"The boss seems to be a bit quiet today."  Jill said softly near Tandy's vat.

"I know.  She's even using her original body more."  She watched as Shyla set up equipment, monitors, and screens.

"Of course I am, girls.  It's time."  Finally, Shyla pulled the cart which held Tandy's new artificial core, over to the vat.  "Doctor, it's time to start walking the world of the living again."  The floating body smiled a bit.  In spite of her body being suspended within a fluid for over two years, her skin had not deteriorated, and neither had any of her muscles.

The fluid was similar to amniotic fluid, but did not degrade the skin like water, or being submersed within a compatible oil.  This fluid  would allow her to breathe.  Shyla had repeatedly enhanced it over the last few years, even going so far as to add micro machines that would help to repair Tandy's damaged nerves, and remove any pieces that were too damaged and scarred.

"Jill, grab Danica, and go wait in the construct for her.  She'll need you two to help anchor her consciousness.  Then you can both take twelve hour shifts and keep her company until her body is completed."  Jill looked excited.

"Woo hoo!  Twelve hour shifts!"  As Jill ran out of the room, Tandy chuckled inside her mind.

"Only Jill would be happy about a twelve hour shift."  Tandy said softly.

"She's excited because she hopes that the twelve hours she spends with you won't be just talking."  Shyla said wryly.  "However, while your outside your body, you'll need her mental intimacy more then you needed it while in the vat.  Go nuts, baby.  You must remain entirely human, and that will not be a small feat while disconnected."  Tandy frowned slightly.

"Baby, will it be alright? A lot of my body is missing."

"I took this long so that I could be absolutely sure your brain could handle the stress. I'll repair your body with the cybernetic structure, and rebuild what is missing.  Your arms and legs will have skin grown on top, while your nerves will be upgraded.  It would take a lot to kill you after I am finished."  Tandy smiled a typical small smile.

"Baby.  It will be nice to touch you again."  Shyla lightly tapped the glass that contained her mentor's human body.

"In time, I want you to join me, Tandy.  When you grow."  Shyla said softly.

"Baby, are you....lonely?"

'Mer.'  A voice sounded inside her mind.

'Jill?'  She asked.

'Tandy is undergoing surgery.'  She said and lightly probed her mental connection.  'I've always wanted to take a look in there.  You have a nice mind, Mer.  Organized, and geared to what the boss wants, and the others need.'  Her probe went deeper.  Mer sucked in her breath.

'This is unexpected, Jill.  Is the doctor okay?'  She tried to regulate herself through concentration, but Jill continued to probe deeper.

'Ha ha, don't fight me, girl.  I want to see what keeps the boss coming back for more.  Oh yeah, there you are.  No wonder she likes it in here.'  Mer rolled her eyes.  Jill wasn't as good at the mental exploration as Shyla was, but the effects of mental exploration through their connections were the same, no matter who did it.

Jill, Danica, and Tandy each had higher level hardware and software protocols installed.  No one within the gang was able to explore their minds, but they had a reasonable amount of access to the others, and they made it worth the effort for the those with less access on the network.

'Is the doctor okay?'  Mer asked again, a bit more firmly, then felt another intrusion.

'I'm here, Mer.  Jill, let's double team her.'  Mer's eyes rolled up in her head.  The effects were multiplied.  'Aw.  Poor girl couldn't handle us both.  Let's try the others, one at a time.'

'Doctor, you are terrible.'  Jill grinned and licked her lips.  'Let's do them all!'

Jill stood above Brit's form while she shuddered and writhed from the mindfuck that she just endured from two amateur explorers.  Jill licked her lips, while Tandy lightly caressed her cheek within the mental construct.

'These girls were a lot of fun, Jill.  Will she let us when I am flesh?'  Tandy asked quietly, then felt her own consciousness get invaded.

'I had wanted to save them for myself, but that may no longer be possible, baby.'  Shyla spoke.  Tandy turned her attention.

'Baby?  Why do you sound upset?'  Tandy watched Shyla approach, and examined her closely.  'You grew again, didn't you?'

'Yes.'

Shyla currently operated on Tandy's body and frame, installed her skull reinforcement, replaced her bones, and muscles, lined her frame with synthetic nerves, laid synthetic muscles over the more powerful actuators, and advanced hydraulic systems.

While her body did the surgery, two synthetic frames that were cloaked in synthetic muscle and skin, moved in the underground bunker, operated machinery and hollowed out a new deep earth bunker.  Two others patrolled her territory, two watched over the club, one watched over the second club, and the new occupants, while the last one scouted her next target.  She had ten frames in reserve for when she needed them.

Her real body was asleep in the lab.  New systems researched methods to integrate larger amounts of memory into smaller areas, increase the hardiness of the remote frames, and her real body.  Right now, her consciousness couldn't survive without her real body, but her brain slowly grew unable to contain her massive storage capacity, and mental abilities.

Her additional frames helped to share the load on her body.

'So what does that mean, baby?'  Tandy asked quietly as the information was uploaded into Tandy's conscious mind.

'It means, that until you advance far enough to match me, you'll never be able to invade my mind like I can invade yours.'  Tandy could feel her smile sadly.  'It also means that they are yours now.  You, Jill, and Danica, will be the ones to take them, and enjoy them.  Fill their needs, baby.  Give them their purpose.'  Tandy thought for a moment, then had a wicked smile on her lips.

'Baby, I have an idea.'