"So you might have spied on her too," she said, seeming gratified.
"Affirmation. Maybe I am doing it now."
"Maybe," she agreed. "I do not know whether a man can understand, however."
"I will make the effort."
"There is a big sign saying KEEP OUT, which of course we honored. But Shee was always a bit different, and so was I. We did not always do exactly what we should." She met his gaze. "Am I revolting you?"
"Negation. I have been in trouble many times."
She nodded. "Of course. Emulating the original Havoc. That makes sense. But we girls are supposed to be docile and obedient. We feel guilty when we aren't."
"We men like that quality in you," he said gallantly "But also that bit of independence. We like to hope that you will do something naughty with us."
She laughed. "As I am doing now." She was holding his member, but not manipulating it at the moment, distracted by the dialogue.
"Affirmation."
"I am glad I am talking with you, Havoc. Already I feel less guilty."
"Welcome."
"Shee went to the forbidden fence. There was a place where a root had separated it from the ground somewhat.
She dug it out with her hands, and then wriggled under. I was amazed by her audacity; she was not being a little different, but a lot different. Encouraged by that, and doubly curious, I followed her. She did not see me." She glanced at his face again. "Was I wrong to do that?"
"Affirmation. But understandable."
"Gratitude." She resumed work on his penis, but in a somewhat perfunctory manner. She seemed not to have experience, and was hesitant to stimulate it strongly. "She walked down the path through the forest. I followed, hiding behind trees. Then two brigands appeared."
She froze, in face, words, and hand. This was evidently the crux. How she had learned about brigands. "They are brutes," Havoc said.
"Brutes," she agreed. "They grabbed her. She screamed, but they did not let her go. One held her inverted with her legs to the front. Then the other came close and brought out his—his—"
"Penis."
"Yes. And he jammed it into her body, where her legs separate. It hurt, for she screamed in pain, but he didn't stop. He kept jamming it in, until he was satisfied he had hurt her enough. Then he pulled it out."
So that was what had happened to Shee! It was confirmation of his suspicion. "It was rape."
"Affirmation. But I did not know it then. I thought the point was to make her scream. Then they changed places, and the second brigand held her with her bottom up, and I knew the first one was going to do the same."
She was silent a moment, and a tear fell on his loin. "I couldn't watch any more. I fled back to the fence, and scrambled under and ran home. I did not know whether I would ever see Shee again. I feared they would kill her. But they didn't. She returned not long after that, and said nothing. So I said nothing. Maybe she was afraid that if she confessed to being naughty, by going beyond the fence, they would remove her from the program and terminate her. Later in our education we learned about sex, and I understood that the brigands had forced sex on her. She—she must have expunged it from her memory, to make the hurt less. But I remembered."
"Conjecture," Havoc said. "Brigands are evil men. They have no restrictions. But when they do something too bad, they try to hide it, so that others will not gang up on them and kill them. They must have told her that she would be terminated if she told. So she had no choice."
"Affirmation. And neither did I. But when the final competition came, and I knew that we had to travel that same path beyond the fence, I know what was lurking. And I pondered how to handle it." Now she reached for her clothing and brought out a small knife. "I found this, and sharpened it, and kept it secret. I was a really bad girl."
"Negation. It was self defense."
"Affirmation." She smiled fleetingly "I am not threatening you. I know you are not a brigand." She dropped the knife on the floor, an open signal of defenselessness against him.
"Appreciation."
"But for the brigands, I had it. When my turn came, and they intercepted me, I did not hesitate. I leaped for the first brigand and stabbed him in the belly. He cried out but did not go down, so I stabbed him again, and again.
Then he fell, and I kept on stabbing his chest and throat and face. I couldn't stop! Then the other brigand grabbed me, and I stabbed him in the arm, and then I scrambled up and ran. But I paused to reassemble myself, and wash off the blood and hide the knife. I thought I had won the competition, but Shee got through faster. So she must have remembered, and done something similar."
"She did," he agreed.
"How can you know that?"
"Truth," he said. "I am not a robot. I am the real Havoc."
Her mouth dropped open. "Joke?"
"Negation."
"Proof?"
"Can a robot do this?" He floated up from the couch, bringing her up with him because she was touching him. "Or this?" He used illusion to change his form to that of a large green crab.
She stared at him. "Embarrassment! I thought you were another one of us! A male model, for training."
He returned to normal and sank back onto the couch. "Needless. I wanted you to, so I could scout the situation without being discovered. But now the machines know of my presence, so there is no more secrecy."
"You must flee!" she exclaimed. "They will kill you!"
"Negation. They have no power over me."
"Confusion."
"As a Glamor, I am equivalent to about type 2.6 technology, while they are type 2.5. They can't hurt me or hold me. They can only observe, and for that they need a special recording machine. They are bringing it in, but it will not be in time."
"I—I would not dare to doubt you, Havoc. But how can you know this?"
"I can see the near future paths, and am equivalently omniscient." He smiled. "You have time to do with me what you wish."
"You can see me doing it? I have your leave? You are not annoyed by my presumption?"
"Affirmation. I am not."
"Joy!" She kissed him avidly, then climbed up to bestraddle him. She took his member in and bounced vigorously, causing it to plunge deeply into her. She was somewhat clumsy with the maneuver, but her enthusiasm made up for it. "Release your pleasure, Sire, so I can have mine."
She had to serve him first. She was programmed that way, as Shee was. He let himself slide into orgasm, and felt her equivalent reaction. It was a fine mutual release.
"Gratitude," she breathed, leaning down to kiss him. She did not get off him or allow their connection to end.
"I enjoy making it with pretty girls, as you surely know."
"Affirmation. We studied you. We are programmed with high libido for you alone. We exist to please you. But you know our mission."
"To persuade me to send my daughter to join the machines."
"Confirmation. We must make every effort, though if we had free will we might suspect it was not in your best interest."
This was surprising candor. "Your programming seems not to be absolute."
"Suspicion: the same trauma that enabled Shee and me to pass the brigands gives us some independence of nature.
There are aspects that can't be programmed, which is why we were given so much latitude. We evolved ourselves, to a degree. Less so with the four remaining members of our class, though they may be developing it now."
"Question?"
"They all got raped, and were humiliated and terrified. They wonder how they could have been set up for such an ugly thing. Had any been able to think for herself, she might have gotten past, as Shee and I did. It seems as if some pain enables a person to learn independence."
"Agreement. But how is it you could be raped, being strong machines?"
"We are limited to what is normal for living creatures. We must react as they would, though it pain us awfully."