Suburban Cyborg

by Gloria Martin

  There wouldn’t be any more of that, now that I’d come out of the funk I was in over having lost my parents. I was going to be a new me. I would dress like I used to and pay more attention to the things I wanted out of life. A job I loved, a great guy to come home to, and eventually two curly-haired little kids. I smiled at myself in the mirror and then went to go send out resumes and query letters to just about every marketing firm in the city.

  *****

  Melanie

  I slept in the next morning and gave a leisurely stretch before I rolled out of bed. Across from my bed was the closet off to the right, and directly in front of the bed was a little seating area where I had my chaise across from the fireplace. As I stood up from bed I could have sworn I saw a flash of movement. The throw blanket on the chaise definitely fluttered, though there was no draft, and the door to my closet closed a fraction.

  My heart raced in my chest. My apartment building was relatively new. I was pretty sure no one had died in the building so there was no reason for it to be haunted. I slowly walked over to the closet and then yanked the door open abruptly. There was nothing but my rows of clothing and shelves of shoes. I took a deep breath and then rubbed my eyes. I had just woken up. I was probably still dreaming, plus there’s no way anyone – or anything – could have been in my apartment with me. I lived in the city and firmly believed in locking doors and setting alarms.

  I went into the bathroom for a shower and to get ready for the day. After my shower, when I went to do my hair in my room I noticed something in the reflection of the mirror over my dresser. It faced the large window in my room and my window looked out over the city, but there was a fire escape directly outside. Someone was standing on the fire escape. I watched him for the longest while. He was simply standing there, facing away from me. He wore all black and seemed to be having a cigarette. I turned around to go and knock on my window, so the guy would leave, but when I went to do so he was gone.

  I pushed my fingers through my hair and wondered to myself if I was seeing things. Maybe I was losing my mind…I refused to believe that and simply got ready as normal. Though I did glance over my shoulder often. There were no lurking figures, no one smoking cigarettes while staring at me as I got ready for the day.

  I decided to have breakfast out and grabbed my laptop bag and keys then headed for the door. I locked up behind me and made my way downstairs, through the lobby, and out onto the bustling sidewalk. It was only ten in the morning and I had a full day planned to check for any job responses and visit the Met. Afterwards I’d make the trip to Chinatown for my favorite dumplings and then head back home to change. I was going to find me a man that night so I planned on dressing cute, yet casual, and heading to a nearby sports bar to watch the basketball game.

  I went to a nearby coffee shop that had great bagels and wasn’t too packed due to its cavernous space inside. The shop was modern and artistically decorated with cool local artwork around the walls. After I ordered my Americano and bagel with plain cream cheese, I found a little table that was tucked into the back corner. It was pretty quiet where I was and I enjoyed the peace of being able to focus, yet not being too alienated from the people around me. I noticed a tall man as he walked by me and sat down at the round table next to mine. What caught my attention was his sheer size. He was at least seven feet tall, had to be, and he was built with muscle to fill in his impressive frame, though he didn’t appear too bulky under his loose fleece jacket and well-fitting blue jeans.

  I tried to get a good look at his face, but he was looking down at the muffin he had ordered as he unwrapped it. He would probably finish that thing in two bites. I refocused on my e-mails and was happy with the few responses I got in return to some of my inquiries. A couple of really great marketing firms were interested in setting up interviews with me! In my rush of excitement, I moved kind of jerkily and knocked over my cup of coffee. Thank goodness it didn’t spill onto my computer, but it did fall all over the floor.

  “Shit,” I murmured to myself and then hopped down from the tall chair I was sitting in to clean up the mess.

  “Let me help you.” The deep voice startled me and I looked up into silver colored eyes. His gaze was intense and he had a beautifully angular jaw and chin; his lips were full and pink, and his cheekbones high and well formed. His nose was a straight line and his eyebrows were slightly winged. He had a slight tan to his skin that brought out his eyes that much more. His hair was jet black, which made his eyes even brighter. He looked surreal; no one could have been that gorgeous. I was slightly stunned.

  “I will go and fetch some more napkin,” he said before he turned and went over to the counter to get napkins. I realized I had spilled my coffee and that’s what I was supposed to be cleaning up. I grabbed what little napkins I had and then bent down to wipe up the mess. Soon he returned with more and we had the mess cleaned up, save for some stickiness on the floor.

  “Uh, thank you…I’m Melanie,” I said after we had thrown out the napkins. I offered him my hand to shake, but he completely surprised me by taking it and pressing a kiss to my knuckles. He smiled warmly and I tried to stay the butterflies in my stomach and the tingles running up my arm from his kiss. Was this man even real?

  “It is a pleasure to meet you Melanie. Next time be careful of your coffee,” he said without giving me his name. He let my hand go and with a smile he grabbed his untouched muffin and left the coffee shop. I watched him go and then shook myself before I continued replying to e-mails.

  *****

  Josiah

  Melanie went through her day alone as she did most of her days. I did not like that she quit her job, even though she was unhappy she still had interaction with others. I did not like to see her alone. The moment we had in the coffee shop she seemed frightened of me, so I tried to leave before she could find real issue with my presence. I did not know why Melanie enraptured me so. I had successfully used most of my six months on this planet to observe the many ethnicities and stations of women. My report was hopeful that Rodonian men would be able to woo human women to Rodon.

  I had returned to New York to try and track any patterns in the diversity of women and their cultures in the city with where they stood in society. I needed to complete my assessment of how I felt the human women would react to the changes of being brought to Rodon. I was learning that if they were given largely equal opportunities there would be no backlash given their Rodonian mates treated them properly. That’s when I came across Melanie. She was beautiful, like none other I’ve ever seen and I had observed many other beautiful women. She had a light about her that was almost tenfold when she decided to shake her unhappiness.

  I chose to study her in my endeavors to understand the American woman in city life. Often I would be caught by the curve of her plump lips or the fullness of her breasts. It was difficult to stay my growing affections so that I could study her. One thing I did know about Melanie was that she had no family, no friends, and no job. Though she seemed optimistic about her future, I wanted something for her that would ground her.

  I was quickly finding out that Melanie was not an accurate representative for what I was trying to seek. But as I followed her around from place to place I could not stop myself. Melanie was now returning to her home and this was where I needed to get stealthy. She was sensing my presence more and more and I had to remain unseen. As I followed her down the sidewalk that would lead to her apartment building I made sure to keep in line with other pedestrians, so that I could blend in with the crowd. When she walked into the lobby I kept my head down and rounded the side of the building to enter through the emergency exit doors. There I climbed the forty floors quickly to her hallway and I often reached her door before she did. There I picked the lock and went inside. I made sure to lock the door behind me and then I stood off in the corner I usually hovered in. I made sure to stay just out of her sight.

  Melanie returned to her home. I had hoped she would retire for the night, as it was too dark a
nd cold for her to be out at that hour. Instead she went right into her bedroom and then crossed the hall in nothing but a towel to take a shower. The sight of her beautiful legs and the outline of her hips and round bottom stirred my thoughts and I felt the then familiar pull of arousal touch my system. It was odd, in this new body, that I could still feel arousal rush through my veins to my fingertips and toes.

  Melanie’s head was turning as she moved to open the bathroom door and I quickly sidestepped the path of her eyes. I ghosted into another dark corner and she stared at the spot I vacated for a long time, before her head turned again towards me. I quickly moved back to the other far corner of her living room and then she shook her head at herself before she went into the bathroom. I did not release my breath until I heard the sounds of the shower running.

  She would find me out soon. That much I knew. There was no more information I needed from watching Melanie. I needed to get over my silly attraction and complete my mission. I took a deep breath and then stepped forward to leave her apartment silently. But then the unthinkable happened and she stepped out of the bathroom. The shower was still running and she still had the towel wrapped around her dry body.

  I moved with the speed only my mechanical limbs could have granted me. I managed to dodge her spotting me and watched as she went into her bedroom. I took the opportunity quietly and quickly to leave the apartment.

  That was too close for comfort. I had gotten reckless and almost endangered my mission. Just like the last one I was on, I got too confident, too comfortable, and it nearly cost me my life.

  I did not need anything of the sort to happen again. I sighed to myself and thought about what humans did for fun on a Friday evening. In my time of observation, I learned that no matter the culture, race, or region, humans liked to drink alcohol. I figured a good ale was in order as I was nearing the end of my mission anyways.

  *****

  Melanie

  When I stepped out of the shower I felt that the apartment was almost empty somehow…then I realized that the presence over my shoulder was no longer there. I guess maybe I had lost it for a little while then. In any event I was glad I didn’t have the urge to look over my shoulder anymore. I thoroughly moisturized my hair to eliminate any frizz and the curls actually started to behave and tousle just how I wanted them to. After that I put on a form fitting red sweater that showed off some cleavage once I removed my scarf, and a pair of my best dark blue jeans. They showed off my butt fantastically. The khaki, heeled boots were the icing on the cake, though I didn’t wear an obvious heel because I didn’t want to come off as desperate.

  Once I was ready I headed out to the sports bar just a couple of blocks away. When I came to the English-pub-like exterior of the bar, that creeping feeling that I was being watched came back and I glanced behind me in paranoia. There was that figure across the street, just standing there staring at me. I hurried into the building and took a seat at the bar. It was kind of weird how the outside of Rick’s was decorated like a pub, but the inside was a straight up sports bar. Outfitted with pool tables, darts, and screen after screen stationed around the open space.

  The bartender slid over to take my order, he wore a charming smile and was pretty cute in a curly haired, blue-eyed, boy next door kind of way. I bet he racked up great tips with the women who did come into the bar.

  “What can I get for you gorgeous?”

  “I’ll take a Yuengling please,” I said, and the bartender was quick to get me a bottle of the lager. I perused the menu to see if they had anything I could eat that weren’t messy finger foods. The back of my neck prickled and I turned to see the guy from the coffee shop striding through the door. He navigated through the crowded dining room towards the bar. He was still wearing that dark blue fleece and those dark jeans…was he the guy from across the street? The one with the dark clothing that was staring at me?

  The more I thought about it the more I was sure this was the guy who was making me feel so paranoid, he was following me and watching me! He was the guy on my fire escape, too! I paid the bartender for my beer and then went over to where the stalker coffee shop guy sat.

  “Hey, can we talk for a minute outside please?” I asked, I was barely restraining the anger in my voice. This pervert could have seen any number of things! Who knew how long he had been stalking me!?

  The stalker coffee shop guy nodded once and stood from the stool he was sitting on. I turned and walked outside. I knew he was following me because I felt his presence close behind me. Once we were well enough away from the bar I turned abruptly and caused him to nearly run into me.

  “You’ve been stalking me, haven’t you,” I said. I didn’t exactly phrase it as a question, but the guy nodded anyways. His silver eyes were intent on mine as if he was trying to figure out what I was thinking.

  “So you’re not going to apologize? You’re just going to nod? I should call the cops you know!” I tried to keep my voice down, but I was so pissed that this guy invaded my privacy I just wanted to let him have it.

  “I apologize for unsettling you Melanie…” he was so calm, his voice so smooth and sure, that it infuriated me further.

  “Can you at least tell me why you were stalking me?” I yelled and he glanced around at the other people passing us by. We were just another couple of New Yorkers having an argument on the sidewalk. It was mostly normal so not too many heads were turned. The guy had the nerve to take my arm and pull me in the direction of my apartment building.

  “We will talk someplace more private; there I will explain to you why I was following you,” I got a little nervous at that point. Here this huge stranger was dragging me towards a private place. Who knew what he would do to me once we were behind closed doors. I yanked my arm out of his grasp and he looked at me with slight annoyance.

  “You’re not taking me anywhere you psycho! Okay, I don’t want to know why you were following me. Just stop! The next time I see you I’m calling the police,” I turned my back on him and hurried into my building. I didn’t feel him following me and when I looked over my shoulder he was nowhere to be found. I quickly made my way up to my apartment and checked around me and over my shoulder for any signs of the stalker guy. I breathed a soft sigh of relief when I was safely locked inside of my apartment.

  When I turned from the door to face the living room I saw him sitting there on my couch. He looked at me expectantly and my jaw dropped. “How did you…how did you get in here?” I couldn’t even scream, I just stared wide-eyed and hoped like hell he wasn’t some axe murderer.

  “I managed to procure a spare key to your apartment. I can assure you that I mean no harm. Please sit so I can tell you why I’ve been following you.”

  I had just realized that he had a strange accent, and the way he spoke was almost…robotic. It definitely wasn’t casual. I put both hands on my hips and lifted my chin slightly.

  “Well go ahead and explain.”

  *****

  Josiah

  I almost smiled as I watched Melanie tap her foot impatiently on the hardwood floor. She had this pose of defiance and her expression was mostly annoyed. I figured most women in her position would be frightened, but she hid her true emotions well and seemed ready to throw me out of the window if she had to.

  “Well are you just going to stare at me or what?”

  I smirked and her glare turned into a full-on glower.

  “My name is Josiah and I have been…” I trailed off in uncertainty. I could not truly tell her everything, the very basis of my mission was secrecy. I could not go against Lord Rixon’s orders.

  “You’ve been what? Why can’t you tell me why you’ve been following me? Are you into like…human trafficking?”

  Her words made me take pause. Technically Lord Rixon did want to traffic women from Earth so that they would have Rodonian children. Melanie’s eyes widened in horror and she backed away from me cautiously.

  “No, I do not want to traffic you. I simply cannot share why I hav
e been following you,” I admitted that much and Melanie’s wary expression turned angered and annoyed all over again.

  “That’s bullshit! You have one minute to spill or I’m calling the cops,” Melanie yelled at me, and she reached for the bag she’d dropped on the end table near the door. I leapt over the couch and crossed the short space to her within one breath. I held her wrist firmly in my hand so that she could not reach for the telephone. “What are you doing?! Let me go…” Melanie said with a bite to her tone. She looked up at me with her clear blue eyes and I saw no fear. She was fierce and determined.

  Before I could stop myself or it. I felt the all too familiar stiffening in my sex. Melanie sensed the change in me, perhaps my eyes gave it away. Her gaze became a bit confused and searching. I capitalized on her preoccupation and then leaned in to kiss her. I pressed my lips against hers and she froze for a fraction of a second before she slowly leaned against me. I held both of her hands then, my fingers laced with hers, and I moved my lips against hers as well. They were soft and smooth.

  Melanie broke the kiss abruptly and she pushed against my chest so that I would back away from her. “I don’t know…you’ve been stalking me and you just—kiss me! It’s weird, I can’t…you can’t do this!” Melanie was trying to push me away. I was through with trying to pretend I was watching her other than reasons of my attraction, I knew then that she felt it between us as well.

  “You know me; you just do not know why you feel that you do,” I said. I realized that I was perhaps projecting my own feelings onto her. But it had to be impossible that it was only I that felt that way.

  “I do know you…I just…it feels more like I recognize you. I don’t know how that’s possible,” she admitted softly as her big blue eyes stared up at mine. No matter my report to Lord Rixon, I was going to take Melanie back with me to Rodon. That was a must; I had found my mate on Earth. I bent my head down to kiss her once again and then her hands slid up my arms to grip my shoulders and I picked up her small body.