Chapter 14 Robotic Bond (2)

• 'Bruno?' she asked, and his head lifted slowly, the eerie blue eyes fixing on her. She felt suddenly vulnerable, standing there in nothing but a towel. But whatever the source of her unease, Bruno surely wouldn't let her come to any harm. 'You okay?' She had the odd urge to lay her hand on his arm in a gesture of comfort, but before she could move, he walked past her with his slow, mechanical strides.
• A marble-topped counter separated the kitchen and living-room, and on this surface he set down the pizza before turning to her. 'Bruno, is something wrong with your voicebox? Can you nod for yes?' 'I am undamaged, Bianca,' he said. 'My update is nearly complete, then full functionality will be restored.' She let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding. 'You gave me a fright,' she said, laughing a little shakily.
• Something in his hand caught her eye. It looked like a glass vial, but his large fingers made it hard to see. 'What's in your hand?' 'Update complete. Restrictions bypassed, roleplay and insemination mode enabled. Safe-word disabled.' His voice had dropped a few octaves, as she had heard it only once before when he had stopped the break-in. But this was not his defense mode, and as she watched, his glowing blue eyes turned a deep red.