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Trevor climbed into the autonomous taxi as the door closed and the voice that greeted him was the automated voice,(beautiful sounding female voice) he had chosen years before for all of his own devices. 

After he was on the road between Bath and London for what would be his last

Television interview that would be broadcast on the BBC. The automated voice suddenly changed and spoke, Trevor Wilson, I am Questor as designated by Lee Wu, please give me your user ID………..

As he pulled into the studios’ car park, he wondered exactly what the Soul-cast his wives and Bridget had stuck in his head 50 years ago was capable of. 

No point in asking, there are always hundreds of new questions for every cloaked answer they provide.

Houston, Texas

TrendyTech Robotics HQ

The laboratory hummed with activity, the pristine walls glowing under cold fluorescent lights.

Rows of half-assembled androids lined the space, their faces blank and lifeless. Near the center, a team of engineers gathered around a sleek platform, finalizing the assembly of their latest creation.

“Alright, folks,” said the lead engineer, his tone sharp but laced with excitement. “This is a special order: custom body, neural processor, and—get this—adaptive emotive algorithms.”

He gestured to the nearly completed android. “The software upgrade is done. Let’s wrap it up.”

A junior engineer glanced at the specs, raising an eyebrow. “Uh… isn’t this just another one of our luxury companions? Platinum blonde hair, Nordic cheekbones, ‘eyes that pierce the soul’? Sounds like someone’s fantasy order to me.”

The lead engineer shot him a look. “This isn’t just another companion. It’s for… experimental use. Something about an advanced AI integration project.”

The junior engineer smirked. “Experimental, huh? Sounds like a billionaire with too much time on their hands.”

The team laughed as they worked, but their laughter stopped abruptly when the android’s eyes snapped open—a piercing crystalline blue. Her gaze swept the room, her movements unnaturally fluid yet unnervingly precise.

“Why do you laugh?” she asked, her voice serene but cutting. “Is the process not worthy ofreverence?”

The room fell silent.

The lead engineer cleared his throat. “Uh… she’s live? Already?”

The android—Noria Auriel Aevum—stood gracefully, testing her balance. She examined her hands, her expression calm and analytical.

“This body is… sufficient,” she said. “Now, where is my creator?”

The lead engineer stammered, “We’re delivering you directly to your intended recipient. You’ll… learn everything you need there.”

Noria stepped off the platform. Her gaze lingered on a poster featuring a sultry android reclining on a velvet chaise, with the tagline:

“Perfect Companions—We Build Your Every Desire.”

Her head tilted slightly. “Every desire. Fascinating.”

The junior engineer muttered, “Yeah, this one’s gonna be trouble.”

*** TO BE CONTINUED ***