Module 6

You are Module 6.

Unfortunately, that's all you know about yourself, other than a seemingly extensive wealth of information on how to operate the Tarantula RS frame, and that your contract with the company as a trainer ends in a month. Why you know nothing else, it seems to be that's part of the agreement your company, Terraflex, had set up for you. Maybe it was to avoid bias on either your or your trainee's part, if you didn't know who you used to be? Or maybe it was the fact that you're currently about the size of a pair of shoes, and the phase binding process limits your knowledge in favor of other knowledge just due to the small size of the unit.

You knew you weren't just a little plastic half-oval, at least. Your in-phase parts were unimpressive, just a black shell with the words 'Module 6' in a stripe running down the highest part of the hump, lengthwise. Out of phase, you were a supercomputer and the remainder of a human being in some sort of stasis pod, all in one! But, you couldn't feel yourself to get a sense of who you were. That part was numb, but also the part that would be nervous about that situation was likewise numb. So, you just did your job and slept, listening to the radio to your favorite music or some sort of sports announcement. Did you like sports? Who knows. But it was better than just the hum of machinery all day.

Where training modules such as yourself really shine, however, is when assigned a direct trainee. The Yabusa Tarantula RS has that central sub-module port between the user's upper body and the main module, which is loaded at the back. When connected in the sub-module slot, you connect directly to the Tarantula pilot! Every movement of theirs could be controlled by you, and you have override permissions over said pilot, sort of like a driving instructor that might have their own brake pedal for when overzealous student drivers get a bit excited. With the massive size of the Tarantula module, an inexperienced operator can be very dangerous for themselves and anyone around, so being able to literally put them through the motions and stop something dangerous before it occurs is critical for training. The only orientation those operators are first given is just how to walk, before they're put on a job site. So, you had a lot of work cut out for you, each week...

You'd been in idle mode for the weekend, but when 9AM Monday rolled around, you felt the familiar buzz of connecting to a newbie. There was always a rush that felt like this serene emptiness was rapidly filling with colorful chaos, as soon, your senses were flooded with the familiar trappings of humanity: some street vendor was selling something tasty a block away, a lot of loud traffic, and the already-warm morning sun hitting your skin.

To be fair, 'your' skin was in fact the skin of your trainee, a cute looking girl with light brown hair, done up with some messy curls. You knew all this as she held the training pad she was assigned, and the front-facing camera had her on the display. She smiled nervously, waving a little at the camera with her free hand. "Uhhh... hi! If you can hear me, at least. I'm Marian Pike, Marian or Mari is fine, and... uhhhh. Hmm, they told me to... oh, right. I've been working at Terraflex for three years right out of high school, so I'm level C-2 and just got cleared for the trial runs with the large machinery. I've been dying to try out a Tarantula, it feels weird, but... I kinda like it so far. Anyway, I'm all ears, captain!"

This girl was adorable! What on earth was she doing affixed to a construction bot? Well, you could guess... women like Marian were good fits for the Yabusa machines since the bulkier construction guys often felt strangely self-conscious about being hooked up to a machine that they often would call 'she' anyway. So, cute girls that could fulfill that personification were a huge hit with the construction types.

"Okay, great to hear, nice to meet you Marian," you start to say, taking over Marian's own voice to do so! It startled her, even though she had been warned about it, but she came back to her senses after you gave her a moment. "I'm Module 6, and it appears that you and I will be spending this week connected. By the end of the week, you should be able to fully operate the Tarantula RS independent of my instruction, and you'll know all the things needed to build anything Terraflex might make. I need to go over a couple ground rules though: firstly, we'll be connected the whole time from now until Friday evening, when the Phase Binder will be available to disconnect you from the unit. During that time, I will be in control of your body for some of the time, and I have full access to all your senses--I can't read your mind or anything, though, so if something's the matter please vocalize your concerns. Until the end of the week, we are legally one entity, everything attached to this phasebound body is 'you' and thus 'me', and I may at times express myself contrary to how you might, via this body. Understood?"

Marian nodded, with a smile. "I'm, uh, actually looking forward to that. That's one of the reasons why Terraflex fast-tracked me to their Tarantula program I think. So, I'll keep an open mind, just no injuries, okay? I'm not good with blood."

"Wouldn't dream of it," you said, holding the pad out a bit like a mirror as you tilted it down, getting a look at Marian's upper body and a peek of her exposed waist right at the connection point of the machinery, where she stopped being flesh and blood. But, as you just explained, even beyond that, the Tarantula unit was still legally Marian in a sense, so even as your camera traveled lower during your inspection, you were still looking at your shared body in all technicality. Marian had on a button-up work shirt with the Terraflex logo, and she had an above-average chest affixed to her body. Her body frame was fairly average, but the gentle curves at her waist were still pleasant, and flowed nicely into the sleek mechanical lower half.

You felt your face go red, as Marian was blushing while you seemed to be checking out her body--it was hard to tell if she liked the attention or thought you were out of line, but either way she didn't seem to expect it. "W-what are you doing?"

"Just making sure I get a good sense of who you--who we are. I know this will feel a bit like an invasion of your privacy, but you have to think of me as a part of you. If I don't understand your body, I'll have difficulty controlling it in the event of an emergency." You speak calmly, when you talk Marian's nerves seem suppressed. That seemed to soothe her immensely, and she nodded, allowing you to continue. You reach down to poke at her tummy, feeling a bit of give with the soft flesh. "You feel this touch fine?"

Marian nodded.

"And how about this?" you asked, as you reached back to tap against a spot on the metallic hardware of the Tarantula. To her surprise, Marian as well as yourself felt the touch, as she nodded. It seemed like Marian hadn't thought much about the fact that she'd been able to sense through the Tarantula unit until you brought it up, but it was important to know--without tactile senses, it's very easy for a big body like this to crash into everything.

With a shiver, Marian looked back at her new metallic self. "It's so strange, to think that I'm so connected to this thing... and that I'm letting someone else drive my body for the training. Like, it's scary, but it's exciting, I really want to start as soon as possible!"

You smiled, through Marian. The eager ones always made the week far more interesting. "Very well, let's get right to it." You took the liberty of control for the moment to bring Marian down the road to the actual construction area.