Knowing Zip

by Cynthia Sax

***

  The sun rose the next planet rotation and Zip still hadn’t left Earth Minor. His ship was fully stocked, his databases were crammed with information about Erinome V and he had a plan to secure his female. With the assistance of his brethren, he had plotted his mission, increasing its probability of success.

  Arsenal, one of the visiting K Models, had volunteered to accompany him. The warrior would stay with the ship while Zip retrieved his female. Arse was already inside the vessel, completing systems checks.

  “We left a variety of garments in your chamber.” Vapor’s female held her warrior’s hand. “She should like one of them.”

  She should. Zip’s lips twisted. He’d seen the stack of garments. It was high.

  “The plants require very little care.” Green’s female had exchanged her body armor for a sundress, an ancient Earth garment. Green gazed at her as though she was the only being in the clearing.

  “There’s an image from every offspring hanging on the walls.” Barrel’s female informed him. The offspring, in various stages of undress, bounced around them, chattering excitedly.

  “Ka-Na.” The young Tau Cetian female, perched on Barrel’s shoulders, waved her hands in the air. Her name was the only word she was capable of saying.

  But Zip heard the caring in her voice, saw the same emotion on all of their faces. They wanted him to be happy, were excited about welcoming Ryssa to their family.

  “I’ll return soon.” His voice was gruff. “With my female.”

  “We’ll be waiting here for you.” Vapor’s female’s eyes sported a suspicious sheen.

  Fraggin’ hole. Once one female cried, they all would, and then the offspring would follow.

  Zip stomped up the ramp, seeking to leave before that happened. Start the engines, he transmitted to Arse as he closed the ship’s doors.

  Starting the engines, the warrior confirmed.

  The floor tiles vibrated under Zip’s booted feet. He moved through the ship, entered the bridge. The K Model was at the helm.

  “You want control of the ship?” Arse asked.

  “You can have it.” Zip claimed one of the other seats.

  “Because D Models can’t fly.” The warrior’s eyes glittered with emotion.

  If he were any other male, Zip would label that emotion as humor but this was Arse. The male was one of the grimmest beings he had ever met.

  “This D Model has a female to retrieve.” Zip grinned. His flying skills were adequate and his systems skills were unmatched.

  “You’re a lucky bag of bolts.” Arse muttered. “You might want to wipe the goofy smile off your face when you retrieve her. Your teeth will reflect the light.”

  “Frag you.” Zip noted that piece of advice.

  The ship lifted off the ground. The trees around them bowed in the manufactured wind, the leaves fluttering wildly.

  Arse was right. He was a lucky bag of bolts. In mere planet rotations, he’d meet his female, see her, touch her, speak with her.

  While they traveled to Erinome V, he would help Arse search for his female. If there was a being for Zip, there might be a being for every warrior.

  Silence stretched in the bridge. There was chatter over the transmission lines. Zip participated in some of the conversations, but none of them came from the K Model.

  Zip knew very little about the warrior. “Why did you volunteer for this mission?”

  “Because I’m disposable.” He shrugged. “And you’re not. You have beings who would miss you if you were killed.”

  “Beings would miss you.” No cyborg was truly alone. “The warriors in your manufacturing batch—”

  “The warriors I was closest to didn’t survive training.”

  The Humanoid Alliance training had been brutal. Warriors were forced to kill the weak, the defective. Some of the inferior fighters were decommissioned by the humans, sliced and diced, ravaged for parts. “Since you’ve been freed—”

  “I’ve moved from ship to ship.” Arse’s expression was blank, revealing nothing. “I add value but I’m interchangeable. If I died, I would be immediately replaced.” He met Zip’s gaze. There was emptiness in his humanlike eyes. “Even on this mission, I’m merely a being to stay with the ship. Anyone could do that.”

  Zip had felt lonely but the K Model was truly emotionally isolated. He had no home, no close brethren, no offspring to decorate his chamber. “I’m relying on you to protect my female’s lifespan. Not Green, not Barrel, not any of the other warriors. You. And she isn’t interchangeable. I’ve searched for her for hundreds of planet rotations. She’s my future, my everything, and her safety is in your hands.”

  Arse stared ahead of him at the main viewscreen. The ship was now in open space, the image of glittering stars against a backdrop of stars.

  “I won’t fail you, D Model,” he finally said.

  Zip wouldn’t allow Arse to fail him. He’d safeguard Ryssa with his lifespan.

  His female merely didn’t know that yet.

  Chapter Two

  Thus far, Ryssa’s birthing planet rotation wasn’t anything to communicate about. After her shift, she exited the dusty, dimly lit working chambers at the back of the structure and positioned herself at the end of the long serving center, perching on a tall backless seat.

  Her superior gave her a free container of fermented beverage. Ryssa nursed it for as long as she could, lingering at the beverage station, contributing to the conversations around her, accepting the well-wishes of her associates.

  Males buzzed around her. Some were Humanoid Alliance warriors, temporarily assigned to Erinome V. None of them interested her, the males falling short of her fantasies. They were more fascinated with the scantily dressed servers than with her.

  In her dreams, the warrior saw only her, wanted only her. She was the center of his world.

  That warrior also had gray skin, black hair, and brilliant blue eyes, which communicated how unrealistic her dreams were. Cyborgs were considered by many to be cold, unthinking machines.

  She had been fantasizing about them since she matured, a secret she hadn’t ever shared with anyone. Leesa, her best friend, was aware of her warrior obsession but thought that dream warrior was human.

  No one knew she was a freak. Ryssa sighed.

  Her superior, an older human male, appeared at her side. “The beverage center is busy.”

  They needed the seat for credit-spending patrons. “I’m leaving.” Ryssa took a last sip of her beverage and slid to her booted feet.

  She didn’t have extra credits to spend on beverage. The servers earned more than she did.

  But she had a role. She should be grateful for that. With the Humanoid Alliance losing the war, credits were stretched tight for everyone.

  Especially on Erinome V. She had applied for settler placements on unexplored planets, but not having the necessary experience, she’d been rejected. Leesa, being a structural engineer, had been accepted.

  Watching her mom die from radiation sickness five solar cycles ago had been the toughest planet rotation of her lifespan. Waving goodbye to Leesa as her friend embarked on the grand adventure Ryssa had always wanted to experience had been the second toughest.

  All of her friends had left Erinome V. She communicated with them regularly and they shared images of their exotic new worlds.

  That was the closest she’d ever get to leaving the planet…unless her warrior finally appeared.

  Ryssa smiled ruefully, moving through the crowd. Servers hugged her, wishing her a happy planet rotation. They were nice females, were genuine in their comments.

  She exited the structure’s doors. The sun had set. The sky was dark. The air smelled of spilled engine fuel and uncleansed bodies.

  “Happy celebration of your birthing, Ryssa.” Joet, the guardian at the entrance, crossed his big arms. The male was a big brother to every being at the beverage center. “Can I call you a transport?”

  “Thanks, but I’ll walk for a while.” She trekked along
the illuminated pathway, her heels striking the artificial stone.

  There was very little natural anything on Erinome V, every space developed. Tall structures surrounded her, each one depressingly the same. Leesa would call their design uninspired.

  The planet was crowded but the pathway was eerily empty. Residents took transports everywhere, the small ships whizzing past her.

  She longed for a patch of vegetation, clean air, peace.

  Ryssa stopped and stared up at the sky. Many of the lights in it moved, larger ships outnumbering the stationary stars. “Fantasy warrior, if you’re out there, you can take me away now. I’m ready.”

  A rough hand covered her mouth. She screamed, the sound muffled by a male’s palm, as she was pulled backward, dragged between two structures.

  “I’m ready also.” The voice in her right ear was low, deep, masculine.

  Arousing. Her nipples tightened. Her pussy grew wet.

  He was a stranger. She shouldn’t be reacting this way to him. Ryssa struggled, kicking her booted heels against his shins, punching his arms, trying to free herself.

  “Be still, my female. You’ll damage yourself.” He restrained her easily, the strength in his form unparalleled. The male was tall and wide and there was no softness in him. “This is what you want, what you asked to receive for your birthing planet rotation.”

  Her birthing planet rotation. Ryssa became still. How did he know that was this planet rotation and how did he know she wanted to be abducted?

  She’d only shared that secret fantasy with Leesa, her best friend.

  Oh. Ryssa’s eyes widened. This must be her gift. Leesa must have arranged this experience for her.

  “You’re safe.” The warrior’s lips brushed over Ryssa’s earlobe and she trembled, the peculiar bubbling sensation on her skin arousing her. “I would die before damaging you.”

  Hot damn. Leesa had fed this male some sexy lines.

  “I have to do this.” He unwound two restraints from his forearm. “We’re on a Humanoid Alliance-controlled planet.” He bound her wrists quickly. She tried to pull her hands apart, couldn’t move them. He slipped the second strip of leather between her lips, fastening it behind her head. “If you make a noise and attract their attention, they’ll pursue us and I’ll have to kill them.”

  Her male, her gift, had restrained and gagged her. Ryssa’s toes curled in her boots. Yes, please.

  He turned her and she sucked in her breath. The male had black hair, gray skin, brilliant blue eyes. His fit form was clad in skintight black body armor. A D followed by numbers was inked on one cheek.

  Her abductor-for-hire was the spitting image of her fantasy warrior. Ryssa’s chest grew tight with wanting while her brain spun. How had her friend known about her cyborg obsession? She was certain she hadn’t told anyone.

  Leesa must have somehow figured it out. Ryssa stared at the male. He was standing before her, not a cyborg, but a human pretending to be a cyborg.

  That was close enough for her and her sex-deprived body. She desired the warrior, would indulge every naughty dream she’d ever had about him.

  “I’m abducting you now.” He bracketed her face with his rough hands.

  He was abducting her now. She swallowed her laughter and nodded, his words reassuring her. A real abductor wouldn’t tell her that.

  “You’re very brave.” The warrior lifted her off the ground and slung her over his shoulder. Ryssa wasn’t a small female. Yet he handled her as though she weighed nothing.

  He ran, inhumanly fast. The buildings and lights blurred around her. She grasped his back, felt his muscles undulate under the body armor.

  Ryssa’s adventure was manufactured, had been purchased by her friend, but her excitement was real. This was different. This was daring. This was out of the ordinary. Her warrior-for-hire might have a script. She didn’t know what would happen next.

  Unable to contain her enthusiasm, she squirmed.

  “Stay still.” Her abductor squeezed her ass hard. Pain and pleasure flowed over her. She pressed her thighs together.

  His hand closed around her curves a second time and she moaned, the sound muffled by the gag. They’d fuck, his grasp on her ass communicated. She would be his in all ways.

  Ryssa desired that. She wanted him to take her, dominate her, force her to do what they’d both enjoy.

  Stars. She hoped the scene of that ravishment wasn’t far.

  The warrior stopped abruptly. Had they arrived? Ryssa looked around her and silently sighed. Nope. They were standing on a landing site, a space not-at-all conducive to fucking.

  There were ships to her left and to her right, their shadows falling over her. One of those vessels might be theirs for the planet rotation, part of the abduction package.

  Her warrior lowered her. Her body rubbed along his. He was aroused; the bulge in his garment was pronounced, long and thick.

  Ryssa’s mouth dried.

  Her warrior shoved her behind him, the abruptness of the action making her frown. He backed up, forcing her to do the same until she was wedged between his back and the wall behind her.

  She couldn’t see anything.

  “It’s one of our ships.” A male voice cut through the silence.

  “But what is it doing here?” Another male asked. “According to the system, this space is supposed to be free.”

  “We have to communicate—”

  “Don’t.” Skin slapped skin. “If we communicate this, we’ll be reminded of the proper procedure. We’ll be told not to use undue force with these rule breakers.”

  “I do like using undue force.” The first male’s enthusiasm unsettled Ryssa. “The first casualty will be the monitoring device.” A shattering sound followed. “Now, it is our word against theirs.”

  Her warrior extracted daggers from the sheaths on his body armor. His muscles flexed. His fit physique lowered.

  The situation felt real, the air zinging with tension. But it could be part of the experience, scripted for her entertainment.

  “Should we warn them we’re coming in?” the second male asked.

  “No. I like it when they—”

  Her warrior threw the daggers, the motion faster than Ryssa’s gaze could track. There was a stomach-churning gurgling noise and two heavy thumps.

  They couldn’t be dead. Her heart raced. This was an orchestrated abduction.

  Her warrior rushed forward and her view expanded. Two bodies lay on the pathway between the ships. A crimson pool expanded around the males.

  Her warrior yanked his daggers out of their throats and wiped the blades on his body armor. The scent of death flavored the air, a mixture of blood and other bodily fluids.

  No one would expend the effort to fake that aroma. The males were dead. Those were real corpses she was viewing.

  Ryssa swayed. Her warrior sprinted back to her side, clasped her waist with one hand, cupped her chin with the other, lifting her gaze to his.

  A heartwarming concern softened his eyes, a concern for her. She breathed in, breathed out, breathed in, breathed out, focusing on him, on his handsome face.

  The terror gradually released her from its grip. Her legs firmed under her.

  Her warrior lifted one of his eyebrows. She nodded, signaling she was okay.

  He gently pressed his lips against her forehead. Her skin bubbled and fizzed. Her toes wiggled in her boots.

  He scooped her into his arms and carried her into one of the ships, his stride long, his gait smooth. The ramp retracted and the doors closed behind them.

  The engines rumbled to life. There must be more beings on board the vessel. Someone was operating it.

  That someone wasn’t her warrior. He entered a large chamber. A sleeping support dominated the space.

  In her fantasies, the warrior’s private chambers were decorated with weapons, axes, swords, guns displayed upon the walls.

  In this warrior’s chambers, there were containers of flowers on every horizontal support. T
he wall panels were covered with crudely crafted, brightly colored images. Red blooms, green grass, smiling yellow suns surrounded her.

  Much of the art featured a gray-skinned, black-haired, blue-eyed male. The male sometimes had children balanced on his shoulders or he swung a wooden sword or he looked at a screen. He always had a big grin on his face.

  Her gaze returned to the warrior carrying her. His expression was currently more serious. He placed her carefully on a sleeping support.

  “You’re safe, my female.” Her warrior freed her wrists. “No one will damage you here.”

  He kissed the red marks on her skin. The fizzing sensation flowed up her arm, along her fingers.

  He removed the makeshift gag, dragged his lips over her cheeks, and captured her mouth. She resisted for a moment. He was a stranger. He’d killed beings.

  But those beings had been bad, the males talking about harming others with a worrisome glee. And he wasn’t a complete stranger. He knew Leesa.

  She caved in to his persistence, opening to him. Her warrior didn’t hesitate, advancing, their tongues twining, tumbling, caressing. He tasted of metal, claimed her mouth as his territory, branded her flesh with heat.

  Ryssa clung to his body armor-clad shoulders, leaning into him, her brain razed of everything except her warrior and her need. He was her birthing planet rotation gift, her every fantasy, and she was determined to enjoy him to its fullest.

  He pulled back and inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring. “You want me.” He drifted his fingertips down her neck, stopping at her flight suit.

  “I want you.” Her voice was husky. “Rip it to pieces.” She yearned for him to take her hard and fast, like in her dreams.

  Her warrior gripped the fabric and tugged, the tearing sound exciting Ryssa. He was big and strong, and in this moment, he was hers.

  He shredded the garment, leaving her bare except for the boots on her feet. Cool air swept over her, the decrease in temperature combined with her arousal tightening her nipples.

  He perused her slowly, thoroughly. She resisted the urge to cover herself, allowing him to look at her large breasts, rounded stomach, wide hips.

  “Do you like what you see?” She swallowed her nerves and asked, requiring the reassurance.