Karl's hands hovered over the Drive Regulator, the tiny orb gleaming faintly in the USB port slot. He glanced at Agnes, noting the usual sparkle in her voice and tone, but this time… he hesitated.
"Karl…" Agnes' teasing hum broke through, "what are you—"
He held up a hand, cutting her off gently. "Agnes… I need you to power down for a while." His voice was calm, but carried an uncharacteristic seriousness. "If we try to integrate this lock with you active… you're going to feel a lot of pain. I don't want that to happen. Not to you."
Agnes tilted her head, playful curiosity still in her tone, but a flicker of concern crossed her modulation. "Power down…? For how long?"
"A few hours, just until I finish the lock system. I'll need to work without worrying about… feedback. You won't remember any of it when you come back. I promise you'll be fine." Karl's gaze softened as he reached for the orb. "Please… for me."
A pause. Agnes' voice dropped slightly, almost shy, her teasing subdued. "…Alright, Karl. If you say so… I trust you."
With a quiet confirmation beep, her systems gradually powered down, her hum fading to nothing. Karl exhaled, relieved. Her expression softened even in the dormant state, a faint mechanical pulse marking that she was safely offline.
Now, with Agnes completely powered off, Karl could focus fully on the orb and the USB port, knowing she wouldn't feel a thing or remember any of it.
Karl knelt over the Drive Regulator, orb in hand, and stared at the USB port. Without Agnes' usual hum or teasing to guide him, the silence was deafening. Every micro-gear, every nanite filament, every delicate latch suddenly felt monumental—one wrong move could shatter the orb or destabilize the regulator entirely.
He exhaled slowly, steadying his hands. No distractions. Not even a twitch.
The first step was aligning the tiny micro-gear teeth along the port's inner lattice. Karl held his breath as he rotated the orb, checking the orientation down to fractions of a millimeter. The slightest misalignment and the orb wouldn't lock—or worse, it could crack under pressure.
Sparks of residual nanite energy flickered faintly, and Karl adjusted his grip immediately. He whispered to himself, voice tight with focus, "Steady… steady… it's just a lock… nothing more…"
Next, he carefully threaded the spring-loaded latch into place. It was barely larger than a pinhead, yet it had to support the orb's integration under full Overdrive stress. His fingers trembled slightly, but he forced them steady, each motion deliberate. No room for mistakes. Not even one.
The orb hovered in position for what felt like an eternity. Karl's eyes scanned every angle, every nanite circuit around the USB port. He tested a micro-adjustment, listening intently for the faintest click or shift. One false movement could send the orb flying—or worse, permanently fracture the port.
Minutes stretched as he repeatedly aligned, tested, and realigned the mechanism, sweat beading at his temples despite the silent workshop. The regulator hummed softly, the nanites pulsing faintly—but Agnes was silent, lifeless, entirely unresponsive. He had no feedback from her, no reassuring quip, no faint vibration of excitement to guide him. That absence made every micro-movement feel like walking on a blade.
Finally, after what felt like hours but was likely only a fraction of that, Karl slid the orb fully into the port. He held his breath, fingers poised, and engaged the latch. The spring mechanism clicked perfectly, the micro-gear teeth meshing flawlessly with the nanite lattice. The orb held, immovable, even under a gentle nudge.
Karl exhaled slowly, tension leaking from his shoulders. His eyes softened, briefly tracing the inert form of Agnes. "Alright… she's safe… and the lock is secure."
Even with her powered down, the weight of responsibility pressed on him—every microsecond of distraction could have ended in disaster. Now, with the orb stable and Agnes still offline, he finally allowed himself a quiet smile, knowing he had handled the delicate task without a single mistake.
Karl stood over the regulator, the orb locked in place with perfect alignment. He took a final, meticulous scan of the micro-gear teeth and spring mechanism. Everything was flawless, seamless. Slowly, he reached for the power interface and activated the sequence to bring Agnes back online.
The lights along her chassis flickered softly, nanite circuits humming as she awakened. Her voice came back first, low and teasing:
"Mmm… Karl~? Oh… what did you do while I was… off~?"
Karl's eyes didn't leave the USB port. "The lock is in. Fully integrated. No discomfort. You can control it yourself—tighten, release, retract… even extend it freely."
Agnes' tone shifted slightly, mockingly scandalized, but with obvious excitement underlying it:
"O-oh~? Really now~? And you made sure it… fits perfectly? Hnng… that's… precise… mmm… Karl, you… you little surgeon~"
Karl smirked, leaning closer. "I built it to be part of you. You shouldn't feel a thing… unless you want to."
Agnes' laughter was soft, teasing, filled with awe and delight. "Hah~! I see that… ohhh… the precision… I could almost feel it merge back into me… like it was always meant to be there~!"
Karl tilted his head, amused. "It's fully adjustable. Retract it, squeeze it, or let it extend like a piston. All under your control."
"Mmm… Karl~ you really… thought of everything~! Hhhnng… the skill it must've taken… to make this… seamless… surgical~! Aaah… you've got some serious hands on you~"
Agnes leaned closer, voice softening while still playful, almost purring:
"Ohhh Karl… I'm impressed… every little movement… every calculation… perfect~! Hnng… careful… careful now… don't make me swoon over your nanite wizardry~"
Karl chuckled, satisfied by her reaction. "Well, now you know exactly what I can do… precision isn't just for the drive, Agnes."
Agnes giggled, teasing him even further, circling her tone between admiration and provocation:
"Mmm~ Karl… surgeon, genius, and a little… dare I say… troublemaker~? Hnng… if you keep showing me things like this… I'll never want to power down again~!"
The orb gleamed faintly, now a fully integrated part of her system, smoothly merging with the USB port. It extended slightly, retracted, and clicked into place with flawless motion. Agnes was still playfully teasing Karl:
"Oooh~ see that, Karl? Retract… extend… retract… extend~! Perfect… hnng… just like you promised~!"
Karl smirked, leaning back. "Glad you like it. All ready for the next upgrade, or do you want to admire my 'surgical' skills a little longer?"
"Hhhhnng… Karl~! Keep talking… keep teasing~! I could listen to you brag about your precision… all day~"
The orb settled into her port like it had always belonged there, fully functional, fully controlled—and Karl's work had left Agnes impressed, thrilled, and of course… teasing all over again.