Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 The Ming Prophecy
   Copyright 2006 Rachael Ross all rights reserved.  This story may be
posted/reposted without notice to the author provided that it is not edited
for content; this notice and email rache696@yahoo.com are included; and the
story is available without cost to adults who wish to view it.  This
account is fictional any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely
coincidental.  No animals were harmed in the creation of this document.
   Note: This story contains a lot of exposition, it is therefore
necessarily slowly paced.
   Story Codes: MF/F, Sci-Fi, BDSM
   The Ming Prophecy By Rachael
   Chapter One
   I had gone to sleep at the People's Clinic.  And I woke up...elsewhere.
   "Body temperature is 94.9...95..." "Blood pressure is 110 over 60,
rising.  Pulse 48...increasing." "Respiration normal, doctor." "Hang
another glucose, please." "Brain activity is normal, no sign of
deterioration." "Lungs are clear."
   Doctors and nurses, dressed in blue and green.  I felt...tired.  And
cold.  I went back to sleep.
   I opened my eyes and the room was mercifully dim, but I could see it was
large.  Long and filled with beds close together like a barracks, or a
tuberculosis ward, with quietly blinking monitors.  A woman was next to me,
our beds separated by a few feet.  She was sleeping.  I turned over slowly,
and it took every ounce of strength I possessed.
   "Hey." A voice whispered and I saw another woman, on another bed.  I
nodded at her, taking a deep breath.
   "Hello." I finally managed.
   "I'm Fong Wen Yung." She seemed stronger than I and much more alert.
   "Hello." I said again, too tired to say anything else and I closed my
eyes.
   "You're awake again."
   I blinked and it was the same girl.  But I felt better this time. 
"Where are we?  Is this the People's Clinic?" I spoke slowly, keeping my
voice soft like hers.
   "I don't know, but the nurses are Americans I think."
   It struck me then, like a rock on my head, she was speaking English. 
"Why are we speaking English?" I asked and the words from my lips were
foreign.
   "I don't know.  Who are you?"
   "I am Ming Yun Su." I said.  "From Beijing."
   "I'm from Qingdao"
   "Oh."
   We did not talk after that.  A nurse walked slowly down the center
aisle, her rubber soled shoes creaking in that soft light and she saw that
Fong was awake.  I don't know why, but I closed my eyes, pretending to be
asleep when two men came and wheeled her bed away.  I did sleep then, and
when I awoke again, there was a new bed, with a new woman.  But she was not
awake.
   I tried to sit up and I became aware of the tubes in my arm, and
another, a catheter in my sex.  I stared at them and when the nurse saw me,
she walked over.
   "Lie down, please.  It's too soon for you." She used a needle, injecting
something into my I.V.  and I slept again.
   -'-'
   They took my bed, wheeling it from the large room into a smaller one. 
Two men and a woman were there, dressed like nurses.  They bathed me gently
and one of the men fed me some very soft food, warm rice and milk.  I drank
water, flavored like peaches.  My stomach protested and I felt ill.  I'd
eaten such a small amount, but it seemed like I'd feasted for hours.
   "Your stomach has been empty a long time.  It'll take a few days before
you'll be able to sustain yourself without the I.V." The man spoke to me
patiently.
   "Where am I?" I asked him.
   "You're in Buenos Ares, in the United States of the Americas." He
offered me more of the sweet water, but I shook my head.  "You were
purchased by the company and you're in Stage IV of your reconditioning."
   "Which...company?" I looked around because I did indeed vomit then,
making a terrible mess on the sheet in front of me.
   The nurse didn't seem to mind; he wrapped the sheet up carefully and
walked it over to a bin before finding a clean replacement and spreading it
over my naked body.  He wiped my mouth softly and gave me a little more to
drink.
   "Design Praxis." He smoothed my sheet.  "I need to check on some other
units.  A doctor will be in shortly, okay?" He touched my head and smiled.
"Would you like to watch some television?"
   I nodded and he handed me a remote control before he left, closing the
door behind him.  The room was very small, just large enough for the bed, a
small chair, the bin and a cabinet.  Some machines and an I.V.  drip were
on a stand next to me and there was a small television mounted to the wall
and I thumbed the remote, finding there was only one channel available.
   "Welcome to Design Praxis!" A cheerful woman's voice spoke as the
television showed the unfamiliar company logo.  "This short indoctrination
has been prepared for your benefit.  You are a valuable member of the
Praxis team." The TV showed dozens of men and women of many ethnic
backgrounds, all smiling happily.
   "HolograFx Entertainment Systems was formed in 2022," the video
continued, "as a joint venture of Microsoft International, Nintendo North
America, Pfizer-BioCol Ltd.  and Time-Warner Global.  In 2030, under the
twin aegis of the Bio-Reformation Act and the New Harvard Genetics Accord,
HFx merged with Advanced Synthetic Designs to became Design Praxis and made
it's IPO on April 1st 2031.  Today Praxis is a Fortune 500 company with
annual sales in excess of eighteen billion dollars and is recognized as the
personal service industry leader, providing state of the art products to
millions of customers systemwide.
   "You are currently at the Praxis Reconditioning Facility located in
Buenos Ares.  This facility was completed in 2066 and incorporates the most
advanced reconditioning equipment and techniques available." I watched as
different areas of the facility were displayed.
   "Because Praxis believes in quality over quantity, your specific
reconditioning will not be identical to any other unit's.  All of our
products are tailored to meet the specific physical, emotional, and
intellectual requirements of our valued customers.  Through our
revolutionary Biogenesis Process you have been modified to provide many
years of stimulating and productive service in a variety of challenging
environments.  Advanced technologies, such as AGP and RVS enhanced DNA
recoding are restricted for export to certain countries and are not
permitted for off-world application under any circumstances."
   The television showed laboratories and offices filled with white smocked
employees.  "You are currently in Phase IV of your reconditioning.  Phase I
began with your procurement through the government agency of your birth
nation and included screening and selection for appropriate service.  Phase
II commenced with your transfer from your selection depot to this
facility..." The television displayed each process as the narration
continued through all five phases.  "...Completed units typically are
maintained in situ less than 24 hours before being shipped." There was a
shot of hundreds of people filing happily into FedEx shuttles.
   "As property of Design Praxis it is important that you understand your
legal status.  You were purchased through the World Trade Organization's
2047 PSM Convention.  The Population Support Measure requires all countries
to eliminate excess population and conforms to U.N.  Resolution 2036-13,
which established population density criteria world-wide.  Pursuant to this
Convention, Praxis will purchase over 300,000 individuals this year alone
for the Personal Entertainment Division and over 2.2 million more for
off-world labor and military applications.  By the terms of the PSM you
have been designated and registered as `Human Excess' and are removed from
all national obligation, debt, and privilege.  You are property of Design
Praxis until such time that you are purchased and payment is received in
full.  Upon completion of financial obligation by the end user Design
Praxis is relieved all liability for your maintenance and operation, except
where specified by lawful contract.
   "Current Federal and UN regulations restrict the sale of Series IV units
to the United States of the Americas.  Series III units are available for
private home use in the European Commonwealth, and Corporate Japan.  First
and second generation units without specific DNA recoding are for off-world
commercial use only and are available without restriction.  Please review
your operating license and note specific restrictions..."
   The presentation was still going on when the door opened and a young
black man with a lab coat and a clipboard walked in.  He reached up and
turned off the TV as he walked past it.
   "Good morning, Ming.  I see you found the indoctrination, good." He
checked my I.V.  and a medical scanner that was beeping softly.  "You're
coming along nicely."
   "Who are you?" I asked him.
   "I'm Dr.  Mays and mostly I'm just here to see how you are and move you
to the next phase of your reconditioning."
   "Why do I speak English?" I'd been wondering about that a long time.
   "I'm sure you have a lot of questions Ming." He smiled.  "You were
asleep for a long time, almost 3 months, until we received an order for
you." He frowned slightly.  "Let me back up.  We purchased you through the
Chinese government and catalogued you.  Then we put you to sleep so that
you would cost less for the company to maintain as inventory, okay?  While
you were there we started your reconditioning, teaching your mind new
things while your body slept.  Our Series IV customers are American and
predominantly English speaking, so that's what you learned.  We also taught
you some basic things that you may, or may not have learned previously.  We
find that many new units are unfamiliar with simple American household
appliances and customs, for example.  We worked on your personality as
well, so that you would better fit the specifications of your final
purchase order."
   He paused to let all that sink in.
   "We did other things to your body too.  You may have noticed for
instance that your breasts are a bit larger and that your nose has been
reshaped slightly, so it is less...flat, more pert." He smiled as I touched
my nose and looked at my chest.  I had in fact not noticed, but they were
larger, perhaps a full cup size.  "But those are just cosmetic; the real
changes were done at the molecular level, using gene therapy and retroviral
treatment.  We've managed to introduce geriatric inhibiters, to reduce the
effects of aging.  We can't eliminate it completely of course, but we can
do some amazing things."
   "I don't understand." I looked at him blankly.
   "Well, you're 19 years old now and by the time you're fifty you'll look
much the same as you do now.  We've also been able to invest your immune
system with a much stronger resistance than has ever been possible before.
Cancer, Tuberculosis, Malaria, HIV, even the common cold, doesn't stand
much of a chance.  Your body can't even host a viral RNA, let alone become
afflicted with it.  You'll never be sick again."
   "Is everyone...?" I stared at him.  I'd never be sick?  Never get old?
This sounded like magic and I vaguely remembered the stories told in the
neighborhood where I'd grown up.  Americans were like Gods to us,
intangible and all-powerful.
   "Is everyone what?  Immune?" Dr.  Mays smiled.  "No.  The fact is that
these treatments are not intended for humans and have only recently been
approved for Series IV production.  There are certain problems that arise,
especially with aging.  As slow as you'll age over the next 30 years or so,
once the inhibiters breakdown, as they inevitably will, the aging process
accelerates at a phenomenal rate.  The effects are not pleasant and
irreversible, at least at present."
   "So I have 30 years of this..." I looked down at my flawless body. 
"...and then I'll die of old age?" It was hard to comprehend, almost
insidious by design, I thought.
   "Virtually overnight." The doctor nodded.  "Does that disturb you,
Ming?"
   I thought about it and found that it didn't seem to bother me in the
least.  I shook my head.
   "Acceptance of certain...truths...is part of your reconditioning." He
was making a note of some kind on his clipboard.  "Anyway, this phase that
you're in now is mostly just acclimatizing and regeneration.  Your body
needs to learn how to eat again, how to digest and process American food,
rather than your sub-standard native fare.  You also require some
additional physical modification, particularly to your ovaries, some
cosmetic dental work, and minor surface reconditioning.  New skin, in other
words, to remove blemishes for example.  These are all very easy and it'll
take less than 3 or 4 days."
   "My...ovaries?" I instinctively moved my hand to my stomach and lower,
as if to protect myself.
   "We strive to provide our clients with premium services, Ming.  None of
our units are capable of human reproduction, of course, but there are other
alternatives that are available as special options.  Your eggs were purged
during Phase III, as they are in all female units.  Males undergo a
different procedure to render the sperm unviable." He explained with a
small shrug, as if this were nothing at all.
   "You said other alternatives?" I wondered what that meant.
   "Your end user will be able to explain more fully, Ming." Dr.  Mays
smiled as he looked up from his clipboard.  "I see certain aspects of your
reconditioning were blocked from your conscious processing.  That's not
unusual.  You'll just have to be patient."
   I nodded my acceptance, wondering why I wasn't feeling more distressed
at all this.  Had they brainwashed me so thoroughly that I calmly accepted
everything, for better or worse, without regard for my own lost dreams?  I
didn't feel different, but then I tried to remember what I'd felt like
before I'd woken up and...I couldn't.
   "And then what?" I asked him.
   "And then you'll go through Quality Assurance and be shipped out.  You
were purchased by, hmmm..." He looked through his clipboard, punching some
buttons.  "Ms.  Julia Harrison for delivery to Mr.  Randolph Harrison, of
Seattle, Washington.  The order was for an attractive subservient oriental
female, virgin, 18-22 years, petite build, 34C breasts, long hair, fluent
in English, competent at cooking, cleaning, and household management."
Doctor Mays looked back up at me.  "How do you prepare Chicken Cordon
Bleu?"
   I said the recipe mechanically, not knowing where the words came from,
but certain they were correct.  It was shocking.
   He smiled when he saw the look on my face.  "I'm sure there are many
things you'll find surprising.  Here, you can see some of the requirements
your end-user requested." Dr.  Mays pushed a key on his clipboard and a
moment later handed me a small printout.
   I scanned down the page noting that I could play chess, bridge, tennis,
and golf.  I had a conversational knowledge of English literature,
classical music, and renaissance art.  I had an affection for dogs and
horses.  I could swim, dance a waltz and tango, and play the piano.  There
were other things, but those stuck out in my mind, simply because it had
never occurred to me before that I would ever know anything about them.  I
handed the paper back to Dr.  Mays.
   "Why did they pick me?  I mean how...why?" I didn't even know how to
express my confusion.
   "Who?  Your government?  Or the customer?" Dr.  Mays gave me a tender
smile.  "The Chinese government picked you according to their own criteria;
I honestly don't know the specifics.  The customer placed the basic inquiry
through our spring catalogue and then a customer service representative sat
down with them and went over specifics.  You..." He looked pointedly at me,
"were picked for Series IV by the engineers, based partly on your
appearance, which I must say is quite exquisite, but even more importantly
on your intellectual potential and your genetic composition.  Certain
aspects of your conditioning and enhancement simply aren't possibly with
99% of the general population."
   I nodded as though I understood.
   Dr.  Mays stroked my hair.  "You're the very finest entertainment
product in the world, Ming.  And very valuable.  Series IV baseline units
start at well over $800,000 dollars and with your specifications, plus the
luxury tax, you're easily twice that.  We'll manufacture and sell over a
quarter million pleasure units this year, but less than a hundred will be a
Series IV like you.  That's why I'm here, why everyone in the company is
dedicated to ensuring your well-being.  We are all extremely proud of you,
Ming." Dr.  Mays returned to his clipboard.
   "As to the philosophical `why you?' That's what we all wonder, isn't
it?" He chuckled softly.  "Perhaps the Harrisons will be able to explain.
My information says he's on the Board of Directors at Boeing Aerospace and
Ms.  Harrison is...hmmm...doesn't say.  Good customers though, 3 units in
14 months." He seemed to be talking to himself.  "Do you have any questions
for me?"
   "When...when can I go home?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
   "To China?  Never.  Your home is here, for the next few weeks, and then
it will be in Seattle.  You are Unit F031129-68, PID is Ming and your
processor is an Intel/MSI Neural Series IV.  You have a lifetime warranty
against conditioning defects, and your end user has purchased a 36-month
limited warranty against physical defects.  It does not cover product
misuse or neglect by the customer."
   -------
   "Welcome to Q.A.  my name is Peterson and this is Nance." The man was
older, in his late forties I thought, with gray hair and a beard.  He had
soft green eyes that seemed friendly enough.  He nodded at a younger woman
who was looking at a small clipboard.  "Please undress and lay down on the
glass."
   The room looked like a cross between a doctor's office and an
electronics repair shop.  In the center was an examination table, the top
appeared to be made of smoked glass and it lit up brightly when I laid down
on it.  On a large HV nearby a hologram of my body appeared, standing
upright, and as Nance played with her clipboard layers of skin, fat and
muscle appeared and disappeared until first my internal organs and then
only my bone structure was visible.  It was mildly disturbing.
   "Very good, we're going to scan you physically, looking for cosmetic
defects first of all, and then we'll test your body functions.  Heart,
liver, kidneys, brain, bladder, everything.  And then we will be looking at
your DNA to make sure everything is as it should be there." Peterson was
marking things off as Nance checked a small readout on a metal stand near
by.  "After that we'll be looking at your reconditioning, your protocols
and interlocks.  All the little gizmos and gadgets that God, in his
so-called wisdom, should have added but didn't.  Do you believe in God,
Ming?"
   I turned my head to look at him.  "No."
   "Very good.  Do you have any questions for me before we start?"
   "Do you believe in God?"
   "Of course." Peterson smiled.
   I was scanned by a laser, poked, prodded, and pricked.  I gave blood,
urine, stool, bone marrow, spinal fluid, and who knows what else, to the
technicians who shuttled back and forth from the QA lab to their own,
distant facilities.  It was incredible how painful some of those processes
were, I'd never felt anything like it.  I couldn't remember the IV's
hurting that much before, but I'd been sleeping mostly then.
   All the while Peterson, and to a lesser extent his assistant, Nance,
conversed with me.  They asked questions, both mundane and penetrating,
testing me in some ways I supposed.  They also imparted trivial information
that meant very little really.  Like the fact that while they QA'd only 2%
of all units produced, they checked 100% of the Series IV units and had
experienced a 17.5% mean failure rate since the series was introduced for
production 4 months previously.  The acceptable limit was 5% and the goal,
of course, was always zero.
   It was a long, tiring day and by the time a technician escorted me back
to my room I was exhausted.  The next day promised to be easier, I thought,
they would be checking my conditioning.
   My room was more of a small apartment than anything else.  I found it
remarkable that one person could have three rooms all to herself; a small
sitting room with a desk and television, a separate bedroom, and a small
bath with a shower.  I did not have any real specific memories of my
previous life, but I had general recollections of some things,
predominantly bad things, like overcrowding, hunger, and poverty.  I had
access to the library, through a small computer terminal and I found myself
reading The 120 Days of Sodom, laughing at some parts, and idly
masturbating through others, while a cold restless voice in my head
wondered why.
   `-'-'
   "Good morning, Ming.  Did you sleep well?" Peterson was already waiting
for me when I arrived back in QA.  I nodded.  "Good.  No dreams?"
   "I...don't remember." I shrugged slightly.
   "Excellent." Peterson smiled.  "Ming, this is Lucy and her friend
Michael, they will assist us for a little bit.  Please do whatever they ask
you to do."
   I nodded and looked at them.  Lucy was a young woman, very pale with
bleached hair and hollow blue eyes.  She seemed somewhat lifeless somehow;
it is hard to express my impression.  The woman was attractive, dressed in
a white skirt and blouse, like a doctor's assistant, but she frightened me.
Her companion, Michael, looked like her twin brother, very similar in
appearance, but obviously male with broad shoulders and a tapering waist.
His eyes were as blue as Lucy's, and just as empty.  He stared at me
without expression.
   "You ready Nance?" Peterson looked at his partner and she nodded.
   "Michael, you may begin now." Nance said and immediately the man moved
towards me, but he gave no sign of real interest.
   "Yes ma'am.  Ming, would you remove your clothes for me, please."
Michael spoke softly.
   I did as the man asked, removing my dress and my bra and panties, even
my shoes, although the floor was cold.  "Now give me a blowjob, please."
The man spoke matter-of-factly.
   I had never done that before in my life, but as if by their own accord
my feet moved closer and my knees bent so I was kneeling in front of him. I
started unzipping his trousers and pulled his penis free, wrapping my lips
around it.  A sudden feeling of satisfaction flooded me and Nance noted my
physical reaction on her clipboard, although I had no idea how she knew.  I
was vaguely uneasy at having three other people in the room watching me
perform, but it was also exciting for some reason and I felt my body
responding even as Nance told us the specifics.
   "Body temp increasing, respiration slowing, heart rate increasing...
adrenaline up 22 percent, all within parameters." She said softly and a few
minutes later she spoke again.  "Next, please."
   "Your blowjob is the worst I have ever received Ming." Michael pulled
away and slapped my face just hard enough to sting.  I sat back with a
sudden and terrifying shame, although I felt a simultaneous rush of
excitement that confused me utterly.
   "There we go...blood pressure is through the roof, 170 over 110, pulse
109 and increasing, I have capillary dilation and ...there we go...tears."
   I started crying and apologizing to the man.  I didn't know why but I
felt the urgent need to be forgiven, to have another chance at making him
happy.
   "Thank you Ming." The blonde man reached down to stroke my hair.  "I am
very happy with you now." I felt immediately better and kissed the tops of
his shoes.  "You may continue."
   I went back to his cock, sucking him with earnest gratitude for giving
me another chance.  I became so engrossed in what I was doing I almost
forgot that we weren't alone.  I found that I was quite adept at giving the
man oral pleasure, and though he seemed large in my small hands, I had
quickly worked his cock fully into my mouth and deeper, into my throat, as
if trying to swallow it.  The effects of my muscles on his organ seemed to
please Michael a great deal and he was soon cumming, spilling his warm seed
down my throat.  If he'd not spoken, telling everyone else that he was
cumming, I doubted anyone would have even known, at least by my reactions.
I swallowed it all easily, expertly even, not spilling a tiny drop.  He
pulled from my mouth with a reluctant *plop* sound, now only semi-hard and
wet from base to tip with semen and saliva.
   "Nominal, I'd say." Peterson looked at the Nance who nodded.  They'd
been talking quietly the whole time, noting how my body reacted, maybe even
my mind, and the total lack of privacy implied was frightening.
   "Lucy, your turn." Nance looked at the woman.
   "Very good." Lucy clicked her fingers.  "Ming, come her and lick my
pussy now." I crawled over happily as she lifted her skirt, as if even the
basic concept of refusal were utterly alien to me.
   I'd never in my life wanted to do anything with another woman, in fact
the idea had repelled me once as I dimly recalled.  But now, I found that I
knew exactly what to do and I enjoyed it.  I kissed and licked and sucked
at her sex as though I'd been born to it.  I used my tongue, lips, teeth,
fingers, even my nose, cheeks and chin.  It seemed to bring the young woman
to a quick and almost violent orgasm.  She was certainly enjoying it and
the response was gratifying to both of us as I drank her sweet and tangy
juices.
   "Looks good, Nance." Peterson said.  "Try the orgasm function."
   "Ming," Nance looked up from her clipboard, "you may cum now."
   And it seemed that my fingers had only been waiting for permission
before delving between my own thighs.  I found it strange that I hadn't
thought of masturbating, but only briefly for within just a few moments I
was enveloped with pure pleasure.  I grasped the blonde woman's thighs with
my wet fingers, mouthing her cunt breathlessly as the first orgasm of my
new life swept through me like a wildfire.  Lucy held my head and was
grinding her sex against me, as she came for a third or fourth time as
well. Lucy finally pulled away and left me on the floor, moaning and
massaging my sex until the sensations subsided.
   "Not bad, 87 seconds.  I guess that 6.A fix seems to work." Nance said.
   "Almost too well, I think 6.B will be better.  We'll patch it before we
release her." Peterson looked at Lucy and Michael, "You two may leave now,
thank you.  Report back to custodial services."
   "Yes sir." The two spoke together, straightening their clothing and soon
left the room without so much as a second glance at me.
   "They are...janitors?" I was confused slightly, disoriented from the
experience of having my sexuality so rudely awakened and then seemingly
dismissed.  I still felt a need inside.
   Nance laughed softly.  "Them?" She glanced at he door closing softly
shut.  "Series I baseline units."
   "They do odd jobs." Peterson shrugged.  "Not much good for anything else
really, but we keep them around."
   "But they're...they were...human." I had never seen another unit, Series
I or otherwise, at least not knowingly.  I had interacted solely with
employees since I'd awoken, or so I thought.  "Do I look like them?" I
wondered aloud.
   "Human?" Nance shook her head.  "Barely.  And not anything like you,
Ming." She was speaking at the same time as Peterson.
   "No, you don't look like them." The man was saying.  "They're human,
yes. Russians once, but now they're not.  You need to realize, Ming, that
this process is...evolution.  Consider Lucy and her friend your great
grandparents, like Australopithecus or Cro-Magnon Man.  At one time they
were the peak of biotechnology, now they're..."
   "Australopithecus was an evolutionary dead end." I said quietly, without
really intending to, but they hadn't heard me anyway.
   "Slaves..." Nance said softly and Peterson shot her a look.
   "Tools." He said loudly and pointedly at her more than me, I think.
   "Am I a slave?" I asked.
   "No.  Slavery implies a loss of freedom.  You never had any." He was
very curt and frowned as he looked down at his clipboard.  "Let's get back
on track.  Ming what is your function?"
   "To provide stimulating and efficient service to the customer." I
replied, wishing to continue our discussion but knowing I couldn't.  You
could still lose something, even if you never had it, I thought.
   "What are your protocols?"
   "Safety.  Conduct.  Sexual."
   "What is your safety protocol?"
   "I may not harm any person, nor through inaction allow harm to come to
any person, except as directed by my owner-operator."
   Peterson looked at Nance.  "Do you have the bioware protocols called
up?"
   "Yeah, um..." She pushed some keys.  "Now I do.  You want to compare?"
   "We better." Peterson agreed.  "Ming, Engage Interlock Bypass Pale
Rabbit One Eight."
   "Confirmed." I replied, wondering why I said that.  "Warning: Tampering
with this unit's bioware protocols is strictly prohibited and punishable
under US and international law.  All sensory inputs are now being recorded.
If you believe you have accessed this information by error contact Design
Praxis Technical Services immediately for further information and
instruction..."
   Nance nodded.  "They finally got the warning in there."
   "Yeah, Congress got a little excited after that kid tried to reprogram a
Series III to assassinate the President." Peterson chuckled.  "She got off
with a spanking."
   "I remember that." Nance nodded.  "Strange little girl.  Her dad was the
Vice-President, wasn't he?"
   "Her uncle, yeah.  Ming, this might feel...strange...you have a tiny
bio-chip subcutaneous to your cerebral cortex and we're going to read the
data imprinted on it, okay?"
   I shivered as I felt a slight electrical jolt run along my spine. 
"This...chip...it is a computer?"
   Nance shook her head.  "It's a biological storage device, read only
memory that's been grafted into your brain.  It doesn't really hold a lot,
and not any more reliable than your real memory."
   "But it makes the government feel better." Peterson said.
   "What does it say?" I asked.
   "Well, among other things it says that your brain will shut itself down
if you try to do certain things, like injure or kill someone." Peterson
said patiently.  "It's basically a fail-safe."
   "So we can feel safe around you." Nance shrugged.
   "Safe?" I didn't understand.
   "What is the difference between right and wrong, Ming?" Peterson asked
me.
   I frowned as I had no clear idea.
   "What is the difference between good and evil?" He stared at me.
   I paused before answering.  "I don't know."
   "Exactly." Peterson smiled.  "That is why we put the bio-chip inside
your pretty little head.  The 10 commandments, in a manner of speaking."
   "We gave you a conscience." Nance added.  She turned to Peterson.  "They
look good."
   "Okay.  Ming, Close Interlock Bypass Pale Rabbit One Eight."
   "Confirmed." I responded.
   "What is your conduct protocol, Ming?" Peterson asked.
   "I may only perform those functions approved by my owner-operator, which
do not conflict with the terms of my product license."
   "They sure trimmed that one way down." Nance noted.
   "It's really just there to protect the company.  The old set tended to
create a lot of conflict.  Customers were trying to override some
self-preservation fail-safes and the whole unit would just melt down."
Peterson started punching some buttons on his clipboard.  "It was in TA
032-68 last week."
   "I didn't see that tech advisory.  Hmmm...but basic functions are
included, right?"
   "Oh yeah, there are normal instinctive fail-safes we haven't inhibited."
Peterson looked at me.  "Ming, hold your breath until I tell you to stop."
   While I did as he asked, Peterson kept talking to Nance.
   "Anyway, this allows the customers to tailor conduct protocols to suit
their needs.  Plus it isn't covered in the warranty anymore, since its part
of the end-user conditioning process.  For a fee they can customize the
protocol requirements, send it to us, and we'll do the conditioning, but
that hasn't been real popular yet.  Same with sexual.  I think customers
want their privacy when it comes to product behavior.  The .7 upgrade will
integrate conduct and sexual into a single behavioral protocol."
   "That'll be good." Nance agreed and then I passed out.
   I was surprised when I woke up, wondering why I hadn't died.  Of course
I'd started breathing once I lost consciousness.  I stood up slowly and
looked around.
   "...alleviates much of the problem."
   Nance was frowning.  "But Legal is still..."
   "Those guys in Legal forget why we're using human excess now instead of
clones or even replicants.  Their only concern is that some idiot will find
a way to kill his wife with one of these things and leave Corporate high
and dry in a liability suit.  Behavioral wants to cut down on the protocols
because they inhibit nature.  They're a lot more excited about the
conditioning process than anything they can do with hardware."
   "But..."
   Peterson cut his assistant off.  "But it all comes down to human
integrity, self-awareness on a molecular level and genetic memory.  The
sub-conscious collective.  Series IV will make use of that to a far greater
extent than we ever thought possible."
   "It sounds like metaphysics too me." Nance laughed.  "I came up from
Cosmetics, remember?  You need better lips we change a couple g's to t's.
Easy."
   "I spent 12 years in Biodyne, God is in the details." Peterson smiled.
"Ah, she's awake." He walked over to me and held out his hand, helping me
up.  "Let's run through the protocols and then we'll get physical.  Shall
we continue, Ming?" I nodded.  "What is your sexual protocol?"
   "I may engage in sexual activity only with the express consent of my end
user for the purpose of providing him with pleasure." I recited it slowly.
Something about it didn't seem right and I frowned.
   "Then why did you perform oral sex on Lucy and her friend just a few
hours ago, Ming?" Peterson asked reasonably.
   "I...I..." I searched for an answer and found that I could not find one.
I felt as if I couldn't breathe suddenly and a surge of panic rushed
through my body.
   "Mmmm...that's a problem." Nance was making some notations on her
clipboard.
   "Ming." Peterson caught my eyes and I stared at him.  "Listen carefully.
Yellow Gambit Six Nine Six Access."
   I blinked as if I hadn't heard him.  I found myself lying down on the
glass table and I sat up slowly, feeling very refreshed and my recent
distress all but forgotten.
   "Shall we continue, Ming?" Peterson looked up from his clipboard and I
nodded.  "Please list your sexual protocols."
   "Priority One: I may engage in sexual activity when required by
Technical Services to ensure the proper operation of my sexual functions.
Priority Two: I may engage in sexual activity to alleviate conflict with my
Safety and/or Conduct protocols.  Priority Three: I may engage in sexual
activity with the express consent of my end user for the purpose of
providing him or her with pleasure."
   "Better." Nance was nodding.  "I'll get a note off to Simmons.  He's not
going to like taking a hit on this."
   "It's always the little things." Peterson agreed.  "Well, make sure he
knows the protocols were in place.  It was just a parity error; she knew
what she was supposed to do, but not why."
   "Hmmph." Nance grunted.  "It's easy to forget these things need to know
why."
   "We're not building toasters, Nance." Peterson laughed.  "Ming, would
you like to be punished?"
   "Have I offended you?" I felt suddenly very contrite and I just knew I
had done something wrong.  I looked down at my feet and clasped my hands
behind my back.
   "No Ming, you haven't offended me at all.  In fact, you have pleased me
a great deal and I'd like to reward you." Peterson's face was kind. 
"Punished is perhaps the wrong word.  Would you like to be spanked?"
   I felt a great flood of relief and I smiled eagerly.  I would enjoy
nothing more than being spanked right then.  It seemed I'd been waiting for
days, ever since I'd first awoken in that strange bed, to be spanked. 
"Yes...Master." It seemed proper to add that title and I slipped to my
knees, bending over to kiss his feet.  "Please spank me."
   "Vitals?" Peterson looked at Nance.
   "Looks good.  Her pulse, respiration, blood pressure, everything is
going up nicely." Nance shrugged.
   "She's almost too eager." The man rubbed his bearded chin.  "Call up the
purchase order, what does it say?"
   "Okay, hold on..." The woman pushed some keys on the small pad.  "Uh,
oh...no, she's right on target I think.  She's SubMas Level 9; Em Response
is a pos straight eight...PTh 1...PTo 9...Jesus, that's cruel." Nance shook
her head.  "You're going to have to break the skin to get an endorphin
response."
   "Yeah." Peterson frowned a bit.  He didn't look particularly happy and I
was worried that I was displeasing him somehow.
   "Master?" I was still at Peterson's feet.
   "Yes Ming?"
   "I am sorry, Master." I kept my eyes down and my lower lip trembled
slightly.
   "Oh, no." He laughed.  "It isn't your fault, Ming.  Look, maybe we
should explain..."
   "Do you think that's wise?" Nance broke in.  "Some things are best left
to the customer's discretion, don't you think?"
   "Yeah, but well...We need to do it, so she'll have some downtime anyway.
If it becomes a problem we'll fix it, better to find out now.  This will
come up again, I'm sure.  Make a note of her system time and we'll have
conditioning run a linear memory purge if we have to."
   "You're the boss." Nance said.
   "Ming," Peterson looked down at me.  "You're made for pleasure..."
   "Someone's idea of pleasure." Nance interjected softly.  I glanced at
her and saw some compassion in her eyes.
   "Quiet." Peterson continued.  "You're a Level 9 Submissive/Masochist,
which is peak.  Your Emotional Responses are topped out, everything from
fear and love, to shame and pride and all the stuff in between.  Normally
these responses would be graduated, on a sort of curve if you want to
imagine it that way.  Fear might be low and Love might be high, or vice
versa, depending on the effects desired.  This also helps avoid unnecessary
emotional conflict.  Do you understand?"
   I shook my head.  "I think I should love my fear.  I do not think that I
feel...distressed."
   Nance laughed.  "You think the customer knows something we don't?"
   "Series IV." Peterson grinned.  "I love these things.  Okay, good Ming.
Now the other thing is that your Pain Threshold is set very low.  A normal
healthy adult human is about a 4 or 5, right in the middle.  Yours is
significantly lower than that, like a young child's.  You will feel
virtually everything and it will hurt a great deal.  Think of it as having
supersensitive skin, but of course it goes much deeper than that."
   I nodded, remembering how much just having blood drawn had hurt.  It had
seemed like the worst thing in the world.  But at the same time...
   "Your Pain Tolerance, however, is set very high, maxed out in fact. 
Everything hurts, but your body is able to withstand it to a degree that
would far exceed anything I or Nance or any other normal person could take.
This does not mean you enjoy it, that's a function of your SubMas
conditioning.  Pain Tolerance means that your nervous system itself has
been modified so that your body will resist taking normal defensive
measures, such as passing out or going into shock.  Your mind too is
affected by this, creating in essence the ability to accept pain, to
rationalize it, if you will.  This combination allows you to function under
extremely adverse conditions."
   "It's important you understand that Threshold and Tolerance are not the
same thing; they don't even necessarily go hand in hand, although most
healthy people possess a certain equilibrium." Nance was trying to explain.
"In your case there has been a deliberate effort to separate them."
   She looked at me and I questioned Peterson, returning to his previous
statement.  "Then there is an increased risk of injury?" Peterson nodded
and I came to the logical conclusion...  "That is acceptable." I smiled up
at him.  "Will you hurt me now, please?"
   "Welcome to SubMas 9..." Nance whispered, somewhat sadly I thought.
   "Stand up, Ming." Peterson gestured and I rose to my feet, wondering a
little petulantly if I was ever going to get spanked.  He turned me around
and I felt his warm hands on my back, touching my soft golden skin.  I had
not so much as a mole now, not a mark or scratch.  My body was as smooth as
a baby's, tender and new.  "We'll do this tonight.  I'll get that Series II
training unit they keep down in Behavioral Sciences, it's a Level 5
DomSad." He looked at Nance.  "Unless you want to do it?"
   "No." She chuckled ruefully.  "Not my cup of tea, I'm afraid." She
glanced at her clipboard.  "Three days you think?  We're already 2 days
overdue on this one."
   "I know." Peterson shrugged.  "The delivery date is only an estimate
anyway.  It's in the small print.  I'll do the paperwork on it." The man
looked at the clock on the wall behind him.  "I guess we have some time to
kill, do you want to take Ming back to her room?  I'll set everything up
for tonight, say 1900 hours, we'll use the lab in 3b, it's empty and
soundproofed."
   Nance nodded and jerked her head.  "Let's go for a walk, Ming.  Get
dressed."
   =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
   End of Chapter One rache696@yahoo.com
  
ming01