A Riddle For Love (Beyond Fairytales)

by Lara Nance

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A Riddle for Love

  Copyright © 2014 by Lara Nance

  ISBN: 978-1-61333-699-1

  Cover art by Syneca Featherstone

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

  Look for us online at:

  www.decadentpublishing.com

  Decadent Publishing Beyond Fairytales

  Once Upon a Marriage

  Coming Soon!

  A Riddle for Love

  Operation Owl

  Darkest Magic

  You Belong to Me

  Her Real Life Hero

  Starlight Cowboy

  Also by Lara Nance

  One Steamed Night

  A Riddle for Love

  By

  Lara Nance

  A Beyond Fairytales Adaptation of

  Grimm’s A Riddling Tale

  Chapter One

  Once upon a time in outer space....

  Avar glanced up from his computer screen, his gaze traveling to the lovely female form supine on a shiny metal table. FC-ZM120 or Female Companion-Zeta Model 120. She represented the absolute pinnacle of android biogenetic engineering.

  He sighed and rolled his shoulders. After years of hard work, the time had come to test his theory on her. The need for success bunched his muscles in stress. A silver metallic sheet covered his subject from throat to knees. Electrode patches dotted her from head to toe. He’d seen every inch of that glorious body over the past six months. As head biological engineer, he was the prime developer of this latest attempt by the Genetacept Corporation to produce a human-like female android suitable to perform as a companion, or even a spouse, if so desired. As far as he was concerned—mission accomplished.

  Still, he couldn’t help thinking of his personal research project... Lily. He worked on perfecting her persona every night, every spare minute. Then, when he could afford a high-level body like the one on his table, he’d have the woman of his dreams, both mentally and physically. He needed that woman badly—a partner and lover to share his life.

  “These last bio markers are right on target,” his assistant, Boron, said as he punched in data on the wall information unit. Despite the controlled diet of inhabitants in the Mars Community Habitat, his belly seemed to always be on the verge of popping out of his gray jumpsuit. “At first glance, even a doctor would have trouble detecting she’s not human.”

  “Good,” Avar murmured, returning his attention to the numerical values flashing across his screen. A quiver of excitement left his hands shaking. “She’s almost ready for the persona insert.”

  “I can’t believe it,” Boron said, grinning. “After all this time, we’ll finally be able to test your theory of Innate Personality Insertion.”

  He nodded. IPI—his chance for a huge contribution to the advancement of artificial intelligence science following a lifetime of work. If his theory proved correct, this lovely android would have the personality and interaction ability of a typical woman. The theory and technology could be applied in any setting, including the military. He hoped it could eventually save lives by keeping human soldiers out of wars or putting androids in other dangerous jobs in order to avoid devastating accidents for humans—work like terraforming or exploring hostile environments. Of course, he worried about his invention being used for criminal activities or worse, but fortunately the Galactic League of Android Exploitation kept a firm hand on deviant use. They weren’t perfect, but no one was. His fingers itched to complete the sequence of commands that would initiate the insertion.

  “We should name her.” Staring at the silver-draped form, Boron crossed his arms. “We’ve been together a long time. Seems like we should be friends or something.”

  “She’s the first of the three prototypes to reach this stage.” He jerked his chin toward two identical androids stacked on metal shelves behind a locked glass door. “We could call her Una.”

  “Una.” His assistant nodded, brushing unruly, black curls from his forehead. “I like it.”

  Avar rose and strode to stand beside his creation. It would have been more interesting to build units with different physical traits, but for some reason, the customer wanted three totally identical units. Fortunately, he could stare at this beauty forever, so three only made his environment that much better.

  Una’s alabaster skin shone under the bright lab lights and her full lips begged to be kissed. Honey-gold hair spread across the table and draped over the edges. He cleared his throat and glanced at his assistant. “It’s so odd looking at my idea of the perfect woman. I’ve dreamed about her for so many years.”

  “Once your theory proves successful, you’ll make enough money to have one of her for yourself.” Boron adjusted the wireless generator’s controls to prepare for the transmission of data.

  “I don’t know. I can’t imagine I’ll have that much money for a long time.”

  The lab door slid open with a swish. A tall, thin woman with high cheekbones and a piercing gaze breezed in.

  Avar stepped away from the table, irritation burning in his gut. Great. Kava Atmer, CEO and head bitch in charge. He couldn’t help thinking of her as a wicked witch. He didn’t need this right now.

  “How’s it going?” A tiny frown between her brows, she glanced at the prone form.

  “According to schedule,” Avar said, moving to block her view of his computer screen.

  “Excellent. The client is most eager to pick up the trio, and our board of directors is even more eager to finally be in the black on this project. Make it happen.” She tugged the silver sheet a little higher on Una’s chest. “What’s the next step?’

  “We’re actually ready for the persona insertion,” Boron said, rubbing his hands together.

  Avar cleared his throat and gave his assistant a sharp glance.

  “Interesting.” She used her hip to push past him and stared at his screen. “What’s this? University English Professor? No, no, no. We’ve discussed this, Avar. Insert Sexy Girlfriend. I don’t want the client disappointed. He won’t appreciate discussing literature.”

  Avar gritted his teeth. “We can always upload another personality later. I just wanted to see what she’d do with a higher level interaction mode.”

  Kava tapped her foot. “We don’t have time for you to live out your fantasies. Once we have this order complete, we’ll have more time to experiment with different models.”

  He directed his gaze at the floor, unwilling to argue the point, but disappointed nonetheless.

  She took a step toward him. “Come on, Avar, it’s not like she’s going to be your girlfriend.”

  “Right. Whatever.” He moved to the table and pretended to adjust the wireless data port hidden behind one ear.

  “Good. That’s settled. Make it happen, gentlemen. I have a
meeting to attend or I’d stay for the show.” She turned on her heel, her black, bobbed hair fanning out in her abrupt swirl.

  “Sorry, boss,” Boron said, averting his gaze. “I thought she’d be impressed we were that far along.”

  He shook his head. “It’s all right. As she said, we’ll have opportunities for more sophisticated models once the money for this project is in the bank.”

  Boron rolled his eyes. “I think she’s jealous.”

  “What do you mean?’ He rechecked the brain electrodes.

  “She’d like to look like Una.”

  “You may be right.”

  “Maybe she’d like to be your girlfriend, too.” Boron gave him a sly smile.

  He grimaced, imagining hugging Kava to be like embracing an icicle. “You’d better not be right about that.”

  His assistant chuckled. “Okay, boss, ready for the upload.”

  With a last glance at the beautiful android, Avar returned to the seat at his computer screen and checked transmission levels one more time. With a twinge of regret, he switched the program to Sexy Girlfriend. His finger shook a little as he pressed the screen then swiped to the next screen. Two more entries and he reached the insertion activation screen.

  “Here we go,” he said.

  Boron crossed his fingers and stepped aside.

  The gigabytes in the transmission sequence increased as the flow of data began. Avar’s heart thudded. Years of work and the finale took place as silently as a feather dropping to the floor. It seemed anticlimactic in a way.

  He caught himself holding his breath and let out a puff of air. The data stream slowed then ended. He and Boron shared a glance. Operation complete.

  “Ready for initiation of animation,” his assistant said, checking the wall info panel, which blinked with green, white, and yellow lights.

  “Commencement of animation activation.” Avar tapped the screen.

  Both men stared at the inert body with rapt attention. When her arms twitched, they jumped. Avar finally found the strength to stand. He took two steps toward the table, nerves on edge. Three more steps and he stood looking down at her.

  Her eyes popped open, deep-green, sparkling pools, and her lush lips broke into a dazzling smile. “Hi, sweetie, I’m Unit One. How are you?”

  Chapter Two

  Avar thought his heart would burst from his chest. It worked. Dear God, it worked.

  Boron burst out laughing.

  “Hello. I’m Dr. Avar Elser.” He plucked the electrodes from her body. “Would you like to sit up?”

  She blinked a couple of times. “Gee, I guess I would like that.”

  He tucked the silver sheet under her arms so it wouldn’t fall and assisted her to sit on the side of the table.

  “Wow.” Boron whistled through his teeth. “I can’t believe it.”

  “I’ll give you some clothes. Can you dress yourself?” Avar continued to hold her hand, marveling at her warm soft skin. Amazing, the circulation and internal heating system worked perfectly.

  She tilted her head to one side. “Of course. I am fully programmed in all human functions.”

  “Great.” He glanced at his assistant. “We’ll need to tweak her responses to eliminate the nonhuman info chatter.”

  “Got it.” Boron typed an entry on the data wall.

  He handed her a folded blue jumpsuit. “We’ll give you some privacy while you put this on.”

  “Thank you.”

  After a few agonizingly impatient minutes pacing in an adjoining room, he knocked on the door. “Are you dressed?”

  “Yep. All done,” she replied.

  He pressed the open button and it slid aside. He stared. Chills of pride crept up his arms at the sight of the beautiful, lively woman he’d created. The moment of truth stunned him. He’d made this—made her. Everything she was, he’d developed, tested, and brought to life. So many of his hopes and dreams weaved into her programming and circuitry. Odd, but instead of feeling like a god, standing in the face of his creation humbled him.

  Una made the plain jumpsuit appear like elegant party attire. It molded to her luscious curves, and the fasteners in the front had been left open to allow a generous view of her impressive cleavage. She posed with one hand on her hip and her head tilted to the side again.

  Boron pushed passed him through the opening. “Wow, you look great, Una.”

  She appraised him, smiling. “Thank you, honey. But who’s Una?”

  “Oh, uh, that’s what we named you.” His assistant circled her, taking in every detail.

  “Hmm, I like it. What is your name?”

  “I’m Boron, um, Dr. Maton.”

  Avar finally unfroze and intercepted the other man’s overeager appraisal. “Check the markers again. We need to make sure the insertion didn’t disrupt her biological functions.”

  “Oh, yeah, right. Sorry.” Boron hurried to the information wall.

  Kava wouldn’t let her keep the name they’d given her. The client had the right to name his purchases. Still, it seemed nice to call her something other than Unit One. They could always wipe that memory later. “Okay, Una. We need to run some tests to make sure you’re okay.”

  “Of course,” she said, flipping a strand of silky hair over her shoulder. “What can I do to help?”

  “Could you sit on the side of the table, please?”

  She hopped on the table and wiggled her hips to scoot back. Then she leaned forward and fluttered her lashes. “Is this okay?”

  “Um, yes. That’s fine.” He retrieved his scanner and passed it over each section of her body. Several times he had to snap his fingers at Boron to return him to the task at hand instead of ogling their subject. It didn’t help that Una giggled every time she caught him.

  “Looks like all systems check out as fully operational,” Avar said after an hour of testing.

  “I’ll say,” Boron muttered.

  “That’s enough.” Avar shot the man a glare. “We’re done for the day. Why don’t you pack up and head home.”

  Kava swept into the room, cutting off Boron’s next comment. Her gaze went to the android and she paused, mouth gaping. “She’s....”

  “Hi, what’s your name?” Una’s blazing smile broke out and her green eyes twinkled.

  “It worked,” Kava managed to say in a subdued voice after a few seconds. “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks.” Avar motioned for Boron to leave. “Now that the first one is complete, the other two won’t take as long.”

  The CEO finally tore her gaze from Una. “How long?”

  “Probably two weeks.”

  She pursed her lips then nodded. “I’ll let our customer know. Good work. I’ll make sure a bonus is applied to your account. The board will be pleased.”

  He allowed himself a smile. Finally. His years of hard work had paid off.

  With another quick look at the android, Kava stalked from the lab, followed more slowly by Boron.

  Avar let out a deep breath. He rubbed the nape of his neck and groaned at the tight muscles there. “Man, I’m tired.”

  Una slipped from the table and moved smoothly to stand behind him. Her fingers pressed into his stiff shoulders and moved in circular patterns. “Poor baby. You’ve worked so hard today. Let me massage away those tired muscles.”

  He nearly melted under her sensuous touch. The heat from her body radiated through the thick material of his jumpsuit. Her circulatory internal heater might need to be turned down a bit. But it felt good...comforting. He closed his eyes and moaned.

  Her kneading continued down his spine, and then she snaked her arms around his torso. “Mmm, doesn’t that feel better?” she murmured in his ear as she pressed her breasts against his back.

  Her warm breath tickled fine hairs and he shivered. An unwelcome tightness in his groin brought him to reality. Whoa! The Sexy Girlfriend persona definitely works. He coughed and disentangled from her embrace, turning to face her.

  Her pout made him wa
nt to kiss those luscious lips. She purred. “Aww, baby, didn’t you like that?”

  “Yes, uh, no. I mean, it felt great, but it wouldn’t be appropriate for me and you to....”

  Her lips spread in a seductive smile as she gazed at him from under the fan of her thick lashes.

  “Sooo, I’m going to have to power you down, and I need to go home and get some sleep.” He edged away from her toward his computer. He’d never before dealt with a woman so sexually intent. Most of his dates had been scientific colleagues—more cerebral than sensual. Although Una was an android, he wanted to let her down without hurting her feelings. Strange.

  She followed, hips swinging. “I want to go out. Let’s go have some fun. Don’t you want to make me happy?”

  He turned and jabbed his finger at commands on the screen then spun around to find her inches away.

  She walked two fingers up his chest only to slowly stroke them down. “My, you’ve got great muscles. You should take your shirt off. I bet you look hot without clothes.”

  Hairs rose on Avar’s arms and he sucked in a hot breath and grabbed her hand. “That’s enough.”

  Her pout returned and she batted her lashes.

  Perhaps the persona could be toned down a little. Otherwise she’d be having sex with the customer before they left the lab. Not to mention, neither Boron nor he would be able to work around her for the next two weeks with this sort of constant temptation.

  He held up a hand. “Take a break, Una. I need to make some adjustments on the computer.”

  “But....”

  “No. Stop. Just relax. I have work to do. Now, behave.” The titillation implanted some colorful but unwanted thoughts in his head. He had to turn her off before his body’s needs overpowered his senses. It had been way too long since he’d been laid. Sessions in the holo-recreation unit didn’t count. Their androids weren’t nearly so lifelike.