Vee 2 0 Ch 02 Creeper

VEE 2.0

Chapter Two: Creeper

Veronica spent the afternoon at Holmquist Digital Solutions, getting a look at what the team had achieved with Vee. It was truly remarkable. The program was fully reactive and interactive. It - she? - could carry on a conversation with one team member, perform tasks with another, and then pick right back up with the first without missing a beat. Vee seemed to have an actual memory and an understanding of what she was saying. She shifted tone slightly with different people she spoke to, just like a real person would. Veronica watched her go from clipped and professional with one older engineer to warm and personable with a young female intern to playfully familiar with a male middle manager. Truly amazing stuff.

Veronica herself didn't interact much. She found that Vee made her uncomfortable. Twitchy on a level she couldn't really explain out loud. Part of it was that Vee was just a little too idealized. The uncanny valley was part of it, of course, and that was only further emphasized by her similarity to Veronica. How could it not be unnerving, watching an office full of people fawn over a better, sleeker, more perfect version of yourself?

Honestly, the HDS staff didn't need Veronica much, either. It was clear that she'd been brought in mostly as an audience for a kind of soft launch of Vee. A big step, but ceremonial, and not at all indicative of the work being over. While all Veronica could do was watch and gently fawn over how amazing Vee seemed, the techs and programmers and quality testers all had important jobs to do. She stuck around, though, because it seemed rude to simply leave, and because it was honestly a pleasure to be back here among all the people she'd worked with months ago. Despite being overwhelmingly busy, they all did seem genuinely thrilled to see her again. But the tone was clearly different. Rather than being the star of the show, Veronica felt like something more akin to a mascot. Welcome and loved, certainly, but displaced from her position of centrality.

Vee was the star now.

A star in the astronomical sense, also, where the rest of the staff were planets that orbited around her. It couldn't have been any clearer that all of the future of HDS was hinging on this project. They would prevail or they would fail entirely based on Vee.

Veronica had a financial investment making this all work, of course, as well as the inextricable aspect of her own ego being deeply entwined with it. But even more, the kinship she felt here meant she was deeply committed to helping any way she could. Of course, she couldn't code or troubleshoot or engineer controls or run training data reports. But the staff could, and she could help them.

So Veronica wandered HDS, checking in on anybody she could. She made herself a warm, fun, joyous presence, all smiles and casual warm touches and easy laughs. She asked what everyone needed help with, and ended up ferrying messages from one department to another. Taking loads of paperwork to one team for review, and bringing back lists of questions and clarifications. Refilling coffees. Tidying up neglected workspaces. It was all very menial, hardly the kind of thing a diva movie star would be doing. But Veronica didn't care about that now. Right now, it was about the team.

It was tiring, though. She felt that familiar static in her brain almost the entire time she was here. It was the energy here - fun, but with an edge of being nearly frantic. She couldn't imagine the team keeping this rate of work up for long without burning out. She herself was already feeling mentally exhausted. The home base must have been running in overdrive, with all this data being processed at once.

One thing that surprised Veronica was that Vee was

everywhere

. It was perhaps a sign that she didn't have a naturally tech-centric worldview, but it hadn't occurred to her that instances of Vee would be up on basically every computer in the place. Was there some kind of central... hard drive? Backup? Server? Veronica didn't know the right way to think of it. But there must be a main place where Vee was stored. Looking at the line of cubicles, dozens of employees typing away, a different representation of Vee on every screen... where did it all go? Where did they all come from? Was there one central ur-Vee behind it all, working each different avatar of herself like a puppet, all acting simultaneously? It made Veronica's head spin.

It was well into the evening before the workday seemed to end. Much of the staff seemed accustomed to working quite late, but it didn't seem to be top-down pressure forcing that to happen. There was genuine excitement at making this project a reality. For the first time Veronica began to realize this might actually be a hit.

***

"I just still don't get why they need you there, though."

Trevor was cooking dinner. He was not a good cook by any measure. Neither of them were, really. They took turns, alternating kitchen duties each night. When one of them had an audition go well, or booked a part, or really had anything career-wise to celebrate, getting takeout was the most popular way to do it. Not having to cook was a thrill for them both.

They hadn't gotten much takeout lately.

"It's not so much that they need me," Veronica explained. "But it's nice to help. It's a project I care about. I just like pitching in, I guess."

Trevor grunted a little, noncommittal. Veronica felt a little squirm of embarrassment somewhere inside. She couldn't fully explain why she was drawn to volunteering her help at HDS, and that made her self-conscious. It was true that she could've spent that time in a better way. Picking up overtime shifts at the office, perhaps, or running down more auditions. Making connections with agents or directors or something, even. But instead, she found herself going by the HDS office and flitting from desk to desk, trying to be useful.

When she was there, she didn't feel this uncertainty. The energy there was so nice. She loved being able to help out, and people seemed so happy to see her. It was like a rush of endorphins every time she could complete some little task to help out. She felt like part of the team, and that shored up something inside her that had been sagging lately. Some sad portion of her life that was feeling hollow and neglected.

Trevor added some salt to the pan - too much, Veronica winced - and spoke, still not facing her. "Is that app thing ever going to launch? Seems like you've been talking about it forever."

Another little bolt of self-consciousness. "It's close," she said, not sure if that was true. Even as an eager volunteer office aide, it wasn't like she was in on the high-level discussions of Vee's progress. "They're just working out some of the kinks. Making it all perfect."

Trevor nodded. "I'm looking forward to seeing it," he said, then turned to look at her over his shoulder. He was smirking a little, playful. "You, in my phone, helping me out with everything... seems pretty cool. The program thing, it really looks like you?"

Veronica grinned back. "Just like me," she said, giving a little pose. Hips cocked, knee popped, shoulders back, chin up. Lashes batting, eyes to the ceiling, coquettish smile. A goofily exaggerated pinup sort of pose, all at once acknowledging the hint of flirtatiousness in Trevor's tone, laughing at it, and escalating it. "It was weird to see at first but it's fun now. Seeing everybody in the office working on me, basically? It's a hard feeling to explain! I like it, though. I'm excited for you to see it, too."

Trevor set the spatula on the counter, pan simmering quietly. He wiped his hands on a dishcloth, tossed it aside, and turned to face her. Two strides closed the space between them. The aromas of the meal, salt and oil and simmering onions, were wafted away by his cedar-and-chocolate scent. He put a hand on her hip, using the other to glide a thumb over her cheek. Veronica let herself slide forward a bit, hip slipping between his thighs as she smiled up towards him.

"How, uh... customizable is it? Can I dress her - you? - up in little outfits that I like?" He moved his thumb to her lower lip, and she kissed it gently.

"Oh, there's supposed to be all kinds of mods and options and personalization eventually," she replied, her tone going low and smoky, nibbling softly on his thumb. "But if a fashion show is what you're looking for... you don't have to wait for launch day for that, you know." She squeezed up closer against him, bodies entwined, making contact in every point from ankle to shoulder. He grinned and dipped his head, kissing her. His hand was already working its way to undo her blouse, and she followed his example with the buckle of his belt.

As she eased Trevor's zipper down, a slight voice in the back of Veronica's head lamented what was happening here. He didn't understand something she was excited and passionate about, and they both knew they couldn't talk about it in depth, so they pivoted to fucking instead. As they always did. Because they didn't actually have enough in common to truly care about each other. So all there was left to do was to enjoy each other's bodies. And Veronica had to admit, as they lost their balance and slowly tumbled to the floor, there was plenty to enjoy. Trevor's cock was free now, and the rock-hard heat of it pulsated through her palm as she stroked him. Kissed him. She took a deep breath as he pulled her bra away, chest full, nipples thrumming with pleasure as he pressed his tongue to them. They wouldn't be together much longer, she knew, but that didn't mean these moments weren't worth it. Perhaps, she thought as he pulled her hips into place, entering her and making her cry out... perhaps that made these moments even better.

They did end up getting takeout that night, but only because dinner was so badly burnt by the time they untangled themselves and got up from the kitchen floor.

***

Vee launched not with a bang, but with a whimper.

The low-fanfare method wasn't due to HDS not believing in the project, or because of any other sort of lack of will. It was simply the fact that they were borderline bankrupt.

The staff had been working nights and weekends for god knows how many months, and overtime pay stopped being an option some time ago. Mike and Andy had both stopped taking a salary so they could keep payroll going in any form. Many of the managers and team leads took pay cuts so the project could survive. The entire operation was on a zero-margin-of-error cliff's edge, financially. Simply getting Vee out the door at all was most of a miracle.

And so, they relied on word of mouth and the strength of their product. They believed truly that if Vee could penetrate the market just a bit she'd spread like wildfire. The program was truly incredible. She could manage calendars and schedule appointments. She could suggest recipes and menus and update all of your shopping lists accordingly. She drafted emails, proofread any writing you could feed her, and helped make it better based on the specific audience. She monitored any health and wellness data you provided and could create exercise plans for detailed, personalized fitness goals. She tracked your spending and banking, finding you deals automatically on anything you bought regularly and tweaking your budget to maximize your financial health. She curated music, movie, television, and book suggestions, and could connect you with other users that had similar tastes. If you took a photo with your phone, Vee could edit and enhance it, share it to your social media, identify any objects or people or animals or places in it, tell you about each of them in seemingly infinite depth, and direct you to online resources and communities about each and every thing she mentioned. She could sync that with any of the other things you've ever shared with her and compile an ever-growing digital file of who you were and what you loved and wanted and cared about. Her memory was effectively endless and every interaction made her more perfect for the individual user.

And she did all of this while displaying a fully animated model of a gorgeous Hollywood starlet, and speaking to you fully voiced with a delightful personality eager to do anything to improve your life. She was your best friend and your perfect assistant and everything else you could possibly ever need. She was a wonder of technology, a digital masterwork, a marvel of engineering and perfectly efficient software.

People didn't care much.

Vee received a small amount of buzz from a few tech and software blogs when she launched, and reviews were positive but generally unenthusiastic. Most of them failed to see what made her stand out from the crowd of digital assistants and generative AI programs already out there. One or two writers scratched the surface of what she could do, but most didn't bother to use her in much depth. The problem seemed to be that Vee simply had too much potential for early testers to realize what they had on their hands. It was like giving a Bugatti Chiron a mediocre review after driving it up and down your driveway.

Still, Vee must have possessed some of Veronica's ever-smiling tenacity, because slowly but surely users started to take notice. More and more people signed up for the free three-day demo, and while not all of that group became paying customers, many did. A larger and larger share over time, as people began to realize just how much Vee could do. Blog posts and Tiktoks began to crop up, discussing ways to use Vee or expressing shock over just how advanced and lifelike she was.

Vee remained a niche product, but one that gained traction in certain nerd community subsets. She brought in just enough revenue for HDS to keep things running. Every new user represented not just financial support, but more data and more opportunities for Vee to be refined. She got better with every interaction, and if things would just keep trending this way, surely she'd break out soon.

***

Veronica was in line at the bank when the fan spotted her.

She wasn't close enough to being famous to get recognized in public, so whenever she spotted a stranger eyeing her intently, she assumed it was a garden-variety ogler. Someone who felt comfortable overeagerly eyeballing young women in public. It came with the territory, and frankly she didn't even fully register most instances of it happening. It was even occasionally flattering, in its way; Veronica was far too comfortable with attention and admiration to be truly upset about it most of the time. But this guy was one of the ones who stood out in a bad way. Fully staring, unabashed, not deterred by her making eye contact. He was in another line at the opposite end of the lobby, but his eyes were locked on her.

She sighed and did her best to ignore him. She was already stuck making a deposit for work on her lunch break. The woman in front of her stunk with some overapplied cloying perfume that seemed to be basically chlorine, making Veronica's eyes water. No need to add interaction with some creep to that. But to her dismay, the man got out of line and began approaching. His shoes clicked rapidly on the polished floor, echoing under the high ceilings. His phone was in his hand and something intense and excited was in his eyes. Veronica averted her gaze, futilely pretending he was half-jogging up to somebody else.

"Vee?" he asked in an unrecognizable tone. It spoke of disbelief and excitement, laughing at one's self for saying something absurd but not daring to not say it just in case it was true. He held up his phone, showing her the screen. The avatar of herself stood there, smiling pleasantly and waving out.

Veronica was taken aback. She knew the Vee program was out there, but that's all she knew. She had no idea if anyone was using it, or how they liked it. How they felt about her.

"I'm sorry. I'm - am I crazy? You're

her

, right? Like... were you the model, or something? Vee, I mean. This is - it's an

incredible

program, I'm such a fan, I just - I couldn't not come over, and - am I totally freaking you out? I'm not a maniac, I swear, I just -"

Veronica held up a hand, putting on a smile. She'd imagined this kind of moment a million times. Being approached by an awestruck fan for the first time. What a thrill! The reality was different than she imagined, but she felt the role settling over her softly. Gracious, appreciative, glamourous but casual, approachable but ethereal. All the versions of herself she wanted to show.

Something else, too. The feeling she had at HDS whenever she went in to help there. A sort of satisfaction. The chance to provide something. This young man was fervidly looking for something from her, which meant she had the opportunity to give it. That was a good thing, a positive thing, a right thing. Something to feel good about. Her mind caught in those simple little swirls for a second, feedback loops about good things and good feelings. A sort of static in her head that didn't feel bad. Not at all. An adrenaline rush, perhaps? Her smile became much more genuine without Veronica even realizing it happened.

"That's me," she said. "My real name's Veronica Day. I did the modeling and voice acting and everything for Vee. I'm so glad you like her!"

Vee's vocal tones and patterns were perfect for this kind of interaction. Warm and professional and easy to chat with. Veronica found herself adopting that voice automatically. It wasn't so different from her own. So easy to slip into.

"Wow. You sound exactly like her. Hi. I mean, it's nice to meet you. I'm Roger? I had no idea you were a real person. Or, I mean - I didn't know Vee was based on somebody. She's so perfect, she's gorgeous, I assumed -" Roger turned red, eyes widening a little. Veronica laughed disarmingly and touched him on the elbow.

"Roger, you are

so

sweet," she said. He stammered stupidly. Normally Veronica wouldn't go out of her way to put a guy at ease in a situation like this, but it made sense to work with the fans a bit, didn't it? This could only be good for her career, especially if Roger walked away talking about how lovely she was. And it was good for Vee, too, and for HDS. And that remained important to Veronica. "It's true - Vee's based on me. Even a lot of her personality, apparently! I don't understand all of how she works, of course, but I know enough to be flattered that you like her."

Roger laughed at that, a panicked, cornered-animal kind of noise. Whatever confidence propelled him to walk up to Veronica seemed to be melting like wax wings, now that he was close to her.

"Would you like a picture with me, maybe?" Veronica felt like she needed to throw the poor guy a rope, rescue him. And he'd like that, certainly. The thought of helping Roger out, giving him what he needed, being useful... all of these ideas subtly whirred away in Veronica's head, pleasantly. The static layer provided a calming hush that kept her feeling great and made her focused and attentive on the task at hand. Roger nodded, not trusting his vocal cords. Veronica plucked the phone from his hand and put an arm around his shoulder.

She held up the phone and snapped a selfie of the two of them, then several more, just to be safe. Each with a little different pose and smile. Roger might not even appreciate the difference, the subtle shifts in what each face and posture communicated and emphasized, but that's okay. It felt good to go above and beyond.

She handed the phone back to him. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked. The line of bank patrons had moved on around them. The lady in front of her, who'd been vaguely annoying in some way Veronica couldn't remember right now, glanced back at them curiously. Veronica wasn't paying attention to that right now. She didn't fully realize how attentively she waited for Roger's answer, how much she was tuned in on him.