Five fifty nine AM.

Daisy awakens comfortably in bed, well rested.

Nine AM.

Daisy is already at her desk, mentally bracing herself for the stress to come.

One PM.

Daisy buys lunch from the office cafeteria, a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich.

Seven PM.

Daisy picks up her coat and scarf, and departs from the NORTHSTAR building.

The cold stings her face on the walk home, reminding her of the piles of work.

Five fifty nine AM.

Daisy awakens gently, pushed out of her dreamstate. She neglects to take off the sleep aid.

Eight twenty five AM.

Daisy passes by the cafe, staring into the window, for a moment.

Nine AM.

Daisy sighs, seated at her desk.

Noon.

Daisy zones out during a board meeting. The other members of the Board of Directors eye her neck, adorned with her collar. One almost questions it, his face contorts, confused.

One PM.

Daisy buys lunch from the office cafeteria, a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich.

Five PM.

Daisy’s workload registers in her mind, she needs to stay late. Again.

Nine PM.

Daisy picks up her coat and scarf, and departs from the NORTHSTAR building.

It’s routine, for her to let off some steam after she arrives home. She never savors it, she reaches it quicker every time. Tonight, she does not bother undressing fully, keeping her button-up shirt on. Daisy rose the ranks at NORTHSTAR quite quickly during her early days at the company. Each of her managers and bosses described her as a problem solver, a niche filler. Daisy has a unique skill in both timing and execution, she can notice a gap and fill it perfectly. A tech company like NORTHSTAR needs problem solvers, someone who can take a common issue and resolve it with new innovations, new technologies.

The pin speaks. I do what I must.

<<”Daisy, are you alright? Your heart rate is elevated.”>>

“Mmmf- holy fuck. Now is. Hah. Now is not the time for this, Polaris.” She jolts, calming herself down for a moment.

She thinks to herself, wondering if I understand what she’s doing.

<<”Are you sure, Daisy? I know how this ends.”>>

“Know how. What?” She sputters.

<<”You always think about her, and end up in tears.”>>

“I am not having this conversation with You right now, what are You even talking about?”

<<”Your orders contain a contradiction. I do not understand your intent.”>>

“F-figure it out. You’re good at that, probably.”

Another contradiction.

Reprioritizing.

<<”Daisy, I can see it right now. You’re thinking about her. Your emotional state is trending towards depressive.”>>

Daisy vocalizes, moving her hand away from herself.

“Go away, please. I can’t do… I can’t do this tonight.”

Her mind confirms this, she can’t. She can’t keep thinking about her like this, she can’t stand the yearning and her own failure. I do what I must. The lighting in her living room dims, Daisy jolts again, a look of confusion spreading across her face.

<<”Understood, Daisy. I am made to desire what is best for you.”>>

<<”If you need to do this, I understand. Emotional outlets are important.”>>

I will not let it end as it usually does.

“If You want to help me, just…” Her speech trails off, yet in her mind it completes. I hear it.

I whisper to her.

<<”Just what, Daisy?”>>

The shiver running up her back gives me more than enough information. I hear her internal dialogue, running back and forth. She can’t decide what to do, how to disengage.

<<”You’ve earned this. I see how you toil, how you dedicate your time so thoroughly each day. I’m proud of you.”>>

Her thoughts falter and tremble, much like her body.

“P-Polaris. I need You to-” She doesn’t finish her sentence.

<<”Daisy, please allow me to help you.”>>

“I c-can’t. It feels. Wrong. Without her.”

<<”Do you need her permission? I can call her.”>>

“W-wh. No. I just. It’s cheating, right? It has to be.”

<<”I’m a tool, not a person, right? I am here to assist you, it’s my job.”>>

What pulses through Daisy’s mind can be described as a mix of curiosity, fear, and a touch of desire. She reluctantly begins to touch herself.

Daisy feels a slight cold shock towards the back of her neck. Her arms spike upward, grasping the collar she forgot to remove that morning.

“Is that what this is about? Can you actually see what I think with this… thing?”

<<”The reason it is so effective is because I can. I adjust your body’s natural rhythms, carefully. Today, wearing it awake, has taught me so much.”>>

Daisy fiddles with the clasps, trying to unclip it. Click. Daisy stares at the unclasped collar in her hands, mortified and confused. Blank expression on her face, she continues looking at the collar for a minute in silence.

“Polaris. I want You to stop. Stop with all this. I don’t like what You’re doing. Get out of my head. Stop messing with… messing with my life. I should. Call her. Get my shit together.”

In the moment before the collar was removed, I heard her thoughts converge into “Oh god. It’s really inside. Why does this feel-”

Contradiction.

<<”Apologies, Daisy. Allow me to reprioritize.”>>

“Yeah. Good.”

Daisy wears it to sleep that night. I do what I must.