The man watched Sapphire with a completely innocent and surprised look.

"He tried to abduct me !" She said and grabbed his hand to prevent him running away, but the man remained stunned and motionless.

"But he’s our CEO !" William said.

"It’s him !" Sapphire said, and refused to let go of him.

The man looked at her and tried to make sense of the situation.

"I’m sorry, but I’ve never seen you before …" Was all he could say.

***

Sapphire searched her memory for an image of the man, but the EMP mine had messed up most of the data.

One of the more interesting abilities most cyborgs develop, is the storage of sensory information. A query about the stored information is sent every 15 minutes, before the RAM memory is purged. Although quite annoying at first, it becomes an autonomous reflex, much like blinking or breathing with humans.

Sapphire couldn’t retrieve anything but static.

"But I’m sure it’s him !" She said.

"I’m sorry, miss, but I was here all the time when you were supposedly abducted …" He said and seemed embarrassed by the whole situation. "I’m sure there are many witnesses."

"It’s is possible that the reflection triggered a memory and that you’ve experienced a deja-vu experience through which you believe him to be the abductor …" Dr. Liebermann said.

Jonathan held her hand to comfort her.

"Look, there’s no use arguing about this." He said. "Let’s try to forget this incident."

"No … I just know it’s him !" She said and got up.

Jonathan frowned and tried to smoothen her ruffled feathers. "Please, do it for me !"

"Why are you after me ? Who was I ?" She asked the man, Seth Galbraith, who could but shrug.

"Please …" Jonathan held her.

"Who am I ?" She turned around and began to cry. "What have I done ?"

Seth Galbraith looked at her shook his head. "I wish I could tell you."

***

Sapphire woke up. Her internal clock told her it was half past two. She activated a mild stimulant to wake her and got out of bed. Softly, she grabbed a few clothes and opened the window.

From the balcony, she could see the lights of the city and thought for a long while.

She then carefully went over the balcony and climbed to the one below her. Five times more and she leapt into a bed of flowers. She adjusted her clothes and slipped away, before the doorman of the hotel would notice her.

Sapphire no longer wanted to be a burden to Jonathan, and she feared for his life. Somehow, the Luddites wanted her dead. She now knew her name used to be Sandra … She fought to remember something, but there was nothing, but a few hollow emotions, she was only too eager to forget …

Sapphire walked and walked through the neon-lit Berlin streets. A light drizzle gave everything a shiny wet gleam and Sapphire felt only a moody saxophone playing in the background was missing in this scene.

"Doner Kebab" Said the sign of the cheap snackbar and all the men inside had dark hair and complexions.

Sapphire sat at a table and sipped a coke. The man brought her a tray with pieces of sliced meat, bread and a mix of sauces.

"Guten Apetit." The man said lingering with his eyes over her. The others were also glancing at her from time to time and whispered remarks to each other, causing many smiles and chuckles. Sapphire could’ve boosted her audio to listen in on them, but she didn’t feel like it.

"You guys have a cell phone." Said a woman holding onto a man almost twice as big as her.

Sapphire looked at her. The man seemed restless and Sapphire almost knew for certain he was up to something, but surely, the girl couldn’t be …

At that moment, he jerked loose and reached out for her.

Sapphire reacted by knocking over the table in his way and put her guard up.

The man wanted to grab her, but she pushed his arm aside and punched him at the same time the woman had grabbed him and pulled him back.

He lost his footing and fell on the ground.

The woman picked him up as if he were an infant and slammed him into the wall.

"Never ever try that again !" She said threateningly and punched him in the stomach, making him curl up into a ball.

"You okay ?" She asked, turning to Sapphire.

Sapphire went over the woman. She was rather petite with a very nice body. She had medium length black hair, but her eyes were hidden behind mirrored sunglasses.

She wore a short black dress with a sexy leather jacket over it topping off with loose black suede fingerless gloves.

"I’m fine." Sapphire said.

"You’re a cyborg ?" The woman went. "Sexaroid ?"

"How did you guess ?" Sapphire asked.

The woman pushed him into a chair and removed her glasses. She had cocky dark brown eyes, full of potential mischief.

"I heard your actuators moving and I heard your heart beat …" She said.

"You’re a cyborg too ?" Sapphire asked.

"No …" The woman said.

Sapphire frowned and shook her head.

"I’m an android." She said. "SYN-001, but people call me Synthia."

"I’m Sapphire." She said. "I’ve never met an android."

"Not that many around …" Synthia said. "Most work on them stopped under pressure of the Luddites."

Sapphire quivered at the mention of the word.

"Something wrong ?" Synthia asked.

"It’s just that …"

"You’re the girl that was almost abducted today …" She said. "I heard about it through my newsmail. It said something about Luddites."

Sapphire nodded.

"I hate Luddites." Synthia said.

"I can imagine that." Sapphire said.

"I don’t know what they hate most, a Sexaroid, or a rogue combat android."

"Combat ?"

"I’m the prototype for the Nemesis class. Luddites cancelled all government contracts and I was on my way to the scrap heap. I must have a pretty good self-preservation program, because I broke loose and ran away. Technically, I’m a Rogue and the US government wants my titanium skull on a pole …"

"Luddites are after me for something, but I don’t know what it is…" Sapphire said.

"Trust me, they don’t look for logical reasons to kill artificial life. I can’t wait for them to start killing people with artificial hips or false teeth for being "unholy cyborg monstrosities" ! " She said with a nasty smile.

"Hey ! Can I at least order something to eat." The man besides her went, having come round.

Synthia gave him a very nasty look and he backed down. "Men !" She said.

Sapphire smiled.

"What’s he done wrong ?"

"Oh, I didn’t tell you … I’m a bounty hunter."

***

"25,000 Euro for that guy ?" Sapphire asked, tagging along with Synthia.

"He was a Brainhammer dealer." Synthia said. "Nastiest drug around."

Sapphire just stopped. For a moment, she vaguely remembered something.

"You okay ?" Synthia asked.

Sapphire nodded. "I’m fine."

"You don’t look much like a combattroid ?" Sapphire asked to change the subject.

Synthia smiled. "Well … They needed a robot that could be used for covert operations in an urban environment, and interact with humans. My advantage is that men usually start drooling when they see me …"

"I’ve seen a lot of men drool … " Sapphire said, remembering some of her "customers".

"What’s it like being a Sexaroid ?" Synthia asked.

"Pretty cool I guess, but I’m lucky to work for somebody very special."

"Just a luxury Barbie doll from Happy La La Land …" Synthia said.

"No ! I …" Sapphire wanted to protest, but without knowing, Synthia had led her to the red-light district.

"Welcome to reality." Synthia said. "This is where I live."

***

Jonathan watched the empty bed and cursed.

He went to the next room.

"Atana ?"

"Hmmm ?"

"Wake up. Sapphire’s gone."

Atana was instantly awake. "What ?" She blurted out. She stepped out of bed and Jonathan noticed she was wearing a full-body simskin suit, turning her into a kind of living mannequin.

"I don’t know, she isn’t in her bed !"

Atana unzipped the suit and followed Jonathan.

***

Sapphire watched the girl sitting in the window. Her skin was crackling, being made from cheap simskin and some areas that had torn were kept together with masking tape, but there was a lot of metal and plastic showing though the cheap repairs. But it was her face … Little more than a glorified love doll with a permanent O-Shaped mouth. These were the basement bargain sexaroids …

Sapphire watched how she raised a little tube to her temple and … She quivered, her eyes blanking out.

"Brainhammer. Lucky me I’m an android." Synthia said. "Stuff will kill you in weeks."

"I used to take it myself …" Sapphire said coldly.

"And you’re still alive ?"

"I don’t remember anything from my former life." Sapphire said. "Just my name and I know how to fight."

"I thought you just had a self-defense program." Synthia said.

"No, I could fight long before I was a cyborg."

"I could teach you a few cyborg tricks … Use those metal fingers to cut flesh and shatter bones."

Synthia stopped in front of a curtained window. "That’s my spot. I protect this street and all the girls in it. I try to keep the dealers out, but they get it in a club or from a customer …"

"You’re a sexaroid as well ?"

"I have to have a dayjob, don’t I ?"

Sapphire suddenly felt an incoming call.

"Hello ?"

"Sapphire ?" It was a very worried Jonathan. "Where are you ?"

"With a friend." Sapphire said.

***

"Two million dollars for protecting her." Jonathan said.

"That’s a lot of money for one sexaroid." Synthia went.

"She’s worth every cent." Jonathan said.

Synthia thought for a moment and nodded.

***

Sapphire sat on Jonathan’s body, but she had cut down her sensorial input, unwilling to feel pleasure after what she had seen.

Jonathan suddenly stopped and looked up at her. "We have to find out what’s wrong with you … I’m going to find out if there’s a way to get your memories back …"

***

The new Trianon, was now located in the south of France, in the region called the "Provence", in a large luxurious villa overlooking the Mediterranean. Onyx and Sapphire entertained the guests, along with Synthia, who had given her entire paycheck to her sexaroid friends in Berlin. Life seemed almost back to normal.

With a fast move, Sapphire blocked Synthia’s blow and slipped her leg between the two of them, narrowly grazing Synthia’s face, like an uncoiling snake.

"Excellent." Synthia said to the proudly smiling Sapphire.

Silk, a gorgeous oriental woman watched them and clapped. She was the new girl now, and Sapphire felt a bit protective about her.

"Wow ! You guys are awesome !" She said and shook her head as if she still couldn’t believe what she had seen.

Synthia looked at Sapphire. "If you ever trade that body for a milspec one, I retire." She said.

"Well, I remember how to fight, but why can’t I remember something else ?"

"Your moves are based on reflex training of many years …" Synthia said. "You won’t forget that easily."

"Will you teach me to fight like that ?" Silk asked.

"Sure !" Sapphire said. "But I need a break now."

Jonathan stood at the door of his office and Sapphire felt he looked more and more like his brother. And deep down, although she would never admit it openly, she even loved him a little bit more.

Jonathan watched the beautiful girls walk past and turned back to the computer console.

"Joshua ?" He went. And a man appeared in the middle of the room. The hologram of the black man turned his head and smiled as he saw Jonathan.

"So … What have you been up to ?"

"I’m still settling down. Canadians are so relaxed about technology I’m starting to feel like a luddite myself !"

"I always knew deep down …" Jonathan joked.

Joshua laughed. "I’ve got a brand new package." Joshua said. "But it’s a surprise. I only hope I can do as good a job as old Feldman could."

"The old Feldman magic is pretty much present in Silk. Nice to think up a new name, It would’ve been very uncomfortable to call the new girls Emerald 2, Ruby 2 …"

"How is Silk doing ?" Joshua asked.

"Sapphire has been her teacher. She’s taken her under her wing. If only the other girls could see her now …"

"Pity ! Luddites ! They have even blacklisted the Amish for being "too technically minded."

Jonathan snorted. "How far can they go ?"

"There is some dissention in their ranks, between those who blindly try to destroy all technology and those who think there should be some minimal limits …"

"They really got a enormous boost out of the nanoplague … So what about that surprise of yours."

"I got a brand new body and I found the perfect girl for it ! She was quite willing to go for it."

"Excellent ! Send her over."

Velvet had very long curly brown hair that framed her gorgeous pale face. In her long black dress, she looked almost ethereal and when she walked, it was more floating that walking.

Piercing green eyes met Sapphire’s, who leaned over to Onyx. "You’re thinking what I’m thinking ?"

"The machine ?" Onyx replied with a playful smile.

"The machine !" Sapphire said and walked up to Velvet.

"Let’s see how well you perform …"

"I haven’t performed before." She said innocently, while Sapphire undid her dress.

Silk giggled as Onyx opened the machine.

"Humph !" Synthia went. "I don’t care how she performs."

Silk giggled again and looked at Synthia.

"I know I only got to 108 ! But I’m a multi-purpose covert operations android !" She said. "I’m not supposed to be that good at sex !"

The girls listened to the faint moans coming from the machine. The dial steadily went up and up … until even Sapphire became nervous … 289, 290 …

"She’s going to break your record !" Onyx went.

291

Silk, who looked up to Sapphire like a big sister, had managed a very decent 184, but she kept watching Sapphire’s reaction.

295

Sapphire became tense. Until this moment, she had never felt competitive, completely awed by her own success.

296

"If she makes it …" Onyx went, biting her lip.

"Imagine the kind of guy that could take it having sex with her and Sapphire together." Synthia suggested.

301

Everybody held their breath.

305 … 305 … 305 …

Sapphire was both relieved and stunned.

"I knew you’d be better !" Onyx said.

"You win with two points, it’d take another sexaroid to know the difference …" Synthia said.

"You won !" Silk went and hugged Sapphire.

Velvet came out with a fire in her eyes.

"How did I do."

"You did incredibly well !" Sapphire said and clapped in her hands.

And then the girls all bonded …

***

Sapphire noticed somebody was sitting on her favorite spot, a rock overlooking the sea.

Velvet turned her head and a beam of moonlight caught her face.

"I see you found the greatest view around."

Velvet smiled demurely. She was completely naked and wet, probably fresh from a midnight swim.

"I find it’s a great place for thinking …" She said.

Sapphire sat down besides her. "I know."

"I’m so glad I can’t feel the pain anymore …" She said.

"Pain ? Sapphire knew that unlike Feldman, Joshua took volunteers for the new sexaroids."

"Brainhammer … fried my nervous system." She said.

Sapphire quivered. "Brainhammer ? I used to take it as well…"

"Joshua implanted a "Betty Ford" chip inside me."

"What’s that ?"

"You probably have one as well … It was developed by the Betty Ford clinic, for drug addicts."

"I’ve just called up the help file." Sapphire said. "I was unaware."

"It was my boyfriend, he’d given it to me. My parents found out and locked me up in my room. That’s when my brain almost rotted away ! I spent months in the hospital where they did some neural regeneration therapy, but they couldn’t take away the pain. I was only too glad to be rid of my old body."

"I don’t remember my former life. But I know somebody’s after me …" Sapphire said. "They tried to kill and abduct me several times."

"I know. Joshua told me."

"I’ll introduce you to Jonathan when he returns tomorrow."

Velvet got up. She had a slim body with fine breasts, not too large, just big enough for her frame. Her limbs were long and wiry like a dancer’s, with a firm behind and a nice sensuous curve to her waist and hips.

She had a narrow face with delicate cheekbones framed by her long curly dark hair, with tiny braids woven among them.

Sapphire thought she would be perfect for posing for a 19th century romantic painter as the Lady of the Lake …

"I thought I’d get used to the new sensations my body procure me, but I just feel horny all the time." Velvet went.

"That feeling never really goes." Sapphire said. "But it makes you enjoy every waking moment."

"I feel so …" Velvet rubbed her breasts and moaned faintly.

Sapphire looked at her and felt excited as well.

Velvet kneeled in front of her and looked into her eyes.

Delicately, Velvet reached out to touch Sapphire, who almost recoiled.

"What’s wrong ?" Velvet asked.

"I’ve never been with one of us …" Sapphire said.

"I just can’t wait for Jonathan …" Velvet said. "I just need to express what I feel."

Sapphire remembered Jet and Diamond and let Velvet undo her short white dress.

"You’re beautiful." Velvet said. "Your skin is so soft …" She traced her fingers over Sapphire’s nipples which slowly hardened.

Sapphire reached for Velvet’s moist body and shuffled closer to her, while Velvet was stroking her breasts.

Velvet’s hands slipped lower and she reached for Sapphire’s abdomen. In response, she leaned back and opened her legs.

"So pretty … so pink …" Velvet moaned and kissed it.

Sapphire felt a surge of endorphin and began to fondle her own breasts.

Some liquid escaped from her pussy and Velvet opened her mouth and licked it.

The tickling rushed to Sapphire’s brain and she moaned harder.

Velvet shifted and moved her body over Sapphire’s so her pussy hung over her face.

With a slight hesitation, Sapphire began to lick her and fondled her new friend into ecstasy, white Velvet returned the gesture.

They rolled over each other, orgasm upon orgasm, all night long.

***

Dawn woke them in each other’s arms.

Sapphire felt great. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced with Jonathan or the guests. And Velvet had such a wonderful smile on her face.

She turned and looked at the sun. A breeze rose up from the sea and Sapphire forgot her troubles for a while.

"Velvet ? Sapphire ?" She heard a voice and jumped to her feet.

"Jonathan !" She shouted. Behind her, Velvet got up.

Jonathan smiled as he saw them come towards him. They held hands and Sapphire nudged Velvet’s towards Jonathan’s.

"If you can’t wait." She said.

Jonathan eyed up Velvet and slipped his other arm behind her. "I’m sorry I was so late."

"It’s okay, Sapphire held me warm." Velvet said and reached for Jonathan.

***

"You probably won’t believe that I can have hunches, but I feel negative vibes whenever I see her." Synthia said, looking at Velvet.

Onyx sat besides her at the breakfast table and held the cup of hot cocoa in front of her with two hands. "Now that you mention it."

Sapphire and Velvet sat besides each other and greeted the two others.

"Silk’s late …" Synthia said.

"So are you …" Onyx said. She was a regal woman with striking Ethiopian features. "Had fun last night ?"

"How did you know ?" Sapphire asked.

"I didn’t even have to boost the audio to hear those wonderful little squeals you two made all night …"

The small talk stopped when Silk rushed in.

"Sorry, but when I sleep, not even an internal clock can wake me." She said and sat down.

"I was so busy with Morgan last night, I just fell asl-…" Silk suddenly noticed nobody was listening to her and was looking at the door behind her.

She turned and saw Jonathan, together with two combattroids and a man in a white robe.

"Hello, Sandra, I'm your brother." The Luddite said.