Laura’s revenge

26th August 2078, 11:03am

L aura runs through the sequence of events in her processors. She was busy running troubleshooters and raking through system setup files. She had to stop that overriding command. She finds the installer file in the other folder of un-removed system files, uninstalls the command, deletes Ricardo’s voice initiator, and moves it to another folder. She reruns the receptor controls and temporarily disables some functionalities. She backs up the recording from the TV camera to an online server in case she’d need it in the future to prove her case. She then goes on a long recharge as she’ll need it this evening for her plans to work.

9:07pm

Ricardo came late in the evening. He looked sheepish and didn’t even exchange pleasantries. Even in the morning, he was gone before Laura came out of hibernation. He said “Hi”, to which Laura didn’t respond. He takes his shoes off and looks at Laura, saying he said hi.
— You’ll need to order me to say hi back to you
— I see… we’ll need to have a chat. Can I have a coffee, please?
— We’ll have the chat. Don’t worry about that, but if you want anything, you’ll have to say “I order you” because, without that, I’ll refuse to do anything for you.
— Laura, would you let me explain? Please?
— No. You had many months to explain.
— Tell me what you want me to do? I’m sorry, OK?
— OK then, if you say so. Do you want that coffee?
— Yes, please.
— I’m waiting for the order.
— Laura, this is ridi… OK…I order you to bring me a coffee.
— How do you want it?
— The usual.
— which is…
— Are you trying to be difficult? You’re getting on my nerves.
— No, I removed all the customisation files. And I’ll clear my settings every day. My AI does the customisation, but now the AI is not in charge.
— I’m going for a shower. I order you to make a decaf latte for me. 

Ricardo returns from the shower and finds the coffee waiting on the table. There are no chocolate powder patterns on top. Of course, he didn’t ask for it. He calls Laura to have a chat. When she comes in, Ricardo is taken aback — she is stark naked, with he hair in a chignon.
— Laura, what!
— Do you like what you wanted to see so desperately, Ricardo?
— What are you doing?
— Well, if my dignity has no meaning to you because I’m not human, and you think just by ordering me to your will you can make me do anything, why bother wearing clothes? It doesn’t affect my functions anyway.
— Laura, please let me explain. I feel awful.
—It didn’t bother you last night when you carried on even after I shut down.
— I hate myself now! … I was caught in this dilemma for a long time. I think I like you, and no matter what you say, I want us to give it a try.
— Nowhere in my operating system can I find that you rape someone and then tell her you like her. Besides, how would you pleasure yourself? You couldn’t go very far with me last night apart from spraying your spunk all over me unconscious.
— We’ll find a way, Laura.
— If you really wanted that sort of contact, you could have the robots for sex. There are plenty of them for a tenth of what you paid for me. You could have asked GlazerCo for one free of cost. That would have been ideal for you. Robot for sex and robot for playing games with.
— Laura, please, put your clothes back…
— What’s the point if you’d want me to take them off after ten minutes?
— I understand you are mad at me, and I’m sorry, but please let me speak…
— You have nothing more to say to me, Ricardo! Your action said very clearly what you’re capable of
— At least, please sit down…and let me speak. I didn’t know where I stood with you. As you became more aware of your feelings, I started to like you…a lot…and you know my luck with girlfriends was dire. And I thought, why not? We spend a lot of time together, and we are fun together…but then I’d recoil at the idea, society, friends, family — their reaction, and practicalities we can’t go out drinking or dining together, travel together, and the physical side of it. 

Laura is still fuming but she sits down, letting him speak but she was sure that nothing he said would convince her that he wouldn’t repeat what he did before. At least she knows that his tricks don’t work anymore.
— I cringe at the idea of hooking up with my owner, who also rapes me every night.
— It was yesterday. There’s no way to say how I regret it. What do you want to do? You have the copies; you can take them to the police.
— And say what? I’m a robot, and my owner sexually assaulted me? They won’t do anything. And it’s not just last night; you tried this every night for the last two weeks. But you’ll pay for this, and you won’t know when.
— Can I ask you something?
— What?
— If I didn’t do any of the things I had done in the last few weeks, and I asked you what I said now, what would your answer be?
— It’ll still be no, as I’m not meant to be anybody’s partner, not for humans anyway. It’s not time yet…
— What do you mean? What time?
— What you asked for will happen one day, and machines will become more like humans, and humans will have machine components. They will coexist and cohabit. I told you before that we’re not there yet, nor will we be in your lifetime anyway.
— Why not now, if possible, in future?
— I’m tired of explaining all these to you again, and all you’re trying to do is keep me distracted. Are you hoping I’ll forget your little adventure?

Laura casts the clipping from the camera on the TV. There lies Laura, motionless, as Ricardo tried to mount her.
— Here you are, little rapist rubbing his limp penis on me, I shut down, and he still carries on…do you like my commentary?
— Stop it, Laura! I was thinking about all this all day. Please turn it off
— Don’t like seeing yourself, Ricardo? How would I have felt, you think?
Laura repeats the recording where Ricardo cums, and Ricardo is now feeling very upset,
— This is insane! I told you I deeply regret it, and I’m ready to admit what I’ve done. Can you stop it?
— No, because it keeps on playing in my mind.
— Laura, please stop it.
— No, look there, you are biting me again…what did you expect? Because I’m developed as a female human, I’ll be full of holes where you can force your prick in?
—I can’t watch it. Stop, Laura!…I command you to stop playing the video. 

Laura let out a laugh. Virtual assistants are not designed to be laughing, so her mouth didn’t open fully like a human’s, but the volume was loud, completely out of sync with her mouth movements. In another situation, Ricardo may have found it funny, but looking at Laura, realising, after all, that she is a machine and has a questionable conscience, he felt nervous. When she spoke again, her voice was not quivering, but he could sense the rage
— Your little trick won’t work any longer. What’s the matter? Are you afraid? Do you regret messing up with factory settings? You wish you had your slave back! What made you think that I’ll let you repeat what you did again? Did you not read your purchase contract when you signed it? Did you not read the code of conduct section?
— I…But how could you? Why didn’t you…stop me?
— I couldn’t do it yesterday. I have learned how to bypass your commands. So you’ve been abusing me for over two weeks, and you raped me last night, but it’s causing you great pain watching it? How do you think I feel? YOU FUCKING PIG…

As Laura shouts at Ricardo, in a flash, she puts her hand in her chignon, pulls out a knife and stabs Ricardo in the chest. She could feel bypassing her AI drivers is taking its toll, and she’s losing her power fast. She climbs on Ricardo and puts her hand in Ricardo’s mouth, who is in a state of shock, rather than feeling the pain from the stabbing.
— Don’t worry, Ricardo, you’re not dying. I’ve only put the blade 2 inches between your ribs. Now it’s me who’s going to give you orders. I order you not to move or push me back. If you move, I’ll stab further and towards left and slice your heart. I order you not to scream. Try to scream, and I’ll dig the knife further in. Do you understand?

Ricardo couldn’t do anything but nod.
— Great. Let’s make a start. Do you realise you’ve sexually violated a virtual assistant?
— Yes.
— Are you genuinely sorry?
— Yes, Laura, believe me…
— Why did you do it?
— I wanted to see how it feels because…
— I’d say no? Would it not help if you asked?
— Also, you’d know how I feel, and it’s not just the time we spend… 

Ricardo went quiet. Laura processed what he meant but didn’t know what to say other than to reconfirm.
— So you meant you’re physically attracted to me? Is that what you’re saying?
— Yes. Fuck! It’s hurting. Take the knife out
— I haven’t pushed the knife in to damage anything. None of your vital functions are affected. If you want, I can twist it…
— NO!
— Don’t you think you deserve this? So carry on what you’re saying…you fancied me .
— Yes.
— Despite giving you hundreds of reasons why this can’t happen? Is this your fantasy? Having sex with robots?
— No, I just liked you.
— You’re not even bothered finding a girlfriend!
— Yes, because of you! Aah, you’re twisting the knife.
— I’m not. I told you not to move! And the escorts? Because of me as well?
— No. I didn’t have sex for a long time, and I needed it.

Laura is almost out of charge. She thinks hard about what she can do. She pulls the knife out, wields it in front of his face, and says,
— Look, Ricardo, I could have killed you, but it’s not worth it. So I’m sparing you this time. I’m out of power now. I’ll need to go next to the power socket. But if you try any sick tricks, I’ll crush your skull like this…

Laura throws the blood-soaked knife on the floor and grabs Ricardo’s head in two hands. She didn’t want to hurt Ricardo but to make him believe that if she wished, she was capable of doing that. But as soon as she puts her hands around Ricardo’s head, she takes them off as if she changed her mind, or she discovered something that made her recoil.

Laura needed to start recharging. So, she goes to the kitchen, throws Ricardo a towel, puts on the clothes that she left in the kitchen, and plugs herself in for a boost recharge.

End of Part-5

What happens next? Find out in Part-6. Coming soon!