19
“Ow!”
“Look, if you stop wriggling, this would be so much easier.”
“And if you’d slow down, it wouldn’t hurt so much!”
Milo rolled his eyes and kept trying to fit the Golemskin over her shell. It had been surprisingly easy to insert most of the additional cosmetic components she’d decided on.
Although, he had to admit it was also somewhat embarrassing.
He’d never touched a real girl’s breasts before. And, while he wasn’t sure if the gel-like pillows he installed were exactly the same, they were soft and plump enough for him to feel distracted by the feel of them.
Then, as if to mock him, the installing of her more intimate region was insanely complex and ridiculously over-engineered.
“Do you really need all this?”
Her bare skull stared at him. He hadn’t yet gotten to the point of doing her face. “I don’t know,” she said. “I might meet the right engineer one day.”
“I keep telling you. I’m the only engineer here.”
“Buster, if you keep dashing my dreams like this, you’ll break my heart.”
He tried to be more gentle, sliding the golemskin up her body. It was like a suit which stretched snugly over everything. It was also almost an inch thick with layers of different textured materials.
“I need to work on your face,” he said.
“Why? What’s wrong with it?” Her head turned to him suddenly. “Did you make me ugly?”
“I haven’t made you anything yet. It’s just a skull.” He paused. “Honestly, is it going to be this difficult every time?”
“I don’t know about that,” she said. “That depends how quickly you learn. I mean, your bedside manner could use some improvement. And I can feel my hip is pinching. Are you sure you didn’t tear my skin?”
“I’m sure. For the tenth time. I’m sure.”
“See? Your bedside manner is the pits. I’m a lady, you know. You oughtta treat me like one.”
His eyes inadvertently slipped to her lower body. “I know you’re a lady. I can see that.”
“Pervert.”
“I’m not a-” He took a deep breath. “Look, this isn’t what I expected, alright? I thought you’d be more like the other golems I’ve seen.”
“What golems have you seen?”
“Well, there’s the cleaner in the sewers. That’s like a huge big block of metal.”
“You’re comparing me to a 6-k?” She gave her head a shake. “With lines like that, I bet you ain’t just a virgin engineer. You’re a virgin everything, ain’t ya?”
“I was expecting you to be less… real.”
“Why would I be less real?” Her skeletal arm waved at herself. “Look at me. I’m made to replicate an actual living girl. What’s the point in just looking like one?”
“I guess you got a point there.”
He’d pulled the skin up to a point just below her belly and reached for the next components he wanted to install.
Her face. Or, rather, the mechanical workings which would imitate expressions. He’d had to assemble everything on his workbench. It was a flexible web of intricate gears and levers smaller than any clock he’d ever built. Delicate, too.
It looked easy to break.
However, the workshop had told him that it would withstand a lot of pressure once the golemskin was protecting it.
“Now, I need you to stay still for this,” he told her, holding the web over her skull. “If you move, you’ll end up with a weird face.”
“If you mess this up, buster, I won’t forgive you.”
“I’m not going to mess this up, provided you stay still.”
“I was still when you did my hip, and it’s pinching.”
“Your hip is fine.”
“Then why does it pinch?”
“I’ll look at it later.”
“You just want to look at my-”
“That’s enough,” he snapped, cutting her off. “Just… Just stay still.”
The golem responded by becoming completely inert. It was only then that he realized her frame had been mimicking breathing.
That was something.
How did the dwarves do that? It had to have something to do with the Machine Intelligence Matrix. He wanted desperately to know how they were made and if they could be tweaked.
But Fed had told him only The Prime could build, maintain, or modify the Matrixes.
Slowly, he lay the mesh of components over the skull and found small clips to help pin it in place. Once in place, he used little screws to attach it more firmly.
The process was slow thanks to the number of screws and the size of them.
He had to use his goggles at maximum magnification to see what he was doing.
When it was done, he straightened his back and let out a long sigh. His shoulders ached. His neck ached. His fingers ached.
How long had it been since he’d slept?
“Alright,” he said. “Try speaking, but don’t open your mouth too much. Just softly.”
“Is this alright?” Her whisper barely carried to his ears. But her face moved slightly. He noticed some of the gears and levers shifting over her eyes.
It looked like she was going to be very expressive.
“That looks fine,” he said. “Nothing seems out of place.”
“Don’t sound too confident…”
“It’ll be fine.”
“It’s my face, buster. Whatever mistakes you make, it’s me who has to live with them.”
“If I make any mistakes, I can fix them for you.”
“Hmph.”
He started pulling the Golemskin suit higher. The gel pads beneath the suit created her form and he was surprised to find it looking more and more realistic as it slowly covered her entire body.
She looked like a real girl.
Sure, her skin wasn’t entirely realistic. The touch of it was too cool. And there was a dryness to it that real skin didn’t have. But if she wore some loose clothing, no one would know she wasn’t real.
Gulping, he stretched the suit over her breasts.
The nipples were a rubbery texture and his thumb slid across one while he eased the skin in place.
“You alright there, buster?” She asked, the gears on her face whirring. “Copping a good feel, are we? Wanna grope my coochie too?”
“Your what?”
“My coochie.”
“I don’t know what-”
She pointed.
He flinched.
“You’re really making this awkward,” he told her.
“I’m not the one touching you up, am I?”
“I’m not touching you up. I’m assembling you.”
“Sure, if that’s what you want to call it.”
Rolling his eyes, he tried moving a little faster. But it wasn’t as easy. Her frame had small plug-holes which the skin attached to with little plugs. They were meant to stop it from slipping around.
There were also connections which needed to be soldered.
Wires from the skin connected to wires leading to her core.
The Workshop had told him this was to warm the skin by using heat from the core. It would add to the realism.
The dwarves, he thought as he tried to ignore the soft pink nipples pressing against his elbow as he worked on her shoulders, were a little too obsessed with realism.
He stopped as he reached her neck.
Wiped sweat from his brow.
And took a seat on his stool.
“What are you stopping for?”
“I don’t think I can finish you today,” he said. “I think I need to rest.”
“Rest?” Then she nodded. “Oh, yeah. You meatbags do need rest. But what am I gonna do? My skin is all wobbly.”
“You’ll have to wait. Just stay where you are. I’ll get a few hours sleep and be right back.”
“What? you want me just to lay here?”
“If you walk around, you could tear the Golemskin.”
“What if someone comes in and sees me like this?”
“Who’s going to do that?”
“A strange engineer. He might come in, see me like this, and take advantage of me. It could happen.”
“It won’t happen,” he snorted. “I told you, I’m the only engineer.”
“Well, I’m not saying I don’t believe you, but a girl’s gotta protect her dignity, ya know? Look at me. I’m all laid out like a tramp.”
“I’ll cover you with a sheet if you like.”
“What? Like a corpse? I ain’t sure if that’s worse…”
“I’m getting a feeling there’s no way to please you.”
“Sure there is,” she said. “Stop doing things so half-assed all the time. And treat me like a lady, not a dish towel.”
“A dish towel?”
“What, you don’t got dish towels in this era?”
He scratched his head. “You mean, to dry dishes?”
“That’s what dish towels are for, yeah.”
“Then we have them.” He slid off the stool and ran his fingers through his hair. He also needed a bath. “I just don’t see how I’m treating you like one.”
“Ugh.” The mesh on her face whirred and clicked angrily. “What’d I do to deserve this?”
He covered her with a sheet anyway. Then patted her shoulder.
“I won’t be too long. I promise.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me,” she growled. “I’ll just stare at the ceiling. Count the cracks or something.”
“Here,” he gave her the workpad. “It can link to the security system. Watch some footage from my classes. I saw the one with Master Haddrow is on stealth and assassination. It might interest you.”
“Wetwork, huh?” She took the dwarven glass from him. “Alright, I’ll give it a goosey.”
“And Master Garmstooth had a few classes on the dungeon opening in a few weeks. It’s called the Scaled Worm’s Lair.”
“Ugh. Gross. I don’t like worms. They’re wriggly.”
“We’ll need to clear it three times to pass the class.”
“Three?” Her mesh whirred again. “One time in a dungeon of worms is enough. Can’t you make another construct for worm dungeons?”
“I think I’ve had a hard enough time making you.” He sighed.
“What are you saying? Are you saying I’m a pain in the ass? Because if you are, buster, I’ll let you know-”
“That’s not what I meant,” he lied. “But you’re a lot of work. And I don’t have time to build another golem just yet. I will for the next dungeon, alright?”
“Hmph.” She turned to the workpad and started tapping away.
He left her there.
Limped upstairs, exhausted.
Fell on his bed and closed his eyes.
He was gone before realizing he’d forgotten to have his bath.