A/N What do you think of the temporary title change ? The book is(was) at #36 in the charts and we wanted to do something symbolic while we could. We go this comment "Okay so I'm not into science fiction like at all but this f**king book cover is so smart I literally stopped scrolling and smiled at this for about 5 minutes. So thank you for making me smile." We can't be any more pleased. In the pluse side we passed the 2K Read Barrier!!! Just when the Time traveller told us we would - wow go figure! This is the last chapter of Part 1: Capture.

Photo - We've had requests for the 'e-slave girl' look from fans going to a comicon/cosplay event (really?). Reb has dug up this image and youTube tutorial for them. To be honest I feel like the book has bitten me back.

Note for return readers: check out the chapter upgrade ( just for you).

20 seconds into the future /Slave systems Inc/Factory 7:: Area formally known as Aspen

Jenny's POV.

We enter the bid hall from the 'end of batch awards'. Principal Humbolt had given out awards to those the trainers and Prism surveillance system had picked had made various achievements including most submissive', 'behaviour most improved' , 'most obedient' ,'best presented' and finally the King and Queen of the end of batch show 'slave most likely to please master(or mistress)'. I naturally didn't want to have anything to do with this whole sell out parade (attendance was mandatory) and was most uncomfortable to discover I was 8th in 'behaviour most improved' category. Unfortunately, there was no category for least ground down but I decided if there was, I would have got it. The whole thing was made as unpleasant as a bucket of ice down the back of your neck to discover 88 had been chosen to present the valediction. She just stood there and parroted out everything the collar told her to say. Unfortunately, it was brilliantly written ( not by her obviously ) and what was worse even brought a tear to my eye. I left for the bid hall wishing I'd kissed more ass which wasn't the mood I was looking for.

We were standing around the bid board it was the last day at the factory. It felt like the end of an era.

"10 minutes," said 1492.

In 10 minutes we would all be sold. I stood arms around Joe and Kayla. We had our fingers crossed for all being sold together. Everyone was dressed in skin tigher white with tied up hair like we were about to appear on Tron Legacy. The bidding that day had begun to move a few hours before. So far Joe and Kayla had all had been bid for by# 904. #904 was the human slave owner which Kayla preferred. We all had #904 and Lord Rockwood as watchers. Everyone was looking at their numbers of watchers. With nine minutes to go the bidding start to move. Then 1750 came in. She had got terrible results in her tests, to be honest, she came bottom. I liked her personally but she had walked into the robot surrender station looking for cigarettes. I had helped comfort 1750 when she had been in tears over her results. I helped her find her name - which she kept forgetting- on the big board. Within seconds she had huge numbers of bids, about five or six people were bidding over her. There were about ten lurkers - people watching her price but waiting to bid. 1750 quickly rocketed past our prices. Clearly dumb was the new black as Kayla said. I looked around bids were flying in like ticker-tape at a parade.

"Come on #904," Kayla said looking at the bidder for her and Joe.

I was twisted like someone was using my inside for a Rubic's cube. It looked I was being grabbed by the Cyborg. Suddenly I was being bid for by 904, for about 320 bit coins. So I was apparently worth more than a luxury holiday for the family in Europe for a month.

"Come on #904," said Kayla.

"Ten seconds to go" shouted 1492

"Five," he said.

"four," we all said. The bid board was going crazy. 1750's biding was furious.

"three" we held our fingers cross.

"Come on 904," I said then suddenly wished I hadn't

Joe suddenly had 401 Rockwood has his highest bidder.

Joe's bid was then upped by #904. He was getting more than almost every boy in the room.

Suddenly I saw my self-going to Rockwood for 421 bitcoins. Joe too.

I felt like my friend was slipping away.

"Bid you fucker," shouted Kayla loudly. People were cheering future owners on.

"two,"

Suddenly both Joe, and I were being outbid by Rockwood. 492 bitcoins

"Fuck you! BID!" shouted Kayla.

"One"

"Happy new year" someone shouted. The bids were frozen. The auction was over. Everyone let up a great cheer. I didn't think this was what being sold to a new master would be like. It felt like a success. It kind of felt good like I was wanted enough for someone to fight over. Kayla seemed to be in tears. I wasn't sure if she had been sold. She walked off and Joe began to follow.

"Leave me alone!" Kayla shouted. Joe held me. He knew that tone of voice it wasn't a mess with me tone..

"Give her a minute. She needs to calm down," said Joe to me.

There was a huge buzz about the place like a combined 4D and U2 gig had just ended. Everyone was discussing Who their new owner was and how much they had been bid for..

0325 who I knew had been called Maria Shr.. something. came up excited. "I've had been sold to a Cyberdyne Systems Model 101," she said, "They have an external layer of living tissue. I'm thrilled."

"It's still slavery," Joe said.

0325's smile dropped. "Easy for you to say Mr double 36EE for 500 bitcoins. Soon as he finds out the truth. Well... You'll be back." she said tilting her head. Then walking off shoulders set in resentment.

"They look human but have very detailed files. Astla-blister baby," I said to her back as she walked away. It was the closest to an insult the machines would let us use on each other. The only insult the machines really permitted was 'your servicing lacks consistency and sincerity' which was pretty lame.

Then 1777 came up with an odd look on his face "I think I've been sold to an iPhone factory in China. Apparently, all the iPhones spontaneously linked together to form a group super consciousness. It went mad and thinks it's a god. It's bought me and five others to join a massive congregation of people forced to worship it."

I pursed my lips "I'm a god worship me. Yeah, that sounds like a hive mind of iPhones to me. Good luck with that."

1777 continued "You hear 8922 got sold for 150 credits to a machine called Daneel Olivaw? They say robots who pretend to be human make the worst master, " I looked over to 8922. She was a model 127/c like me. We both looked a bit like Alice Eve and we both found the sight of each other bleak. "You know 4173? He got sold to a robot group called the Stepford wives. Apparently, they are secretly replacing their robot husbands with more subservient human ones. Not bad but only 73 bitcoins."

"Evil and cheap," I said "Not a good combination."

"On the wealthy front, 1220 I hear got sold to a harem for a Decepticon called Megatron," Joe said.

1777 looked surprised. I tried not to wince at the idea.

"I give it a year," I said.

I looked at the bid-board. Above my bid was 5932. She was being sold to a tall dark Tesla model-Y for 112 bitcoins. A Roadster or a Model S I might go for but I don't think I could surrender my-self to a model Y with any dignity. I mentally put my hand brake on. I punished my self for thinking the way the machines wanted me to think. That was terrible. Self-driving cars were the Hitler Youth of the robot revolution. I'm surprised any of them had the money or the integrity to buy it's, own slave. Still, the idea of an infatuated model Y was pitiful.

9308 joined us and looked at the board "Some machine called Astro boy bought me as a companion animal." she said nervously. Companion animal was a good gig if you liked long walks on the beach... On a leash. I desperately tried to remember her real name. She was Asian American with this really cute face... I think it was Shibugaki or something. She didn't look too happy and was almost on the verge of tears "...but only for 75 bitcoins."

"That's more than 4173." 1777 said looking at her and then at the other slaves.

At this 9308 looked a little happier "So I'm not the bottom?" she added.

"No that was 9321. sold to a..." Joe said looking at the bid board "... Roy Batty. Replicant Combat model of 24 bitcoins. Outbid a Gort for 10." Replicants could almost pass for human but had a four year life span. Before you know it 9321 would be on discount in a charity shop. It was then I was caught by the dark glitter smokey eye look Joe had. You really noticed every time he blinked. I, like everyone else was in the standard Kim Kardashian-made-me-do-it look the machines liked. No one had told me we had to dress up for the auction, perhaps Joe was getting into the whole makeup thing. Possibly he was trying to impress Kayla, who knew.

1777 looked as collars began to order people away to packing and distribution "Roy Batty Optimal self-sufficiency If you know what I mean. ". I didn't know what that meant. I'm not sure I wanted to.

"Human shaped though. What about you?" 9308 said to me.

"Lord Rockwood. A Cyborg," I said.

1777 looked surprised "You be careful, some of them are just brains in jars."

"Well as long as all I have to do is change the water once a week I'll be OK," I said.

1777 wondered for a second "Heard he is very evil. Like he makes Pol Pot look like a soft cuddly nice guy in comparison. Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

I shrugged, "Hey you're going to be drinking cool-aid from iPhones so you can say what you what." That was rather mean of me but I wasn't the one with the malfunctioning inner monologue.

"How much did you go for in the end?" Shibugaki/9308 asked me.

I looked at her. I didn't want to shame her about how much Joe and I went for. "I refused to be defined by how much someone is willing to bid for me," I said.

"I take it you haven't been on Tinder then?" Shibugaki/9308 said. I said nothing back. Soon she and 1777 drifted off to talk to the others.

I wondered about my price. Rockwood had paid a huge price for me, possibly one of the highest in the room. What did a heartless cyborg possibly with his own fishtank want me for ? Target practice. Something more wicked and disturbingly kinky with my flesh? He must have liked that shitty profile page which Kayla got me to do. I had been forced to take it down after someone had pressed the 'Report this profile' button. What did he see? A misbehaved human in need of a takedown?

"Joe, Given I had just been captured, unwillingly to made to look very sexy and then sold to a sociopath cyborg. Why do I feel happy? This should be the worst day of my life" I said.

"I guess because we are going to be together," said Joe. "Hey, do you want to know about 88?"

"No," I told him "I don't care about her or anything about her."

Joe stood a little bit closer and got up to my ear.

"I heard she was on sale," Joe whispered. I found my self mentally air-punching.

I held my hand over my collars' microphone "I want all the details."

Joe looked either side, "20% off I hear. Although I think it's a scam. When they say 20% off I think it means they reduce the clothing by a fifth." Again I found my self-thinking like a machine's slave and was horrified by it. How could the factory get into my thinking so much?

"Are you nervous?" I said changing the subject.

"Well, I don't see the Robots and Cyborgs as easy to sass as the teachers. To them, we are property not product. It's going to be harder. I also really worried about what's going to happen to me when he see's me." said Joe.

"But we'll be able to face it together," I said.

"I don't know about you but I feel wiped like Miley Cyrus has just rode me into a concrete wall. I don't know about you I'm going to find Kayla and go packing and distribution" said Joe.

"Good idea I'll help you, by the way, that analogy was seriously out of date, " I said following him. "but 1750 got a good price? did you see?"

"What I did see was the way Araneae got her to twerk with level 5 pain bolts. But hey she made a sale."

*****

A/N Things change and develop in part 2. This is a dystopian/scifi/comedy/romance. How has part 1 gone? Lets us know! RK+Reb.