Chapter 27 (Part 4)

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"I'm so exhausted..." I groaned, collapsing onto the small couch in the workshop and gratefully accepting a cold can of soda from Kiwi. I had spent the entire night working on Vega's body, acting as her assistant. Turns out, she's a demanding companion, and I had to take my responsibilities seriously. "Not like it's ever been any different," I muttered to myself, too mentally drained to even care. I'd been maintaining my focus for over ten hours, with only a few short breaks.

"Alex, awaiting permission to connect my consciousness matrix to the platform," Vega's hologram materialized about two meters away, her impatience clear in every pixel.

"Didn't think you'd need permission. It's your body — you're free to use it however you see fit," I said, waving a tired hand before taking another sip of cold water.

At my words, her hologram vanished, and the platform on its pedestal began to move. For a minute, the android performed what seemed like odd, mechanical gestures, but then she stopped. Slowly, Vega took her first tentative step, then another, and another, until she stood directly in front of me.

"May I?" she asked, awkwardly gesturing toward my hand.

"Uh, sure…" I glanced over at Kiwi, who gave me a reassuring nod. With a shrug, I offered Vega my hand. She carefully touched it, moving her fingers as slowly as possible, feeling the texture. Then she switched to Kiwi, who silently extended her hand without waiting for the AI to ask.

"This is..." Vega hesitated, searching for the right words. "Pleasant," she finally said, giving a brief summary of her new sensations. I couldn't help but be fascinated, watching this artificial intelligence experience a "living" body for the first time. "You feel so different. Alex, you're firm but still flexible. Kiwi, on the other hand, is soft and gentle."

"Here," I said, holding out Kiwi's favorite chocolate bar to her, "try this and describe what you feel." Vega gingerly took the candy, examining the colorful wrapper with curiosity. After a few moments, she couldn't resist and tore it open, revealing the chocolate inside. "Start with the smell. Humans assess food quality through several senses, and aroma plays a big role in shaping their taste preferences."

"It smells... pleasant," Vega said, surprised, still turning the candy bar over in her hands. "I don't know how to describe it exactly, but I like it."

"Of course, you do," I chuckled. "Your sensory matrix was entirely copied from Kiwi's. In a way, you could consider yourselves like Siamese twins." I shot a quick glance at Kiwi, who watched with a curious smile. "Now, take a bite."

Vega carefully brought the chocolate to her lips, hesitating for only a moment before taking a cautious bite. As soon as she did, her hand went to her cheek, and her eyes closed in delight — an expression identical to Kiwi's when she enjoyed something sweet. It was amusing to see that even the subconscious reflexes had been copied so accurately that the AI repeated them without thinking.

"Tasty..." Vega finally said after fully chewing the treat. Inside her body was something like an energy converter, allowing her to break down food and convert it into energy. As soon as anything entered, it was digested instantly, so there wasn't going to be any other natural bodily reactions.

"Food and water are essential for human survival. We need to eat every day and hit our daily calorie intake — though it varies from person to person, the average is about 3,000 calories."

"I've studied the topic thoroughly, so there's no need for further explanation," Vega replied, taking another careful bite of the chocolate.

"Looks like you're enjoying it." I smiled, handing her a sealed aluminum can of soda. "Do you know how to open this?"

"Yes." The android took the can from me. Her dexterity surprised me a bit. Honestly, I expected her to be a little clumsy at first, but she handled everything smoothly — likely thanks to the experience she gained from controlling my older exosuits.

Vega didn't rush to open the can. She wanted to finish the rest of the chocolate bar first. Some of the habits she had developed as a synthetic being hadn't disappeared. Vega was still influenced by a need for sequential actions, and it showed in her decision-making process. It was fascinating to watch, but her methodical behavior was starting to concern me. I needed to push her out of her comfort zone. If she wanted to understand humans, she first needed to start thinking and acting like one.

"Go ahead and open the can, take a sip. You don't have to wait until you finish chewing."

"Alright." She nodded, mimicking Kiwi's behavior without realizing it. Her fingers gently hooked under the tab and pulled it up. The can hissed in her hands, and a few seconds later, the familiar sound of a freshly opened soda echoed in the room.

"Just like that." I took a few demonstrative sips, waiting for her next move.

"It's unusual, but good," Vega smiled, setting the half-empty can down on the coffee table.

"Kiwi," I called to the woman sitting quietly on the couch, "could you stand next to her for a moment?"

"Sure." She shrugged and stood up, moving to stand beside her synthetic friend.

"You two are just stunning," I couldn't resist, pulling both girls close and falling back onto the couch with them.

"Alex..." Kiwi muttered bashfully, burying her face in my chest.

"Pleasant," Vega mumbled, mimicking her "sister's" actions.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused, as Vega suddenly grabbed my face. The android was clearly planning something but hesitated for some reason.

"Go ahead," Kiwi's voice urged, and Vega's lips began to move closer to mine.

At that moment, I completely lost touch with reality, watching in slow motion as Vega leaned in to kiss me. Judging by Kiwi's mischievous, glowing eyes, this had all been planned long in advance. I couldn't think of another explanation for the blonde's barely concealed excitement as she watched the scene unfold. To be honest, I'd long suspected that Vega had developed some kind of feelings for me. It had started back during our time at the camp.

"Oops," Vega clumsily leaned in, bumping her forehead against mine.

With a heavy sigh, I decided to take matters into my own hands — literally. I gently pulled the AI closer to me, slowly bringing my lips to her slightly parted ones. The sensation was different from what I was used to, but still, there was something I liked about it.

"Kiwi, be honest, did you plan this from the start?" I asked as I pulled away from Vega, turning my head toward the quiet blonde resting on my shoulder.

"Are you against it?" Kiwi's soft voice responded, and it wasn't the answer I'd been expecting at all.

"I'd be lying if I said yes, but a heads-up would've been nice."

"I'm not against it," Kiwi replied before adding, in a quieter voice, "Besides, you've been wearing me out, so don't even think about complaining." Her words made me chuckle awkwardly as I looked up at the ceiling, feeling a strange mix of embarrassment and amusement. I never imagined I'd find myself in a situation like this. It was an unusual feeling — one that made me want to both laugh hysterically and disappear from the awkwardness.

"Do you even realize how this is going to look to everyone else?" I raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.

"Let them be jealous. There's no law in Night City against one guy dating multiple girls, as long as they're okay with it," Kiwi smirked, leaning in for more affection.

"Alright, alright, you win. I surrender to the victors." I even raised my hands in mock defeat, which only made Kiwi burst into laughter. "Maybe we should head home and talk about this there? The workshop isn't exactly the best place for this kind of... activity."

"You're right, and besides, you could really use some rest." The blonde's suggestive tone painted quite an enticing picture in my mind.

"Wait, aren't we out of spare rooms at home?" Only now did the inconvenient fact pop into my head. But judging by Kiwi's sly grin, it seemed like this had already been sorted out.

"We'll make room for my 'sister,' won't we, Alex?" Kiwi cooed sweetly, rubbing her cheek against my chest. What a tease — she knew exactly how to get to me.

"Manipulator." I sighed, brushing my hand through Kiwi's hair, wondering how I had even ended up here. I wasn't sure what I had done to deserve all this, but I couldn't deny that I was enjoying it… immensely.

***

August 20, 2066

The next morning, I woke up in an unusual situation. My body was tightly sandwiched between two sleeping girls, their arms firmly wrapped around me. While Vega couldn't sleep the way humans do, I had managed to create a sort of "hibernation mode" for her AI. This reduced the activity of her processing units to the bare minimum, allowing the android to experience something akin to sleep. During this state, her cache labeled as "junk" was automatically cleared, and all non-essential memory was archived, saving valuable space. The archiving process compressed the data to an incredibly small size, meaning Vega could store massive amounts of information for decades.

As much as I enjoyed the sight of two beautiful women beside me, I had responsibilities. Lucy and Roxy would be heading off to school soon, and I didn't want them doing that on an empty stomach.

My gentle attempts to wriggle free were met with resistance. Vega immediately tightened her grip on me, instinctively acting on behaviors she'd picked up from Kiwi. There was no way I was slipping out quietly like this. In the end, I had to resort to a little trick: waking up the blonde AI clinging to me.

"Alex, what is it?" Vega asked, her voice tinged with surprise as she tried to understand why I'd disturbed her.

"I need to feed the girls. You're holding me too tightly, and I can't get out," I whispered in response.

"Sorry." Vega whispered back, loosening her grip.

"Thanks, you can keep resting." I smiled fondly as I gently freed myself, watching Vega snuggle up to Kiwi instead.

It was an endearing sight, but I didn't have time to linger. The clock read just after nine. School started at ten, so I had about an hour to get the morning tasks done.

After a quick shower, I headed straight to the kitchen, curiously eyeing the contents of the fridge. Vega had proven to be quite the glutton, leaving us with no leftovers. I had to whip up a hearty breakfast for five people, two of whom ate like they were feeding an army. Just as I started cooking, the smell of food lured Lucy and Roxy into the kitchen, their sleepy eyes watching me work my magic around the stove, flipping and stirring various pans.

"Here, this should wake you up," I said, placing two steaming mugs of hot chocolate on the table.

"Thanks," the girls muttered in unison, each taking small sips from their mugs.

By the time I was nearly done cooking, the rest of the apartment's residents had woken up. Kiwi led a bright-eyed Vega into the kitchen, drawing curious stares from Lucy and Roxy. Even though we had introduced our new housemate yesterday, their curiosity about her hadn't faded — in fact, it seemed to have only grown.

"Are you heading out today?" Kiwi asked casually as she accepted a mug of hot cocoa.

"Next week," I replied. "First, I need to get Vega ready as your assistant. Can't leave the workshop with just one person running the show."

"Got it," Kiwi said, spearing a piece of sausage with her fork.

"What exactly will my tasks be?" Vega asked, her tone as efficient as ever.

"You'll do what I've been doing: fixing implants, taking orders for upgrades, or creating custom tech when needed," I explained with a shrug, sitting down at the table.

"Seems simple enough," Vega nodded.

"It is. Especially for someone like you," I smirked, glancing at the clock. "Alright, let's finish up breakfast and get to work. We've got a lot to do this week."

There was no shortage of tasks waiting for us, and it was shaping up to be a busy one.