by Isaac Hooke
Jason didn’t know what to say to that. So instead, he decided to change the subject. It was time to steer the conversation down the path he had been dreading.
“I have to tell you something.” Jason couldn’t help the sudden nervous edge to his voice.
Tara looked up. Her shoulders tensed. There was fear in her eyes.
“I, well…” Jason couldn’t meet her eyes. Then he blurted it out all at once. “I slept with Aria and Xin. I forgot to ask for permission. I know you wanted that, but I figured, there wouldn’t be any harm in it, because I’m probably not going to do it again, and—”
He realized he was rambling, and when he looked at her, he saw that she seemed relieved. Her shoulders had relaxed, and she slumped slightly as he watched.
“Is that it?” Tara said. “I thought you were going to tell me you were breaking up with me or something.”
“No, not at all,” Jason said.
“Well good,” Tara said. “So then. Yes, it’s okay. You have my permission to fuck Aria and Xin. And Sophie as well. And the new girls, too, if you want.”
“Why the sudden openness?” Jason asked.
“Just seems easier this way,” Tara said. “To give you permission ahead of time, and all. Less angst for all parties involved.”
Jason was at a loss for words.
“I just want you to be happy,” Tara explained into the silence.
Finally Jason found his voice. “I am happy. I was happy with you and Lori alone. But I just, lost my way, I guess. The temptation… the girls, well, they were just throwing themselves at me for a while there. I didn’t know what to do. I figured, why not?”
She smiled sadly. “You don’t need to explain yourself. Look, when I say I want you to be happy, I’ve realized now that your happiness is directly linked to the well-being of the girls. When they’re happy and content, it translates into behavior that makes you happy and content. Look at what happened with Aria and Xin at the rift. How they attacked you. I bet they won’t do that ever again, not after you fucked them.”
“We’ll see,” Jason said.
“No, it’s true,” Tara said. “Having sex with someone releases dopamine. It forms a bond.”
“In humans, maybe,” Jason said.
“In us, too,” Tara said. “Our subroutines are written to mimic dopamine down to the binary level. You’ve bonded with them, along with the rest of us. They’ll be loyal.”
“Well sure, but I made the mistake of actually telling them that,” Jason said.
Tara tapped her lips in thought. “What did you tell them, exactly?”
“Well, let’s see,” Jason said. “After we all climaxed, and were lying in bed together—”
“Uh, thanks for that,” Tara said. “Unnecessary details!”
“Uh, sorry,” Jason said. “Anyway, I told them that maybe now, hopefully, they’d show me more loyalty.”
“Ah,” Tara said. “While that might have been the point of the transaction, it’s best not to tell women something like that outright.”
“Yeah, I figured that,” Jason said.
“Why did you call it a transaction?” Jason said. “That’s what Lori calls it, too, when I do it with someone else.”
“We talked about this, Lori and I,” Tara said. “When you have sex with someone else, it’s simply a transaction. When you have sex with us, it’s lovemaking. It’s how we rationalize sharing you. Otherwise, I don’t think we could handle the jealousy.”
“Ah,” Jason said.
She sat down on a small rock next to the lake, and gazed out at the towering cliff face that was reflected upon the smooth surface in front of her.
“There’s something I wanted to tell you,” Tara said.
“What, you’re pregnant?” Jason joked.
She gave him a hurt look, and Jason quickly wiped the grin off his face. He took a seat on a rock beside her.
“So what is it?” he pressed.
She looked at his face searchingly. Her eyes were suddenly sad again. “Why is this so hard?”
“What?” Jason said.
She swallowed visibly. “Well.” She looked away. “Come on, silly Tara, just tell him.” She finally met his eyes again. “I’ve, well, ever since we met on the irradiated plains that day, there’s been something between us.”
“Yes, a tension,” Jason said. “Sexual, I guess.”
“That, and something more,” Tara said.
“What do you mean?”
“Just that,” Tara said. “I… well.” She looked down. “I… really like you.”
“Oh, I like you, too,” Jason said, maybe a bit too quickly. Almost like a brush off.
She squeezed her hands together, tightly, apparently not pleased at his tone. When she spoke, her voice was soft, as if she was talking more to herself than him. “I couldn’t tell you. I tried when the moment came, but I couldn’t do it.”
“Tell me what?” Jason pressed.
She sighed, and her fingers relaxed. She looked into his eyes once more. “Just fuck me, please.”
She draped her body backward over the small rock, and Jason used the VR build tools to elongate the gray edges to support her. He enlarged the rock to hold himself as well.
Instead of vanishing his clothes, he purposely undressed, and then did the same with her.
After the sex, she promptly sat up and pulled on her clothes.
“Well, I won’t keep you,” Tara said.
“Wait,” Jason said. “At least snuggle a bit or something.”
“Aw, that’s sweet,” Tara said. “But unnecessary. I don’t need to snuggle.”
“But if you leave right now, it’ll just make me feel used,” Jason said.
Tara shrugged. “I thought that’s what you guys like?”
“No,” Jason said.
“I once met a man who asked me, what was the longest time in the world?” Tara said. “I told him I had no idea. Then he explained that the longest time in the world was the time between his climax, and when the woman left. So. I don’t want to prolong your torture more than it needs to be.”
And with that, she vanished.
Jason shook his head. Damn it. I’ll never understand her!
Once again he was wishing all the girls were like Lori.
Unfortunately, his day wasn’t done yet. He had to set things right with Aria and Xin. Given that Aria had protected him in the last battle, he suspected things were probably okay with her, but he needed to check. As for Xin, well, he’d find out shortly, he supposed.
He planned to make this quick.
He returned to his standard VR partition, and checked if Aria and Xin were logged in. They were, surprisingly. He was ready to request an invite to their private VRs, but now he didn’t have to worry about that. They were located relatively close together, as expected.
He teleported to their location, deep in the woods next to the lake.
They were chopping wood together. They’d felled at least three trees with axes, and were currently splitting smaller logs on the severed trucks.
Jason approached.
Aria looked up, but Xin ignored him.
“Hey,” Jason said.
Aria returned her attention to the task at hand.
“What are you doing?” Jason said.
“Making a dojo,” Aria said. “So we can practice sparring.”
“Why does it look like you’re making firewood, then?” Jason asked.
Neither answered.
“What’s the point of a dojo?” Jason said. “It won’t translate into the real world.”
“But it could,” Aria said. “We could spar in virtual mechs, too, not just human forms.”
Jason cocked his head. “Why build it by hand instead of using VR tools?”
“Distracts our minds,” Xin said.
“From what?” Jason said.
“From our situation here, trapped on this planet,” Aria said. A moment later she added: “And from you.”
&
nbsp; “Ah,” Jason said. “You’re still pissed at me.”
Aria threw her ax away and stalked toward him. “You’re damn straight we’re pissed. You have a lot of nerve showing up here.” Her anger seemed a bit forced. Theatrical. Especially considering they had fought together against bioweapons only a short time ago. But Jason decided to let her have her little show of outrage. He’d take it like a man.
He only worried that it wouldn’t make a difference.
He saw Xin watching the confrontation from the corner of her eye, judging him.
“You slept with us because you wanted to secure our loyalty,” Aria said. “Not because you’re attracted to us. And that’s the worst possible thing a man can ever do to a woman. Well, other than loving someone else.”
“That’s not true,” Jason said. “I slept with you because I was attracted. But I guess I was also thinking strategically, too. I can’t help it. I lead an army now.”
She didn’t answer.
“Let me make it up to you,” Jason said.
“How?” Aria said.
“I’ll give you that company of tanks,” Jason said.
Aria turned away. “I don’t want it anymore.”
She fetched her ax, and returned to the stump.
“What do you want?” Jason asked.
“For starters,” Aria said. “Some respect. Don’t treat us like property.”
“I never did,” Jason said.
“If you say so,” Aria said. She struck down at the wood she’d placed on the trunk, and split it in half.
“What about you, Xin?” Jason said. “How can I show you that you’re more to me than just some piece on a 3D chess board?”
“No need,” Xin said. “I will forgive you in my own time. I just need space. What you’re doing here, it comes off as needy. It’s not like you.”
“I guess... I don’t want to lose either of you,” Jason said.
“Because we’re valuable members of your team?” Aria said. “Or because you want to use us, to protect you.”
“The former,” Jason said.
Aria nodded. “I believe you.”
“Xin?” Jason said.
“As I told you, I need time,” Xin said. “But for what it’s worth, I believe you, as well.”
“Thank you,” Jason said. “I’d offer to help build this dojo of yours, but I have a feeling I’m not wanted at the moment.”
“You’d be correct in that regard,” Xin said.
Jason sighed gently, and then logged out of his VR.
Sometimes, the real world was better than the virtual.
7
When the treads of the damaged tanks were repaired enough to move on, Jason gave the order to proceed north once more. Repairs continued on the other units in the meantime, and as usual, the army dragged the wreckages of the completely destroyed units along for spare parts.
They used the path the Girahips had trampled through the forest. The units had to step over and around the dead bodies of the Dragon Cheetahs that clogged the immediate area, but as soon the army left those bodies behind, the units were able to advance without impediments.
They soon reached the area where the Girahips had been trimming the pine trees with their jaws, and then passed it, continuing through the tall trees, northward.
The repairs were completed in a couple of hours. Jason glanced at the sky, and realized that the sun hadn’t moved from its position.
“I wonder if the sun ever sets here,” Tara commented, giving voice to his thoughts.
“That can be both good, and bad,” Jason said.
“Good, because it means we’ll always be able to see where we’re going,” Lori said. “Bad, because so will the alien bioweapons.”
“We can see with LIDAR,” Aria said. “So we don’t need sunlight.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of, it’s good, because our power cells will always be recharging,” Jason said.
“Ah!” Lori said. “I knew that!”
“Then why didn’t you say it?” Sophie asked.
“Dunno, slipped my mind!” Lori replied.
“You’re a machine now,” Xin said. “Nothing can actually ‘slip your mind,’ as you say.”
“Nu-uh,” Lori said. “Trust me, things slip my mind all the time!”
“I actually believe her on that,” Sophie said. The condescension in her voice was obvious.
Iris came alongside Jason’s mech. She switched to a private channel. Her avatar appeared.
“Interesting team you have here,” the Middle Eastern woman said. “Tell me, how do you keep them together? Are you sleeping with them?”
“Well, that’s none of your business, is it?” Jason said.
“Actually, it is,” Iris said. “I’m part of this team now, too. I have to know what to expect.”
“I don’t think I’ll be sleeping with you, if that’s what you’re getting at,” Jason said. “I have my hands full already. Trust me. I don’t think the girls would like it. You ask how I keep them together? By not getting romantically involved with anyone.” It was such a blatant lie, he thought she wasn’t going to believe him.
But she nodded her head anyway. “Interesting.”
Jason wasn’t sure why he’d lied to her. He supposed it was because he wanted to dispel any notions she might have had about sleeping with him. Best to get such thoughts out of her head early on. Otherwise the walking disaster that his own team had become would only worsen.
“I lived in Little Persia, in New York,” Iris said. “The biggest concentration of Persians in the world, considering that we lost our homeland to the invaders. We are actually very liberal. I used to attend what we called ‘slumber parties.’ Essentially a euphemism for orgies.”
“You went to orgies?” Jason said. There was only a hint of disbelief in his voice. He wasn’t surprised by anything anymore.
“Yes,” Iris said. “It was interesting, though the experience was entirely empty. Devoid of emotion. It was like having sex while your mind is constrained by Containment Code, and without emotions. Something we did often with Bokerov. The lust and pleasure are still there, but no emotional satisfaction whatsoever.”
“Doesn’t sound very fun,” Jason said.
“No,” Iris said. “Now that I have emotions back again, I’m hopeful that one day, I’ll be able to have some sort of relationship with another human being. Or I suppose, the only relationship I can have these days is with a Mind Refurb, such as yourself.”
“Yeah, but as I said, I don’t get romantically involved,” Jason said.
“Lori tells me otherwise,” Iris said.
Jason nearly threw up his arms.
Damn it, she blabs to everyone.
“It’s all right if you don’t want me,” Iris said. “I can try my luck with your other clones.”
Jason sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want you, it’s just that I have my hands full managing the girls as it is. And trust me, my other clones will be just as preoccupied. There’s just no room for anyone else.”
“I understand,” Iris said. “So we’re good for a date tonight at 8 P.M., Standard Time? I will cook Baqala polow for you.”
“Uh, I just said there’s no room for anyone else?” Jason said.
“Great, see you in your VR at 8,” Iris said. Her avatar winked out, and she decreased her pace so that she was no longer walking alongside him.
They just don’t give up.
Well, he had to admire her persistence. He planned to avoid his VR tonight at 8, however.
An alert sounded on his HUD. His Explorer had spotted something.
Jason switched his attention to the remote feed. There were white, elliptical flyers approaching. The kind the Tyrnari favored.
“Well, we’ve got company,” Jason said.
He recalled the Explorer and landed it on a treetop nearby. The drone balanced delicately on the upper branches.
“Bokerov, ready to do some killing?” Jason said.
“Always am,” Bokerov said.
“Defensive positions, War Forgers,” Jason said.
The different team members and their clones aimed their weapons at the sky above the tree line ahead, and waited. Sophie used her jumpjets to land on the upper branch of a nearby tree, while Cheyanne did the same with her wings.
Bokerov, meanwhile, ordered his Cataphracts to lie down, so that their upper bodies would be hidden by the trees.
“You know, the Cataphracts were probably already sighted,” Aria said. “It’s why the Tyrnari are headed our way.”
“She’s right,” Jones said. “We already agreed those things can be spotted for kilometers around.”
“Yes, but Bokerov is going to reposition them,” Jason said. “So that when they reemerge, their new locations will be a surprise. Isn’t that right, Bokerov?”
“I’ll reposition them as well as I’m able,” Bokerov said. “The bipedals will have to low crawl, which is a tricky thing for a Cataphract, as you call it, to do. Some of the quadrupeds will have difficulty as well, due to the nature of their limbs. The Sphinx, for example, can only move very slowly in a crawl position.”
“Do what you can,” Jason said.
He glanced at the overhead map and watched as the flyers approached. Their red dots updated, courtesy of the Explorer which kept them in sight at all times.
The incoming red dots suddenly froze.
For a moment Jason thought the Explorer had been destroyed, or ceased transmitting in some way, but the signal was good. He glanced at the video feed and confirmed the elliptical shapes weren’t moving.
“What the hell are they up to...” Jason said.
Tense moments ticked past.
“They must be waiting for reinforcements,” Tara said. “They’ve detected the trap we’ve laid for them, and don’t want to spring it just yet. We should attack now, before any further reinforcements arrive.”
“I’m detecting a transmission,” Aria said.
Jason realized he was receiving something on an open channel as well.
“They’re using a human comm channel,” Sophie said.
“They would have learned the protocol from Bokerov,” Maeran said. “Along with our languages.”
