by Aline Riva
“The pint can wait!”
Lynch chuckled, and it was strangely nice and heart warming to see such a happier side of Felix Lynch all of a sudden.
“Elise will see a different side to me come nightfall!”he remarked.
“Rest first, okay?” Joy reminded him, and then she left the room.
Flynn had taken a seat at the bar and been handed a drink by a red haired scantily clad android – he knew she was an android by the way her blue eyes glowed a little too brightly, and he thanked her for the drink then took a sip and tasted the weakest beer he had ever tasted in his life and considered the thanks more than a little over the top. He glanced to Jekel, who had been looking around the dusty, messy old bar, and shook his head.
“Don't drink the beer,” he said, “Gnat's piss doesn't start to cover it...”
But as Jekel looked around the vast bar, where here and there cyborgs were sat talking and drinking and some were just sitting minus a drink and looking weary, he spotted something else and his eyes lit up as he smiled.
“Ooh...look at that!” he exclaimed, and he went over to the stage at the back of the bar and climbed the few short steps to reach it, then as his scuffed shoes trod boards covered with dust and he moved to the middle of the stage, suddenly, he had an audience – for the first time in years... His battery was too low to do a vanishing act, so instead he drew cards from his pocket that contained hidden magnets, and activated a mild field in his palms to control them, which took little of his power reserve.
“Good morning...or is it afternoon..no its afternoon now, ladies and gentlemen,” he said loudly, “My name is Ashley Jekel you may remember me from my very successful stage show and my TV appearances back in the old world, and I am your entertainment for the coming hour...”
And then he placed the deck of cards in one hand, flat on his palm and rose his other hand in the air in a sweeping movement and the cyborgs looked on in astonishment as the cards were drawn upwards, gracefully, as he moved his hands and they dipped and weaved in the air in an elegant line, not one card dropping out of place as they rose and fell, spiralled, flew like birds to the ceiling and then fluttered down one by one, to become a neatly stacked deck once more in his outstretched palm.
Applause sounded through out the room, and Jekel smiled gratefully as he bowed to the audience.
“And for my next trick -”
“Mr Jekel?”
He turned his head and stared, his jaw dropped for a moment and suddenly it was hard to speak as he took in the sight of the tall, slender woman with an hour glass figure in high heels and and a short dress that barely covered a perfect body. Her long blonde hair fell to her shoulders and her make up was so perfect she looked like a painted doll. Her breasts were thrust forward in her low cut dress, and as she locked with his gaze, he was still staring at her.
“Come with me, I have something for you,” she said, and walked off the stage.
“I'll be back very soon,” Jekel told his audience, and they applauded again and he shoved the cards into his pocket and followed the mysterious blonde around the bar, through a door and up a flight of stairs.
“Where are we going?” Jekel asked as they reached the top of the stairs.
She turned back and gave him a look that made his knees go weak.
“You'll see,” she replied, and crossed a hallway, opened up a bedroom door and led him inside, leaving the door wide open.
Jekel's mind was in a spin as he followed her into the bedroom. All thoughts of Joy, even thoughts of how the old world had been dashed away, had melted into insignificance as he entered this room and looked into the eyes of the stunning, perfect woman who had asked him to her room.
“My name is Mandy One,” she said, “I was a former pleasure droid. An android built to please my designer...”
Her hands slid over the fine fabric of his suit as he backed up against the bed, and suddenly it was easier to sit down.
“You have something for me?” he said in a hushed voice, utterly led by his hormones as his eyes glazed over at the sight of such a perfect woman.
She smiled.
“You are Ashley Jekel,” she said, and he laughed.
“Oh! I get it! You're fan of mine, from the old days? Oh wait... How could an android be a fan back then...no, I'm not going to question it -”
“You are aroused?”
His face flushed as her hands slid inside his jacket and she ran her hands over him.
“I shouldn't be doing this but...I shouldn't but ...” he looked into her eyes, and all sense of reason was lost as his arousal took over, “Come here!” he said impatiently, and he took her in his arms, rolling her on to her back on a soft bed with silken sheets where as he looked down at her, he felt completely captivated by this strange and alluring female android...
Flynn had pointed Joy in the direction of the stairs after seeing Mandy One lead Jekel up there. Joy had gone up the stairs assuming nothing to be amiss, after all, they had just arrived here and she wanted to know what Mandy had been so keen to share with Jekel...
Joy saw the door was open and walked into the bedroom. Rage burned in her eyes as her heart filled with pain at the betrayal she saw happening before her:
Jekel was on top of Mandy, who was still fully clothed, her blonde hair trailing platinum about the pillow and her head back as Jekel, still in his clothes but with his shirt open, kissed her throat and then her lips and she tangled her fingers in his hair and whispered words of encouragement.
“Bastard!” Joy yelled.
Jekel sat up at once, closing up his shirt as he looked apologetically to Joy.
“It wasn't my fault – she came on to me..she's a sex program! I didn't know she got me up here for this!”
Joy stepped closer and Jekel got up, tucked in his shirt and closed his jacket, ran his fingers through his hair and blinked back tears.
“I've been stupid...Oh shit, what have I done? She's a robot, Joy...she just got me going and -”
Joy shoved past him, almost throwing a shaken up Jekel off balance as she grabbed Mandy by the throat and the android stared at her in bewilderment.
“Oi!” she snapped in a London accent that Jekel recalled very much matched Blake Riley's own accent, “Don't mishandle me, I'm the property of King Steel!”
“Mishandle?” Joy hissed, “If you ever touch him again I'll rip out your fucking wiring!”
Mandy got up and flipped back her hair, which fell perfectly about her shoulders as she glared at Joy.
“He misunderstood! I am programmed to respond to arousal, he was aroused! I only brought him here to give him this!”
And she flipped her hair back again, pressed a compartment below her ear and drew out a small, clear cylindrical key, which had tiny inner workings that sparked in a pulse rhythm much like an electrical charge.
“Blake Riley said, I was to come here with Mandy Two and work and live in the new town of Bullet. He said if Ash Jekel comes this way he will find Bullet but he will need this key to enter Sanctuary.”
And she held out the key between manicured fingers. Jekel took the key from her and studied it.
“Where is Sanctuary?”
Mandy blinked spidery lashes.
“That knowledge was removed from my memory banks for protection of the palace and the surrounding area...if you have any in your company who understand science they may understand the nature of the key.”
“Thanks, Mandy,” he said, and then he left the room.
Joy glared at Mandy as a final warning, then turned away and followed Jekel back down the stairs.
“I'm sorry!” Jekel exclaimed as they entered the bar.
“Sorry?” Joy repeated as hurt reflected in her eyes, “No, Jekel...I don't care how sorry you are – its over, you wont get a second chance to break my heart!”
As Flynn watched from the bar, Joy stormed out angrily as Jekel followed her, tearfully calling her name.
“I made a mistake, Joy!” he said
pleadingly, “I'm sorry - it was heat of the moment... I didn't mean to do that!”
Anger burned in her eyes.
“But you did, Ash. You did!” she said accusingly as her eyes filled with tears, and then she thought of the task in hand, a matter far more important than her own situation over getting her heartbroken because Ash had cheated.
“You need to show that key to Lynch and Elise,” she said to him , “Not right now , he's resting, he's just had a surgical procedure. Show him in the morning.”
“We could show him together -”
The look in his eyes was breaking her heart - of course he wanted another chance, and looked just about ready to plead and beg and agree to anything to get one. But she couldn't get that image out of her head, Mandy on her back and Jekel all over her as if their love affair had meant nothing to him at all...
“We work together as a team,” Joy replied, “That's all. But you and me are through.”
As night fell, Elise and Lynch were wrapped in a warm embrace in their bed in their living quarters on board the motor home. Lynch was regaining his breath as tears shone in his eyes and he looked to Elise and smiled.
“I know it was just you touching a piece of metal but it felt so real!” he exclaimed, “I feel whole again...I feel like a man again.”
“You never stopped being a man,” she told him as she ran her fingers through his grey, wavy hair, “I saw how you fought to survive after the conversion process. That took courage. You lost nothing in my eyes, you gained so much more of my love and admiration...”
“And now I feel like I've made real love, I need real sleep,” he replied, “Goodnight, Elise.”
Then he turned his back on her and in seconds, was snoring as a look of annoyance came to her face.
“Hey...you used to do that to me in the old days!” she complained, but Lynch slumbered on, weary in a good way from rediscovering feelings he had once written off as lost forever.
And then Elise felt a sharp, jabbing sensation deep inside her artificial womb.
“Lynch!” she said sharply, and he opened tired eyes and turned around.
“What?” he complained.
“The program...its accelerated....the baby's coming...”
“It can't be, you said three weeks.”
“That was before I let the acceleration unit take over...it's been five years...it won't wait any longer!”
Lynch sat up sharply in bed and looked to the walkway.
“JOY!” he yelled, “Get in here now!”
Chapter 10 : Sanctuary's Doorway
Joy had expected the occupants of the motor home to have a sleepless night with Elise in labour – but there was no labour. While Elise lay on the table in the medical area giving one loud complaint after another of the discomfort as she urged her to open up the unit, Joy soon realised there was an artificial seal down the middle of Elise's partly swollen belly, and on opening it up, found inside a deep, semi organic, artificial expandable tank – and as she opened the seal and amniotic fluid gushed out, she lifted free a healthy human child who gave a loud cry as Elise promptly slumped back unconscious.
“Elise!” Lynch said as he looked fearfully to Joy, who looked up at the scanner and soon laid his fears to rest.
“She's part android, remember? She's gone into brief temporary shut down mode to give her human parts time to recover,” she said as she cut the umbilical cord, dried off the baby, then wrapped the child in a clean towel and handed it to Lynch.
“That was convenient,” Joy added, “She pops it out, someone else has to clean her up...nice...”
And she cleaned out the unit, sealed it and then closed up the artificial skin, smoothing down the seal on her now flat stomach, then she covered her with a blanket. Elise gave a sigh and turned and shifted, a sure sign that her robotic controls were running checks to ensure the process had gone smoothly.
“Oh and by the way, congratulations,” said Joy, “It's a girl, General. You have a daughter.”
Lynch went over to the bed in the corner and sat down carefully as he cradled his child in his arms. Tears shone in his eyes as he looked down at the child who looked up at him with eyes a shade that matched his own, she had dark hair like Elise and was entirely human, and entirely his miracle, thanks to Elise...
“I'm going to be a good father this time,” he whispered as he gazed at the precious bundle in his arms, “Oh there was a time when I was real bastard – I mean I wasn't a very nice man...but not now, you'll see. I'll be the best father any child could wish for. I'm so glad you came along...”
Joy smiled as she turned away, leaving Lynch to cradle his new born daughter as Elise slept on, rapidly recovering from a pregnancy her hybrid body had put on hold for five long years.
When morning came, Flynn went over to the house to inform Dixon of the good news. Joy had grabbed a few hours sleep and was now up, she passed Jekel who was on his way to the bathroom and he glanced at her, she glared at him, hurt registered in his eyes and then he went on his way, saying nothing.
Joy went back to the medical area, where she noticed Elise had now woken , found the strength to move from the table to a bed – her bed – and was holding her child to her breast as Lynch sat beside her, looking on in wonder. The change in him had been so profound, and as he looked at Joy he smiled.
“We're talking about names,” he said warmly.
“I've thought of a good one,”announced Elise as her child fed and Elise lay back looking comfortable and glowing like any other new mother, “We should name her something special that identifies with creation. I think we should call her Astral.”
Lynch looked at her in horror, recalling how the alien presence had ravaged the earth.
“No! You can't do that -”
“But why?” she asked innocently, “Astral ultimately created me -”
“And destroyed most of this planet!” Lynch said sharply as his old anger began to surface, “No, absolutely not, Elise. Besides, I've already chosen a name. Fiona. Fifi...Do you like it?”
He smiled again, his eyes sparkling – and it still seemed so oddly amusing to Joy to see the man who his own partner called a miserable old bastard, to be so full of happiness all of a sudden.
“Fifi?” Joy said in surprise.
“It's a pretty name, don't you think?” he said proudly.
Elise looked up from her feeding child and smiled at Lynch.
“Okay,” she agreed, “I think you win on that one, Felix. But I get to name the next one.”
His eyes widened in alarm as he looked to the human android hybrid who had been built to breed.
“What others? There can be no others, Elise! Look at me, I'm machine from the waist down – Fi came from the days before I was wounded -”
“Yes, I know,” Elise replied, “And I put the sample you provided into storage in a separate unit in my reproduction centre. I can conceive at will any time I wish, and all from that first time on our first night together!”
His jaw dropped as he stared at her, and then he shook his head.
“Oh no...no, no Elise we can't have any more children with the way the world is today, do you understand me?”
“But I have more than enough semen,” she reminded him, “One ejaculation from you could potentially populate a whole village.”
“And we are going to have serious chat about something your Astral didn't include in your programming – it's called family planning!” he said to her.
Joy hid a smile as she left the room, and then as went out to the walk way she hoped Elise would be strong enough to go back to the quarters she shared with Lynch come night fall – otherwise, the medical room would be occupied and all the other beds were taken – and there was no chance she would share with Jekel...
Just then Jekel came out of the bathroom. He walked over to Joy and looked at her apologetically.
“Can we talk -”
“Piss off!” she snapped, and despite her anger the look in his eyes se
emed so wounded she almost gave in to his request, but instead turned away towards the door as it opened and Dixon looked in.
“I just wanted to congratulate Lynch on the birth of his new child,” he said, “And a few people from the settlement got to hear and they handed me some gifts to pass on...”
As he thrust a bundle of items ranging from blankets to teddy bears into Joy's arms she looked at him in surprise.
“But your people have nothing, they can't do this -”
“They just did, because we're like that around here,” he said warmly, “Do pass on my congratulations to Lynch and Elise.”
Joy nodded, looking down at the items in her arms.
“Thank you, it was very kind,”she said.
Dixon smiled warmly and then stepped down from the motor home and closed the door. Joy turned back down the walkway, returned to the medical room and set the gifts down on the table.
“From the people of Bullet,” she explained, “To welcome your new baby.”
“That's very kind,” Lynch replied, and again Joy noticed a new softness about his face as Elise settled back and closed her eyes, her hybrid body still recovering, as he cradled Fi in his arms tenderly.
Joy turned back to the items on the table and pulled out a Moses basket. It was lined and clean and contained blankets.
“I think you're going to need this,”she told him.
“As soon as Elise wakes,” Lynch replied, “We''ll move back to my living quarters. We can't stay here in the medical area – you never know when there might be an emergency.”
The curtain shifted and Jekel looked in.
Joy shot him a sour look and walked out.
Jekel pushed aside the hurt he felt at her lack of forgiveness and went over to Lynch, smiling as he looked at the little girl who smiled back at him as she peered at him over her father's shoulder.
“Hello,” Jekel said softly, and then he looked to Lynch with misty eyes.