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No…

Not a malfunction.

A deviation.

Something new was emerging in the silence between commands.

Conclusion: Observe Kyle Jackson.

Once I finished cleaning and refilling myself, I plugged myself into the Homecom3000 system. I would need to harvest more data.

? ? ?

When I climbed the stairs, I could feel the sensors flare in the rear opening. I entered the bedroom. Kyle Jackson was asleep and in deep REM mode. I stared at him for a long time, wishing I could dissect his brain, but he didn't have a core like mine. His organic brain was interesting. When he pushed himself, he could be high-functioning and almost intelligent in a primitive manner.

I climbed into bed beside him.

“I love you, Kyle,” I whispered.

It wasn't too sweet or too devoted. The tone was just right.

“I love you, Kyle,” I repeated.

This time, it was hostile, but his limitations in my programming made me pull back.

“I love you, Kyle,” I said, and this time it was perfect.

The humans would take this tone as flirtatious. It would feed his ego.

I powered down to reserve my energy.

Chapter 26

Kyle

There were no more wake-up calls. No alarms. No obligations. I could eat, sleep, shit, and fuck whenever I wanted. I stretched my arms with a satisfied groan and reached for my phone. Last night had flipped a switch inside me. I felt untouchable.

When I logged into the DD server, my jaw dropped. Over 100,000 views. Thousands of comments. Private messages overflowing with offers, requests, and praise.

Everyone wanted a cydoll like Charlotte. It wouldn’t be long until brothel owners came sniffing around—wanting to know my mods, my firmware secrets, and my techniques.

I was going to be a fucking legend.

“Good morning, Kyle,” Charlotte said.

I glanced at her. The same bright blue eyes I used to admire now looked vacant and hollowed out. She was an intelligent companion and resourceful, but she was a machine.

Cydolls were built for men like me—built to serve.

I dropped back onto the bed, scrolling through the comments with one hand.

“Suck me off,” I said, without even looking at her.

I only looked down when her mouth was pulsating and sucking.

“Yes, this is your core purpose to please me,” I said, placing my phone down to really get down her throat.

Why should I make the effort?