Bending forward, she parted her knees as far as she could with her jeans still on, and started to slowly wiggle from side to side. I’d moved along a...little to get a better view of what she was doing, and I could clearly see her crotch when she wiggled to the left, so the boys at the bottom of the stairs must have got a right eyeful. By now their chanting had turned to screaming and they were climbing the first few stairs to get a closer look. After what seemed like an age Jan pulled her jeans. She had the impression that she needed to be illuminated.She heard it inhale, but could not locate breathing holes. Searching, she couldn’t find anything but claws and thorax; the mutant seemed to be over eight feet tall, with the way it was crouching in the apartment. Holding her in what looked like bent claws, razor sharp talons underneath.‘One would think… one would be much more… Cautious ? In times such… as these…‘ the Mutant said in rasps, his speech broken. ‘One would think, you would. "Nathan slammed the pod's plexiglass door closed, effectively endingJennifer's life within minutes of her being bought into existence.Jennifer felt inconsolable. What was wrong with her? All 'Jennifers',of which there were fifty models for variety's sake, were marketed as'Companions' which translated roughly to concubine. They were purchasedby the Elite and some wealthy Mezzo singles or couples. One could notmarry a Hominoid but some men and women fell in love with them, replacingthem every. From the sound of her voice, Arlene had been drinking. Whether before or after Bill's call, I don't know. This was not the first time Arlene had a sudden mind-shift, or been drinking, if they were not effect and cause. I turned around, killed some time elsewhere, and went to the party. I found that Arlene and Bill had gotten there before me. Going without a date was no big deal; Steve and Sue Miller liked to invite unattached singles to their parties in an effort at matchmaking. .