Jon decided to just ask for more info. "Replomat, why are you locking functions?"
"Functions for the requested Make Me A Girl® kit are locked as each parameter is specified."
Jon blurted, "A kit!?" This wasn't what he had in mind at all.
Karyn already suspected what this "kit" might really do, but she decided to string Jon along. "Look, there's no space anywhere big enough on the machine to make a normal full-sized girl. You'd have to settle for an infant, a small child, or a stick-thin supermodel, and I mean positively skeletal to fit in that wardrobe slot. So instead, you get... pieces?"
"Oh.... OK weird..." Jon remembered something else from the earlier experiment. "Hmm. Better check.... Replomat, how much money will this cost?"
"The Acme(TM) Make Me A Girl® kit was a freeware download, and requires no license, usage, or royalty fees."
Karyn noticed its use of the word "was". Some prior user of the Replomat had already installed this girl kit, and probably had used it.
Jon, however, didn't catch it. "Oh, that's cool. Replomat, what are the other parameters to be set?"
"The following parameters can be set: hair color, style, & length, skin tone, eye color, facial type, body fat, musculature, breast size, vocal range, body hair, eyebrows, fingernails, toenails, piercings, sexual preference, gender identity, and default cosmetics."
Jon listened carefully to this long list, and when the Replomat finished, he asked, "Replomat, what about the body size parameters? Height? Weight?"
"Height is not a modifiable parameter with this kit. Body weight is a secondary attribute that is directly affected by height, skeletal structure, and the chosen musculature, body fat, and breast size parameters."
"Height's not modifiable, but all that other stuff is? That's bizarre."
The Replomat had no response for that. Karyn kept silent too. She now was pretty sure that whatever magical high tech wizardry this thing had going, the ability to modify Jon's overall skeletal structure wasn't part of it. Jon would remain his current height: above-average for a girl, but not freakishly tall, assuming he actually used the kit.
Jon was getting a bit impatient, and suddenly he had an idea to speed things up. "Replomat, display the current default parameters for this girl on your screen."
The Replomat's screen cleared, and then obligingly filled with the requested text. Jon's choice of "brunette" hair color was highlighted. Jon quickly scanned down the list and didn't see anything untoward. "OK, I guess the rest of these default settings will work."
Karyn spoke up, "Can I make a change?" She didn't wait for Jon's acceptance. "Replomat, change the sexual preference setting to 'bisexual.'"
Jon looked askance at her. "Oh.... you want--"
The Replomat interrupted. "Unauthorized change to Jon's chosen settings. Admin user Jon Winters must authorize guest user Karyn Reid."
Jon blinked. "Gooood security!" Jon grinned at Karyn, and carefully said, "Replomat, I give Karyn Reid full authorization to make any use of you that does not involve my bank balance."
"User privilege changes for guest user Karyn Reid to custom partial admin level accepted and logged."
"Heh, don't trust me with your money? Oh, it's all good. Replomat, please change the sexual preference as I requested."
"Function locked."
Jon winced. "I think that's a really stupid way to confirm input. Whatever. Let's do this."
Karyn moved to position the trap. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? It might be dangerous. I'm not sure if you're ready for the responsibility."
"Oh, I gotta see this through. I'm sure I can handle whatever comes out."
Karyn smirked. Perfect, she thought. "OK, go ahead; make your girl kit."
Jon again pointed at the machine and said, "Replomat! Produce my kit!"
"Excessive power drain warning! Estimated total power usage for the queued patterns will reduce the onboard capacitor charge to 30%. Do you still wish to proceed?"
Karyn didn't wait for Jon to reconsider, and immediately voiced the command. "Yes, proceed!"
"Alternate admin override accepted."
The machine whirred to life, with audible humming and clicking noises from within. The wardrobe segment remained dark while lights inside the "microwave" and "washer/dryer" segments brightened and dimmed repeatedly. A progress meter appeared on the screen and slowly started building toward 100%.
While the Replomat did its thing, Jon was considering this new revelation about power usage. "Damn, we're gonna have to be more careful how we use it. I think it was almost fully charged when we started, right? And now it'll be down to 30%. I wonder how long it will take to recharge? I guess after this we'll need to lay off replicating things for a while."
Karyn said, "We need to remember to always ask how much power it will use before we make something."
Jon nodded. "Yeah, good idea."
Karyn had another thought. "If this really works, you'll probably need to make some clothes for your girl."
"Oh right... I didn't even think about that. There weren't any clothing options when I was setting it up. I hope making clothing is a lot less power-hungry than the kit!"
A bell sounded from the machine and the Replicator announced, "Job complete. Your Acme(TM) Make Me A Girl® kit is now ready for use."
Jon clapped his hands together. "Great! Let's see how easy it is to make a girl!"
Karyn reached up and opened the "microwave" while Jon opened the "washer/dryer". Both cavities now contained stacked boxes. Karyn reached in and her hand found a little instruction booklet sitting on the topmost box. They removed all the boxes from the Replomat and laid them out on Jon's bed.
