by Amanda Milo
I tore open the small pack of peppermint gum and popped both squares into my mouth to try and wash away the salty aftertaste of dehydrated beef, and contemplated my current situation.
I was trailing an alien life form through a jungle. Seeking, she’d said.
“What’s this uh, cucaracha—”
“Theraracha.”
“Right, that.” I shook my head, not that it mattered. “And how do you know English?”
She peeked over her shoulder at me, sliding her gaze over my face with her good eye. It was shiver-inducing how human she would look if half of her skin wasn’t flayed open or missing.
“I followed you for many circuits.” She looked ahead. “I have learned your language, Sol.”
An alien machine saying my name and admitting she’d been stalking me for many ‘circuits’ still didn’t sit well with me.
“You have the advantage here.” In more ways than one. “You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”
“Nori.”
My skin twitched. Nori. It was cute and sexy and took me by surprise. A pretty name for someone who could snap a man into pieces.
Machine, Sol. She’s a machine.
“Nori the Yolla,” I murmured aloud.
“I am the only Yolla left, just as you are the only human left.”
My heart seized in my chest at the idea. “Wishful thinking?” I arched a brow. “Not trying to hurt your feelings, sweetheart, but I’m not like you. I’m not the last of my kind. My girls are somewhere on this planet. Alive. I intend to find them.”
Now who was doing the wishful thinking?
“Your... girls?”
“Charlie and Preta. My daughters.”
Silence stretched when we made our way over an enormous fallen tree. It was extra jarring when she broke the quiet with a cut-and-dried, “You cannot hurt my feelings. I do not experience emotion.”
Her being a machine probably had a lot to do with her lack of interpersonal skills and conversational timing. Not sure what else to say, I grunted.
“I could not save your friend,” Nori finally said. “I am... sorry."
I scratched my jaw—the scruff there annoying as fuck and begging for a shave. Ever since Nori showed herself, she’d been a little off... robotic... noticeably inhuman. Even her apology sounded mechanical, bereft of emotion.
I couldn’t stop my snort. "Are you just saying that or do you really mean it?"
“I want to mean it.”
“But you can’t, right?” Dragging the back of my arm over my forehead to wipe the sweat, I finished, “You just said you don’t experience feelings.”
I’d been pushing Taylor’s obvious absence to the back of my mind. I’d lost friends throughout my whole life—due to illness, accidents, or whatever enemy we were fighting at the time—but it didn’t get easier. That’s what he was, too. Captain Taylor had been my ally on Earth, and my friend on this planet.
I’d been sitting there thinking I was alone now, truly alone. The urge to give up my search had been tempting, but the pull of my blood was stronger. I knew my girls were alive—I could feel it.
It was an unexplainable feeling—like déjà vu. Somehow, I felt Charlie and Preta, and someone or something would have to end me before I gave up that hope.
Nori kept walking. And I guess it was understandable why her voice came out unaffected when she confirmed my words.
“No. I can’t.”
SIX
GERARD
“What’d you say the other kind was again?”
“The Ghians. They are valo gifted with the element of water.”
“Right,” was all I could say, and I tried not to watch the way Nori’s ass jiggled when she swung the machete blade through the thickening forest life that crowded us on all sides.
It didn’t matter that she had more metal under her hood than a Ford Mustang. Her overall form was going to drive me fucking insane. “Is that tribe peaceful?”
So far, none of the tribes she’d mentioned had been peaceful.
“Their creator did not wield them for peace.”
Currently, I was a little bitter about beings forced to action by power-hungry officials. I had no trouble imagining it in any form, on my planet or this one. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re very reassuring?”
“No.” She looked over her shoulder at me, and those eyes. I shouldn’t get mesmerized.
Unless they’re programed to do that.
Huh. “Hey, Nori?”
“Yes?” She hadn’t moved, was still watching me. Patient. Quiet.
She was so quiet. Even chopping up vines—or more like through—with no more effort than if she’d been doing the fluffing thing to a salad. “Do your eyes do anything special?” I scratched at the back of my neck. “Do they, um, do anything to men? Like... call them?”
Her brow didn’t wrinkle, and her mouth didn’t move to form a frown. She retained her resting look—bombshell hot. “My eyes do not vocalize. They allow me to sight objects and discern color, movement—”
She proceeded to list every little thing an eyeball should do, completely unrattled.
I was beginning to learn that nothing rattled Nori.
We’d been traipsing through the jungle, and my relatively quiet steps sounded like a herd of drunken squirrels—for the record, squirrels can make a lot of noise—in comparison to my metal-framed stalker.
I posed another question. “Are you friends with any of these tribes?”
“They are not aware of my existence.”
That I believed. She moved like a ninja.
A sexy as hell ninja.
When marching through another planet’s jungle, you want to know why the man always takes the lead? Because if he’s behind her, there’s no fucking way his eyes aren’t locked on his woman’s ass—
Uhh... The woman’s ass that he’s with. Not his woman.
I dragged a hand down my face, forcing myself to stop staring at the dimples on her back. Her pleasantly plump thighs.
Her swaying hair.
Her swaying hips.
Why couldn’t she have been made like a friggin’ robot?
I glanced at the metal exposed in the areas where she’d been clawed and whatnot.
Okay, why couldn’t she look like more of a robot.
Apparently, a full set of skin wasn’t a requirement for a hot body. My standards were slipping off of due north—you know, human—or this creature was that powerfully attractive.
She stopped suddenly, bending over completely, one hand going to her ankle, tugging something off of her foot.
Face down, ass up.
I groaned.
When she straightened and looked at me in question, my body struggled to bring the blood flow up to the other brain.
“These tribes. Are they as... friendly as you?” I managed. Thankfully, my concern for my girls was strong enough to get me back on track. My voice came out stronger, my focus returned full force. “Will they welcome humans, I mean?”
She seemed to consider this. “Perhaps.”
I heaved out a breath I hadn’t been aware I’d been holding, the relief hitting me so square that my fingertips tingled.
Something she’d said was nagging at me though. “Wait. You’ve never shown yourself to others before?”
“No one.”
“But... you showed yourself to me.”
It wasn’t a question, so she didn’t answer.
I... It was probably dumb to feel special. Scratch that: it WAS dumb. It’s just... “Why me?”
Her shoulder lifted as she flicked a glance back at me. The move looked like she was copying a behavior—my behavior, but I’d take it. It’s a wonder what a man could draw comfort from when nothing around him was terribly familiar.
“You intrigued me.”
It was my turn not to say anything in response to this statement-not-a-question.
Her words gave me hope that the other tribes were drawn to humans too—and dece
nt to them. Nori had done well by me so far. A few minutes ago, there’d been a territorial alien spider that landed on my arm. Nori had struck out so fast, I hadn’t seen her move coming—neither did the alien arachnid.
I didn’t feel sorry for it. It’d been racing toward my face. Honker-sized fangs extended. Big as a tarantula, and moving all creepy.
I wasn’t scared of them or anything, but he was a big sucker and I could see violence in all eight of his eyes, I knew it.
“Hey. Thanks for saving me back there. From the thing with all the legs,” I clarified when she met my gaze next.
She stopped hacking us a path, turning all the way around to face me, studying me in silence until she finally said, “You don’t have to thank me, Sol.”
Considering how much ground we’d covered in our short time together, and that she’d saved my ass twice now, I thought she was wrong about that.
Despite the fact she was a machine, I knew this for certain: only a stupid man would argue with a woman wielding a machete.
My lips tilted up. “Yes, ma’am. Please lead the way.”
THREE DAYS LATER.
“The water is safe if you want to wash your skin.” Nori uncurled her fingers, gesturing toward the deep stream that lazily flowed. Before I could take another step, she was stripping out of her shorts and pulling her animal skin tank off.
Aw, fuck.
I stood there, slack-jawed like a Neanderthal while she sauntered into the water, the burning sunset silver lining her body like a fucking wet dream.
Despite the flayed skin in various spots, I was caught again by the way she jiggled—jiggled like a real fucking human woman.
Her ass, those tits... I...
I lost my train of thought.
Get it together, Sol.
But I was dropping my pack and nearly ripping out of my own clothes. What was I, twelve? This was a damn machine I was drooling over!
“Christ!” I hissed once I was thigh high in the freezing water.
And there went my balls shriveling up into my guts.
For the best. Clearly I had some personal reflection issues to take care of because five seconds ago I was turned on by a fucked-up-looking machine-woman.
Nori turned, giving me a full view of her front.
She bent forward, scooping water into her delicate looking hands and dumped it over her chest.
Mother fucking hell...
Where was my Charger when I needed her most? Could use a good knock out session right about now. Banging on that beautiful hunk of metal would help.
The Charger. Not Nori.
Aw, fuck.
I averted my gaze, looking at anything else—anything.
My gaze landed on two humping alien toads.
“Lucky fuckin’ bastard,” I mumbled, scrubbing water over my arms. Why was this water so damn cold? We were in a sweltering jungle.
Didn’t matter. It was doing a fine job of chilling my arousal, and frankly, I was thankful. I’d had a rough couple of days. Lusting after a hunk of metal—albeit an interesting hunk of metal—could get the hell off my list.
“It is hard to reach the upper portion of your back. Would you like me to wash it for you?” Nori asked, her voice contextually devoid of any suggestion whatsoever.
It’s just that her voice sounded like it belonged to the world’s richest sex-cam operator.
Raggedly, I murmured, “Do I ever.” I squeezed my eyes shut.
The sound of splashing was my only warning before Nori’s hand landed on my arm.
This water could’ve had ice floes in it; this dick was not going down now. “Great,” I griped. I sighed, glaring down at the water, but kept my voice level when I explained, “I didn’t mean literally, Nori. But thank you.”
“I don’t mind,” she said.
I didn’t either. And that was the problem.
Her hands felt just like a woman’s. Calloused even, but still so soft.
When her nails dragged down my skin a little, I gritted my teeth. “You have to stop, hon.”
Hon?
“Hon?” Nori echoed. Her pause was brief. “What does this mean? Taylor called you hon too.”
The memory shocked an amused snort out of me. “Yeah. Little fucker did.” My lips lost their smile quickly. “It was a joke. It’s an endearment between couples. It’s... it was funny, just trust me.”
Her hands pressed against my skin, on either side of my spine. “I do trust you.”
Her words, her voice, her touch—blue balls were going to take on a whole new meaning if hypothermia got them. “Nori, stop touching me.” To soften the command, I added, “Please.”
With no coyness, no games, and no bruised feelings apparent, she did just that. She gracefully stepped into view again and presented me with her back.
Aw, hell.
So I scrubbed her back.
She informed me when she felt she was clean enough, thanked me for ‘reaching the difficult areas,’ and if she was aware of the fact that in those three minutes I imagined making her purr in thirty different sexual positions?
She didn’t show it.
She just walked her hot, naked ass out of the water.
No sex.
My cold cock was so pissed at me.
She turned around on the bank, seemingly oblivious to my predicament. She went for her pack first thing, not her shorts.
She pulled out a cloth, and carefully dried her skin and metal parts.
I wasn’t trying to look—if I had any hope of wrangling this boner, I could not—
But I was a guy. My eyes zeroed in on that mouthwatering ‘v’ made between the sexy swells of her thighs.
She... had... a...
A button.
That wasn’t a euphemism. She had an honest-to-God button where... where a clitoris should be.
I had an image of a push-button starter switch.
For a minute, I could hear angels singing.
I damn near punched myself in the face trying to dispel the beautiful fantasy that played out behind my eyeballs like a porno.
“Did you finish?” Nori asked innocently.
“No I did not.” My voice sounded tortured.
“Are you coming?”
“Nori!” A stressed laugh escaped me. “You’re killing me.”
She was so pretty. Standing there. Still naked. Her head tilted. “No, I’m not.”
Water sloshed around my hips as I made my way to shore, boner cutting through the icy water like a narwhal. “Honey, you have no idea.”
“—AND THOSE ARE WHAT machines back home are like,” I finished.
Nori was quiet, taking the information in.
She was very curious about Earth, and naturally she wondered if there were other beings like herself on my planet.
I wondered the same about this planet. Sonhadra, she’d called it.
She said not really—save for the other crash-landed humans, of course. I told her it was the same for Earth—there weren’t machines like her where I was from. That had led to a discussion about what sorts of machines I was familiar with, so I told her all about classic cars.
“You become very animated when you speak of these machines,” she noted.
My mouth quirked. “Yeah. I had a real beauty,” I said morosely.
“What was her name?”
A rush of air escaped my nose. “Depending on how she behaved, she had a couple special names.” A full grin took over my face at the memories of me cussing out that gorgeous, sleek beauty. “But she was just ‘the Charger.’ I didn’t call her Eleanor, or Monica or anything.” I chuckled a little to myself. “It would have sounded like domestic violence if I’d been making all the racket I did—taking a wrench to her and hollering a woman’s name. I had two little girls. I tried not to scar them.”
Nori was intrigued. “You gave her different names based on her behavior toward you?”
“Well when you put it that way.” I was surprised at the genuine laugh she got ou
t of me with her words. “Yeah. You could say that.”
I almost bumped into her when she stopped walking and faced me.
“Your voice holds much affection for this Charger.”
Those siren eyes the color of a pirate’s fortune caught me, held me captive. “Mmhmm,” was the sound that vibrated low in my throat in response to her nearness.
Her hair smelled clean.
I wanted to pet it.
Her skin smelled like salt, and engine grease.
I’d liked the latter before, but it was quickly morphing into a turn-on.
...Was that sick?
I inhaled.
Dick doesn’t care.
“Can you manage this weight?” she asked, motioning to the pack at our feet.
My pride reared its head up, making me struggle to reign it in, because I knew she was being conscientious to ‘her human.’ After all, I wasn’t as strong as she was.
Putting that thought out there solidified something for me that I didn’t expect.
I liked that Nori was so strong.
I liked it a lot.
My hand found hers, brushing a feather-light touch over the—what I hoped was—sensitive skin on the back of it before I carefully relieved her of the burden.
I didn’t fall behind on my first ruck march, and I wasn’t going to drop back here either. “I got it,” I told her.
She whirled around, giving me a mouth-watering view of her backside.
Retreating.
Blinking, I nearly tripped to catch up to her.
SEVEN
PRETA
Ammos kneeled. “In Kahav, it was said that seedlings would break through the barrier—”
That would be my womb.
“—and the presence of the sunslight would draw them out. It encouraged them to reach for it, and emerge.”
I was parked on a crumbling log, breathing in that slightly loamy-decaying smell that bark took on as it died. I tried not to think of who I was sitting on; sometimes dead trees were just dead trees here, but sometimes in reality they were dead Kahav.
We were all sitting slightly in the shade, because—Sproutling’s requirements or not—I didn’t want to be baked.