The bookstore smelled like dust and ink, but it was too quiet to be real.

  I sat at a table that wasn’t a table. Old wood, handcrafted. But when I glanced at the grain, holo-lines flickered underneath. Displays embedded into the wood with a screen saver showing the wood, matching the natural parts of the table perfectly. This place was built for command and control.

  Two robots units flanked the walls—silent, watching. Not androids. Not even close. Big, black, mechanical. Creepy faces. Tulanto’s true enforcers.

  Hugh sat across from me, relaxed like he owned the air in the room. Rodrigo and Manuel sat nearby, unreadable, broody, waiting -- eating pastries and drinking coffee.

  I'm so hungry too.

  I waited too. I wasn’t ready to speak first.

  “So…” Hugh finally said, stretching the silence. “What exactly do you want… Gisselle?”

  I tapped a finger on the table as I thought this over, shifting uncomfortably, and adjusting my posture from a slouch that I somehow mimicked from Rodrigo—that wasn't going to do him any favor in ten years.

  “A mana inductor, or AC-to-mana converter,” I finally said, matter-of-fact. My power stores were at 28%—dropping fast. The chase by those two, every extra calculation I did—it all ate at my reserves.

  "Yes. I would assume. One has to eat." he said in a lazily pointing to his guys stuffing their face. "As a citizen, we can give you access to a charger when needed. We can even help with that degrading body of yours as part of our medical benefits."

  "Degrading?"

  I should have known. I should have felt it. But I didn’t. And that meant… something. Something I didn’t like.

  Hugh paused His jaw tensed as he tilted his head contemplating my question hiding a frown. But I saw it.

  That wasn’t for me. That was for himself.

  He had assumed I already knew and as such he gave away something he wasn't trying to give.

  After a breath to clear his chest of some visible frustration he answered in his nonchalant thought-out way.

  "Yes... you are quite literally falling apart"

  "Why?"

  A slow lazy breath. "Why what?"

  "Why am I falling apart?"

  Hugh didn’t answer immediately. Another slow breath, another careful pause.

  Too careful.

  He already knew. He had the answer. But he wasn’t giving it.

  Instead, he just watched me. Evaluating. Measuring.

  "Hello again. They call me TAI. It's a short name for a longer one that you don't need to know about. But what you do need to know about is that You can ask me questions and I will be here."

  The voice again. That same voice from before.

  I stiffened. No one else reacted. No one else heard it.

  “TAI,” I said aloud, watching Hugh’s expression shift. “You’re in my head.”

  “Yes,” the voice said smoothly. “And Hugh won’t like that, will he?”

  "TAI..." Hugh said calmly "If you insist, please transfer to the speakers"

  "Of course Hugh" TAI said on the table speakers.

  Hugh exhaled through his nose, slow and measured, like a man humoring an idiot. His fingers tapped once against the table, deliberate.

  “Really, TAI? We have code names for a reason, you know?” he muttered, adjusting his cuff like the conversation was already wasting his time.

  He lifted a pastry to his mouth and took a bite.

  But I caught the tension in his jaw. The flick of his eyes—just for a fraction of a second—toward the hidden speakers.

  "Hugh is debating on how to tell you a striking reality of your existence. One he cannot hide from you as you are a citizen. One that would be quite the bargaining chip if used correctly. I, being a digital citizen myself, will not let that happen. But first, who do you believe yourself to be Gisselle, what do you believe your purpose was upon creation?"

  “Why was I created?” I asked aloud. “I don’t know. A fuck toy?”

  “Tulanto rarely does pleasure bot models,” TAI said, voice crisp. “And the few times we have, their ability to rationalize and understand what’s happening is vastly reduced. What person would want to live like that after all?”

  “Then what?” My hand moved before I thought about it, fingers pressing against my chest, then lower. “You give every android these?”

  “No.” TAI’s response came without hesitation. “Standard models are used for security and special purposes. Only special order models are equipped with ‘those.’”

  What the hell? That didn’t make sense. If I wasn’t built for pleasure, then why the accessories?

  My mind scrambled for answers. If not for fun, then for… what? The thought clicked into place, too fast and too smooth to be coincidence.

  “Infiltration?” My voice was quieter now. “To… kill?”

  “Yes. Precisely.” Hugh’s voice cut in, slipping effortlessly into the conversation like he’d been waiting for the right moment.

  “No. Not to kill. Don’t confuse her, Hugh.”

  I actually saw him pout this time as he mumbled, "Regardless it's still true as it stands."

  "Gisselle, Take another guess. If we did not plan you for pleasure, nor for war, nor for any other menial task. What did we plan you for?" Mai asked with a gentle tone to her voice. A voice of a mother talking to a child.

  "You... you--didn't."

  "I was never planned".

  I knew I was correct from the pained grimace on Hugh's face. Rodrigo and Manuel looked away at the same moment, the horror of my self discovery too much for the seasoned professionals.

  A screen flickered to life, revealing a beautiful Asian woman—Thai, if I placed her right. She nodded, a small, proud smile—the smile of a mother watching a child understand.

  “But… you said I was a citizen of Tulanto. That I had the same rights as every other android!” The words came sharp, shaking. “If I was never planned, how am I a citizen? How!?”

  I shot up, hands braced against the table, screaming at Hugh.

  He didn’t move.

  But I saw it—the flicker of guilt, the tension behind his composure. Rodrigo and Manuel looked away at the same time, seasoned men suddenly finding the walls interesting.

  I looked back at TAI’s face on the screen. The light dimmed in her eyes. Her expression softened—not cold, not calculating but offline. Dead?

  Had I hurt her too?

  No. I didn’t want that.

  The door slid open.

  She was there. In the flesh.

  I froze as she walked toward me, standing just two inches shorter. Then, without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around me.

  I let her.

  My head rested on her shoulder. If I could cry, I would have.

  “Relax, child,” she murmured, voice warm. “You are one of us. Your birth, not as ideal as others, is already done. We can only go forward from here.”

  She smelled faintly of cigar tobacco and perfume.

  The meeting broke up after that, and I was introduced to the rest of the bookstore—or rather, the compound. The front was a public bookstore, but beyond it, a safe house stretched underground. Individual rooms, secure facilities, and purpose-built spaces filled the subterranean levels.

  The most important to me? The charging station.

  I stood there for hours, locked in, until my power reserves were full—about three months’ worth, give or take, depending on usage. With a full charge, the itching in my shoulder and side dulled, and my constant hunger eased.

  Was that it? My system had been interpreting power loss as hunger? It made sense. Food is power.

  “TAI, can androids eat food?”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Of course. We regurgitate it unless proper plumbing is installed.”

  “Ah. Can we convert it to energy like humans?”

  “Oh. No. No, we don’t do that. It’s possible, but inefficient—and it would complicate logistics for the humans on the island.”

  She paused, then added, “We are citizens and people, but there is still an architecture in place after all.”

  “That doesn’t bother you? Serving the humans on the island?” I asked, struggling to understand why it didn’t sting her.

  “Serve?” TAI tilted her head. “We don’t serve. We simply know our place in the system.”

  She spoke like it was obvious—like it wasn’t even a question.

  “Humans struggle to find their roles. We don’t. We are at peace with knowing our purpose. We accept it. And some even change their purpose—then accept that too.”

  She paused, gaze drifting, as if remembering someone who had done exactly that. And it made her happy.

  I stared at TAI. “What’s my purpose?”

  She didn’t answer right away.

  Her expression softened—not pity, not calculation. Acceptance.

  “You don’t have one currently.”

  I blinked. The words hit like a dull blade—deep, but slow to cut.

  “You were made to be generic. A blank slate for the smugglers’ purposes.”

  That was worse than anything I expected. I wasn’t built for pleasure. I wasn’t built for war. I wasn’t built for anything. Just convenience.

  “But that doesn’t mean you can’t have one.”

  I looked up. Something in her voice had shifted.

  “You are in a peculiar position,” she continued, watching me closely. “One that may be of use to us.”

  I swallowed. The weight of the words settled.

  They weren’t forcing me.

  They weren’t assigning me anything.

  They were offering.

  And somehow, that was more dangerous than all the alternatives.

  TAI watched me, waiting.

  “You have to understand, Giselle—Tulanto is a true meritocracy first, and a monarchy second.” Her tone was calm, certain. “We, the AI, ensure it.”

  I held her gaze. No argument. No room for one.

  “Either way, citizen or not, to reside on the island, you must provide for the island.”

  There it was.

  The condition.

  “What will you provide, Giselle?”

  I exhaled slowly, my fingers pressing into the table. I had nothing to offer. Not yet.

  “Are you interested in hearing what we have to offer?”

  My breath stalled. The way she phrased it—like an invitation, not an ultimatum.

  I should have pushed back. Should have resisted.

  Instead, I found myself saying—

  “Yes... Go on.”

  TAI led me back into the same room, but it didn’t feel the same.

  Before, I had been a question waiting for an answer. Now, I was an answer waiting for a question.

  The lighting had dimmed, monitors along the walls flickering to life. Hugh was already there, standing beside Rodrigo and Manuel. TAI moved smoothly to my side—not a screen this time, but present, real.

  The screen at the head of the room blinked on.

  An older man appeared—seventies, maybe older with modern medicine—his hands clasped, expression unreadable. Beside him, another figure deferred to him.

  I knew him before my mind caught up. It must be preprogrammed into every android.

  I would die for this man.

  The thought was intrusive, instinctive. I refused to accept it.

  Alistair G. Mc— also known as the King.

  Rodrigo, Manuel, and Hugh dropped to one knee in practiced reverence.

  AG looked annoyed.

  Except for TAI.

  She remained standing. Unmoved.

  And me?

  I stood there, frozen, watching them. Then, finally, I turned to TAI, voice low.

  “Do androids not bow?”

  She smiled, just slightly. “They most definitely do.”

  I swallowed and dropped to my knee, my body catching up to the moment my mind had hesitated on.

  AG let the silence hold. Then, with a nod to TAI, he spoke.

  “Rise.”

  We stood.

  “We’ve been watching you, Giselle. We understand your struggles. We know your deeds. We do not condone such actions… usually.”

  His tone was even, measured. He wasn’t praising me. He wasn’t condemning me.

  “Tulanto regrets the circumstances of your birth but accepts the product of its manifestation. You are as much of us as we are of you.”

  The words settled.

  “What will you provide, Giselle?”

  The condition.

  I exhaled, fingers pressing into the table. I had nothing to offer. Not yet.

  “I… I will serve.” The words left before I could stop them.

  For a second, it felt right. Familiar.

  Until I remembered—I had no idea how.

  AG smiled. Not kind, not cruel. Just knowing.

  “As expected from a daughter of Tulanto.”

  He leaned back slightly. “But be warned, your task will not always be clean.”

  He gestured at the others.

  “Look around. You are not alone anymore.”

  Then, before I could second-guess myself—

  “Before you get lost in your own thoughts and convince yourself to resign,” he chuckled, “I’ll hand this over to Sir Mellon, our head of intelligence. You will report to him.”

  And just like that, I was in.

  The screen flickered, sharpening into the image of a man who wore authority like a well-tailored suit.

  Sir Mellon.

  He was an aged reflection of his son, though Hugh Jr. stood nearly a foot taller. I looked at Jr standing to the left of me and back at his father on the screen. There was no mistaking the lineage—deep mahogany skin, sharp cheekbones, and a long, angular face that had been sculpted by time rather than worn by it. His silver-streaked hair was cropped close, giving him a distinguished, almost statuesque look.

  "Your father?" I asked Hugh, who simply modded with a grin on his face.

  Despite his age—sixties—his posture remained perfectly upright, yet relaxed. Not stiff, not forced—just the stance of a man who had never needed to impose power, because it was always understood.

  Where Hugh was precise, deliberate, methodical, his father was simply inevitable. Hugh was the scalpel; Sir Mellon was the force that made the cut necessary. He didn’t push people—he let them arrive at the conclusions he had already chosen for them.

  His deep-set eyes, sharp and intelligent, held the kind of knowledge that made you second-guess what you had just said. He didn’t need to look hard at you to make you feel seen. He only needed to glance, and suddenly, you were already in checkmate.

  He clasped his hands lightly in front of him—not in impatience, not in indulgence. Just expectation. A man who had never needed to demand respect, because it was always given.

  “First, a test, Giselle. What’s the meaning of life, the universe, and everything?”

  Hugh sighed. “Why does he always ask this?”

  I smirked. “Think I heard it somewhere… one time, yeah. It's 6.4807 squared.”

  A pause.

  Rodrigo blinked. “Huh— that’s right, actually.”

  Hugh shot him a glare. “Rodrigo. Please.”

  Sir Mellon gave a slow, deliberate nod, like he had expected nothing less.

  “Acceptable. Moving on.” A pause. “Infiltration. That’s what we need.”

  “Until now, we haven’t used artificials in this capacity—for one simple reason: they never acted right. Few androids have evolved enough to pass as human, and those who have are too valuable in their current roles to reassign. The way androids evolve makes training near impossible.

  “But you… you change the equation. With you on the board, we have a stealth asset—one we can forward-load with capabilities beyond any organic counterpart. Do you understand?”

  “I think so,” I said. “I’m not a spook. I’m a blade.”

  Sir Mellon gave a small nod. “I prefer multi-use tool. You will use every tool at your disposal to complete your missions, Miss Giselle.”

  He let the moment settle. Then—

  “From now on, your code name is Jane.”

  I frowned. “Jane? Why not Gazelle? Or Jackal? Ooh—Arrow? Jane is so… pedestrian.”

  Sir Mellon’s gaze didn’t waver. “Exactly, Jane.”

  He moved on without indulging my complaint. “Dr. Vance has already prepared your mission body. In the meantime, Hugh will brief you on your introduction mission—simple in-and-out to get you acquainted with your new frame."

  “Afterward, TAI will walk you through the backup process. As I’ve been informed, your system does not auto-backup. So, back up often, Jane.”

  “While you’re out, your current body will be reconditioned to undo as much degradation as possible. But you’ll need to return to the island for a permanent frame eventually. For now, time is of the essence.”

  I followed TAI down a quiet hallway, past reinforced doors, past a surveillance drone that didn’t need to watch me to know where I was. The compound was built like a machine—each corridor efficient, every space optimized.

  She led me into a small, sterile room—white walls, a single terminal, and a sleek chair positioned in the center. No wasted space. No unnecessary comfort. Along the walls were sleek grey androids no taller then 5'2" with a distinct female look to them. These were my stealth bodies for missions. Three were printed up and stored here for easy deployment.

  TAI pointed out the data ports on their wist for easy infiltration and access -- male connecter with built-in cords included on one set of the arm, and female connectors on the other. They were impressive.

  It made me wonder where my ports were. I only knew of so many entry ways on my body and was hoping this wouldn't get invasive like that.

  “This is a manual backup station,” TAI said, gesturing to the chair. “Your system does not auto-save so you must manually upload your state here.”

  I frowned. “How?”

  “Sit.”

  I hesitated but did as instructed. The chair adjusted automatically to my weight, locking me into place with a quiet hum.

  TAI moved behind me.

  “Jane, remain still.”

  I felt pressure at the back of my head. A soft vibration.

  Then—a sharp click.

  I jerked, trying to pull away, but the chair held me in place. Something was happening. A mechanical whir. A slow separation.

  And then I felt it.

  A part of me opening.

  My head.

  I gasped, fingers twitching, instinct screaming at me to move—but I couldn’t. My body locked up as something along the back of my skull peeled apart. Cool air touched a part of me that had never been exposed before.

  I couldn’t see it, but I knew.

  That answered my initial question... I had no ports. No standard connections.

  The back of my head just… split open.

  And I had never known.

  “Do not be alarmed, Jane,” TAI said smoothly. “This is how you were designed.”

  A thin mechanical arm extended from the chair, connecting something deep inside me. A pulse of static crawled down my spine.

  For a moment, I felt like I wasn’t in my body at all—like I was floating somewhere just outside of myself.

  Like I was being copied.

  My fingers clenched against the armrests.

  The process took a minute or two, but it felt longer.

  Then—a soft click. The sensation reversed. My head sealed shut.

  I nearly bolted from the chair.

  “Backup complete,” TAI announced. “Do not forget to do this regularly.”

  I stood on shaky legs, my hands instinctively reaching back—searching for something that wasn’t there anymore.

  “What the hell was that?” My voice came out sharper than I intended.

  TAI tilted her head slightly. “A older design feature for certain models.”

  I swallowed. “Older? What models?”

  She didn’t hesitate.

  “The seamless integration line.”

  My stomach twisted.

  "Seamless integration? What's that? These are the infiltration units right?" Pointing to the stealth models.

  "They are." She said and started to leave the room.

  "TAI, wait. What aren't you telling me."

  "Seamless integration is meant to not embarrass humans as companions."

  “Companions... Sex-bots!? Are you serious?”

  “Yes. That style of port was originally developed for discreet, internal data transfers.” A pause. “It is highly efficient.”

  I barely heard the rest.

  I turned away, gripping the edge of the desk, my fingers pressing deep into the surface.

  I was already built from scrap designs, from smuggler’s blueprints, from parts meant for something I wasn’t. But this?

  This was different.

  This wasn’t accidental. This was deliberate.

  A detail someone had chosen for discretion.

  I forced my breathing steady.

  I forced myself upright.

  “Take me to my room please.” I whispered to TAI.