by S. E. Smith
“Right. I’ll pick one up and let you know the number.” It felt wrong leaving the lab without Ru. Like a part of himself was missing. He hoped to hell Zara could finish the tests she needed before he had to leave. He didn’t want to make the return trip without Ru.
Yeah, things had certainly taken a turn for the weird in his life. At a loss for what to do, he decided to hit the gym on his ship. He needed to burn off some excess energy. Normally, he’d opt for another way to do that, but that required two people and the only person he was interested in at the moment was problematic at best.
Zara waited until Marco was out of the lab before getting to work. It wasn’t so much work as letting her computers analyze Ru’s circuitry, memory, and overall composition. She, on the other hand, was left with too much time on her hands, and the residual of Marco’s presence.
After getting the com connected and the programs running, she returned to her private quarters across the hall. Talking to Marco, and smelling his cologne, had sparked a fire deep within. It was a flame she knew how to deal with. “Computer, dim the lights, please.” She kicked off her shoes and slipped out of her clothes. Her bed was warmed to her preferred temperature.
“Computer, play the holo-vid Marco Dar.”
It had taken weeks of tweaking the programming to get the image to match Marco to near perfection. It was her guilty pleasure.
She’d never kidded herself about their relationship. She knew he was a player when they first started dating. The fact it’d lasted as long as it had still surprised her. He could have done a better job of breaking it off, but that was just who he was.
She didn’t want him back. Didn’t need him. Not with technology ready to give her what she craved at a moment’s notice.
She moved her hand in a practiced rhythm and imagined him massaging her tits the way he used to. He was talking sexy to her, but after spending time with him again, the voice was off. Wrong. She closed her eyes and focused on the man. That did it. She moaned as the orgasm rocked her.
A flick of her wrist had the program stopped and she lay there, basking in the aftermath. Sex with him had always been something else. He had a way of being there. Totally in the present, like nothing else in the universe mattered but time with her.
The chemistry was still there, no doubt, but did she really want to go down that road again? It would end the same. Always would, with him. He wasn’t the settling down type, and her days of casual sex were behind her. Still, that hold he’d had on her had never left. If she didn’t know better...but no. He was not her psi-mate. She’d keep taking care of herself. Someday she’d meet someone who did for her what Marco had. Someone who could commit to a relationship. Someone she could trust. Someone not Marco.
Three
After working out for a solid hour and a half, Marco showered, then went down to the station’s market to purchase a new com. They had some pretty cool models to choose from. Several had added features that would be illegal in some parts of the galaxy, but that just made them more interesting. He opted for a sweet unit with a bi-directional signal jamming feature. He’d be able to establish secure communication through a localized network that couldn’t be detected. Even better was a miniature GravGen. The sucker could localize around anything within a thirty-foot range. If nothing else, it would make for some entertaining party tricks. It wasn’t until he’d paid for the thing that he realized he’d never gotten Zara’s contact info. Feeling like an idiot, he made his way back to her lab.
The panel lifted before he even had the chance to signal.
Zara sat at the counter height lab table with a holo screen projecting in front of her. Ru was propped up at an angle, presumably so his camera could take in the diagram. “Come on over. I programmed the lab computer to give you access if I’m here. I figure you’re a full partner in this endeavor.” The word partner bounced around his head a few times.
He walked over and stood next to her. From this angle, he could see she was studying a three-dimensional model of Ru’s circuitry.
“I believe the configuration will indeed work,” Ru said.
“It makes the most sense to me, but I wanted to run it by you.” Zara used her foot to pull up another stool for Marco, sliding it next to hers. “We’re looking at the different ways we can integrate Ru into the cybernetics of the bird.”
“Do you often consult with your subjects?” Marco sat close enough their knees touched. A little bolt of Zara shot up his thigh and into his groin. He breathed her in. Cinnamon and what? Orange, maybe? Damn.
“I never consult my subjects on the implementation. But I’ve never had such an intriguing proposition before.”
“Is that a compliment?” Ru asked.
“It is, yes.”
Marco laughed. “Am I the only one who finds this a little surreal?”
Zara shook her head. “You’re not alone.”
“I do not think that applies to me, as my existence has been subjective from the beginning. Perhaps I will be able to appreciate the nuances of surreal when I have a body.”
“Yeah, that’ll be a head trip for you,” Marco said.
“Will my head trip? I do not understand.”
“It’s just a saying,” Zara said. “Means something like: ‘It’s going to be an interesting experience.’”
“On drugs,” Marco said. “It means you’ll be tripping like you’re on drugs.”
“And that,” Zara said.
“Man,” Marco leaned a little closer, “you have some odd conversations when you’re in a situation like this.”
Zara shut down the hologram and leaned back. “This is history-making, guys.”
“We have not succeeded yet,” Ru said. “If I’m not mistaken, the earth expression ‘don’t jinx it’ is applicable here.”
“Truth,” Marco said.
“I think we should keep this quiet,” Zara said.
“Why is that?” Marco twisted slightly in his chair, increasing the pressure between their legs.
“There are many out there that fear what Ru has become.”
“You mean the whole computers taking over the world thing?”
“Exactly.”
“Do you fear it?” Ru asked.
Zara took a deep breath. “I’ve thought a great deal about this. In the end, I believe it is evolution. It’s not something we can stop. In fact, I think it possible that human-machine integration is a viable evolutionary path for us. It’s one of the reasons I do what I do.”
“Fascinating,” Ru said.
Marco’s stomach grumbled. It was nearly seven. The Galaxy Spinner would be filling up. “You hungry?”
“Starving.”
“I am looking forward to the experience of eating.”
“Odd conversations.” Marco got to his feet and pushed the chair back under the table. He picked Ru up. “Ladies first.”
They made their way to the Spinner, and were seated at a table just off the bar, which was already packed. He placed Ru between them on the table, slightly angled so the camera could get a feed other than the ceiling. It felt odd to keep him in a pocket; he was already more friend than thing.
At the bar, the outlander sat in a corner talking to a redhead. He shot occasional glances in their direction, but nothing more. They ordered drinks and waited.
Zara appeared to be preoccupied, and Ru was surprisingly quiet.
He took his new com and adjusted the GravGen till it isolated Ru. Slowly, so as not to be too obvious, he dialed up the field. Ru lifted a half inch off the table and hovered.
Zara’s attention snapped back to the table. “What’s going on?”
Marco laughed. “My new com has some fun features.”
Zara snatched Ru out of the air. “Illegal features.
“We’re surrounded by outlanders. I don’t think it will be an issue.”
“It might, however, increase the odds of being robbed,” Ru said.
He had a point there. Marco turned off the field and Z
ara set Ru back on the table. “So, what are you two thinking about?”
“I was wondering if there was a more efficient method to interface the physical feedback being generated by the touch receptors.”
“Right. I was wondering that too,” Marco said, clueless as to what she meant.
“I was pondering the prospect of my demise should the procedure fail,” Ru said matter-of-factly.
Talk about a buzz kill. “Dude, don’t think like that.”
“Why not? From my observations, sentient species spend a great deal of time pondering their demise.”
“It’s not going to happen,” Zara said after the drinks arrived. “I won’t let it.”
They spent the meal going back and forth with Ru on the meaning of life, the reasons for religion, and generally discussing things of a non-concrete nature. He and Zara had often drifted in this direction. They both tended to address the com when talking. Even though it didn’t yet have eyes, it’s what you did when talking to an entity. Whenever she met his gaze, it was a warm caress to his soul. The old familiar fear seeped in, and he pushed it aside.
He leaned back in his chair and let the two of them have at it. If anything, she’d become more beautiful since he last saw her. It was difficult to keep his eyes off her lips when she spoke. He remembered teasing her once that she was the color of milk chocolate. She’d said it wasn’t cool to compare a person’s color to food. He’d never missed an opportunity after that. Coffee with milk, those Morvian cookies they both loved. Hell, anything to get a rise out of her.
Was this strictly professional? He wasn’t sure anymore.
What he did know was that he’d never been in love. Never even lived with a woman. He liked his freedom. A lot. Was it possible the woman across the table would be the one to calm him down? The thought of one woman for the rest of his life had always appalled him. That should be answer enough. He couldn’t treat her like he had before. And since he couldn’t answer his own damn question, he needed to keep things on a professional footing. No problem.
Two days later Marco stood awkwardly in Zara’s lab. She wanted more time with Ru before starting work on the neural interface to the physical body he’d be getting. Damn if it wasn’t like saying goodbye to an old friend.
He’d been standing there too long. He should leave, but she wasn’t moving either. She continued to hold his gaze, those gold flecks in her eyes catching the light the way they always had.
“I should go.” He didn’t.
“Yes. You should.”
Neither moved.
“I mean it.” She tried to run her hand through her hair, but the mass tangled around her fingers. Her hair was always out of control. “I’ll be seeing you.” That’s what she said instead of goodbye. She hated goodbyes.
“See you. I’ll let you know when I get to Earth.”
He did leave then, and didn’t look back. There was an odd feeling deep in his chest. Something foreign. He was going to miss that com. Ru. He was going to miss Ru.
Thirty-four hours later, he was skirting the outer fringes of the Torog settled star system when he was pinged with an interstellar communication. The ships notification, although perfectly sufficient, was a far cry from the verbal back and forth he was used to with Ru. Yeah, he missed that pile of circuits. Real-time communication wasn’t possible in this sector, so he pulled up the missive.
The outlander from the bar has Ru. Please come back.
Shock and anger had him recalibrating the nav system for a return to Aires before he even gave it a thought. He crafted a message for Lord Cavacent, Rucon, and sent it subnet. Depending upon the solar storms between here and Earth, he might be speaking with him before it arrived, but there was a chance it would get through first.
He was damn worried about Ru, and far too excited about seeing Zara again. He needed to reign that shit in. They were working on a project together. That was all.
It was nearly a day later before he could send and receive messages in real time. Ru had been busy transmitting his location, nothing else, and wasn’t responding, which was troubling. Perhaps he was worried about being intercepted. Marco let Zara know he was approximately a day out, then called Rucon. His boss wasn’t happy.
“I received your subspace communication this morning,” Rucon said. “Let me understand this. You’re diverting my shipping schedule in order to return to Aires so you can track down a two-hundred-dollar com unit?”
Well, when he put it like that... “Strictly speaking that is correct.” What more could he say without sounding insane? When all this was done and over, he’d introduce Rucon to Ru personally. Assuming they got him back.
“If you hadn’t been serving me for over a decade, we’d be having a different discussion right now. You will fill me in later. Is there anything you need from me?”
And this was why he was loyal to the man. “Not at the moment. Thank you for the offer, though. It’s good to know your support is available.”
“Always, Marco. Now stay in touch.”
“Yes, sir.”
Marco docked at the Aires space station eighteen hours later. He’d shaved off nearly seven hours by blasting through a federation-controlled no-fly zone. That could have ended badly had he been intercepted, but he figured the fine was worth the risk. After securing the station anchors, he headed over to Zara’s lab. He hadn’t let her know he was coming in early. Not sure why. He chose not to analyze the decision.
Hesitating outside her door, he recalled the first time he walked in. Ru had nudged him on, reminding him there were other things in life besides himself. He rapped on the door and waited.
“Who is it?”
“Marco.”
The door slid open. He caught his breath at the sight of her. Her hair was unbound, and framed her face with a mass of auburn curls. “You’re early.” There was pain in those gold speckled eyes. She stepped aside to let him in.
“Are you okay?” He wanted to reach out and take her hand, but resisted the urge.
“I’m so sorry.”
“I’m sure this isn’t your fault. Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
They pulled up some stools at one of the counters and faced each other. “He must have researched who I was, because he came here. I wasn’t expecting him. I shouldn’t have answered the door without verifying who it was.”
“You couldn’t have known.” Anger was a slow burn inside. “He came in?”
“Yes. As soon as the door opened, he pushed me back and locked it.”
“He hurt you?” The burn was turning to rage.
Except for chewing on her lower lip, she’d become perfectly still.
“Zara?”
“He demanded the com. I told him you had it, but he didn’t believe me. He knew you’d gotten a new one at the commissary.” She wrung her hands in her lap. This wasn’t like her at all.
He reached out and tilted her chin up. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the rest. “Tell me everything.”
Tears pooled in her eyes, but she didn’t cry. “He backhanded me. I didn’t see it coming and hit the floor. Ru was over there. I was running diagnostics. He took him. Told me not to report any of this, and left.”
Concern for Zara battled with an overwhelming urge to inflict pain on the outlander. “Did you report it?”
“No. There are so many outlanders here I was afraid to. I had a medbot treat my injuries. I broke my wrist during the fall and was slightly concussed. I reported it as a slip in the lab.” Her voice trembled, and she wouldn’t hold his gaze.
“I’m going to kill the bastard.”
“Please don’t talk like that. You don’t want to be on the outlanders hit list. You know how they are.”
She was right, but he didn’t care. Not now. Before he could question it, he stood pulled her into his arms.
“I’m so sorry,” she sobbed into his shirt. She didn’t embrace him back, but she didn’t resist either.
“Stop fucking apologizing.
You aren’t at fault.”
“I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been terrified he would return.” She bit that lower lip again, and it was all he could do not to kiss it. “I don’t know where they took him, or even if he’s still here.”
“He’s transmitting his location. They’ve been holed up at an asteroid mining colony for the past eight hours.” He ran the back of his hand along her jawline. Skin like silk. “You’re safe now, but I think we should leave immediately.”
“I’m packed and ready to go. Have been since he came.”
It killed him to think of her sitting here in fear. She was a brilliant scientist, not a soldier, and the gods help him he was going to make this right.
They locked up the lab and made their way to the docks. As they approached his ship, he activated the entry and the stairs descended.
“That’s your transport?” Zara asked.
“The Cavacents don’t skimp.”
“The name fits.” Her tone was flat as she climbed the stairs.
No Commitments was written in bold lettering on the side. Rucon had named the ship before assigning it to Marco.
He watched the swing of Zara’s hips as she reached the entryway.
The name wasn’t as amusing as it used to be.
Four
The trip to the asteroid belt was awkward at best. There was a tension between them that hadn’t been there before. Zara was painfully quiet, and kept her distance. He didn’t blame her, but he wished he could comfort her somehow. Hells, he wished he could hold her again. His shirt still smelled faintly of her unique scent, and more than once he’d gotten close enough to breathe her in.
It was in his nature to be protective. That’s all this was. They’d get Ru back, complete the transformation, and be on their way. Back to normal. The new normal. He couldn’t allow himself to think of failing. He already missed the hell out of the little shit, and was looking forward to getting him back.
Four hours later, he eased the ship into the Heavy Metal asteroid station. Saying the place was a piece of junk was an understatement.