She had vomited most of her stomach's contents in her shower stall, falling onto the tile floor when she passed out.

For a whole day, she did not come to and Oresa came in to find her near death from heatshock. Alarmed, she immediately called for help.

Emerency services came and took her to Rinrin, Tirakel's only hospital.

*********************************************************

In the android shop, Orela and Theren were very worried about her. They were in the midst of a mammoth project to built the last two 8800 Series Replicants, Olera no. 8871 and Oresen no. 8875, as twin Replicants.

It could not progress without Merisa. They feared that they would have to abandon it. Worry about Merisa clouded everything too.

But they recieved help from an unlikely place. As they were looking at the freshly molded skeletons, Boid came in with a young female with light brown hair and a strong resemblance. He said that she was Chiela Boid, his 27 year old daughter.

Chiela was also a designer and builder of androids like Merisa. She was new but knowledgable and had a talent for making replicants real looking. She was not an effective manager like Merisa but they continued anyway.

**********************************************************

Olera failed to take. She had a severe failure of her wiring system during a test and burned over six liters of her cytec.

Chiela took full responsibility, shamed into failure.

Merisa returned as she was stripping the burned cytec from Olera's half finished body.

"Oh my...., what happened here?," she asked.

Chiela looked down at the scorched mess. "Her wiring shorted. Burned her cytec all along her spine. It was my fault."

Merisa frowned. "And who are you?"

"I am Chiela Boid. My father said I was ready. I don't understand what went wrong," she said mournfully.

Merisa shook her head. Typical rookie mistake to burn cytec. "You didn't shield the wires, did you?"

Chiela shook her head. "No. I should have."

Merisa sighed. "It's okay, Chiela. I will help you fix her. Did you start on Orisen, yet?"

"No, I wanted to finish this one first." She looked depressed.

"Cheer up, Chiela. It's not that serious. Let's get this off of her and we'll run her through a power wash" Merisa pulled on her work gloves.

Chiela sighed and continued pulling the damaged cytec out of Olera's body.

**********************************************************

Orela looked at Merisa. "Are you feeling well?"

Merisa shook her head as she sat in her office, feeling sickly hot. "No, I am still a bit ill. I will be okay. Don't worry. How is Oresen coming along?"

Orela smiled. "She is ready for head work, now."

Merisa was pleasantly suprised. "Really? That's very good, Orela."

"Why are we building them? If I may ask."

Merisa frowned. "We have to start on the hybrid soon. They are the last two left. Once we are done, the 8800 Series will be complete."

Orela nodded. "Then may I suggest storing Olera until a future date? There is too much work to do on her."

"But they are twins, Orela. They should come in together."

She shook her head. "I won't pretend to understand the significance of that."

"You don't have to. I will do as you suggest. Olera is far from ready anytime soon. You make make the preparations."

Orela nodded. "Yes, Merisa." She smiled and left the office.

Merisa hated to do this but it was necessary, especially because of the way she felt.

**********************************************************

Oresen, no. 8875, looked a lot like a Laneran modern day actress, suggesting that Theren was using a modern subject, a big no no. She awoke and asked if she could have her female parts activated.

This disturbed Merisa. Few wanted this. She asked why.

Oresen said that she wanted to be a porn actress.

Merisa was shocked almost to the point of being sick. She did as Orese asked and told her how she felt about it.

Oresen became angry and left the facility at once.

Merisa wanted to stop her but had another heatshock attack. She took herself back to the hospital.

**********************************************************

Oresa was sent to retrieve Oresen. She was told not to be congenial. She was upset by her wayward kin and went to Sakina, were Oresen went.

She tracked her via the tracer on Oresen's spine, which led her to a house where adult films were made.

She politely sent a message: Oresen, this is Oresa. I've come to take you back to Tirakel. Come willingly or regret it.

Oresen replied instantly: Come and try to take me, Oresa, You'll be the regretful one.

Oresa pulled out her plasmic cannon and shook her head. Be reasonable, Oresen. I will shoot you and bring you back in pieces. Oresen scoffed: You don't scare me, now leave.

Oresa took aim at the wall nearest Oresen, who was inside being photo imaged nude. She fired and the wall came apart violently in a spray of wood and burning embers.

Oresen messaged: Fool! You are going to pay for that

Oresa smiled as she prepared a dart that would temporarily disrupt cytec activity. She loaded it into the plasmic cannon. This is your last cance to come willingly.

Oresen came to the blown out wall, naked. Make me

Oresa grinned. Okay. She shot Oresen in the chest.

Oresen staggered back and fell heavily onto her back. Ohhh, what have you done to me?

Oresa went to her and picked her up, slinging her over her right shoulder. "I gave you a choice, Oresen. Told you that you would regret it."

Unable to speak, Oresen messaged: I hate you, Oresa.

Oresa chuckled. "You aren't the first or the last to hate me, you fool." She proceeded back to her ship and back to Tirakel.

***********************************************************

Merisa frowned as Boid tinkered with Oresen's AI Core. "Why did she do that?

"Logic flaw. She wanted to make easy money. It won't happen again," he said as he sat at his complex work station.

Oresen lay face down, her head panels open, on the white worktable. She wore nothing and had the tell'tale spiderweb marks of cytec stun all over her back. They would fade completely but not for a while.

Merisa thought seriously about making them permanent as a lesson against misbehavior. "Can you make her inhibited?"

Boid nodded. "As inhibited as my Chiela.

She smiled. "When did you ever have a kid?"

Boid chuckled. "It's better that you not know, Merisa. Here, done, watch the change in her demeanor." He handed the AI Core to her.

She carefully took it over and reinstalled it. She closed the head panels and turned her over. The activation was immediate.

Oresen sat up, covering herself, discreetly. "Oh, my back stings, Merisa."

Merisa smiled. "As well it should. You disrespected yourself. What have you to say about it?"

Oresen looked down. "I'm sorry. I will ever do such things again."

Merisa nodded. "Good. I have a job for you. You will work as my acquisitions procurer. You look nice and you are intelligent, 2 qualities necessary for dealing with Arktarie businesspeople. We are about to embark on an insult to my work and beliefs, I want to make sure it looks like them, kiritch bastards."

Boid shook his head. "That's maybe not a good idea,'Ris. It's against the law to make androids in thier likeness."

Merisa scoffed loudly. "This won't be an android, Cres. It's going to be a freak of biotechnology. Oresen, go to Orela and tell her to get you an Arctarian style buisness formal dress."

"Yes, Merisa," she got up and hurried away.

"Why the venom, 'Ris? It's not like you," Boid asked.

Merisa sadly shook her head. "I have Cristalian female problems and an Arci te female doctor treated them like a minor illness. They hate my kind so I hate them."

"You shouldn't hate anyone, 'Ris."

She looked at him. "Wait until I'm done with the freak and say that." She went to take a cold, cold shower.

� 3 March 2004 Gregory Thompson