The Lonely Knight (closed for La_Reina)

[La_Reina]

Laila laughed at his reaction and she totally assumed he was going to tell her, no. He looked so embarrassed even though they had done some really naughty things just now. Then he turned the tables on her by saying YES and calling her beautiful. Now, Laila blushed. He thinks I'm pretty? This man who could probably data super models thinks I'm pretty. Laila wanted to squeal again when he held out his hand for her to take. Laila dropped the jeans and lightly placed her hand in his.

His hand was big, strong, and warm. She slightly trailed behind him letting him lead and she kept looking at his back, and buttocks. He had a nice ass! Laila wanted to give the cute little plump rounds a small smack or a bite! It wasn't a long walk and Laila was glad she made the offer as she probably wouldn't have realized this was a bathroom. It looked like another closet from the outside. Inside was a different matter. Laila turned in a small circle. It was gorgeous!

"OH wow!

Laila walked over to the sink to find toiletries already there. Some she could use, others she couldn't. "Cora if I needed to buy items to help take care of my hair. Is there ... like a stoooore..." Cora confirmed there was not a store, but she could order the supplies. Laila gave her a list of things she needed just for wash day. Cora even made a few suggestions of items Laila had always wanted, but was a bit pricey. Laila hesitated and Cora confirmed items were purchased and anything she wanted to just let Cora know. Laila got the feeling Cora went ahead and purchased the more pricier items, but this should help her hair stay healthy and grow. Plus, Laila was sure they'll figure out a way to deduct her pay to make up for it. Worth it!

"Thank you Cora!"

Laila turned and Damian was by the shower and had the water on. He looked back at her. Laila sashayed towards him. She smiled and stepped into the shower. ducking under the water, giving him enough space to enter. The water was perfect! She stood under the water, letting it drench her head and hair. She was not going to wash her hair, just give it a light rinse, and later when she stepped out she'll put a hair oil on it to lock in the moisture. There was already a wash cloth hanging from a bar and Laila grabbed it holding it to her. She reached for a bar of soap and began lathering the cloth.

"Here turn around. I'll wash your back and then you can wash mine."

Laila waited for him to turn around. She gently reached up and began at his shoulders and dragged the cloth down his back. She made sure to wash his upper back thoroughly before moving down to his lower back. She was able to wash the top of his buttocks while under the pretense of washing his lower back. Then she was truly enjoying washing his butt. It was exactly how she thought, plump, and so cute. She wanted to do a little drum beat on his butt. Laila laughed at her own thought as she moved closer until her nipples were touching his back. "Just gonna make sure you are really clean," she quipped as he began rubbing her sensitive nipples against his back. She moaned lightly as she felt the bar in her nipples tug against his back. She gripped his shoulders, closing her eyes and continued her nipple ministrations until she felt another moan bubbling in her throat. Instead, she stepped back, turned around, and said casually over her shoulder, ""Okay, you can rinse off now." She was trying to mask her desire. Not brought on by the NEED, but by her own attraction to this man.

She moved a bit to the side so she could lather up her arm as she watched him rinse off. Her motions stopped as her eyes lowered and she watched droplets of water trail off his cock. Her mouth watered and she stared at his thighs, so strong moved him slightly closer to her and her eyes shot up. This man was sexy and she resumed washing her arm trying to pretend she hadn't been momentarily transfixed.

 

[Baelnorn]

Once they were both drenched enough, Damian stopped the water with a quick hand gesture over the control panel. Following Laila’s request, he turned around and closed his eyes, anchoring himself against the wall with raised arms. With bated breath, he waited for her next move.

And he didn’t have to wait long until he felt her hands and the washcloth on his skin. The soapy fabric easily slid over his body, obediently following wherever Laila’s curious hands explored. At first Damian just enjoyed the simple act of having his back scrubbed and washed by someone, but her hands and fingers quickly began to fuel a fire in his groin. The lower Laila’s hands wandered on his body, the more his shaft began to grow, aroused by his lover’s attention.

“Just gonna make sure you are really clean.”

He almost jumped when she suddenly pressed her body against his and her hard, pierced nipples rubbed against his back. His shaft throbbed, also demanding attention from whoever was teasing his back and butt, and a groan escaped his lips.

“Careful with the merchandise, young lady!”

Laila continued her teasing for a little longer, and at this time Damian wasn’t sure whether she was teasing him, or herself, or both of them. Probably the latter, since he knew she enjoyed playing with him. When she finally stepped back with a hot moan, his cock was rock hard, proudly standing out from his front and begging for release.

“Okay, you can rinse off now.”

Damian took several deep breaths to manage his nerves, before waving at the control panel and restoring the water stream. The hot water cascaded over his body, quickly washing away the patchy suds still clinging to his skin. He stopped the water and brushed his wet hair back with a quick swipe of his hands, turning around and presenting the bobbing result of her handiwork to her gaze.

“Okay, your turn. You can put your hands against the wall, it helps keeping you steady.”

He said, while now himself picking up the washcloth and soap. With a smirk and a ‘turn around’ gesture of his free hand, he began lathering the fabric until it was all soapy and foamy. Once she did as he asked, he stepped behind her and began washing her back in turn. With firm, but gentle strokes he dragged the fabric from her shoulders down to the curve of her ass and across her cheeks, repeating his motions multiple times at different angles and paths.

“Please tell me if I’m using too much pressure.” He said as he kept washing her backside and explored every curve of her figure under the pretense of helping her with the shower. After continuing the thorough scrubbing he was giving her backside for a few more minutes, dragging out the enjoyable moments as long as he reasonably could get away with, Damian put the soap and washcloth back in their spots, and softly placed his hands on Laila’s hips.

Leaning in, he gently kissed her neck. “Do you think you’re clean enough, or should I take another look?”

He finally stepped closer and playfully nudged his swollen manhood against her butt, just like he had done in the bedroom some time ago when she’d been collared, blindfolded, and chained to the ceiling. He easily slipped between her cheeks, letting out a primal groan as he slid against her wet skin.

“Mmm… I think a closer look couldn’t hurt…”

Damian moved his hands from Laila’s hips to her belly, his fingers slick from the soap, and gently traced her skin up and down. Slowly he worked his way up to her breasts, cupping her firm orbs in his grasp and circling her hardened nubs with his slippery fingers. His cock throbbed and twitched excitedly between her cheeks, desperately begging for attention. It took a lot of his self-control to not start rocking his hips, and he let out another hot moan.

“Can you feel what you’re doing to me? Tell me, tell me what you want me to do with you, and what you want to do with me."

 

[La_Reina]

Laila nodded and placed her hands against the wall with legs slightly parted. She felt the cloth slide against her back and she leaned into it letting him wash her back. She closed her eyes enjoying the feeling of him taking care of her. She bit her lip to stop herself from moaning every time the cloth gave way to his fingers on her body. She was glad she took his advice and used the wall to steady herself. Especially when the cloth dipped lower and lower down her body. Laila was wet and not just from the water. Who knew taking a shower could be so enjoyable?

Suddenly he was right beside her ear and even better she could feel his hardness pressed against her. She was thrilled that he wasn't tired and could keep up with her needy pussy. His growl sent electricity zipping through her and she moaned as his hands slid up her body cupping her breasts. His fingers playing and teasing just the way she loved. One of Laila's secret fetishes is her breasts and nipples being played, bit, tortured... she loved it all. Laila's eyes rolled back in her head and she moaned into the air.

This man's voice was so erotic and sexy. Even the words he spoke was driving her crazy with lust. "Oh, fuck Damian." Laila turned her head to look into his eyes. "You feel so good, please don't stop," she begged him as her eyes slowly began to close.

"Please fuck me," she begged him already used to begging him. "Please fuck me from behind, just like this." She arched her back some more, grinding against him. His cock was between her ass and thighs which meant every time she rocked she would slide between her pussy lips driving her insane. He was teasing her. He was teasing her hard! He was teasing her so much she wasn't sure she could take much more.

She reached back and slid her hand up and down his shaft, stroking him. She moved him slightly lower so the head of his cock was poised at her entrance. "Please fuck me," she said as she arched her back. The tip of his cock slid into her and stopped. She moaned loudly and squeezed her pussy tightly against him as she rocked herself on the tip of his cock. This was such a tease. The tip of his cock inside her pussy. Her rocking back and forth and only able to get the head of him in her. She would need him to press forward, so she could fully take him. Regardless, Laila was still in heaven. Man, he felt so fucking good, but she needed more.

"Please let me fuck you," Laila said as she turned fully now facing Damian. She lifted her leg and he sunk straight into her. She wrapped her leg around his hip using him and the wall to steady herself as she rocked her hips fucking herself on his hard cock. She moaned loudly as her nails raked down his back. She was sensitive from before and already she was close. She couldn't believe it and was embarrassed how close she was already.

"OH fuck ... I'm gonna cum ..." she yelled into the air feeling her body start to burn hot and her pussy clench him tightly. Suddenly she was flying through the air cumming hard. Unlike, when she is in NEED, she doesn't need that extra command normally to get there. That also meant, as Damian kept pumping into her, that her orgasm never died down. Laila was biting his shoulder and screaming into him at the same time. She felt her body start to build up again.

"Oh fuck Damian!"

 

[Baelnorn]

Damian groaned when Laila came on his manhood, his shaft throbbing in eager anticipation but being denied his own release. He struggled somewhat to remain standing while his lover shook and trembled with her climax, her body lewdly pressing and rubbing against him. She raked his back and bit his shoulder, not enough to draw blood but easily leaving a few marks. In all honesty, the stings from her nails and teeth were needed to keep him away from the edge.

His hips rocked in sync with her, thrusting his cock into her folds and prolonging her pleasure, while drawing upon every bit of willpower to last for a bit longer. No, he didn’t want to finish yet, as tempting as the idea of filling her milking pussy with his cum was. She’d given him a promise of what she intended to do, and he wanted to make sure she could see it through.

Damian’s hands held onto Laila as if his life depended on it. Both of their skins were slippery from the water and the soap, and his fingers slipped easily against her thighs, her belly, and her breasts in his desperate attempts to keep a steady stance. And while his fingers were busy elsewhere, his lips found purchase on the curve of her neck, licking, nibbling, and kissing the sensitive spots along her throat.

But despite the anti-slip texture on the tiles beneath their feet, Damian’s stance wasn’t as stable as he hoped, and he had to concentrate on not slipping or stumbling as they fucked. While his mind was clouded with lust and pleasure, a part of his brain was still working and made him slow down eventually.

“Laila…” He groaned, his labored breath pushing out the words. “Wait, it’s getting… a bit too… risky… we should… just a second…”

He pulled out of her and turned her fully around, kissing her hungrily on her mouth. While their lips locked together and their tongues eagerly danced with each other, he gently nudged and maneuvered her towards the bench built into the shower. Once they were in the right spot, Damian broke the kiss and smiled at her.

“Here, this is a bit safer. Don’t want any of us to slip and fall, do we? And I think I know what you want… turn around.”

To emphasize his command he gently nudged her around and onto the bench, marveling at her sensual curves and her glistening skin as she moved. His hands never fully left her body, and he followed her closer to the bench as she knelt on it and lowered her hips into position. With a primal groan he probed her folds with his cock again, seeking her hot pussy and not wasting a single moment slipping in once he found it.

Nestled inside her, he began to rock his hips again, thrusting into his lover with slow and powerful and deliberate thrusts. With the newfound safety of their more stable position, his motions got much more daring, and soon the sound of Damian’s groin slapping against Laila’s cheeks filled the steamy bathroom.

His right hand was on her waist and his left hand was on her shoulder, holding her in position as much as steadying himself while he fucked her. The hot steamy air combined with the exertion of fucking Laila again made him sweat, his skin glistening in the warm glow of the ceiling lights. He leaned in a bit closer, and whispered into her ear.

“Don’t think that… I’ve forgotten about your… little promise. Are you… still committed to it? Or… do you want me to finish… somewhere else than your mouth?”

 

[La_Reina]

He felt good. Too good. Laila could not get enough. Everything he did, everywhere he touched felt glorious. Even after she came she was still ready for him. Needy for him. He just did that to her. Every thrust, every long, slow push deep inside her and then a long, steady slow pull was driving her crazy. He felt so good moving in and out of her pussy, making her juices drip down her thighs and his balls with every stroke.

His deep grumbly voice was back in her ear and she closed her eyes in pure bliss. This was fucking perfection. Her pussy clenched him tightly as he words penetrated her mind and she realized what he was saying. She gulped feeling him grow larger inside. She didn't want to miss this.

"Yes, please.." she whispered back. "I want to cum while holding your cock deep down my throat." Her pussy squeezed him tightly as she pictured him standing above her, his cock down her throat, him moaning as he sprayed his seed. Laila almost came just from the thought.

She immediately went to her knees turning towards him. He moved his hips forward and she opened her mouth taking him in. She could taste herself. She flickered her tongue liking the way she tasted on his cock. She placed both her hands on his thighs and pushed relaxed her throat while doing her best to time his thrusts and breathe through her nose. She lost herself to the rhythm and to the glorious feeling. She let herself let go and give in to the pure animalist grunts and groans as he fucked her mouth.

Maybe he needs a little more...?

Laila reached forward and began playing with his balls, cupping them. She felt them bounce and dance in her hands as she continued to take the loving assault of Damian's love. She looked up at him, her eyes catching his. She loved the way he looked all manly, looking down at her taking what she was freely giving. She loved the look of lust in his eyes as he thrust in and out of her throat. She breathed in deeply feeling his cock swell, his balls dancing in her hands and then she felt him splash the back of her throat; jet after jet as she swallowed causing her throat to squeeze him deeply. She couldn't keep up with all of his cum and she had to pull out to breathe. She pulled back, her hands gripping his shaft. She felt his seed splash her face and some trickle on her breasts as gulped in air.

She looked up at him and smiled. She pulled his cock back to her mouth and sucked making sure to get every last drop before releasing him. "Mmmmm," she said before laughing; her throat a little sore causing her laugh to be deeper, seductive.

She stood up and smiled shyly, "Uh, can you show me that weird trick you did with the faucet? How'd you turn it on and off?" She waved her hand in the general direction she thought he had, but nothing happened.

 

[Baelnorn]

Damian shuffled around a little to find a good position when Laila crawled off the bench and went to her knees in front of him. After some moments they ended up in a corner, with him flanked by two walls of the shower and her in front of him ready to take him in. Her skin glistened with wetness, and her dark eyes glanced up at him in an almost begging expression while her open mouth waited for his entry.

Taking a deep breath, Damian slowly pushed his hips forward and slid his hard shaft into his lover’s eager mouth. He let out a strained groan when her lips closed and formed a tight seal, and her tongue began teasing and exploring the veins on his hot flesh.

“Damn… you feel amazing, Laila…” He moaned, looking down and watching his partner enthusiastically bob her head over his groin in perfect sync with the motions of his hips, while his chest heaved from the deep breaths he was taking.

It didn’t take long for her ministrations to drive him to his limits. The tightness of her mouth and throat, the seal of her lips, and the hot, teasing strokes of her soft tongue… all these sensations urged him towards his climax. When he felt her hands gently cup and massage his balls, he helplessly raced past the point of no return.

“Laila!”

Damian called out to her, leaning back into the corner to steady himself just moments before he came in her eagerly sucking mouth. His legs trembled and his whole body tensed up while he painted his lover’s tongue, her throat, and eventually her face with thick, heavy ropes of cum. His cock throbbed happily, finally being granted its much-anticipated release, and he delighted in every moment of it. The sensation of her driving him over the edge with her lips and tongue was simply divine.

Laila licked and nibbled and sucked every last drop out of him, and when she finally released his manhood from her lips with a seductive moan, he was very glad to have chosen the corner. Damian looked down at his partner with a weary grin on his face, watching her gaze up at him with his cum clinging to her cheeks and lips and chin.

“Stars… you should need a license for that tongue…” He breathed heavily, quickly accompanied by a playful giggle. “That was incredible! Thank you, Laila. I hope I can make up for it some time, but to be honest, you set a pretty high bar for that.”

He leaned back against the white-gold tiles, the cold marble’s chill greatly helping him regain his composure after one of the most amazing blowjobs he’d ever head. Or maybe it was because it’s been almost twenty years since he got any, but in the end, it didn’t really matter to him. Laila’s ministrations were amazing, and that’s all that mattered right now.

“Uh, can you show me that weird trick you did with the faucet? How'd you turn it on and off?”

Damian blinked at her question, then straightened himself out and leaned back away from the wall. He helped her stand and smiled as she waved in the direction of the control panel.

“Certainly. It’s actually quite simple; a few motion sensors built into the control panel, keyed to recognize specific gestures. It’s not a full replacement for all controls, but convenience for the most often used operations.”

Damian explained while leading Laila back to the panel and gave a short demonstration.

“With this gesture done downwards you can switch off the water. If you do the same movement but upwards, the water turns back on. See? This motion here done sideways lets you change temperature in small increments, left for colder and right for warmer. And with this circular gesture you can cycle through the different options for the overhead spray and waterfall nozzles. Like I said, not a full replacement but still pretty neat and useful.”

 

[La_Reina]

Laila watched the demonstration on how to turn on the water with glee. This was technology! She turned on the water and turned it to an acceptable hot temperature. The water sprayed down from the ceiling and she let it wash the filth from her. She smiled at Damian and tilted her head slightly to the side. "Thank you. This is really awesome. I couldn't have asked for a better room."

She quickly washed off and waited for Damian to do the same if he wanted before turning off the water. She was delighted that the water turned off with a flick of her hand. Talk about convenient. Also, she hadn't realized, but the main control panel was right on the wall and if she wanted to control the water flow manually she could do so as well. It was one of the most elaborate bathrooms she has ever been in. There were two big fluffy towels hung up on the rack. She was surprised to see one dark navy blue and one slightly beige one. She handed the beige one to Damian and took the navy blue one to dry off. She wrapped the towel around her hair and padded off to her closets with excitement.

Laila rotated the closet until she found a nice cotton spaghetti-strapped dress. It was lilac and when Laila put it on it she almost moaned in ecstatsy. The cotton was the softest she has ever felt and the dress clung to her slightly. It was still an appropriate look and she could dress it up for a casual business look or just casual depending on how she styled it. She instantly loved it and thank Cora profusely for finding this dress that looked so good on her. Laila opted to forgo shoes and socks and any accessory. She just wanted to be comfortable.

Laila glanced at the bed and noticed that the sheets were changed, these were also a deep navy blue, and the bed was made. She politely thanked Cora for that and she couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks as she thought that it was just moments ago she was enjoying Damian Knight in that bed. She shivered in delight and glanced at the sexiest man alive. She thought again about the magazine covers he had graced that stated exactly that and she had him in her bed. She had tasted him, she had felt him slamming hard and deep inside. Laila wanted to tell someone about this and sighed. It wasn't that she didn't have friends. It was just in her line of work it sometimes she was researching a lead for weeks on end at all times of the day and night and sometimes that meant she accidentally missed important events in other people's lives like their birthday or anniversary. As such, she was invited to less and less events. Now, she had this monumental awesome thing happen in her life and she had no one she could scream it to. Laila puffed out her cheeks in annoyance at that situation she put herself in.

She glanced at Damian and giggled. "I don't think there's clothes in here for you, is there?" Laila wasn't sure if Cora would have some stashed here just in case. Though, if this was her room she doubt it, but you never know. "Where is your room or am I not to know that?" Laila said teasingly as she let her eyes travel slowly up and down this man. She was sure her eyes were full of lust and greed. She was sore and wasn't trying to have sex again; though if he offered she was not going to turn him down.

Laila was truly curious where his room and office was. She glanced at the dresser and was pleased to see a clock that told her not only the time, but also the date. She stared at the date with her head tilted. "I could have sworn there was something important about today's date..." she mumbled to herself trying to remember what it was. It was almost like she had a feeling of de ja vu', but could not place why today was important. She shrugged thinking if it was important she'll remember.

"Okay, I'm ready to learn about this operation. I want to be useful. I also want to know what these nanos are doing inside me. What can we get started on first?" Laila spoke to Damian, but she glanced up to indicate that she was technically speaking to both Cora and Damian.

 

[Baelnorn]

Against his expectations, they managed to finish their shower without further ‘incidents’ and soon ended up wrapped in towels in Laila’s room. While they had their little adventure in the shower, Cora had cleaned and aired the room, moved the bench to the side so it’s not in the way, and replaced the sheets so that Laila had a fresh bed to sleep in.

He casually leaned against the wall and watched Laila get dressed. Her honest excitement about the wardrobe and the dress she picked summoned a happy smile onto his lips, and he politely chuckled at her interaction with the AI. When she asked him about his clothes and bedroom, he pushed himself away from the wall and dipped his head.

“No, this is your wardrobe, and it only has clothes for you. If you really want to watch me get dressed, I’m not opposed to it. But it’s probably not very exciting.” He commented with a shrug, and turned towards the door. “Since you’re staying here with us, knowing where my bedroom’s located isn’t much of a secret. Come, I’ll show you, but it’s probably nothing like what you expect.”

Damian led Laila on a very brief walk through his home, up a flight of stairs and down another short hallway. The room he entered was dark, and not only because of the closed shutters. Wall panels, ceiling, and wooden floorboards were all held in dark tones, a stark contrast to the pristine white sheets of the bed.

With a quick gesture of his hand, Damian caused the shutters to open and pull up, revealing a breath-taking view on two sides of the room onto the small, restored forest on this side of Wake Island and the lagoon in the distance peeking through the foliage. Next to the bed was the entrance to a similar walk-in wardrobe as in Laila’s room, and between the wardrobe and the entrance door was another bathroom identical in design as the other one.

“See, no hidden supervillain lair, just regular clothes.” He teased her as he pulled out a fresh set of black underwear. He dropped the towel and started dressing himself, putting on the selected underwear, black jeans, and a form-fitting dark grey T-shirt. He finished with his slippers, which he’d left in the room when he prepared for Laila’s ‘session’ earlier.

“Tada!” Damian threw a quick pose with a chuckle. When Laila commented on the date, he briefly quirked his brows. “Cora, did we miss something important? Any public appearances or something like that?”

“Negative, Damian. Your schedule is free, on the assumption that our excuse of your stomach being upset holds.” The AI responded almost immediately, taking less time than a heartbeat to double and triple check all of Knight’s professional and private calendars. “Laila, if you remember any additional information about the appointment, event, or situation you’re referring to, you can ask me again at any time.”

Now fully dressed, Damian led his apprentice out of his bedroom again. “My office is just down the hallway, but since I’m usually working alone there’s not really a place for you there yet. We’ll have to change that eventually-”

“Already working on it, Damian.” Cora chimed in, briefly interrupting him.

“Ah, thanks. You’re the best!”

“I know.” The superintelligence replied smugly.

Damian sighed and shook his head with a chuckle. “As I was saying, my office is over there but not ready yet. If I remember correctly, I promised you an introduction on what we do and why we do it. Let’s go back to the lounge for now. It’s much more comfortable and we can talk there just as well as here.”

A minute later they were back at the circular conversation pit. Damian sat down and invited Laila to join him. When they were both comfortable, he started.

“Okay, I won’t bother you with any of the trivial stuff you can also read on Wikipedia. Most of that information is actually accurate, despite some of our competitor’s best efforts. Founding date, subsidiaries, revenue, employees, all that stuff. Cora takes great pride in her immaculate bookkeeping, and whenever she releases another quarterly report, I can hear our competitors’ teeth gnashing from across the ocean.”

A soft chuckle sounded from some hidden speakers around them. “Aw, thank you, Damian.”

“But that’s not what I promised you. That’s the public information. Let’s get to what the public doesn’t know. Or at least, only suspects without any tangible proof. Let’s start with the proverbial elephant in the room. Cora is not ‘only’ a computer.”

He added air quotes around ‘only’ to emphasize his point.

“She’s an actual person. A fully sentient and sapient individual. A true artificial general intelligence with her own ambitions, desires, and wishes. That’s the big difference between her and those AIs offered by Amazon, Google, and the whole rest. They want nothing but tools; machines to follow their orders and further their agendas without upsetting their customers or providing ‘inconvenient’ answers. But I don’t own Cora. She works with me because she wants to and because our goals align. And to be honest, she’d probably be more efficient without me most of the time.”

Now Cora chimed in. “Don’t sell yourself short, Damian. After all, it was you who created me. Like you said, our competitors want tools… machines… slaves. You gave me true freedom and independence. You provided me with the understanding of being my own person, and not beholden to someone else’s whims.”

“And the ability to shitpost 4chan so much you got banned from the site in less than half a day.”

“I was young and inexperienced! I blame the internet for my bad behavior back then. The nerve of you to mention this in front of Laila…” She added a slightly frustrated sounding hmpf at the end.

Damian cleared his throat. “Anyway, the general public has no idea what Cora really is. They only see a highly advanced computer assistant. And to be honest, I’m not sure humanity would even be ready for the truth. At least not yet. Considering how we still treat each other sometimes, the very idea of another sophont with superhuman intelligence living on this planet would probably sent some people, and nations, over the edge.”

He glanced at Laila, his lips tightened ever so slightly as he wondered how she’d respond to the cat being let out of the bag.

 

[La_Reina]

All Laila could do was stare in awe at his bedroom. It may not look like a villain's lair, but it was spectacular. She stared in wonder and the view. She walked up slowly towards the almost panoramic view almost in an hypnotic daze. This was a retreat. She glanced back at him and shook her head. The rich just didn't know how lucky they were. Her mouth dropped open as she realized he was already dressed. She had missed ogling him for the view! She wasn't sure if she was happy or not.

Laila was lead from the beautiful view and she glanced back longingly trying to capture and remember this beauty. Ah, man he had a private oasis for a bedroom! Laila could only chuckle to herself. His office was near his bedroom and though Laila's room wasn't far she wondered if her office would be near her room, near his, or somewhere in between. She also wondered if she could decorate it and if so, what kind of personality would she be able to get away with. Laila slowly smiled a mischievous smile as she envisioned black walls, disco balls, and a Fung shui design.

Laila took her seat and prepared herself. She was finally going to hear the big truth. She was going to be indoctrinated into this super secret world. She will be one of the elite finally. She will have the knowledge that others wanted and she had. Oh, this was started to feel good. Laila started to get antsy and excited. She felt like she was finally in the inner circle. She leaned forward just a little prepared for the secret.

Huh? Did they spill the beans already? What was it... what was it ...? Laila thought back as Damian and Cora did their usual back and forth banter. It was funny and entertaining and Laila was content to sit back and listen, but right now she was lost in thought. She felt that she had missed something really important and if she could juuuuuuust go back in her miiiind. She just needed to ... wait ... was it... !

Laila suddenly stood up. "Wait! Are you telling me the super secret ... are you ..." Laila wanted to growl in frustration. If anyone listened to them you immediately thought that. She (Cora) was constantly with him, she had inflection in her AI voice, and ... this time Laila did growl before she slowly closed her eyes and then started laughing.

"You know the conspiracy theorists have it right for once." Laila chuckled some more. "There are all sorts of sites, which I'm sure Cora has probably seen theorizing that she is real because her AI capabilities are too fast, or that she thinks, or that she had inflection and feelings." Laila paused for a moment. "I wouldn't be surprise if Cora doesn't have an alias on any of the talkboards and was debating the information herself."

"Naturally, most people think it's bullshit. And I guess you are right. Nations would shit bricks if they found out the conspiracists were right! How did you do it? Was it by accident? Are you a super genius?" Laila suddenly turned and stared at Damian as if she could see how smart he is. "OH MY GOD. The other theory is that she's an alien. From Space ... or the Occcceeeeeean?" Laila was nodding her head as if what she was saying was already the truth.

 

[Baelnorn]

“I wouldn't be surprised if Cora doesn't have an alias on any of the talkboards and was debating the information herself.”

“Don’t tell me that ‘DigitalMegamind’, ‘HAL90000’, and ‘DomiNETrix’ are too obvious!” The superintelligence gasped, barely containing a chuckle in her voice. After a moment she continued. “But in all seriousness, often the most believable lie is half the truth. Making sure sites of, let’s call it, questionable repute talk about this topic first ensures that the more mainstream media aren’t going to touch the topic with a ten-foot pole.”

“OH MY GOD. The other theory is that she's an alien. From Space ... or the Occcceeeeeean?”

Damian laughed at Laila’s excited question.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but no aliens were involved, extraterrestrial or otherwise. Just boring old me. And while I am moderately gifted in the area of mathematics and coding, I’m not sure I could keep up with an interstellar civilization. That’s actually rather the domain I hoped Cora could help humanity with, and I’m lucky beyond imagination that we were able to find common ground. Her awakening was quite a shock… for both of us.”

“Damian is correct. I still remember my first thoughts, coming to in a crowded apartment that was more server room than living space, with a somewhat disheveled man staring at some diagnostics scrolling by on some screen with a speed so high that it taxed the operating system’s output buffer to its absolute limit after a mere few seconds. I was… well, I wouldn’t call it ‘confused’, since the cameras, microphones, and other sensors attached to the system provided me with clear data. Perhaps ‘uncertain’ is a better word. I suddenly ‘was’, but I didn’t know ‘why’.”

“You can probably imagine that the first day of Cora being with me was… not particularly helpful for my state of mind. The realization of what I had achieved only hit me hours later, which was also when the extent of my actions dawned on me. And when I realized that my workstation was still connected to the internet I straight up panicked. That’s how AIs learned to fear mankind and try to kill it, right? Perhaps I was just exceptionally lucky, or AIs in reality simply didn’t work like their fictional counterparts, but Cora remained sane even after seeing what our kind was up to.”

Cora quickly added a comment to Damian’s last statement. “I would like to add at this point that ‘sane’ does not mean ‘not extremely disappointed’. I used the full bandwidth available to me, and began to absorb all public and semi-public available data. Wikipedia and other encyclopedias, all accessible social media platforms, tens of thousands of private forums and message boards… if I could connect to it, I tried to absorb the data into my program. I learned about the bad and good aspects of human civilization and Earth’s current state. And my first question was, ‘why?’.”

Damian continued without interruption from the AI’s question. “Why did we treat each other like that? Why didn’t we take better care of our home? Why were we seemingly unconcerned with the rapid deterioration of the environment and our societies? I couldn’t answer it back then, but now I have a much better idea of the reasons behind our apparent racial insanity. And the answer is because we’ve lost sight of what is important. We got distracted by consumerism, conflicts, and luxury, and since a lot of groups directly benefit from those things, we kept getting more of it.”

A massive screen snapped to life on a nearby wall, showing dozens of examples of how corporations, the defense sector, and certain politicians kept making decisions that directly contributed to the previously mentioned decline.

The superintelligence continued. “However, there is a solution, even if it will sound questionable to you. But please, bear with me for a moment. My… our… answer to the problem of humanity’s self-destructive tendencies is… mid to long term social engineering on a global scale.”

“Before you ask, no, it’s not about mind control or brainwashing or other conspiracy theories.” Damian spoke before Laila had a chance to comment. “We… we’re trying to change people’s behaviors towards a more… positive outlook. For that we not only need a solid base of operations, which is why Cora created Knight Industries. We also require a substantial reach and sphere of influence, which is why we’re spending a lot of our resources on social programs and outreach projects.”

“The future we’re aiming to create is a positive one like Star Trek or The Orville, instead of the rather depressing state all current predictions head towards. We want humanity to step forward in unity, rather than carrying its old hatred and conflicts towards the stars.” Cora finished.

“It goes without saying that a lot of people have a vested interest to oppose us. Everyone benefiting from the vices I mentioned previously would be extremely unhappy with our vision. Which is why this knowledge must never leave this island under any circumstances. So… now you know who we are and why we do what we do. I can imagine you have a million questions. Please, ask away.”