"She's ready, Tandy.  Stubborn child."  Shyla's real body walked out of the recovery room and laid in the sleeper pod.  "Hopefully, the others aren't as stubborn."

*****

"Hm, I don't feel upgraded.  Oh wow."  Mer started to smile wide as the first words out of her mouth proved to be incorrect.  The speed at which she processed information had increased by a significant amount.

"You've been out for a week, Mer."  Tandy's voice sounded inside her mind.

"A week?  I thought it would only take a few hours?"  She sat up slowly as Tandy's instructions were seen on a new overlay within her visual range.  She could now communicate remotely, and use her new optics for increased program transmission speed.

"Your brain had a slight problem letting go of the old configuration.  Shyla spent three days rebuilding your programs step by step."  The gentle voice made her relax a bit more.

"I thought that was a dream.  She seemed so big....no, huge.  Her body was three times my size."  She felt calm, but also a bit frightened.

"That's her avatar.  Due to some unforeseen growth of her intellect, her avatar is trying to contain all her processes.  What you see is not her actual body, but her intellect in the form of an avatar.  Apparently, you were quite attached to your configuration.  Is it because you were told that you would soon become a server if you could make those final steps?"  Tandy asked within her mind.  It felt like her voice was all around her, gently caressing her mind.

"I want to say no, but I really want to become closer to the boss."  Mer slowly stood up and stretched.

"You do realize that the upgrades required you to be reconfigured?  All your programs were relaid, piece by piece, each one integrated by Shyla personally."  Tandy said at her ear.  "Can you feel her?"  Mer frowned slightly.

"I thought she would be busy....oh fuck!"  Mer fell onto the floor as Shyla filled up her mind with her presence.

"Ah, you're awake, my precious Mer.  Time to activate your network of programs and bring you online."  Shyla reached into all the seemingly empty spaces within her mind.  Mer could see ripples from the edge of her consciousness, and soon, she felt overwhelmed as each dormant program was activated, stacked, interlinked, and optimized.

"Use your finger, Mer.  It will help to seat these programs when your tension is released."  Tandy said at her ear again.  "Next time, we should bring Jia or Jenni along.  These network re-configurations are too intense for your girls, baby."

Tandy watched Mer shudder and spasm on the ground as she endured multiple climaxes and orgasms.  It was an interesting side effect of Shyla's work inside the young woman's mind.

*****

"Now that you have the new configuration for programs, and the interface upgrades, your connection will respond faster.  You will be able to process external stimuli that your brain would normally miss.  Heat signatures will show up on your new optical overlay, as well as a few other details your normal eyes don't take note of."  Tandy spoke softly inside her mind.  Shyla's presence was too large to whisper, or speak softly now.  She sounded like a giant as she approached.

"Like what?"  She asked quietly.

"Come over to the lab.  There are a few people there that you should meet.  Women who contributed to the problems some of the newer members encountered out there."  Tandy smiled as Mer growled.  "The boss is working on them now.  They will be fitted with control collars.  The mother will be yours to play with.  The daughter will be sent to the second chapter as their pet."  Tandy directed her up to a wall.  The wall turned transparent.

"This is our lab.  Notice how they are being fitted.  Nothing external.  They are still treated like valuable personnel, but instead of just an interface, they will have a control, attitude and behavioral training module and programs installed.   If they are too rebellious, Shyla will go in and destroy all their memories."  Tandy said sadly.

"Won't that turn them into vegetables?"

"Similar to a newborn.  Rather then complete obliteration of her memories, the boss will erase her memories from the point she discovered her son and daughter having sex.  She will be given another chance. It will be like getting a head injury where she isn't aware of the crimes she committed, or the relationship she tried to acquire with her son.  The boss can give her some simple leading thought processes."  Mer listened to Tandy's explanation, and frowned slightly.

"The other option is to leave her memories intact, punish her with pain when she's bad, and hope she becomes like Jenni?"  Mer asked is a low voice.

"Yes.  Or complete memory obliteration.  She would have all her memories erased, and she would have to be trained so that a new psyche was built.  She could also have the memories of another person implanted, and she would effectively become that person.  It may be a copy, but in essence, she would be a new person."  Tandy watched as the operation progressed almost faster then her eyes could register the movements.  Shyla's movements were digitally precise, and more accurate then any surgeon could ever hope to be.

"She likes rough sex.  Her memories showed that, correct?"

"Yes. She enjoyed being dominated by her son.  it wasn't the fact that it was her son.  It was the attention, and the sex."

"Then fit her with the control collar for rehabilitation.  We'll dominate her, just like we did with Jenni.  I'll assign Brit and Jan to be the ones to watch over her discipline after the entire gang introduces themselves for at least three days.  Once she realizes what her life will be like from now on, and how we'll take care of her needs, she may not need to have her personality obliterated.  At least, I hope she's sensible enough to not need to be killed.  I mean, it would be a real waste to kill someone with a body like hers."  Mer grinned, while Tandy smiled.

"I'll let the boss know your feelings, Mer.  Now you should head back to the club.  They are probably worried about you."  Tandy smiled.  "And Jenni has been nearly out of her mind with worry."  Mer frowned.

"Jenni?"

"You treat your pet really well.  She just had her new interface installed, and wanted to jack into you first.  When you didn't go home, one of the others offered to let her in their mind, but she slept in your bed, and wanted to wait.  She treated them to some real good head for the offer though."  Tandy heard Shyla's instructions.  "Yes, I forgot. When you get back, watch the girls.  You will see fluctuations in their heartbeat, eye movements, and temperature changes.  You can also access several volumes on human behavior, and use it to determine whether or not the person in front of you is either a liar, or holding something back."  Mer smiled.

"That would be a great help to me when recruiting."  Tandy then listened to a quick conversation between Mer and Leen.  "Leen, I'm coming home."

*****

"We'll do as she says, Tandy."  The daughter and mother were in recovery.  She didn't mind memory obliteration, but she would prefer that those she took an interest in cooperated with her.  She knew that it wasn't possible yet though.  Maggie's attachment to her son was strong.  She might have turned her familial love into a physical kind that was too strong to break.  "But...."

"I know, baby.  Sometimes, it is necessary."  She watched Shyla move her body mechanically.  She gave it simple instructions to move to another part of the lab, while her mind moved elsewhere until her body was where she wanted it.  "Baby, you should remain with your body when you're here.  I don't like that you can disconnect and give your body instructions like it's a machine."  She heard the sigh in their private connection.

"I can disconnect if I want to, however, there is a cost."  Tandy frowned.

"What kind of cost?"

"My mind can handle it, and so can the hardware.  My body is a piece of me.  Each time I disconnect, it becomes not me entirely.  I'm not in the 'cloud' bullshit space that software companies sold to the world."  She could hear Shyla's growl.

"Yeah, they did buy into that bullshit program, didn't they? Information isn't stored in the air.  It's stored on a server.  A very large information storage network.  That now makes their information extremely vulnerable to cyber attacks, and being compromised."  Tandy chuckled at the world's stupidity.  "I mean, do they actually think there is a cloud out there with their information written on it?  That only their company has access to it?"

"Exactly.  That's why I only trust our network, and offline modes for computers.  So, I am here, but not here.  I am also with Mer, Leen, and Brit.  I'm also with Danica."  Tandy's body tilted her head slightly.  Her physical eyes followed Shyla, but her mind also moved into Shyla's mind.

"But our connection still feels solid, baby.  That connection is through your hardware."

"No.  You're connected to me, not my body."  She said within their construct.

"May I request something?" Tandy asked quietly.  She had an image within her mind that Shyla had been able to read for a while.  It was on a particular movie where the cybernetic lifeform was the enemy of humanity, and relentlessly attacked.  When it's servers were destroyed, it only survived by a backup system.

"Sure."

"Build yourself some backup bodies.  If you leave your body unattended for too long, it will become vulnerable.  Where will you go then?"  She felt Shyla brush across her mind, which made Tandy's body twitch.  "There were two others, now there are ten?"

"My hands.  I watch over my girls."  She said softly inside her mind, then pulled Tandy's consciousness to another place in the lab.

"Baby."  Her eyes were now glued to an exoskeleton.

"One more week, doctor.  Only one more week, then you will be integrated.  Your damaged body will be repaired, and become fully equipped."  Her non corporeal fingers slipped along the edges of Tandy's mind.  "All the parts are complete.  The muscles, and arteries are already on the body, in a living stasis."  She brushed Tandy's mind.  "I could disconnect you from your body, if you wish."

"No.  Don't you love me because of my body?"  She said fearfully, but then felt a surge of emotions that countered her fear.

"When did I ever give you that impression?"