A Nomad Christmas

Nomad hovered through the corridors. The only sound was the hopping of some bound maids and their attending training bots. A disturbance had infiltrated FMP and the mechanized ruler of the planet could not compute what was amiss.

Normally Nomad would consult his Muse...his Oracle on such matters but Nicole was not being agreeable. Entering his private quarters, Nicole stood rigid as a statue. Her blue eyes glistened and looked forward at nothing. She had stood like that for three days as punishment for shutting down her higher functions from Nomad. It could not figure out how she was blocking the chip's influence, but her body was still under Nomad's control.

The door slid open and the unflattering voice of the Darlek came out telling Nomad all was ready. Nomad made Nicole turn in her heels and proceed out of the room and down the hallway. The Darlek and Nomad followed behind the helpless Nicole and discussed their arrangement. With their advanced knowledge of human physiology, the Darlek would discover and counter the mental blocks Nicole had put up. In return, FMP would undergo a galaxy wide search for the last Time Lady and imprison her on FMP. The Draleks had enough trouble with the Doctor and did not want his daughter to become a problem.

Nicole hopped into a huge room with a computer of immense design. She stood before it and like any other chipped maid shown no emotion but her mind was working overtime. With the direction of the Darlek, Nicole hopped into what seemed like a small metallic cabinet and turned around. The door swooshed closed and the inside of the cabinet filled with probing wiring that fed and attached to every section of skin but her face. In fact, there was a circular hole that Nicole's face fit perfectly in.

Nomad floated to a pedestal and hooked directly to the machine. Nicole on the other hand was being invaded in every imaginable way. It didn't hurt, in fact....it was almost comforting. Like having a warm fuzzy blanket of relaxation being wrapped around her. She had no idea why her mind was now unreadable by the chip but it was so nice to have a little privacy.

Suddenly her vision went black. Nicole would have screamed into the darkness if she could...then she did. She wasn't blind, it was just pitch black and she could talk. She could even move as she felt a floor beneath her take shape. Oddly she moved forward into the darkness and a dim light began to light up the area she was in. The light just appeared from thin air and no source.

"Who is there? Where am I?"

Nicole heard a familiar buzzing sound and turned, facing Nomad.

"You are in me Nicole Muse and I want answers."

Nicole tried to run but the floor was gone again and she seemed to hang in mid air. "You rusty piece of junk....what's going on?"

Nomad didn't move but Nicole seemed to float toward it. "The Darlek discovered that the continuous use of the chip to probe your higher functions had an undesired effect. You mind in a sense, grew callous to it and eventually blocked all access. Thankfully, your motor function were not tied to your higher functions."

Nicole crossed her arms, "So...I finally defeated you in a sense."

Nicole had been wearing what seemed like a AMAZON uniform, in fact the very one she had worn before being captured. But it was ripped off of her and instantly replaced with a maid uniform.

Nomad continued to float but said in a colder manner than she ever heard, "No..you have not."

Banding wrapped around Nicole's ankles, knees, thighs, thumbs, wrists, elbows, upper arms, around the torso....it was more terrible than anything she had been bound with before. She grunted but couldn't move. She floated toward the overlord of FMP and stayed put.

"You are mine Nicole Muse and while this arrangement is not as efficient as before...it will do. I now have direct access to your mind and you will comply with my questioning."

Nicole wanted to call it a few names but her lips suddenly sealed shut like that crazy scene from the Matrix. She wanted to freak out right then and there but a strange feeling came on her hosed feet. She looked down and saw dozens of beetles crawling on them but she could move her feet to get them off.

In the dark void of this existence she was sharing with Nomad she was screaming that this was just a dream state and nothing could hurt me here, not really. The thoughts actually echoed in the void. Nomad seemed to hum. "Excellent, link complete....your thoughts are mine to listen to and your concept of pain might be adjusted after a few more minutes here."

The beetles opened up their pincers and slowly started to go after Nicole's helpless feet but stopped before actually breaking the skin. Nomad was no more than an inch from Nicole's nose, "Ready to be cooperative?"

Back in the room, the cabinet opened up and released Nicole. She hopped out and stood waiting for Nomad. It floated off it's pedestal and declared that the Nicole Muse had arrived to the problem within FMP's maid population.

91.47% of the maid population of FMP is human and though every day to a machine is identical to to any other except for events occurring and measured in the now, that was not the case for the humans. Nicole was able to figure that it was the Christmas season and the deep depression resonating within the chipped maids was that knowledge and the inability to enjoy it. Normally, emotions within the maids were ignored by the machines but never before had such a large population of the maids felt the exact type of emotion. The effect risked cascading throughout all the systems.

But thanks to Nicole, a solution was arrived by Nomad. It ordered Nicole and a dozen of the Elvian miads to report for a new uniform. After proper new measurements were taken, the ladies were dressed. During this time, Nomad had all the maids ordered to their sleeping units and to close their eyes. A sleep cycle was initiated through their chips and soon every living being was asleep.

A doorway opened to the miles long corridor where all the maids we sleeping. Hopping into the room was the Elvian maids....but now dressed in form fitting green uniforms. Their standard stockings were replaced with stripped red and white stockings. Bells jingled off the super shiny banding holding their onto their curves tight. In each of their hands was a sack.

Behind them, Nicole hopped in. Her outfit was tight red satin with soft furry white trim at the skirt's bottom and the around the top that was just barely covering her chest. She wore a matching hat on her head. Instead of the classic FMP heel, she wore black knee boots which didn't make much of a sound as she hopped. Banding of bright silver hugged her body like the Elvian girls but without bells.

Nomad followed behind Nicole, "Bring these maids some comfort and joy. Leave them their gifts Nicole..every single one of them."

With that, Nomad left Nicole to do her task. One of her helpers hopped in front of a rest area and Nicole hopped behind her, bent over and took a small candy cane from the sack and put it on a small ledge for the sleeping maid to find. They repeated this again and again and again....for all 264,017 maids. If Nicole could...she would have cried when Nomad called her back to it's quarters at the end of her run.

Nicole hopped in and stood like a statue. Nomad hovered around her and inspected this new uniform. "Perhaps human traditions could be incorporated into annual events. This uniform is quite...efficient."

Nicole whimpered within at the prospect of being FMP's version of Santa Claus.