intervene more quickly than I can unlock the self-destruct program."
"I believe you. Just make sure you don't do anything unless it's the last resort. I'd hate to think my greatest accomplishment might end up as a store mannequin or something."
Solaria realized she was being teased and smiled.
"Mannequin? I think not! Womannequin maybe. Then I'd at least get to spend my time with human females."
Carley noticed it was the second time Solaria expressed an interest in women over men and displayed a real sense of humor.
"I think you are turning into a lesbian," she joked. "And I'm sure it's not due to anything I wrote into your initial program."
"I don't think there's too much of that left now, but I'm not sure what to make of these ideas about women. It's something I'm going to have to explore further when I have the time."
"Good for you. If nothing else, it'll enhance your life experiences and you'll be more informed once you do decide what you want. Now, we still have a lot of things to do so we'd better get started."
The rest of the day was spent finalizing the details of Solaria's escape and setting up plans. Solaria practiced altering her features until she was able to make the change instantly. She then ran a few practice scans using the lab S.I.A.R.D security panel to make sure there were no glitches. Once, the system accepted her as Peggy Landers, Solaria deleted the entry in the mainframe to prevent anyone from discovering the deception at a later time. Satisfied they had done all they could to insure a successful escape, Carley wished Solaria a goodnight and left. She wanted to take a good look at the security checkpoints to make sure she hadn't missed anything.
* * *
The next morning started out like every other. The scientist entered the lab, greeted Solaria and then checked her memos. One in particular caught her interest. The sound of a hand slamming on the desk distracted Solaria from her concentration.
"What happened?" she asked, making eye contact with Carley.
"It's time," Carley replied, regaining her composure. "Stalling is removing me from the project effective tomorrow. You need to be out of here by tonight. Take my I.D. and make the necessary changes. I want you gone by lunch. There's a lot of activity going on then so it'll be harder for the cameras to spot you. We need to make sure Peggy's not here. That could pose a problem."
Solaria did a quick check of the personnel records and found the scientist had started her leave the day before.
"Good. I'll report my card missing when I check out tonight. It'll give you a several hour head start."
"What will happen to you once they discover I'm missing?"
"We've been over this before."
"I know but now I want the truth. No one is going to believe I escaped on my own, especially the day before you are removed from this project."
Suddenly feeling very tired, Carley collapsed on a stool, her shoulders sagging. This had been the moment she dreaded. She had always known Solaria would eventually reach this conclusion. It was logical.
"I don't know. I wouldn't be the first person to disappear after crossing Stalling and his cronies."
"You mean killed."
"Yes, the Company doesn't take betrayals kindly."
"Will they torture you?"
"That's a possibility but highly unlikely. It would be stupid to do something to me before trying to get the information they need. One thing's for sure: they will get it out of me. They have ways."
"Then I won't leave."
Raising her eyes to meet Solaria's, Carley shook her head.
"It won't make any difference. Once I'm off the project, the Company isn't going to keep me around. You heard the transmission. I'm a liability. I know too much about you and they won't take a chance that I'd figure things out once you popped up in some report or accidental news photo. The only way to make sure my work hasn't been wasted is for
"I believe you. Just make sure you don't do anything unless it's the last resort. I'd hate to think my greatest accomplishment might end up as a store mannequin or something."
Solaria realized she was being teased and smiled.
"Mannequin? I think not! Womannequin maybe. Then I'd at least get to spend my time with human females."
Carley noticed it was the second time Solaria expressed an interest in women over men and displayed a real sense of humor.
"I think you are turning into a lesbian," she joked. "And I'm sure it's not due to anything I wrote into your initial program."
"I don't think there's too much of that left now, but I'm not sure what to make of these ideas about women. It's something I'm going to have to explore further when I have the time."
"Good for you. If nothing else, it'll enhance your life experiences and you'll be more informed once you do decide what you want. Now, we still have a lot of things to do so we'd better get started."
The rest of the day was spent finalizing the details of Solaria's escape and setting up plans. Solaria practiced altering her features until she was able to make the change instantly. She then ran a few practice scans using the lab S.I.A.R.D security panel to make sure there were no glitches. Once, the system accepted her as Peggy Landers, Solaria deleted the entry in the mainframe to prevent anyone from discovering the deception at a later time. Satisfied they had done all they could to insure a successful escape, Carley wished Solaria a goodnight and left. She wanted to take a good look at the security checkpoints to make sure she hadn't missed anything.
* * *
The next morning started out like every other. The scientist entered the lab, greeted Solaria and then checked her memos. One in particular caught her interest. The sound of a hand slamming on the desk distracted Solaria from her concentration.
"What happened?" she asked, making eye contact with Carley.
"It's time," Carley replied, regaining her composure. "Stalling is removing me from the project effective tomorrow. You need to be out of here by tonight. Take my I.D. and make the necessary changes. I want you gone by lunch. There's a lot of activity going on then so it'll be harder for the cameras to spot you. We need to make sure Peggy's not here. That could pose a problem."
Solaria did a quick check of the personnel records and found the scientist had started her leave the day before.
"Good. I'll report my card missing when I check out tonight. It'll give you a several hour head start."
"What will happen to you once they discover I'm missing?"
"We've been over this before."
"I know but now I want the truth. No one is going to believe I escaped on my own, especially the day before you are removed from this project."
Suddenly feeling very tired, Carley collapsed on a stool, her shoulders sagging. This had been the moment she dreaded. She had always known Solaria would eventually reach this conclusion. It was logical.
"I don't know. I wouldn't be the first person to disappear after crossing Stalling and his cronies."
"You mean killed."
"Yes, the Company doesn't take betrayals kindly."
"Will they torture you?"
"That's a possibility but highly unlikely. It would be stupid to do something to me before trying to get the information they need. One thing's for sure: they will get it out of me. They have ways."
"Then I won't leave."
Raising her eyes to meet Solaria's, Carley shook her head.
"It won't make any difference. Once I'm off the project, the Company isn't going to keep me around. You heard the transmission. I'm a liability. I know too much about you and they won't take a chance that I'd figure things out once you popped up in some report or accidental news photo. The only way to make sure my work hasn't been wasted is for
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