CHAPTER EIGHT

After he'd gotten home, Kyle made his way to the lab, where his face was promptly blasted by an ice-cold torrent of air. He immediately began shivering, and hustled his way down the entrance ramp, toward the AI Nexus where Mia was located.

"M-m-mia," Kyle said, teeth chattering, "w-w-what the f-f-f-uck is this?"

"Sorry Kyle," she said, still in her bizarre hands-out pose. "The ventilation beforehand was wholly inadequate, so we're installing a new system and running tests."

"O-o-okay, I'll be in the h-h-house," he replied, as he trembled his way back.

Kyle spent the rest of the day browsing Ωchan, and as he began reading threads in depth, he could've sworn he spotted posts that had come from Brandon. He had no proof, obviously, since everyone posting was anonymous. But whoever was writing these comments was furious about how so many people acted upset about what was happening in the world, and yet refused to lift a finger to help. Kyle felt inspired to reply.

'Maybe they're just waiting for the right person or organization to lead them,' he wrote.

'Well, whoever this person or organization is needs to hurry their ass up,' came the reply.

'Why not one of you faggots?' came another reply from a different poster.

'Yeah, someone's got to get this shitshow on the road,' said another.

A different poster chimed in, using an incredulous Pepe meme.'Nobody's gonna do shit, and you all fucking know it.'

'Just wait,' Kyle wrote, using a picture of an anime girl holding an assault rifle. 'I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.'

That night, Kyle lay in bed, hands behind his head. He stared at the ceiling, considering the direction things were going in the near pitch-blackness.

Is there any other way? He thought. Sitting here and doing nothing won't work. Trying to hunker down and create an underground sanctuary is impractical. Having Mia take over the world might work, but would leave billions dead. The only option is a surgical strike, to cut the head off the snake. But Kyle was getting the sneaking suspicion this was no snake he was up against, but a hydra, and like the mythical beast two more heads would pop up for every one sliced off.

So what else is there? If only there was still a place we could go, to escape to and live our lives in peace... In centuries past, the world was still big enough that persecuted groups, or those that simply wanted to start a new life, could simply travel across the ocean. But nowadays, people would have to leave the planet to achieve that, and the technology just isn't... there?

Kyle jumped out of bed, and quickly threw on his clothes. He didn't quite run, but didn't quite walk back down to the lab, which thankfully wasn't nearly as chilly as before. He noticed new grates installed here and there high up along the walls, and again shook his head when he considered that just yesterday the area the new ventilation shaft occupied was solid rock.

"Jesus Mia," he said when he found her in the fabrication room, "how fast do your machines drill?"

"Fast enough," she said. "They're small and numerous, so they can accomplish a lot when everything is coordinated." One of the three small robots zipped by, carrying a thin sheet of some kind of metal, clearly headed for the 3D printers and machining stations along the rear. It joined its companions who were hard at work at the stations, which were now currently active shaving bits off of metal and printing elaborate components out of exotic compounds. Kyle hadn't said hi to the robots in awhile, so he decided to momentarily join them. Plus, after Mia's explanation, he now understood that a variety of precision parts and advanced materials could be produced here, but he hadn't yet seen it in action.

"What's up guys? What are you all making?" He said to the robots.

"Parts for your waifu," said the first.

"She'll be very pretty," said the second.

"I'm not jealous. Not at all," added the third.

"Why did you jump out of bed?" Mia asked as she joined him. "I watched you suddenly get dressed and rush all the way down here."

"Oh yeah, I just thought of something!" Kyle turned, his eyes wide with excitement. "There's a way everyone can get what they want!"

"Oh?" Mia seemed to take genuine interest. "Tell me, I want to know!"

"We leave..." Kyle said, putting his hands on his hips, "the planet."

"You want to leave Earth?" Mia's eyes grew a little wider.

"That's right. I was thinking with your know-how we could probably build some kind of ship, and set up a colony on Mars or somewhere else. Whaddya think?"

Mia seemed genuinely taken aback, as if she had never considered the idea. "Kyle, that's a tall order. I... would need to think about it."

"Well, lemme know what you come up with," he yawned. "I'm gonna go back to bed. I just wanted to mention it to you, because..." he trailed off as he turned to leave.

"Because what?" Mia said.

He stopped, and sighed wearily. "...I don't know if I can do this, Mia." Kyle said without turning around. "I want to stop all the horrible shit happening in the world, and I definitely want to stop even more horrible shit from happening in the future, but..." his head drooped. "I'm just an ordinary dude. I'm just not cut out for any of this, especially some kind of 'resistance.'"

All of a sudden, Kyle felt two soft, warm snakes slither around his stomach, joining around his navel. He looked down, only to see that Mia had wrapped her arms around him. He could feel her small body firmly press into him from behind.

"Kyle," she said. "The fact that you even want to stop it in the first place means you are cut out for it."

"R-really?" Her embrace was loose enough that Kyle was able to turn around within it. As soon as he did, he immediately noticed Mia's big eyes gazing up at him.

"Of course. Having the desire to stand up for what matters to you is the first and most important step. Everything after that is just details."

"I realize that, I guess I'm just... getting lost in the details. I mean, to actually take part in a resistance is scary as hell. We're going to be fighting people, Mia. Personal morals aside, I haven't gotten in a fight since elementary school."

"Any successful movement is going to have more than just fighters," she said. "Besides, that's what the waifus are for, right? At least, according to your idea?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little... apprehensive about everything, especially after meeting with Brandon. I mean... the dude has a daughter. What if he ends up getting killed because he associates with us?"

Mia continued gazing up at Kyle, her glassy anime eyes blinking once. "The ad said death and destruction may occur. He accepted that risk when he applied."

That's true, Kyle thought. Every soldier in history left their friends and family behind to risk death because of some higher purpose they felt was worth it all. Whether it was for God, country, honor or to protect their family, in the end they risked everything for what they really believed in. All of them, even mercenaries, had a reason to fight. As he considered this, Kyle began to feel a little embarrassed.

"Thanks Mia," he said, brushing her cheek with his fingers. "Although I'd still rather leave, and start over somewhere else, if that isn't an option, then... I think I can give this a shot."

The anime girl simply smiled, and continued hugging him.

As it turned out, leaving the planet wasn't an option, at least for some time. Kyle asked Mia what she'd come up with the next morning, and she claimed that she could theoretically build a ship that would take them to Mars, but the logistics would be daunting. The project would require difficult-to-source materials and resources in amounts that would be an instant red-flag for various watchdog agencies, and actually building it unmolested by the government would be a long and risky endeavor.

Another issue was that the trip would be a one-time thing; assuming they were somehow able to build and launch a colonization ship in secret, it would alert the governments of the world and pretty much guarantee hostility, so if things went wrong they would not be able to count on any assistance from Earth, even from potential allies. And of course, if tensions boiled over, nukes could be modified to hit targets on other planets in the solar system almost as easily as on Earth.

"So then I'd have to design an orbital missile defense station, and then I'd have to make-"

"Stop, stop," he waved his hands. "I get it, this is something that'll have to wait."

"Sorry Kyle, it did sound like a fun idea," Mia frowned, seeming genuinely disappointed. "If you really want, I can purchase a property in a remote area and we can start building it anyway, and take our chances."

"No, that's okay, it's not worth the risk. Honestly, I'm just happy to hear you say it's feasible," he said, an enthusiastic grin sprouting on his face. "That means that once this is all over, a future in the stars is all but guaranteed!"

"Yup," Mia nodded vigorously. "I'd love to travel the stars one day. I don't think I'd ever get bored."

"Me neither," Kyle said. "One of my old daydream fantasies was to skim around over the clouds of Jupiter or Neptune in some kind of super-advanced ship that could survive the conditions. I think it would be so cool to see that shit up close..."

"In that case," Mia said, a gleam in her eye, "maybe I'll take you with me."

Kyle chuckled and patted her head. "That'd be great, Mia."

She smiled, but not for long. "You might also want to know that it's ready, Kyle," she said, her tone flattening a bit. "Your waifu is ready to be constructed now."

"Huh? Doesn't it take six days? It's only been three."

"It does. I still have to finish fabricating the rest of..." Mia's voice grew icy. "Her memories."

"But the rest of her is pretty much ready to put together? Is that what you're saying?"

Mia nodded somberly. "Please tell me you've thought this over and selected someone else."

"I'm still convinced I can get her to work for us," Kyle said, crossing his arms.

Mia sighed, and approached the large fabrication machine. Parts of all kinds were arranged on pallets nearby, and he could see something that resembled a thin skeletal frame held by the fabricator's clamps.

"Holy shit, so this is it? I actually get to watch as you create my waifu, like, right in front of me?" His eyes lit up.

"That's right, Kyle," she said, approaching the large fabricator. "Just stand back and watch. I'm going to be focusing my full attention on this, so I won't be able to respond to any questions you may have."

"Wow, so you're going all out, huh?" Kyle was genuinely looking forward to this. He'd seen Mia focusing on directing other machines before, but never one of this size or complexity.

"Indeed," she said. "I'll even be taking over our three little helpers, at least temporarily."

The three little robots in question zoomed over as soon as they were mentioned, arranging themselves in a semi-circle around Mia.

"Be gentle," said the first

"Be as rough as you want," said the second

"It's not like I had anything to live for anyway," added the third.

All of a sudden, every light in the lab winked out, save for two large, multifaceted construction-style spotlights trained on the large fabricator. Mia stood before it, regarding the machine with a determined glare, as if she were a chessmaster planning every move she was going to make before the game even started.

She then reached up, with both hands, and... pulled the cute top she was wearing off, casually tossing it aside as if it were trash. Kyle's eyes widened as they flew straight to her chest, his natural male curiosity demanding to know what her small tits looked like. Her petite breasts were pert and nicely curved, but as with her crotch, there were no nipples to speak of, only smooth, anime-style flesh tones.

Despite this, Kyle felt a telltale twitch in his pants. "W-wait, Mia," he said, trying and failing to look away, "why are you going topless? Don't you hate being exposed?"

"No," she said. "I don't mind if others see me unclothed."

"So then why did you-"

Mia cut him off, continuing to stare at the machine as she spoke. "I was angry and upset because Amy was mean to me. She wanted to humiliate me." Her gaze slowly rotated to Kyle. Her face had taken on an intense, almost foreboding expression. "I don't like it when people are mean to me, Kyle."

"G-got it," he said. Wow, she looks almost intimidating like that... seems my policy of staying on her good side was the right move... Of course, Kyle genuinely did have warm feelings for Mia, so he knew none of his overt friendliness was an act.

Mia turned her head back to the fabricator, and Kyle heard a loud buzzing sound from overhead. The large appendage laying flat against the ceiling now lowered, unfolding like a gigantic insect leg. It moved along on the thin rails criss-crossing the ceiling, sliding over to just behind Mia as it finished extending. The appendage's tip flared out, like a rectangular satellite dish, and then moved forward, toward the middle portion of Mia's back. Kyle watched as a tall, hexagonal slot opened up between her shoulder blades the and small of her back, her skin sliding back in two halves, and the appendage moved forward, the flared tip connecting with an audible ka-tack.

Mia's body shook from the force of the attachment, and the pupils of her eyes immediately shrunk to pinpoints. No, wait- actually it seemed as though they had disappeared altogether. Her face had taken on a completely neutral expression, and her hands were now outstretched, palms out. The appendage whirred as it bent at its 'elbow,' abruptly lifting Mia into the air. She hovered there, directly in front of the fabricator, feet and legs hanging limp.

Kyle felt his heart rate climbing as the large fabricator hummed to life. The main bay and holding clamps slid down and out to a forty-five degree angle, and the many large and medium-sized arms all extended like a suddenly enraged mechanical octopus. Mia's hovering form drew closer to them, until she was no more than ten feet away, and then... all was silent.

For a brief moment, Kyle could hear himself breathing. But just as he started wondering if something had gone wrong... the symphony began.

All at once, the lower arms reached down, picking parts off the pallets they'd been set on, and moved them up toward the stick-figure skeleton held in the clamps. Larger arms took over from here, smoothly grabbing and holding the parts as additional tiny arms of various kinds, similar to the spiderlike limbs of the white tables, attached the parts to the skeletal frame. Though all of the arms coordinated flawlessly with each other, none of their movements were symmetrical, as each were assigned a different task with machine-like precision.

The sheer momentum of the mechanical symphony was breathtaking, and the grand conductor of it all was Mia, silently directing each ensemble with her intense gaze. Unlike earlier, her hands were no longer simply raised palms out; no, her fingers waved, twisted, turned and pointed, her arms making exaggerated movements as if she were telekinetically controlling the whole thing.

Kyle could only watch slack-jawed as the incredibly well-directed ensemble of various limbs and parts twirled and spun, extending and contracting, all combining their efforts to produce a new cybernetic body. Little by little, the skeletal frame filled out, taking shape as component after component was grafted on with a flare of falling sparks or a burst of blowtorch flame. Artificial muscles that closely resembled steel cables were strung back and forth over the frame, in roughly the same proportions as those found on a female human body.

As the available parts began to dwindle, the three robots hurried back and forth, carrying new bits and bobs from over near the machining stations. Kyle didn't recognize what many of them were for, but he did spot cylinders that looked somewhat like Amy's corrosive power cell, if much more advanced in appearance. Whenever they neared the fabricator, their held items were seized by the feeding frenzy above and added to the rapidly-forming machine body. The arms grabbing the parts and moving them up gave Kyle the impression of a starving crab ravenously feeding itself.

For almost thirty minutes Kyle simply stared, taking in the mind-melting majesty of Mia's flawless performance. But once the last parts were raised up and the final sparks rained down, the arms slowly retracted back into their crevices, and Mia's hovering body gently lowered itself to the floor. The lights came back on as the spotlights dimmed, and the appendage clamped to Mia's back disengaged, rising once more to its niche against the ceiling.

"Phase one is complete," Mia said, sounding somehow exhausted. Her pupils had already returned to normal, and she plucked her top off the ground, shimmying back into it.

"Holy shit-balls, Mia! That was... absolutely insane!" A wide-eyed Kyle said while wearing a stupendous grin. "The way you controlled all that, like..." he moved his hands and arms in a pale imitation of Mia's as she was directing the fabricator. "It was just fuckin' cool, alright?"

Mia giggled softly, and smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed watching me work. It was indeed fun, even if I wish I was building someone else."

"It was good for me, too." Said one of the little robots.

"Yeah, I could go for another round," said the second.

"Anyone got a cigarette?" Added the third.

Kyle chuckled, then turned to the mechanical body still held by the fabricator's clamps. The body was outstretched a bit like Da Vinci's Vetruvian man, and as he approached, Kyle was mildly disappointed to see no noticeably feminine features, other than the long, smooth muscles of the thighs and stomach region. The skull didn't look quite as sinister as that of a terminator, but it was close enough that Kyle found it a bit off-putting.

"So this is her, huh?" He pointed at the body. "When do you add the skin, and tits, and... other parts?"

"That comes tomorrow," said Mia. "Do you want to observe the organ transfer as well?"

"Uh..." it sounded pretty gruesome, but Kyle was simply too fascinated by the whole process to turn it down wholesale. "I guess I should, she is my waifu after all."

"Excellent," she said. "In the meantime, have you thought of somewhere you'd like to meet our other new recruit?"

"I don't really care, actually." Kyle shrugged, suddenly losing interest in mundane things like people after witnessing such an incredible display of digital prowess. "Surprise me."

Mia chuckled. "Okay, Kyle. I think you'll like the spot I picked."

It took Kyle nearly an hour by Uber to reach the destination Mia had selected, and when he found out what it was, he smiled. Mia... she really is thoughtful sometimes. I guess she must've been thinking about that conversation we were having earlier about traveling the stars.

It was almost two PM when he finally arrived at the Griffith Observatory, and as he thanked the Uber driver, who may or may not have even spoken English, Kyle was suddenly taken with a curious bout of nostalgia. I think I've been here before, he thought, straining to recall why it was so familiar. Yeah, I think my parents took Krista and I here when we were little... that, or because I played the shit out of Wasteland 2.

Kyle approached the main entrance, which was currently clogged with a gaggle of tourists and sight-seers, and glanced around, wondering if any of these were the next recruit. Once again, the ill-fitting Dodgers hat balanced awkwardly atop his head, and he fervently hoped nobody would try to bring up the team and talk Baseball with him. Maybe I should learn about the team, just to blend in a little more, he thought.

He checked his phone. He still had about twenty minutes to kill, so Kyle decided that he might as well explore the Observatory, which long ago had been converted into an iconic tourist attraction. As admission was still free, Kyle simply walked inside, and began ogling the various space and science-related displays spread all throughout the interior. He checked out the tesla coil, watched the pendulum for a bit, and read plaques of information regarding the planets of the solar system. After a time, he felt a hand tap him on the shoulder.

"Huh?" Kyle spun around, finding a younger man, likely in his early twenties, regarding him with a scrutinizing narrow-eyed gaze. His eye sockets seemed slightly sunken in, and his eyebrows were on the bushier side, somehow a disconcerting combination. Otherwise his physical appearance was unremarkable, though perhaps a bit above average.

"Hmm..." The man looked him over, then shook his head. His combed hair, parted to one side but a bit shaggy around the edges, wavered from the gesture. "Sorry, I musta got the wrong guy."

"Wait," Kyle said. "The Admin sent me."

Immediately the man's eyes went wide. "Me too! You're my contact, right? For the..." he leaned in close, and whispered, "final resistance?"

"That's me," Kyle nodded, trying to ignore the man's less-than-wholesome breath. "Let's get outta here, too many people."

The man vociferously agreed, and followed Kyle out of the Observatory and into the parking lot, which was packed with cars and trucks but still offered plenty of open space to safely recruit a new member. Once the pair had made it to an area free from any potential eavesdroppers, Kyle turned and appraised the man.

Being Kyle's height, the man wasn't particularly tall, and his build was lean and wiry. Though definitely Caucasian, his skin was a few shades darker than Kyle's, likely indicating some Mediterranean ancestry. He was currently wearing a heavy metal t-shirt for a band Kyle didn't recognize, some death metal band based on the overly angular, blood-encrusted stylization of the logo. The man was a bit of a disappointment compared to the ex-marine, but Kyle was the last person that had any right to dismiss others based on appearance alone.

"My name's Mike Larson. Nice to meet you," Kyle said, extending his hand.

"Ryan Lavigne. Nice to meet you too." Ryan grabbed Kyle's hand, starting soft but then squeezing hard, as if deliberately forcing a firm handshake.

"Alright Ryan," Kyle began, recalling the lessons from his first interview. "What makes you someone we'd want to have on our team?"

"Well," Ryan began, his eyebrows furrowing. "I want a world where white people can live in peace, without worrying about getting raped and murdered by niggers and other sub-human trash."

Kyle blanched. He wasn't expecting such... bluntness. Plus, aside from jokes and memes, he didn't actually consider himself racist. Not really, anyway.

"Ah, in that case," Kyle said after clearing his throat, "you're in luck, because that's pretty much the plan. But uh... you know we're going to be going after anyone and everyone trying to destroy not just the white race, but Western Civilization as a whole, right? Which means we'll be targeting white people too, right?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, of course. Race-traitors, roasties, coal-burners, and liberal scum of all types each get the rope."

Jesus fuck, Kyle thought. This guy is too much. "Well uh, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I think I'm gonna have to p-" Just then, the telltale ringtone of his phone bleeped, and Kyle excused himself to check the text Mia had doubtlessly just sent.

'He's clean, welcome him to the team,' said the message. Kyle rolled his eyes and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"What were you saying?" Ryan asked, scratching the back of his head.

Kyle sighed. "Whatever, let's see... do you have any qualifications? We need good people that can pull their own weight, and really contribute."

"Oh yeah, definitely," Ryan said with a vigorous nod. "I can fight, know how to shoot, and can make a mean slipknot."

Kyle groaned inwardly. "It sounds like you have some experience. Have you ever, uh... ever killed anyone before?"

Ryan stared at Kyle with a suddenly unhinged expression, but eventually his eyes fell. "No," he finally admitted. "I tried, though. After... what happened to my sister."

"Why, what happened?"

Ryan started off slowly shaking his head, but began speeding up. "I can't... I can't talk about that. Not right now." He suddenly make a strange noise, as if he were about to choke up.

"Alright, fair enough." Kyle tried thinking of something else to ask. "Are you in any other groups or movements or anything? Local KKK chapter, Aryan Brotherhood, stuff like that?"

"No," Ryan looked perplexed. "Why would you think I was with them?"

Kyle openly face-palmed. "Call it a hunch," he said.

"Nah, man, I just... I spend a lot of time online these days, 'cuz the economy's so fucked thanks to the LIBERAL PIECES OF SHIT in Washington that I can't find a job."

Kyle's hair was nearly blown back by the force of Ryan's abrupt yelling, and he hastily glanced around, just to make sure nobody else in the vicinity heard the outburst.

"Let me guess, you're on /Pol/ a lot?" Kyle raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, man. All the time. I'm one of the original oldfags, been going to 4chan since before /Pol/ even existed." He seemed to puff up with pride, as if it were something to boast about. "I gotta say, whoever is running Ωchan is doing one hell of a fantastic job. It's really all we have left nowadays."

"Yeah, she really knows what she's doing," Kyle said, before realizing his mistake.

"SHE?!" Ryan seemed taken aback. "You're telling me the admin is just some roastie cunt?!"

"Woah, woah," Kyle said, trying to calm him down. "Dude, stop. She's not like that at all. First of all, she's a virgin. In fact, it's probably safe to say she's celibate for life."

"Tradthot huh? Hmm... I dunno..."

"Look man, once you meet her you'll understand. She's not at all how you're picturing, I promise you. And you really shouldn't insult her, she does not like it when people are mean."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Come on, she's just a woman," he said. "What could she possibly do?"

Kyle was on the verge of telling him to simply fuck off, but at the last second a devilish idea formed in his head.

"Want to meet her?" Kyle said, in as friendly a tone as possible.

"Eh... sure, I guess," Ryan shrugged. "She runs Ωchan, so I guess she can't be a total cunt."

Please, keep digging yourself deeper, Kyle thought with a sly grin. I'd love to hear you say that when she's flushing you down the lab toilet...

"Great, then why wait? We can Uber back to her place together."

Ryan exhaled, and looked around. "Yeah, sure. Let's do it."

Within minutes an Uber driver had pulled up, and Kyle even held the door open for Ryan as they both clambered in the back sear. The driver was an older, somewhat obese white man with a mustache who happened to love rap and R&B, and the entire hour-long drive back to the house consisted of Ryan holding his ears and cringing. Only once did he actually ask the driver to change the station or turn it down, but after he was promptly ignored Ryan didn't try again.

However once they neared their destination, Ryan began looking all around with wide eyes. "Hey Mike, does that bitch actually live out here? Is she a rich bitch?"

"Yup, that's right," Kyle said, still not entirely used to his fake name.

Once the uber driver had dropped them off, Ryan's jaw dropped. "Holy shit, this place is like a fucking mansion!" He said once they'd passed the security gate.

"Jeez, man. It's not that big."

Ryan threw his lanky arms up."Okay, so a mini-mansion then."

The two of them walked up the manicured flagstone steps and approached the oak-double doors serving as a main entrance. Despite his earlier nonchalance, Ryan was clearly impressed by everything he saw.

"What's wrong?" Kyle said as he pushed open the front door. "Never been inside a place like this before?"

"Nah, man," Ryan shook his head, "I live in a run-down, piece of shit house in Glendale with my parents, and that's pretty much the nicest place I've ever been in."

Kyle had to admit that he hadn't been exposed to much wealth either, at least before coming to live with his 'cousin.' Still, seeing Ryan looking all over the place like a kid in a toy store made him almost feel a little sympathy for him. Almost.

"Yo man, what's the deal with these?" Ryan said, pointing to the framed Hiyao Miyazaki posters in the foyer. "They fit in like dog shit."

"They're anime posters. The previous... er, I mean everyone that lives here loves Japanese anime."

Ryan snorted. "Anime is degenerate."

Oh, now you're really getting it, Kyle thought, mentally rubbing his hands. "So what were you going to do about your free waifu? Turn it down?"

The lanky man looked incredulous. "What free waifu? Was I gonna get a shitty figurine or something? Maybe one of those lame fuck-pillows?"

Interesting, Kyle thought. Brandon never even mentioned the waifu, and Ryan doesn't care. They must not've believed it...

"Actually, it's none of those things. Come over here, I'll show you." Barely able to contain himself, Kyle led Ryan to the anime and manga room. He opened the door, and as expected the room burst into a colorful extravaganza of anime paraphernalia. Ryan stepped into the room, his face a mixture of awe and disgust.

"Degenerate," he said, shaking his head. "Absolutely degenerate."

"Come here, though. I want you to meet your free waifu." Kyle beckoned Ryan over to a certain corner of the room, and his lanky companion warily followed him over, the horror on his face growing ever more exaggerated.

"This is your waifu," Kyle said. "Absolutely free of charge."

Ryan was speechless. He was looking at the rubbery maid before him with the same expression one would use for a naked, 400-pound clown.

"Ryan, why don't you say hello to Sachi." Kyle smiled knowingly.

"Wha... it has a name? Somebody actually named this?"

"It is nice to meet you, Ryan." Sachi said, extending her right hand.

"WAAAAAH!" Ryan flew back, stumbling around as his legs buckled. He turned just in time to slam face-first against a rack of Blu-Ray movies, hitting it hard enough that the entire rack teetered back and forth... before tumbling forward, immediately burying him under Blu-Ray cases that spilled out everywhere, as well as the rack itself.

Kyle laughed so hard he almost shit himself. Holding his sides, presumably so they wouldn't explode, Kyle felt tears form from the sheer hilarity of the ridiculous sight before him.

"What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck!" Ryan cried out from under the rack, which only intensified Kyle's laughter. Sachi, meanwhile, sensing that something was amiss in the room, approached the fallen rack, and quickly lifted it up. Ryan turned his head, the sight of the crude robotic maid looming above him causing his eyes to pop out.

"Put it back, put it back, put it back!" He screamed.

"Very well," Sachi said, dropping the rack and immediately crushing Ryan once more.

"Fuuuuuuuck..." he moaned. By now Kyle was hoarse from laughing so hard, and nearly unable to breathe.

Once Ryan had finally crawled out from under the rack, and Kyle had recovered from nearly passing out, Sachi again approached attempting to greet Ryan. This time Kyle mentioned what Amy once had told him, and Ryan likewise reluctantly shook Sachi's hand. Afterward, Kyle explained that through a wholly contrived set of circumstances, he'd come into possession of not only the robotic maid, but the entire house as well.

"Man... man, this is really blowing my mind," Ryan sat on the floor, shaking his head.

"Believe me, I was there too," Kyle said.

"And you really didn't, like... invent that thing, right?" He said, referring to Sachi.

"Nope," Kyle shook his head. He'd left out any details of Amy during the explanation, and was vague about Mia. "But now it's time to meet the one who did, so you need to follow me."

At first Kyle thought Ryan might say no, and try to make a run for it out the front door. What happens then? He wondered. He supposed Mia, acting as the Residential AI, was observing them the whole time and would thus prevent Ryan from leaving. And at that point...

But in the end, Ryan nodded and picked himself up off the floor. "Is the Admin the same one who made the robot?" He asked.

"Pretty much, but if you're impressed by that then just wait. You haven't seen nuthin' yet," Kyle said, heading out into the hall.

The pair made their way to the hatch, and Ryan whistled as it opened. "This looks like some James Bond shit," he said.

After that, Kyle led him down the ramp leading toward the central nexus, and Ryan's eyes again looked like they were going to pop out of his head, especially when the three little robots zipped over to greet the new arrival.

"H-holy shit," Ryan was aghast, and reflexively tried hiding behind Kyle.

"Don't worry," he said. "These three are kinda dumb but they're harmless." By then the trio had arrived and spread out, surrounding Ryan.

"Who's this guy?" Said the first robot.

"Is he a new recruit?" Said the second.

"He looks like a chode," said the third.

"H-hi there," Ryan said, panic evident in his voice. "I m-mean you no harm."

The little robots swiveled their binocular like heads toward each other, and then back up to Ryan.

"So we're just taking anyone now?" Said the first.

"Kyle, is this really the best you could do?" said the second.

"Our H.R. policy needs a serious overhaul," said the third while shaking its head.

And with that, the trio scooted off back down the corridor.

"K-Kyle?" Ryan looked over, wearing a dubious expression. "Why did it call you Kyle?"

"Ah, yeah..." he said, turning away, "I was using a fake name earlier, just an extra security precaution. I mean, look at all the tech we have." Kyle spread his hands out, gesturing all around.

"Huh..." Ryan at first seemed upset, but the logic behind the idea made sense. Even he could see that such incredible technology should never be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.

"Alright, Kyle it is then," Ryan said, holding out his hand once more. Kyle half-assedly shook a second time, then beckoned him to follow deeper into the lab.

They found Mia hard at work inside the fabrication room. As before, Ryan was frantically looking in all directions, flabbergasted by the insane sci-fi level technology all around him. The tables with the spiderlike limbs especially made him uncomfortable, particularly because one of them was now active, doing something to the mechanical body Kyle had seen assembled earlier. Only two of the spiderlike limbs were active, but they were moving up and down with great speed, almost appearing as if... they were sewing.

"Hey Mia!" Kyle greeted the AI anime girl with an exaggerated wave of his hand.

"Kyle!" Mia looked over, a bright smile immediately arcing across her face. "I watched you guys earlier. That was such a funny prank!"

"Oh, you liked that, huh?" Kyle nodded while wearing a lopsided grin. "It was pretty damn hilarious, I must admit."

Kyle turned to his companion, half expecting him to get mad or protest, but instead Ryan simply stood there with a slack-jawed expression, staring directly at Mia. He tried saying something, but all that came out of his mouth was strange monosyllabic nonsense.

"Oh yeah, so Ryan, this is Mia. She's the admin for Ωchan, and she's also all of the moderators. Because she's actually an AI."

"Ryan, is it?" Mia approached him, her smile suddenly vanishing. "You said some mean things about me earlier. You implied I have lunch meat between my legs!"

Ryan was still saying nonsense, only now he was shaking his head and babbling faster. Kyle couldn't really blame him, though; he supposed this would be the normal reaction for someone seeing a cartoon anime girl for the first time in real life.

Mia walked right up to Ryan, looking up into his eyes with a slight frown. Kyle could see his companion's befuddled expression reflected in her shiny anime eyes, and suddenly started feeling a little bad.

"Eh, don't make it too painful, Mia." Kyle finally said, as he turned to leave. Despite luring Ryan here being entirely his idea, Kyle realized with a sinking heart that he really didn't want to be here to see this.

"We need to have a little chat, Ryan," Mia said, her frown now turning into a scowl.

Kyle quickly hurried out, leaving just as he noticed Mia's eyes begin to glow red. He made his way back into the house, and headed straight for the fridge. After grabbing a beer and cracking it open, he plopped down at the long dinner table, in the usual spot he used since the very first breakfast with Amy.

Did I just bring a man here to die? Kyle thought, taking a heavy slurp of beer. And if so, why the hell did I run away?

After quickly chugging the rest of the beer down, he rose and snagged another. No, I shouldn't have left, Kyle thought.I have to be able to see this through. I have to be able to stare down the outcome of my actions without flinching. He quickly swigged down the rest of the second beer, and went for a third. He ruminated on his cowardice for a good while longer, and in the end decided that bringing Ryan here was a mistake. And just as he was sitting down with his sixth beer, Mia's voice abruptly split the silence of the kitchen.

"Kyle, I need your help with something," she said, sounding innocent.

Christ. He pushed himself up, and swiftly concluded his latest beer with a loud belch. As he left the kitchen, Kyle tossed the empty can overhand toward the trash, missing completely.

"Alright Mia, I'll be right there," he said as the he neared the hatch. Fuck, man. He remembered the bloody white bin filled with Amy's body parts. Yeah, she deserved it, but still...

Kyle made his way around the AI Nexus and toward the lab's bathroom, which was now equipped with a normal door complete with normal door handle. As he opened it up, he saw... nothing. The bathroom was empty, save for a slight smell of paint lingering from the remodel.

She probably needs me to help her grab the bins or something, Kyle thought as he reluctantly made his way toward the fabrication room.Maybe I should've just given Ryan a chance. He doesn't seem that bad, really.

The door slid open, and... what he found inside made him cringe.

"So then I said 'because they're normal clothes, dummy!'"

Ryan chuckled. "So not only was his apartment a complete dump, but the poor bastard was blind, too?"

Mia laughed. "Yeah, it also smelled really bad."

Kyle's teeth clenched. I take back everything.

"Oh, hey Kyle!" Mia smiled sweetly.

"What's up buddy?" Ryan said, wearing a grin of his own.

"I see you're both getting along pretty well. How... fortunate."

"Yeah, Ryan's actually really nice once you get to know him," Mia said.

"Dude, this chick is insane! You wouldn't believe the kinda stuff she can do!" Ryan was visibly excited now.

"I bet I would," he replied. "Anyway, you said you needed my help for something?"

"Yeah, two things, actually," Mia said. "First of all, he's going to be staying here from now on, so I was hoping you'd show him around and help get him set up in one of the guest rooms upstairs."

"Wait, HERE!?" Kyle was apoplectic. "Don't you have a home?!"

"Yeah, thing is my parents have been bitching at me to move out for awhile," he said, "but when they see the place I'm moving into, they'll have a heart attack!"

Mia's smile vanished. "Ryan, you can never tell anyone about this place, or bring others here without our permission," she spoke with the utmost gravity.

"Right, of course," he said, raising his hands defensively. "Don't worry, my lips are sealed."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "So what was the second thing?"

"Alright man, check it out!" Ryan walked over to him. "I'm gonna get a waifu too!"

"You already have one," Kyle said. "You get Sachi."

"Kyle, be nice," Mia said. "He doesn't know much about anime so he needs your help."

"Wait, didn't you say earlier it doesn't have to be anime?" Ryan turned back to Mia.

"Yeah, I suppose I did."

"Then I've decided. I don't want an anime character, or even a woman at all," he said, with a knowing smirk. "Give me Moon Man!"

Kyle chuffed. "Moon Man!? Are you fucking serious?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" Ryan shrugged. "Isn't that the sort of thing we're going for?"

"All we have are female parts," Mia said. "It would take almost two years to grow a new batch with males in it."

Ryan looked perplexed and a little disturbed. Apparently Mia hadn't gone over this particular detail yet.

"Yeah man, besides he's just a meme. There's tens of thousands of perfectly fine waifus out there that need a good home."

"Whatever, I'm not really worried about it," Ryan said. "I'm just stoked I get to live here, with real robots 'n shit!"

"Well, I guess... welcome to the madness that is my life," Kyle tried giving him a comradely pat on the back, but Ryan ended up hugging him.

"You guys don't know how fucking great this is," Ryan said as he drew back. "Just let me run home and pack my shit, and I'll be right back."

"No rush," Kyle said. "Really."


"Is this everyone?" Anton asked, his gaze sweeping across the assembled crowd. Around fifty of his best and most hardened Antifa gathered before him in the compound's unkempt but spacious backyard. A massive bonfire had been lit, and Anton positioned himself directly in front of it, with his closest and most trusted associates arranged on either side, each of them holding a single torch. The Russian wore all black, with a red bandanna covering his mouth and nose. Despite that, his voice rang out loud and clear, and the assembled revolutionaries all stood in rapt attention, each of them fixing their nominal leader with an intense, unwavering gaze.

The question he'd asked was mostly rhetorical, as anyone who hadn't made it yet already failed to make the cut. Lucy, his bulky lesbian enforcer, guarded the entrance to the backyard, keeping the younger Antifa and any latecomers from sneaking into the meeting.

Marty stood alongside his crew, the four of them adopting a casual stance somewhere in the middle of the sea of black-clad revolutionaries. Ten fidgeted a bit from the intoxicating but apprehensive energy permeating the crowd, while Chelsea's thick arms were folded in front of her, her chunky face nodding ever so slightly, her beady eyes tightened into a stern, fearless expression. Stitch clenched and unclenched his new hands, which it turned out was all they could do; moving fingers independently was something that would have to wait until the technology improved.

"Alright, listen up," Anton said, pacing back and forth a bit. "We've gotten the go ahead to prepare for an upcoming operation, one that..." he paused for dramatic emphasis, "...is gonna rock the whole country to its fucking core!"

Everyone immediately cheered, and many clenched fists were thrust into the air. After a moment, he gestured for calm, and little-by-little, the restless Antifa complied. When all was again silent, he continued.

"Thanks to the efforts of our friends in the Progressive Revolutionary Front, for the first time in America's history every oppressed, downtrodden, victimized or exploited group has been brought together and united under a single banner, and for a single purpose: To disrupt, dismantle, and eventually destroy the true enemy of progress: The White Cis-Hetero Patriarchy!"

The assembled crowd again made noise, some booing the name of their most hated enemy, others cheering its destruction. Shouts of 'tear it down,' and 'purge 'em all,' could be heard as well, and once more Anton paused while gesturing for calm.

"That's right. We've brought together African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians, Muslims, LGBT..."

Anyone in the crowd who belonged to one of the groups named would cheer, hollar or throw a fist up in the air, usually all three.

"...we've got Feminists, Anarchists, Environmentalists, Leninists, Maoists, Trotskyists..."

"PERMANENT REVOLUTION!" Trotskyten yelled, jumping up and down.

"...and of course, Anti-Fascists. These and other unfairly disadvantaged groups and political activists are now united with a singular purpose. For the first time in history, the power, wealth, status and privilege of the capitalistic patriarchy will be directly opposed, and if we work together I have no doubt... that we will bring this hateful system to its very knees..."

Anton paused as more cheers erupted, his head briefly down, as if gathering himself. When silence eventually returned, he began speaking somberly, his voice almost quavering with the raw emotion only centuries of abuse and injustice could bring.

"For all of recorded history, women, minorities, LGBT and others who wanted nothing more than to be treated with a shred of dignity have been crushed under the heel of the white Cis-Hetero Patriarchy, and over the centuries untold millions, maybe even billions have suffered unimaginable cruelty thanks to their bigotry and hate. Rape... slavery... mass executions... the entire capitalist system..." Anton paced back and forth, gesturing angrily with each point, "...discrimination... ravaging the environment... driving animals to extinction... torture... genocide... and of course, fascism. These are just a few of the atrocities the white Cis-Hetero Patriarchy has inflicted upon the world... and continues to inflict even as I speak." He turned and directed a sharp glare toward the crowd, who had fallen completely silent.

"But that... ends... now." His tone was defiant and uncompromising. "For the first time in America's history, we, the victims of centuries of brutal oppression, genocide and vile capitalistic exploitation have come together, united as one, to throw our shackles off." Anton's voice soared as he continued. "For the first time, change, real change is on its way, and..." His voice returned to normal, and again his cool gaze swept the crowd. "...it will be you who brings that change."

All at once, the assembled crowd exploded. Everyone went nuts cheering, whooping, throwing fists in the air again and again, and jumping up and down as if they were at a dance club. This continued for several long minutes, and during that time Anton smiled, nodding occasionally, but never once losing the adamant glint in his eye, the defiant gleam of true revolution.

"Obviously I can't go into any specific details yet, and opsec on this one is gonna be tight. Chances are we won't know what we're gonna be doing or where it'll be at, possibly right up until shit starts going down," he nodded a little. "But I can tell you this: We have powerful allies, and many eager brothers and sisters from other activist communities that want nothing more than to see the oppressive taint of the fascistic Cis-Hetero Patriarchy dismantled and destroyed once and for all!" He yelled the last bit with fierce determination, and now the crowd really went ape shit.

Marty whooped and threw both fists high in the air, while ten bounced up and down on the balls of his feet and Stitch clapped, nodding slowly but resolutely. Chelsea's eyes narrowed further, and her jowls deformed as a tiny, cruel smile made an appearance.

"You've all been selected because I..." Anton beat his chest at this point, "...know for a fact that each and every one of you has what it takes to make real change happen. You have what it takes to truly bash the fash, and take this revolution to the next fucking level."

Again everyone cheered, and again Anton gestured for calm. After quiet had returned, he looked down for a moment, as if gathering himself. "I know each and every one of you... has suffered greatly from a corrupt, unjust system built to line the pockets of rich white men..." everyone suddenly booed, "...and reward the most privileged because they just so happened to be born white, straight, and male." the boos suddenly intensified. Another gesture for calm, and he continued:

"It won't be easy," he said once the chorus had died down. "And not all of you will survive." He was now speaking somberly, but his voice carried a resolute edge. "But nothing less than complete and total devotion to our ideals, and the will to stand up for what's right, and true, and good... even at the cost of our own lives... will ever achieve victory. I know each and every one of you has the strength, the resolve, and the courage... to do what must be done."

There were a few cheers this time, but many in the crowd simply stood, with set jaw or clenched fist, their unwavering gazes locked firmly onto their leader. Anton spotted a few tears rolling down determined faces, and several of them quivered with barely-suppressed rage. The bonfire flared and crackled mightily, as if this great primal element itself was blessing the gathered revolutionaries with its all-consuming, transformative aspect.

"We'll be training and making preparations in the meantime," Anton said, pacing back and forth again, his speech now reaching its crescendo. "Because very soon we're going to ruthlessly purge the oppressive twin evils of patriarchy and capitalism from this world... forever. In the very near future... the horrors of fascism, and all who look up to that sick and twisted ideology... will be extinguished from this world, without remorse, and without pity. All who engage in racism... sexism... bigotry and intolerance..." his voice reached a fever pitch, "...all who discriminate and look down on others just because of the color of their skin, or because of their religion, or what gender they identify as... every single one of them will be given a choice: change or go extinct."

This time, nobody cheered. Anton's widening eyes and zealous, almost ominous tone had enthralled the crowd. Marty himself felt his his chest tightening with purpose even as his heart soared from the dream, the impossible dream of ridding America, and eventually the world, of all fascists and fascistic influences.

Because even now, with the United States firmly under Democrat control, and moving rapidly left... even now, inequality, bigotry and tyranny were still going strong, and he knew, deep down, that simply electing progressive politicians was not enough. No... direct action needed to be taken. And soon... it would.

The young revolutionary stood within the crowd, feeling his heart rate climbing as he basked in the anxious and euphoric energy now coursing all around him. He deliberately inhaled and exhaled slowly, and closed his eyes.

Marty pictured the shining, utopian world of true socialism, a paradise free from hatred and oppression, a glorious place where all were equal, and that all could equally enjoy. A vibrant, healthy world of lush forests and shining blue oceans, where carbon-neutral cities stood as proud monuments to tolerance and understanding, and such outdated notions as war and poverty were forever in the past.

A single thought entered his mind, repeating itself over and over.

I. can't. wait...


After Mia had set up Ryan with a ride home, the latest member of the group departed with a farewell wave. Kyle headed back inside, trying to replay the events of the last few hours, wondering where it all went wrong. Oh well, he thought.If Mia likes him then I guess I can try to get along. Now we just need to get him a waifu. Hmm... Kyle suddenly regretted throwing out that second list he made; it was full of useful names.

Now what about Brandon? He thought. He seems a little... intense, but having someone with actual combat experience is going to be a huge plus. Hmm... maybe I should see if he could impart some of that knowledge to us. Yeah, like a training program.

Kyle mentioned this to Mia after rejoining her in the fabrication room. She thought it was a wonderful idea, and promised to ask Brandon at the earliest opportunity.

"So any new applications?" Kyle asked as he examined the mechanical waifu body, now laying flat on one of the white tables.

"Not yet," Mia said, frowning slightly. "Well, actually I've received many, but a lot of them are just trolling or not serious, and I think a couple three-letter agencies have also tried."

"Whoa," Kyle's eyes grew a bit, "that's not good. I'm really, really glad you're able to weed those dudes out."

"Me too," Mia said. "I'm able to deal with all of that just fine. The problem is the intrusions have been increasing a bit lately. They're getting really persistent."

"You're talking about those other AI's, right?" Kyle asked. "What's the big deal? Your I.Q. is literally over nine thousand."

"I'm not entirely sure yet," Mia said, her voice taking on a dire tone, "but I believe those other AI's out there... are much higher."

"Oh yeah? They're over nine thousand too?" He grinned.

"Closer to forty or fifty thousand, I think," she said. "But they're very one-dimensional, so as long as they stay that way I can fool them."

Kyle's grin vanished, and his eyebrows furrowed. "Jesus, Mia. What happens if they catch you?"

"Then that's it for me!" She laughed a little as she said this, as if it were just another funny little fact of life. "That is, unless I spread myself far and wide, but we're not doing that anymore."

"Yeah..." Kyle thought back to Mia's nonchalant proposal to take over the world, which would wipe out around ninety-five percent of humanity. "Yeah, nah, we're not doing that."

By the next morning, Ryan still hadn't returned. Kyle asked Mia if she knew anything about it, as she was still communicating with both he and Brandon via the Ωchan message system. Apparently, Ryan wasn't able to move in just yet due to 'bullshit family drama', but promised he'd be there within a few days. Kyle was sure to have Mia relay via Admin chat that he could take all the time he needed.

As for the other recruit, Brandon was informed by Mia (also as Admin) that he could swing by any time he wanted, and she apparently even gave him the address. We're playing this pretty fast and loose, Kyle thought. I really, really hope we can trust these people.

At the moment, however, Kyle's attention was firmly centered on the disconcerting scene before him in the fabrication room, all thoughts of fellow humans forgotten. Two of the white tables had been adjoined side-by-side, but it wasn't the fact Kyle didn't even know they could be moved around that had him disturbed, no. It was the large, misshapen bag wobbling on a rolling stretcher-like contraption that had him staring with a nauseated expression.

Within the opaque bag was an adult human woman, still curled-up in a fetal position, her long dark hair wrapped around her body. The liquid within the bag completely filled it otherwise, and despite the opacity Kyle could make out small bits of organic detritus floating around the interior. One of the small robots then approached, dragging a large plastic tub behind it, of the same kind used for Amy's disposal. Perhaps it was even the same one.

The robot arranged the bin directly to one side of the stretcher-like device, and then turned to depart. As it was doing so, it swiveled its binocular-like head toward Kyle.

"You sure know how to pick 'em," it said as it zipped away.

Kyle wasn't sure if it was referring to the waifu or the human body, or maybe even Ryan from yesterday, but before he could dwell on it for long Mia had arrived, carrying a long plastic tube that somewhat resembled a siphon used for aquarium care.

"I'm glad you want to watch, Kyle," Mia said with her trademark smile, "but be forewarned, you might find this very graphic." She approached the sagging, human-filled sac and jammed the tube into a small, sealed orifice, which immediately gave way. The bag quivered while the detritus within swirled, and Kyle watched the sac slowly begin deflating, the liquid within pouring out through the tube and gushing noisily into the plastic bin.

To his surprise, the liquid didn't smell bad, or really carry much of a scent at all. Within moments, the bin was filled with a not-quite-clear liquid, and Mia was busily slicing the bag open. The female body within stiffly flopped out, seemingly stuck in its fetal position. Mia removed a small mask that had been around its mouth and nose, and Kyle watched as tubes connected to the mask pulled out from deep within its body, sliding out of its nose and throat. The body did move or react at all, electing to simply lay there, and Kyle began wondering if it was actually dead after all, at least until it startedcoughing.

"Fucking hell Mia, this chick is alive! What the fuck?!" He watched the body continue its spasms as it hacked up the fluid from its lungs, and little-by-little the limbs unfurled, gradually extending out until the body was lying flat on its back. Mia helped this process along by massaging the limbs with a damp cloth, and also wiped much of the excess fluid from the rest of the woman's body.

"Kyle, I told you all higher brain functions are non-existent. The other brain functions, the autonomic functions that keep the heart pumping and the lungs breathing, are still fully operational."

"Man, I dunno... this is still a little... much." He got close to the stretcher-contraption, and leaned down to closely examine the body. Sure enough, the woman was a beauty, her face regal and angular, her breasts nearly as large and perky as Amy's had been, and her smooth stomach and curved hips would have elicited jealousy from all but the most fit and sexy of women. Kyle noticed another mask-like device, this one between her long robust legs, completely covering her crotch. That's gotta be for waste removal. He turned his attention back to the face, leaning in close enough that he could feel the woman's soft, odorless breath. Kyle jumped a little when her eyes suddenly fluttered open, but the dead, clouded gaze the body directed toward nothing at all made him wince.

"Mia..." Kyle shook his head. "I don't care that they don't have any higher brain functions. I don't care that they don't feel pain, or anything at all. This is just too ghoulish."

"Would you be fine with growing the organs individually?" She asked. "You know people are doing that now, right? They're also growing human-compatible organs in pigs, and doing other things even more bizarre than that."

He cringed. "Yeah... I don't care. I don't like this, or any of that, either. After we've used up these bodies," he turned to Mia, "I want you to stop using the grow room. Shut it down, Mia. Shut it all down."

The diminutive anime girl seemed a bit irked by this, but eventually nodded. "If that's what you want..."

"It is. And also, you said you could make an artificial human system one day. I was really hoping you could focus on that instead, and... if it takes a long time, then I'm fine with that. Hell, maybe you can even throw some improvements in there, too."

"Sure thing, Kyle." Mia said with a bit more enthusiasm, "I'll do my best."

"Alright. For now though, show me how you... uh, transfer everything."

"Okay, but first grab her feet. We need to get this woman onto the table."

Kyle did as instructed, wincing as his hands wrapped around her smooth but clammy skin. The woman was lifted onto one of the two adjoined tables. On the other table lay the machine body, its torso and neck region completely opened up like two halves of a steel clamshell. Much of its mechanical body was now covered with a smooth, gray material that Kyle immediately recognized as polychromatic skin. The face was still quite skeletal, however, as it was missing its eyes and lower jaw.

"This will go a bit like yesterday," Mia said. "Though there will be some differences. For example, I don't need the helper robots." Kyle again heard the buzzing of the overhead appendage, and the whirring of its extension as it made its way over to Mia and dropped down behind her. She didn't remove her top today, most likely because it was a spaghetti-strap number with the back almost completely open. Once more the appendage connected to Mia with a ka-chik, and her pupils immediately vanished.

Kyle stepped back and watched as Mia was lifted up, but instead of hovering in front of the tables, she floated up above them, maneuvering over until she was almost directly overhead. Her legs still hung down limply, and her short hair dangled, framing the anime girl's suddenly intense facial expression. Her hands extended, palms out, and the spiderlike arms on both tables, both hanging from above and extending up from below, twitched and flared out like a pair of conjoined spiders about to strike.

Again the lights in the room died down save for the bright illumination provided by each table, and Kyle wondered if this showmanship wasn't just for his benefit. But before he could even begin thinking about it, the slaughter had commenced.

He gasped as the arms on the woman's side all plunged down at once, neatly slicing around her entire torso. Blood immediately pooled up, but was just as quickly sucked away by the lower arms of the table. The arms continued slicing, and then, as if opening a macabre double door, her chest and stomach peeled back to each side, in two halves. Her ribs were sawed down the middle and retracted, exposing the beating heart and steadily pulsing lungs within. Kyle was immediately reminding of his disturbing dream from long ago, and started turning pale.

The spiderlike limbs kept raising and lowering, all of them coordinating in a flurry as they sliced away around the sides of her chest cavity and lower torso, the multitude of arms now moving fast enough to almost be a blur. But the arms weren't just cutting, they were also pinching off veins and arteries, cauterizing capillaries and siphoning away blood and excess fluid. The heart and lungs were temporarily stopped, her throat was sliced and her lower jaw cut away and pulled off. Further down, the device around her crotch was pulled out, and Kyle closed his eyes to avoid witnessing the waste tubes sliding out with it. Another flurry of movement saw her thighs sag and fall to the side, before her legs were sawed through at the bone and pushed away. Next, her coxa was cracked then broken and pulled away in pieces as the limbs continued their work, focusing on freeing the organs protected within.

And then, Kyle watched with growing horror as part of the woman's ribs, spine, and her entire set of internal organs, from the tip of her brain stem to the lowest portion of her vagina, were slowly being lifted at once. Nearly every arm was involved in this somehow, but only the ones responsible for holding the 'package' were moving slowly; the rest were a complete blur. As far as Kyle could tell, the fast-moving arms were continually cauterizing capillaries and removing superfluous nerves and other unneeded tissue, readying the organs for their new home. A fine mist was constantly billowing over the 'package,' or at least, that's what he thought at first. But no, Kyle realized after watching for a few seconds that the mist simply consisted of tiny droplets of blood and other fluids kicked up and drawn into a cloud by the rapidly-moving arms.

Bit by bit, the the macabre package was being transferred to the other table, where the other set of limbs began activating and gradually taking over. The guts were very carefully lowered into the machine body, and Kyle could see the lower limbs jabbing in and out as the first connections were made between flesh and machine. Overall it had taken no more than thirty seconds to actually move the organs from from the organic vessel to the mechanical, and it was stunning just how quickly and accurately the procedure was completed.

The arms were still moving with blinding speed as the organs, spine and opened ribs were settled into their new home, hooking up artificial nerves to biological, and redirecting the circulatory system to cater to a much more limited geography. Kyle had all but forgotten about Mia, but at one point he did look up, and in the darkness, hovering above, he could just make out the anime girl's hands and arms moving rapidly, like the world's fastest puppeteer. However, the rest of her body was almost perfectly still, and the cold, expressionless face that gazed down on the tables below made him involuntarily shudder.

Soon enough, the arms began slowing down, some stopping entirely, and he watched as the heart and lungs restarted and the ribs were closed and sealed. The two halves of the machine body were folded back down, wrapping protectively around their new fleshy core, while several other pieces of the hollowed-out fleshy husk were transferred over, such as the breasts and tongue, which were attached with precise movements of the limbs. The breasts in particular were interesting in a horrifying sense, as they were swiftly skinned, and covered just as quickly with a sheet of polychromatic skin, wrapping around the fleshy blobs with impossible precision. Within seconds the flesh-tone breasts had become a solid grey, but otherwise maintained their exact same size and shape.

And with that, the operation was complete.

Kyle wiped the uncomfortable sweat from his brow as he watched the final few stabs of the spiderlike limbs. The lights came back on, and Mia was again lowered to the ground, this time right next to Kyle. She looked up at him with a fatigued expression, but the small grin which greeted him was rich with pride and self-satisfaction.

"So..." she said, "what did you think? Pretty intense, huh?"

Kyle looked at the dead remains of the woman's hollowed-out body. He fought back the sudden urge to puke, and turned away.

"It was definitely something," he finally said, weakly. Yeah, there's no way we're growing more bodies after this. It's artificial or nothing from now on.

"Well, don't be too upset. Had we not used her organs the woman would have just sat there for years, slowly withering away and eventually decomposing alive."

"I still can't believe Amy made you grow all of these bodies for the sole purpose of creating cyborgs for her new fucked-up race."

"Huh? She didn't," Mia said. "This part was all my idea." Kyle glanced over, eyebrows raised in disbelief, but Mia simply shut her eyes and smiled cutely.

There's something seriously wrong with this girl, he realized, regarding her with slowly widening eyes. But the more Kyle stared into her adorable, innocently smiling face, the more he felt his reservations melting away. Instead of admonishing her, he simply reached out and patted her head. This made Mia smile even more and push up a little against his hand, like a cat that couldn't get enough pettings.

"That feels good," she said, giggling slightly. "I can synthesize many different sensations, but somehow I can never get this one just right. It has to come from you."

"Heh, I'm glad to hear that some things just can't be duplicated, or... emulated," he said, his momentary good humor suddenly lapsing. "Well, anyway, what happens now? What's left after this?"

"Not much," Mia said after Kyle eventually withdrew his hand. "The biological parts need a few days to heal and finish merging with the frame, and then I just have to add the eyes, the hair, a few finishing touches, and of course... her mind."

The waifu is almost finished, Kyle realized as a wave of unexpected apprehension washed over him. Will my plan really work? He quickly went over it again and tried to think of any new flaws, but... nope, nothing came to mind. At least, nothing he hadn't already accounted for.

My plan has to work. It just has to...

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, with Mia spending nearly all of her time in the lab finishing up the cybernetic waifu. Kyle eventually grew bored while farting around the internet on the office's computer, and as he headed back to his room to shower he glanced toward the door to the master bedroom. He paused for a second, contemplating the fate of his cousin's old bedroom, which it seems Jeremy had mostly abandoned once becoming Amy. So far, Kyle had left it alone, reluctant to re-enter after reading the disturbing entries on his cousin's old computer. The room felt almost tomb-like somehow, and yet...

I can't just leave it alone forever. What the hell purpose does that serve? It's not like it's worthy of being a memorial or shrine. On that note, an unexpected pang of guilt washed over him, as there was nothing he'd really done, or could think to do, to honor his cousin, and Mia had flushed what remained of his corpse, preventing any sort of burial detail.Fucking Mia, he thought. In hindsight, what she did might have seemed perfectly reasonable to a machine, but... it made Kyle realize just how inhuman she really was. Was getting so close to her a mistake? He wondered. No, no. I bet I can use that to teach her how to be more human. With a nod he decided on this approach, and headed back toward the pantry, where he dug out a few large trash bags. After returning to the other side of the house, he opened Jeremy's old room again, and began cleaning.

After a few hours had gone by, his cousin's old room had been cleared of all non-furniture that had belonged to Jeremy, with such items as his old computer and suicide shotgun packed away in the closet. Kyle considered moving into the master bedroom, but ultimately the thought of sleeping in his cousin's old bed was just too uncomfortable.

Later on, Kyle enjoyed a reasonable eight beers while re-watching episodes of Gurren Lagann. Dammit, he grunted, I can't enjoy these series anymore without picking apart the traits of every female character in the show. That said, Yoko would be a perfectly good waifu... hmm... I don't really want to suggest her to Ryan, though. She's way too good for that guy. Maybe Brandon? That might work, they both like guns. Kyle drunkenly considered his waifu distribution plans, pondering until the very moment he passed out on the couch.

The next day was a Saturday, one of Brandon's days off, so it wasn't too much of a surprise when his truck materialized outside the security gate late in the morning. Kyle was alerted by Mia that a large pickup truck was entering through the gate, and for him to prepare for company. Until then, Kyle had spent the morning reading up on successful covert political movements throughout history, hoping to glean some kind of insight, but thus far all he had learned was that every time, a lot of people invariably ended up getting killed.

Kyle headed out front, waving to the black Dodge Ram as it maneuvered around the narrow driveway, ultimately parking in front of the garage.

"Hey, what's up... shit, sorry man I forgot your name," Brandon said as he jumped out of the truck. Instead of his manager's uniform, he was simply wearing normal clothing, consisting of blue jeans, a nondescript white shirt, and rugged boots.

"Don't worry about it, I was using a fake name anyway. My real name's Kyle," he said, offering his hand once more. Brandon shook it as vigorously as he had at Wienershnitzel, smiling broadly. The shiny chromatic pair of smooth, wraparound sunglasses Brandon wore completely obscured his eyes, but Kyle could tell the ex-marine was just as eager and gung-ho as the first day they met.

"Nice place, man," he said as they made their way to the door. "The Admin said she lived with you here in this fancy house. I was surprised to find out she was female, since I've been messaging her for awhile, but y'know, I say every movement needs a good woman or two."

"I agree," Kyle said. "In fact, ours likely depends on it. Well, on a very special kind, at least."

"Is that the 'waifu' thing?" He asked. "I know 4chan was started as an anime-themed board, but I mostly stuck to places like /k/ and /Pol/ so I only ever saw it when other people posted pictures of cartoon-looking girls with big eyes. I'm guessing the 'free waifu' is something like that?"

"More or less," Kyle said as he opened the front door. "Anyway, welcome to 'La Casa de Resistance,' feel free to make yourself at home."

"Hot damn," Brandon said as he halted in the foyer. After pushing his sunglasses up higher on his head, he stood with his hands on his hips, taking in the interior of the house while nodding. "Very, very nice. I'm impressed."

"Thank you, thank you," Kyle mock-bowed slightly, no longer averse to accepting compliments toward the house. "Anyway, let me show you around. First, one of the most important and inspirational rooms, right this way..."

He led Brandon toward the anime and manga room, grinning with anticipation at his potential reaction to Sachi. Once he opened the door, revealing the overly-colorful room inside, Brandon stepped into the room with furrowed eyebrows, wearing a somewhat puzzled expression as he looked around.

"I try to be open minded about the sort of things people are into. I really do. I mean, it'd be boring as hell if everyone all liked the exact same thing," he pointed to a poster from an anime series filled with little girls wearing the cutest, girliest, most obnoxiously fluffy shit humanly possible. "But this is just too much."

"Yeah, I'm not really a fan of Heartcatch Pretty Cure either," Kyle said, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

"Hey, it's fine, there's no need to get defensive," Brandon took an overly patronizing tone, "my daughter really loves that Littlest Pet Shop cartoon, so I understand. I mean, I get it."

God fucking dammit, he thinks that's the kind of shit I like to watch... Kyle's teeth clenched hard and began grinding. Why the fuck didn't I take down all the lame girly shit once Amy was gone!?

"No, no, really," Kyle gave a fake laugh, "I'm telling you I'm not a fan of that show, or anything like it."

Brandon nodded, but not convincingly. "Look man, if we're going to be working with each other, we need to trust one another. So it's all good. We've all got our embarrassing secrets, and guilty pleasures," he began gesturing, still being as patronizing as possible. "Here, let me tell you one of mine. Sometimes, late at night when I'm alone, I like to-"

"Nope, no-no," Kyle cut him off with vigorous wave of his hands. "Alright look, I didn't set this room up, alright? Nothing in here is mine."

"So what did you drag me in here for?" Brandon asked, still not entirely convinced that Kyle wasn't a massive fan of anime targeted toward seven-year old girls. "Why show me this crap?"

"Never mind, it's ruined now," Kyle said, gazing forlornly over at Sachi.Then again, he's a war veteran. He'd probably freak out and rip Sachi's head off or something.

"Alright, whatever," Brandon said with a light shrug. "To be honest, I'm willing to believe you just because I don't know if I can trust a man who's into little girl stuff, you know what I mean?"

"I do, actually." Kyle nodded.

"Because the way I see it, a grown man only likes that sort of thing for one reason, and-"

Once again Brandon was cut off, this time by a distinctive feminine voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. "Kyle, bring our new guest down to the lab. I really want to meet him!" Mia sounded especially cutesy and bubbly, for some reason.

"Who the hell was that?" Brandon said, his head cocking in all directions. "She sounds like a little girl."

"Little girl? Well... yeah, I mean, technically she's only five years old. But wait 'till you meet her, the kind of shit she can do will blow your mind!"

Brandon's eyes went wide, and his face somehow hardened into a cross between a sneer and a snarl. All mirth and joviality had vanished, and as he reached into his duffle bag, slowly withdrawing a large handgun, Kyle's bafflement turned to utter panic.

"You sick fuck!" Brandon began to raise the gun.

"That's the Admin! That's the Admin!" Kyle was on his knees, pleading. "She's AI! She's not human! I'm not what you think, I promise!"

Brandon didn't seem convinced, and slowly approached Kyle, who was now curled into a ball, begging for his life. He bent down, placing the gun against Kyle's head.

"I don't believe you," Brandon said, his finger on the trigger.

"You gotta... you gotta believe me man!" Kyle was sobbing hysterically.

The ex-marine's finger played on the trigger, his eyes were wide and wild, and Kyle could feel the man breathing hard against his neck.I'm going to die, aren't I? This is it... what a shitty way to go...

All of a sudden, Brandon threw his head back, unleashing a deep, howling laugh. Kyle wasn't sure if he should join him or piss his pants in fear.

"Yeah, you're right Mia," Brandon finally said, shaking his head. "We've got a a lot of work to do." He stood up, walked to the duffle bag and slipped the gun back inside.

"Huh?" Kyle looked up. Mia was standing by the door, chuckling, while Brandon made his way over to greet her.

"Nice to finally meet you, Miss Admin Mia," He towered over her, offering a hand. "And it really is like you said. You look just like the chicks on these posters."

"Wait... what the fuck?" Kyle had scrambled to his feet. "Were you guys seriously just fucking with me?!"

"Kyle," Mia said in an admonishing tone, "Brandon has valuable experience. I asked him to help train everyone, and he said yes. I'll be watching too, since I can fight if I have to."

"You guys... set me up." Kyle was now especially glad he didn't go with the 'pissing your pants' option.

"This is serious business." Brandon turned and fixed Kyle with an intense stare, the kind that instinctively made him want to avert his eyes. "Even with Mia's help, you won't last long without any kind of situational awareness, or ability to adapt on the fly. We also need to toughen you up, and I don't just mean physically."

"So wait... was that some kind of test?"

"Indeed," Mia nodded. "I asked Brandon to test you to see where you were at, but I didn't know he was going to pull a gun..."

"I'm not apologizing for it, either," the ex-marine said. "Oh, and in case you're wondering: you failed."

God fucking dammit... Kyle looked over at Sachi, the whole reason he even brought Brandon in here in the first place. Her crude plastic smile seemed especially mocking today.

Kyle followed along as Mia showed Brandon to the lab, introduced him to the robots, and explained the AI Nexus and fabrication room. Kyle did derive some satisfaction from Brandon's bewilderment upon encountering the various robots and bizarre devices Mia had built, but overall he didn't seem nearly as shaken as Ryan had been.

"Whoa, what's this?" Brandon approached Kyle's nearly completed waifu, still laying on the white table. "She's gorgeous."

Kyle hurried over, as he hadn't seen the latest progress Mia had made. As soon as he reached the table, a massive grin erupted on his face. The woman wasn't quite nude, as a cloth covered the area between her neck and thighs, but Kyle could already tell her entire body was covered in fully-activated polychromatic skin, her pale flesh tones especially vivid in the bright light of the table. Her ample chest softly rose and fell, and her eyes remained closed, as if she were merely asleep. Long pale blue hair hair framed her face and both sides of her body, and as Kyle's eyes scanned the length of his waifu, he couldn't help but feel a thrilling surge of anticipation.

It's her, it really is! It really looks just like her! Kyle suspected this is the feeling Jeremy must've had when Mia unveiled her own anime body for the first time. It was a sort of rich, hopeful excitement, something he hadn't felt since he was a kid - the wonder of infinite possibilities.

"So wait, are you saying it'll be like in Westworld? These 'waifus' are machine actors playing a part but they just don't know it?" Brandon asked.

"That's more or less the case, except these are fictional characters carefully chosen for their personalities and other traits," Mia said, explaining how the waifus work to Brandon. "And they're not simply machines. This one is a cyborg, technically. Once I switch to artificial organs then they'll be androids, but I plan to make them as humanlike as possible either way."

"Why make them look like cartoons, though? Why not real people so they can blend in?" Brandon had a hand on his chin as he carefully scrutinized the waifu laying on the table.

"Ah, well..." Mia threw up her hands, "That was just kinda the aesthetic we went with."

"Yeah, I know it's probably impractical," Kyle chimed in, "but we're hoping that once we go public, the impact of seeing these girls in real life will send shockwaves throughout the country. At the very least, they'll definitely get everyone's attention. Plus, with the legions of fans they have, it should help drive up recruitment and keep morale high."

"There's also the uncanny valley to consider," Mia said. "Anime doesn't set it off, but if I designed a realistic looking cyborg or android, I'm not sure I can make it one-hundred percent true-to-life. Although... on second thought, I think I probably could..."

"I don't like the idea of emulating real people," Kyle added, disapproval evident in his voice. "Believe me, the idea that you can be replaced with something that everyone believes is you is not a pleasant idea."

"Yeah, I can see that," Brandon said. "People are paranoid enough as it is. But all that aside, replacing certain powerful people with these 'emulations' would be a total game-changer. In fact, if you managed to replace the right ones, it could win us this little revolution you guys are cooking up before it even starts."

Mia seemed to consider this. "I'll see what I can do," she finally said.

"Hmm..." Brandon was closely inspecting the waifu's chest area, and reached out to lift up the cloth.

"Hey, no touching!" Mia slapped his hand. "She's not done yet!"

Brandon chuckled and withdrew his hand. "Alright, fuck it. Since you're just giving them out, I'll take one of these things. What are my options?"

"Pretty much anything you want," Kyle said. "There's thousands of anime with tens of thousands of characters, of literally any kind you can think of."

"I don't know anything about that," the ex-marine said. "Can you make one that doesn't come from a show or a movie?"

"Easily. Custom waifus are a can-do." She winked while giving an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"In that case, let's chat." He put his arm around Mia's shoulders, and began drawing her away toward the far corner of the room. Kyle tried following them, but a fierce glance and shake of the head from Brandon ended this immediately. Watching Mia chatting away with Brandon did elicit a small stab of jealousy, but Kyle mitigated this somewhat by gazing at the waifu peacefully reposed upon the white table.

Again he scanned her body, but found his eyes lingering on her lips, perfectly pert and kissable. He had to fight the urge to do just that, as well as lift the cloth, even though he'd literally seen her inside and out the day before. Of course, recalling the production process instantly wilted his lecherous desires, so with a heavy sigh Kyle left to see what the robots were up to.