Neural overload

As you slowly began to recover from the overload of pain, you started to wonder if some capricious deity was toying with your life, putting your body and nerves through hell completely on a whim. On the other hand, it could just be bad luck, or maybe just a coincidence. No matter what the cause was, you were getting tired of this crap. Enough is enough.

Before you could dwell on that, you sensed that once again that you weren't alone in your thoughts. Perhaps the Grey had re-entered your mind, but this time it felt different. Whatever was there with you seemed clumsy as it randomly rummaged through memories and tripped over stimuli as if it were looking for something. As it did so, your mind was being filled with wildly disconnected imagery like sitting by the shore during a sunset, jumping over a puddle, looking at exhibits in a museum and so forth. Meanwhile, your senses were being triggered randomly too as your taste buds savored a fancy dinner, your nose met the sharp odor of a bleach-based cleaning compound, and the bottom of your feet were tickled by a feather.

"Hello?" you called out in your mind. "Is someone there?"

The changing stream of memories and sensations abruptly stopped. Instead, whatever it was seemed to approach.

"Can you hear me?" something asked. The voice seemed somewhat artificial.

"Yes, I can hear you. Who are you and why are you here in my mind?" you demanded.

"My designation is 6T9," the voice answered. After a few moments, a small glowing geodesic object took shape in your dream-like view. "I was asked to help you. It appears that the neural connection is functional. Now that we have established communication, this should go much faster."

"You're a machine? How are you here in my head?" you asked.

"My model comes equipped with a standard multi-synaptic interface. Using this connection, I am able to ascertain the parameters needed to take the forms desired by users such as yourself." the robot explained.

"User? Forms? I'm not sure I understand," you replied. "Are you saying you can assume any shape I think of?"

"Yes, within certain limits," answered 6T9.

"But I didn't ask you to be here. Why were you sent to help me?" You began to wonder if there was no sense of privacy here.

"From the limited details I was provided, the medical staff on the Starpoint wants to use a controlled test to observe that your new sex organs are functioning correctly. I'm here to assume any shape that is required and provide whatever interactions or motions may be necessary to facilitate that," 6T9 stated in a very matter-of-fact way.

"So let me get this straight. You're telling me that the little Grey doctor wants you to have sex with me while they watch. What a perverted little bastard!" The thought of having sex with a machine wasn't exactly appealing either. Back on Earth, sex-bots weren't exactly uncommon, but they tended to be used only by people **** enough and rich enough to afford one, and from what you'd heard, they were never able to match the real thing. How was an alien version that had no concept of human females even supposed to compare to that. "Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'm not really into machines."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I like to think of myself as more than a mere machine, " 6T9 retorted. "It may surprise you to know, but I am self-aware, and I have goals. One of those is to try to serve this ship to the best of my ability. As such, based on the medical staff's request, I should try to help you, and that is why I am here. Would you at least allow me to better demonstrate my capabilities?"

This was a new one. You'd never dealt with a pushy robot before, especially one that was offering to have sex with you.