Alone on the Edge (The Chronicles of Anna Foster)

by Patrick Stutzman

  “Two years? Wow.”

  “The serum administered to you earlier has not taken effect yet, so the timeframe may change if it helps counteract it.”

  Anna looked at the spots for a brief second and commented, “I think I can accept that.

  “In any case, I’m glad to hear your voice again,” she added with a smile. “I don’t think I could handle being without anyone to talk to for an extended period of time.”

  “Social interaction with another being has proven to be beneficial in stabilizing a person’s mental condition. That is why I was programmed with that capability.”

  With a smirk, she stated, “Not to mention the fact that interacting with you would be much easier than using a piece of hardware. Right?”

  “Verbal communications seem to be much easier to perform than other forms of input.”

  “Then again,” added Anna. “I can’t imagine being able to take commands from hundreds of people simultaneously without getting something mixed up.”

  “That is yet another flaw in human physiology, where computers have none.”

  “What?!” she interrupted, pointing at the speaker mounted in the infirmary’s ceiling. “Are you kidding me?”

  “I do not have the ability to kid anyone, Anna.”

  “And, that’s the problem. This arrogance you are demonstrating is not a becoming trait for a computer. You really should remove that part of your personality matrix.”

  “I am incapable of emotional response.”

  “You say that over and over again, but you’re doing it more and more. You should run a diagnostic on your personality matrix.”

  “I completed a diagnostic exam on my personality matrix two days ago and located no flaws in my programming,” the computer reported.

  “Well,” she scoffed as she stood and retrieved her tool belt. “You should do it again to be sure. Obviously, you missed something. I’m going back to work. I have some drones to take care of.”

  Chapter 10

  “Good morning, Anna.”

  No response.

  “Good morning, Anna.”

  Still no response.

  “Good morning, Anna.”

  Anna finally moved, groaning as she finally reacted to the computer’s voice. She still wore the clothes from her shuttle flight the night before and looked as if she had collapsed onto her bed as soon as she reached her quarters. She had not even taken the time to remove her boots.

  “Good morning, Anna.”

  Moaning loudly, she grabbed one of her pillows and threw it at the ceiling. The pillow arced across the room, barely missing its target and landing with a dull thud on the floor next to the door.

  “Can’t you let me sleep in for once?” she cried groggily through the sheets gathered around her head.

  “I am sorry, Anna. I cannot allow that.”

  “Well, I’m sleeping in this morning,” she answered and snuggled deeper into the mattress.

  Several seconds passed in silence. Finally, the computer continued, “Good morning, Anna.”

  Anna’s eyes snapped open.

  “Good morning, Anna.”

  She rolled over and growled, “You never give up, do you?”

  “No, Anna. I do not.”

  With a heavy sigh, Anna pulled herself out of bed and replied with mild frustration, “Fine. I’m up.”

  “How was your sleep?”

  Glancing at the ceiling as she sauntered to the head, she said, “Not long enough, as if you didn’t know.”

  “You only have yourself to blame for lack of sleep.”

  Stopping in the middle of the doorway, she spun around on her heel and demanded, “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  “I warned you that you should have postponed your flight until today, because you may not get enough sleep.”

  She thought back to the previous night for a few seconds and answered, “No, you didn’t.”

  “Yes, I did,” the computer answered quickly.

  “No, you didn’t.”

  Instead of continuing the simple argument, the computer replayed the conversation with Anna after she returned to her cabin from the infirmary.

  After the playback finished, Anna waited a few seconds and stated, “Okay, so you did. Fine. What’s on the agenda today?”

  “Today’s schedule consists of your visual inspection of Blue-2, repairs to the ventilation system in Green-1, regularly scheduled maintenance of 3 mining drones, and the removal of food module Beta-13.”

  “What’s in Beta-13?”

  “Red glowfish, salmon, and tuna.”

  With her toothbrush centimeters from her mouth, she stopped and whined, “You mean to tell me that I have to discard all of the salmon and tuna, too?”

  “You are correct, Anna.”

  She moaned her discontent and brushed her teeth without saying another word.

  About ten minutes later, Anna emerged from her cabin and walked the distance to the mess hall.

  “What would you like for breakfast, Anna?” the computer asked as if on instinct as she entered the room.

  “Scrambled eggs and ham, please,” she requested as she walked casually to her seat.

  “As you wish, Anna.

  “Before I continue with any other topic, Anna, I must point out that your current state of dress does not meet dress code standards.

  “You can’t possibly tell me to take this off, computer.”

  “You are correct, Anna. However, nudity is not permitted in the company dress code.”

  Anna, in fact, stood in the middle of the mess hall wearing only her tool belt and wristcomp. Although the wristcomp fit normally on her wrist, the sturdy black belt fit loosely around her waist and appeared to be resting on her hips. The cold, steel handle of her flashlight resting on the bare skin of her right hip did feel a bit awkward, but she figured that she would get used to it as the day wore on.

  “Well,” she began. “At least you cannot say that what I am wearing is offensive.”

  “Again, you are correct, Anna. I must recommend that you should be wearing something.”

  “Why? Why can’t I be naked?”

  “Nudity is not permitted in the company dress code.”

  “Show me where, in the company dress code, it specifically states that I cannot be naked.”

  The computer paused for a few seconds and replied, “The company dress code does not specifically state that employees cannot be naked.”

  Anna nodded with a smirk, “There.”

  “However,” the computer continued. “Section 4, Subsection 11 of the dress code does state that employees cannot wear any clothing that others may find offensive.”

  “Ah, yes. But, that statement states that I cannot wear any offensive clothing. Technically, I’m not wearing offensive clothing. Am I?”

  “You are not wearing anything at all, let alone offensive ...”

  “So, my current state of undress would be permitted under the dress code.”

  “By following the letter of the law ...”

  “And, there would have to be other employees here to remark that my state of dress is offensive. Right?”

  “You are correct, Anna.”

  “Do you find my state of dress offensive?”

  “I am afraid I cannot answer that question.”

  “I’ll take that as a ‘No’ then. Since there is nobody else that can remark on this issue, then nobody finds my state of undress offensive. Correct?”

  “As you wish, Anna.”

  “Therefore,” she concluded with a smirk and hands on her bare hips. “I can be naked any time I please, as long as nobody is present to object.

  “Now that’s settled, where’s my breakfast?”

  A few seconds later, the plate of scrambled eggs and ham appeared in the slot. Hastily, Anna grabbed the plate and proceeded to consume her food even before reclaiming her chair.

  After the first few bites were swallowed, the computer asked, “Anna, may I ask
what inspired you to choose a state of undress today?”

  Anna replied after taking a moment to enjoy a few bites of her breakfast, “Well, you remember that I walked back from the infirmary last night wearing nothing at all. Initially, I felt kind of embarrassed. But, I got to thinking about it and realized that there is nobody here to mock or poke fun at me or anything like that for walking back to my quarters that way. As I thought more about it, I decided that I’m still young, in shape, and rather attractive, at least so I think. With nobody else around, why should I be embarrassed about my body? Besides, I’ve never done this before, unless you count in the shower. And, I find it ... liberating.”

  “Your heart rate IS slightly elevated this morning, Anna.”

  “Probably still a little nervous about doing the whole naked thing,” commented Anna, waving her hand in front of her face as if to fan herself.

  “You do not have to choose to be naked, Anna.”

  “Don’t try to talk me out of this, computer!” she stated more to herself than the computer. “I’m doing this today.”

  “What about the clothes you altered?”

  Holding a forkful of ham by her mouth, she replied, “Do they displease you somehow? I’ll probably pick those back up tomorrow. Let’s just enjoy me like this today.”

  “As you wish, Anna.”

  Anna finished eating her breakfast, relishing every bite as if she had not eaten food in weeks. After clearing her table, she headed to Blue-2 to complete her visual inspection of the area. Quickly noticing the cold metal beneath her feet again, she made a mental note to herself to add some sort of footwear in the event she decided to spend the day nude again.

  Several minutes after she reached Blue-2, she finally began scrutinizing the main corridor and the rooms connected to it. Finding everything in order, she moved into the maintenance tunnels and continued her examination with the inner workings of the section.

  Moving through the tunnels proved to be a bit painful. The tunnels were only a meter in height, requiring her to crawl through them, and the flooring was composed of removable metal grates. After the first few steps on her hands and knees, she remembered that she carried a set of kneepads in one of the pouches of her tool belt. Although she rarely used them and had considered removing them some time ago due to lack of use, she was thankful that she had forgotten to follow through with that course of action and fastened the kneepads to her bare legs.

  About thirty minutes later, Anna had advanced down the maintenance tunnel and was inspecting a power conduit near the outer hull of the section. Due to the limited space, she had to position herself crossways in the tunnel. Throughout her inspection, she heard the ventilation system kick on to blow refreshed air through the tunnels into the rooms and main corridor. Working next to a power conduit, however, prevented her from hearing the vents activate. Engrossed in her work, Anna was startled when the vent directly behind her blew a blast of air right between her legs.

  The unexpected burst caught her by complete surprise, and she nearly bumped her head against the tunnel wall. She looked behind her at the vent. Although the air was cool, the fans were blowing the air through almost too strongly. She liked the way the fast-flowing air brushed across her genitalia and, much to her delight, found it arousing.

  The feeling of pleasure caught her off-guard, primarily due to the fact that she had not indulged in any type of sexual act since she had come aboard. The initial maintenance schedule kept her so busy that she had not had time to think of anything other than adjusting to her new job during the first few months aboard. Even when she had adjusted to her daily routine, the lack of social interaction had decreased her libido into dormancy until this moment.

  With her thoughts deviated from her work, Anna decided to take advantage of the change in her environment. Turning her head forward and spreading her legs further apart, she allowed the cool air to caress the smooth lips of her labia. Relishing in the forgotten sensations, she acknowledged the rediscovered feelings with a soft moan. As her body’s carnal desires emerged, she felt her entire body succumb to its lustful call. Sliding her hand between her legs, Anna gently parted her labia to allow the air to have its way with her clitoris.

  Another half a minute passed while Anna remained positioned in front of the vent, letting the lusty air fondle her. But as quickly as it came on, the ventilation system shut down. As the rush of air diminished, Anna opened her eyes and looked back at the vent slightly disgruntled. Adjusting her hand slightly, she slid her middle finger over her clitoris and decided to pick up where the vent left off.

  While the blast of air was mildly pleasing, the pressure and movement of her finger proved to be much stronger. Anna’s eyes rolled upward and her jaw dropped open as soon as she stroked her swollen clit. She moaned aloud as the rush of sexual bliss shot through her. Surrendering to her desires, Anna left any thoughts of her work behind, concentrating only on the here and now.

  After several seconds, Anna found it increasingly difficult to maintain her balance. She carefully moved up and sat on her heels, finding that she had a couple of centimeters between her head and the 1-meter high ceiling. To her delight, she found that she had enough space to continue satisfying her physical cravings. Returning her hand between her legs, she cupped one of her breasts and tweaked her nipple between her thumb and forefinger.

  Several minutes passed before Anna felt the first hint of an orgasm building within her. In response to her carnal needs, she slid her middle finger gently inside herself, and her body reacted accordingly. Her hips ground against her hand as she thrust her finger in and out of herself. Her breathing, already deep and audible from her self-imposed foreplay, grew heavy with each plunge. Anna surrendered to the moment, and she matched each thrust of her finger with her body and bounced off of her hand. This lasted only a few times, before she bumped her head against the tunnel’s ceiling. Although she did not hurt herself, she decided to change her position to give her enough space to finish the job. She swung her leg out from underneath her, bracing her foot against the wall and shifting her weight to one knee. After leaning to the side and giving her enough head room, she spent the next couple of minutes driving herself to her first orgasm in years.

  Several minutes later as she leaned against the wall basking in her orgasmic rush, she smiled and muttered, “I think I’ve found what I’ve been missing.”

  After resting for a couple minutes more, she pulled a clean shop rag from her tool belt and cleaned herself up. With a deep breath and a smile, Anna returned her attention back to her inspection.

  Two hours later, Anna emerged from the maintenance tunnels of Blue-2 with a lengthy report on the condition of the section, believing that whatever had caused the problems in Blue-3 may have spread. Documenting her thoughts at the end of the report, she sat on the deck, removed her knee pads, and returned them to her tool belt before walking toward the door leading to Blue-3, taking the long way around the station to the elevators to stretch her legs.

  The door to Blue-3 opened and revealed darkness, much like what happened a few days ago. With a puzzled look, Anna retrieved her flashlight from its loop and directed its bright beam into the murky dark. Dust particles floated through the light, and a thin layer of dust had started to form on the floor as far as she could see.

  She quickly hit the switch to shut the door and coughed twice to clear away any dust she may have breathed in. Backing up a few steps from the door, she examined the air and saw that the little amount of dust that had blown in when the hatch closed did not seem to be enough to cause any concern.

  “Computer,” she called out. “Why didn’t you notify me that the systems in Blue-3 were down again?”

  “You had become ill, Anna. I was going to add it to the following day’s agenda.”

  Anna opened her mouth to respond but quickly decided not to argue with the computer about having additional work added to her daily list. After a second’s pause, she nodded her agreement with its choice.
>
  “I am going to suit up and walk through Blue-3 to capture all the dust I can, see if I can find the reason why the scrubbers aren’t working in there, and try to fix it. In the meanwhile, I want you to suck all of the air out of Blue-3 and send it through the scrubbers in Blue-2 and Blue-4.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  Anna went to the airlock and retrieved her space suit. After putting it on, she quickly discovered that the inside of the suit was rather itchy, much like a new wool sweater. Aware of her current state of undress, she made a mental note to wear something the next time she needed to don the spacesuit.

  She climbed out of the airlock, carrying her helmet with her, and made her way to the supply depot. Remembering that the supplies she ordered would take at least two months to reach her, she searched for anything that might help her fix the problem. Her eyes wandered about the room, finding nothing useful at first, until her eyes landed on a possible quick fix.

  “Never thought I’d see the day that I would use this,” she sighed as she grabbed the roll of duct tape from the shelf. Dropping the roll into her helmet, she marched back to Blue-3.

  Chapter 11

  Standing outside the entry door to Blue-3, Anna secured her helmet in place and picked up the tape where she had set it a moment ago. She scratched her belly through the suit and hit the switch, opening the door with a swish.

  Her steps into the dark corridor kicked up a cloud of dust, adding an unnerving feeling to Anna’s already cautious attitude. The door slammed shut, throwing dust into the air that obscured her vision for a couple of seconds. She turned and looked into the darkness for a few seconds before activating the suit’s lights that flanked her helmet. The scene turned instantly into a gray, soupy cloud of dust that seemed to float toward her.

  “This is ridiculous!” exclaimed Anna.

  Toggling the internal communicator, she called, “Computer.”

  “Yes, Anna,” the male voice responded clearly through the helmet’s system.

  “Pull all of the air from Blue-3 and divert it through the scrubbers of Blue-2 and 4.”