Biods

by Azza Sumner

  Chapter 7

  The next morning Aidan awoke to the sound of a truck reversing in the drive. He could hear Fay yelling from the bathroom “That’s good. Right there. Thanks mate.” He snuggled back in closer to Emma pretending he heard nothing. He had the distinct feeling that he was better off just not knowing. He wanted to go back to the world he had just awoken from. He could still hear the noises though. A hydraulic release, a whirring sound and some metallic clatters. A strange man called out from outside “Ok, paperwork’s all signed, goods delivered. Enjoy sweety.” Soon the truck could be heard pulling away. Aidan finally gave in to curiosity and rose to find out what all the noise was about. He walked to the bathroom and saw Fay at the window with a towel wrapped around her head as a makeshift disguise. She was hanging out the window staring at something.

  Aidan knew there was no point asking whether she was up to something or not. It was safe to assume she was. Instead he asked “What have you done Fay?” “Take a look.” she said pointing out the window. “It’s a thank you present for looking after Gem.” Aidan summoned up the courage to look out the window. In the gravel drive was a large bright metallic pink troop carrier with heavily tinted windows and spinners on the rims. Fay smiled and said “It’s an eleven seater. Really cheap. Shag carpet, mini-bar, TV..…everything. Used to be owned by a company called ‘Big John’s Escort Agency’ before they shut down. Is that a tour company?“ Aidan was in no mood to explain and simply said “Look up escorts on the internet.” Fay closed her eyes for a second before saying “Yuck. Gross. So maybe it was a pimp wagon. Glad I had it detailed. Anyway it has low mileage and easy finance. Do you like it?” Aidan let out a long sigh before answering. “If it’s for me, why is it pink?” Fay looked thoughtful for a minute before replying “Maybe I should have picked the blue one, or the black. Guess I better keep it.” It was too early to be dealing with Fay. He said in stressed voice “You realise you can’t drive in a booster seat.” Fay spat back “I don’t need a booster seat. I just.…..maybe sit on a pillow.” Aidan asked in frustration “Can you even drive?” Fay looked offended and replied “I know the theory. I can fly any Lorene craft, so a car should be easy.” Aidan had endured enough of Fay already and started pushing her out of the bathroom saying “I’m taking a shower. Please leave. Go play with your new toy.”

 

  When Gem saw Aidan struggling to evict Fay from the bathroom she misinterpreted the interaction and grabbed Fay saying in a pained voice “He only wants to look at Emma. Get out now.” Aidan slumped against the wall. This was all he needed. More Lorene dramas. Now he had to clear things with Gem as well. As Fay ran outside Gem slowly started to trudge away with her head down. She looked miserable. “Gem Wait.” he called out to her. “I’m not sure you understand. It’s hard to explain, but I do want to look at you. I really do. Any man would, but it just wouldn’t be right. I love Emma. It would be wrong to look at any other woman. It isn’t just you and it isn’t because you aren’t gorgeous. Cheer up ok.” Gem smiled “I think I understand. It is not just me specifically. It is just because you love her. It is all very complicated. Thank you for saying you do want to look at me. I understand it would be wrong for you. I will respect that.” Gem seemed to be getting it now and walked back to the living room at a cheerier pace. Aidan sighed again and started back to his shower when he heard Emma’s stern voice. “So you do want to look and she is gorgeous hey?” Emma pushed him playfully and smiled “Yeah I’ve seen her remember. Talk about perfection. You’re a good person for trying to protect her feelings and still behave.” She kissed him before saying cheekily “Come with me and I’ll give you something to look at.” She shoved him again until they were both in the bathroom and she locked the door.

  After the shower Aidan finally felt relaxed. He even felt ready to handle a little bit of the ever stressful Lorene interaction now. He left Emma with a quick kiss and emerged intending to make breakfast for them all. He stopped when he reached the lounge room and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. There were now three more Lorene girls sitting in the lounge room watching his animes with Gem. The three newcomers all smiled and said in unison “Hi Aidan.”

  Aidan gave a polite half wave and sat at the kitchen table. He was sure he had been ready to handle a little more Lorene drama now, but wasn’t prepared for three new ones. Fay stormed in the back door and slammed a key down on the table growling “You take it. I don’t want it. Its just too.….not my size. Stupid Earth transport.” Aidan gritted his teeth and tried to stay calm. He focused on holding his temper as he said “I thought they were staying in stasis Fay?” Fay chuckled “Oh, yeah that was until I checked things out remember. I decided it all checks out. Don’t worry I transferred some money from my credit card to your bank account.” That was a small relief but he still had to ask “How are you going to pay back the credit card, and how are we going to pay for that pink monstrosity in the drive?” “Stop stressing.” Fay said cheerfully. “I’m a technological wizard. I can program, write games, play the stock market, enter competitions, all sorts of things. You worry too much.” Emma entered the room and stood looking stunned at the crowded area before the TV. Aidan heard her mutter “How much freaking competition do I have to have.”

  Fay grabbed Aidan’s hand pulling him from his seat saying “I forgot. Meet the rest of my sisters. Don’t worry there aren’t any more.” Aidan had no energy left to be angry any more. The adrenaline was fading. “So what are their names?” he asked. The girls all looked at each other and shrugged. Fay answered “They don’t have any. I only activated them last night. One of the girls jaw dropped as she looked at Emma’s hair. She approached and started playing with Emma’s pink hair. She asked Emma “Can I have colour too please?” Emma smiled and said “Gem did it. You’ll have to ask her.” The girl quickly turned and knelt in front of Gem begging “Please sister. Can I have a colour like you and Emma.” Gem shrugged and replied “I guess so. It does not take much resources.” That was when Gem remembered something. She suddenly jumped up and dragged Emma outside hurriedly.

  Once outside Gem seemed concerned as she asked Emma “Are you feeling ok after the eye repair?” Emma replied “I feel wonderful. The eye works well. Actually I feel healthier than I ever have in my life. Why is that?” Gem picked up a branch from the ground and handed it to her saying “Break this.” “I can’t. It’s too thick and I’m not that strong. Only a strong man could break that.” Emma replied. “Just try.” Gem ordered. Emma tried to snap the branch with a reasonable effort. Eventually it snapped to her astonishment. Gem smiled and said “This morning the man driving the truck tried to break it while he waited for Fay. He could not.” Emma asked sounding a little worried “Am I ok? Is it a side affect or something?” Gem nodded and explained “Yes. I knew the eye bothered you. It affected your confidence. My repair kit is for Lorene genetics, not human. I had to alter your genetics slightly so the new eye would not be rejected. You will not be as strong as my sisters or I, but nearly as strong as a full blood Lorene. I did not have the words to explain better at the time. I hope it was the right thing to do.” Emma thought for a moment before replying “I love it. Thank you, but what if I have kids?” Gem thought for a moment before replying “The alteration is only small, but it is genetic. It may pass on to some degree. You are still human.…mostly.” Emma shrugged “Well I wasn’t really planning kids seriously anyway. Not yet. I still approve and I am grateful.” Emma suddenly noticed the pink pimp mobile around the corner of the house and asked. “Ummm....who owns the whore wagon?” Gem answered “Fay bought it for Aidan. A gift.” Emma walked over and inspected the vehicle. “I love it. It matches my hair. Can you teach me to drive?” Gem shook her head. “I do not know how. I think Fay knows.” Emma looked excited as she said “Well I can get a license now, so I’m driving it. I’m sure he wont mind. Aidan can keep his old car.”

  Aidan sat at the table watching the new girls. Apart from one having purple eyes and two having wing appendages, th
ey were almost identical to Gem. On closer inspection he noticed one of the girls with the extra arms had purple eyes too. They seemed happy inspecting his posters and watching his anime. They were still small children in some ways, but then again so was Gem when it came down to it. Gem was complicated though. At times she was also a full grown woman emotionally. Why was nothing simple any more? He counted the sleeping places in his head. There wasn’t one single bed left on the property now. He had Emma with him. Fay was with Gem, and these three would fill the caravan. He grabbed a piece of paper and made a sign for the front door. In big bold letters it said ‘NO VACANCY’.

  Feeling a little better now after that small childish release he saw the two girls with extra arms arguing over a poster. He asked them “What’s up girls?” The blue eyed one pointed to an angel on the poster saying “She says this one sux. I think it is better than the one she likes. Those wings would glide much better.” The purple eyed one said “Who cares? This one would move better in close range and she looks much sexier.” She pointed to a picture of a scantily clad demon looking girl wielding a whip. They were so much like children he thought. He figured it would take weeks for them to become more mature like the others. He said to the purple eyed girl “I think you girls are too young to be worried about looking sexy. Angels and demons would both have their own advantages.” An idea came to him then as he asked “Do these characters hold some attraction or appeal to you guys? Do you associate with them.” They both nodded. Aidan suggested “Perhaps that might inspire your name choice. You could always change it later.” The blue eyed girl asked “What race are they exactly.” Aidan pointed at the pictures answering “Well this one is an angel. Angel is a pretty name. Perhaps something like Angelica, Angelina, Angela...” She cut him off with a wave of her hand. “I like Angel. It feels...right.” the blue eyed girl stated confidently. The purple eyed girl pleaded “What about me? Do me next.” Aidan thought for a while. This was harder. “Demoness is a horrible name. Maybe Demonella, Demi, Demonica.…wait...Monica?” The girl nodded and hugged him tight around the neck saying “Monica. I like it.” Angel looked a bit jealous and pounced on him as well claiming “Angel is the best name.”

  Emma wasn’t surprised to walk in and find two more Lorene hanging around Aidan’s neck. She was getting used to it now and she knew he was trustworthy. She walked over to the table and picked up the car key. She turned to Fay who was still engrossed in the TV and asked “Fay, are you busy?” “Not at all.” Fay replied. Emma smiled and stated “Great. Can you help me for a while please if you don’t mind? I want to learn to drive but Aidan looks busy with the usual Lorene affairs.” “Sure thing.” Fay said jumping to her feet so they could take their first lesson.

  There was still one Lorene left without a name. Aidan escaped from Angel and Monica and approached the purple eyed wingless girl that most resembled Gem. She was still watching the TV. He sat beside her and asked “Do have any ideas?” She waited for a moment and pointed at the screen. A half cat type man was leaping between branches on trees with amazing agility. “I like the cat types. They are strong and agile like my design.” Aidan thought for a while before suggesting “Cats.…Kathy, Kathleen, Kitty, Kat…no.…cats are felines so maybe Felicity, Felicia.…” “Kitty sounds right.” She interrupted. Aidan didn’t like that name especially but it was her choice. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Yes I am. Thanks.” she replied. She leaned over to place her cheek against his. She rubbed it for a while purring and said “Kitty feels like me. I like it.”

  Aidan stood up and proclaimed “So we now have Kitty, Monica and Angel. Welcome girls.” Job done now he sat back down and watched the remainder of the show with them. He could hear the vehicle outside roaring occasionally and grinding gears. He pitied the poor car. Eventually it seemed to be running more smoothly and he finally heard it pull up to the back door. Emma was beaming with pride as she came back inside but Fay looked even paler. The fairy girl passed by Aidan groaning “Next lesson is yours.”

  Aidan noticed Gem was missing and went looking for her. She was back on the front step so he sat with her and asked “Is everything ok?” She smiled and answered “Yes. I think everything is ok. I am learning.” She leaned her head on his shoulder and said “I think everything is going to be happy.” Aidan was relieved she was seeming to accept things, but her head on his shoulder made him a little nervous. He wasn’t going to spoil it now though by piling more rejection on her. She seemed to be a little fragile emotionally.

  Aidan was pulling the old barbecue out of the shed when Fay came to sticky beak. She looked over the pod and then started sorting through his boxes of junk. “What’s all this crap?” she asked. Aidan replied, “Robot parts. I always wanted to make one back when I had no life and I was very lonely.” Fay asked “A sexbot?” Aidan lied and said “No, of course not.” Fay looked like she didn’t believe him and said “We used to have robots once. Then we had generation one biods. It was easier for us to replicate an organic body than build a resource intensive mechanical device that only broke down. Generation twos had complete bodies but were just puppets, so they were not alive like me and the others. Mother felt they could be upgraded like us though. All those biods could be given life, but then the Lorene would have no slaves. Nobody to do the dangerous stuff. Nobody for the lonely to own. A biod is property. A lifeless device. It has no rights, so they are treated however their owners choose to treat them.” Aidan replied “That’s disgusting. So why didn’t they just upgrade them? It seems a waste of all that potential.” Fay shrugged saying “My sisters and I are all of the third generation. They would not acknowledge us as living. Then.….. I made things a little more complicated. Can you see why mother wanted us to live free?” Aidan nodded and said “I would too. Don’t worry you are all just living girls to us, even when you annoy the hell out of me.” Fay hugged him around the waist saying “Thank you.”

  When Emma walked in and saw Fay with her arms around Aidan’s waist. It didn’t vex her. She knew these Lorene were just like affectionate children. Only Gem seemed to wish anything more than just innocent, but she would no doubt understand better soon. It wasn’t easy learning all the intricacies of a foreign culture. Emma asked Aidan “Can we hurry up? I’m starving. After lunch we can all go shopping. I think I have enough clothes for them all for now, but it won’t last.” Aidan broke free of Fay asking “Do you really think we should take them all?” Emma replied in a mocking tone “Well I’m not leaving you here alone with all these affectionate temptations. I trust you, but everyone reaches their limit sometime. We can’t leave them alone either.” Aidan looked at Fay and agreed. He asked Fay “Angel and Monica don’t seem to have wings like you. Should we make some? I’d love to see how you use those appendages.” Fay nodded and replied “I have enough harnesses. Wings might be a good idea just in case. It’s kinda stupid to have the appendages for no reason.” He next asked “Would leather work as a material? It might be heavy.” Fay thought for a moment and replied “Leather is good. Weight is no issue. Remember we are much stronger than you. Our bodies are at the peak of Lorene possibility, which is twice that of an ordinary human.” “Ok.” he said “Sounds like we have a lot to do if you can afford it.” Fay winked and grinned saying “Don’t worry about the money. I can cover it without doing anything criminal. Maybe a little grey, but never criminal.” He mussed her hair and continued setting up the barbecue.

  After lunch the girls disappeared into the caravan for a while. They left Fay arguing with Aidan over using his laptop after she chose not to join them. When they emerged Monica now had bright purple hair, Kitty had chosen bright red and Angel had chosen gold. They were all stunning beauties even before the colour, but now they were at least easier to tell apart. Emma had given them all various hair styles but they all kept the length to their waists. They all acted like excited children, but it was getting late. Aidan grabbed the keys for the pink monster and beeped the horn to get them all moving.

  Aidan
felt rather conspicuous driving the pink pimp mobile into town with the six beautiful girls hanging out the windows and moon-roof. They certainly drew the the attention of everybody who saw them. He was terrified someone might see their ears. Their first stop was the camping store where Fay ordered Aidan to run in alone and buy three large backpacks to cut open and hide their wing arms. Next the sports store for wide head bands. Now they were disguised they could all leave the vehicle. Thankfully they had numbers now and no men dared try their luck, but they certainly attracted a lot of lustful stares. Fay gave her credit card a good working out at the clothing stores as Aidan just stayed back watching from a distance. Emma tried to teach the girls what was too revealing and what wasn’t. He felt sorry for her, but she seemed to get some fulfilment from teaching them and showing them the loop holes in many of their choices. She taught them to look in the mirror, and move around instead of standing in a single pose. By the end of the day each girl had a good understanding of common wardrobe malfunctions and design flaws. Then she lectured them on transparency in strong light and wet weather. She was like an over protective mother. He loved her even more seeing how she treated the Lorene like adopted daughters or little sisters. Emma would make an excellent mother. It was something he had never considered before. He thought one day having a girlfriend was more than enough to hope for.

  Eventually Fay came and stood beside him looking grumpy. “Sick of shopping already?” he asked. Fay replied “The only things that fit me are in the kid’s section. It’s embarrassing. I’ll just order everything online.” Aidan realised then that they never needed to come to town at all. He asked Fay “Why didn’t we just order all of it online.” Fay shrugged and replied “Adventure. New to this world. Besides look at Emma. She’s loving this.” Aidan nodded and had to agree. “Yes. She would make a great mother some day.” he commented. Fay looked concerned and asked “You guys are using protection right?” Aidan shrugged. “I just assumed she was. Don’t girls normally?” Fay shrugged “How would I know? I guess they would. Safer than trusting a guy to be careful.” Aidan had never even thought about it. He was remiss to just assume it was safe. He decided he had better ask later.

  On the way home Fay beat him to the punch and just blurted out bluntly “Hey Emma, what protection do you use?” Emma was embarrassed and said “Well I never planned on being near a man ever again, so nothing.” Aidan slammed on the brakes and turned around leaving all the Lorene piled against one side of the vehicle. “Where are you going?” Emma asked him. “The chemist.” he replied. “I just assumed it was safe sorry. My bad. I’d love a kid some day but I don’t want anything you aren’t ready for.” Emma had never really thought about the risk either. She said in a not so confident voice “Don’t worry. I think our timing was ok. Some people try for years and can never get lucky. I’m not fully human any more anyway so that might help.” Aidan slammed on the brakes again leaving the Lorene girls piled against the back of the front seats. “What? Not human?” he asked in a concerned tone. Emma and Gem explained. He seemed to accept but finished with saying “It was your choice, but I fell for the old you, scar or not.” to which Emma replied “I did it for me too. I wanted to be a normal looking girlfriend for you and I was sick of being a freak forced to hide away.” Aidan didn’t feel he had the right to argue her decision, so they continued to the chemist. If she wasn’t fully human now it was even more important. Emma grabbed a few home test kits as well just to be certain.

  Gem sat silently in the back of the vehicle. She had never thought about children either. As far as she knew the genetics seemed compatible in that regard. It was only repairs that required a slight realignment. She wondered what it would be like to have a child. It made her feel strangely empty not having one. When she looked up she noticed her sisters were deep in thought as well. She regretted now not trying harder to win Aidan over. She couldn’t even consider anybody else to help her make a child of her own. It was not to be though. She had chosen to respect his love for Emma, so she just had to accept it. It was just another pain she would have to bear.

  Things fell into a nice regular routine over the next month. Everyone seemed to get along. Fay spent most nights on Aidan’s computer finding ways to earn money and ordering all kinds of junk online. To Aidan’s concern she ordered weapons as well that the other girls liked the look of. They were not decorations or toys. He queried Fay about it and she assured him they were only for defence and training to keep the others active. She feared they spent too long watching TV and interesting exercise would do them good. They had ordered a wide variety of blades from swords to knives and even a glove weapon with ten inch blades on the back that appealed to Kitty so much she insisted on ordering. Monica had found Aidan’s grandfather’s old stockwhip hanging in the shed and asked to play with it. He was happy to see it used rather than go hard and brittle hanging on the wall amongst the dust. She looked to enjoy training with it so he suggested she keep it. When he was in the shed he also found a sealed packet with pair of furry ginger cat ears attached to a headband. He had no idea why he had ever bought them, like most the junk in the boxes. They were probably intended to go with the maid outfit. He decided Kitty might appreciate them. She was the cat people fan. He gave them to her and to his surprise she was so happy she burst into tears and immediately rubbed her cheek against his again. He never understood the big deal, but was glad it made her happy.

  One night that was particularly dark Fay called her scout craft from the ocean and had Aidan help her clear out the lockers. There were just enough suits of white armour for each Lorene girl. Fey refused to wear any claiming she didn’t need it, but Aidan guessed she was too embarrassed to admit it wouldn’t fit. The armour looked to be plates of a tough but flexible plastic attached to a thick grey rubbery bodysuit almost like lycra. It was light in weight and only really covered the most vital organs. Fay explained it was scout armour meant only for exploration, but it was all they had. It should never be needed anyway, but it was wasted sitting at the bottom of the ocean. Aidan liked the idea of having some basic protection available to them. The day may come when they were discovered by humans and had to protect themselves. They spent some time everyday training anyway, so they may as well have their gear to be familiarised with.

  Aidan asked if they might get to take a quick flight while they were inside the scout craft but Fay shook her head. The energy cells would take too long to recharge in the darkness of the ocean. She wanted to conserve the power in case they were ever discovered and needed a quick escape. He was disappointed, but agreed with her thinking. The girl’s safety meant more than his curiosity. She promised that they could repair Gem’s pod one day soon and he could have that whenever he wanted. If he installed a clear panel in the roof of the shed, it would recharge all the time.

  Once the month had passed Aidan and Emma had grown even closer than before. Gem thought they were almost like one person at least in her mind. She was happy to see Aidan so content. It eased her own pain to know he was so happy. She still awoke to find herself laying beside him some mornings but it didn’t seem to upset Emma. Gem no longer tried to seduce him so she knew it was innocent. Everybody was content with their new lives.

  Aidan had little housework to do now that all the girls were pitching in so he spent a lot of time in the shed with Fay working on the light leather they had bought. In the final week of the month Aidan and Fay called Monica and Angel to the shed. They had finished their project. First Aidan presented Angel with a huge pair of leather wings. He had carefully carved feather patterns into it and whitened the leather. They were beautiful and lighter than expected. Next he presented Monica with a pair of blackened leather wings resembling a bat. They were slightly smaller but he believed they would enable her to twist and turn much easier in the air.

  Fay, Angel, Monica and even Kitty all donned their slim and lightweight harnesses under their clothing. They were barely noticeable. Fay was ready to instruct them in the usage of the harnes
s via their interfaces. At first she showed them lift and landing. That was all a harness did. It had no directional control. Despite being without wings Kitty was the first to take off on her own. She threw herself towards a distant tree with a little lift and landed safely in the lower branches. She quickly pounced to the next tree. It seemed she was a natural. Fay yelled out to her “Nobody likes a show off fleabag.”

  Eventually Fay taught the others how to use the wings to sweep the air forcing a turn and spread their wings out as they lowered for a glide. It wasn’t long before Angel was gliding over the ocean riding the air currents and Monica war barrelling through the air in a roll to spread her wings and come to a sudden halt. It was amazing to watch. Fay had landed early because she was exhausted. Aidan asked if she was ok and she finally admitted for the first time that she had more design flaws than what was planned for being only the prototype. Flight was strenuous for her and her size meant her wingspan was too limited. That’s why Ellan had abandoned the idea in the others. She had never admitted any kind of shortcoming before, but she didn’t mind in front of Aidan. When he wasn’t angry at her he never treated her or any of the Lorene with anything but compassion and understanding. He accepted them no matter the flaws. He cared for all of them with Emma’s assistance and guidance. Fay cared a great deal for them as well, but was never willing to admit it.

  Emma was happy with this new life. She had Aidan’s love. Gem seemed to have settled into accepting the way things were. She was still very clingy around him, but no more than she could tolerate. She loved all the Lorene, although Fay had a tendency to test her patience a little. Not as much as she did Aidan, but still occasionally. A few times she noticed some of her clothing or make up missing only to find it under Fay’s pillow. Once an entire fruit cake had disappeared. It wasn’t anything major and it seemed it wasn’t concious theft on Fay’s part. She always seemed to have no idea how these things happened. Either she had no idea she was doing it or she was a seriously good liar. Then again it seemed the same on the mornings she awoke to find Gem snuggled in between Aidan and herself. Gem never seemed to have any recollection of moving through the night and acted very sincere in her apology. After her own history Emma was forgiving. She was always aware of how the subconscious could affect a person’s behaviour. These were only minor annoyances. On the whole she loved her role as the caring mature guide to the alien girls.

  The Lorene girls seemed to enjoy their outdoor sparing and training. It was good exercise. One day Gem invited Emma to train with them and she eagerly accepted. Her body was stronger and faster than she ever remembered it. Training with the others seemed to help her learn it’s new limits. She wasn’t quite as strong or as fast as they were, but she definitely felt able to defend herself against a human attacker. She loved this upgrade to her genetics. One day she made an offhand comment to Gem that she felt like she could live to a hundred now. Gem looked at her puzzled and asked “How long does a human live?” Gem shrugged saying “I think around eighty or ninety years.” Gem seemed stressed and said “We should change Aidan too.” “Why?” Emma asked. Gem replied “Lorene live to nearly four hundred. You will probably live to over one hundred and fifty at a rough guess. Maybe more.” Emma was shocked to hear that. It was good news even if it seemed a little unnatural. Her main concern was Aidan. She would see him grow old and die while she still had a lifetime ahead of her. She could not let that happen. She made Gem promise that one day they would sit him down and make sure he accepted an upgrade. There was no rush, but some time before he got old. Gem approved readily.