Maya And The A.I. Pt.6 (Patreon)

(It's been a long time, but I'm ready to continue this insane journey. Hopefully, you'll join me and we'll see how crazy this story can get!)



The piercing digital dance of some pre programmed recording roused the middle aged scientist from his sleep. He looked around, momentarily disoriented due to how exhausted his mind and body felt. It was a feeling that he regularly experienced but could never become used to. Out of the corner of his blurry eyes he caught a glimpse of dim light pouring through the blinds framing his window. Luckily for him, the light wasn't bright enough to hurt his hungover eyes. 


Suddenly, it all came together; he was laying in his bed, at home and the annoying sound that had shattered his tranquil night's sleep was none other than his alarm clock. He reached over to the nightstand, blindly pawing across the table top in search of his old fashioned clock radio until his fingers brushed against the side of the alarm's largest button and, upon discovering it, he pressed downwards, instantly silencing the infernal sound. 


Slowly, he pulled his upper body from the warmth of his bed until he was sitting upright. An overwhelming yawn caused the middle aged scientist to stretch his arms towards the ceiling before blinking his eyes. He wanted so desperately to just lay back down and allow sleep to claim him once more, but for the first time in months he couldn't hit the snooze button and sleep in. It wasn't like he was a lazy man, far from it; he always arrived on time to the lab, but this morning was special. 


"That's right!" Wallace exclaimed to the empty room that surrounded him as the events of the previous night came to him all at once. 


He rarely drank, but something had compelled him to pour a glass from the old bottle of whiskey he had kept in his cabinet. Maybe it was a feeling of melancholy that had manifested itself within his spirit upon his efforts of hiring an outsider to test the A.I. being rebuffed by the board of directors or possibly a need to escape from the reality that he couldn't truly test his invention without it being able to train with a person. He had wasted numerous resources having his crew build the test facility only for the money men to firmly deny his proposal. Perhaps it was a mixture of all of these setbacks, but drowning his sorrows the previous night had led him to pull the trigger on a foolhardy plan he had been forming on the dark web. 


For weeks he had studied the various dens of industrial espionage and was always one click away from reaching out to these people only to chicken out at the last moment, but last night he had abandoned all precaution and threw caution to the wind when he enlisted the services of a thief who had ultimately trapped herself in his lab. 


In reflection, he knew his actions weren't entirely driven by alcohol since he wanted to go through with this plan from the start, but now he sat in his bed, wondering what his next move was until it finally dawned on him.


 'I need her to sign an NDA before any of my colleagues discover her or we could lose everything!'


Wallace stumbled out of his bed and ran into his bathroom, moving faster than he had in years. He flicked the switch on the wall which turned on the light, dropped his boxers and cranked the knob on his walk in shower in less than ten seconds. Normally, he cherished his morning shower, taking his time to let the warm waters wash over him and help him shake off the lingering fatigue of sleep, but he couldn't afford to go at such a leisurely pace today. He poured the ice cold shampoo and body wash into his hair, barely paying attention to where it landed as some dripped from the back of his head onto his back. 



Ultimately, the shampoo running down his back was a minor annoyance; what mattered most was getting washed and out the door before the roads became clogged up with the morning's rush hour traffic. Normally, Wallace would chuckle at such an oxymoron while scrubbing his hair, but the humor of the phrase "rush hour traffic" never manifested itself. His mind was working overtime worrying about the young woman and what would happen if he wasn't the first one in the lab. Would they let her go? Would he be fired for tricking that girl into testing his artificial intelligence system? Or worst of all; could this girl actually press charges against him?!


Wallace took a deep breath and plunged his head underneath the constant stream of hot water spraying from his showerhead. The effect of the water cascading over his head not only helped ease his anxiety, but allowed him to focus his attention on rehearsing his story just in case someone discovered the young woman before he got there. He would simply plead ignorance to his colleagues and, if accused of anything, he would flat out deny it!


Denial wasn't the most original plan, but given that she literally didn't have anything truly linking herself to him it would be almost impossible for something to happen beyond the higher ups pressing charges on her for breaking and entering. The worst thing she could say was that someone hired her to steal his invention which would only shift the blame onto her and give him an airtight alibi. After all, who would steal their own invention?


He twisted the knob, grabbed the towel which hung on the door frame on the enclosed chamber and got to work scrubbing his rotund body dry. Thoughts of doubt still lingered, much like the drops of water which clung to him, but unlike the left over moisture, he couldn't get rid of these pesky what ifs. The most pressing one soon became his biggest concern as he stepped out of the shower and started to brush his teeth.


'What if the higher ups believe her story?!' 


'What if they think I hired her to steal the program so I could go out and partner up with a different corporation?!'


Wallace clenched his eyes shut and spat out the frothy, mint flavored toothpaste. 


"It'll be fine." He spoke to his reflection, trying to steady his nerves.


Wallace rushed through the rest of the morning, abandoning his usual routine to shave off minutes wherever he could. He got dressed in record time thanks to abandoning his usual tie in favor of a clip on bow tie. He grabbed a can of slim fast from the fridge and chugged it down like he was chugging beer during his college days. It was the first time he skipped having a proper breakfast in years and the next thing he knew he was in his mid-sized Toyota Corolla and on the highway before he realized that he had left the house without even logging into his computer to remotely check on the girl in the nursery. 


"It'll be fine." The middle aged scientist muttered to himself as he cranked the dial on his stereo, filling the cabin of his car with the rich sounds of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 


The rest of the drive leaving the city couldn't have gone any better if he had taken the time to painstakingly plan his morning commute himself. There was minimal traffic; no crashes or delays with just the wide open road in front him while a few other drivers traveled alongside him to wherever they were going. In a way it was peaceful, downright tranquil not having to deal with bumper to bumper traffic. He checked the clock and smiled; he making great time as he got off the highway at exit 107 and turned right onto a dusty two lane road that would take him to Cherry Blossom Labs.


During the final stretch of pavement before he got to the lab Wallace spotted a tow truck on the side of the road hooking a relatively brand new blue Hyundai up to its hitch. Such a sight rarely, if ever, occurred so close to the facility and made him wonder if the car had belonged to his new guest. He actually felt bad for the girl if it was her car, but he immediately shook such guilty feelings from his thoughts as he approached the front gate and waited for the guard to let him in. 


There was no small talk, the yellow control arm rose upward, granting Wallace access to the parking lot. He parked up front and got out of his car with a sigh; in his haste he had left his briefcase at home, but it was the least of his worries. The A.I.'s internal networks were on his work computer and it wasn't like he would be sitting around playing Civ4 on his lunch break like he usually did even if he had remembered to bring his laptop. This was going to be a day filled with hypothesis being proven!


"Hey, Wallace." An older man with graying hair spoke up as Wallace approached the front desk. "You're in early today."


"Yeah, Charlie. I got tired of sitting in traffic all morning. " Wallace replied with a chuckle.


"I don't blame you." Charlie replied. "Worst part of my night isn't sitting here; It's after I clock out. You ever try to stay awake during an hour-long drive home? It's a bitch!"


"So, another boring night?" Wallace casually inquired, holding out his lanyard with his company identification card.


"Aside from one of the guys calling in an abandoned vehicle down the road, it was the usual snoozefest." The older man replied, scanning the card before perking up. "Say, when are you gonna stop designing robots and start designing cars that drive on their own? I could literally sleep on my way home!"


"You know, if everything goes to plan, I might be finished with my machine sooner than you think and then I'll get right on building your self-driving car." Wallace couldn't help but laugh as he walked through the checkpoint, bidding Charlie farewell. 


Upon stepping into the observation room and catching a glimpse of the occupied bassinet time seemed to slow to a crawl as the true weight of everything fell upon Wallace's shoulders. Beyond the one way panel's tinted glass he could see a pacified black haired woman sleeping peacefully inside the oversized bassinet. It was the same woman he recalled seeing on his computer screen at home only a few hours ago!


He wasn't sure if it was his determination or some kind of subconscious desire to see through his project no matter the consequences that brought him to this precise moment in his life, but here he was; staring at a young woman swaddled in the middle of the observation room. 


It took a moment for him to pull his eyes away from the unbelievable sight and find the clock on the wall. 


'Okay, I have enough time to review what the A.I. did before it put her to bed and then I need to lock the video and analytics behind a secure encryption system.'



====


Slowly Maya stirred, feeling groggy due to a strange dream that her sluggish mind  struggled to comprehend. For some reason, she had dreamed that she was being treated like a baby by some insane robot, but that wasn't as alarming as the resistance she felt when she tried to stretch her arms and yawn. Her whole body was enveloped by an unfamiliar weight and there was a strange bulb filling her entire mouth! It was now painfully obvious that she wasn't in her own bed, but she couldn't figure out what was going on as she tried desperately to focus her eyes in this sea of perpetual darkness. 


The petite Asian woman rocked from side to side, trying to break loose from the overbearing warm embrace of whatever she was wrapped up in. After a few moments of pointless wriggling, Maya noticed a bizarre bulk cradling her bottom that felt equal parts squishy and slimy which caused her to come to an abrupt stop. 


'It wasn't a dream!' Her mind screamed as the reality of her situation became impossible for her to ignore. 


The sound of a door opening caught her attention, making her tilt her head towards the sound only to recoil upon being bathed in a tremendous light. Maya winced, instantly shutting her eyes before gradually opening them to see who was now in the room with her. The first thing she saw was pink; she had been swaddled in an enormous pink blanket, but that wasn't as important as finding out if the robot had returned. Steeling herself, she tilted her head once more and peered over the side of her bed only to see a large man wearing an oversized lab coat, holding a tablet in his hand. 


Her first instinct was to call out to him for help, but the moment she tried to open her mouth she's reminded of the massive intruder filling her mouth, making it impossible for her to do anything but gurgle and moan around the bulb.



"Hello," His voice was loud, echoing off the smooth walls and ceiling of the cavernous room, making the reserved looking man sound quite intimidating. "I hope that our accommodations haven't been too egregious for you."


Maya stared daggers at the middle aged scientist. 'I'm laying in an oversized bassinet, diapered and gagged, you prick!'


"I know you're mad, I would be too if I was in your position, but we need to have a little talk." The festively plump scientist said before his fist fingers reached for the ring on Maya's pacifier. "I'm going to remove this, but before I do, I just want you to know that this room is soundproof."


All Maya could do was glare at the man as she felt the oversized nipple pulled from her mouth. Despite wanting to scream at the mysterious man, her jaw felt sore and the first thing she did was gradually move her mouth, trying to ease the ache coming from around her ears. The last thing she wanted was for him to jam that stupid thing back in her mouth so she fought her building rage and remained silent, stewing in her humid sleep sack.


Wallace was initially surprised by the woman's silence, but decided to take advantage of it and set the tone of the discussion. 


"First things first, I must admit that I'm not only impressed by how you were able to enter this secure facility, but your attempted extraction was absolutely phenomenal to watch." 


"I would've gotten out of this hellhole, but I must've gotten turned around in all the excitement." Maya replied, putting a sarcastic inflection on the word 'excitement.'


"Yes, that was definitely within the realm of probability, but our A.I. has been programmed to find its missing charges and so far has a hundred percent success rate." The jolly man in both girth and expression said with a slight smile. "But perhaps I could interest you in making that success rate fifty percent?"


"Yeah, I could play your game or maybe I'd rather get out of this diaper and demented daycare." Maya pondered out loud before coming to a conclusion, "I think I'd rather trade out crib bars for the bars of a jail cell if you don't mind; it's much more dignified, you know?"


"I'm sorry?" The scientist actually sounded surprised. "You're telling me you'd rather go to jail than stay here?"


"No shit, Sherlock." Maya shot back. "I'm sure there's someone out there who would enjoy being treated like a baby by your company's fucked up robot, but that isn't me."


"You misunderstand." The large man cleared his throat. "I'm not actually offering you money to stay here; I'm offering you money to escape."


Maya cocked an eyebrow, intrigued by this odd proposal. "So, you're going to pay to me bust out of here?"


"In layman's terms, yes." Wallace answered. "Of course, we'll still be gathering data on our artificial intelligence to see how it responds to your actions, but you'll be compensated for your time here regardless of whether or not you do manage to successfully escape." 


"Let's pretend for a moment that I can't get out of here." Maya replied, knowing full well that if the robot kept her swaddled like this for the rest of her stay in this fucked up lab she wouldn't be able to even crawl, much less climb her way up to the vent. "You're going to keep me here, for God knows how long, until you're done studying how that messed up machine reacts to everything I do?"


The older man scratched the back of his neck, thinking about how he could entice her to accept his offer. "Well, it would probably be a week or two at the most, but it could only be a few hours if you succeed in outsmarting the A.I." 


"That's still a week or two of diapers and baby bullshit." Maya groaned. "Why me?"


"I don't know how Myford found you, but I must admit that you're exactly who we were looking for." Wallace bluffed, hoping to pin the blame on his old assistant who had quit only three weeks prior. "I know this whole thing isn't very pleasant, but the alternative is going to prison and I don't think you'd last very long in such a place."


"So, one of your coworkers tricked me and now you're hoping I'll play ball?" Maya asked, glaring at the rotund man while internally hating herself for falling into this fucked up trap.


"Yes, but don't look at me like that." The middle aged scientist held out the tablet in front of her, pointing at the screen with a small plastic rod. "If you sign this NDA you'll not only be spared a trip to prison, but you'll be generously compensated for your time here on top of getting a bonus for outsmarting the A.I. if you manage to do that."


Maya huffed, annoyed by how this guy was trying to bait her into staying here to partake in his crazy experiment; This guy was really expecting her to sign away her freedom in exchange for him to continue testing that weird ass nanny bot on her! But what could she do? She had been duped and he was literally standing over her, holding all the cards. However, it definitely seemed like this guy needed her more than she needed him. If she could sweeten the deal, she'd take it. "So, what about my car and condo?!"



"If you're talking about the blue Honda that was found by the road, it was already being towed when I drove into the parking lot thirty minutes  ago. "The scientist replied with a shrug.


Maya sighed, "Okay, so let me get this straight: My car has been impounded, I'm probably going to lose my house and all you can think about is testing your robotic nanny on me?!" She shook her head in disgust, "You can pay my rent while I'm in here on top of getting my car out of the tow yard or you can call the cops."


"But you'll go to-" Wallace was immediately cut off by the angry Asian woman's reaction.


"This is California!" She exclaimed, "I'll get locked up for trespassing and be out in a month or two max!"


Wallace was starting to grow agitated, it had seemed that they had reached an impasse, but he was willing to compromise if it meant getting her signature. 


"As a showing of good faith we can call the towing company and get your car, it'll be waiting for you once we're done here, but I don't think you'll be here long enough to worry about your rent." Wallace paused briefly, studying the woman's face before continuing, "There's only a couple more things we need to test out and you'll be paid and on your way."


"How much are we talking about?" Maya countered. 


"Ten thousand dollars per day with a fifty thousand dollar bonus for exfiltration of the lab." The rotund scientist answered, tapping the plastic writing utensil on the screen twice.



A scowl spread across Maya's face as she realized she was actually going to sign the tablet. "Alright, but I'm getting paid from the moment I set foot in this fucked up facility, not now, got it?"


"I wouldn't have it any other way."


"Umm, unless you want me to draw an 'X' with that pen in my mouth, I'm going to need you to let me out of this thing." Maya replied, fidgeting slightly in her pink bunting bag. 


"Oh," the older man chuckled, "Of course."


Maya laid there helplessly, watching the large man pull one of the straps on the front of the pink pouch, which immediately loosened the swaddle. She could move her arms again! Slowly, he tugged the thick material downwards, stopping only when her arms popped out of the top of the bag.


"Thanks." Maya said, sheepishly, blushing slightly as she accepted the plastic writing utensil. 


Normally, she would've read the digital document to see what exactly she was agreeing to, but the slick feeling pressing against the back of ass was starting to grow cold and itchy. As much as she hated to admit it, she signed it to not only get the money but to get cleaned up sooner rather than later. 


"There!" Maya huffed, giving the pen back to the older man. "Now, I'm going to need a few minutes to clean myself up before you send in that crazy bitch bot."


"Oh, I thought I smelt something, but I didn't want to sound rude by mentioning it." Wallace turned away from the young woman in the bassinet and made his way toward the door. "But I'll send in the robot to change you so we can start the day off properly."
 

"What?!" Maya exclaimed, genuinely caught off guard by the scientist's indifference to her current state. "That's not what I asked for and you know it!"


The scientist paused, looking over his shoulder at her as he stood in the doorway. "I know It's not what you want, but you have given us consent to care for you and that means being changed and bathed by our nanny bot when It's required" 


"Please!" Maya squirmed her way out of the pink blanket and stood on her knees. "I just need five minutes on a toilet and then you can do whatever tests you want!"


"I'm sorry, but the toilet will be off limits to you until we've collected all of our data, but if you really need it all you have to do is escape." The rotund man said before closing the door. 


Maya felt her body quiver with rage as she clenched her fists and tilted her head back before unleashing her anger in an ear deafening scream, "Asshole!!!!" 


It felt good to let it all out, but no amount of screaming at the ceiling would change the fact that she was now stuck in this twisted lab, truly at the mercy of a fucked up robot for at least the next week or possibly longer. If only she had been smart enough to ask for a shower or even five minutes alone in a private bathroom. The money was a poor consolation prize for what she had been through and what she was going to have to endure. The realization that it might be weeks before she got to sit on another toilet started to rear its ugly head in her thoughts. It was bad enough that she already had her diaper changed by that messed up machine and was going to have to tolerate it again just to get cleaned up, but having her most basic request ignored by that fat fuck really made her blood boil.


In the distance a rhythmic set of footsteps approached her babyish bed. Maya didn't even have to look up to know who was walking up to the bassinet.


"GOOD MORNING, SWEETIE!" The advanced tin can cooed, pausing momentarily before reaching for the back of her disposable underwear. Maya winced as the animatronic facsimile of a nanny patted her bottom. "I THINK SOMEONE NEEDS HER DIAPER CHANGED."


To Be Continued…