The Sexual Assistant

Chapter 2

"Nancy has been kidnapped," declared Harris Harrison as he barged into the office of his business partner.

"Who's Nancy?" inquired Barnett Lay, President of GFT Solutions.

"You know, Nancy. We developed her synthetic intelligence."

"Are you talking about the sex robot we upgraded?"

"Yes, Nancy," said an irritated Harrison.

"Wouldn't 'stolen' be a better term?" asked Barnett.

"Never mind that, we have to find her."

"Why?" asked Barnett. "We sent her back to the company a couple of years ago."

Harrison stepped up to Barnett's desk and leaned over to make his argument in a louder tone of voice. "The government wants to use her. It's a contract worth millions for the company. We have to get her back!"

Barnett set down the pen he was using to draw the design for the world's most advanced anti-theft vault. A contract worth just over a million dollars, so Harrison's rant won priority.

"I thought you hated the government," stated Barnett.

"I do. But this is money, and a chance to teach them a lesson."

"How so?" said Barnett as he leaned back in his chair.

"They want to use our technology to make her into a spy," replied Harrison proudly.

"Oh," said Barnett. "Is that all? Well, get me the details on her disappearance, and I'll get her back tomorrow." And with that comment, Barnett waved Mr. Harrison away. Harrison looked like he was going to saying something. He hesitated, then he shrugged his shoulders and departed.

"Good Lord," whispered Barnett as he went back to work.

#

There are only five employees of GFT Solutions. Barnett and his assistant Wendy, Harris and his assistant Alisha, and former Lieutenant Colonel Buffy VanderRye. Buffy had served with distinction in the United States Army, forming the first all-drone combat unit and then staffing the unit with only female soldiers. While in command of the drone unit, she had worked with Barnett Lay in the capture of the Cornstalk Killers. In Afghanistan, a sniper's bullet to her spine put her in a wheelchair for life.

Barnett hired Buffy and provided her with a high-technology personal transportation device. The device was a prototype from Toyota Motors, which the GFT Solutions team had purchased and modified. This wheelchair of the future could take Buffy just about anywhere, including roads at speeds up to 50 miles per hour. As the newest member of the GFT Solutions team, Buffy had been critical in solving the great Wilcox disappearance. The success of the company's work in the Wilcox affair resulted in a one billion dollar reward for bringing back Doctor Wilcox alive.

Today, Buffy had the day off and was lying naked in her bed. Next to her was the former Sargent Neil McMaster. He also used a wheelchair due to a road accident in Iraq. Both of them had been lovers. But that was before the wars, and the accidents left them disabled and separated. Both were discharged from the Army. A few months ago, they had met and tried to restore their former relationship.

"Well," said Buffy, "that certainly didn't work."

"Sorry," responded Neil McMaster.

"It's not your fault," she said, trying to comfort him. "It's our injuries. We can only do so much."

"I don't know," he replied. "Maybe we need a few days to think about how to proceed."

Neil hoisted himself up using the bar above Buffy's bed. He swung his legs into his waiting wheelchair. His wheelchair was a standard military issue. Buffy could see him glance at the multi-million dollar mobility device she had parked next to the bed.

"You deserve better," he said.

#

Mr. Thomas VanderSloth was very wealthy, and he wanted to remain prosperous. Unfortunately, he had a problem: Mrs. VanderSlouth. She possessed the unfortunate habit of displaying their wealth at every social occasion. Of particular interest to Mr. VanderSloth was the Bangkok Ruby. The ruby was one of the largest in the world and declared free of defects. That made the ruby the most valuable precious gem in the world, worth untold millions of dollars. Mrs. VanderSloth liked to show off the gem at parties, causing Mr. VanderSloth's heart to skip a few beats.

Barnett Lay was a famous solver of problems. The rich, famous, and influential people of the world found Mr. Lay to be wholly intolerable. Yet, they often sought his advice. Mr. Lay had found the missing Dr. Wilcox. Mr. Lay had defeated the Cornstalk Killers. Surely, thought Mr. VanderSloth, he could find a way to protect the ruby.

Mr. Lay had found a way to protect the ruby. He was drawing up the plans for a vault that could not be defeated by thieves. It was an ingenious system of locks, cameras, motion sensors, and unexpected traps. It was ready to be built and installed. Barnett Lay had told Mr. VanderSloth that the ruby would soon be safe.

#

Harris Harrison handed the details of the kidnapping (robbery?) to Barnett Lay. Harrison sat back in his chair, and Barnett read the report.

Two years ago, GFT Solutions had received a contract to upgrade a sex robot for the robotic brothel market. It was not selling well, and the manufacturer wanted to know why. Barnett Lay determined the robot, Asian Tart Model 6, was not correctly designed for human interaction. At the time, the word used frequently to describe her was "creepy."

Therefore, Mr. Harrison got the task of reprogramming the robotic code and related stepper motors to create human-like movements. The base programming for the sex robot was changed from linear programming code to a dynamic, non-linear matrix of synthetic intelligence. The new logic made the Asian Tart Model 6 intimate in communications and actions. In other words, instead of making lewd suggestions of how to exploit her sexually, the robot engaged people with a gentle conversation, subtle acts of touching, and an apparent interest in making the customer happy. Nicknamed "Nancy" by Mr. Harrison, the unit was marketed as a "robot companion" with a wink towards her sexual capabilities.

Nancy proved to be of great interest to American intelligence agencies when they learned she was indistinguishable from normal human behavior. Harrison had provided a demonstration in Washington, DC, just over one year ago. The panel was impressed but left the room without a decision on using Nancy's technology. However, one agency director slipped Harrison a card. They had met secretly and were developing a method for programming Nancy for intelligence gathering.

Meanwhile, Nancy had gone back to her company of origin. The owners were flooded with orders for the new, improved model. Nancy was the prototype, so she was placed at the company's front desk to greet potential customers. She excelled at her job. Then, two weeks ago, the company was broken into by persons unknown. The thieves had disabled the video camera and the alarm system. They stole several sex robots from the warehouse. On their way out of the building, it appears that they also took Nancy. Nancy was powered down for the night and could not respond to the thieves.

"Did they notify the police?" asked Barnett.

"Yep," responded Harrison. "Apparently, the police did not take the report with serious professionalism."

"Well," responded Barnett, "it's probably the first time they had to respond to the theft of sex robots. I am sure the interior of the plant was fairly amusing to the officers."

"The bottom line is the police are not looking very hard for Nancy. It's going to be up to us to find her."

"Fear not," said Barnett, "I will have her back within 48 hours."

"How?" asked Harrison.

Barnett held up one finger to pause Mr. Harrison as he called out to Wendy in the outer office. "Wendy, get the sex robot company on the phone and tell them we would like to meet them first thing tomorrow. And, get ready to drive us down to Chicago."

"We're going to the company?" asked Harrison.

"Yes, and it should only take an hour or so to find Nancy."

"How do you know that?" inquired a confused Harrison.

"Trust me," said Barnett.