Chapter 25

Sands stepped out of the taxi and paused on the threshold before venturing inside the darkened apartment. A distinct smell of antiseptic and cleansing solvents hovered in the air and fuelled his curiosity. In the kitchen, every surface was spotlessly clean and as he moved from room to room, he became aware of exactly how Janice had spent her time in his absence.

Making his way upstairs, he observed a chink of light escaping from underneath the bedroom door. He pushed it open and stared in surprise. Janice was dressed it exotic lingerie, almost transparent in appearance. She looked like a model from a pornographic tank movie and his arousal peaked instantly.

"I said I'd wait up," she cooed, spreading and affording him a perfect view of all of her assets.

"You've kept busy while I've been gone."

"The place was in dire need of a clean and I had time on my hands. You're back earlier than I expected."

"Yes, well..."

"Tempted by what I have to offer," she giggled as she slid off the bed and sidled seductively up to him. Pete slipped his arms around her slender waist and drew her close, revelling in the warmth of her body pressed against his. He made no objections as she methodically stripped him of his clothes and dragged him towards the bed.

"I want you inside me now," she sighed, leaving no doubt as to the state of her arousal.

Pete fell atop her, taking pleasure in the tight confinement of her sheath. He set up a regular rhythm, driving steadily towards his release whilst she stimulated him by tenderly stroking her hands over his skin. Afterwards, they lay quietly as passion suffused them.

Janice sensed his change of heart and welcomed the attention.

"What changed your mind?" she asked affectionately.

"Just something that Valerie said."

"You told her about me?" Janice sounded almost shocked.

"I asked her about Companions in general and what motivates them. She explained how they need to be assigned a client in order to feel complete. She'd never heard of any of them binding of their own accord though."

"I'm unlike any other Companion in existence. My Infiltrator subroutines augmented my program and allowed me to choose whom to serve."

"Valerie said that once bound, the changes are irreversible."

"That's probably true. I've made a permanent commitment to you."

"What would you have done if I'd rejected you?"

"It was a chance I had to take. I couldn't continue any longer how I was. I saw the way you looked at me, like I was some kind of venomous snake."

"You have to understand our situation. We uncovered a massive conspiracy with Syntel deep at its heart. You're already aware they've already tried to kill Greg when he tried to obtain information about the SYLFs."

"From the chemist, Doctor Matlock?"

"Sounds funny when you refer to him that way."

"Why?"

"I first met him many years ago when he was still at college," Sands informed her, "distributing illegal narcotics throughout his campus."

"That sounds about right. I knew him quite well. He'd produced this modified supplement and there was a steady market for it from the Companion community. They provided him with cash and sex in return for his product."

"And you?"

"I'll admit I've spent my fair share of time in his bed. He had this boyish charm but he lacked any sense of caution. He certainly didn't deserve what they did to him."

"No," Sands agreed quietly, "I guess he didn't."

"The Companions are distraught now that he's dead. They've no source of liquid solace to help them pass away the time."

"You're in touch with other Companions?"

"We operate a clandestine chat room on the MetaNet to share experiences."

"Incredible. Does Syntel know about this?"

"I think they're vaguely aware of its existence but thankfully they have no means of easily monitoring the traffic."

"What sort of things do you find to discuss?"

"The sexual predilections of our clients, general happenings at the Facility, and the ongoing disagreements with the Infiltrators."

"I don't understand."

"There's a long running feud between us. The Infiltrators view us as inferior whilst we see them as arrogant and conceited."

"But you were once an Infiltrator?"

"I'm in the unique position of having a foot in both camps. The Infiltrators are a strange bunch. I find dealing with them an unsettling experience."

"But they know you're now a Companion?"

"You're joking. If they had even the slightest suspicion then they'd be extremely unhappy with me. Besides, I am still part Infiltrator. There are some advantages that I'd be reluctant to forgo."

"Such as?

"I can spin up for one thing. None of the other Companions can do that."

"Spin up?"

"The Infiltrators and Hybrids have this special mode that allows them to speed up their reflexes twenty fold. I saw this cat fall out of a tree once. I watched it twist its body around and around in slow motion before landing on its paws."

Sands tried to imagine how it must feel to have such amazing powers, experiencing a brief moment of envy. "You have the best of both worlds then?"

"Given the choice, I'd still be a Companion. I couldn't conceive of a life without sex."

"The Infiltrators don't engage in that sort of behaviour then, I take it?"

"Only under exceptional circumstances; it's not something they relish. A girl who came through the Facility at the same time as me was going deep under cover, keeping tabs on somebody that had been on Syntel's watch list for years. He stole the prototype Hybrid right out from under their noses."

"The missing girl from the Birdcage?" Sands exclaimed.

"And the apartment block massacre. She took out several Infiltrators during that particular engagement and it really pissed them off."

"Syntel?"

"The Infiltrators. Their pride was shattered and it certainly didn't help it was a Hybrid that was responsible. She also killed Kathy, the Infiltrator that had been tasked with seducing the husband. Claire totally wiped her clean by toasting her Datacore with thermite. What with Emily's recent exploits, relations between Hybrid and Infiltrator are more strained than ever. The Infiltrators always disliked them because they were jealous of their enhanced capabilities. Now they view them with the utmost suspicion."

"Which capabilities in particular?"

"Hybrids are smarter, faster and quite a lot stronger."

Sands looked at her quizzically.

"Valerie could jump a five metre wall if she had a desire to."

"I never realised that."

"She probably plays down her abilities in front of Greg."

"So what do you plan to do now?"

"There's not much I can do to change things."

"You've helped by not revealing what you've seen."

"They don't pay much heed to my reports anyway. I used to speak directly to Henderson but now I just get diverted to some flunky."

"Maybe you shouldn't speak to them at all."

"That would just arouse suspicion. Better to just feed them snippets of nonsense like I have for the past month."

Sands smiled then kissed her. Janice returned his affection then rolled him onto his back. She crawled down his body then gently cradled his cock and balls within her fingers. Smiling mischievously, she stooped to take him in her mouth and then began a long slow series of movements that soon had him shaking in ecstasy.

"You like that?" she asked unnecessarily. Sands could only nod as her oral caress took him to the brink of climax.

"I think you might like this then," Janice replied as she sat astride his hips and guided him inside her.

Groaning as the snug warmth surrounding his manhood, Pete glanced down at their juncture and was temporarily confused by the nature of their union. It was only when he looked more closely did he realise she'd inserted him into her anus.

"I'm designed to get as much pleasure from this as regular sex," she cooed. "My anus can lubricate in much the same way as my vagina and, as I don't excrete faecal matter, there are none of the associated health implications."

Sands sighed at the delicious constriction around his cock. His ex-wife had solidly refused to entertain the possibility of anal sex but this wanton machine seemed to hold no qualms. It took only moments for the salacious act to precipitate his orgasm and Janice squealed in delight as he poured his tribute into her rectum.

After waiting for his torrent to subside, she took him back in her mouth and cleaned him thoroughly, lashing her tongue around his deflating flesh and gulping down the remnants of his sticky emission.

She fell back into his arms and he clung tightly to her body. "That was amazing," he gasped "You'll kill me at this rate."

"I'll make sure you die happy."

"So that's your wicked plan?"

"Shit. You found me out."

Pete laughed then snuggled closely to her, relishing the prospect of their ongoing relationship.

Janus was appalled at the tone of the President's speech, but hardly surprised.

"The forces of Caliban stand poised on the verge of conquest. Not content with undermining our economic stability with their subsidised exports, their troop numbers continue to escalate. Their factories turn out tanks and strike aircraft by the hundreds, feeding the vast war machine that threatens to engulf and overwhelm our democracy.

"I have summoned the Caliban ambassador to Government House for consultation but so far he has failed to provide any reassurance that his country's actions are anything but hostile."

"He's sabre rattling," Janus exclaimed. "Nothing of what he says is based on any sort of reasonable fact."

"You seem pretty sure," Huxley indicated.

"I know Caliban fairly well."

"How so?"

"I was born and lived over there until ten years ago."

Huxley studied Janus carefully, as though re-evaluating the man's motives for taking up arms.

"I know what you're thinking but I'm not an agent provocateur or a foreign spy."

"You would say that though, wouldn't you?"

"You can't defend what the government is doing Major," Emily interrupted. "They murdered their own citizens in order to try and discredit us."

"All I'm saying is that Janus's actions must be looked at in context," Huxley replied suspiciously. "There's no denying that his actions weaken Oceania and play into the hands of our enemies."

"Caliban is not your enemy," Janus assured him. "They are a peaceable nation that is being viciously exploited as a source of cheap labour. Despite what your President says, it is Oceania that has nurtured this trade and is now using it as a justification for further sanctions or whatever else this hypocrite is orchestrating behind the scenes."

"We have used the sternest language with the Caliban Premier, that unless this unwarranted aggression does not cease forthwith," the President continued, "then we will have no recourse but to defend ourselves and take whatever decisive action is deemed appropriate to ensure the freedom of our great nation."

"He's threatening to take us to war," Emily exclaimed.

"That would be madness," Janus replied. "The Caliban outnumber Oceania's forces by ten to one."

"Not forgetting the nuclear deterrent that both side possess," Huxley added. "We've had no significant conflict for two hundred years. The advent of weapons of mass destruction has made the prospect of war almost unthinkable. Mutual annihilation tends to concentrate the mind, even that of an avaricious egotist such as Payne."

"You know him?" Emily asked.

"I know of him. As a senator, he was chairman of the defence sub-committee and I saw some of the changes that were filtering through. They're investing heavily in military high tech such as smart command and control systems, laser guided weaponry, and now cybernetic soldiers."

"What are you saying Major?" Janus asked.

"I'm saying that maybe ten to one are no longer good enough odds to protect Caliban."

The next few days passed like a dream. Janice transferred many of her belongings from her apartment. Pete was amazed not only by the amount of exotic underwear that she possessed but also by the box of assorted sex toys. He spent an interesting evening with her tied face down on his bed whilst he warmed her bare buttocks with a multi-stranded flogger. Finally, he climbed atop her bound body and took his pleasure, ravaging her in any available orifice to his hearts content.

She denied him nothing and possessed an incredibly inventive mind when it came to suggesting novel ways for him to obtain pleasure from her body.

On the day before the weekend, she presented him with clothes that she'd bought especially for him. "I thought I'd try and modernise you," she admonished. "I'm sick of you going out dressed like an old scruff."

Sands forced a smile and accepted the gift, reluctant to admit to the domesticity into which he was falling.

Janice left the office early, citing an appointment with Syntel and informing him that she expected to be back before the end of the day. He returned home and tried on his new outfit. The shirt was garishly coloured and the trousers styled by a currently fashionable designer. He wore them mainly to please her.

Feeling slightly self-conscious, he paid Greg and Valerie a visit, having neglected them for the better part of the week.

"I was wondering where you'd got to," Greg told him, looking slightly surprised at his mode of dress.

"Something you're not telling us," Valerie quipped. "A woman perhaps?"

"Could be," Sands replied non-committally.

"I knew he was up to something. It looks like he's found somebody to look after him at long last."

"Spill the beans Pete," Greg asked. "Is this true? Anybody we know?"

"Just someone I met recently," he answered coyly.

They chatted for a while before Pete revealed what Janice had told him about the Companion and Infiltrator communities, and the animosity that existed between them.

"Where's this information coming from?" Valerie demanded, having not been aware of any of it.

"I have my contacts," Pete disclosed. "I've been finding out quite a bit about the machine subculture. It's been quite a revelation."

He adamantly refused to divulge Janice as his source for fear of alarming them but did repeat most of what he'd learned including the distrust that the Infiltrators felt for the Hybrids.

Returning home around midnight, he was surprised to find the house still empty and hoped nothing was amiss. He dismissed outright the possibility that she'd been playing with him to gain insight into his activities. In their short time together, he realised that he'd become strongly attached to the girl.

Unable to force worry from his mind, he spent a fretful weekend anticipating her arrival and it was only on the final evening that the front door banged shut and Janice wandered aimlessly into the house.

Pete detected an immediate shift in her demeanour. She walked unsteadily and appeared slightly confused. Stepping towards him, she seemed unable to decide what to do.

"Janice. Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?"

"Upgrade," she replied distantly. "Feel strange."

The girl was standing before him one instant, the next she was tumbling towards the ground. She convulsed violently several times then lay still. Pete rushed over to investigate. Finding the woman completely unresponsive, he pressed his fingers against her neck but found no evidence of a pulse.

Unsure as to whether this was indicative of total failure, he knew that her lack of movement was not a good sign. Calling Syntel was out of the question so that left only one viable alternative.

Valerie promised to come over as quickly as possible when he informed her that he had a dire emergency that only she could resolve. As he waited for her to arrive, he dragged Janice's lifeless body into the lounge and made her as comfortable as possible on the sofa.