Table of Contents
The Immaculate Conception
Copyright
The Immaculate Conception
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Want to know what happens next?
The Immaculate Conception
Aubrey Parker
Copyright © 2017 by Aubrey Parker. All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental.
Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited.
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CHAPTER ONE
Alexa looked from the open boardroom door to Andrew, then to Parker, then repeated the sequence.
She ended on Parker, glaring. He’d opened the door to the most private of O sanctums, allowing a two-bit actor to enter like a visiting dignitary. The fact that Andrew had even reached the door — had literally knocked like a philistine — meant someone had authorized his entry to HQ, telling both the receptionist and facility AI not to sound the alarms.
“What?” said Parker.
Alexa looked at Andrew then back at Parker. “You arranged this.”
He half-shrugged. “So?”
“Why is he here, Parker?”
“You sent Slava to Chloe without running it by anyone. I guess I figured it would be okay to ask Andrew to deliver an in-person report.”
Alexa’s blood threatened to boil. She’d deal with Parker later. For now, she turned her fury on Andrew. He’d seemed geeky, confident, funny — downright likable in the vids. But now he struck Alexa as an idiot and she wanted to throttle him.
“What do you mean, we have to talk about Chloe? This is hardly the right way to ask questions. You send us a mail message. You make a call. You talk to Parker — just Parker, without coming here. What the hell gave you the idea you could just—”
“I told him to come, Alexa,” Parker said. “Andrew, sit.”
The O boardroom table sat eight, leaving two seats perpetually unoccupied. Parker had already pulled out one of the open chairs, and the remaining four had automatically moved to group on the opposite side.
Andrew looked up at Alexa, seeming to request permission. At least one of them had finally realized how much had gone wrong.
Alexa sighed. “Fine, sit.”
Andrew’s gaze scanned the room with an air of sampling forbidden fruit. He took in in the curated sex cells around the walls and the glass tables above. With the spindle under the table secured and every monitoring surface blank, nothing in the boardroom was currently confidential.
Still, this was the domain of the Six alone, and Parker goddamn well knew it.
Andrew sat.
“Now,” said Alexa. “What do you need to say?”
Andrew looked uncertain. Instead of answering, he looked up at Parker.
Alexa could see the history that had brought him here. He’d taken his concern — whatever it was — to Parker, because Barnes was his primary contact, just as Andrew was Chloe’s. Parker, for selfish reasons known only to himself, had decided this particular batch of private laundry should be aired in front of the others.
“I …” Andrew stalled, clearly intimidated by the others staring.
Parker stood with his hand on the back of Andrew’s chair, looking down. “Just tell them what you told me,” he said.
Andrew swallowed. Whatever was coming, he seemed to be realizing how foolish it was going to sound. For a psychologist, Parker could be extraordinarily stupid about human nature. Andrew had said something to Parker in the spirit of kinship, and was now having to spill it before a board of directors.
It came out in a rush, practically blurted: “I love her!”
Alexa looked at Parker. “Convenient.”
“I really do lo—”
Alexa, still speaking directly to Parker, cut Andrew off. “You can’t fight your own battles? You were ruled down, but it still irked you enough that you had to bring in an employee to vouch for Chloe’s ability to feel genuine feelings?”
“He’s vouching for his own feelings, not hers,” Parker corrected.
“And we’re supposed to swoon over his story. See how we’re betraying Chloe. See how she’s capable of true love, and how we’d better back off and leave her alone. Keep her to spa jobs. Let Chloe be with her man, and hope she’s professional enough to separate personal and business affairs.”
Olivia spoke. “She did fine on Elysium.”
Eyes still on Parker, Alexa said, “Shut up, Olivia.” Then: “This is below the belt, Parker. Six business is Six business. You state your peace and we make our votes, and after that, whatever is decided goes.”
Parker smirked. “And never make decisions outside this room, without all our consent. Right, Alexa?”
“She doesn’t love him. He’s just infatuated.”
“It’s not infatuation,” Andrew said.
Alexa’s eyes turned to the boy. He looked out of place in the boardroom chair — his shoddy clothes, imperfect body, and large eyebrows. His charm had affected a change in O’s best asset, but that had now turned to an edge that threatened to cut them.
“Of course it’s infatuation,” said Alexa. “We told you from the beginning: this is what she does. She’s adapted to you. She’s exactly what you think you want.”
“With the others, she was adapting sexually,” Parker said. “This is different.”
“It’s not different, Parker. Sex and love. They’re on the same spectrum. She knows how to be desired.”
“Sexually desired,” Parker said.
“Was what she did with Falls Hartford purely sexual, becoming the girl he—”
“Should we really be talking about this in front of …?” Houston trailed off, shrugging his fat shoulders. Watching him, Alexa couldn’t help thinking that anyone as wealthy as Houston could have the body of an Adonis, but he’d chosen to look like a bloated cowboy. It seemed to be his way of telling the world to fuck off; he’d earned the right to look stupid.
“Why not?” Alexa said, drawing a surprised glance from the others. “We have our contract in place — right, Andrew?”
“Sure. Of course.”
“And what does your contract say? Do you remember?”
He shrugged, seemingly unsure where Alexa was going.
“In terms of your job. What we hired you to do.”
“To seduce Chloe Shaw. To get her into bed. Then report my findings.”
“And nothing in there about falling in love?”
“Well, no, of course n—”
“Nothing about trying to get out of your contract?”
Andrew’s eyes flicked to Parker.
Parker raised his hands as if to say, Hey, don’t look at me, I didn’t tell her.
“Because it’s really obvious where this is going,” Alexa continued. “And not just from you. See, what you don’t appreciate, Andrew, is that I’ve known Parker for a long time. I know how he ticks, inside and out. He’s never been comfortable with what we’re having you do, and he wants it to end. We’ve been overruling him, so he brought in a ringer to help his cause.”
“Now wait just a goddamn minute,” Parker said.
“He’s about to protest,” said Alexa, whispering like she was telling a secret — but
loudly, because she wasn’t. “He’s going to say how he’s just addressing a problem. You have an objection and can’t perform because of it; this has nothing to do with advancing Parker’s agenda. But hey, if we have to release you from your contract and Parker gets what he wants anyway? Well, that’s not his fault.” She winked.
“That is such fucking bullsh—”
Again, Alexa cut Parker off. This time she leaned directly over Andrew’s chair, her hands on its arms and her body bent over his. “And do you know why he’s so against this job?” She stood erect, met Parker’s glare, and answered her own question: “Because he’s in love with her, too.”
“Oh, for shit’s sake.”
“He has been from the beginning. Practically from the moment they met. She was sweet and innocent and shy. He was smitten. Without broaching company confidentiality” — Alexa looked over at the other four, as if asking for permission — “I’ll just say he made decisions he should never have made regarding Chloe, because he was unduly influenced.”
“And good thing I did,” Parker said. “Because I was right.”
“You got lucky.”
Parker was visibly reddening. “You’re full of shit.” He turned away, obviously wanting to kill the conversation.
Alexa smelled blood in the water and swam back for more. “See that?” She pointed at Parker. “He’s blushing — because he knows I’m right — but it isn’t his fault. This is what Chloe does. I’m immune to her because I don’t swing that way. But do you know what, loverboy?” Alexa snickered. “I don’t think even she knows she’s doing it. We’ve called Chloe a chameleon. But a chameleon doesn’t decide to change. It just does. So she became what Parker wanted — and now she’s what you want.” Alexa held up a finger, tipped her head, and corrected herself. “Well … what you think you want.”
Benson spoke up. “What’s the difference?”
“He thinks he loves her,” Alexa said, “but he only loves what she is right now.”
“Again: what’s the difference?”
“Genuine understanding of the other person,” Alexa answered. “If Parker can get over his crush enough to add some insight, he might be able to explain this better than I can.”
Surprising the Six into shock, Andrew bolted from his chair hard enough to make it spin, standing to face Alexa, nearly nose-to-nose. “I’m telling you,” he said evenly, “I love her.”
“You’re just smitten by her latest form.”
“I know the difference,” Andrew insisted.
“Really? What’s the difference? What is this crazy little thing called love?”
Andrew stuttered. It wasn’t a fair tactic, expecting anyone to articulate subtleties of feelings, but he’d set himself up.
“You think you know things about her,” Alexa said. “But let me tell you something you should have already figured out, given that Chloe is a substantial O asset: we know a lot more about her than you do.” She paused for the briefest moment, realizing the simultaneous truth and lie in her statement. “The ability to become what her partner wants is why she’s so valuable. You’re a hired cock. You chose to approach your job this way, but that’s your business. Even shitty actors can separate on-screen action from off-screen emotions.”
“She doesn’t know she’s on-screen, Alexa!” Parker blurted.
Alexa raised a hand, fingers spread, preparing to count off points for Andrew’s benefit. One finger went down.
“For one, she’s highly intuitive. She can read people as if they were wearing their history. You haven’t seen it from the outside, but trust me: it’s eerie.” Alexa folded another finger. “Two, she’s highly adaptive. After she reads what a man wants, she adopts those attributes. You think you’re in love because she became exactly what you would love.”
“She’s not pretending!”
Alexa almost felt sorry for Andrew. He looked a bit like he might cry. The fool really did think he loved her.
“Oh, but that’s the best one of all.” Third finger. “Three: she doesn’t have to pretend when she adapts. She’s not pretending. When she’s with you, she is that girl you think you love.”
“She loves him, too,” Parker said.
Alexa looked over. She could see by Andrew’s relief that they’d already discussed this, and Parker had apparently agreed.
“That could almost be its own finger, Parker,” she said, folding the last finger into her clenched fist. “Four: she loves — or lusts after — those she’s with. That’s part of the chameleon effect.”
“So, again,” Benson said, “what’s the difference?”
Alexa took another step toward Andrew. “Yesterday your girlfriend was getting fucked in a nano-stimulator hot tub by a man who came on her several times and could have kept coming all day. While this was happening, she was eating pussy like there was no tomorrow.”
“I know about her job,” said Andrew.
“But you think you’re special. She’s Pretty Woman and you’re her one true love. She’s the hooker who does what she must, but you’re the knight she belongs to.”
“Well—”
“What if I told you we have bio readings that prove — without a doubt — that while that man was coming on her face, Chloe loooooved it?”
“Alexa—” said Charisma.
“What if I showed you research that proves that when she was fucking a client outside, in the rain, off the clock, she was doing it because she’d fallen in love with him, biochemically speaking … at least for the moment?”
Andrew swallowed. “This is different.”
Alexa shook her head. “It’s not different at all. You’re in over your head, kid. We hired you for a job and you made it personal. The process — which we’ve documented extensively because, believe it or not, we were able to function even before you showed up to tell us how to do our business — is simple. You came into Chloe’s life. She adapted and became what you needed for as long as you were present. As part of that adaptation, she seems to feel the same affection for you. But she’s an empty vessel, and if there’s one thing you need to understand about Chloe, it’s this: when she’s away from you, she is not thinking about you. Chloe always — always — loves the one she’s with.”
Alexa laughed, staring into Andrew’s hurt face and deciding to twist the knife. “Or, if the situation calls for it, wants two dicks up the ass from the one she’s with.”
Andrew shook his head. “I want out. I want to terminate my contract and get the fuck out of this.”
Alexa raised her eyebrows. “So you can love her without restraint?”
“Whatever. However,” he muttered. “I can’t do this. I won’t do this.”
“We’d just find someone else to do your job. Someone else to hold her hand and go to old movies and talk about books with. Someone else to kiss her neck and rub her back.” Alexa narrowed her eyes. “Someone else to fall in love with.”
“Whatever you say.”
Suddenly, Alexa pitied Andrew. At least in this moment, she could read him as well as Chloe must be able to. He was positive Alexa was wrong. No matter how much data or how many well-reasoned arguments she threw at him, he’d stay certain he loved Chloe and she loved him. They were destined to be together. O would release him from his contract and leave them to make sweet, sweet love — and innocent romance — in private. That was the story Andrew was telling himself now.
It was downright pathetic.
Her manner turned brusque. “You’re under contract. You can’t get out.”
“I won’t do this anymore,” Andrew said, defiant. “I’ll do the opposite of what you want. I’ll tell her what you’re doing — what you wanted me to do. I’ll admit my part in this even if it means losing her. I won’t be your puppet.”
Alexa half-turned, flipping a dismissive hand. “You signed. Your contract is ironclad.”
“So sue me.”
Andrew’s naive sentiment made Alexa laugh out loud. “Sue you? Is that what you think wi
ll happen? You have no idea what this room represents — what you’ve been privileged enough, against Parker’s better judgment, to enter. Andrew, honey, let me lay some truths on you: breach this contract, and you’ll never work again. Ever. Anywhere. DZPD might uncover new evidence of crimes you’ve somehow forgotten you apparently committed. If you’re lucky, we can get you deported or sent to a Flat prison — maybe even Flat Four. If you’re unlucky? Well, Respero might be waiting.”
“You can’t threaten me.” Andrew stood tall, matching Alexa’s height. “I can blow the whistle on you. Expose everything you’re doing.”
“No one will care,” Alexa said.
“Chloe will.”
That stopped her. Alexa paused for the smallest of moments, then firmed her resolve, knowing that letting him think he’d scored a hit was a terrible idea. Instead, she went on the offensive, closing the distance between them.
“I’m trying to save you from yourself,” she said, quietly. “We like you, and with this one exception, you’ve done an excellent job. But you have no idea what we control and what technology we haven’t remotely considered releasing to the public. If you attempt to blow your confidentiality and discuss things you shouldn’t, you’ll find yourself unable to say anything at all.”
“Oh, I can say those things just fine.”
“Literally unable,” said Alexa. “You’ve been infested with specialist nanobots — nanos that have been in your system ever since our first meeting, as part of our standard contractor agreement.”
“Bullshit.” But Andrew seemed uneasy, his eyes flitting like frightened birds.
Alexa tipped her head, smiling.
“Prove it,” Andrew said.
Alexa chuckled. “Oh, I’d rather not. I like your spirit too much to waste you.”
CHAPTER TWO
Chloe said, “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
They were on a blanket spread on the Central Park grass. The date was in the same spirit as their others: sweet, naive, nostalgic, too saccharine for a pair of 20-somethings in the year 2060.
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