Adam muttered something approving, and Blake’s mouth twitched. “From what I understand, several other people have found sudden errands down there. Jia’Lyn’s snakes bit him.”
I could imagine strands of her lively hair reaching out for Enoch. The image made me warm inside. I was loved.
Blake shrugged, feigning lack of interest. “We’ve never had a prisoner with so many visitors, or one getting so hurt. I think he wants to meet you to plead for his life.”
Sometime during the night, my imagination turned the former ambassador into a space monster chewing granite for breakfast and snacking on women for dessert. “I don’t want to see him.”
“I understand that. You don’t have to, but it might do you good to confront him and get some closure. I’m sure Adam would go with you.”
He didn’t wait for either of us to answer; he brushed an imaginary speck of dust off his pants. “I have to go to the bridge. Alex, the Confederacy owes you a great debt for your assistance with the tree people. You gained more ground in one night than others have for decades.”
As soon as Blake left, Adam sighed and came around the large sofa to sit next to me. He lifted a lock of hair over my shoulder. “Do you want to go?”
I didn’t have to be telepathic to see he didn’t want me to. Maybe I should let him make the decision? Tempting. He was strong and secure. I leaned towards him and rested my head on his shoulder. “No, I really don’t, but I probably should. You’d come with me, right?”
“Of course, but I can’t promise not to hurt him.”
*****
Enoch looked less intimidating like this. My beating on him hadn’t done much of a difference, but Adam’s would have, not to mention all the little accidents Blake mentioned. He held a hand over his ribs and each breath wheezed. He was pale, and drops of sweat shone like pearls on his forehead. I still winced when he got to his feet and limped towards the force field that separated us. He might be in agony, but he would still be able to kill me.
Adam put a hand on my shoulder. Good thing; I was about to hide behind his back. He whispered, “I’m strong enough to tear the hull of this ship apart. Even if he could get out, I would not let him get to you.”
That helped. I met Enoch’s eyes. “I heard you wanted to see me.”
“Yes… I might have gone a little overboard yesterday.”
“You were going to rape and kill me. That’s more than a little overboard.”
He rolled his shoulders. “Yes, well, your pet robot looks like he’s yearning to rip my head off.”
I wanted to say Adam wasn’t a robot, but I didn’t have time to get a word in. “Aren’t you two the model couple, huh? You could be on a Confederacy poster board for interspecies relations. Too bad it won’t happen.”
He broke into a coughing fit. Adam said, “You don’t have to listen to him. Let’s go.”
Enoch shook his head and made a gesture for us to wait. Once he got his breath back, he sounded a bit too gleeful. “No, Commander. You’ll want to hear this. In return, I want your word you’ll keep your friends out of here. Both of you. And I want some proper medical attention. You destroyed more than a few ribs yesterday.”
Adam shrugged. “Come on, Sweetheart. Let’s get out of here.”
I walked obediently when he put a light pressure on my shoulder. Behind us, Enoch called out, “Alright Commander, you’ll only have yourself to blame when they take your woman away.”
Adam stopped, so I stopped too. He spun around and marched back towards the force field. “What are you talking about.”
The human stared into his eyes. “I told you you’d want to hear this. I need your word first. I don’t want to die down here.”
Without even glancing to the side, Adam reached out and deactivated the force field. The man on guard in the middle of the room pretended as if he didn’t see or hear anything.
As soon as the barely visible shield disappeared, Adam took a step forward, grabbing Enoch with superhuman speed and strength. He held the large man in the air. “How about, you tell me, and I don’t break your neck?”
He sounded calm enough, but there was no mercy in his usually warm eyes. Adam’s fingers closed around Enoch’s throat. Good. Give him a dose of his own medicine.
Enoch hit the android hand and produced a reasonable facsimile of a nod. Adam lifted an eyebrow and allowed the man’s feet to touch the floor. “I couldn’t quite hear you. Was that a yes?”
“Yes… I intercepted a transmission from Earth. The Bell will be ordered to rendezvous with the Kentucky. They’ll bring her back to HQ.”
“Why?”
“How would I know? I guess she’s had enough time to recuperate. The woman’s a living, breathing artefact. Imagine all the information she has in that pretty little head, having lived a life time on pre-alien Earth.”
Adam released his grip completely, took a step back, and raised the force field again. His face showed no emotion, and I tried to appear as cool as he. Unfortunately, my emotions didn’t come with an off switch.
Chapter Five
Adam didn’t say anything on the way to the lift, and I was too afraid to ask. I wouldn’t set foot willingly on a spaceship named after fried chicken, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going. I would be separated from my lover and my new friends, taken away from my new home, turned into an object for study. The mere thought made me want to throw up.
“Deck one.”
Why were we going to the top floor? It was an alien world to me, intimidating, and completely dedicated to work.
Once the lift started its long ascent, Adam lifted his communicator. “Send a medic to the bridge.”
He shrugged and glanced over at me, “I can always break his bones again if he causes trouble.”
I couldn’t answer. My eyes were brimming with tears, and I struggled to hold them back.
“Don’t worry. Even if he wasn’t lying, I won’t let anyone take you.”
I wanted to believe him, but in this strange new world, who knew what might happen. I threw my arms around him and buried my face against his chest.
“Let’s go get to the bottom of this, okay? He’s probably just lashing out in the only way he can.”
When I still didn’t answer, he pried a finger in under my chin and made me lift my head. “Alex, no one will take you anywhere against your will. I promise. I would rather steal a shuttle and run away with you than let anyone take you.”
His hazel eyes were calm and confident. This time, I believed him. “That’s good, because I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Blake frowned at the news. “I’ve heard nothing of the kind, but the Kentucky is close. It’s scheduled to go back to Earth, and this does sound like something Command would come up with.”
He seemed to talk more to himself than to us, and pulled up data on a holographic terminal. The way the information flowed by in three dimensions made my eyes cross.
“I take it you don’t want to go?”
I didn’t have to answer; he saw it on my face and nodded. “Alright. At least something good came out of this Enoch business then. We have some time to prepare. Give me an hour to investigate and see what our options are.”
*****
I curled up on our new sofa. It was a nice piece of furniture and I could have gotten used to it. Just how dumb was I, thinking I could call a spaceship home? If I didn’t belong with Adam on the Bell, I didn’t belong anywhere. Deeply depressing.
My lover brought me a cup of tea and took a seat next to me. How strange it was that this enigmatic man who wasn’t really a man chose me. He had plenty of options, girls hit on him all the time, and he still picked me. The thought was encouraging.
“Did you really mean that you’d run away with me?”
He didn’t even blink. “Of course. We can go now if you want to leave.”
I shook my head and managed a smile.
Adam’s communicator chirped and a young voice said, “Commander, this is
Ensign Starr from computer control. We could use some help with purging the navigational databases.”
Panic rose up. I wouldn’t be able to ask him to stay, that would sound too needy, but I did not want him to go.
“Not right now, I’m busy.”
He broke the transmission and I mumbled, “Thank you.”
“If they call me to say the engine room is on fire, I might have to go.”
Fair enough.
Minutes ticked by and we sat in silence. I couldn’t think of one single thing to talk about that wouldn’t make me cry, so I cupped both hands around the mug and stared at the tea.
“Remember how people in your time thought nothing could travel faster than light?”
What? “I… Yeah, I guess.”
“We do and we don’t. The warp drive creates a bubble in front of the ship, and another, smaller bubble behind it. Space moves around us, and we almost stand still.”
Good neutral subject. A little weird, but the idea was sound. I managed a smile. “I don’t get it.”
By the time Blake knocked on our door, we had holographic sketches all around us. Adam’s explanations made sense, but I didn’t understand the details. It didn’t matter. He had chased my demons away.
Our Captain looked around and lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t comment on the warp drive lesson. He took a seat on the sofa, and the frown between his eyes made my heart sink.
“There is an order for us to meet up with the Kentucky. They’re scheduled to transport Alex back to Earth.”
“Why?” Adam’s voice held no patience.
Blake shrugged. “There are probably several reasons for their curiosity, besides the obvious.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it again.
“I contacted Admiral Rice for advice. The Confederacy legal systems are complicated, but he knows his way around them. There’s a fairly easy way out of it.”
He glanced down at his hands. I knew him to be extremely straightforward and darting around an issue wasn’t his style. Was he embarrassed? “And what might that be?”
“Go through a bonding ceremony with someone on the ship. More than half of the Confederacy species have some form of pair forming, and all member species have the right to call upon it. Command wouldn’t have the power to separate you.”
He wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Alex, since you’re not technically from this century, you might be exempt from the rule. On the other hand, Adam’s rights have already been settled in court.”
Adam didn’t say anything. Blake stared at him. “You’re under my command. I can fight any order to transfer you. You’re much too important to the ship. If Alex were to leave, no one could deny you the right to accompany her.”
Holy Moly! It explained all the civilians moseying around on the ship, but this wasn’t right. Adam didn’t have a stellar history of relationships. Wasn’t it bad enough to have been created as a substitute for one woman’s husband, and then have to flee from a forced relationship with what would be his sister?
“You two think about it, but don’t think too long. We’re supposed to intersect with the Kentucky the day after tomorrow. I would be happy if we were only to transfer the prisoner.”
He left, and I could almost poke the silence in the room. Adam sighed softly and I went over to the replicator. A glass of water might help me swallow the lump in my throat.
The machine didn’t help. It gave me a sulphurous liquid that must be from Lupe’s home planet. One more try resulted in a bar of chocolate. Good choice, but it wasn’t water… I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to curse.
I didn’t hear Adam walk up next to me, not until he murmured, “I don’t know if the replicators love you and want to tease you, or if they hate you.”
When he asked for water, the machine produced a glass of crystal clear liquid with three ice cubes. “Thank you.”
He rested his hands on my shoulders. “I won’t hold it against you if you don’t want to, but maybe you should do it anyway. If you meet someone else later you’d rather be with, I wouldn’t try to stand in the way.”
“What are you talking about?” I understood the words just fine, but this had to be some complicated chain of logic that only made sense in his head.
My all too handsome lover answered as unemotionally as only an android, or possibly a man, could, “I wouldn’t try to talk you into a thing like this if it wasn’t logical. I don’t know what their intentions are with you, but I am sure you’re better off here.”
Better off… Too much. This was the last straw. I wanted to flee into the bedroom and slam the door behind me, but these doors didn’t slam. “Sometimes you’re impossible. If this is a proposal it’s the worst ever. If you think I’m hesitating, it’s only because I don’t want you to be forced into anything.”
Not my best line ever, but I still marched away. Maybe I could lock myself in the bathroom and get some peace and quiet.
“Alex, wait.”
I didn’t stop, but he caught up with me with a couple of long steps. It was easy for him to turn me around to face him, and I had no way to hide the tears that streamed down my cheeks. He pulled me close. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
Could I struggle and get free? Not likely. Besides, he’d let me go if I asked him to, so fighting was pointless.
“I don’t know how to do these things, I’ve never thought about it before. You know I love you, right?”
Maybe his emotions weren’t exactly the same as the ones humans experience, but in his own way, he loved me. I nodded and mumbled, “I love you too.”
“I already belong to you, you know that. I’d say with heart and soul, but I’m not so sure I have either.”
It was meant to make me smile, but I wasn’t in the mood for android puns. I still nodded, and he relaxed his grip on me.
“Look at me, Alex.”
I didn’t want to, but I lifted my eyes anyway. He smiled, carefully as if trying to judge my response to it. I couldn’t help but smile back. I imagined he had a setting for “charm,” and it was turned to the max. A woman made of marble wouldn’t have been able to resist him.
He led me back to the sofa and teased, “Can you sit here for five minutes without being attacked by anything?”
I stuck my tongue out.
*****
Adam remained in his office, and as curious as I was to what he might be doing in there, I also wanted to sulk. During the past few hours I’d almost been raped, murdered, and deported from my home. It was not a good time for android ineptness. Maybe I should go hide somewhere and mope in peace?
The door slid open and he took a seat next to me. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.”
“Logic doesn’t always serve me well. Let me try to do this better.”
Do what?
My heart almost stopped when he sunk down on one knee beside me. “I needed to study up on this. Alex, you are the only woman I’ve ever loved. Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife? To love and to hold and all that, and to never have to leave me to go to the other side of the galaxy unless you choose to?”
He paused and grimaced. “Yes, I’m sure, so don’t even ask. I’m sorry I screwed this up earlier.”
How did he always know what I was about to say? “Adam, you mean the world to me…”
“Don’t say but. Say yes.”
“Yes.”
He kissed my fingers. “Good choice. I’m sure I can make a good husband.”
I never doubted that. ”How do you know I won’t make a crappy wife?”
“You are a treasured part of my base programming.”
This was new. An android version of dirty talk? “Only because you put me there.”
“I put thorough research into my Alex code. Would be a shame to waste it… My research showed me you’re supposed to get one of these.”
His hands surrounded mine for a moment, and a glimmer of gold appeared on my finger. “Where did you get
that?”
The replicators weren’t supposed to make jewellery, but with Adam, one could never know for sure.
The ring looked good on me, but was I really getting married? To Adam? Sure, it was a convenient solution to all my problems, and I was pretty sure I couldn’t live without him, but what about the long run? I would grow old and grey, and he’d stay just the same.
“I have some things to do, but I should be back in a couple of hours.”
I ripped my eyes away from my hand. How did he get to the door so quickly? Logic probably suggested all problems were dealt with and life must move on, but I was still worried. I bounced to my feet and threw my arms around his neck. “This will all work out, right?”
“Of course it will.” He probably didn’t interpret the question in the same way as I. My mind was still on the more distant future and not the immediate threats, but I was ready for any reassurance I could get.
Adam smiled. “I have a fiancée. I never thought I’d use that word in a sentence about me.”
Too cute. I stood on my toes and pressed my lips against his, and he kissed me with much more heat than I expected.
“If you’re trying to distract me, you’re doing a pretty good job.”
Really? Interesting. “Well, if you have to go, at least hurry back.”
“I don’t think you’ll have time to miss me.”
Chapter Six
The rooms seemed very empty when Adam left. I roamed around, investigating my new home. “We have a dining room?”
I assumed the computer would say something suitably snarky, but the machine stayed silent. What more surprises might be spread out behind these doors?
The doorbell rang and Anya swept in, filling the void with her larger than life rock star aura. She grabbed my hands. “Isn’t this exciting? There’s something about a man in uniform, isn’t there?”
How did she know already? Maybe she met Adam in the corridor. “I…”
“We have to get you a dress, and shoes. What is it you Earth people say? Something borrowed something new, something something, and something blue?”
“Something old. I’m sure something old is supposed to be in there.”
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