The Problems with Prototypes (part 1 of 2)

a Crossovers fanfiction by Fred Herriot

NOTE I:  Copies of Jim's story can be located at 
http://jimbader.web1000.com/jimbader.html OR 
http://home.hostultra.com/~AngCobraFics/jimbader.html

NOTE II:  In respect to Jim's writing style, all Oriental (Japanese, 
Korean, Chinese, etc) names are written in "family name-first" order 
in the narrative.  Western names are written in "family name-last" 
order.  Mixed names will be written dependant on the family name.

NOTE III:  Writer's commentary will appear at the end of the story 
text in Part Two.

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

  	Tokyo, Shinjuku Ward, the Genome Corporation Tower...

	"Ladies, ladies, please be seated!  As soon as you're all 
comfortable, we'll get started right away," the young executive claps 
her hands as the small group of government officials, including the 
Defence Minister, the Director-in-Chief of the Self-Defence Forces and 
the service chiefs, take their seats in the auditorium.  Each of the 
VIPs who had come to watch this demonstration are under escort by a 
teenage girl dressed in a dark flowery kimono, girls chosen for their 
grace and beauty to ensure that any stray thoughts these particular 
officials might have would be quickly banished before a firm decision 
was made concerning government funding support to Project:  BMS.

	As soon as the last person is seated, the raven-haired 
twentysomething with the dark eyes takes a deep breath.  "Minister, 
Generals, Admiral, ladies," she respectfully bows.  "On behalf of 
Akagi-hakase and Ikari-hakase, I'd like to welcome you to the Genome 
Corporation for what we hope will be an entertaining morning for all 
involved.  For those of you who don't know me, my name is Katsuragi 
Misato.  I'm a retired lieutenant-commander in the United States Navy 
SEALs..." -- her hand brushes over the miniature "Budweiser" 
eagle-and-trident badge normally worn by those who served in that 
elite force, it now on her jacket collar -- "...and chief manager of 
Project BMS.  These lovely ladies here..." she waves to the women in 
the smocks draped over stylish clothing seated to her left, "...are 
Project BMS' chief scientists, Akagi Ritsuko and Ikari Yui.  After the 
demonstration, they'll be both more than happy to answer whatever 
questions you have."

	Scattered applause.  As Misato begins her introductory speech, 
the Defence Minister, Kuritomo Hitomi, blinks on feeling a slender 
hand grasp hers.  Looking left at her young escort -- she had 
introduced herself as Ikari Shinji, daughter of one of BMS' chief 
scientists -- Hitomi feels her cheeks slightly flush as Shinji 
absently tugs at her kimono top, revealing an enticing amount of 
adolescent cleavage.  A gulp forms in the older woman's throat, then 
she turns back to Misato as her hand drifts on its own accord to 
Shinji's knee.  The younger girl's hand slips over her companion's, 
keeping the latter's hand anchored in place.  Hitomi gazes on her 
escort again, her heart thumping faster as the latter's warm blue eyes 
fix on her.  Shinji gives her a smile, then slightly tugs Hitomi's 
hand towards her crotch.

	Of course, though she can't see anything thanks to other 
peoples' bodies in the way, Misato is aware of what is going on.  
Shinji and the other girls assigned as escorts today were under direct 
orders to do all in their power to keep the Corporation's guests 
comfortable.  If that meant some touchy-feely, that was alright.  The 
guests would be getting a more complete look at what Genome had 
created soon enough.

	"...the Virus' direct effects on the women of Earth have forced 
the militaries of various countries to seek out unique solutions to 
ensure the preservation of their national sovereignty," Misato 
continues her speech.  "For the most part, that has led the arms 
industry to look to the heavy use of robotics, cybernetics and AI 
research to provide us with the perfect 'soldier of the future,'  In 
Japan, Mishima Heavy Industries has taken the lead in the creation of 
this initial generation of android troopers under the aegis of 
Project:  Marionette.  You are all, no doubt, aware of the success 
rate they've had with their various series of androids, culminating in 
the J and Y Class series using the so-called 'maiden circuit' and 
'stud circuit' central processor units created by the team of Lorelei 
and Fausta Geiltlin.  Of course..." a contrite look crosses Misato's 
fate, "...speaking on behalf of my co-workers, we here at the Genome 
Corporation do not, in any way, take joy at the tragedy that befell 
Lorelei-san sometime ago.  We hope and pray for her eventual 
recovery."

	"Your company was once interested in using the 'stud circuit' 
for your own android designs," the chief of the Air Self Defence 
Forces notes, her arm now gently wrapped around that of the blue-eyed 
redhead beside her, Asuka Langley.

	"Hai, General Himuro, we were," Misato nods.  "I should add that 
yes, there were those working for Genome who were TOO enthusiastic 
about acquiring the Stud Circuit design without going through the 
proper channels.  I assure you all that Chairwoman Mason did not look 
upon those actions with any sort of kindness whatsoever.  Those who 
participated in such have been caught and dealt with in an appropriate 
manner.  Furthermore, I'm pleased to say that, shortly after beginning 
Project:  BMS, we discovered something we believe will work much 
better with our 33-series android units than the use of the Stud 
Circuit -- much less the brains of dead cats!  My goodness, I wonder 
what's going to happen when the animal rights crowd get wind of THAT 
little modification Chairwoman Natsume made with her latest products!"

	Laughter escapes the crowd.  "Chairwoman Natsume told us that 
the cat brains were needed to solve certain higher cognitive function 
problems previous Marionette models encounter right to this very day!" 
the Ground Self Defence Force chief notes.

	"Yes, General Yoshizawa, that's true.  And when we were 
developing our own 34-series of male-form Sexaroid android companions, 
we encountered the same problem.  However, thanks to the assistance of 
a well-known scientist who taught Ritsuko-san and Yui-san much about 
the application of specially-prepared DNA and recombinant RNA with 
artificial intelligences, we've come some way towards solving it."

	"What scientist are you talking about, Commander?" the Defence 
Minister asks.

	"Masudamasu Yoshiko, of course."

	A chorus of "ooh"s and "aah"s escape the crowd before Misato.  
"Well, now that we've dealt with the preliminaries, let's get on to 
the main event, shall we?" the retired SEAL commander chuckles, 
looking left.  "Sarai, will you join us, please?!"

	Silence falls over the auditorium as a tall, well-formed young 
woman in a plain white-and-black hakama steps onto the stage.  Her 
hair, a beautiful mixed shade of crimson and gold, is tied in a high 
ponytail, flowing all the way down to the small of her back.  Her eyes 
are the same shade as her hair.  She stops beside Misato, then faces 
the crowd before bowing.  "Hajimimashite," she declares in a lilting 
voice flooded with the weight of well-honed steel.  "My name is Sarai.  
I am the first Model 33-BMS battle maid Sexaroid."

	Silence falls for a moment, then the Defence Minister points to 
the newcomer.  "You created a female-form android, Commander?"

	Misato chuckles.  "Not exactly.  Sarai, show them."

 	"Hai, Ojou-sama," Sarai's hand reaches to the straps holding 
her trousers in place.  With a flick of the hand, they are undone, 
allowing the black fabric to tumble down into a pile at the android 
hermaphrodite's feet, revealing her assets for all to see.

	Another chorus of "ooh"s and "aah"s responds as the guests begin 
to exchange rapid-fire chatter.  Sarai remains in place, a content 
smile on her face as she awaits her next command.  Watching the 
crowd's reaction, Misato can only smirk.  Who the hell said doing 
briefs like this "by the numbers" worked all the time?  A little T&A, 
not to mention a nice cock or two, went VERY far in this country...

*    *    *

	Oo-shima, south of Tokyo, sometime before lunch...

	"Made it..."

	Taking a deep breath, the tomboyish girl with the sullen brown 
eyes and the reddish-brown hair cut to a taper at the back of the neck 
walks through the stylized gate leading onto one of the many swimming 
beaches lining the volcanic island at the mouth of the Sagami Sea.  
Around her, hundreds of women -- the odd singles like herself, a few 
couples and a considerable number of multi-party groups -- proceed to 
the open-air change rooms located on the inland edge of the beach.  
Even before getting to those change rooms, many start taking off their 
outer clothing, revealing a lingerie store's worth of racy 
undergarments.  A considerable number of the people coming to this 
beach today, Tsutsumi Rui is quick to notice, didn't bother with any 
sort of underwear whatsoever.  As soon as their clothes are stripped 
off, they hand them to someone who'd see them secured in the change 
rooms before racing off for an invigorating dip in the Pacific.

	Public etiquette at beaches worldwide had undergone a 
considerable evolution in the wake of the Millennial Virus.  When all 
it took, it seemed, was a coy glance at someone else to launch an orgy 
on the proverbial spot, the idea of enforcing rules against any sort 
of "lewd" behaviour in public places was quickly seen as impractical.  
Over time, an unofficial dress code was developed to signify what a 
beachgoer's mood actually was.  If said person was totally naked, she 
was pussy-hunting or willing to be the target of said pussy-hunt.  
Thong panties told viewers, "I might be in the mood if you're my 
type."  Bikini bottoms told people that the beachgoer wasn't 
interested in sex, but had come out to sunbathe or go swimming.  Any 
sort of top worn to cover the nipples loudly said, "I have a lover and 
I'm content.  Go away!"  People who came to the beach to seek out a 
future full-time girlfriend normally wore cloth bands around their 
wrists or a headband.

	The above dress code was most often respected by beachgoers.

	"Most often" meaning "not always," of course.

	As she slips off her skirt and top to reveal a nice red thong 
that went perfectly with her hair and tanned skin, Rui takes a deep 
breath, then slips on a pair of armbands she had picked up in Atami 
before taking the ferry to Oo-shima.  She is sixteen years old, the 
lone daughter of a woman whose purpose in life -- so Rui now believed 
-- was offering her twat up to whoever is interested in screwing her.  
Rui couldn't recall the last time her mother had been home for more 
than twenty-four hours per MONTH over the last three years.  Because 
of that, Rui had to learn how to take care of herself.  It had been 
easy for her.  A little TOO easy in fact.  And that was her problem.

	Tsutsumi Rui is like over ninety percent of women alive.  
Blessed by the Virus to have perfect health, an overwhelming immunity 
to any disease pathogen, an equally remarkable cellular regenerative 
ability that could deal with all but the most severe physical trauma, 
boundless levels of stamina, a lifespan potential that extended into 
CENTURIES -- and a libido that didn't understand "stop!" or "quit!"  
Considered by her neighbours to be the hottest piece of young pussy to 
live at the Animal Mansion, located in the east end of Tokyo, Rui 
certainly didn't lack for sexual companions when she got into the 
mood.  And yes, like many of her peers, Rui was almost ALWAYS in the 
mood.

	But in the last year or so, Rui had come to discover that it 
just wasn't ENOUGH.  Something was missing in her life.  At first, she 
didn't understand what it might actually be.  Then, when she had been 
busy hanging her laundry on the balcony of her apartment some weeks 
ago, she overheard two of the neighbours a floor down talking about 
"the little slut in Apartment 905."  How that if it wasn't for the 
fact that she gladly spread her legs for anyone who wanted a quick 
piece of tail, the manager would've tossed Rui onto the street when 
her mother all but disappeared.  The jokes said women carelessly 
tossed about her -- how the manager had been willing to ignore the 
mounting expenses for the Tsutsumis because Rui gave such great 
blow-jobs, how Rui would probably never amount to anything more than 
"migrant pussy" just like her mother had pretty much become -- had cut 
the poor girl's very soul to shreds.  For she soon realized how true 
it was.

	Despite her friendliness, despite her kindness, despite her 
warmth and humour, no one truly respected Rui.

	That hurt.

	After crying herself to sleep that night, Rui woke up with a new 
resolve.  She was going to get away from the Mansion, move somewhere 
where she could try to make a better life for herself and get the 
respect she damn hell felt she deserved.  But doing that proved much 
easier to do than say.  She was only sixteen years old, a first year 
high school girl whose employment prospects, even in these days with 
society still recovering from the total loss of half its population 
base fifteen years ago, were regrettably slim.  Atop that, if she 
tried to sneak away, what might happen if she got caught and the news 
got back to the Mansion?  Rui's heart soon began to drown in the pit 
of ultimate despair as the hopelessness of her situation, the sheer 
beauty of the TRAP her mother left her in, sank in.

	"Tank top..."

	Rui curses herself, then reaches into her beach bag to pull out 
a pink tank top to slip over herself.  Over the left breast is a 
corporate logo, a red heart with the scripted Roman letters "LD" on 
it, the whole surrounded by a single silver ring.  Ensuring it is in 
place, she gazes on herself via a nearby floor-length mirror, then 
after securing her bag in a locker, marches out into the crowd...

*    *    *

	"Kawada Yura?!  She called you?!"

	"Hai," Kurokawa Satomi nods as she and Moroboshi Tariko step 
onto the beach.  Both are dressed in loose-nit white silk shirts and 
black thongs, a beach towel and everything else a couple wanting to 
spend some hours on the sand might require.  "Yura-san and Masae-san 
moved into this new apartment block a month ago.  They bumped into 
this first year high school girl, Tsutsumi Rui, whose mom's been 
sleeping around so much, she hasn't been seen by ANYBODY at the place 
for what seems like FOREVER.  Anyhow, most of the other there've 
pretty much turned the poor kid into the local block slut, but 
Rui-chan doesn't want to be that.  Yura-san and Masae-san want to help 
her, but..."

	Satomi shrugs, she giving her beloved a knowing look.  Tariko 
sighs.  "Gotcha.  Instant they try to 'steal' the local commune's play 
toy, they're risking getting tossed out on their ears!  And with 
Yura-chan and Masae-chan having just given birth to their newborns, 
too!"

	Kawada Yura is a mid-level manager at Moody's in Shinjuku.  Her 
lifemate, the former Sugiyama Masae, had served as Yura's chief office 
lady for five years until they tied the knot.  A couple who asked for 
"consultations" from Tariko a year ago, they now had a pair of newborn 
daughters, Hiromi and Ikuyo.  Tariko hadn't heard of Yura's and 
Masae's move to a new apartment, though it seemed prudent; their old 
rooms, where their children had been conceived one stormy night, was 
barely big enough for them both, much less a pair of children.

	Tariko DID know that the birth of Yura's and Masae's children 
had caused a little revolution among their circle of intimate friends.  
Yura's party-loving sister, Kawada Rika -- when she first met the 
tomboyish Rika, Tariko swore that the woman was a clone of Miyaki 
Shinobu! -- tied the knot with one of her sister's oldest friends, 
Oomiya Kyooko, five months ago.  Two of Yura's university classmates, 
Maisaka Riko and Tadai Hiromi -- Yura's daughter was named in the 
latter's honour -- became engaged after Yura and Masae married.  A 
schoolmate of Yura's who later became of her OLs, Sakuchi Miyuki, 
married her co-worker Miya Arisa around the same time that Yura and 
Masae tied the knot, though both were going to wait before having 
children (they promised Tariko to seek "consultation" from her on that 
matter).  Also having tied the knot at the time Yura and Masae had 
their babies were two of the latter's old co-workers, Toregawa Ikuyo 
and Nagao Mai.  And Rika's best friend from university, Itou Akane, 
was now going steady with Kyooko's cousin, a third year high schooler 
named Onoda Jun.

	"So we have to hide the girl somewhere safe until she gets her 
life back in order," Tariko breathes out.  "You okay with this, 
'Tomi?"

	"Of course I am, Tari," Satomi gives Tariko's hand a squeeze.  
"Yura-san faxed me a picture of Rui-san.  She's cute!  And you have 
complained a lot about keeping up with the administrative side of 
running LDE.  Rui-san's math grades are spectacular; that's at least 
what Masae-san told me.  And I can use an extra hand or two at 
Otimtim's while you're off earning money and helping make babies."

	"Hai, hai, that's true," Tariko leans over to kiss Satomi's 
cheek.  "So what does she look like?"

	"Red-brown hair cut in the same style as Yura-san's sister, 
brown eyes.  She'll be wearing the LDE tank-top you gave Masae-san."

	Tariko blinks, then smiles.  "That sounds easy enough..."

*    *    *

	"Oh, no...!"

	Rui shudders as her eyes focus on the three women who had just 
marched onto the beach from her vantage point near an okonomiyaki 
yatai.  Mizuhara Kiyoko, Shoina Shooko and Ogana Narumi, three of the 
women from the Animal Mansion who had taken delight in Rui's charms 
far too many times in the past.  Given the fact that none of them 
seemed willing to take off their clothes, not to mention the 
determined looks on their faces -- plus the fact that Yura and Masae 
had brushed their neighbours' sexual advances off EVERY time since 
they moved into the Mansion two months ago -- the poor high school 
student could only conclude two things, both of which bode quite some 
ill for her:

	One, they knew of her desire to get away from the Mansion.

	Two, they knew that the Kawadas were supporting her attempt to 
escape.

	Gulping, Rui quickly shuffles away, trying to lose herself in 
the crowd...

*    *    *

	"Eh?!"

	"What?" Satomi turns on Tariko.

	A stunned look is paralysed on the brunette's face as her body 
seems to shiver with a tsunami of tiny sparks dancing all over her 
nervous system.  Glancing around, Tariko's eyes narrow as she 
automatically reaches for a special pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses one of 
the Mendou Clan's Kuromegane had given her two years ago.  Slipping 
them over her eyes, she relaxes as she allows her telepathic powers to 
go active, that action reflecting in her eyes glowing a lovely shade 
of burgundy that would still draw a lot of unwanted attention.

	Tariko's vision clouds over, the women around her becoming 
barely-human shapes as her eyes sweep over them before locking on a 
single figure moving away from a nearby yatai.  "There!  C'mon, 
'Tomi!" she grabs Satomi's arm, then leads her girlfriend through the 
crowd...

*    *    *

	"Going somewhere, Rui-chan?!"

	Rui stops, nearly choking on the lump in her throat, then she 
spins around to see an icily grimacing Narumi gazing at her from two 
metres away.  Both now stand in a small wooded area separating the 
beach from the seashore road, a high fence closing the forest off from 
the roadway.  Before she could turn to run, she jolts on seeing Kiyoko 
and Shooko blocking off her potential escape route.  "Shame on you, 
Rui-chan," the diminutive Shooko leers as she takes a step towards 
Rui.  "We were expecting you to come to my place this morning to give 
us some personal entertainment.  It annoyed us greatly when we came to 
your apartment to see you gone, Rui-chan.  What are you doing here?"

	The high schooler gulps, then shudders.  "I came to get some 
sun!"

	"Dressed like that?  A likely story," Kiyoko snorts.  "We all 
figured some trouble would start the instant the Kawadas moved into 
the Mansion.  You've been spending a little TOO much time around them 
this last month or so, Rui-chan.  And since neither Yura or Masae are 
willing to spread their legs for anyone but themselves, there's no way 
in Hell that you've had any sex with them."

	"We know how those two dykes look upon what you do for us, 
Rui-chan," Narumi chuckles.  "Who the fuck gives a pair of newcomers 
like that the right to judge what happens between us, especially with 
those two little screaming balls of smelly snot they've got with them 
these days?!"  She reaches up to start unbuttoning her shirt.  "I'm 
tired of getting woken up in the middle of the damned night because 
those two can't keep those brats under control!  Maybe we should find 
some way to get those dykes thrown out of the Mansion..."

	A surprised gasp escapes Narumi's lips as her whole body 
suddenly jolts, a hot burst of erotic fire exploding from her groin to 
overwhelm all her senses.  Collapsing to her knees, the wavy-haired 
brunette's hands dive into her panties so she could fondle herself.  
"Narumi!!" Shooko cries out on seeing her neighbour rendered helpless, 
then she screams out as something akin to a giant vibrator rams hard 
into her womanhood.  As she falls to her side, Kiyoko wails as hot 
sparks of pure passion begin to dance all over her skin.

	Watching her pursuers -- who seconds ago were ready to drag her 
back to the Mansion, no doubt for some "obedience training!" -- now 
ripping their own clothes off and wildly masturbating, Rui can only 
just stand there, her mind in turmoil as she tries to make some sense 
of this.  A hiss from her left makes her turn to see a silver-haired 
woman her age leaning out from behind a thick tree, her hand making a 
"come here" gesture.  Rui blinks, then nods, slowly walking away from 
the older women, who are too busy taking care of their own personal 
needs to notice her escape.  As soon as she is close to the other 
woman, Rui notices the presence of a third, a brunette with sunglasses 
over her eyes.  She is quick to recognize that person from a picture 
the Kawadas had of her in their apartment.  "Moroboshi Tariko-sama!!"

	"Don't worry about your three 'friends,' Rui-chan," Tariko 
smirks as she glances around the tree to see Narumi and Shooko 
drifting towards Kiyoko to start a particularly hot manege-a-trois.  
"With the 'juice' I just gave them, they'll be too busy fucking each 
other's brains out that they'll forget you were even here.  By the 
time they get back home, your stuff'll be long gone."

	"You'll be staying with us from now on, Rui-san," Satomi adds.  
"You won't have to worry about their stalking you ever again."

	Rui blinks, blinks again as her mind rolls over what the 
newcomers just told her, then her eyes start to tear.  In a second, 
she is crying her guts out, she now held protectively by Tariko and 
Satomi.  Nearby, the three women who had come to Oo-shima to get their 
favourite sex toy back to where she "belonged" are too busy suckling, 
kissing and fondling each other to notice Rui's weeping...

*    *    *

	Shinjuku, the Genome Tower, after lunch...

	"Did you enjoy the demonstration, Minister Kuritomo?"

	The Defence Minister blinks, then smiles appreciatively at her 
teenage host.  Hitomi and Shinji now relax in a lounge near the 
Tower's summit, both enjoying after-lunch tea.  The service chiefs and 
their hangers-on had returned to the Ministry's headquarters building 
right after the demonstration ended, many of them itching to type up 
reports on what Genome had just created.  "Yes, I did enjoy it, 
Shinji-chan.  Sarai-san's performance was excellent.  Just as good as 
Mishima's Y-class marionettes, I think."  She then gives the younger 
woman beside her a conspiratorial wink.  "And don't think for a 
moment, young lady, that Katsuragi-san's use of J-class marionettes to 
be the opposition to Sarai-san in the demonstration didn't escape my 
notice," she cups her hand as she lowers her voice to a whisper.

	Shinji giggles, politely covering her mouth.  "I wished 
Misato-san didn't do that," she admits, reaching down to hold Hitomi's 
hand.  "I mean, even though Misato-san, Ritsuko-san and Mom are 
working to stay employed and all that, just like everyone here at 
Genome does..." she pauses, then shrugs, "...well, so do all the 
people at Mishima, Kurusugawa Electronics and all our other 
competitors.  We all know that.  In fact, I once heard the Chairwoman 
admit that business relations these days are much better than they 
were before the Virus."

	"Yes, that is true.  And yes, I will admit now that we are very 
interested in the 33-BMS design," Hitomi gives Shinji's hand a warm 
squeeze.  "Though I'm a little curious as to why Sarai-san was built 
as a hermaphrodite.  Couldn't they've built her as a man?"

	Shinji considers that, then sighs.  "Not really, I admit.  
It..." she pauses, then shrugs.  "Well, despite all the advances we've 
made in AI research, there still is a big stumbling block concerning 
the bio-organic matrices Ritsuko-san and Mom got from 
Masudamasu-hakase."

	"That being?"

	"Well, for some reason, when a female or hermaphrodite DNA code 
is loaded in to the base matrix Masudamasu-hakase came up with some 
years ago, it takes to it and we can create an android from that.  But 
for some reason, it won't take to male DNA code.  Every time a man's 
DNA sample is loaded in, the matrix converts it into its female 
equivalent, so to speak," Shinji explains.  "It's not because of the 
Millennial Virus, of course, but..." she shrugs.  "Even to this day, 
nobody understands why it does that."

	The minister nods.  "I've been told that's the very same problem 
Masudamasu-hakase has in her own research.  Amazing, isn't it?" she 
gazes at the ceiling, then turns back to her host.  "Shinji-chan, do 
you know where Masudamasu-hakase got those particular stem cells 
from?"

	"Hai, I do.  From a woman named Moroboshi Tariko."

	"What do you know of Tariko-san?"

	Shinji hums, then gazes nowhere in particular.  "Moroboshi 
Tariko, age seventeen, born in Nerima-ku, Tokyo-tou.  Originally born 
as a male, given the name 'Ataru.'  At the time the Millennial Virus 
came, she was transformed by an unknown power into a woman just after 
she was abandoned by her birth-mother, Moroboshi Kinshou.  After 
Kinshou-sama killed herself, Tariko-sama was forced to live at an 
orphanage until age four, when she was made the ward of Mendou 
Haruka-sama.  She lived in Tomobiki until age thirteen, when she was 
allowed to start her own special family planning consultation 
business, Love Destiny Enterprises.  In her transformation, 
Tariko-sama was gifted with great psychic powers (though she's not 
been formally tested) and the ability to bear children through a form 
of natural fusion pregnancy assisted by her telekinetic abilities.  
Since starting Love Destiny, Tariko-sama has helped an estimated 
forty-one thousand women worldwide to bear their own offspring outside 
the confines of a conception clinic.  To the 'Ainu' of Australia and 
Canada, Tariko-sama is called 'She Who Brings The Gift of 
Motherhood.'"  A pause, then she gazes on Hitomi.  "Tariko-sama also 
has a girlfriend, Kurokawa Satomi.  Satomi-sama is the owner of 
Otimtim's Coffee House in Nerima, co-located with Love Destiny's main 
offices.  Tariko-sama is pretty much rated a full-blooded lesbian."

	Hitomi chuckles.  "You just exposed yourself, Shinji-chan," she 
winks at her host.

	The prototype 33-S model Sexaroid turns back to her tea.  "It's 
only right that you know the truth about me, ma'am.  My sisters and I 
noticed that some of you were frightened by how good Sarai performed 
in the demonstration.  If she noticed that, Sarai would've cried."

	The minister's jaw drops.  "Cried?!  Why?!"

	Shinji takes a deep breath.  "Because all of us, all the 33-S's 
and 33-BMS's activated to date, don't want people -- those we are 
programmed to serve -- to fear us, ma'am," she gazes on her guest, her 
blue eyes misting.  "It's hard-wired into each of us, even those like 
Sarai and her model.  We're to gladly protect those humans we've been 
instructed or programmed to care for.  We'll do it to the best of our 
abilities, regardless of the cost.  That's how we were built, ma'am.  
And we've been built with safeguards that would make sure that humans 
have no need to fear us.  I..." she lowers her eyes.  "I know there're 
those who would fear us because we're androids, yet we're so well 
built and programmed, we're really no different than real girls when 
you get down to it.  And I wish I had the power to make them not fear 
us, to make them like us.  So..." she shrugs, "...all we can do is 
serve as best as we can in whatever we're asked to do."

	"They all feel that way, ma'am."

	Both turn to see Katsuragi Misato gazing at them from the 
doorway.  "Misato-san!" Shinji beams, rising as the executive in 
charge of Project:  Battle Maid Sexaroid walks up to join them, the 
prototype 33-S walking over to embrace her friend.

	Misato shifts Shinji around to gaze on their guest, placing her 
hands on the latter's shoulders.  "Impressed, Minister?"

	"Beyond impressed, Commander," Hitomi rises.  "How soon do you 
expect to put Shinji-chan's model on open market?"

	"Actually, we're not going to put them on open market, not like 
we plan to do with the male-form 34-S's we about to introduce."

	"Eh?!" the Defence Minister blinks, then nods understandingly.  
"Oh, just build them to special order, you mean?  Like the androids 
you constructed for Kusanagi Motoko-taisa to serve with her in Section 
Nine?"

	"Exactly," the retired SEAL nods.  "Thanks to the restrictions 
the stems cells Masudamasu-hakase got from Moroboshi-san force on us, 
we can only make bio-organic androids in female or hermaphrodite 
format.  The girls we've made so far, save for those who now serve the 
good Colonel Kusanagi, are herms, including Shinji-chan here.  It's 
the Chairwoman's desire that we offer our 33-S's to herms first.  And 
if those who'd desire a full-female form android companion happen to 
come along, it's easy for us to make them without any retooling.  
Anyhow..." she gazes down on the brown-haired android herm, "...why 
don't you go down and spend some time with Rei and Asuka, Shinji?  Do 
what you want, but I want them both on their pedestals and deactivated 
before the night shift starts, okay?  Maya, Hikari and the others, 
too."

	"Hai!" Shinji bows, then gazes once more at Hitomi.  "It's a 
pleasure to have met you, Hitomi-sama.  Please visit us again."

	She bows deeply, then walks out.  The two organic women watch 
her go, then exchange a look.  "Regardless if you keep only to private 
sales, Commander, you're going to make a killing with her model," the 
Defence Minister chuckles.  "How soon?"

	"We've done some individual beta testing over the last two years 
or so, mostly controlled here in the Tower and in our testing 
facilities across the country, with some forays into the general 
public.  Observed, of course; we don't want to create a situation 
anywhere NEAR what befell Mishima Heavy Industries some time ago," 
Misato explains as they sit down.  "It's come to the point where we 
can move on to small group beta testing.  That'll actually start 
tomorrow, once we get our dear Miss Moroboshi to participate."

	Hitomi perks.  "Why her?!"

	"Well, I think she deserves to know what her mentor's research 
has produced, ne?"

	Both chuckle.  "What of Shinji-chan?  Will she be one of them?"

	"Iie," Misato shakes her head.  "Yui-san is very overprotective 
of Shinji.  Understandable given that Shinji is, for the most part, 
genetically patterned after Yui-san's lost son.  As you'll probably 
know, the original Ikari Shinji was killed by the Virus.  That hit 
Yui-san hard and affects her to this very day.  As she's told Ritsuko 
and I several times, if she lost Shinji a 'second' time..."

	"Understandable," the Defence Minister nods, then gazes nowhere 
in particular.  "Still..."

	"What is it, ma'am?"

	"It's a pity that Tariko-san doesn't know where she gained her 
abilities from.  Or if there're others like her out there somewhere."

	"Yeah, that is true, isn't it?" Misato slowly nods.  "I wonder 
why, though..."

*    *    *

	Oo-shima...

	"AH-CHOO!!!"

	Satomi and Rui gaze curiously at Tariko.  The three now relax in 
a bistro across from the entrance to the beach.  "Bless you, 
Tariko-sama," Rui gasps, handing her new friend a handkerchief.  
"Someone must be talking about you!"

	Tariko grunts.  "Yeah!  I wonder who..."

*    *    *

	Shinjuku, sometime later...

	"So the Defence Minister was satisfied by our little 
demonstration?"

	"More than satisfied, Kate," Misato chuckles as she rides the 
Tower's Sky Elevator with Genome's chief of operations, Katharine Dawn 
Madigan.  A flame-haired, dark eyed lass in her mid-thirties from 
Belfast, Kate was, like Misato, a veteran special forces officer.  In 
her case, Kate's training and experience came thanks to Britain's 
elite Special Boat Squadron.  She had retired a lieutenant-colonel 
after the Six Counties voted to make themselves independent of both 
London and Dublin to form the Free Republic of Ulster, she coming to 
work for Genome about the same time Misato did.  "So what is it the 
Skipper wants?  Everything's set about the next phase of the Project."

	"She hasn't told me anything yet, I'm afraid," Kate gives the 
Japanese-American beside her a knowing smirk.

	Misato tries not to scream out loud, she turning her head away 
in an open show of annoyance.  Kate giggles, then straightens herself 
as the elevator comes to a stop.  The doors open right into a 
beautiful penthouse office/apartment with acommanding view of Tokyo 
and her suburbs.  The Chairwoman of Genome Enterprises stands by the 
east-side windows, gazing on the small amount of boat traffic now 
plying in and out of Tokyo Bay.  "The Minister was pleased by Sarai's 
performance," Brienna Jeannette Mason gazes over her shoulder at 
Misato.

	"She was, Captain," Misato straightens herself.  Like her, 
Brienna was ex-U.S. Navy SEAL, having retired a captain ten years ago 
after helping organize that particular service's elite special action 
team, officially known as "Independent Boat Unit Kilo, SEAL Team Six."  
That particular unit was normally referred to in the general public by 
another name, but that didn't matter here or now.  "I estimate that 
when the Ministry's bean-counters get around to shelling out the cash, 
we'll be asked for small groups of 33-BMS's to serve as special action 
teams for all parts of the SDF.  We've got the foot in the door thanks 
to the small order we did for Colonel Kusanagi and..." she shrugs.

	"We haven't caused any major accidents or sent people to the 
hospital because our units have never gone rogue," Kate adds.

	"That's good to hear," Brienna walks back to her chair and sits 
down, then she runs her hand through her slicked-back raven hair, it 
tied into a French braid to mid-back in homage to her personal hero, 
SEAL Six's founding commander, Richard Marcinko.  "Now, about the 
first long-term group test we're going to start.  Who do you recommend 
we send out to be with Miss Moroboshi and Miss Kurokawa, Commander?"

	"Rei, Asuka, Maya and Hikari," Misato replies.

	"Maya?!  Does Ritsuko know about this?" Kate stares wide-eyed at 
her fellow executive.

	"She will tomorrow morning," Misato returns her look.

	"Why not Shinji?" Brienna asks.

	Misato sighs.  "The emotional bond between Yui and Shinji is far 
stronger than what exists between Ritsuko and Maya.  As I told you 
long ago, Captain, a project like this is bound to stir up some 
feelings of motherhood among the various scientists.  Considering how 
close to human our 33-S's are, that's quite understandable.  Still, 
you did tell me when we started out that the risk was worth taking, 
ma'am."

	"It was and still is," the chairwoman nods.  "And indeed, the 
close bond between Doctor Ikari and Shinji has reflected very well on 
all the other 33-S's, even the BMS prototypes.  However, we can't 
escape one simple fact:  Shinji is a Sexaroid, no different than any 
of the others we've constructed.  Deep in her heart and soul, she 
longs to look on someone as her owner and mistress, no different than 
any of the others.  And given how good she's become in the four years 
since her first activation, I think its time for her to spread her 
wings."

	"I agree," Kate nods.  "Shinji's body may be artificial, but her 
soul, despite all the programming constraints, has become human.  And 
because of that, it would be unnecessarily cruel to force her to 
remain here in the Tower while four of her sisters, including two she 
loves dearly, go out into the world beyond.  Much that I personally 
understand Doctor Ikari's feelings on the matter, it's time for her to 
accept that her android 'daughter' is growing up and needs a chance to 
get out and experience life as it truly is."

	"Yui's still going to raise hell over it, Kate," Misato warns.

	"We'll deal with our dear Doctor Ikari if it becomes necessary," 
Brienna sighs, making a wave of her hand to indicate that the matter 
is not up for further negotiation.  "Misato, we'll go ahead with your 
plan concerning getting Miss Moroboshi's and Miss Kurokawa's help in 
testing our girls.  But we'll make a couple add-ons.  Atop the girls 
you've recommended, I want Shinji and Sarai to be part of that group."

	Misato jolts.  "Shinji AND Sarai?!  Captain...!"

	A hand rises to stop her protest.  "We can easily program any of 
the other battle maid Sexaroids with what we've loaded into Sarai if 
it becomes necessary, Commander.  There's another reason I want Sarai 
to be part of this particular operation."

	Silence falls as the younger retired SEAL considers the 
chairwoman's words, then she blinks.  "You think Masudamasu may've 
short-changed us when she offered Ritsuko and Yui the chance to 
experiment with Moroboshi's DNA and RNA?" she wonders.

	"Exactly," a knowing grin crosses Brienna's face.  "Our dear 
Professor Masudamasu has come a very long way in her research pretty 
much because of what she discovered about Miss Moroboshi shortly after 
young Tariko helped her step-sister become a mother at age twelve.  
And we've come a very long way in putting that knowledge to damn good 
use.  But there are two problems I've got with this, Misato."

	Her eyebrow arches expectantly.  Noting that, Misato's gaze 
turns inward as she considers what the chairwoman might have in mind, 
then she nods.  "The chances are there that we haven't learned 
everything we can about what Moroboshi's DNA and RNA might do," she 
holds up a finger.  "The chance actually might be there that there 
could be some things Masudamasu missed in her own research."

	"Agreed," the chairwoman nods.

	"And there's the possibility that somehow, there could be others 
like Moroboshi out there," Kate adds.  "Our dear Tariko, Misato, has 
travelled to every corner of the planet, it seems, to carry out her 
business.  Sooner or later, IF there are others like her, someone 
might take notice and trace her down to Nerima.  It would be to our 
better advantage if we make contact with these girls first."

	"I've had Kate look into that possibility for the last six 
months or so," Brienna explains on noting the surprised look on her 
fellow American's face.  "Given the chaos the Virus' arrival caused 
across the planet, it would've been quite easy for dozens, even 
HUNDREDS of such transformations to have taken place, even here in 
Japan.  All it would need would be for a doctor to write up a bogus 
birth certificate.  If the doctor was male, he wouldn't be around now 
to answer some questions.  As for the transformee's real identity..."

	"It'd be almost impossible to match things up with the Family 
Registrar unless the suspects were asked directly," Kate finishes.

	"Would they answer even if they were asked?" Misato muses.

	"Exactly."

	The retired lieutenant-commander crosses her arms as she 
considers it, then gazes on Genome's chairwoman.  "So putting Sarai 
close to Moroboshi allows us to keep a discrete eye on her."  Her eyes 
then widen as something else comes to her.  "AND it'll allow us to 
protect her and any possible 'sisters' of hers in case those who'd 
want to put a stop to Moroboshi's operation decide to target her 
directly, thus making them indebted to us," she holds up a finger, 
then seeing Brienna grin, smirks.  "That's pretty slick thinking, 
Skipper."

	"Thank you, Commander," Brienna nods.  "Tariko's been making 
some damned good progress when it comes to those who support the many 
Evist groups out there.  But there's the other end of the scale to 
worry about, too.  Those women who want men back at all costs because 
they believe, even with what the Virus has done to women wholesale, 
that a woman's true place is still being subservient to a man."

	Misato's jaw hits the floor.  "Say WHAT?!!  That can't be 
true!!"

	"Granted, their numbers are quite small, far smaller than any 
one of the major Evist groups, but they're out there, Misato," Kate 
warns.  "Mostly, these are women of profound age and experience who 
held prominent social positions in the more conservative Christian 
denominations, not to mention what counterparts they might have had in 
other faiths, especially Judaism, Islam and Hinduism.  And yes, even 
with the Virus making them all act like a warren of rabbits in rutting 
season, they still desperately cling to the faith in Jehovah, Jesus, 
Allah or what-have-you, believing that women are inferior to men and 
all that nonsense and..." she rolls her eyes, gazing heavenward.

	"That is just SO hard to believe!" Misato whistles.

	"Believe it, Commander.  The intel's confirmed," Brienna sighs.

	"Damn!" Misato spits out, then looks at Kate.  "How many like 
Moroboshi could we be talking about, Kate?"

	"I've no real numbers here, Misato..."

	"Estimate, then."

	A pause, then, "About two thousand worldwide."

	Misato blinks, then slowly nods.  "Out of a population of over 
two billion.  I can see that."

	"We'll worry about that when it happens, Misato," Brienna sighs.  
"In the meantime, make preparations for tomorrow.  Ensure that Shinji 
and Sarai have a chance to 'escape' so they can join Miss Moroboshi as 
part of her harem.  Be creative about it, Commander."

	"Aye-aye, ma'am!" Misato gives the chairwoman a snappy salute, 
then turns to leave.

	"Misato?"

	"Yes?" the retired commander stops, gazing on Brienna.

	"Mana Kirijima's mother called us asking about Shinji."

	Misato blinks, then nods.  "Right."

	She heads out.  Kate watches her go, then gazes on the 
chairwoman.  "She may not be that much of a problem, you know."

	"True, but it's something to keep Shinji on her toes," Brienna 
winks back, then rises, her eyes sparkling.  "Shall I call Anri?"

	Hearing the name of THAT particular Sexaroid, Kate grins.  "But 
of course!"

*    *    *

	Nerima, Otimtim's Coffee House, just before suppertime...

	"Here you go, Satomi-san!  All intact and cleaned up, too...!  
Ara?!"

	The rose-haired woman blinks surprisedly on seeing the third 
person with Tariko and Satomi, then steps aside as the three women 
walk into the restaurant.  For today's trip to the beach, Satomi had 
called in not only two of her friends, Tanaka Misa and her fiancee 
Sakuragi Mai, but two new friends she had made several days ago:  
Aruka Ran and Shigaten Benten, two alien-born teens who had come to 
Earth three months ago alongside their beloved friend, the Oni 
princess Redet Lum.  Gazing around her late uncle's shop, Satomi nods 
approvingly, then turns back to Ran.  "Did the Kuroko come by with all 
of Rui-san's things, Ran-san?" she indicates Tsutsumi Rui with a hand.

	"Um, h-hai!  They arrived an hour ago and moved everything into 
the bedroom beside yours and Tariko-san's," Ran replies, giving Rui a 
curious look before turning to Tariko.  "What's this all about?  Even 
if they said they were doing this because you asked them...!"

	"Rui-chan here, Ran-san, is someone who's as much an orphan now 
as Satomi and I are," Tariko places a warm hand on Rui's shoulder.

	Hearing that, Ran nods.  "Ah, I understand!"

	Satomi calls Misa, Mai and Benten over, then introductions are 
made for Rui's benefit.  After a short question-and-answer session, 
the refugee from Animal Mansion is escorted to her new bedroom.  The 
total shock that appears on her face on seeing her new bedroom set up 
much like her old bedroom in the Mansion earns Rui a pair of knowing 
smiles from her hosts.  "The Kuroko are pretty good at getting in and 
out of places unseen," Tariko explains.  "I suspect that right now, 
all your so-called 'lovers' back at Animal Mansion are wondering how 
all your personal stuff was removed from that place without their 
noticing it.  I assume you don't want anything of your mom's, 
though..."

	"No," Rui shakes her head.  "If Mom just upped and left me there 
without trying to check in on me, I don't want anything to do with 
anything of hers.  Still..." she pauses, "...what about things like my 
school records and all that?  Where do I go to school?"

	"Here in Nerima, of course, but I think you can take a break 
from classes while we arrange to get your records transferred over," 
Tariko admits.  "And if anyone from the Mansion raises hell about it, 
there are ways to make them shut up and behave."

	"You have to go down to Kitakyuushuu tomorrow," Satomi reminds 
her girlfriend.

	"Yeah, I do," Tariko nods.  "'Tomi, you think you can put 
Rui-chan here to good use while I'm gone?"

	"Definitely," Satomi nods in return, then blinks on hearing 
footsteps echo from the stairwell.

	"Tariko-chan?!"

	"What is it, Misa-chan?" Tariko blinks as Misa comes upstairs, 
an envelope in hand.  "What's that?!"

	"Just delivered by courier," the track runner hands the letter 
over.

	Tariko takes it, then blinks on seeing the logo at the corner.  
"Genome?!" she opens the envelope, then draws out a sheer of paper.  
Scanning the letter's contents, she blinks surprisedly.  "They want me 
to visit the Tower tomorrow morning."

	"Guess you're being asked for some more 'consultations,'" Satomi 
chuckles.  "Who's inviting you over?"

	"Katsuragi Misato.  She's a senior exec there," Tariko closes up 
the envelope.

	"Another customer?" Misa chuckles.

	"Yeah, but she told me that she and her fiancee want to hold off 
on children for a while yet," Tariko notes, then sensing Rui gazing 
curiously at her, smiles.  "I think if you've spent some time with 
Yura-chan and Masae-chan, Rui-chan, you know what I do."

	"Ah...!  H-hai, I do know what you do, Tariko-sama, but 
still..." Rui stops before shrugging.  "It's hard to believe."

	"Believe it," Misa smirks, rubbing her stomach.  "My fiancee and 
I're already expecting.  So're Benten's and Ran's friends."

	"EH?!!" Rui gasps.

	Everyone laughs...

*    *    *

	Shinjuku...

	"Pleasant dreams, Rei.  I love you."

	Shinji gently makes a quarter-turn right, then pulls the 
skeleton key out of Rei's navel.  The blue-haired android now stands 
on a fifty-centimetre high circular pedestal, her name and unit number 
-- Rei was the sixth Sexaroid built -- etched on the flat surface 
between her feet.  Standing erect with her feet spread apart, her 
hands at her side, the nude android's head is tilted down slightly.  
Her eyes are now pitch-dark; that is the only visible sign of a 
Sexaroid being deactivated.  Despite that, her cock is rigidly at 
attention.  It was a sort of in-joke among the Sexaroids who spent all 
their nights in the large storage room beside the Project BMS labs:  
you had to awaken them to make them deflate themselves so they can be 
dressed.  Giving her beloveds a final parting look -- Asuka now stands 
to Rei's left -- Shinji takes a deep breath, then pockets the keys in 
her shirt before stepping out of the storage room.  Closing and 
locking the door behind her, the prototype Sexaroid scans the status 
board.  Alright, Anri was now in the Chairwoman's office, no doubt 
providing some personal company to Brienna Mason.  Outside her and 
Shinji, all the 33-S's that should be in the Tower are in the storage 
room, no doubt dreaming -- as they all did when their bodies were shut 
down -- about lots of sex and what sort of mistresses they'd finally 
acquire when Genome sold them.

	*Doubt that'll happen to me even when the others're gone,* 
Shinji thinks as she places her sisters' activation keys on Ritsuko's 
work desk, then walks over to step into an elevator, pressing for the 
fiftieth floor, where her small apartment is.  Turning to gaze out the 
glass car on the surrounding city now coming alive for the evening, 
the prototype Sexaroid sighs, a tug of longing pulling at her 
synthetic heart.  *Just because I'm the first doesn't mean my desire 
to serve is no less than Rei's or any of the others,* she breathes 
out, ignoring the twin trickles flowing down her cheeks to brim at the 
curve of her chin.  *I want to serve!  I HAVE to serve!  Why can't 
I?!*

	The car stops, the doors soon opening to reveal a long hallway.  
Shinji walks down to the end apartment on her right, then draws out a 
key from her jeans to unlock the door.  The key in her hand is her 
very own activation key, the one directly linked to her own body.  
Insert it into the navel and turn it to the left ninety degrees, 
Shinji would shut down.  Insert and turn right ninety degrees, she 
would revive.  Insert and turn right a hundred and eighty degrees, 
Shinji could then be verbally commanded to do whatever her owner 
desired.  Of course, no Sexaroid could perform that last function; 
only a human could.  It was one of the many programming safeguards 
built into the 33-S design.

	"Tadaima!" Shinji automatically calls out as she walks into her 
apartment.

	No one answers, of course.  Shinji's rooms are no different than 
a normal hotel room.  One large space with a single bed, nightstand, 
work table, a small wardrobe and entertainment centre.  A closet and a 
bathroom with all the amenities close to the main door.  Nothing else.  
Shinji didn't mind the accommodations.  As a Sexaroid, her needs were 
actually quite minimal and it struck her as fundamentally wrong to ask 
for anything more, even from her mother, Ritsuko or Misato.  Besides, 
if the chance ever did come that Shinji would be allowed to be 
someone's companion, who knew what sort of accommodations -- if any! 
-- she would have then.  Why worry about such mundane things?

	Placing her activation key on the nightstand, Shinji quickly 
disrobes before standing before a floor-length mirror to give herself 
a close inspection.  Deep down, she is very proud of what she 
personally represents:  one of the most, if not THE most, advanced 
android design existing today.  Human to the touch, feel, smell -- 
even Shinji's vaginal discharge and semen tasted real as all her past 
beta testers loudly asserted -- she is in many ways better than even 
the most advanced Home Maid android from Kurusugawa Electronics, the 
NK-1127 series from Mishima Heavy Industries or even "scratch-built" 
units constructed by the odd solitary "mad" scientist.

	Oh, she couldn't physically smash her way through concrete walls 
like Natsume Akira had done when officials from the Defence Ministry 
had once visited his mother/creator Akiko.  And Shinji couldn't fire 
off tank-melting force beam attacks like Sarai had come to perfect 
over the last couple months.  And Shinji doubted her cooking skills 
were anywhere close to what Multi, the prototype Kurusugawa 
Electronics HM-12 home maid android, was said to possess.  And sure 
enough, Shinji couldn't alter her hair or clothes like Kisaragi Honey 
could.

	But to the prototype Sexaroid, that just doesn't matter...

*    *    *

	Shinji's model was designed from the start to fill a special 
niche market:  to be sexually intimate companions to organic herms 
like Genome's very own chairwoman, Brienna J. Mason.  That market, 
Misato told her once, was potentially quite vast.  Of the two-plus 
billion human woman alive on Earth today, about twenty-five million 
were hermaphrodites (Shinji preferred that term to "she-male" or "TV" 
since those terms described a being that looked like a woman from a 
distance, but didn't have the necessary equipment to fulfil a woman's 
natural duties to the propagation of the species).  And despite the 
many avenues of personal, spiritual and social advancement open to 
women today, herms were something of a persecuted minority.  Actually, 
"persecuted" would probably seem too harsh a word to describe their 
present condition, but given what Shinji had heard of what her organic 
"sisters" sometimes had to go through, perhaps it could be seen as 
appropriate.

	Being women who, atop having a womb and ovaries filled with 
eggs, also possessed a fully-functional penis complete with prostate 
gland and testicles that could produce sperm, herms were hailed by 
experts as one avenue for the human race to continue now that 
"pure-male" men had been wiped off the map.  However, given the 
nearly-ceaseless burning need the vast majority -- between ninety and 
ninety-five percent of the world's population -- of post-Virus women 
had for sexual intercourse, herms were more often seen by the general 
public as a special delicacy that could be quite addictive once they 
had been sampled.  Oh, yes, they had most of the advantages their 
"pure-female" counterparts had thanks to the Virus.  But because of 
what hung between their legs, herms could, if they didn't watch 
themselves, be the target of gang rape every time a girl's eyes locked 
on that inviting piece of hard muscle or even a simple bulge in a pair 
of pants.

	Herms, especially those around the age Shinji had been 
constructed to replicate, had to take extraordinary precautions to 
prevent that sort of thing from happening.  Baggy, mannish clothing 
were often the norm for such people.  Keeping curious girls at a 
distance was a skill that had to be learned fast to survive the 
potentially intimate conditions high school, especially physical 
education classes, forced on women regardless of their personal 
stripe.  And Heaven help the poor herm who winds up being discovered 
by a "normal" girl, then forced into what was often called a 
"relationship" but might better be thought of as "sexual slavery."  
Shinji had heard of several cases where the herm in question would do 
her damnedest to stay loyal to her normal lover, yet said lover would 
gladly bed a half-dozen other girls as well as keep her prized sex toy 
under her thumb.  And if said herm decided she really wanted something 
more emotionally fulfilling...?

	It didn't surprise Shinji in the end that many herms, on 
graduating from high school or university, chose careers in the 
military or the police, organizations most often filled by the larger 
lesbian contingent of modern day society.  But even there, hopes of 
seeking out a permanent relationship were still stymied, most often by 
the traditional distaste lesbians had for dealing with ANYTHING that 
reminded them of men, especially a man's primary sexual organ.  Oh, 
yes, there had been times when a lesbian and a herm had formed a 
successful, warm and emotionally fulfilling relationship.  Chairwoman 
Mason and her successor as leader of the Knight Sabres, Captain Sylia 
Stingray, were one such couple.  And there were times when herms did 
create a lasting relationship with a "normal" girl.  But from what 
Shinji had learned, those instances often involved the herm also 
accepting her mate's other lovers as sexual "mistresses."  Could that 
really be called "love?"

	And, to add final insult to injury, there came the whole 
question of reproduction.  Despite their having a penis, herms were 
still women in their innermost hearts and souls.  And because their 
sex drives were under much better conscious control, herms could quite 
easily form much more lasting family groups to better facilitate the 
raising of children.  However, the prevalent viewpoint towards herms 
still regulated them as nothing better than living sex toys.  Herms 
were most often NEVER allowed to fulfil their own inbred desires to 
become mothers in their own right.  Oh, no, no, NO!  Herms had to 
serve in the "father" role in such instances and the "father" role 
ONLY!

	And Heaven help a herm couple who decided to start a family 
between themselves without involving "normal" girls in any way!

	Knowing all that, the true beauty of Genome's plans for 
hermaphrodite Sexaroids could then be appreciated.  As androids, 
Shinji and her sisters would be seen as sex toys instead of people.  
No threat at all.  If a herm had a 33-S as her companion, what 
difference would it make?  The herm could still have a "normal" lover, 
be the "father" to any children her lover might desire, be "traded" 
around and shared between different lovers whenever the urge to seek 
out new conquests struck such people...!  And while all this is going 
on, the herm in question would still have an intimate companion who 
would treat her as a real woman should be treated, totally loyal to 
her and only her.

	And if the "normal" girl resented her herm lover having a 
herm-form Sexaroid?

	Why, buy her a 34-S male-form Sexaroid for her own personal use!

	Even if male-form 34-S's -- they were really no different than 
Mishima's G Class marionettes in design and programming -- weren't as 
advanced as someone like Shinji, they still could perform to a 
reasonable degree and were relatively easy to keep and maintain...

*    *    *

	Shinji sighs.  Since her activation four years ago, the 
prototype Sexaroid had been "beta tested" over two hundred times with 
human lovers of every potential stripe that Genome could hire for the 
occasion.  Lesbians she had been with were often turned off by 
Shinji's penis, but were won over by her intelligence, wit and charm.  
Herms looked on her and her sister Sexaroids as gifts from Heaven; 
after the initial testing phase began, potential orders from herm 
customers had begun to pile up with Accounting.  And normal girls...?

	A scowl turns the dark-haired android's lips as she moves to lay 
down on her bed.  Most of those type of humans were just too 
single-minded for her personal tastes.  If there was any other topic 
that interested them outside various forms of fornication, Shinji had 
been unable to discover what it might be.  Oh, yes, Shinji certainly 
enjoyed sex very much.  Her model of android wasn't call a "Sexaroid" 
for anything, after all!  And as an android, Shinji had energy 
reserves that matched even the most nymphomaniac of organic women.  
But having sex constantly without engaging in anything else that could 
stimulate the prototype Sexaroid's central processors?  Ugh!  Boring!

	It would most likely strike Shinji as wondrously ironic that her 
attitudes towards sexual relations with "normal" girls matched that of 
the young woman whose stems cells had, in part, allowed Shinji to 
exist in the very first place!

	"Hey!"

	Shinji blinks, then glances towards the door to see Misato 
standing there.  "Konban wa, Misato-san," she sits up as the executive 
walks over to sit on the bed beside me.  "Here to tuck me in for a 
good night's sleep?"

	"As always," Misato reaches for the android's key, then gazes 
intently into Shinji's eyes.  "The Skipper was really impressed by 
what happened this morning, especially the extra time you spent with 
the Defence Minister.  I think we've got a contract on the way."

	Shinji beams.  "Yokatta!" she claps her hands delightedly, then 
looks down as Misato poises the key over her navel.

	With a gentle thrust, the hooked rod is shoved into that recess, 
punching through an invisible slit in the skin to lock on a magnetic 
tumbler that was directly hard-wired into Shinji's nervous system.  
The android jolts, her body's joints automatically locking up as the 
emotion drains from her face.  Gazing at this, Misato closes her eyes, 
surprised to feel tears slip through her lashes.  Leaning up, she 
whispers into Shinji's ear, knowing the android would hear her, "I 
love you, Shinji-chan.  Never, ever forget that."

	She then turns the key one-half turn to the right...

*    *    *

	Next morning...

	"Ah, Tariko-chan, welcome to Genome Tower!  Have you had 
breakfast yet?"

	"Hai, Ritsuko-chan, I have," Tariko warmly embraces Akagi 
Ritsuko, both now standing in the Tower's main lobby.  The owner of 
Love Destiny Enterprises is dressed in her usual travel clothes:  a 
turtleneck sweater, slacks and slip-on shoes, a mid-sized travel 
suitcase now being towed behind her.  Having gained considerable 
experience travelling on short notice all over the planet -- not to 
mention having gained more frequent flier miles than most airline 
pilots! -- Tariko understood the virtue of packing light and packing 
right.  "I hope this won't take too long.  I've some business in 
Kitakyuushuu that I want to get started on later today if at all 
possible."

	"Understandable," the blonde doctor waves the younger woman to 
an elevator.  Having herself experienced what Tariko did for other 
women six months ago, Ritsuko knew how things went when the woman 
beside her carried out her "consultations."  "Don't worry about it, 
though.  We'll hopefully be done by noon and we'll have a limo take 
you to Tokyo Station so you can get a train direct to Kokura."

	"Thanks," Tariko nods as they slip into the next car, then 
ascend.  "So what's this all about, Ritsuko-chan?"

	Ritsuko chuckles.  "Tariko-chan, how much are you aware of the 
extended research Masudamasu-hakase has done on your DNA?"

	"Yoshi-chan?!  Well, she hasn't bothered me a lot about that 
ever since I started up with Love Destiny," Tariko shrugs.  "Why?"

	"Well, put simply, my friend Ikari Yui and I spent some time 
working with Masudamasu-hakase trying to better understand why you are 
the way you are.  I have to confess, the stem cells that come out of 
your bone marrow are unlike anything I've ever seen."

	Tariko nods.  "Hai, I know.  You should've seen Yoshi-chan tear 
her hair out sometimes when she stumbled onto something that just 
didn't make any damned sense to her.  Oh, what did she call my stem 
cells again...?  Ah, right!  'Genetic silly putty' or something..."

	Ritsuko smirks.  "Believe me, Tariko-chan, she was dead on about 
that...!  Ah!"

	The car stops, the doors opening into the Project:  BMS 
laboratory.  Awaiting them is Katsuragi Misato.  "Hey, Tariko-chan!"

	"Misato-chan!!" Tariko embraces the executive as Ritsuko shifts 
the younger woman's luggage off to one side.  "How are you?!"

 	"Pretty okay!  And I'm more than glad that you're here!" Misato 
waves Tariko to the meeting table as Ritsuko prepares tea.  "I've a 
message from the Chairwoman.  She says she's pleased that you were 
able to help those couples inside Genome get started with their own 
families.  Even considering the pregnancy leave some of them've taken, 
their overall productivity has shot through the roof."

	"I was happy to help them.  So, is the good captain willing to 
take me up on my offer for her?"

	Misato and Ritsuko jolt, then giggle embarrassingly.  "Ah, she 
hasn't told me anything about that, Tariko-chan!" the former scratches 
the back of her head, then blinks as the door to the storage room 
opens.  Ah, right on time!

	"Misato-san, I've done the morning che-...!  AH!!!"

	An electronic clipboard clatters to the floor as Tariko's eyes 
sweep around to gaze on a younger woman in a button shirt and slacks, 
her dark brown hair tied in a thick French braid to the middle of her 
back.  Soft blue eyes, now as wide as saucers, lock on Tariko as the 
owner of Love Destiny gives her a concerned look.  Tariko herself 
blinks confusedly at the newcomer's stare, then shudders as her 
empathic powers quickly lock on her, registering a mad storm of 
emotions bursting from this young lady's very soul.  Shock, disbelief, 
awe, admiration and even a fleck of lust.  But most of all, a tsunami 
of pure ADORATION that threatens to swamp Tariko wholesale.  Who...?

	"Moroboshi...!  Tariko-sama..."

	Shinji sniffs as tears brim in her eyes, then with a scream of 
delight, she lunges for Tariko, dropping the hapless visitor onto her 
back with a glomp a certain warrior-maiden from China now living in 
Nerima would admire.  Watching as Shinji begins to shower kisses all 
over Tariko's face, Misato and Ritsuko can only sweat.  "I never 
expected a reaction like THAT from her," the former mutters.

	"Me neither," the latter nods...

*    *    *

	Minutes later...

	"An ANDROID?!!"

	"Hai!" Ritsuko nods with considerable satisfaction.  Tea has now 
been served.  Shinji stands beside Tariko, the prototype Sexaroid now 
holding the hand of their guest.  "Shinji here is the first-ever 
artificial intelligence-type lifeform constructed with bio-organic 
circuitry and neuro-processors, virtually no different than an 
organic's in basic function and overall capacity.  Most of her body is 
organic, her internal organs performing most of the same functions an 
organic's performs.  We call them the Model 33-Special android."

	"They're called 'Sexaroids' since their main function is to 
provide intimate companionship for their owner," Misato adds.

	Tariko considers that, then gazes on Shinji.  The latter's 
cheeks instantly colour as she feels the former's gaze fall on her.  
"Yes, I can sense the mechanical blocks inside her mind," Tariko's 
eyes briefly glow.  "I assume those are safety elements you put into 
her."

	"Hai," Ritsuko nods.  "Before we started the detailed 
construction work, we took everything Masudamasu-hakase learned from 
your DNA and stripped out all the potential problem sources.  Things 
like your psionic powers and the like.  In the end, it was a good 
thing, since for some of our girls -- the ones we built for 
Kusanagi-taisa, for example -- we've had to pile on some unique 
special functions."

	"Motoko-chan?" Tariko stares on her host.

	Misato and Ritsuko jolt.  "You know her?!" the former blurts 
out.

	Tariko's smile slips a fraction.  "Hai, I do.  She came to me 
about three years ago, just before her accident."

	The Genome personnel gaze on her, then slowly nod before Misato 
breathes out.  "Oh, man!  You must know half the government, for 
Heaven's sake!" she slaps her forehead, then stares conspiratorially 
at Tariko.  "Hey, you think you can do some lobbying for us?!"

	Everyone laughs, Tariko quickly turning to gaze on Shinji.  
"Geez..."

	"Amazing, isn't it?" Misato rises, moving to squeeze the 
prototype Sexaroid's shoulders.  "Tariko-chan, you got out, find 
people who want to make their lives and relationships really special, 
then help make their dreams come true.  Soon, Shinji-chan and her 
sisters will do something similar.  We're starting small, of course; 
including the ten for Colonel Kusanagi, we've built fifty 33-S's to 
date, including ten combat models.  But when things start to take off, 
I think we'll be making a lot of people around the world VERY happy."

	"Starting with herms, I assume," Tariko gives her a knowing 
look.

	"Naturally," Misato nods.  "Of all the acknowledged social 
groups, herms are pretty much seen as the most disadvantaged when it 
comes to their own personal and emotional well-being.  We know you've 
helped a few herms become full-form females in the past.  But from 
what we've discovered through our market research, most herms are 
pretty comfortable being what they are.  The only disadvantage they 
have, of course, is how their 'normal' peers would treat them if their 
specific nature became general knowledge.  Well..." she gives Shinji's 
shoulders another warm squeeze.  "When our product hits the market, we 
think that situation will change much for the better."

	"Motoko-chan's girls are full-female.  Can you build those types 
on demand?"

	"Yes, we can," Ritsuko nods, then sips her tea.  "But given the 
sheer number of normal organic women available to be had as sexual 
companions, it would take a very *unique* sort of person to want a 
female-form android as an intimate, full-time companion.  Most normal 
girls, at least those we've done trials with, take well enough to the 
male-form 34-S prototypes we've tested to date.  And, fortunately, 
since most normal women can get pretty scatter-brained on occasion, 
whatever programming defects the 34-S's might have won't be so much of 
a concern as long as they continue to perform their 'primary' 
function.  Shinji-chan's model is, regardless if she's a herm or not, 
better suited for people like you and me.  People who want not only 
just a sexual companion, but an intimate friend as well.  And given 
what sort of programming we've given them, we've made sure that 
Shinji-chan and her sisters will love their owners with all their 
hearts and souls."

	"You're starting with herms because they're often in a more 
socially disadvantageous position vis-a-vis their peers than 
lesbians?"

	"Yes."

	Tariko considers that, then nods.  "Well, I can certainly 
applaud such an idea.  You just better hope that those normal girls 
who might have an influence in government policy don't perceive a 
potential threat from Shinji-chan and her sisters."

	"Yeah, there are a whole load of screwballs out there, ne?" 
Misato shakes her head.

	"Tell me about it," Tariko rolls her eyes.  "Yesterday, Satomi 
and I had to bail out this one girl, Tsutsumi Rui, who'd been forced 
to be the block slut for her particular apartment area for the last 
two-to-three years because her mother's gone who-knows-where.  Two of 
my customers from a year ago, Kawada Yura and her wife Masae, told us 
about her.  Geez, I couldn't believe some of the things those people 
said about Yura-chan's and Masae-chan's babies!  I'm pretty tempted to 
give Motoko-chan a call and have that place checked out!"

	"Really," Ritsuko whistles.  "Will this girl come work for you 
and Satomi-san?"

	"Hai, but not yet.  We've got to get her school records 
transferred over from her old school.  I'm thinking of helping her get 
into Hachijuuhachi High.  I sure as HELL don't want her going near 
Furinkan, not with some of the nuts that go there!" Tariko shudders as 
the times she had been close to Furinkan High School replay in her 
mind, then she takes a deep breath.  "On her spare time, I'll have 
Rui-chan help me with the administrative side of Love Destiny, plus 
she'll help out Satomi in Otimtim's when she gets the chance."

	"Well, maybe we can help there, too," Ritsuko grins.

	"Eh?!"

	The scientist takes a deep breath.  "As you can guess, we're 
moving right now to complete all the necessary testing on our 33-S's 
so we can finally start putting these girls on the market.  To date, 
we've done basic one-on-one 'beta testing,' where the Sexaroid is 
allowed to spend time with a single companion in a controlled 
situation.  We want to move away from that into group testing in a 
more realistic environment.  To that end, for the next six months, we 
would like you and your girlfriend to take charge of four of our 
33-S's to be put to whatever use you might want of them.  I'm sure 
Satomi-san would welcome having some extra hands running her coffee 
shop.  And if they turn out to be good enough, maybe you could trust 
them to run Otimtim's while Satomi-san goes with you on your 
consultation trips.  And at the end of the testing period, the chances 
are good that you'll be allowed to keep the Sexaroids for as long as 
you would desire."

	Tariko stares wide-eyed at Ritsuko, then points to herself.  
"Us?!  I...!" she stops, then looks at Shinji.  "Four of your girls?!"

	"Yes!" Misato nods.  "In fact, we've picked out the four we 
think are best for you and Satomi-san.  Shinji?"

	"Hai!" Shinji perks.

	The executive hands the young Sexaroid four activation keys.  
"Wake them up, get them dressed in something nice, have travel packs 
made for them, then bring them in here so we can get some programs 
downloaded into them before we turn them over to Tariko-san."

	"Hai!" Shinji takes the keys, then nods.  "Rei, Asuka, Maya and 
Hikari.  Right away, Misato-san!"

	She heads into the storage room just as a fountain of tea bursts 
from Ritsuko's mouth.  "MAYA?!!" she cries out, then spins on Misato, 
her blue eyes flashing dangerously.  "***KA-TSU-RA-GI MI-SA-TO!!!  
YOU'VE GOT SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!!!!***"

	Misato ducks her fiancee's ranting, laughing embarrassingly.  
Watching this, Tariko shakes her head...

*    *    *

	Ninety minutes later...

	"I'm glad you're willing to do this, Tariko-sama."

	Tariko smiles as she and Shinji step into the latter's 
apartment.  The four Sexaroids selected to be turned over to Tariko 
and Satomi for the next six months were now being prepared for 
immediate delivery to Otimtim's; that would occur around the middle of 
the afternoon.  Rei carried with her a letter from Tariko to her 
girlfriend explaining the situation at hand.  Further, the four girls 
had, when Tariko took "official" possession of them, been programmed 
to have Satomi make herself their co-owner/mistress as soon as they 
arrived in Nerima.  For her help, Shinji had been allowed a chance to 
spend some time with the owner of Love Destiny -- just as long as she 
didn't leave the Tower, of course.  The two had just gone to the 
cafeteria for some doughnuts and coffee.  "Well, I just hope Satomi 
doesn't mind having four very beautiful young android herms like your 
friends living under the same roof as she," Tariko chuckles.

	"Do you think she'll like them?" Shinji waves Tariko to a chair 
while she sits on the bed.

	"Oh, I'm sure she will," Tariko chuckles.  "We have a herm -- 
rather, ex-herm! -- as one of our closer friends.  Morisato 
Ryuunosuke.  I just helped her transform into a full-form woman last 
week so she could finally settle down with her fiancee."

	"Morisato...?" Shinji perks, then her eyes widen.  "Oh, you mean 
the girl from Tomobiki who loves that alien princess?!"

	"The very same."

	"I didn't know Ryuunosuke-sama was a herm!" the android asserts.

	"She was," Tariko nods.  "In fact, before Lum-san came, 
Ryuu-chan was trapped in one of those awful one-sided relationships 
herms like her often fall into when it comes to normal girls.  Believe 
me, I'm more than glad that Ryuu-chan has a nicer girl as a fiancee 
now."

	"That's good," Shinji breathes out.

	"Shinji-chan?"

	"Hai, Tariko-sama?"

	Tariko gives her a knowing look.  "You wanted to come along with 
Rei-chan and the others too, didn't you?"

	Shinji blinks.  "Hai, I would've loved to come.  Mom wouldn't 
allow it, though.  I..." she points to herself, then shrugs.  "Well, I 
was built based on the DNA of Mom's son.  He was killed by the Virus 
about six months after he was born.  It hurt Mom really bad and..." 
she takes a deep breath.  "Well, I guess it ultimately contributed to 
how close Mom and I are now.  I mean, yes, I do want to be able to go 
out and be someone's personal companion like the others'll do in the 
near future.  But..." she closes her eyes.  "If I left permanently, 
it'd hurt Mom a lot.  And I never, ever, want to hurt Mom, 
Tariko-sama.  She created me with her own hands.  How could I hurt 
her, Tariko-sama?"

	"I'm sorry to hear that, Shinji-chan," Tariko gives her an 
understanding nod, rising to sit on the bed beside her host.  "Hey, 
who knows?  Maybe when the company starts producing Sexaroids in 
volume, you'll be allowed to go out and find someone to be with."

	"Do you really think so?"

	"Hai, I think so," Tariko nods as Shinji gazes hopefully at her.  
"Even if you are a Sexaroid, Shinji-chan, you have feelings and 
desires of your own.  You're really no different from an organic girl 
when you get down to it.  That's at least what I think.  And 
Misato-chan and Ritsuko-chan don't strike me as the type to 
intentionally hurt someone if they can avoid it.  And perhaps, you 
might end up meeting someone who'll past muster with your mother.  
Don't resent your mom for being a mom when it comes to you, 
Shinji-chan.  Believe it or not, every mother with a teenage daughter 
-- even an android teenage daughter like you -- only wants what's best 
for her child."

	"Hai, I know," Shinji's eyes sparkle with gratitude at her new 
friend's encouraging words, then sighs.  "Tariko-sama?"

	"Hai?"

	"Have you...?" she pauses, then sighs.  "Well, have you ever had 
sex with a herm before?"

	"Me?!" Tariko perks, then hums for a moment before she nods.  
"Sure I have!  Several times, in fact.  Some of the girls, I wound up 
helping become fully-female because they wanted to become mothers and 
didn't want to go through the damned hassles people tend to create 
whenever a herm wants to be a mother.  Other times, I was is some bar 
somewhere far away from Japan and 'Tomi and there was this someone 
whom I sensed needed some companionship.  Or possibly to be rescued 
from some nympho who didn't want her personal sex toy to run away from 
her."  Noting the android's surprised look, Tariko then adds, "Satomi 
and I have a very open relationship, Shinji-chan.  Yes, both of us can 
see ourselves finally settling down and marrying sometime in the 
future.  I love her dearly and she loves me.  But right now, our main 
priorities are making sure that both Love Destiny Enterprises and 
Otimtim's turn out to be as successful as possible.  And if that means 
that there come occasions when we want some company when we're 
separated, then it happens.  And believe me, we're better off because 
of it."

	"So you're somewhat 'normal,' too," Shinji chuckles.

	"Maybe," Tariko shrugs, then sighs.  "Then again, most normal 
girls to me..."

	"Boring."

	Tariko stares at her android host, then nods.  "Exactly!  Boring 
as all hell.  Just give a girl the right look and before you know it, 
*WHAMMO!!*" she makes an exploding motion with her hand.  "You got a 
half-dozen girls on the ground at your feet, asses stuck high in the 
sky, ready to be fucked every which way possible!!"  She breathes out.  
"Damn!  There's no challenge in that whatsoever, Shinji-chan!"

	"You can say that again!" Shinji rolls her eyes.  "You know, 
with all the 'normal' girls I've done beta tests with, there's only 
one I ever really liked."  With that, she leans over to her nightstand 
and pulls out a framed picture to show to Tariko.

	"Nice girl!" Tariko whistles on seeing the nude image of a girl 
approximately Shinji's physical age, with wavy brown hair to her 
collarbones and blue eyes gazing out of a softly curved face.  "What's 
her name?"

	"Kirijima Mana," Shinji provides.  "When we spent time together, 
she just loved being with me.  Even..." she pauses, then sighs.  
"Well, she once even admitted to me that at times, she was embarrassed 
at herself for acting the way she did when it came to other girls at 
school and all that.  One good look and they'd be ripping their 
clothes off, going at it like no tomorrow!  And..." she takes a deep 
breath.  "Well, before I met Mana-chan, I had been with a whole slew 
of normal girls.  They just ceased to really interest me in the long 
term, Tariko-sama.  It was a lot nicer for me being beta tested by 
herms or even lesbians.  Rei, Asuka and the others felt the very same 
way.  At least with herms and lesbians, you could have normal 
conversations with them about things other than sex, you know!" she 
giggles.

	"You've been with lesbians?" Tariko perks.

	"Hai.  Some of them thought it was pretty unique to be with 
someone like me.  And..." Shinji's reminiscent smile slips a bit.  
"Oh, yeah, there were those who got really turned off because of my 
cock and all that, but when we spent time talking about things, they 
warmed up eventually.  In fact, there was this one girl from Nerima 
that I liked a lot, too.  Tendou Akane was her na-..." she stops on 
seeing Tariko's eyes widen in shocked disbelief.  "What is it, 
Tariko-sama?" she leans close to her guest.  "What's wrong?!"

	Tariko blinks, blinks again, then shakes her head.  "Tendou 
Akane?!  Tendou Kimiko's kid?!  You've just GOT to be kidding me!"

	"I'm not programmed to lie, Tariko-sama," Shinji giggles.

	Tariko considers that, then shakes her head.  "Oh, man, that is 
just IMPOSSIBLE to believe..."

	Both start to laugh, then find themselves gazing at each other.  
Shinji then closes her eyes, allowing her mouth to part slightly.  
Sensing the invitation, Tariko leans down to give her a warm kiss.  
Their hands reach out for the other as their mouths part, their 
tongues coming to play right away as their fingers begin to explore 
the wonderful curves of the other woman's body.  Soon enough, Tariko's 
hands reach Shinji's hips, then one hand slides over a thigh to gently 
rub against the growing bulge in the android's trousers.  Shinji 
shudders as she feels her sexual programs start to click in deep 
inside her mind, then she pulls away from her guest.  "Tariko-sama?"

	"Yes?"

	"Do you like making love in the shower?"

	Tariko blinks, then slowly nods.  "Yes, I do."

	An inviting smile crosses her host's face.  "Let's go have some 
fun."

	Silence falls as Tariko considers that, then nods.  Both then 
rise, moving to disrobe each other.  As Shinji slips Tariko's trousers 
and panties away from her body, the android's activation key drops out 
of her shirt pocket to land on the floor beside Shinji's own pants.  
Both women ignore that as they continue to kiss, fondle and disrobe 
each other.  Finally, once both are as nude as the day they were born, 
Shinji leans down to pick up their clothes and lay them on the bed.  
Noting the dropped activation key, the android reaches down, then as 
Tariko gently tugs her host towards the bathroom, Shinji absently 
slips her key into her guest's back trouser pocket...

*    *    *

	Elsewhere in the Tower...

	"Very slick, Misato," Kate chuckles.

	"She does respond to commands, doesn't she?" Misato sighs, then 
clicks off the hidden camera looking into Shinji's room.  While she 
herself had a nice sexual experience with Moroboshi Tariko the day the 
owner of Love Destiny came to "consult" her and her fiancee, the 
former SEAL lieutenant-commander didn't consider herself a voyeur 
anywhere else outside her's and Ritsuko's bedchamber...

*    *    *

	"There we go..."

	Shinji smiles as she shifts the shower controls to ensure that 
Tariko isn't scalded -- the android often preferred showers that were 
too hot for organics to take for more than several seconds -- then she 
sits down at the rim of the shallow end of the shower/bathtub, 
spreading her legs wide as she wills her cock to grow to its full 
length of eighteen centimetres.  Her inner "housekeeping computer" -- 
the set of central processors deep within her synthetic mind that 
monitored all her bodily functions -- tells her all is well and that 
her sexual programs are now fully initialized.  "Must be nice to be 
able to fully control this thing, eh?" Tariko chuckles amusedly as she 
stands under the shower head, allowing the water to soak her.  "Here, 
Shin-chan, stand up!" she beckons Shinji to her feet.  "Stand 
back-first to me.  Can you let it grow on its own?" she reaches up to 
start undoing Shinji's braided hair as the android complies with her 
request.

	"Hai," Shinji nods, allowing herself to deflate to an unaroused 
length of about five centimetres.

	"Good," Tariko pulls the android's hair free, then parts it over 
the shoulders to expose her back.

	Shinji gasps surprisedly as Tariko kneels behind her, the 
latter's tongue pushing at the upper end of the crevasse separating 
the young android's buttocks.  At the same time, Tariko's arms wrap 
around Shinji's hips so her fingers could gently tickle her crotch.  
As the fingertips start tracing around the contours of the android's 
love machine, programs hidden deep inside Shinji's mind click on, 
commanding the circulatory and muscular systems to start feeding 
synthetic blood into her penis.  Her nervous system also starts coming 
alive, jolts of growing ecstasy flooding her brain's pleasure centre 
from the small of her back and her cock.  Though Shinji could, if it 
was perceived as necessary, will her mind to ignore the waves of 
passion flooding her soul at times like this, she doesn't do that now.  
After all, in the minds of the people who created Shinji, it wasn't 
enough for a Sexaroid to ONLY give her lover pleasure.  To give 
pleasure AND to experience it herself ensured that the Sexaroid would 
continue to ENJOY giving her service to her lover for as long as they 
were together.

	Tariko begins to trace licks, nibbles and kisses up Shinji's 
spine as her left hand starts to pump the latter's shaft, the right 
caressing her scrotum as the former moves to better comprehend how 
lifelike the android herm really was.  Even though the owner of Love 
Destiny Enterprises had done this with other herms in the past, the 
exact number of times could be counted on one set of fingers and toes.  
That would no doubt change in the near future, Tariko chuckles to 
herself as her right middle finger locates Shinji's clitoris, located 
exactly where it should be in the crevasse formed between the two 
sides of her scrotum, the outer skin of that organ folding perfectly 
against the outer folds of tissue ringing her vaginal entrance.  The 
contact of Tariko's finger on the android's clit elicits a sharp gasp 
from Shinji, her back arching automatically as Tariko's left hand, now 
rubbing against the tip of Shinji's cock, is splattered with a minute 
burst of pre-cum.  *Okay...* the!  organic woman muses to herself as 
her tongue starts to trace the android's shoulder blades.  
"Shin-chan?"

	"H-hai, Tariko-sama..." Shinji stutters, her body starting to 
shake from her lover's touches.

	"Don't be that formal, Shin-chan," Tariko leans up to rub her 
chin on the android's shoulder.

	Shinji blinks, then sighs as the organic's tongue starts to 
trace the outside of her earlobe.  "Ta-chan..."

	Tariko perks.  "'Ta-chan?!'  I can accept that!" she breathes 
lightly into Shinji's ear, making the young android jolt even more as 
the organic's right hand joins her left to gently stroke and rub her 
lover's throbbing joystick.  "Shin-chan?"

	"H-h-hai, Ta-chan...?"

	"Did you and Akane-san actually make love to each other when she 
was being your beta tester?"

	Shinji takes a deep breath, then reaches up to gently thread her 
fingers through her lover's hair.  "Only once..." she hoarsely 
replies.  "Didn't really do much when we..." she gasps as one of 
Tariko's fingers jabs her clit.  "Did it, actually..."

	Tariko hums as she breathes once more into Shinji's ear, making 
the android's whole body spasm.  "Sit down."

	Shinji pants as she nearly stumbles against the back wall of the 
bathtub, then sinks down, remembering to keep her legs spread apart 
wide so Tariko could get in and do whatever she wanted to do.  If her 
organic lover did have some prior experience with other herms, the 
android suspected strongly that a combination blow-job on her dick and 
finger-fucking her cunt was coming.

	Tariko surprises her.

	The organic's eyes glow as she forms a telekinetic "dildo" to 
start pumping deep into the android's damp opening, making Shinji 
scream out surprisedly as the walls of her bio-synthetic vagina are 
nearly pushed to the limits.  With that end of the herm's nether 
regions being taken care of, the owner of Love Destiny teasingly 
traces the flanks of Shinji's cock as she carefully exhales onto the 
tip, making more bursts of jism escape to decorate various parts of 
Tariko's face.  Even now, with some delightful romps in the hay in the 
company of a herm under her belt, the man-turned-woman still feels the 
twinge of hesitation, the tweak of discomfort, when it comes to 
bestowing such personal attention to this strong symbol of 
masculinity, even when said symbol came part-and-parcel with a 
particularly beautiful young woman.

	Tariko automatically fights it down, drawing on her empathic 
powers to flood her with an overwhelming reading of Shinji's delight, 
the passionate joy the android now feels at being treated this way, 
then she opens her mouth wide to take in her lover's member in one 
thrust that nearly fills her to gorging.  Shinji gasps suddenly, 
synapses in her mind instantly tripping over in succession as she 
feels the sheer *rush* of a wonderful orgasm about to hit her, then 
she grabs the sides of Tariko's head as the latter starts to pump 
away.  Fortunately for the android, her housekeeping computer cuts in 
at the right moment to ensure that she didn't accidentally crush her 
lover's head -- though given that Tariko's telekinetic powers had long 
since been trained to snap up an invisible "force field" in case her 
empathic or telepathic powers detected imminent danger, what might've 
resulted from Shinji's potential loss of control was her grasping 
empty air.

	As she continues to vigorously pump the android's member for 
what is now about to explode from her testicles, Tariko sends a subtle 
telepathic probe into Shinji's mind.  Images quickly flash in the 
organic's own mind of one Tendou Akane, a young woman Tariko's age she 
had encountered many times on the streets of Nerima over the last 
three years.  Quickly enough, the image of a nude Akane lying on 
Shinji's bed appears in Tariko's mind.  The look on the youngest 
Tendou daughter's face at that instant only makes Tariko grunt 
knowingly as she senses a particularly ominous quiver jolt Shinji's 
member before a salty-tasting broth floods her mouth and trickles down 
her throat.

	"TA-CHAN!!!!" Shinji screams out as she feels herself explode 
into her lover's mouth, the dual nature of the android herm's orgasm 
also coating the invisible dildo now pumping her cunt.  Before she 
could realize what is happening, the android's vaginal sensors 
suddenly detect the instantaneous disappearance of the "dildo," thus 
allowing the trickle of vaginal juices to leak onto the rim of the 
bathtub.

	Again, Tariko surprises her, this time by using her telekinesis 
to catch that discharge in a "bowl" and keep it close to the android's 
opening as the organic's arms sweep under her thighs, pulling Shinji's 
hips toward her lover, then up so Tariko could get to that particular 
part of the younger girl's body with her tongue and lips.  A quick 
tickle of the clit with a fast side-to-side motion with her tongue 
elicits another wail of delight from Shinji, then Tariko dives in to 
eagerly lap up much more familiar honey from the bucking girl in her 
arms.

	Shinji's second orgasm hits soon enough, her pussy juices 
decorating Tariko's face more as her cock lets go of yet another burst 
of jism to splatter the android's face and breasts.  Like organic 
herms, Shinji's male organs could automatically replenish themselves.  
However, since she is an android, Shinji's testicles do not produce 
real sperm but a remarkably well-crafted substitute which -- thanks 
mostly to the heightened invulnerability post-Virus women possessed -- 
would be relatively harmless if injected into someone's love canal.

	The android pants several times as she feels Tariko's lips pull 
away from her body, the organic's arms allowing her to sit on the 
bottom of the bathtub, her housekeeping wetware performing an 
automatic diagnostic as her internal power systems move to restore her 
to a semblance of normal operational function.  Before she could move 
to stand back up, Tariko leans down to hook Shinji under the armpits, 
the former effortlessly boosting the latter back to her feet, then 
they sink into a warm embrace as they share a tongue-filled kiss.  
Tasting the by-products of her own body on Tariko's lips and tongue, 
Shinji sighs, then leans her head against her lover's shoulder as 
Tariko's fingers thread her hair.  "Arigatou, Ta-chan," the android 
gazes into the taller woman's face.  "You really do know how to please 
someone like me."

	"Akane-san sure didn't when you and she did it, ne?"

	Shinji jolts, then relaxes as her memory quickly reminds her 
about several of Tariko's more amazing attributes, namely her empathic 
and telepathic powers.  "She always had problems with my male 
features," she admits, reaching up to gently feel one of Tariko's 
lovely breasts.  "I don't blame her for it, though.  Akane-san only 
accepted being my beta tester to get some money for herself since her 
family doesn't have much in the way of a real income."  A pause, then, 
"How much do you know about Akane-san's family, Ta-chan?"

	The owner of Love Destiny Enterprises sighs as she shifts the 
android around her so she could help Shinji clean herself off.  "You 
might say, Shin-chan, I happen to know quite a bit about Tendou Kimiko 
and her daughters..."

*    *    *

	Three years ago...

	"Hey, cutie!  What's a nice girl like you doing here?!"

	A fourteen year-old Satomi jolted, her eyes going wide as that 
purring voice sent jolts of wanton fire through her body, then she 
glanced over her shoulder at a smiling Tendou Nabiki.  Both were on 
one of the beaches dotting the Kujuuku-ri Seashore, a long shallow arc 
of land forming part of the Pacific shoreline of the Boosou Peninsula, 
the finger of farmland and small towns forming the eastern shore of 
Tokyo Bay.  Nabiki was nude, Satomi dressed in a lace-trimmed, white 
silk thong; the latter had shed her beach shirt so she could get some 
sun.  The younger girl had been moving to line up for some snacks at a 
kiosk when the middle Tendou daughter called out to her.  "Um...!" 
Satomi gulped as her eyes automatically danced up and down the older 
girl's developing body.  "I'm trying to get some food..."

	Nabiki chuckled amusedly, she reaching out to feel the gentle 
curve of Satomi's shoulder, her eyes locked on the rolling swell of 
the latter's breasts as she took a step towards the younger girl.  
"Well, you can get some food and you can get some *food,*" she 
wriggled her eyebrows as she moved to lean up against her current 
target.  "So what's your name, little one?" she reached up to touch 
Satomi's cheek.

	A fearful gulp escaped Satomi as the familiar rush of arousal 
her being in the presence of another woman, especially since said 
woman was nude and clearly interested in getting to know her more 
personally, started to flood her.  "Ah...!  My n-name's K-kurokawa 
S-satomi..." she stuttered, her mind's eye flashing a mixed panorama 
of images, mostly concerning a brown-eyed brunette her own age.  
"I...!" she tried to shy away as Nabiki's fingertips traced down her 
arm so she could grasp her hand.  "G-gomen, Onee-s-san, but I r-really 
have to..."

	"Satomi-chan, are you alright?"

	Nabiki jolted, then spun left to see Tariko standing there in 
thong and a white button shirt, Satomi's beach shirt in hand.  Before 
the middle Tendou daughter could try to figure out what was happening, 
Tariko strode over to stand beside her friend, automatically slipping 
the beach shirt over Satomi's head.  Once again in the presence of the 
boy-turned-girl Satomi had known since long before Tariko had moved to 
the Mendou mansion when they were four, the silver-haired orphan feels 
herself relax, the growing tempest of lust Nabiki's advance on her 
created instantly quelled by Tariko's empathic aura.  "You should know 
not to walk around alone a beach without a top, Satomi-chan," Tariko 
helped Satomi slip her arms through the sleeves.  "You never know when 
there's a shark around wanting to take a bite out of you."

	Satomi nodded, she moving to turn away from Nabiki.  Tariko 
glanced knowingly at the middle Tendou daughter before falling in 
beside her friend, ready to escort her to the kiosk.  At that moment, 
Nabiki's own thoughts finally caught up with her, though her own 
desire for intimacy hadn't been affected by Tariko's presence.  "Hey, 
don't be like that!!" she moved to grab the younger brunette's 
shoulder...

	...then yelped surprisedly as SOMETHING invisible smacked her 
hand away!  "Lady, take the hint and go find someone else to bother," 
Tariko's eyes were closed; this was a time before she adopted the use 
of sunglasses to prevent people from seeing her eyes glow.

	"Oh, my, Nabiki-chan!  Have you met a few new friends?"

	Tariko relaxed herself, glancing left to see a nude Kasumi, a 
thong-wearing Akane and a bikini-with-top wearing Kimiko standing 
there, all three gazing curiously at their relative and the two 
orphans.  "No," Tariko gazed on Kasumi, then turned to Kimiko, quickly 
sensing her to be the others' mother.  "My girlfriend was just trying 
to get some food for us when Nabiki-san bumped into her.  Now, if..."

	"Are you calling my sister a molester?!"

	"Akane!" Kimiko and Kasumi spun on Akane, shocked by the 
raven-haired girl's snap accusation.

	Satomi shuddered.  Having known her friend for so long, the 
silver-haired teen knew automatically that Akane's words were the 
WRONG thing to say to the likes of Moroboshi Tariko.  The brunette, 
being someone so unique due to her origins, lack of blood-family and 
powers, treasured and cared for her few friends with a determination 
that was quite overwhelming at times.  And if Akane wanted to pick a 
fight with Tariko, she was going to be in for a very RUDE surprise.  
What could only make it worse was if Akane's relatives moved to stand 
by her.

	"Miss..." Tariko then chuckled.  "Over ninety percent of women 
on Earth over age twelve these days has that potential.  How would you 
like it if some girl came along and tried to put the moves on YOUR 
girlfriend when all she wanted was to be with you?"

	Akane jolted as Tariko' words sank in, then her cheeks reddened 
as the point struck home.  "T-true..." she flustered.

	"Nabiki!" a stern tone filled Kimiko's voice.  "Is this true?  
Were you bothering this young lady?"

	Nabiki awked as Kimiko's glare lanced into her, stunned that 
this whole situation had spun against her so easily.  "I...!"

	"Oh, Nabiki!!" Akane groaned, then moved to stand beside Tariko 
and Satomi, an apologetic smile appearing on her face.  "Look, I'm 
sorry about my sister!  She just can't control herself at times, 
especially in places like this!"

	"So I noticed," Tariko relaxed, she giving the youngest Tendou a 
knowing smile.

	"Hey, Tariko-chan, the crowd's gone from that place!" Satomi 
pointed to another kiosk some distance away.

	Tariko looked, then nodded.  "Okay, let's go!" she gripped 
Satomi's hand, then moved to head off.  "Nice to meet you, Akane-san."

	"Hey, wait!" Nabiki called out.  "You don't have to go 
anywhere...!"

	Her voice caught into her throat as Tariko's eyes locked on her, 
the latter's empathic powers instantly reaching out to grab the 
unsuspecting woman in a tight psionic vise.  "Lady, what part of 'no' 
don't you seem to understand?!" she growled, her voice echoing LOUDLY 
inside Nabiki's mind to unleash the proverbial "fear of the Goddess" 
in the older girl's soul.  "Let's go, Satomi-chan."

	They headed off.  Akane watched them go, then glanced at Nabiki.  
The middle Tendou daughter had sank to her knees, her eyes wide with 
stunned disbelief.  A glance at Kasumi and Kimiko revealed the same 
sort of look.  "Oh, my!" Akane tittered as she turned to head off.  
"To actually believe that someone could actually REJECT having sex 
with either of you!  It's about damned time!"

	She walked away, leaving her mother and sisters where they 
were...

*    *    *

	Today...

	Tariko sighs contently as Shinji carries her to the android's 
bed, then gently lays her down before undoing the large towel wrapped 
around her body.  Pulling away her own towel, the younger girl 
breathes out as she feels her erection come back, then she slips onto 
the bed.  Tariko spreads her legs, beckoning her lover closer to her.  
Shinji is quick to oblige the older woman, sliding up to poise her 
cock directly in line with Tariko's cunt, then leaning down to give 
her a kiss, the android thrusts in, filling the latter to bursting.  
Tariko cries out at that sudden intrusion into her most private place, 
then squeezes her eyes shut as Shinji starts to pump away.  Purring 
delightedly as a hot rush of passion starts to flood her whole body, 
Tariko wraps her arms around her lover's shoulders, they sharing 
another kiss before Shinji picks up the pace, pushing both herself and 
the older woman once more over the precipice into sexual nirvana.  

	To believe Tendou Akane had actually allowed the android herm to 
do THIS to her!

*    *    *

	Personally, Tariko had nothing against the Tendou family.  After 
all, Kimiko, Kasumi and Nabiki were "normal" girls.  When one got down 
to it, such people couldn't be really blamed at all for the nearly 
limitless amounts of sexual desire the Millennial Virus forced on 
them.  In fact, Nabiki's attempted seduction of Satomi that day had 
actually been the factor that forced the latter to accept receiving a 
special "injection" of modified stem cells taken from Tariko's bone 
marrow (thanks to the help of one Masudamasu Yoshiko), thus in effect 
solidifying their blooming relationship.  That special injection 
didn't give Satomi the more spectacular parts of Tariko's abilities:  
her telepathic and psychokinetic powers.  It did give her the full 
battery of empathic abilities Tariko had as a birthright, not to 
mention the limited dose of telekinetic abilities needed to help with 
reproduction.  And of course, like her girlfriend and many other women 
worldwide, Satomi no longer had to !  concern herself with visiting a 
conception clinic to aid her in having children for the rest of her 
life.
 
	Even better, as things between herself and Tariko solidified, 
Satomi inherited the inner emotional stability and greater control 
over her sexual desires that was more common to lesbians and herms 
than normal girls.  That came in handy soon after Satomi took over 
operating Otimtim's on a full-time basis.  Within days, roving 
pussy-hunters had singled out the silver-haired coffee shop owner as a 
prospective target for a quickie or two.  Among those girls were both 
Tendou Kasumi and Tendou Nabiki.  As they came to Otimtim's to make a 
score, they all were made to leave in very short order, their desires 
for Kurokawa Satomi left unfulfilled.  The more stubborn of the lot 
got physically tossed out on their asses.  Soon enough, the word got 
around:  the beautiful young woman running Otimtim's was no girl's 
land.  Eventually, even Nabiki, who clearly couldn't bring herself to 
understand why Satomi had refused her in the first place, got the 
hint.

	Of course, thanks to their interacting with the Tendou family, 
Tariko was soon to learn of the REAL truth behind the unleashing of 
the Virus that murdered and mutilated so many years beforehand.  
Goddess, to actually believe a selfish little gnome like Happousai had 
actually existed in the first place!  Of course, outside sharing it 
with Satomi, Tariko kept that knowledge to herself.  Heaven only knew, 
Tendou Kimiko had personally suffered because of her family's 
association with that man.  To actually allow such knowledge to run 
free in a world with many women still grieving over lost husbands, 
fathers and sons would simply be unnecessarily cruel to Kasumi, Nabiki 
and Akane.  And indeed, given what Happousai had done on "behalf" of 
the women of the world, Tariko often found herself agreeing with her 
more androphobic customers, not to mention Tendou Akane, that it might 
actually be better to keep men forever consigned to the history 
books...

*    *    *

	Tariko cries out as she feels Shinji explode deep inside her, 
the showering of her vaginal walls with the android's synthetic cum 
making fireworks explode deep in her own mind as her hands gripping 
Shinji's shoulders for dear life.  She takes several deep breaths as 
she allows the rolling waves of passion to peter out inside her, then 
she relaxes, allowing Shinji to lay against her, the younger girl's 
head now comfortably pillowed between Tariko's lovely pair of D-cup 
breasts.  As the older woman's hands gently thread the android's long 
hair, Tariko closes her eyes.  "Did she at least thank you for the 
attention you gave her, Shin-chan?" she whispers.

	"Eh?"

	"Akane?"

	The prototype Sexaroid blinks, then slowly nods.  "Hai, at the 
end.  But she told me..."

	"She wouldn't make a habit of this, right?"

	"Hai."

	A low breath escapes the older woman.  "I wonder how she's 
taking to Saotome Ranma."

	"Eh?" Shinji perks.

	Tariko shakes her head.  "Never mind," she sighs.  "What time is 
it?"

	"About five to eleven."

	Another deep breath.  "I better go."

	"I wish you could stay, Ta-chan."

	Tariko gazes down at Shinji, quickly noting the blush colouring 
the android's cheeks, as if the younger girl is embarrassed to admit 
that she has her own personal desires in the first place.  "When I 
come back, I'll talk to your mom, okay?  No sense leaving a cute 
android like you cooped up in this place while your friends are having 
loads of fun over at my place.  Ne, Shin-chan?"

	Shinji smiles.  Slipping herself out of her new lover, the 
android leans up to gaze into Tariko's eyes.  "Promise?"

	"I promise," Tariko nods, then they kiss...

*    *    *

	On the Shinkansen to Hakata (Fukuoka), an hour later...

	"Ah, Moroboshi-sama!  It's good to see you again!"

	"It's good to see you, too, Minazuki-san," Tariko nods as she 
hands her travel case to the stewardess.  "How are things with you?"

	"Quiet," the bespectacled, busty, auburn-haired twentysomething 
with red-brown eyes -- Minazuki Taeko is working for Japan Rail for a 
couple of years to earn money to attend university -- nods pleasantly 
as she tries to boost the case into the overhead luggage compartment.  
Grunting as the case's weight staggers her, she nods thanks as Tariko 
helps her put it away.  "Long trip, Moroboshi-sama?" she chuckles.

	"Yeah, going to Korea after stopovers in Kyuushuu..."

	"Oh, you dropped your key!"

	"Eh?!" Tariko turns around as Taeko kneels behind her, the 
stewardess picking up a black skeleton key.  "Wha...?" her eyes 
suddenly go wide as her eyes lock on the three katakana symbols etched 
on the black metal over the hooks at the key's business end.  
"Shinji...?!" she takes the activation key in hand, stunned that 
something like THIS had wound up in HER possession.  "Oh, shit!" she 
deflates.

	"Are you alright, Moroboshi-sama?" Taeko gazes concernedly at 
her.

	Tariko returns her look, then sighs.  "Not really..."

Onwards to Part 2


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