Isi’s boots rang on the concrete as she made another slow circuit of the office building. The setting of the sun four hours ago had done nothing to disperse the heavy summer heat of Los Angeles— under her vest she was sweating. There was a faint whirring sound as the small fans in her legs kicked on again, trying to keep the circuits cool— not that they did much in this thick, humid air.

I should look into upgrading the cooling systems. Weather channel said it’s only going to get hotter.

With what money? said a snide little voice in the back of her head.

Entec was a smaller private security company that catered to other smaller companies— “Up and coming!” was how the agent had been quick to describe it to her. Its clients were varied— start-up R & D basement operations worried about sabotage, niche businesses in areas with heavy gang activity. Or just paranoid motherfuckers, like the owner of this accounting firm whose offices she was currently patrolling.

“This dude’s nuts,” Becka, her handler, had told her with a sigh. “He insists that he’s being raided by hackers and technomancers daily. I know, I know— it’s stupid. But please do this right, because he’s paying the big bucks and if we lose this contract I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Isi paused for a moment to unstick her shirt from her shoulders. They were broad, even for an oni, bulked out with the synthetic muscle needed to support the weight of her metal arms. Isi understood why Entec had been so desperate to recruit her after her old job at a much larger firm had been made redundant in a merger. A full set of souped-up cyber limbs, synth muscle everywhere, zoom lenses in her eyes— why would you pass up on someone who came pre-kitted out? Every inch of her was wired up, down to the nerves that heightened her reflexes and the paper-thin circuits in her brain that helped her aim.

Not that she’d really had much cause to make full use of her body in the past year or so. Such small jobs— sometimes she felt like a tiger called in to deal with a mouse problem.

Isi kicked at a stray chunk of tarmac with her heavy boot. It wasn’t really like she had a choice. Before she’d lost her old job...well, all the ‘ware had been a good investment, probably, but there had been other...not so great financial decisions, when she’d been younger and stupider. And now a serious lack of savings was how she found herself here, patrolling another shitty little office building for imaginary hackers.

She hated it— she hated herself for fulfilling the stereotype. Big, stupid, oni, impulsive monster, can’t plan ahead, just wants to get drunk all day and—

The “call incoming” light on her AR HUD went on.

“Isi?” Becka’s voice said in her ear. “You all right?”

Isi shook her head sharply. Enough about that.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m going to make another pass inside— it’s still hot as shit out here.”

“Ten four.” The light went off.

Isi liked Becka— she was smart and didn’t fuck around. She felt a weird sense of kinship with the elf— they were both too good for this dead-end job.

There was a faint buzzing in her ears. Issi tapped the comlink speaker in annoyance as she circled back around to the far side of the building, where the little parking lot was. It didn’t help— the sound felt like it was deeper somehow, like it was coming from inside her ear canal. She could feel the start of a headache. 

I should have brought more water with me— I thought it would have cooled off by now.

Overhead, one of the lights illuminating the parking lot flickered.

“Isi?” Becka’s voice crackled. “Hold on for a second— your signal’s getting a little bit fuzzy.”

“Sure, sure.”

“All right, let me just tr...g... c...ap—”

“—llo? P...n...ch…”

“...again.”

“What was that?” Isi said. “You broke up there— I think we’re getting interference from some other comlink signal.”

Man, her head was really starting to throb now— and the buzzing was getting louder. She hoped it wasn’t a problem with one of her implants.

Overhead, the streetlight popped and went out.

There was a clatter of computer keys as Becka typed, though it was getting harder to hear as the static intensified.

“Okay, I just need to rule out some things, let me just...ick...b—”

“—ere? Are you there? Can you hear me, pretty girl?”

Isi started violently at the unfamiliar voice suddenly in her ear. It was a woman’s, low and rough, filtered through that heavy static, like an old land-signal radio. There was a series of loud crackles and pops.

“I l...ou...k…”

“—ear me? Isi? Come in?”

Isi’s head pounded painfully. There was a bizarre uncomfortable tingling in her limbs and in the data jack at the back of her neck. How was that even possible?

“Becka? Something’s weird— I think someone is trying to hack into my comlink.”

“I’m trying to find—”

Her voice was washed away in a painful burst of static.

Isi’s HUD began to flicker, the “call incoming” light stuttering on and off. For a moment, the whole thing flashed a bright, eye-searing shade of magenta. Her whole body was starting to feel strange and uncomfortable, like she was getting sick. The synthetic muscle in her back began to twitch unpleasantly.

“Becka? Can you hear me? Something is wrong—”

“Helloooo, pretty girl,” the stranger’s voice purred into her ear, much clearer now. 

Isi jumped again and looked around wildly, grabbing for the pistol at her hip.

The voice laughed softly.

“Can you not see me, pretty girl?

“Because I can see you…”

Isi watched in disbelief as the several security cameras aimed down at the parking lot slowly turned to face her. She swallowed hard, trying force down the fear climbing up her throat.

“What do you want?”

Keep them talking, that was how she’d been trained. Hopefully Becka could figure out what was going on.

Another streetlight went out.

“What do I want, pretty girl? You, obviously. I looove youuuu~!”

“Hnh—!”

A sudden, awful jolt went through Isi’s body, out from her datajack right down to the ends of her metal fingers. She could feel that horrible tingling in her brain now. She staggered, doubling over and clutching at the back of her neck. Her muscles spasmed.

“—si?” Becak’s voice sounded faint, far away, and scared. “Isi? What’s going on? What’s happening? Your signal is coming back as—”

Isi groaned as another shudder ran through her body, her visions swimming. Her HUD was shaking and glitching out into pink static. She could see the number on her heart rate monitor rising rapidly, feel the sweat beading on her skin.

“Becka— help meeennnough—!”

She nearly collapsed at the sensations wracking her body. She’d only done dreamchips a few times, but this was what the moment just before they took over had been like— everything felt fuzzy and her body felt weak and too hot. The static felt like it was inside her now, inside her brain and her jack and her limbs—

The signal popped again. The graphics on her HUD were breaking down, decaying into lines of raw code, like a glitched-out web page.

In her ear, inside her head, that unfamiliar voice laughed at her. Her whole body was trembling as she slumped against the brick wall of the office.

“Can you hear me now, pretty girl? Can you feel me yet?”

Isi shivered involuntarily. Unable to stand, she sank slowly to the ground, her head spinning. What...how...what was happening to her?

“How about now?”

The static buzz intensified. Isi felt her gut churn in horror as she looked down and saw that her right hand was moving on its own, slowly dragging itself up her thigh.

“Oh fuck— no— no—!”

She focused all her will, trying to hold in place, and felt her own limb struggling against her, the metal trembling.

“What’s wrong, pretty girl?” the voice said. “Do you not like it?” There was a faint hint of a pout. “Do you not like me?”
Isi’s hand jerked suddenly, against her efforts to hold it still. The voice hardened.

“It’s okay. I’ll make you like it. I’ll make you like me.”

“Stop,” Isi grunted between clenched teeth.

“Why?” A disconcerting shift back to that smooth, husky purr. “I just want to be your best friend, pretty girl! I love youuuuu~!

Gods, that crazy client was right—

Isi slapped at her comlink’s reset button frantically with her left hand. The line popped and crackled.

“—si! Are you there? Tell me what the fuck is happening!”

“Beck,” Isi gasped out, “Send backup, he was right, it’s a tech—”

“Oh. Bad girl.”

Isi’s left hand wrapped itself around her throat, choking off her voice. The line went dead.

“No more of that, okay, silly? Just relax for me now, pretty girl...relax…”

There was a sudden, unbelievable sense of intrusion at the back of her neck. Like fingers, like octopus tentacles reaching into her datajack, into her body, into her head. She could feel the signals, the static, rushing into her, sparking down her nerves, inside of her, down her spine, up into her brain, the hand of an airplane pilot cranking knobs and flipping switches and pressing buttons. Pressing one button in particular.

Isi whimpered in disbelief as she felt herself getting hard. Sweat dripped down her face as her cock throbbed, straining against her pants as it swelled to its full length.

“Nooo,” she whined softly as she felt her possessed hand move again, squirming against the alien loss of control as it tugged at the fly of her pants, pulling it open and the material down until her erection sprang free.

Her hand wrapped around the shaft and began to stroke her gently with the soft silicone pads of her palm. Her legs spasmed and she was unable to hold back a loud moan as the pleasure jolted through her. The last time the urge to touch herself had been this intense had been when she was a hormone-drunk teenager. Her cock was already twitching and dripping a steady trickle of precum all over her. It was like there was a dial in her brain that was being turned up higher and higher and higher, drowning out everything else, so hard, so fucking horny—

“Fuck,” Isi whimpered. She knew she had to do something, had to get away, but her arousal was making it so hard to think.

If I can come, I’ll be able to think clearer. I have to come, have to get it over with—

Isi allowed her hand to speed up, squeezing harder. Precum dripped in a steady stream over her fingers. She couldn’t help but give a groan of relief.

Good girl, the technomancer purred into her ear. Not so bad after all, huh~?

Isi ignored her, and ignored the little frisson of pleasure that ran down her metal spine at the praise.

She had to focus, had to come—

God, she was so fucking hard. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this sensitive. Every pump of her hand made her whole body shudder. It felt like each stroke was across her brain, too, stimulating every neuron with such intensity that it made her eyes roll back and her tongue loll out of her slack mouth.

Harder, faster, have to jerk off, have to come, have to—

“Relax,” the technomancer’s voice came again, this time no longer through her comlink but right next to her.

“That’s it, let me in…”

Isi felt invisible hands on her, beneath her clothes, touching her chest, her breasts, her back and stomach. She felt the technomancer’s breath on the side of her face, soft and warm. She could feel the pink static in her brain, pulsing and spreading with each pump of her hand.

Focus— she’s trying to distract me— need to focus— need to come— need— stroke— harder— faster—

Drool dripped off her chin and onto her chest. Her body trembled and rocked with each thrust into her cum-covered hand. Her vision was hazy and pink. There was so much static inside her head now, pulsing, throbbing; it felt full, like she was getting fucked there, like the static was a big, hot cock thrusting in time with her own. It felt—

— so good to have me inside of you, pretty girl, you’re doing so well for me now…

Isi could feel the technomancer’s smaller body pressing against hers, could feel a hot, wet tongue invading her ear, could feel her hand gripping her cock— wait, wasn’t it supposed to be Isi’s hand? She couldn’t tell which one of them was doing what anymore.

Don’t think about it— it doesn’t matter. The thoughts were supplied to her automatically, like a personafix. Forget everything else. Not important. Pump your cock. Let her touch you. Let her fill you, let her love you.

Isi’s HUD was a collection of unspooled junk code and error alerts, buzzing on and off like an old neon sign, but she didn’t see it. Her eyes were glazed over, pupils dilated, starting blanking into nothing— coming was the only thing that mattered right now.

“I love you, I love you, I looooove you,” the technomancer crooned into her ear.

God, she was so fucking hard, aching so bad it was starting to hurt. Isi could feel herself getting closer and closer to finally climaxing.

Closer—

Fuck— so close—

Right on the edge—

Almost— 

SO close—

Isi whined through clenched teeth. She was so unbearably close now, but no matter how hard and fast her hand went, her body refused to give her release. She felt hot tears of frustration prick at the corners of her eyes.

“Please—!”

“Please, what? What do you want, pretty girl?”

“Please let me come!” Isi sobbed out. “Please— I need it—”

“Aww, you need it?” the technomancer said mockingly. Her voice hardened again. “Tell me you love me. I want to hear you say it.”

“Please— I love you—”

“Louder. Say, ‘I love you so much, Lambda, please let me come my stupid worthless brains out for you!’”

“Please— I love you so much, Lambda!” Isi wailed. “Please let me come my stupid worthless brains out for you! Please, please, pl—”

Isi felt herself shoved over the edge without warning. Her climax slammed into her like a wave, smashing what was left of her will until the only thing left inside her was pleasure that kept rising and rising, making her shake and moan and jerk. Her pleasure and the technomancer’s alongside her, inside her, dissolving her into the pink light, the most complete and powerful orgasm she’d ever had, the deep, immediate knowledge that she was totally surrendered and owned now, a mindless device slaved to the master computer, so good, so right, can’t stop coming, can’t st—

***

Isi opened her eyes. The gears of her brain turned over sluggishly, grinding. Her cock was soft now, her pants saturated and sticky with spent cum.

The signal in her brain told her body to stand up, and it obeyed, clumsily, swaying like a puppet.

Isi looked around in a daze. Where was she?

There was a lot of noise. She looked to her right, out into the street. There was a large commotion there— something was on fire. A car. The logo on the side was—

Unimportant, the signal in her brain supplied for her. All of that was unimportant, she didn’t have to think about it. Or anything else.

“They tried to take my pretty girl away from me...stupid!”

Isi nodded automatically as she was sleepwalked back behind the building. Everything was so soft and fuzzy now— she was glad she had someone who could do all the thinking for her.

There was a van waiting for her. Isi climbed into the front passenger’s seat. A tangle of wires and plastic filled the driver’s side— the van had been rigged to be able to be driven remotely. It began to move, pulling out of the back entrance of the parking lot. Isi buckled her seat belt. She wasn’t afraid— everything was totally fine now. She trusted her master. She loved her master.

“Good girl. You’ll be able to meet me in a little while, and then you can stay with me and love me forever. Won’t that be nice?”

Isi nodded again. The van purred through the quiet late-night streets. Behind it, streetlights went out and security cameras reset, hiding any trace of its passage. Inside the Entec database, a ripper virus was already chewing through personnel files, erasing any trace of her existence.

“Good girl. Now sleep.”

And Isi closed her eyes and slept.