31. Wallace #3
“She had a son,” he continued. “And he grew up in the brothel, you know? When he was about three, he realized that he could tell the sexbots what to do.” This was one of Magnolia’s favorite stories.
Volt would have heard it hundreds of times before.
“He would tell them to make forts for him in the lounge area, and then have them patrol around outside. They were supposed to be knights, like he’d seen in some movie.
And he wanted them to wear armor, but he wasn’t very tall.
For the fembots, he wrapped aluminum foil around their waists.
But apparently he didn’t think that was necessary for the malebots.
He just wrapped the foil around their dicks. ”
He smiled as he said it, Ben’s startled laughter a background accompaniment. Wallace had laughed the first couple times he’d heard the story, too.
The bots buzzed around him. The little one by Volt’s head kept chanting commands on a loop.
Wallace went through more stories. The ones that he was sure Volt would remember. Then he talked about their dates. Their first date with the crushed creampuff. The shows they saw. The nights they spent at home. He rubbed Volt’s fingers.
Then all of a sudden, something changed.
Not a big thing, but Volt’s muscles went from stiff to lax. His arm flopped down instead of remaining rigidly in place.
“What happened?” Wallace asked, his anxiety ramping up again. He’d almost been nodding off, telling stories, but still soothed by the hypnotic movement of the bots.
“I was able to turn off his pain receptors,” Oliver told him. “And I reclaimed his motor functions. I’ve put him into a resting state while I figure out the next steps. I wouldn’t call it sleep, but it’s not entirely different.”
“Thank god.” Wallace collapsed forward, burying his head against Volt’s firm hip.
He still smelled like Daddy. He felt like Daddy, though he could feel the curved edge where flesh stopped and electronics started. “Will he be okay?” he asked, already dreading the answer.
He wanted Daddy’s arms around him. He wanted for all of this to be over.
“I think there’s a good chance,” Oliver told him.
The bots were still swarming around, systematically testing everything that could be tested.
“The takeover mod hijacked his internet and communication functions first. I think he’s going to need an entirely new chip for internet.
The motor functions came second, and that was a nasty piece of work.
He might have trouble walking. His brain’s been cycling and splitting off processes, possibly just from panic and not anything caused directly by the mod, but I can’t be certain yet. ”
Wallace swallowed hard. He couldn’t even imagine what that must be like.
“But the good news is that I don’t think it’s permanently impacted any of his core memories.
I think the mod was programmed to look for some specific piece of information, because it’s been combing through things, but it hasn’t destroyed anything.
Do you know someone named Mitchie? Or does that mean anything else to you? ”
Wallace shook his head, trying to stay focused when all he wanted to do was pray for Volt’s memories being intact. “No idea. Is Mitchie something Volt was thinking about, or what the mod wants?”
“The mod. It could be a code or password of some sort, though. To be honest, I’ve been working harder on burning it out than trying to figure out its motives.”
“Okay, um, thank you. I mean, really, really thank you. I, uh, never apologized for, well, for everything.”
Oliver chuckled. “You were kind of a prick.”
“You mean he almost murdered you,” Ben burst in.
Wallace had kind of forgotten he was there.
“I did,” Wallace agreed. “And I’m sorry. I’ve regretted my actions every single day. I truly didn’t know, Oliver. I had no idea how bad it would be. I really thought they would just be reinstating security protocols so you wouldn’t burn down the factory or hurt someone accidentally.”
“Rashid told you,” Ben argued. “I know he did.”
“Rashid?” Wallace asked.
“The lawyer,” Oliver supplied. “Mr. Pierce. One half of the couple who’s looking into Volt’s attacker right now.”
“Oh, ah, yes.” Guilt swamped him. “I should have listened to him. And, uh, thank him now. I’ll, um, pay him for his work.”
“Yes, you sure as hell will,” Ben threatened.
“I will,” Wallace agreed. “And if the two of you need anything, just tell me. Anything. I would have said that before, but that’s double now.
I, uh, I owe you a debt. Two debts, now.
” He gestured at Volt, splayed out on the table.
“If you want a favor. Or compensation. Or, I don’t know, seed money for a project or something. Just tell me. Anything.”
Ben narrowed his eyes. “Why are you being so nice?”
Wallace cringed, shrinking into himself. “I’m not. I mean, I’m not trying to be nice.”
“Gentle, Ben,” Oliver warned.
Ben blew out his breath. “I still don’t forgive you. But I guess you’re not as bad as I thought. Um, Magnolia sounds nice.”
Wallace nodded, grateful for the olive branch. “She’s really nice. She loves everybody.” Even him, he was pretty sure. Though she wouldn’t be pleased about what he’d done to her nephew. “Volt’s nice, too. You’d like him,” he promised. “I think.” He didn’t really know who Ben would like.
He turned at the sound of a squeak, a repetitive sound that got louder as a two-layered service cart wheeled toward him. On it was a platter of expertly wrapped summer rolls, the lettuce and carrots glistening under the transparent skins, and a bowl of what looked like Thai peanut noodles. For him?
“Ben, you cooked!” Oliver cooed.
Ben crossed his arms over his chest. “I didn’t cook.
I told the kitchen to make the same thing I just ate.
And it kept giving me errors that there weren’t enough fucking shrimp, so I told it to fuck off, and I don’t know what the hell is in it instead.
Uh, you’re not allergic to shrimp, are you?
Or, uh, peanuts?” He looked defiant. And a little lost.
Ben had… made something for him? Well, not made it, exactly, but offered him food from the chefbot. “I’m not allergic to anything,” he said carefully. “Thank you.” He didn’t touch it.
Ben snorted. “You have to eat. Otherwise you can’t be here for your Daddy.”
Wallace’s mouth dropped open.
Ben just rolled his eyes. “Yes, we all know that you have a Daddy. We’re both kinky as fuck. Though I’m probably kinkier than you.” He announced it like it was some kind of competition.
“Uh, I’m sure you are,” Wallace said, heat rising to his face.
“Though,” Ben looked Wallace up and down, the table between them notwithstanding. “You’re looking pretty good in those threads. You like looking cute for your Daddy?”
Was that a dig? It didn’t sound like it… quite.
“I like dressing this way for myself,” he announced, wondering where his courage had come from.
Though he’d already said the same thing to his father today—was it really still the same day?
—and it wasn’t like Ben could judge him any more harshly than he already judged himself. “And my… Volt likes them, too.”
He couldn’t bring himself to actually say Daddy in front of Ben.
Ben shook his head, looking almost fond. Like he was proud of Wallace or something. “You really quit Orbit?”
Wallace shrugged. “Yeah. Um, today. I, uh, told my father to suck it.”
“Really?” Ben’s eyes grew big.
“No, um, not actually. I just told him that I was quitting. Then I mentioned that I had a boyfriend and liked wearing lipstick. He looked like he was about to combust.”
“Damn, man.” Ben looked impressed. “Fuck, yeah.”
Wallace smiled, though it was still a little tentative.