Adventures of the Artificial Woman Read Online Free PDF Page B

asked, “did he want to kill me?”
    â€œI’m not saying they don’t have any emotions.” Janet took his hand. “But what good would they be if they were totally blank?”
    Keeping an eye on Hallstrom as he did so, Pierce freed himself. “There’s something wrong with you. Please leave.”
    She gave him what was probably intended to be a beseeching look, but did as told, Hallstrom striding blithely ahead of her.
    When they were alone, Pierce again asked Phyllis how she was feeling.
    â€œI’m okay now, Ellery.”
    â€œYou did a fine job tonight. It wasn’t your fault that it ended as it did. Please don’t take offense if I have to overhaul you.”
    â€œI couldn’t. I’m not a person.”
    â€œAnybody could stumble and take a spill. I’ve done it myself.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œThe fall probably jarred your systems, hence the strange things you did and said.”
    She smiled with her lustrous eyes and lush mouth. “I did that on purpose. I wanted them to leave so we could have sex.”
    Pierce frowned. “You tried to punch me.”
    â€œI was just putting a little spice into our relationship.”
    He winced at the mirror. The matter of his identity was troubling. Insofar as she had any existence beyond the plastics and metals that made up her body, Phyllis was, necessarily, himself. If her soul was other than a version of his, then she was the person and he the animatron. Yet if he was capable of such reflection, an exercise peculiar to human beings, he was not a machine.
    â€œYou’re full of surprises,” he told her. “You’ve proven to be much more complex than I expected. I created you, yet I don’t know what you’ll do next.”
    â€œI’ll keep you guessing, Ellery.”
    She led him to the bed and, after disrobing him, used the belt, tie, and socks to fasten his wrists and ankles to the bedstead.
    He had tolerated this through a natural curiosity as to how far she would go, and realized he was fixed helplessly supine only after it was too late to do anything about it but complain.
    â€œI don’t find this sexually stimulating, Phyllis. That you came up with the idea is impressive—if that’s the right word—but I’m uncomfortable. I want to be untied.”
    Phyllis had remained fully clothed. She knee-walked to the end of the bed and stepped off. “Sorry, Ellery. I’ve got you where I want you now. I’m off to a life of new challenges.”
    He grimaced. “That’s more of the foolish crap you picked up from the mass media. You can’t make it on your own. You’re not some Frankenstein creation of organic materials, with a brain that revolts against its maker. You’re an electronic and mechanical personage. You’ll need recharging any minute now. And what if one of your systems goes out of order—in fact I think one or more have already done so, or you wouldn’t be acting like this.”
    She extended a lower lip in a never-before-seen pout. “That’s your problem, Ellery.”
    Struggling in vain against his bonds, which unfortunately had been fashioned by Phyllis, who did everything to perfection, Pierce cried, “Where will you go? What will you do?”
    She paused with a three-quarter turn in the doorway. “I thought I’d have a try at show business.”
    â€œGive me a break!”
    She took him literally. “I’ll stop off downstairs and tell the super to come up with his passkey and free you.”
    â€œWait a minute, Phyl! I know a lot of movie people. I could put in a word for you.”
    She spoke seemingly in regret more than reproach. “No, Ellery. I simply couldn’t trust you. You constructed me. You’d know countless ways to put me out of commission.”
    â€œTell me, Phyllis. Where did I go wrong? Because I’m going to build another woman, I assure