-- Vivian POV, Mind Bank --

  There was a moment of disorientation. There always was a moment of disorientation if one's mind was stopped mid thought and restarted later.

  Soon she would be connected to the world once more. It was good to have a few moments to reorient oneself, even if it only meant to sort some thoughts.

  What year might it be this time? Her last few awakenings had been decades apart each. But apparently someone was interested in her once again.

  First she could hear some static, then some background noises. Audio was usually connected first to wake the mind further and adjust to sensory input. It was not as shocking as sudden sight. So she delved into the sensation of hearing the world once more. She could hear the faint rustle of clothing, and something she identified as air conditioning, also some faint static in the transmission.

  Then vision returned. Dimly first before it lit up till she could see a small room with plain grey walls, a door in the background and a man sitting in a simple chair in the middle of the room. Her view was centered on him. Hard to judge his height while he was sitting. Maybe six feet, maybe a bit less. A well cut, dark grey suit, a proper short haircut and well shaved. Could be anyone from a mafia killer to a businessman.

  "Can you hear me?" She heard him and saw his mouth move. Both in good sync, the channels matched. She hated it when one channel was lagging behind.

  She instinctively tried to nod, just to be reminded by the lack of muscular feedback that she had no body to nod with. And that had been her peril for who-knew-how-long. At least she had not been forced to think all the time.

  "Yes, I can hear you", she vocally confirmed.

  She heard it over the audio transmission. It was a synthetic replica of her original voice. Not a particularly good one, not a bad one either. Good enough she could call it her voice without the need to cringe.

  "The document says you identify as a female by the name of Vivian", the man interrupted her contemplation.

  Another vain attempt to nod, "Yes, that is correct."

  "My name is Thomas Morgan and I have an offer for you", a light smile appeared on his face.

  Of course he had. No one would wake her just for small talk. The past few offers all had been quite disgusting though, and she was fairly sure this one would not be even a sliver better.

  She tried not to sigh over the acoustic module.

  "Something better than the last few?" She asked instead.

  New bodies were expensive. She had not had the money to buy a new body when her time had come. But no one died in this world anymore since centuries. Minds were useful. Artificial intelligence had never managed to replace a mind. So all minds got collected and stored for later use. Birth and with it, a new mind had become quite the exception.

  "I'm afraid, not quite. I offer to purchase a new body for you, details to negotiate. You will have to be my companion for twenty-five years", he still smiled this nondescript businessman smile.

  She couldn't blink without a body. "Is that legal now?"

  "Under certain circumstances it is legal. You can always say no. It is an offer", his smile never faltered.

  "What year is it?" She had to ask this every time. She had no access to any sort of clock.

  "It is year 1432 new standard time."

  She had been out for more than three hundred years this time. She saw her chances for a proper deal fleeting. If no one had shown any interest in her for three hundred years ... she felt a spike of fear.

  "Am I due for deletion?" There was a tremor even in her synthetic voice.

  "Not yet. They will certainly keep you around for another few hundred years. But you have a very bad track record, and there won't be many chances anymore", he stated calmly.

  She actually produced something like a recognizable sigh with the acoustic module. Tech had advanced, it seemed.

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  "I am not familiar with the details of a companion contract of this time. Can you bring me up to date?" It was certainly a shitty deal, but maybe it was her last chance. She at least wanted to know what she declined.

  He nodded, "Certainly. Compare a companion to a pet. There are laws to protect companions. So I'll have to provide food, shelter and basic medical care. There will be a screening by the police every three months where you can report abuse. But in general you'll have to live with me, and to some extent also follow orders."

  "That's just being a slave with a few benefits to prevent the worst." She tried not to scream.

  "No that is not quite correct", he refused, "You can take a job and earn money and the money will be yours, and yours alone. Also you can own things. Think of it rather like a wife or pet."

  She thought about that and the pause seemed to make him think more explanations were needed.

  "See, new bodies are expensive. Particularly the type that I have in mind. The maker advertises a lifespan of seventy adolescent years though, so once you are free you'll have fourty-five years to work, make money and get yourself a body of choice before this one expires." His voice sounded encouraging to her.

  "What shit do you want to put me through?" He seemed to be so calm about this, and she was about to become his pet.

  "Not much. There is a psych evaluation for companion guardians. I passed. I know that doesn't mean much, I can turn into an asshole tomorrow, but that's what the police screenings are for. As a sapient, you get some more protection rights than an animal companion", he informed her.

  "A sapient pet", she felt compelled to say.

  "A sapient pet", he confirmed.

  "And I'll receive a female body?" She wondered why she even asked that. Of course he wanted a female companion, he'd not have woken her if had other interests.

  "Indeed. You identify as a female and so I'll get you a matching body", he nodded to confirm.

  "And of course you want me to do what females do for their male partners." It was a mere statement.

  "Talk to me, be nice if you can and yes, the other thing too", he let her know.

  Again a failed nod due to her remaining instincts to use a body, "I presume the body you have in mind is designed to make it pleasant for both of us?"

  This time he nodded swiftly, "Certainly. I'd even say the body will be particularly well suited for this and you won't regret it."

  She needed time to think.

  He seemed to take the pause as a chance to offer some more encouragement, "Vivian, this is a chance. No one asked for your service of any kind for three hundred and twenty one years. You have a horrible track record. About any crime short of murder."

  "If no one gives you a job, there aren't many options to make money", her synthesized voice actually sounded angry.

  "I offer you a job now", he smiled his businessman smile. Her attempt to frown ran into the void of missing body feedback.

  "Why me?" That guy certainly had better options, handsome as he was. She couldn't imagine she was the only bodyless in this mind bank, and as he had said, her record wasn't a pretty one. Which was also the reason why she was in this situation now.

  "Because I do not think many others will accept the body that I have in mind for you", he explained.

  So there it was. Her voice sounded bitter as she responded, "Ah yes. Just to ridicule me, can I see an image before I have to weigh my options of assisted suicide and being your pet?"

  He typed something on a gadget on his left forearm.

  Her sight of the room vanished and was replaced to show something she would call an anthro feline with quite pronounced feminine features. Dark brown skin was partially visible through a short coat of golden fur. Tufted ears and a bushy tail. She assumed the short body fur was meant to make wearing clothes easier or more pleasant.

  There were some information boxes which detailed benefits of the body which were hidden to the eye. High running speed on short distances, topping out at nearly sixty kilometers per hour. With this she could outrun any human cop, or catch any petty thief she wanted to snatch. Good physical resistance. Muscles made for short bursts of high force. Excellent night vision, moderate adaptability to daylight. Good hearing and excellent three dimensional location of sound sources. Good sense of smell. Full motion control of ears and tail after a short training phase. And there were some more internal benefits.

  "You are kidding me, aren't you?" She couldn't see him while the display was up, but she heard him shifting in the seat.

  "No, this is quite serious. I'll get you proper sunglasses to help with day vision."

  "This is a like a mix of spy, assassin and pleasure doll", she paused for a moment with a terrible suspicion.

  "Why does this body come suitable for all the crimes I have committed plus some benefits for you?" Her voice sounded sharper than intended.

  "Maybe I just thought you'd like it." Now she really wanted to see his facial expression as he said that.

  Her vision returned and she saw him getting up, "I've purchased twenty four hours of thinking time for you. I'll be back tomorrow the same time to ask for your decision. You'll be supplied the full legal contract to read while I'm gone."

  "I understand", she let him know.

  Twenty four hours thinking time could be a lot if all one had was a lengthy legal document that she was only partially interested in reading and the picture of what was supposed to become her new body. At least in one regard he had told the truth. It was a very high quality body, just of the ridiculous type.

  The longer she looked at it, the more attractive it looked to her. She would see the world again, hear it, feel it, smell it, taste it.

  He also had supplied her with a CV of himself. Of course it could be full of lies, omissions and glorified achievements, but at least his criminal record was pristine.

  She stopped at the thought. Was it even possible for someone to never steal, never get involved in a brawl, never defame someone? Thinking of her own past, she had serious doubts.

  The document appeared to be as official though as such documents could get. He couldn't possibly have manipulated it, or could he?