the van take a sharp turn and stop. The electric engine, which makes almost no sound, makes no sound at all. The back door opens, letting in light. The gray box in front of her starts to move towards her. Without any control, she watches her body back away from it, maintaining the same distance. What am I doing? She continues to watch her self back out of the van into the late morning Sun. She cannot look any direction but at the gray box (must be some type of bot, she figures) as it moves in front of her now towards some building. She cannot read any signs yet, but the door is automated as well.

Once inside, she sees a red light engulf her. Then a series of clicks and beeps. Then a voice, "State designation and ownership." In a slightly slurred voice, Alice replies, "Cleaning Bot #17b. Property of Lakeshore Condos." Wait, what? I am not their property. What is going on?

After a series of beeps and clicks, she hears, "Temporary ownership will be established for Robot Scrubbers Inc. Cleaning Bot #17b, you are now Robot #14191 and the property of Robot Scrubbers. Comply." Alice can feel a slight shift in her, like when the cleaning robot came in and overrode the team's programming. "Compliant," she slurs, "Robot #14191, by your orders - compliant, Robot Scrubbers." With a few more beeps and clicks, the gray bot rolls on and she follows. Great, she thinks sarcastically, I'm a dog at a kennel.

She is lead through a factory-type building. It looks gray and silver and smells like 15 different types of soap. She watches the floor go by as they move further into the building. In one area, the small bot drives over a square, slightly-raised platform. It stops just off of it, leaving her on it. She can feel the floor beneath her going down. As the platform lowers into the floor, she can see a pinkish liquid flowing around her shoes. Within seconds, it is to her knees and beyond. Uh oh, she thinks to herself with a little more fear than she would like, I wonder how far under I'm going to go. The warm fluid covers her stomach now. With every ounce of her being, she tries to move. I will drown in this stuff, she screams inside. The fluid reaches her chest and flows down into her cleavage. The warm soapy liquid sloshes against her skin now. Help, help, I'm gonna drown. The liquid covers her shoulders and moves to her neck. The good news is, the fluid provides a little buoyancy to her, so she can stand up a little taller now. So as the floor stops descending, she is up to her neck in the robot washing solution. Whew, that was close.

She can feel the solution starting to swirl around her. Her latex suit keeps her basically dry. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see the gray bot rolling away. It was the first time she noticed that she was free of it. With careful thought, she finds she can barely move her arms in the solution. Well, she says with some satisfaction, it isn't much but it is better than nothing.

Her victory is cut short by something she sees floating in the cleaning solution. Is that a black strap? A small piece of shiny black material floats to the top. It slowly goes with the current then disappears. I wonder what that was. In the minutes to follow, she figures it out: the cleaning solution is dissolving her cheap "latex" outfit. That dummy, she scowls to herself, Michael bought some cheap knock off, and now the cleaner is taking it off me.

Alice can feel the cleaning solution touching her body now, as it is slowly exposed to the liquid. She doesn't need to feel herself to know when the corset releases her, or when the tight "stockings" float away. Even better is the bra that finally releases her girls into the warm liquid. Aaahhh, she thinks, that feels so good. The stiff current pushes them around from side to side as it cleans her. Maybe I should get one of these instead of a hot tub, she thinks, the guys owe me big time.

"Sir," the lady replies, "We will credit your account from the weekend, and send you a transfer of funds for your trouble. Your bot will be delivered to the address you gave when it is clean."

Michael nods on the other side of the phone. Before he can say okay, she adds, "Will this be satisfactory, sir?"

Michael grins, knowing he might could push for more, but relents and says, "Well, I guess. Thank you." As he hangs up, he can only laugh. A free weekend now, a free weekend in the future, and enough money for me and the guys to... to... well, I guess I better see where they want to party.

Alice has no idea how long she is swirled in the cleaning solution. It is warm, so it is not a bad experience. Eventually, she feels the platform under her raise up. Ok, she jokes, its time to get out of the bath. The platform pushes her out of the liquid, revealing just what she expected: her naked body. Her head is still tilted down, so she can see her dripping nakedness in the glow of the factory lights. The only thing not dissolved was the shoes. Those are still attached to her feet, which she approves of. I sure don't want to walk all day in them, but at least they provide some foot protection.

A robotic arm extends down and scans her body. Stopping at her head it states, "#14191 did not receive a full treatment." Oh great, she curses, that might be the end of me now. Are they gonna dunk me in head first? I will never hold my breath that long. Before she can really panic, a shower of the solution comes rushing over her head. While it must have been more sophisticated, Alice reasons, it feels like they just poured a bucket of the soapy water on her head. Satisfying the robot scanner, it says, "#14191, follow the blue lights on the floor to the drying station." Alice replies in a slight slur still, "By your orders, compliant."

With a little hesitation, she begins to follow the blinking blue lights in the floor. Her wet exposed body cools instantly in the air condition factory. If the nanites would allow it, she is sure she would have goosebumps and be shivering. But, the nanites do not allow that, so she walks slowly to her next stop. She does not walk far before she passes through doorway in the middle of the room. As soon as she passes through it, she feels an intense wave of heat on her body. She does not stop walking, which is probably a good thing, she reasons, I think I got a tan in that 5 seconds I was in there. Leaving the drying station, her skin is now completely dry and she feels she is radiating heat a little. It was like a vertical tanning booth, she jokes to herself.

She follows the blue lights into a much smaller room. The room has a lower ceiling and contains every type of robot you can imagine. They are all lined along each wall, plugged into the ceiling outlets. Ah, she figures, this must be a charging station until the cleaned bots are delivered home. She stops where the blue lights tell her. Before she can decide if she should move, two cables descend from the ceiling and attach to her ears. Within seconds, she can feel the energy recharging her. Oh yeah, she moans silently, that feels so good. I was so hungry and really need to go to the bathroom, but I can already feel the recharging nanites taking care of all that. Whew, that's better!

Getting home takes longer than she expected, but it turned out to be very easy on her. Once she was fully charged, they put her in a storage container for easier transport later. Since she was not sure how long it would be, she let herself be completely controlled by the nanites while she was "shutdown". This turned out to be a really good thing, as it took her 3 days to get back home, due to all the paperwork over the mishandling of her cleaning.

On the same night she was shipped back to her apartment, the team enjoyed a great night out at the best steakhouse in town. It was a moment to celebrate all they learned and what their future holds. While she was unboxed and placed inside the door (auto unlock authorized by her "signature" last week), the guys ate their fill and drank more than usual at their party. Carl knew she had been delivered when he got a message on his phone. He gave the delivery service 5 minutes to get out of her apartment, then he deactivated the nanites. Alice could feel herself become Catherine once again. It was a very weird and exciting time for her. As the guys made another toast, she went to the kitchen to drink her first glass of water in almost a week. Carl smiled as he put his phone away, then he joined in the fun even more, almost as if he was waiting for her to be safe. Catherine drained the entire liter of spring water. She staggered into the bedroom, and having already been stripped for transport, she collapses in the bed. As her head hits the pillow, the guys cheer a toast to Alice.

Catherine returns to work and enjoys a hefty pay boost over her week's worth of work. She finally bought that new car she had been needing. She upgrades her furniture that she has had since college, and for once in her life, she went to get a manicure and pedicure without a discount from her mom's friend. She has a swarm of nanites in her system, but she tries not to think about it. Because right now, life is pretty sweet!

Over the next month or so, life develops into a routine. She gets up, goes to work, then comes home. She thought her life as a robot might give her social life a jump start, but not really. The guys she has gone out with lately are not interested in role play. The one guy left her with the check when he just bolted from the restaurant when she suggested it. She would sometimes walk by the R&D department, hoping to get "caught" but they are just too wrapped up in their work. As she pulls another microwave dinner out of the freezer, she whispers sarcastically, "mmm, tuna surprise casserole."

However, her time of routine was at an end, for Alice needed to make another appearance at work. A quick phone call from Carl, and she is at work early the next day in the R&D department. The guys remember her and say "hi" or at least in their own way (Richard still looks at her shoes when she talks). They explain their predicament and this is what Catherine can figure out: their synthetic DNA does not run the base program well enough for higher functions and with their boss upping the demonstration of their progress to today, they need another Alice miracle.

"Now before you say yes, we have a couple of contract requirements to meet."

Catherine had already taken in the breath to say yes, so she nods her head to cover that and says, "Of course."

The earlier work arounds have to be fixed, so she has to be fully under nanite control and she must wear the certified outfit with sealant.

Catherine asks, "I understand the control thing, but what is this sealant stuff?"

Some of the guys shift on their feet, as Carl replies, "Well, the outfits are to be less changeable and more permanent, so they are adhered to the bot and removed only by the company. It also provides a layer of protection from anyone violating the bot."

Catherine nods to this, as it makes sense.

"But," Carl continues, "We have not made the solvent for the sealant yet, so when you put this suit on, we won't have way to get you out of yet." There was a slight pause, then Leon says quickly and maybe a little too loudly, "YET!"

Catherine says in a most negative way, "So you want me to put on some clothes that I might not even be able to get off?!"

"Well, "Richard starts, "yeah, but we will have it working soon."

Catherine turns to him, "Oh, like the prototype maidbot? Huh?! You cannot even get that working right, so why should I trust you with this?" The guys make some mumbling sounds, but none can look her in the eye. "I realize your boss is coming today, but this decision could last for weeks or months or forever if you can't find a way."

She turns as if she would go. Michael gets a text from a friend in transportation, saying that their regional boss just landed and will be there within the hour. Desperate times call for desperate measures, he reasons, so he reaches into his pocket and grips the remote. He had hoped it would not come to this, but they are out of options and to solidify his point, he says softly, "We are desperate." Click...

Bertrand Rousselli strides into the conference room. He has been a upper level manager for almost 20 years now. He may have white hair, but he keeps in shape and up on the latest trends. He looks and acts like he is 40, but he is quite a bit older than that. His suit and shoes are perfect as is his hair and nails. He looks like he walked out of the latest edition of GQ magazine. He is well liked because he says what you want to hear, but he is also feared as if he decides one day that he does not like you, you are unliked forever. The R&D team know this, which is why they have been so scared to fail.

Most of the R&D team fill the long table, as Bertrand shakes hands with each of them before sitting down. His entourage have already prepared his place at the table. He sits and makes eye contact at the same time, asking bluntly, "Let me see it."

Two rooms over, Catherine has a frown on her face as Carl adjusts her gloves. Catherine is wearing a maid uniform again, but this one is much more sexy looking. The guys went with the latex look, but of a much higher quality. They had the neckline dropped and widened, so Catherine has plenty of cleavage to show. The skirt is not as tight, but it flairs out and is very short. Her latex thongs ride high, leaving her butt cheeks visible whenever she bends over even slightly. The corset is tighter than before, pulling in her waist and pushing up her chest more. The elbow high gloves and knee high stockings make the perfect look on her. She has a similar set of shoes as before, except they have a larger platform and heel, making her a tad taller than Carl in front of her.

"You know this is wrong, Carl." Carl does not recognize her statement, replying "The gloves should be set now."

Catherine holds out her hands to grab his arms, "You know I want to help you guys, but this is not what I signed up for."

Carl steps back from her, her latex hands slipping off him ,"I know, i know, but we are so close and it will work. I just know it."

Catherine knows there is nothing she can do now, as they have all the power. She simply states, "Remember that I'm a person." He starts to say something, but thinks better of it. She wants to ask him what he was going to say, but then she feels the newly upgraded nanites kicking in.

Her shoulders roll back as she stands up straighter. She resets her feet on her shoes and puts her arms in front of her, hands folded slightly below waist. She blinks in a rhythm programmed for her and a neutral facial expression spreads over her face. The upgrades will do a better job of controlling her and taking care of her bodily needs. Fine, she thinks to herself sarcastically, it's showtime. Without any control of her own, she walks out of the room. Carl holds the door for her and says quietly, "I will."

Moving as the program tells her to, she gracefully walks into the conference room. Immediately, she can tell that Bertrand is impressed. He rises out of his chair and meets her halfway. Seeing her primary focus changing his location, she stops short of her intended spot. Standing in her neutral stance as before, he waits her next command. "Gentlemen, I'm not gonna lie to ya," Bertrand says in a tone that he does not get to use often, "I'm surprised and impressed." The whole team beams with pride, as does Catherine but on the inside.

The series of tests he puts her through are basic. She fetches him coffee. She holds the door for him. She sits down then stands up. With each test, Bertrand relaxes more and more, which gives the R&D team a chance to do so as well. "Okay," he says in a different tone, "Everybody out of the room. I want to run her through the same tests without you all in the room." The guys look at each other, wondering if they should be suspicious, but then they comply. "I just want to make sure you all are not running it and that it is completely autonomous." The guys nod as they continue to excuse themselves. After all, they reason, he is the boss of the boss of their boss. They quickly exit and take a short break, with some listening at the door.

As he turns around from closing the door, Catherine can see a mischievous look on his face. Uh oh, she thinks, this does not look good. He walks over to her and immediately gropes her chest, pushing her breasts up and down. "Wow," he whispers, "These feel so real."

They should, dummy, she thinks sarcastically, because they are.