the-node
EROTIC HORROR

The Node

The Node

by undatedabyss
18 min read
4.13 (6000 views)
adultfiction

Thomas had never felt such despair as the moment the bombardment began.

The Empire had surrounded the city, encircling it entirely. Despite the best efforts of the Tri-Nation army, they had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of slave soldiers, and war machines, at the Empire's disposal. Every defensive line anchored around natural terrain collapsed, when the enemy was so unflinchingly loyal it's soldiers would use their bodies to create bridges across mountain passes. When the enemy could respond to a division of troops by simply sending dozens of divisions. Or when they could unleash their hideous war-leviathans that rolled across the battlefield, tracks large enough to crush whole companies and enough firepower to level countries. It was impossible to know how many had fled to the city before the siege, but he guessed it was in the millions.

When the encirclement began, he had watched from his apartment building as refugees streamed out, only to be met by the Empire's battle walkers. Two legged monstrosities, festooned with weapons and communications equipment, attended by individual armies of slave soldiers. Artificial muscles allowing them to bestride the battlefield, carrying their boxy turret head.

Thomas had watched the refugees meet the battle line, and attempt to push through by humanitarian compassion. They had been met by the electromissiles, shockwhips, and netguns of the walkers. Captured, rounded up, and shipped away for the fate all knew they would face in the Empire.

Those days were full of pandemonium, everyone packed with plans. Alice had been distraught, terrified by the fate she was doomed to. Thomas watched as homes filled with bodies, but also as desperate families marched out to surrender. They hoped that their surrender would guarantee them some rewards as slaves, perhaps family cohesion, but Thomas knew such things were not coming.

Then the bombardment had begun. Not with regular artillery, no. Thomas had watched with horror as thousands of guns roared, and unleashed a torrent of gas upon the city. It swept quickly through the streets, thousands falling in it's path. The few surviving defenders carried gas masks, but even these were not enough, the gas seeping through exposed skin. Thomas only realised mere moments before he fell quite what the gas was doing: it wasn't to kill them, but to incapacitate them. He collapsed to the ground, Alice beside him, both frozen in fear and panic at the thoughts they had dared not to think.

Their lives would now be in chains, governed by the whims of cruel Masters. Perhaps Thomas would see Alice again, but he considered such a fate unlucky, since she was certain to be taken as a pleasure slave. She had been so smart, so brilliant, and soon her life would be judged solely on sex. He would rather die than witness her brainwashed to love the man holding her leash. Thomas expected his own fate to be conscription into the slave armies, or perhaps menial labour.

The reality was far more perverse than either had anticipated.

He had awoken first with a collar and chain around his neck, run through a complex process of being bound by a production line, before finally having something surgically inserted into his head. Thomas knew enough about the enslavement process to know this was a neural lace, a device implanted into the slave to brainwash them. He felt it rack his brain, an agonising process as it seemed to study every memory, every fact of his life. Then, happy with itself, it locked him in a tiny pod and put him to sleep again.

Then Thomas woke again. This time, he was on an operating table, plugged with wires and cables, trapped by metal collars and cuffaq. He looked across his body with horror, to see the machines were quite literally ripping his guts out. The sight of his opened stomach would have brought him to vomit, had he any lunch left to expel. And besides, there was a large object in his mouth, blocking him from screaming.

Across the room from him lay Alice, in similar condition. Her hair had been shaved away, skin pulled apart. At present she was unconscious, but her closed eyes seemed to flicker uncontrollably. A large tattoo across her chest proclaimed her to be "DRIVE X3802-S". Other prisoners were in the densely packed room, with similar code names.

Again, Thomas felt the neural lace probing him, devouring his memories at great pace. Then it seemed to speak to him.

YOU ARE NO LONGER AN INDIVIDUAL. NO LONGER HUMAN. THIS UNIT IS A MACHINE.

Thomas didn't understand, how could he be a machine and not a Human?

Then he felt his mind suddenly begin to go empty, memories disappearing one after another. He tried to writhe, to escape, but he was paralysed.

THIS UNIT IS NODE X3793-C. IT IS BUILT TO SERVE.

The machines quickened their pace, a large device being lowered into the hole that had once been Thomas' stomach. Others were engaged in ripping up his legs,

THIS UNIT IS BUILT TO COURIER DATA. THIS UNIT WILL SERVE.

A slave strode into the room, movements perfectly calculated. It was dressed in a tough-looking black form-fitting material, skin concealed except for a dark black helmet that encased the head. Atop the black outfit sat a harness of straps and metal, covered in bright blue lights, as well as a large similarly illuminated metal collar. Holes were installed across the body, clearly intruding inside. One particularly large one occupied the spot of the navel, while others occupied where it's nipples would once have been. On it's back was a slim metal rucksack of sorts, seemingly fused with the slave's flesh, and containing an antenna.

It's penis protruded, though it was wrapped in metal and latex. The slave was entirely erect, and snapped to a halt beside Thomas' bed. Then it turned, advancing to the wall, and halted again. Thomas was so enraptured by the display that he briefly was able to forget the machine deleting his memories, watching as a cable protruded from the wall and was plugged by the slave into it's navel. The slave's lights began to pulsate, a bar on it's forearm filling up, and with horror Thomas realised he was looking at a data transfer.

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THIS UNIT WILL SERVE.

Thomas realised he was looking at his future, and his memories being turned into data for the slave to transfer. He attempted to escape, again, but remained paralysed. The device being installed inside him was data storage, nothing more. He was to be a wetware courier. His memories continued to flood away, Thomas losing his personality as his hope drained too.

The courier completed it's download, lights flashing to green, and disconnected the cable. It spun around flawlessly, proceeding to exit. Thomas could only wonder now what Alice's fate was to be.

THIS UNIT HAS NO NAME BUT NODE X3793-C.

X3793-C couldn't remember its prior name. It had one, it was sure of it. It probably had something to do with the woman across from him, but it couldn't be sure. Then the world went black, and it stopped caring.

When Node X3793-C next awoke, it carried only small traces of it's prior self. Data ghosts the manufacturing process had failed to eradicate.

It received the finishing touches to it's hardware, as fragmental thoughts of spring played. Obeyed the neural commands to march in perfect step, as it half-recalled it's favourite meal. Gazed at it's perfected form, as fractional memories of Alice flashed through it's head.

X3793-C was a machine of metal, latex, and flesh. It had a Class 4 data transfer plug, as well as numerous Class 2 ports and cables for smaller data loads, and 2 Class 3's, one for each of the major data repositories in the machine's head and torso. The limb repositories were in perfect connection, their data cables wired between nerves and blood vessels. The back mounted antenna enabled instantaneous receipt of orders across the Empire's width and breadth, and broadcast of small data loads. X3793-C was programmed to communicate in any and all languages used by the Empire or it's computers.

Data stored in X3793-C was automatically encrypted, and could not be transferred unless it specifically agreed, eliminating the capability of enemy forces to interfere. It's every move was monitored, every moment recorded. It could sustain itself for 96 hours on a battery charge and a single bottle of meal replacement fluid.

It was ready to serve.

Node X3793-C was disconnected from it's maintenance period perfectly on schedule. It arose from it's storage pod, where it spent each 4 hour maintenance cycle between 72 hours of operation. During this time, it stood perfectly still, as test data was administered, the limited waste from it's organic components was purged, and meal replacement fluid was entered into it's system alongside a battery charge. The process had gone flawlessly for all 38 prior maintenance cycles, and this time was no exception.

The Node felt it's plugs be disconnected, and the storage box opened. The Node advanced, marching forwards to clear the storage bay. Behind it, the bay was shuffled out of the way by a giant revolver mechanism, readying the next Node for deployment when necessary.

The Node was ordered to proceed down the sprawling corridors to a specific point, and it obeyed without hesitation. The flesh machine reached the designated location within the data megacomplex, seeing what appeared to be sparking wires. The Node did not have to raise any alarm, for it's optical sensors automatically had their data broadcast to the Central Computer, which had detected a fault there earlier and required visual surveillance. Within minutes, a team of utility slaves were dispatched, and they began to work on the problem, silently watched by Node X3793-C.

Once the fault was corrected, the Node received it's newest orders. It was to proceed to one of the data transfer points in the vast megacomplex, receive specific files, and transfer it to a different location far away. The Node stepped into the corridors, and proceeded to the assigned transfer point.

It entered without delay, and advanced towards the hard drive transfer point. A green light flashed above the hard drive it was supposed to receive from, and the node marched through the cold data centre, watching the hard drive be manoeuvred in it's frame. Other drives were packed densely in the room, square frames stacked together and with live connections running through them. Robotic arms rushed it around the room, lowering it before the Node to rest on the transfer bed.

The hard drive lay on it's back, perfectly still. It's arms rested beside it, positioned around what the Node thought may be tiny keyboards. But it was not permitted to speculate, only to do it's task.

"Prepare for data transfer. 38 Zettabytes." The hard drive spoke in a feminine machine-processed voice, as a pair of cables plugged into it's breasts, and blood instantly rushed to Node X-3793-C's connector plug. Once it stood ready, the Node replied.

"Unit prepared."

Node X3793-C inserted it's transfer plug, making sure the alignment of it's connector pins to the drive was correct. A satisfying tingle ran through it's body, confirming the connection. The hard drive shuddered slightly, and the transfer began. Two machines merged into one. The Node could feel the entirety of the Empire's central computer inside it's head, as it was briefly subsumed into a machine whole to bear this vital information.

Wordless thoughts flashed through the Node's brain. Images, videos, orders, programs, all a great data slurry that rapidly transferred from hard drive to Node. The Node could gather that it was update information for the war machines on the frontlines, expanding the Empire. It also detected synthetic memories being added to the mix, a clear sign that some of the data was intended to be used by the Human slave armies. Then there was a quantity of material that seemed to consist of the latest pornographic videos, presumably for the benefit of the free military population.

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Training missions, briefings, combat experiences, all were downloaded by the Node. It stood rapt with attention, perfectly still, as the hard drive pulsated with pleasure at conducting the transfer.

The process finished, and Node X-3793-C was given it's reward, a strong sexual stimulation. The Node knew it was part reward, part utility, of course: the orgasm had been found to enhance data clarity and have up to 13% less unwanted file compression.

Node X3793-C withdrew, watching as the hard drive was lifted away, and the Node took notice of another Node in the process of data retrieval, plus several utility slaves. The slaves looked on with awe and fear at the smooth latex Node, as it marched past them and through the data complex, heading to a waiting air transport.

The Node stepped onto the roof, seeing the transport awaiting. It was a small craft, with space for only 5 nodes at a time, along with a slave-pilot bound directly into the systems. There were no other passengers today, and so the Node took it's solid metal seat, watching the doors close as it was strapped in and secured. There were no comforts for nodes. The engines quickly transitioned from blades to jets, accelerating over the City, whilst the Node was plugged in. It felt it's body become one with the craft, seeing all the slave-pilot saw, feeling what it felt. The slave pilot was encouraged by pain and pleasure, keeping it obeying the mathematically perfected flight path at a perfectly calculated speed.

The flight did not take long, arriving at the latest battle front quickly. The craft landed on a colossal armoured vehicle, the kilometres long war-leviathan that served as part mobile slave factory, part aircraft carrier, part command centre, part military base, part artillery. The Node exited, stepping onto the halted vehicle as it paused to recharge it's attached army group, and process.

A large airship rose from further up the deck, it's cargo containers full to bursting with the latest batch of slaves. The Node reflected it had likely been one of those before, but then it received a punishment shock for delay. It was reminded that it had been manufactured, not enslaved. It continued with it's mission, as a fresh airship descended from above.

The interior of the war-leviathan was cramped, and constantly patrolled by slave soldiers. The Node took far longer than it had hoped to reach it's destination, passing at one point through a crowd of free soldiers, the Human officers to their slave army. The officers looked on dumbfounded at the Node, a common response amongst free peoples that witnessed a tightly bound flesh machine. The Node simply hoped they would enjoy the latest pornographic material it carried. It did not understand why the free soldiers, who had slaves to be pleasured by, needed pornography, but the Empire made it, they consumed it, and the Node delivered it.

Node X3793-C entered the data core, one laid out even more dense than the core it was transferring from. The hard drive selected for this transfer was automatically deployed, and laid to rest on a foam bed, it's head directly plugged into the datacore for a quick transfer. X3793-C gazed upon the latest hard drive, X3802-S.

"Prepare for data transfer. 38 Zettabytes." Node X3793-C announced, it's plug already prepared.

"Unit prepared." The feminine-machine-processed voice of X3802-S sounded familiar. Each data slave carried a slightly different voice, the differences imperceptible to those not of their kind. X3793-C could not recall a prior data deployment to this war-leviathan, but perhaps the memory had been erased for storage space.

X3793-C inserted itself, the connectors aligning. The tingle was received, the two machines connected in mind to service the Empire. X3793-C felt as the war-leviathan rifled through the brains of it's newest slaves, or commanded nearby Hunter-Capture units to bring in their latest haul. Saw the despair in thousands of eyes, felt the pleasure as slave soldiers were given their artificial rewards, tasted flesh through whips.

The two flesh machine's eyes met through their featureless black masks, and X3793-C felt something stir in the back of it's mind, an unauthorised memory amidst the data. Flashes of a past X3793-C was not supposed to have, punctuating battle plans and tactical schema and software updates. X3793-C saw from X3802-S the expected war-leviathan data, the radar feeds and drone data and logistical information on uncountable weapons, but also fragments of memories.

The two of them, together, eating dinner, not dressed in uniform. X3802-S alone in it's room, clutching a photo of X3739-C as it furiously attempted to pleasure itself. The two of them lying in a field, X3793-C inserting not to provide data, but to enjoy it. X3802-S watching in horror as X3793-C was cut open to be manufactured, and vice versa.

X3793-C aborted the transfer, pulling out. The shock of the connection breaking stunned both machines, but X3739-C was glad to no longer be confronted by... such false information. It resolved to retry, the data transfer still incomplete. X3793-C reinserted, and briefly the transfer proceeded as normal.

But the memories returned, fractions of what they once were. X3802-S was not X3802-S, it was... Alice, and she was his. And he, he was...

Data links sparked as the two remained together, Alice thrown deep into the throes of orgasm. That only brought more memories up, which X3793-C struggled to avoid and to embrace. The war-leviathan's computer, now sensing an error, flooded the pair with diagnostics, forcibly overriding Alice and X3793-C. His body was already implanted inside, and so it was seized by the war-leviathan, milking every last drop of valuable data. X3793-C welcomed the interruption, surrendering totally before finally receiving it's reward in the form of an orgasm, ejaculating a liquid storage system that served as a secondary, physical backup for the transferred information. X3793-C hoped that the transfer had not been corrupted by the insolence of Alic...X3802-S! If so, at least the physical transfer should enable the retrieval of the vital information.

X3793-C stood still, awaiting fresh orders. As it did, it almost thought it heard X3802-S murmuring out a name, Thomas or something. Perhaps it was processing a particularly difficult new slave, hard drives were known to occasionally speak as they worked.

C3802-S was moved out of the way, it's body coursing with pain as punishment for it's performance. A fresh hard drive was lowered before X3793-C, and a new order was received.

REPEAT DATA TRANSFER. UNIT WILL INITIATE MEMORY PURGE OR BE DECOMMISSIONED.

X3793-C hurried to obey, plunging it's plug into the hard drive before it. It was thankful that it's fellow machines were so kind to it, and for it's chance to serve.

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