Chapter No.134. Completion.

A job well done is a plus.

Surprisingly, nothing really seemed to change. It was as if we hadn't done anything. The androids seemed to be acting as usual and the current human-based androids seemed happy and content and were going about their tasks as if nothing had happened.

In a way, it made sense. The androids were content to allow us to control everything. They realized that we were not going to upset the applecart, so to speak. The women in our new collective administrator group were also satisfied that they had us men under control, even though that was just an illusion. No one controlled anyone.

The communal meal was moved to a dining hall down on the recreational deck. I allowed my android assistants to do most of the meal's preparation and serving while I did some cooking and planning.

"This looks more like a mess hall," Marie said. "It lacks the closeness we had in your dining area."

"Yeah, I realize that, but I wanted everyone to feel included."

"Maybe we should have the meal in shifts," Margaret said.

"That might be a possibility," I replied.

We also held the meeting in a room next to the dining hall. That gave everyone an opportunity to understand what we had done.

"Why are only a select number of you in this new control group?" Marty asked. "Wouldn't it make more sense to have everyone in it?"

"I don't think that we want to be like the Avengers, which was a fictional team of superheroes. There is a high probability that it would end up with internal squabbles that could destroy us. We have the ability to make people disappear. Could you imagine what that would be like if it got out of control."

"What you're saying is that we who are not in the group are your slaves."

"There are no slaves in this collective. We are all responsible for the wellbeing of the collective. We each have a role to play. If we don't do that we will be taken over by Tyco and become actual slaves."

"I heard that the female members of the group demand that men be subservient to them," Tyler said. "Does that mean that they're in control?"

"No one controls anyone. That is an illusion. What the women demand is respect. The women deserve our respect because they are the childcare givers and, more importantly, they give birth to them."

The females in the audience applauded.

"As long as I am here, I will always see that everyone is given the respect that they deserve as a member of this collective. We are all in this together."

That appeared to calm them as the after-dinner group broke up into individual discussions.

"I suppose we should have expected some disgruntlement," I said. "It only shows that we are still human like after all."

"And, that could lead to trouble," Alexa said. "We might be able to tweak some of the emotional algorithms a bit to soften that."

"I suppose it would help, as long as it's not too radical."

"I'll work on it," Molly said. "And while I'm at it, I think I'll adjust the male macho algorithms back a click or two."

"That's a great idea," Marie said. "We want males to be more in our control."

"Just don't mess with their sexual performance," Helen said. "We want them to be at their very best when they service us."

"Don't worry about that," Molly said, grinning. "I'll notch that up several levels."

They giggled.

I decided to avoid making a remark that I would live to regret.

After the meeting broke up, we submissive males went to the Black Hole bar, where we could drink beer served by scantily dressed barmaids, a fact that we didn't care to discuss. The more important issue was what the women were doing to us.

"I'm not sure that I like the idea of my performance being ratcheted up when I don't have control on how I use it," Barney said.

"I'm sure that Molly won't change it all that much," I said. "I believe that she was just teasing us."

"Can they actually adjust our emotions?" Vincent asked.

"All of our bodily functions and our mental processes can be altered," I said. "We are, as you know, just machines that think we're human. It's all computer algorithms. It's not all that different than the androids in the TV series 'Westworld'. They were essentially machines that had human emotions and thoughts. The difference in our case is that we have no biological structures."

"That's hard to imagine," Alex said. "I don't feel all that different than when I was alive."

"Again, this is the amazing illusion that we are experiencing. We are dead but think we are alive."

Vincent took a sip of beer. "I don't see anything wrong with it. We have the potential to live forever."

"That could be real hell if these women have complete control over us," Barney said.

"How about the android females?" Vincent asked. "Do they have control over us?"

"Control is an ambiguous term," I said. "We owe them the same respect that we do the command women."

Alex smiled. "Basically, they have total control over our genitals."

I smiled back. "That's right."

Barney smiled. "Oh well, it's not such a bad thing. We'll get plenty of action."

We laughed, but that laughter ended abruptly when Jessica came over and said something that was disturbing.

"You must be careful, Jason. Allowing them to adjust emotions could lead to trouble."

"How so?" I asked.

"I think you know," she said before turning and sauntering back to her station at the bar.

I didn't know what to think of her warning, but I realized that it would take time for everyone to get used to the new rules. In the end it would work. We would end up being human, even though we weren't. However, I realized that there would have to be a learning period where this new group idea would experience a bumpy ride.

Unfortunately, that bumpy ride was about to become a crash and burn.