Adam 483: Man or Machine?

by Ruth D. Kerce

  ADAM 483: MAN OR MACHINE?

  An Ellora’s Cave Publication, February 2005

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

  1337 Commerce Drive, #13

  Stow, OH 44224

  ISBN MS Reader (LIT) ISBN # 1-4199-0134-6

  Other available formats (no ISBNs are assigned):

  Adobe (PDF), Rocketbook (RB), Mobipocket (PRC) & HTML

  ADAM 483: MAN OR MACHINE? © 2005 RUTH D. KERCE

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. They are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Edited by Pamela Campbell.

  Cover art by Syneca.

  Warning:

  The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. Adam 483: Man or Machine? has been rated E–rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers.

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).

  S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

  E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature.

  X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

  Adam 483: Man or Machine?

  Ruth D. Kerce

  Chapter One

  Galactic Sector MW-12

  Aboard the mineral freighter, H.C.S. Jenway, Tyree Samou sat in her quarters, studying the MW-12 star charts. The computer contained all the navigational information needed but she enjoyed the challenge of mapping the ship’s path by hand.

  Her talent at charting, more than a hobby, came in handy whenever their data system blipped or went off-line. Once she had even maneuvered them safely past an asteroid field, after the nav computer had shut down because of a power drain.

  She often felt born into the wrong century. Fantasies of navigating the high seas, before technology had taken that thrill out of man’s hands, haunted her dreams.

  Even more enticing, in her sea-faring fantasies she indulged every eroticism she craved. Sexy-as-sin pirates took her body and soul to sexual heights she’d never experienced.

  If only those fantasies were real…

  A harsh buzz snapped her thoughts back to reality. Rarely did she work or even relax uninterrupted these days. The burden of a senior officer’s rank, she supposed. Her time as strictly a navigational officer with less responsibility had come and gone long ago. She pressed a button on the edge of the desk, unlocking the door. “Come.”

  With a light swoosh, the panel opened.

  The medical officer, Lieutenant Sheera Roiya, strode inside. “Captain.”

  Tyree’s gaze returned to her charts. “No need for such formality, Sheera. We’re alone.”

  “I’m here on business.”

  Tyree paused and sat back in her chair, her interest captured. “Business? Is there a problem? We lifted off from Jenway Station without incident. The ship and crew checked out perfectly.”

  “While docked, your newly assigned, personal security bot came aboard.”

  Tyree frowned. She hated the idea of some pre-programmed robot following her around. But in the last month, ore smugglers had made three attempts on her life. After finding out about it, her brother, the Ambassador of Jenway and the one in charge of her expedition, insisted upon sending along personal protection for her.

  A heated argument had ensued when she’d heard his decision. “I don’t want a shadow dogging my every move.” She’d made her opinion clear before leaving Jenway.

  “Don’t sound so disgruntled. A lot of senior officers use them.” Sheera stuck her head out the door. “In here. The Captain will see you now.”

  The doorway filled with a large presence, and Tyree’s breath hitched. “It’s a male.”

  Sheera looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Of course. A male looks more intimidating to any aggressors lurking nearby and intending harm when you’re off-ship.”

  Tyree stood and rounded the desk. She examined her new guard. Though a robot, she still felt uncomfortable with a male. Especially since regulations dictated he stay inside her quarters.

  He stood over six feet, with dark wavy hair, deeply intense eyes, broad shoulders, a square jaw and something she couldn’t identify. He held himself differently than other robots, almost proudly. “He’s Cyborg?” she ventured warily, because Sheera was a friend who Tyree felt would admit to the truth.

  “Of course not!” the woman responded quickly, sounding full of astonishment. “You know Cyborgs were outlawed five years ago.”

  “That doesn’t mean the Governing Council eradicated them all. This bot is not standard issue. He looks too…real.” She preferred the days when a robot looked like a mechanical. At least she always knew who and what she was dealing with.

  “Isn’t that the idea, to blend in?”

  “Perhaps, but this situation leaves a bad taste in my mouth.” She circled him. Strong shoulders, tight butt. Nice. She stepped in front of him again and glanced between his legs. What started as a casual look, ended with her captured attention. He possessed a very noticeable bulge. Her body responded with an automatic rise in temperature.

  “He seems capable, don’t you think?” Sheera prompted.

  At the sound of the woman’s voice, Tyree gave herself a mental shake. “Mmm.” Capable of what? She attributed her carnal reaction to simply being too long without a man, dismissed the feelings and raised her eyes to his.

  He returned her stare without wavering.

  A shiver raced down her spine. That direct look, as if he knew her every thought, intimidated her somehow. But she held her ground.

  “What are you called, bot?”

  “Adam 483,” his voice rumbled in response.

  If she didn’t know better, she’d swear a look of humor entered his eyes. “Adam? How original.” The human imagination never ceased to amaze her.

  “Your brother said Adam was preprogrammed to serve you, so the installation of your personal computer chip isn’t necessary. I checked him out. He’s functioning fine.”

  Tyree waved her hand toward him. “I don’t want a security bot. Shuttle him back down while we’re still in range.”

  “You don’t have a choice. The orders were clear. Ambassador Samou will cancel our mission if you refuse.”

  Her brother was more stubborn than a frozen engine coil. “Fine,” she huffed. “Leave us then. I’m weary and not prepared for an argument tonight.” She’d dispose of him, herself, later. Stick him down in storage somewhere.

  “Yes, Captain. I’ll report to the Ambassador that Adam is in position,” Sheera replied. One eyebrow rose slightly with her direct stare. “And doing his duty.”

  Tyree sighed. Her gaze switched from Sheera to Adam and back again. The woman knew her too well. Fine. “I will humor my brother in this, for now. But next time we set down on Jenway, he goes back.”

  Sheera nodded. “As you wish.” She turned to leave, then slowed her steps, worriedly glancing at the b
ot on her way out.

  She probably feared he’d be scrapped as soon as the opportunity arose. The idea held appeal.

  The door whooshed closed.

  Tyree studied Adam from head to toe. Tentatively, she touched his cheek. The skin felt like living tissue. Stubble even grew on his face. When he leaned into her touch, she jerked her fingers back.

  And something else disturbed her. “You have body heat.”

  “All circuits and engines generate heat.”

  “Hmm, yes, of course.” She pulled a knife from her belt. “Give me your hand.”

  He obediently complied.

  “Palm up.”

  Again, he obeyed without hesitation or change of expression. His large, strong hands and thick fingers caught her attention—the type of hands that made her fantasies soar.

  The thought of him intimately probing her with those fingers made her blood run hot. His powerful, masculine aura aroused desires in her too long denied. With her curiosity now piqued, she felt like ordering him to drop his pants, so she could steal a look, and more, at what appeared from the bulge to be a rather large cock.

  Instead, she took the knife and sliced open the skin of his hand. His fingers curled in reflex, but he said nothing. Circuits popped and crackled as they became exposed. Okay, definitely not human.

  So why the uncomfortable feeling that something about him wasn’t as it appeared? She felt the need to ask again, “Are you Cyborg?”

  “Cyborgs were outlawed in 2178.”

  “That’s not what I asked.” His voice held too much inflection for a standard robot. He was some sort of advanced design she hadn’t come across before. Her brother ran various test facilities for advanced weapons and electronics research, so the possibility existed that he was a product of some secret research project.

  She turned and secured the knife in her weapons’ case. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with the bot tonight. After working nineteen hours straight, she wanted rest. “I’m going to shower. Allow no one into my quarters.” Not that anyone would come in without permission, but she felt compelled to issue some sort of order.

  She also needed a specific place on-ship for the bot and again contemplated the storage units on the bottom deck. She only really required his presence for off-ship protection, to watch her back. She didn’t want him located inside her quarters. Damn the regulations. “You processed that, right?”

  “Yes, Captain. No one will enter.”

  She shook her head at the delayed response. Long ago, she’d learned to trust her instincts, but she would shelve her doubts for now. Her brother had sent this bot. Sheera had checked him out. He was completely safe and top-of-the-line, according to them.

  Exhaustion and frustration with her current assignment was probably just clouding her reason. She wanted more of a future than ore recovery provided. Each day, she grew wearier of this in-space life.

  She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d had any real fun.

  Needing to wash off the sweat of the day, she disappeared into the private bath.

  Adam let out a sigh of relief. He examined the cut on his palm and started repairs. No major circuits damaged, so the fix was easy. When he heard the shower turn on, he glanced toward the bath. The Ambassador’s sister was smart.

  Beautiful, too. Her appearance had taken him by surprise. Porcelain skin, chestnut hair pulled back into a bun, sharp green eyes, and a lush body—not a stick figure like many of the commissioned women he knew.

  This assignment turned more interesting by the moment.

  Serving the Ambassador on Jenway had become more dangerous the last few months—too many suspicious people on staff and visiting the station each day. The unstable military situation with Jenway’s sister planet added to the problem and kept everyone on edge day and night.

  Up here, he could survive. And not end up terminated like other Cyborgs, just because a few went berserk. Well, maybe more than a few.

  He was more man than machine anyway. In his opinion, he didn’t deserve to die. And neither did she. He glanced at the bath door again. Tyree’s mission to find and bring back valuable ore attracted every criminal and scavenger in the sector, according to the Ambassador.

  Samou had insisted he confide in Tyree about his true identity, but he wasn’t convinced and asked the Ambassador to keep his identity a secret for a while longer. She didn’t want him here. He needed to prove his worth first.

  Unknown even to the Ambassador, he’d hacked into her private text records before coming on board, so he knew her secrets. His specialized training gave him the advantage of offering her a variety of services she would find hard to refuse.

  When she’d studied his mouth, his hands, his package, and then touched his face, he’d seen her interest in him beyond that of a mere robot. The softness of her skin against his almost spurred him into an action worthy of an arrest for sexual excess and time in a detention cell. He wanted between her legs badly. He allowed a rare smile to grace his face.

  Tyree’s brother said his sister needed to feel safe and happy. Perfect. He intended to see to those needs—all her needs.

  Tyree barely glanced at Adam as she stepped from the bath. He stood in front of the main door as appropriate to her order.

  She pulled her robe tighter, then silently chastised herself. If she walked around naked, it wouldn’t have an impact on the bot. She actually wondered what his response, if any, to such an action would be, and almost laughed at the thought of testing it out.

  She sat on her bunk and towel dried her hair. One of these days, she was going to hack off the long strands, which were more trouble than they were worth most of the time. But the soft waves reminded her of her feminine side, and she hesitated to rid herself of that small bit of vanity.

  The porthole next to her bunk drew her attention to the vast loneliness of space. Even after a three-day layover on Jenway, she still felt tired and every muscle in her body was clenched tighter than an iron vise. She tossed the towel aside and rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the tension.

  What she needed was…what? She didn’t know. Something out of the norm, for sure, to relax her.

  Strong hands settled on either side of her neck.

  She jumped up and spun around, breaking the touch. Adam stood close, too close—an impassive expression on his face. “What are you doing?” she demanded, backing away a step, and almost stumbling over her service boots on the floor.

  He reached out and steadied her. “You looked tense.”

  “So?” She shrugged off his hand. Not the best retort, but the most manageable at the moment.

  “I have been trained in relaxation massage.”

  Tyree laughed. “You? Why would a security bot receive relaxation training?” She dragged a hand through her tangled hair and retreated another step, feeling penned in by him.

  His gaze momentarily focused on her hair, then eased back to her eyes. “On Jenway, I received full personal pleasure training, in addition to security and communication training, to serve you better.”

  “Pleasure training?” She took advantage of eroti-bots from time to time. Impersonal robots seemed easier than dating—no emotional entanglements after the sex. Though she barely remembered the last time she’d indulged in bot sex. Robots weren’t overly satisfying, so she’d sworn off. Maybe this one’s programming included spontaneous touching coded in as a prelude to something more physical if he met with no resistance.

  “No offense,” as if a bot ever took offense, she thought, “but robots don’t do it for me when it comes to sex.” She wondered if her brother ordered Adam’s training and flushed in embarrassment at the thought.

  She grabbed a comb off the corner chest and pulled it through her hair. With the strands hanging loose, she felt less like an officer, the commander of this vessel, and more like a vulnerable woman fighting her attraction to some new man. She glanced at Adam, feeling his eyes on her. “What?”

  “No sexual programs were pend
ing, Captain. Do you wish to choose an erotic fantasy for me to fulfill?”

  “Didn’t you hear me? I’m not interested in having sex with you.” Okay, she lied, but better not to make the attempt. He must have faulty programming to have misunderstood. Just what she needed, an erotic bot.

  Erratic! She meant erratic. Geez!

  Her hand shook. Because of a mechanical? She tossed down the comb. She had to quit responding to him as a human male. She needed a drink.

  She turned and fixed herself a StarGin from her personal bar. As a perk of her rank, her quarters contained a private bath that utilized filtered and recycled water, a fully-stocked bar, and even a cooler for snacks. She took a sip of the sour liquid, and grimaced. She set aside the glass with a plunk.

  A drink wasn’t what she really needed. She’d been in space too long. That was the truth of the matter, and short layovers weren’t helping. She wanted a real vacation on a green planet with white, fluffy clouds and lots of water and open land. She closed her eyes, imagining how stress-free that would feel.

  A muscled arm slipped around her waist from behind, and Adam’s hand, warm and strong, squeezed her shoulder.

  Tyree’s eyes popped open. Her body froze, but her voice came out without hesitation. “Why are you touching me again?”

  The bot’s programs needed tweaking or shutting down. His actions were too unpredictable and unsettling.

  Tense moments passed as she waited for his answer. Or his next move. He should explain without hesitation.

  Too much time ticked by.

  A frisson of alarm raced through her. She tried to pull away, but he held tight, drawing her close against his frame. Why did his body feel so good? Steady and all male.

  A bot going against his programming was unusual. Suddenly, she wondered what exactly his programming consisted of.

  As if reading her mind, he responded, “My programming indicates a bodily need, despite your words and actions. So I have chosen an erotic fantasy at random for you.” He nuzzled her ear. “Relax, Captain. Do not fight me.” Boldly, he glided his tongue down the side of her neck, then back up again.