As the clock approached 5 p.m., Don stepped out of the self-driving car at the entrance of the Chanel Hills community. He hefted a gym bag over his shoulder—the sa one he'd left with that morning—creating the illusion he'd spent the day working out.
The security at the gate recognized him imdiately, waving him through after a quick confirmation of his identity.
He walked along the manicured sidewalks, relieved to have avoided any encounters with Cassie or her flirtatious friend. He still wasn't sure if the woman lived in the community or was just a frequent visitor, but it didn't matter.
His thoughts were elsewhere, and right now, all he wanted was a hot shower before preparing for the night's plan.
As he approached the driveway, Samantha's car began backing out of the driveway. He paused, waiting as the vehicle eased onto the street.
Samantha glanced over her shoulder, checking for oncoming traffic, and her eyes widened slightly when she spotted him.
"Oh, Donnie! You're back," she called out, rolling down her window.
From the passenger seat, Amanda leaned forward, a playful smile on her face. She gave a little wave. "We missed you today! Been out with a secret girlfriend all day?"
Don chuckled at the teasing. "The day I get a girlfriend, the whole community will hear about it."
Amanda laughed, and Samantha smiled warmly. She looked him over, her maternal instincts kicking in as she checked for any signs of trouble. Noting only a hint of fatigue, she asked, "How was your day? Out training?"
He nodded. "It was good. Didn't spend the whole day training, though. Took so ti to explore, get reacquainted with the city. Feels like it's been ages."
Samantha gave an understanding nod. "I understand, sweetie. Oh, by the way, Benjamin stopped by this afternoon with so folks from the UHMA to drop off your androids. I went ahead and signed the paperwork. They're in the garage now. I even had to move my car to make space since Sumr insisted on not touching yours—said you ntioned it had a problem.
Is that why you walked?"
Don silently thanked Sumr's quick thinking, resisting the urge to sigh in relief. The last thing he needed was for Samantha to discover the bullet holes in the back of his car. He nodded. "Yeah, just an alignnt issue. I'll get it checked out soon. Didn't want to risk driving it."
Samantha nodded approvingly. "You did the right thing."
She then glanced at her watch, rembering they were in a hurry. "Anyway, we'll talk more later. Your Aunt Amanda and I are heading to the hospital to see Fabio. He's supposed to be discharged today, so we're going to help him out. Do you need anything while we're out?"
Don pretended to think for a mont before shaking his head. "No, I'm all set. Tell Fabio I said hello and send my regards."
"Will do," Samantha replied. "Oh, and you might want to head to the garage right away. Sumr's been super excited about the androids. You know how she gets with gadgets."
Amanda also added with a grin, "Try not to start an AI revolution in the garage!"
He waved them off as Samantha pulled onto the street and drove away. As the car disappeared around the corner, Don thought briefly about Fabio. He'd nearly forgotten about the guy but shrugged it off, heading toward the garage.
Inside, his car sat at the back, just where he'd left it, safely covered. But in front of it stood two large rectangular structures made of dark tal, their edges emitting a soft blue glow.
Beside them was Sumr, wearing a mini skirt and a loose shirt, her attention fully on the crates. She tapped and swiped on a sizable tablet he hadn't seen her use before, occasionally touching the containers with evident excitent.
She didn't notice his approach until he spoke. "What're you doing?"
"Ah!" Sumr jumped, nearly dropping her tablet. She then spun around, shooting him a glare. "Don't sneak up on like that!"
Don simply raised an eyebrow. "Didn't think I was being that stealthy."
She huffed, but instead of berating him further, she demanded, "Where the hell have you been? I've been waiting forever!"
Don looked at her in confusion, one eyebrow still raised. "I know I an the world to you, but missing this much can't be good for your health."
She made a disgusted face. "Gross! You wish." Then, regaining her excitent, she pointed at the containers. "I wanted you here to activate the androids! I've been trying to figure out what models they are, but they've got dual-lead containnt casing!"
Her voice rose in pitch as she practically squealed. "These could an they are like… Oga-gen androids—the latest by Dr. Gadget! How could you not tell we were getting these?"
Don narrowed his eyes slightly. "We?"
"Yes, we!" she exclaid, as if it were obvious. "I an, co on! This is cutting-edge tech! We need to activate them right now!"
Don crossed his arms, eyes still narrowed. "Hold on. Since when did this beco a team effort?"
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be selfish. Besides, without , you'd probably activate so self-destruct sequence by accident."
Don raised both brows as if intrigued while saying sarcastically, "Is that so?"
"Absolutely," she retorted confidently. "These aren't your run-of-the-mill models which people use to make those gross sex bots. If they're really Oga-gen, they might have adaptive AI, advanced combat protocols, maybe even experintal tech. You can't just flip a switch and hope for the best."
He studied her for a mont. Her enthusiasm was undeniable, and she did seem to know what she was talking about. But he wasn't about to let her have her way. "Alright," he feigned conceding. "Suppose I let you help. What's in it for ?"
Sumr just blinked, taken aback. "In it for you? You get the benefit of my brilliance, that's what!"
Don just shook his head, but his sarcasm remained. "Hard to argue with that."
Sumr grinned triumphantly and ignored the lack of seriousness in his voice. "Exactly. Now, can we please get started?"
"Do you even know how to open these?" Don asked while looking at the containers.
She scoffed. "Do I know how to—of course I do! Well, theoretically. The first casing at the very least requires a biotric key, which I'm guessing you have?"
"Ofcourse, they are mine after all." Don answered with a grin, rubbing it in.
But Sumr ignored his tone still and just gestured him eagerly. "Then what are you waiting for? Let's unlock them!"
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