Part 3B: Rayven

A few minutes later, I walked into the lab. A glance to the bed revealed a dormant Reika, a simple blanket draped over her. Irene occupied the diagnostic table where Rayven had been examined two nights ago, likewise covered to give her some sense of modesty -- not that robots really care about that, of course. Walking up to gaze into my first lover's darkened eyes, I was quick to see the content look etched on her face. "I'm glad you're alright," I whispered as I leaned down to kiss her forehead, and then moved to do the same to Irene.

"Hello?"

I stopped, spinning left to see a tall, nude form standing close to the nanofac unit. "Raye!!"

A demure smile crossed her well-shaped face as she stepped towards me. The way she moved surprised me. While there was the slight, sexy sway in her hips and shoulders that one expected from a normal fembot or bi-'bot, I could tell that Rayven was trying to mute it. Why? You'd never expect this sort of thing from a bi-'bot in full-female format, to say anything of a real fembot. They existed to be sexual.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Mistress," she began, offering her hand as her eyes drooped in a typical show of submission to a human. Now I understood. Rayven was trying to be business-like and was working to suppress her sexual side lest it interfere.

I gripped her hand, and then I blinked as she gave me a firm squeeze. The underlying strength in her fingers was more intense than the others exhibited, which confirmed what Lenn had said last night about Rayven's origins. "I'm pleased to meet you as well, Raye," I responded, reaching over with my free hand to slightly tilt her head up so we could gaze directly into the other's eyes. "And please, don't call me 'mistress.' My name's Deanna." I decided then to give Lenn's latest patient a little test. "So how do you feel right now?"

Rayven's response was automatic. "Physically, I'm fine. Marlenn does great work. But here..." She pointed to the valley between her gorgeous D-cup breasts where her true self -- her memories -- lay. "It's a different story. I..." She paused, and then she bit her lip. "I know about Brenda and the others," she finished, her voice lowered to a shamed whisper.

"Did Lenn tell you?" I asked.

She shook her head. "She didn't have to. While I was in the nanofac, my mind had to be fully active so I could cyberlink with the nanites. They needed to do that to ensure all the repairs chimed right with my operational specifications."

"You were able to read our lips? Through all that murk?"

"Thanks to infra-red vision, yes," Rayven replied with a nod, and then she blinked, her eyes suddenly glistening.

I stared at her. Sighing, I reached over to draw her into my arms. She didn't resist as I allowed her to rest her chin on my shoulder. "It's alright, Raye. Cry. Let it out," I soothed, reaching up to gently thread my fingers through her rich hair.

The slender body in my arms quaked immediately as sobs stole her voice.

It was the only appropriate reaction possible.

"Thank you, Deanna."

I drew Rayven back to stare into her eyes. I was right about her height; she was, at most, only three centimetres shorter than me. "Can I ask you a question, Raye?" I prodded. After her nod, I pointed down to her feet. "Do you wear high heels?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I'm told I should but I'm tall enough as is, don't you think?"

I chuckled as my eyes drifted down to gaze once more on her breasts. "You're all right by my books." Jeez, now that I could see them perked up, I had to admit that one of hers was worth both of mine. Life can be so unfair at times, I suppose. I wondered if Lenn would let me in the nanofac tank. "Here, let's get a housecoat on you." I walked over to a small wardrobe Lenn kept in the lab. "Much that I don't mind staring at nude 'bots when the chances come, seeing that constantly gets very distracting. I haven't yet fully desensitized myself to it."

Rayven nodded understandingly as I drew out a housecoat and draped it over her. She tied herself down, and then she stared at me. "You said 'nude 'bots.' I take it you don't particularly care what sort of 'bot you're with..." She paused before shrugging. "Intimately?"

"Male, female, bi -- I've never met a herm-'bot or a neuter, though -- I'll take them any way they come, Raye," I stated with a wink. "Of course, if you're a freed bi-'bot like my three lovers, I've really got no say in the long term as to how they'll live."

Her eyes widened, and then she glanced briefly at Reika. "They're all bi?"

"Yep."

"They're lucky."

That statement took me by surprise. "Why would you say that?"

Rayven breathed out, the smile slipping from her face. "I've had two-and-a-half owners since I was first activated," she admitted.

I blinked. There's an answer you'd never expect from a robot. "'Two-and-a-half?'"

She nodded. "I started out as a special order unit by a Broadway theatre actress who wanted both a personal companion and something of a bodyguard. Rayven Sheiner. I got my name from her. She..." Here, Rayven stopped for a moment, and then she shrugged. "Well, she died about a week before she would've taken custody of me from Noram. It was an auto accident outside of Richmond. I..." She paused again before a light smile crossed her face while I wondered just how much automobile accidents had come to shape this particular 'bot's life. "I always wanted to meet her," she then admitted. "Thank her for influencing my life the way she did."

Hearing that touched me deep in my heart. To be orphaned before ever knowing your "mother"... ! "What are you capable of?"

"Well, you've no doubt noticed how I can talk like a normal person even when conversing with another 'bot like Marlenn." Rayven pointed to herself. "Rayven insisted that I be fitted with the best street vernacular database available. She also had a hard-wired command fitted into me which forces me to use it in most of my daily conversations. I'm also fitted with programs that allow me to work on stage. The singer programming came later, when Brenda became my owner. That meshed pretty nicely with what Rayven had put into me when I was constructed. That makes it very easy for me to perform when I'm with the band."

"So why'd you say Lenn, Reika and Irene're lucky because they're bi?" I asked before a shrug twitched my shoulders as something came to me. "Many wouldn't see it that way. From what my girls've told me, bi-'bots struggle with strongly conflicting urges. Then again, 'bot designers never consulted with people like me before they inflicted that type of lifestyle on 'bots like Reika and Irene. They were just somehow expected to cope with it."

She breathed out, "Well, after Rayven died, the company had no idea what to do with me. I'd been paid for, but there was no one coming to take me away. Rayven never told anyone about her intent to buy me. When the executors of her estate learned about me, they decided not to bother themselves and sold me back to the company at a substantial loss. I had no rights to any inheritance. So I was sent to a dealer in Norfolk. One day, a nice man came in looking for a 'bot companion. I'd caught his eye. But so did another 'bot. Her name was Giselle."

"He chose Giselle? Why?"

"She's a bi-'bot. I'm not. And he's bisexual."

I winced. "Ouch!" escaped me before I stared at her. "Are you mad at her?"

"Of course not!" Rayven laughed, and then she shrugged, a delighted smile crossing her face. "I'm envious of her, Deanna. We got acquainted while we were on display together. We still stay in touch. She's still with him."

"You were able to become 'friends' with another 'bot so quickly?"

"Yes," came the puzzled reply. "Can't everybody?"

I smiled, crossing my arms. "That's good to hear. So if Brenda's your second real owner, who was your first?"

"Shayne Hamlyn. He's a medical researcher at the University of Virginia in Richmond. I was with him for a year, working as his research assistant and home companion." At this point, Rayven rolled her eyes, a touch of pain entering her voice. "Until his mother decided that he'd be better off with a human lover and damaged our relationship beyond repair."

I nodded. "Some mothers can be like that."

"Well, fortunately, it was around that time that Brenda was looking for a 'bot to help out with the band. Since Shayne knew about my unique history, he contacted Brenda over the 'Net and sold me directly to her. I've been with Brenda ever since."

Silence fell as I considered what Rayven had said, and then I stared at her. The smile had slipped from her face. It didn't take me long to realize what could be bothering her. "Raye, it's not your fault," I assured her.

"It's not their fault," she emphasized, both her hands clenching.

I nodded. "You're right. It's not their fault either."

"You may not know it, but I was a bodyguard from the beginning as well as a performer. That part of me has never been removed." Rayven's eyes turned toward the floor. "I was responsible for their protection," she added with a hiss in her voice.

It was an emotional minefield that I was bringing Rayven into. No matter what, though, she had to face this. "Like it or not, it happened. And..." I took a deep breath. "Their chances aren't very good right now. And I want you to know that if something happens to them..." Here, I took another deep breath. "That you can stay with us."

Rayven blinked, and then her gaze lowered from me, fresh tears glistening in her eyes. "I can?" she asked in a very meek voice.

Rayven clearly had low expectations for her future. "Yes. Unless your label can claim ownership of you. I strongly doubt it, though."

"No. I was always Brenda's personal property. As long as I'm with the band and perform on cue, the label doesn't care about me."

"Alright, then..."

The lab door opened, revealing Lenn. "Rayven, someone just called from Saint Catharines. Some fellow named Neil Burnet."

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Our roadie," Rayven replied...

Within a half-hour, Neil delivered all of the Vee Beemers' instruments and other road gear, plus their suitcases and other personal belongings. He was from New York, a worker for the Beemers' record company. Briefly talking to him, I learned -- much to my disgust -- that the chances were good that Brenda and her friends would be cut off from outside support. Whatever life insurance the girls had certainly wouldn't cover all aspects of an accident like Saturday night, especially given that drugs were now known to be involved. And with their injuries -- Neil got the lowdown from the group's agent, Karen Litzky -- the chances of the Beemers ever making a comeback were slim to nil.

After he had driven off, I asked Rayven what she personally thought of Neil Burnet. "He's an asshole," she retorted sharply.

"Why'd you say that?" Lenn wondered as we -- by then, Reika and Irene were up -- got to work shifting the band's gear into the storage room.

"He was supplying them with everything they wanted," Rayven confirmed.

"Didn't you think about trying to stop him?" Irene asked. "The First Law should've demanded it of you!"

Our guest stopped as she considered how to respond to that, then she breathed out, tears tricking down her cheeks, "I did, Irene. I really did. But..." She shook her head. "I knew what the drugs were doing to them. I had been able to keep all the knowledge I'd gained before Brenda bought me, so all the lies Neil spread about how 'good' they were never washed."

"But at the same time, you couldn't help but notice how happy -- even if it was a panacea -- those drugs made them," I added.

"Yeah," Rayven replied with a nod as she walked over to where her suitcase sat by the front door. "They did make them relax, especially when we were on the road touring. And it also helped with their writing. Seeing that, I..."

Here, she stopped, standing now at the doorway to the guest room Lenn had set aside for her. We waited for a moment for her to conceive of the best way to express herself. With nothing forthcoming, I took a deep breath. "Raye, do you need any help?"

Rayven looked at me, and then she bit her lip. "I don't know, Deanna..."

"Would you want Deanna to use your remote to help you?" Lenn asked.

Our guest's eyes went very wide on hearing that question, and then Rayven looked down on herself. Finally, she sighed. "I don't know."

I exchanged looks with my lovers, and then I walked over to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Raye, if you've said that, then you don't need the remote," I told her with a friendly smile. "Just think it through. Then tell us what you feel..."

Seeing Rayven's face suddenly light up, I could only grin.

Sometimes, a simple push is truly the best way to go.

She gazed into my eyes, a weak smile crossing her face. "I didn't know what to do at the end, Deanna."

I returned her look, and then reached over to draw her into my arms. My other lovers quickly moved in to make it a group hug. "Given the way you were at the time this happened, Raye," I announced before I kissed her forehead in reassurance, "... no one can blame you for that."

"No one at all, Raye," Irene echoed me.

"Not a one, Raye," Reika added.

"No one, Raye," Lenn topped that.

Rayven's cheeks reddened as our words seemed to push her one critical step further into that vast wilderness of self-thought and self-will so few 'bots ever reach. Seeing her facial response to our words of comfort, I had to whistle to myself. Damn! 'Bots were getting more and more advanced by the day. Then tack on Rayven's acting programming and other social interactive databases... !

Taking a brief glance down at her chest, I was quick to notice her nipples pressing hard into her housecoat. Very good sign! Clearly, deep in her soul, Rayven knew -- she understood -- what we were saying, why we were saying it and responded as only a 'bot does.

With that, she gave Lenn a deep, tongue-filled kiss in thanks. Repeating same with Reika and Irene, she then faced me. Lowering her gaze, she moved to say something. I touched her chin with my finger, forcing her to stare directly into my eyes.

"Raye, you never, ever have to bow to me," I assured her. "Okay?"

She blinked, and then a smile crossed her face. "Okay." She then took a deep breath. "Deanna, will you be my owner?"

I grinned. "Raye, I'd be honoured. But let's make sure we're not stepping on other people's toes first before we do that."

"Okay..."

After getting everything moved into Rayven's guest room, we got dressed, then headed to the hospital to look in on Brenda and her friends. Arriving there, I spotted a gaggle of people, easily forty, crowded around the admissions entrance. There were three media vans parked nearby, one from the CBC -- the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - in Toronto, one from CITY-TV/Much Music in Toronto and the last from CHCH television in Hamilton. Strange, I mused. The Beemers were an American band. Where the heck're the media people from any of the Buffalo stations?

Along with the reporters, camera people and technicians, there were a small group of fans waving placards. All were girls in their late teens. Seeing the messages of love and hope for Brenda, Kip and Monica -- and Rayven, too! -- I had to sigh. From what she told me as we were moving her stuff into her guest room, Rayven wasn't entitled to any of the band's earnings since she wasn't a freed 'bot. Whatever she did "get" actually was passed on to Brenda. Yet to see the Beemers' fans treat Rayven as being equal to her human bandmates... !

"You up to this, Raye?"

Rayven nodded, she giving my hand a thankful squeeze. "I'll be fine."

We stepped out of the car, then as a group, marched toward the building. Sure enough, the fans were the first ones to spot the girl in the black T-shirt, form-fitting jeans and leather biker's jacket. Their screams of joy on seeing Rayven whole and healthy instantly got the media's attention. To my surprise, they stayed in place until we came up to them, though several were quick to shout questions. Scanning the faces, I recognized a reporter from the CBC evening news, another beat reporter from CHCH -- and Ewan Jolan.

He's a reporter from Welland's local newspaper, the Tribune.

Guess how I know him?

"Please!" Rayven called as she rose a hand to silence the torrent of questions, then she breathed out, "Ladies and gentlemen, I've just come to look in on Brenda, Kip and Monica. I'll be happy to answer some questions, but I don't wish to be delayed for long. Yes?"

She pointed to the CHCH reporter. "Miss Hamlyn, what exactly happened on Saturday night when you and your friends were travelling to Welland? The spokesperson for your label didn't give any details when she arrived an hour ago to look in on your bandmates."

Rayven shrugged. "In her defence, I would say it's most likely that Karen didn't know any details yet."

"What did happen, Rayven?" the CBC reporter pressed.

Rayven gazed at me. Ignoring the sudden increase of camera flashes, I smiled. "Tell them the truth," I mouthed, knowing she reads lips.

Seeing that, her gaze turned inward for a moment, and then she nodded, the smile slowly returning to her face. Facing the crowd, she bowed her head, and then began, "Ladies and gentlemen, it's very hard for me to admit this, but for my friends' sake, I will. This all began two years ago when the band put out our first wide-release album, Kissing A Fool, and the sales grew beyond anyone's expectations..."

The explanation took fifteen minutes, interrupted along the way with some technical questions from a reporter from the Saint Catharines Standard and another from the Hamilton Spectator. At the end of it, I could see sad acceptance from the crowd before me, even the teary-eyed fans off to my left. "Why didn't someone say something, Rayven?!" one girl cried out before burying her face in her friend's shoulder.

"No one cared for the danger they put those girls through," Ewan answered, then he stared at me. "Ms. Hordye, should Miss Beemon or her friends be incapable of resuming their responsibilities toward Miss Hamlyn, do you intend to become Miss Hamlyn's owner?"