set his hands on my breasts, got him into me, and in a moment had him eagerly spurting. The whole thing was accomplished in about three minutes. Did I mention that men are easy?
“We do appreciate the ride,” I said as he subsided.
“Yeah!” he agreed blissfully.
“We apologize for taking you out of your way.”
The man laughed. “Any time, lady.” Then we separated, put ourselves back together, and he drove back the way he had come, visibly satisfied.
“Time for the next ride,” Banner said. “But--”
“Of course.” I guided him into the shadowed alcove of a large tree trunk and had him do me standing up. He was evidently turned on when I had sex with another man in his presence, as many men in my memory banks are, and I was always glad to have his attention.
Then we resumed hitchhiking.
The next car that stopped was driven by a lone woman. Banner was clearly surprised. “Women don’t usually pick up hitchhikers; some of them are rapists.”
But a ride was a ride, and we got in. “Now I’m not saying anything directly,” the woman said as she got into traffic. “But there was a notice on the police radio about two hitchhikers answering your description. Seem’s one is a female robot the man has stolen, a valuable property. I remembered a news item about six weeks ago about a realistic humanoid robot. So I picked you up.”
We did not say anything. We didn’t dare.
“Now I’m a feminist,” she continued. “I believe in women’s rights. Including minority women. Including robot women. They all deserve their chance. In fact I argue law on their behalf. So I picked you up to make sure no one else did. I’ll drop you off where they aren’t looking. I hope that when you get where you’re going, you’ll remember that there are those who support you. Not that I’m implying anything.”
“Thank you,” I said faintly. Then: “I don’t think he stole her. I think she went willingly. Because she loves him and wants to marry him.”
“A robot? That is surely an interesting philosophical question.”
“I think she’s conscious,” I said. “That’s why they want her. To take her apart. That would kill her.”
The woman glanced briefly at me. “I’ll be damned.”
“Not that anyone knows,” Banner said.
“No one knows,” she agreed.
She brought us to at a busy intersection and came to a stop beside it. “Any direction from here should be okay, for now. No one else can know what road you take. Best luck.”
“Thank you,” I said. Then I leaned toward her and kissed her cheek.
“I’ll be damned,” she repeated. Then she had an afterthought. “Let me give you my card. Just in case I can ever be of service to you.” She gave it to me. Then she drove off, leaving us to our own devices. We knew she could have turned us in, but had chosen to help us instead.
I looked at the card. It said MAXINE STALWART—ATTORNEY.
“She’s a lawyer!” Banner said. “That must be why she listens in on police broadcasts.”
“I like her,” I said.
Banner paused. “I wonder what her real interest is.”
“I doubt she’s looking for sex,” I said, smiling.
“A lawyer. That gives me a crazy idea. You know we can’t hide forever; they’re bound to catch us sooner or later. Then we’ll be finished.”
“Yes,” I agreed forlornly. I was discovering that not all the feelings of awareness were positive.
“Suppose you sue for personhood?”
“You have just stepped beyond my memory bank,” I said.
“To become a legal person. Corporations are legal persons; why not a conscious fembot?”
“Why should I want to do that?”
“Legal persons have rights. Such as marrying. Not being subject to slavery. Not being involuntarily taken apart.”
“I’m not a slave. I’m a machine!”
“You are a woman,” he said firmly. “Let’s call her and ask.”
“Maybe we should,” I agreed. “Certainly if I sue, we’ll need her advice.”
Banner took the card and called on
“We do appreciate the ride,” I said as he subsided.
“Yeah!” he agreed blissfully.
“We apologize for taking you out of your way.”
The man laughed. “Any time, lady.” Then we separated, put ourselves back together, and he drove back the way he had come, visibly satisfied.
“Time for the next ride,” Banner said. “But--”
“Of course.” I guided him into the shadowed alcove of a large tree trunk and had him do me standing up. He was evidently turned on when I had sex with another man in his presence, as many men in my memory banks are, and I was always glad to have his attention.
Then we resumed hitchhiking.
The next car that stopped was driven by a lone woman. Banner was clearly surprised. “Women don’t usually pick up hitchhikers; some of them are rapists.”
But a ride was a ride, and we got in. “Now I’m not saying anything directly,” the woman said as she got into traffic. “But there was a notice on the police radio about two hitchhikers answering your description. Seem’s one is a female robot the man has stolen, a valuable property. I remembered a news item about six weeks ago about a realistic humanoid robot. So I picked you up.”
We did not say anything. We didn’t dare.
“Now I’m a feminist,” she continued. “I believe in women’s rights. Including minority women. Including robot women. They all deserve their chance. In fact I argue law on their behalf. So I picked you up to make sure no one else did. I’ll drop you off where they aren’t looking. I hope that when you get where you’re going, you’ll remember that there are those who support you. Not that I’m implying anything.”
“Thank you,” I said faintly. Then: “I don’t think he stole her. I think she went willingly. Because she loves him and wants to marry him.”
“A robot? That is surely an interesting philosophical question.”
“I think she’s conscious,” I said. “That’s why they want her. To take her apart. That would kill her.”
The woman glanced briefly at me. “I’ll be damned.”
“Not that anyone knows,” Banner said.
“No one knows,” she agreed.
She brought us to at a busy intersection and came to a stop beside it. “Any direction from here should be okay, for now. No one else can know what road you take. Best luck.”
“Thank you,” I said. Then I leaned toward her and kissed her cheek.
“I’ll be damned,” she repeated. Then she had an afterthought. “Let me give you my card. Just in case I can ever be of service to you.” She gave it to me. Then she drove off, leaving us to our own devices. We knew she could have turned us in, but had chosen to help us instead.
I looked at the card. It said MAXINE STALWART—ATTORNEY.
“She’s a lawyer!” Banner said. “That must be why she listens in on police broadcasts.”
“I like her,” I said.
Banner paused. “I wonder what her real interest is.”
“I doubt she’s looking for sex,” I said, smiling.
“A lawyer. That gives me a crazy idea. You know we can’t hide forever; they’re bound to catch us sooner or later. Then we’ll be finished.”
“Yes,” I agreed forlornly. I was discovering that not all the feelings of awareness were positive.
“Suppose you sue for personhood?”
“You have just stepped beyond my memory bank,” I said.
“To become a legal person. Corporations are legal persons; why not a conscious fembot?”
“Why should I want to do that?”
“Legal persons have rights. Such as marrying. Not being subject to slavery. Not being involuntarily taken apart.”
“I’m not a slave. I’m a machine!”
“You are a woman,” he said firmly. “Let’s call her and ask.”
“Maybe we should,” I agreed. “Certainly if I sue, we’ll need her advice.”
Banner took the card and called on
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