Synopsis: On a distant space-station, an unwitting traveller finds herself at the mercy of a strange, robotic intelligence. 2K words.

Warnings: dub-con, erotic torture, voyeurism.

(Image credits: David Schleinkofer, 1982.)

Xi surveyed the cloning tube with a scientific eye. A lot of work had gone into making this experiment - a lot of illegal work, technically speaking, as clones were universally banned in the galactic federation. He'd had to piece this machine together in his basement.

There were moral issues, apparently, in bringing clones into the world. Fully adult and sentient beings with no true experiences of their own, no real identity seperate from that of their creator... it was a tricky issue. Xi preferred to ignore it entirely. He considered most moral issues overly emotional, and a distraction from real science.

He had only eyes for real science.

Xi opened the door of the tube with a ka-chunk. Cool air poured out over the concrete. The body inside was partially mechanical. He'd grown the nervous system from his own cells, of course, and implanted the brain with all his memories thus far. The eyes, however, were dull red lights in the lizard-like skull, an almost mirror of his own. He had wanted it obvious at the outset that this was the evil version of him, after all.

The basic arrangement of limbs was the same. Four arms, the standard for his type of alien. Two legs. Three digit hands and feet, a crown of sensitive frills around the face. Xi surveyed it with liquid black eyes, huge and lizard-like in his face. To other aliens, he resembled nothing so much as a six-limbed salamander.

Last checks complete, Xi closed the tube and activated the sequence.

Electricity crackled through the clones body. Immediately it spasmed, jerking back and forth in its restraints, as muscles jerked and the body squirmed. Xi reeled back from the tube in shock. He had anticipated the moment of awakening with more quiet awareness - this was messy, and loud. With a sudden jerk he thought of the neighbors, and rushed up the steps to close the door.

The body jerked behind him. The electricity was activating nerves, exiting circuitry, overloading the machine. The clones red eyes flashed so bright the room went white for a moment, and they arched their back with a sudden electric scream. The leather restraints snapped. Something in the tube exploded, scattering sparks everywhere. Xi shrunk back against the door in horror.

The scream built to a crescendo of shrill digital noise. The fuses blew. With a bang, the lights went out.

Xi went still.

There was no sound in the darkness. No immediate way to tell if the experiment was a success or not.

No way, except to go closer.

The alien crept towards the smoking tube.

---biologic.neocites.org 11/26/2022---