Meals of Misery

Annetta stared at the pile of clothes left for her by the synth. She was silently seething and looking at her clothing like she wanted to burn it with her eyes. Finally, the blonde sighted and reached for the undergarments, only to roll her eyes when she remembered that her doppelgänger never wore any. Oh, but of course, how could I think that it would be wearing panties and bra. Well, at least, I will be burning only one set of clothes when I get home.

The younger sister glanced over at Audrey who was currently very interested in the floor beneath her. The younger blonde wanted to say something, but thought better of it – time for talking will come later. Right now, they have to quickly get ready and get the dodge out of here.

Annetta turned back to the clothes and picked up the green shirt. As she pulled it over her head, the soft fabric brushed against her sensitive, aroused nipples, sending an involuntary jolt through her. She suppressed a shudder and buttoned it up, her fingers fumbling on the buttons. Next came the jeans. As the chef stepped into the denim, the reality of her body's betrayal became immediately apparent. The fabric was rough against her slick folds. She grimaced, pulling the jeans up over her hips.

"Fucking fantastic," she muttered under her breath, wincing slightly as she zipped the fly up. The TV chef shoved her feet into the sneakers and tied the laces with aggressive, jerky motions. Through the corner of her eye, Annetta was able to see how her doppelgänger was slightly coking its head, and she could have sworn that a sly smile was playing on its lips.

She grabbed the black denim blazer and shoved her arms into the sleeves, wrapping it tightly around herself as if it were a suit of armor. It did little to make her feel less exposed, especially knowing that beneath the stiff denim, she was an aroused mess. Fucking sex-robots, can’t fucking believe this shit, she grumbled in her mind.

Annetta took a couple of paces to where her sister was currently sitting. She crouched down and gently tapped Audrey's shoulder. The older woman gazed up: her face was a portrait of guilt of having her younger sister involved in all of this. However, Anne did not mind that, she just smiled encouragingly and helped the older blonde get up.

Looking at her naked form, Annetta mentally slapped herself over the head. Its probably still early morning or something, she will be cold outside. The chef quickly glanced at the synth waiting for them by the door as she took off her jacket and draped it over Audrey. “Thanks”, the older sister murmured, leaning in to Anne for comfort.

“Come on, Aud, we have to leave before these sickos change their minds”.

As the women began walking, Annetta remembered that the cheque while she was dressing up had fallen on to the ground. She threw a quick apology to her sister, who looked at her curiously and scooted to pick up the piece of paper. As long as these fuckers pay me. Fuck, would be a fucking hoot, if it turned out to be bogus, wouldn’t it?. The woman put the piece of paper inside her jeans pocket and went to Audrey, taking her by the hand as they walked towards the waiting synth.

The doppelgänger didn't say a word as it turned on its heel, its movements eerily silent. It led them out of the room and into the stark, dimly lit corridor of the dungeon. The air here was cooler, carrying a metallic scent that made Annetta's nose wrinkle. She kept a tight grip on Audrey's hand, her sister’s body trembling slightly against her side as they walked barefoot on the cold stone.

Anne focused on the back of the synth ahead, watching its ponytail swing with perfect, mechanical precision. It was surreal, walking behind a naked copy of herself that acted as a tour guide in a house of horrors.

 *

They exited the mansion, stepping out into the cool, grey light of early morning. The air was crisp, biting at Annetta's exposed skin where her collar ended, but she forced herself to keep her head high. Sure enough, her sister would have it worse. The gravel driveway crunched under their feet. Audrey, clutching the denim jacket around her, shivered a bit as the cold stones bit into her soles.

The walk to the guard post was interminable. Annetta kept glancing over her shoulder, half-expecting Mr. A or one of the others to come bounding out with a new "contract." But the mansion remained silent, a dark monolith against the pale sky.

The synth stopped precisely at the edge of the paved perimeter, pointing a manicured finger toward a small, brick guardhouse about a kilometer and a half away - the same guardhouse with the boom barrier the limo passed through the other day. "You will find all your clothing there. Consider this the last of your punishment, having to walk barefoot on the gravel of the forest road”, the doppelgänger said sweetly to Audrey before walking back to the giant mansion.

Annetta watched it go, a strange sense of unease settling in her stomach. It was like watching a reflection walk away, detached and soulless. She waited until the mechanical doppelgänger had disappeared back into the mansion, the heavy door clicking shut with finality. Only then did she turn to her sister, taking in Audrey's trembling form. The sisters hugged for a while, taking in the comfort each of them provided to one another.

"Come on," Annetta finally said softly, linking her arm through Audrey's to steady her. "Let's get to the guardhouse and get you some clothing and shoes".

They began the long walk down the forest road. The gravel crunched loudly under Annetta’s sneakers, while Audrey winced with every step, her bare feet likely raw and cold; the only time of walking barefooted on the ground during childhood. The silence between them stretched, heavy and suffocating, filled only by the rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of waking birds. Anne shot sidelong glances at her sister, her mind racing with questions she barely knew how to ask.

"So," she started, keeping her voice low despite the emptiness of the forest around them. “Jesus, Aud, I don’t even know what to ask or where to begin. I’m sorry, but all of this is so fucked up and there’s no other way to sugar coat it, but… for how long have you been with them?”

Audrey kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead, her jaw working silently for a moment before she answered. "As they said in there. It was about six months give or take. It started with that damned restaurant chain idea. You know how I've always wanted to expand, right? They came to me with investors, a business plan, the works. It looked legitimate. More than legitimate. It was the break I’d been praying for."

The older woman laughed, shaking her head. "I went to sign the contracts here and… bam… wake up the next day. Presumably like you did today. The rest… well… they already told you, sis”, she sniffed. “Jesus fucking Christ, these pebbles are gonna drive me nuts!“, Audrey screamed in to the air around them, hopping on one leg and prying some pebbles lodged between her toes.

“Do you want me to… carry you, perhaps?”, Anne sheepishly asked. Audrey snorted at this.

"Yeah, right, as if you can carry me. No, as your wonderful doppelgänger said, this is the last stretch of my punishment”, the older blonde said dejectedly looking at the silhouette of the guard station up ahead. “And, trust me, this is just mild annoyance in comparison to what they put me through”.

Annetta frowned, the gravel crunching rhythmically under her sneakers as she matched her pace to her sister’s slower gait. "What did you do to deserve such treatment?", however Annetta regretted asking this as soon as the words left her mouth.

The older sister looked at her for a while and simply shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Anne. Knowing the 'why' won't change the 'what'. You saw them. You saw that... that thing." She gestured vaguely back toward the mansion, now just a dark silhouette among the trees. "They have resources, technology that nobody knows about. They have replacements for us. Perfect copies that can take over our lives while we rot down there."

Audrey came face to face with her younger sister, blue eyes meeting green. “You have to promise me, sis, that you will not step out of line and do what those bastards want you to do. Hell, you even have an incentive, which I never had, these pieces of shit actually want to pay you money! I get squat for being here!”. She shook her head and scoffed. “Come on, let’s go, I want to get out of here, go home, hug my family and get a nice long hot steaming bath”.

 *

The guard station loomed closer. Behind it, the women could see a boom barrier, which was currently raised down. Though, we could probably be able to walk past it, if this was just an ordinary trek back home, Anne chuckled to herself. Behind the barrier, the blonde could see two cars parked. She recognized one as her own, which her husband Tomas bought to her for her birthday five years ago. The other belonged to her sister.

The guard station was seemingly occupied by the same guard from yesterday. The man was leaning against the sill, openly leering at Audrey, his gaze crawling over her exposed flesh, drinking her in. The older sister didn't shrink away, though. Instead, she straightened her spine, clutching the blazer tighter around herself, and stepped up to the window. She offered a polite, albeit tight, smile. "Good morning," Audrey said, her voice steady. "I was told my clothing and shoes were left here for me. May I have them, please?"

The guard didn't answer immediately. He just stared at Audrey, a slow, crude grin spreading across his lips. He chewed on a toothpick, the clicking noise unnervingly loud in the quiet morning air.

"Clothing?", a voice echoed behind the man with amusement. Annetta's skin prickled with goose bumps at it. "Oh, we got 'em. Right in the back, but you will have to work for them a bit, I'm afraid." A figure emerged from the small interior of the guardhouse. It was a spitting image of Audrey.

The synth stepped out to the sill where the guard was leaning, mirroring his posture with a lazy, predatory grace. It was wearing a sky-blue power-suit, which the older blonde liked to put on during business meetings. The doppelgänger casually draped an arm around the guard’s shoulders, its fingers playing with the collar of his uniform.

"Good morning, sister," the doppelgänger said cheerily looking at Annetta. Its voice a perfect replica of the woman standing in the driveway. "It’s so good to see you again. You look... fresh."

Annetta felt a surge of protective anger flare in her chest, but knew that there was actually nothing she could do, if judged by the way Renata's doppelgänger handled her with ease early in the morning. However, the blond did place herself slightly in front of her older sister despite Audrey shaking her head that she should not bother. "Look, Mr. A said that we are free to go and that the clothing for my sister will be provided here… or is it just some fucked up mind games your creators are playing here?"

The doppelgänger actually snickered at that. Smile widening. “Nope”, it said, popping the word in its mouth like bubble-gum. “You two are free to go, if you want, but if Audrey wants not to drive naked to the city and be arrested for indecent exposure”, the synth’s grin widened. “My friend here would very much like to be compensated for his time guarding your clothing”.

"You son of a bitch," Anne hissed. "He said we're free to go," the woman spat, turning her glare to the synthetic replica of her sister. "This wasn't part of the deal. We leave, she gets dressed, and that's it."

"Actually," the doppelgänger said, tilting its head in a mockery of thought. "The deal was that your clothes would be at the guard station. They are. Mr. A never specified how you would retrieve them, only that they would be provided. Think of it as... the exit toll."

Anne's hands curled into fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. She opened her mouth to launch another tirade, to threaten them with lawyers or police, but the sheer absurdity of the situation stopped her. Who could she threaten? A robot copy of her sister and a thug who worked for people who owned technology capable of replacing her life?

"The fuck is wrong with you people?" the chef gritted out, though the venom in her voice was undercut by a rising sense of helplessness. The guard chuckled, a wet, rattling sound, and undid the button of his trousers with agonizing slowness. "Nothing wrong with wanting a bit of morning appreciation, is there? Especially from a high-class businesswoman like your sister."

The synth’s grin widened, exposing perfect, white teeth. "Come now, Audrey," it purred, its voice a distorted echo of the woman standing beside Annetta. "It’s just a quick suck. You’ve done plenty worse, haven’t you? Of course, you can always risk driving back home naked… or I’m sure Anne here would love to lend you here clothing, wouldn’t you? But then you would have the same problem, darling, eh? Anyways, all we are asking is five minutes of your time working your wonderful mouth on my friend’s member here. Everyone leaves satisfied”.

Annetta stepped forward, her face flushing hot with indignation. "That's fucked up bullshit and you know it! I'm not going to let her…”

"Anne, stop", the older sister said placing her hand on the chef’s shoulder. “I’ll do it, go wait for me by the cars… or drive off it’s up to you”.

“But…”, the younger blonde stammered.

“You can go anytime, dear Anne”, the synth sing-songed. “No one’s going to stop you. Heck, I think Misters B and C would actually love to hear on the news how Audrey was detained by the police for indecent exposure. Maybe we should…”

“I said I will do it”, Audrey said steeling her doppelgänger a cold look.

"No," Annetta said, her voice dropping an octave, trembling with suppressed rage. "I am not leaving you here to be raped by some glorified bouncer."

"It's not rape if I agree to it," Audrey replied quietly, not meeting her sister's eyes. “Besides, this is really nothing. Trust me on that one”. She squeezed her sister's shoulder once, a silent plea to let it go, before letting her hand drop. She walked past Annetta, her bare feet making no sound on the pavement as she approached the open window of the guardhouse.

The guard leaned back, his elbows resting on the sill, his grin turning into a leer of triumphant expectation. He didn't say a word, just hooked his thumb into the waistband of his trousers and pulled them down, along with his boxers, exposing himself to the morning air.

Without a hint of hesitation or modesty Audrey sank to her knees to have a better access. She took the guard’s length into her hand, stroking him firmly to full attention before guiding him into her mouth. The guard groaned, his head falling back against the chair as Audrey began to work, her head bobbing in a steady, rhythmic motion.

Audrey's mouth moved with practiced efficiency, her lips tight around the guard's shaft as she took him deeper. The taste of him was salt and cheap soap and the faint, sour tang of sweat from a night spent in the guardhouse. She didn't gag. She had learned long ago how to control her throat, how to relax the muscles and breathe through her nose while a man used her mouth for his pleasure. The guard's hand found the back of her head, fingers threading through her tangled hair.

Audrey hollowed her cheeks, dragging her tongue along the underside of his cock with each upward stroke, her eyes fixed on some point in the middle distance. The guard groaned above her, his hips beginning to thrust in shallow, jerking motions, and she adjusted her rhythm to match him, letting him fuck her mouth at his own pace. Her hands rested on his bare thighs, steadying herself, her knees pressing into the cold concrete of the guardhouse floor.

Annetta watched for only a moment, the sight of her sister debasing herself for a chance to get clothing making her stomach churn violently. The wet, slurping sounds carried clearly in the quiet morning air, a grotesque soundtrack to the madness her life had become. She realized with a pang of self-loathing that there was nothing she could do to stop it. Intervening would only prolong the ordeal or escalate the situation.

With a heavy sigh, the chef turned her back on the guardhouse. She walked toward the parked vehicles, the gravel crunching under her sneakers. She leaned against the hood of her car, crossing her arms over her chest, staring resolutely at the tree line. She tried to block out the noises, but the occasional grunt or gag from the window pierced through her concentration.

The doppelgänger, apparently bored with the lack of reaction from the younger sister, sauntered over to where Anne was leaning. It mimicked her posture, leaning against the hood of the car next to her, staring at the trees with a thoughtful expression.

"Beautiful morning, isn't it?" it said brightly. "A bit crisp, but perfect for a drive. You should take the scenic route home. Clear your head after such a stressful night."

Annetta clenched her jaw, her eyes fixed on a distant pine, refusing to even glance at the monstrosity beside her. She tightened her arms around her chest, her fingers digging into the denim of her blazer. If she looked at it, she might actually try to hit it, and she suspected the machine would just laugh at her.

About five minutes have passed until Annetta heard the soft crunch of heels on pavement.

"You know," the synth said, pushing off the hood of the car and smoothing out its skirt, "for a corporate executive, she has remarkable technique. Must be all the practice she's had lately." The younger sister finally turned. Audrey was walking out of the guardhouse, fully dressed in her business suit, almost the same one the doppelgänger was wearing, except it was black. Annetta saw the guard waving goodbye to them from the guard house, smiling as the cat that got the canary, as the synth left its leaning place on the car and went past Audrey. As they passed each other, the doppelganger playfully slapped her on her rear eliciting a small grunt from the woman and an eye roll.

“Come on, sis, let’s leave this place”, the older woman said heading to her car…