The Game 22
Edited by Karen Leigh
Luke supported Ryan all the way to the blue room, gently correcting Simms when his sense of direction failed him. Upon reaching their destination, Ryan gratefully sank down onto the bed. Concernedly, Luke swung Ryan's legs onto the bed and arranged the human with his back to the headboard, comfortably propped up by two pillows.
The tentative smile Luke aimed his way convinced Ryan that suppressing his original urge to resist the android's ministrations was correct. "Sit with me?" Simms asked.
When Luke complied, Ryan shifted toward him and turned the android's head so they were facing each other. Those haunting green eyes wouldn't meet Ryan's, however.
"One was right, you know," Simms ventured. "No one is mad at you. And now I understand that you have every right to be mad at me." The genuine puzzlement on Luke's face forced Ryan to continue. Blushing, he mumbled, "Romeo told me that what I did just just frustrated you sexually. I know how I would've felt if someone had done that to me."
Taking a deep breath, Ryan willed Luke to see that he meant what he was about to say. "I am sorry and I promise that it won't happen again. I I mean, when I start something like that, I'll finish it right. You have to let me get rid of this headache, though. Okay?"
Luke's reply was a happy smile and lowered eyes.
Still freaked out to an extent by Luke's earlier plans, Ryan asked, "you're not gonna go off and turn into a girl, right?"
"I just wanted to make you happy. I thought a female form might be more pleasing to you. Humans are very confusing." Luke said.
As if Mac27s aren't, Ryan thought with a sigh.
He took Ryan's shoes off to rub his feet. Even Farmer Orville liked that although his owner's feet had been ugly, covered with horny lumps of flesh and smelling a great deal like the pigpen when it needed to be cleaned. Ryan's feet were smooth and pretty just like the rest of him.
What's he up to now? Jesus, Simms, stop being so paranoid, will you? He stopped with the shoes and socks. And he isn't going to turn into a girl over night, either. Actually, when he took a moment to think about it, Ryan was surprised by how much the idea of Luke as a girl disturbed him.
It was so difficult. If he was around Ryan, he wanted to touch him yet if he touched him; lubricant prepared his nether passage and made him want to wiggle his ass in the air in invitation. Luke wondered if Mac 27s perhaps went into season like mares do? He really should ask One or another of the more experienced Mac 27s.
Ryan closed his eyes and smiled as the tension of the past few hours slowly melted away. Luke knew what he was doing. His fingers were working over Ryan's feet and sending very pleasant, "Rest now," signals to the rest of his body.
Ryan seemed to be relaxing which was good.
Simms opened one eye and grunted a little as the android's fingers tightened briefly, yet painfully on his left foot. "You okay, Luke?" he asked.
Luke merely nodded, smiled that tentative little smile and looked up at Ryan from beneath lowered lashes.
How in the hell can he look that innocent and that knowing at the same time? Ryan's question went unanswered, even by the tiny voice in the back of his mind. Luke's hands had resumed their massage and Ryan couldn't stifle a pleased groan.
Luke's hands stilled immediately.
"Wait," Ryan protested. "Don't stop. Please."
Before the android could misinterpret anything, Simms spoke. "God, Luke, that ... that feels really good. And I don't know how exactly that rubbing my feet can make my head feel better, but it does. Thanks."
Yeah, this ... this wasn't going to put him to sleep. The "Rest now" message that Luke's hands had been sending changed. Ryan felt a little surge of adrenaline hit his system and was grateful for it. He hated feeling like an invalid.
Opening his eyes a little, Simms regarded Luke for a moment. The android seemed troubled by something. Not wanting to disrupt the peace that they seemed to have reached, Ryan murmured, "That's really nice, too."
A subtle shift in pressure brought a groan to Ryan's lips and he closed his eyes to bask in the sensations elicited by seemingly simple manipulations. " I never knew that my feet were this ... ah ... this ... Jesus, Luke, do that again."
Luke did as he'd asked and Ryan just let himself go. When the android switched feet, Ryan barely noticed -- his mind was free-associating and his body was enjoying the ride.
Trying to ignore his own responses, Luke resumed his massage. He searched for programs that he had not yet used yet...Farmer Orville had arthritis and asked for him to be programmed with every type of massage program in the Innobotics files. Hmm, acupressure?
Picturing the map in his head, Luke tried the one in the file named, "Dragons blood" The stroke feathered outward from the sole of Ryan's foot. Hmm, what was this for?
Oh, invigorating and inspiring the male energy...that was probably good. Ryan had been so weak since 666's actions. Luke continued to manipulate the pressure point while reviewing the file in his head. Oh, oh, the final comment was, "Good for stimulating dragon to mating flight."
Luke's fingers continued the motion as he considered whether he should stop. The dragon was rising. Luke shifted nervously on the bed. Should he tell Ryan what he had done? It was innocent, but after that stunt with 666, would Ryan believe him? Why didn't he check the read me file when he unzipped the procedure file? Oh, dear, oh dear...
Christ, his body was enjoying this ride a whole helluva lot. Ryan tried to lift his head and say something to Luke, but the android shifted grip again and Simms felt the effects of the move all the way to the tip of his nose. Maybe I should let him go for a little while longer, Ryan thought. What's the harm, really?
His hands continuing on automatic, Luke considered this dilemma. Human ethics were so hard to use. After all, what he was doing obviously was making Ryan feel much, much better. Ryan looked wonderful, sprawled out, cheeks very pink and the color spreading down his throat and chest. He licked his lips, making them shiny and so in need of a kiss. Little motions about his middle suggested that the dragon wanted to rise right out of the jeans. Surely, it would be cruel to tell Ryan something that might leave him frustrated and uncomfortable, something Luke knew all about.
This was too damn good. Luke hadn't even touched him anywhere serious yet and Ryan was on fire. He didn't want to think about what that meant, any consequences that might follow or what the future might hold or even what Luke might be thinking. Ryan Simms didn't want to think at all.
It didn't help that someone...oh, I-Mac and Langly were very loudly consummating their user relationship in the next room. They had turned on a cartoon that Luke remembered as being the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote Hour, but it still didn't cover the passionate cries and the regular bonging noises from I-Mac.
Jesus, Ryan thought, considering the long, drawn out moan he'd just heard. Was that me? That wasn't me, was it? Damn tiny fucking voices in your mind -- where the hell were they when you actually needed them? Nowhere to be found, that's for sure. Simms knew the soft groan that sounded just then was, in fact, him and for his peace of mind, he chose to believe that the other noise had been his imagination.
Well, honesty...it sucked, but Luke had vowed to never to lie to Ryan again or endanger him. He said, "Ryan, I have something to tell you about this form of massage. It's for making the dragon rise."
"Wha ... what?" Ryan managed when the sound of Luke's voice registered. What did he say? Something about massaging dragons?
Luke couldn't blush, but he hid his face with his hand. He said, "It wasn't on purpose. I didn't read the text file that came with the program. I mean, they're usually just who made the zip and..."
Sound of an Acme Safe falling back on Wile E. Coyote....Simms stared at Luke, completely confused. Luke had stopped and was babbling about computer stuff while holding Ryan's ankle lightly.
Shaking his head, Ryan tried to ignore the incessant demands his body was making as well as make sense out of what he was hearing. "What are you talking about, Luke? You lost me with the massaging dragons bit. And what does a program about massaging dragons have to do with what you were doing to me?"
The android wouldn't look at Ryan. Devoting a concerted effort to controlling his breathing, Ryan tried a different approach. "It was great, you know. What you were doing, I mean." Still nothing from Luke. "Who knows?" Ryan joked, "maybe I'm part dragon. That could be why 666 was so interested in me." Finally, Ryan grasped Luke's chin with his hand and lifted it. "Luke? You okay?"
A new emotion wave file opened, Luke's chin quivered and his eyelashes fluttered. He manufactured excess eye lubricant again. Drops of it rolled down his cheek. Despite his vast dictionaries of languages and files of famous quotes, it was difficult to find the right words.
Placing his hand squarely on the rising dragon of Ryan's cock, Luke explained, "This is the dragon, Ryan. I just browsed in my files for something to make you feel better and I liked the name of this massage. Then I read the file and it was to..." Luke's voice dropped to a pathetic whisper, "make you want to have sex."
Ryan felt the blush forming when he placed everything that Luke had said into the context that he'd just been given. He was sure the red color deepened when he realized that Luke had touched him only to make his point and that the urge to press himself into that hand was his. Your massage sure as hell worked, Luke, Ryan thought, but his mind was working far too slowly for him to articulate anything, much less that sentiment.
The moment his hand contacted Ryan's erection, it jumped excitedly. Luke wanted to touch it so badly, to taste it, and then to have it deep inside of him. He could see that Ryan's body was ready for him, but for some reason, human brains and bodies didn't always work in harmony.
Luke waited for Ryan to yell at him or, hopefully, to allow him to free the dragon for flight.
Keeping his hips still through sheer force of will, Ryan cleared his throat and tried to determine what Luke was thinking. The android's body was unnaturally still, like the calm before a storm -- waiting for him to decide what he wanted, as Luke had so much as promised he would. Feeling the pressure building in his body and the tension between the two of them growing with each passing second, Ryan knew that he had to act.
Fear of the commitment that Luke seemed to want warred with the lure of being with someone who so obviously wanted to be with him. Confusion about Luke's maleness and close resemblance to himself struggled to overcome the sheer ego stroke he'd derived from the android's consideration of becoming a woman for him and the willingness to accept whatever decision that was made that he saw in Luke's eyes right at this moment. Testing himself, Ryan called to mind Rachel's gorgeous eyes, but a set of compelling green ones were those that stayed with him. Damn it! I made him cry again. Why can't I do anything right when it comes to Luke?
Meeting the eyes in question, Ryan smiled sheepishly and murmured, "I'm never going to be able to sleep with the ... ah ... dragon like ... um ... like this, and the doc says I have to. Do you think you could help me calm him down?"
Damn it! I made him cry again. Why can't I do anything right when it comes to Luke?
Damn it! I made him cry again. Why can't I do anything right when it comes to Luke?
Ryan fleetingly wondered whether he'd been too obtuse, but nothing of a clarifying nature, other than a crude basic command, came to mind. And he simply wasn't comfortable making demands after all that had already passed between he and Luke.
Luke had to run Ryan's words through his logic engines three times to make sure he was not misinterpreting, but the word value was the same each time.
C'mon Luke, Ryan mentally pleaded, willing the android to understand. He didn't trust himself to be able to make the overture again.
Ryan was willing. Carefully, Luke stood up, undressing again, his cock rose in a proud curve from his groin. He felt the lubricant manufacture in his anus in anticipation and knew how good it would feel if Ryan would enter him here.
Ryan's sigh of relief at the success of his communication effort became a gulp as the evidence of Luke's interest in taking this forward appeared. But Simms' body knew better, his own cock throbbed in sympathy with Luke's.
"Sinfully beautiful" was how Farmer Orville described him. Luke hoped that Ryan found him at least acceptable. Right now, Luke felt as if a light glowed from within him, illuminating his joy that Ryan was willing to take pleasure from him.
Ryan hadn't moved, but he was watching and his eyes appeared to be accepting.
Simms had heard people say that others looked radiant, but he'd never seen it before right now. Luke looked as though everything was right in his world and that he was content with his place in it. It was awe-inspiring to look at him. Well, ok, so the view was a bit more than that. Ryan couldn't remember being this hard and now Luke was reaching for his jeans. Oh, Christ, yeah, he thought. That is a very good idea.
Luke's fingers trembled on Ryan's zipper. He didn't know exactly what he was afraid of, but the urge to hurry was hard to fight back. He knew he mustn't be greedy and move too fast. The zipper slid down and Ryan uttered a small cry of relief as the pressure of the tight jeans that had held his erection back eased.
Lowering the jeans and boxers together, Luke felt as if this was an act of worship. His hands trailed along Ryan's lovely human flesh. Mac 27s were very human like, but none could produce quite the same feel as sweat damp skin. His scent receptors caught the release of the pheromones the Mac 27s could release at will, but in this case, the subtle differences marked them as Ryan's. Luke shuddered in ecstasy as the trace elements triggered the final stages of his erotic programming.
Luke's motions were slow, almost reverent -- a far cry from the frenetic activity of earlier. And the thought that the android was taking this approach so he wouldn't be uncomfortable only enhanced Ryan's awareness of every touch, every nuance of motion and expression that Luke displayed.
As Luke laid the clothing aside, Ryan shrugged out of his shirt in a matter of fact manner. Luke paused just to look at him. Perhaps Ryan thought they looked alike, but a Mac 27 was perceptive to the most minute differences that distinguished one replica from another. To Luke, the human clones were all vastly different and none could compare with Ryan, who was kind, gentle, and forgiving as well as the measure of perfection to Luke's eyes.
Mesmerized, Ryan could only stare into those haunting green eyes and wait.
Kneeling on the bed, Luke bent to touch his lips to Ryan's cock, just kissing the tip. The taste of Ryan would stay with him forever. Luke's tongue explored as his hands teased Ryan's balls and caressed the base of the quivering flesh. He could feel Ryan's hips thrust in time with him.
Oh, God. How was it possible that Luke had never done this before? He slowly but inexorably brought Ryan to a higher state of arousal. What the hell kind of sex instruction manuals did Mac 27s come with anyway? Diagrams? Videos? Interactive Q&A? What?
Ryan's hand cupped the back of Luke's head, not pushing on him, just possessing him.
There had been so many words between them, but now there was none. Luke wanted it to last forever. His anus was hot and slick with the fluids that kept him ready for Ryan. He was glad that he had waited. He could imagine this no other way. It didn't matter that other Mac 27s or clones would have been more willing. Luke knew he wanted Ryan to be first. He wanted Ryan to be his only and even if the human had to leave him; Luke knew that wouldn't change.
Simms could feel his body begin to give in to Luke's mouth. The desire to thrust harder was becoming impossible to ignore. And while this was comfortable and familiar to him, he couldn't let it end here. Not for Luke. Not again.
Ryan tugged at him, bringing him up. Luke's hand continued to stroke Ryan's cock and Ryan's hand came to touch his. There was an expression of almost panic as Ryan tasted his own flavor on Luke's lips, but then the kiss grew surer.
Ryan's kisses were like some marvelous fuel. Nothing was better--.except the promise of more.
Heart beating fast, Ryan concentrated on kissing Luke. Again, he was within his comfort zone and made the most of it. The low moans and sighs of pleasure that Luke emitted spurred Ryan on, giving him confidence. With his own need beginning to spin out of control, Ryan let his hands roam, meandering in the general direction of Luke's ass.
Ryan had never done this, but he did have a grasp of the basics. However, it seemed that the tiny voice in his mind had its eye firmly on the goal, because it demanded to know what he intended to use for lubrication. Shit! He hadn't thought of that. Frantic thoughts about what might be in the bathroom didn't stop his hand from completing its journey.
Fingers brushed Luke's ass, drew away as they touched the dampness. Ryan's expression was curious, enticed yet nervous about the whole thing. However, he seemed to understand now what Luke needed and wanted more than anything.
Luke spoke the first words now since Ryan had given him consent. "Please take me, beloved."
Ryan responded by putting everything he had into a series of passionate kisses, fully engaging lips, teeth and tongue, while teasing Luke's ass with feather-light caresses that edged closer and closer to his anus. This is going to be good for you if it kills me, Ryan silently vowed, taking a moment to wonder whether he was winning or losing the duel his tongue was having with Luke's. And whether such concepts had any meaning in this context.
Unable to quite believe that the being writhing against him, whimpering and moaning in a lust apparently unsullied by the usual emotional baggage, was real, Ryan found himself asking, "You want me?"
After staring at Ryan for a moment with wide, needy eyes, Luke shifted position in Simms' arms, looking over his shoulder so as not to break eye contact with Ryan. Smiling happily, Luke slowly licked his lips as he rubbed his ass sensuously against Ryan's straining cock. Simms' eyes slid closed and a long, low moan escaped his lips.
The tiny voice in his mind sounded loud to be heard over the noises Ryan and Luke were making -- I'd say that's a yes, Ryan. Definitely, an invitation, much like when he asked you to take him before, you moron.
But Ryan had some tactical issues that needed addressing. "Luke, God, Luke, you're driving me crazy with that."
The android's solution was to press his ass against Ryan's groin more tightly and lean back for a kiss. When their lips met, Ryan was lost. Every part of his body felt good and Luke's mouth was making him forget his fears and doubts in favor of the need to possess. Giving in to it, Ryan pressed Luke down onto the bed on his stomach, moved his mouth from his lips to his throat with the clear intent to mark Luke as his. But the android maintained the delicious contact between his ass and Ryan's cock, distracting Simms from his goal.
"Tell me ... Christ, that's good. Luke, tell me how you want it. What ... what position. You're the one with the How To Book in your head or ... or wherever the processors are." Ryan was beginning to fear the worst, so he conveniently tabled his reluctance and demanded, "Tell me before I disappoint you again!"
Luke bucked slightly and Ryan took the hint, raising himself off of the android's back. Then Luke braced himself on his elbows, lifted his ass, spread his legs and winked at Ryan. "Uh ..." Simms began, but his attention was captured by the slow circles that Luke was making with his ass.
Licking his lips to mask his nervousness, Ryan realized that it wasn't a difficult geometry problem when he put his mind to it. Moving behind Luke, he thought of something else, "Do you need for me to do anything to prepare you? I mean, it doesn't seem like we need lube or anything, but--."
The android's groaned, "No," had a hint of humor in it, but Ryan heard affection as well.
Taking a deep breath, Simms positioned himself and thrust slowly, meeting resistance. Uncertain, he stopped, but Luke pressed back against him, making pleased sounds and wiggling his ass some more. Seeing no alternatives with any appeal, Ryan thrust again and again, gradually overcoming the resistance put forth by the small opening.
When he was fully sheathed in Luke's ass, Ryan paused to catch his breath and the most amazing thing happened. The android's opening tightened around the full length of this cock and suddenly Simms was in the hottest tightest place he'd ever been. Moaning, helpless in the throes of lust, Ryan pulled out and drove back in. Luke's passage caressed his flesh every millimeter of the way.
Before he completely lost control, Ryan once again demanded, "What do you need to come, Luke? Tell me," he pleaded just before he bit one of the android's shoulders, in an effort to make the mark he'd forgotten earlier.
Inside of his body, Luke wanted to focus on the minute adjustments that his body was making to Ryan. He could feel walls of his anus reform to the specifications of Ryan's cock and to the tiny muscle changes that indicated the intensity of Ryan's pleasure. His walls were already absorbing copious amounts of Ryan's precum. This would be absorbed into him and used, but Luke analyzed the composition with a small part of his brain, keeping the memory for himself.
Forcing himself to verbalize, Luke gasped, "All I need is this, Ryan. This is...this is..." Searching for a word, the one that came to the forefront of his thesaurus was, "Nirvana."
Ryan had lost all semblance of control, but a small part of his mind noted that Luke used just his first name and he smiled. But his thoughts were otherwise very basic and exceedingly grateful. He didn't have the coordination to do anything more than he was doing now.
Yes, he felt his programming, his uniqueness, happily yielding to his universe, which was Ryan. Well, not entirely, a small part of him hoped that Ryan noticed that what Luke could give him was different from a human male or female. They could not as a matter of their function calculate the perfect tightness, pressure, and liquidity for their lover's pleasure. Luke yielded this to Ryan. He wished there was a way to purge the program so he would never lose this setting.
"God, Luke!" Ryan moaned. His eyes flew open for a moment at the sound of his own voice. He wasn't vocal in bed. He just wasn't. Things had been a little different when Rachel was in tease-mode, but other than that. But something seemed to have irrevocably altered, because words just kept flying out of his mouth. "So ... so fucking good. Jesus, you feel so good. Can't stop. Can't hold back."
Ryan's movements were stuttering. When Luke glanced back, his lover's face had an inward turned appearance as he absorbed the pleasure that they shared. Luke moved slightly, supporting more of Ryan's weight. He was grasped tightly now as if Ryan never wanted to let him go.
"Need you," Ryan babbled. "Need this. Want ... I want ... Christ!"
Inside he felt the first heat of Ryan's cum, for a moment, it was as if all of his programming disrupted deliciously. He quavered in a blissful state as if he hovered above their entwined bodies. Ryan's body arched, thrusting wildly, hands gripping his hips as if to be sure that this pleasure would not be stopped.
Ryan's desperate moans resolved into a single word. "Yes!"
Luke uttered a musical cry, soul deep. He wanted to confess his love and unworthiness to Ryan, but instead he merely whispered, "Oh, thank you. Thank you,"
It took a few moments for Luke's words to penetrate the blissful haze that seemed to surround Ryan Simms' brain. Every muscle relaxed and pleasure centers sated, Ryan pulled Luke to his chest, closed his eyes and pondered.
The thought that Luke was thanking him initially garnered a smile and Ryan hugged the android closer, running a hand along Luke's back. But when the gratitude was repeated, Ryan began to worry.
Why is he doing that?
There had been too many misconceptions between them for Simms to simply ignore the words or pass them off as a Mac 27 version of pillow talk. "Luke?" he ventured softly. When Luke looked up at him, those green eyes now bearing a post-orgasmic laziness, Ryan's breath caught in his throat and he felt a twinge in his crotch. God, he looks freshly fucked and like he enjoyed it, too.
Determined not to ruin everything, Ryan said. "Why do you keep thanking me? Do you think I didn't want this? Didn't enjoy it?"
How could he? The little voice in the back of Ryan's head asked. You weren't exactly stoic, now were you? Ignoring the damn little voice, Ryan admitted, "To be honest, I wasn't exactly sure when we started, but once I was inside you, I ... well, I was too aroused to have any doubts. You ... I ... no one's ever made me feel ... I'm babbling, aren't I? I am. Okay. Time out."
Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Ryan kissed Luke gently and gasped at the dart of pleasure that Luke's response sent through him.
Then fatigue reasserted itself in a big way and Ryan yawned and molded his body closer to Luke's. In some ways, it was a convenient excuse and in others his weakened physical condition provided an opportunity to express himself. "I'm too tired to make any sense tonight, Luke. Will you stay?"
Luke wished that he was could sleep and dream, but he wondered why Ryan had any doubt that he would stay? How could anyone reject him ever? A small part of his processor occupied itself replaying every moment. However, there was one detail. He was self-cleaning, but Ryan wasn't. "Be right back." Luke said. He went to the bathroom and wet a cloth, calculating the heat exactly and accounting for the minor loss of degrees between the sink and the bed. Kneeling on the bed, he gently washed Ryan's cock and the surrounding hair, ending with a soft kiss on the still highly colored tip. A moment's analysis and Luke sent the cloth sailing slightly at a curve to land it back in the bathtub. He fitted himself around Ryan, stroked his lover's hair and started a subtle rhythmic sound, which was almost a combination of a heartbeat and a purr.
Ryan eased into sleep and Luke watched and worshipped
Ryan Simms drifted just on the edge of REM sleep, relaxed, warm, content, untroubled by dreams of any sort. Muffled words reached his ears. He could make no sense of them; they originated from too far away and faded quickly only to be replaced by others in different voices. Puzzled, he slowly became aware that someone far closer at hand was running his or her fingers very gently through his hair. When he focused, he realized that that same someone was spooned against his back and responsible for much of the warmth he felt.
As he opened his eyes, memories flooded his awareness. Feeling sick, trying to deal with Luke's attraction to him, chasing the android down to stop him from decanting -- whatever that was exactly -- into a female body, the healing and then stimulating massage and sex. With Luke. With a guy that looked like him. A few of his ex-girlfriends would have a field day with that little revelation. Ryan himself didn't know what to think but he couldn't deny how good the sex had been.
"Ryan Simms?"
Luke's tentative whisper wormed in behind any barriers Ryan could set up and demanded that he turn his head. "Hmmm?"
The android didn't speak. He simply looked at Ryan; hope shining in those green eyes. A hope that seemed to radiate without the accompanying expectations that Ryan was used to seeing in a first time lover. Simms found that interesting because Luke had already stated his preference for a certain amount of permanent in this relationship.
Shifting so that he was facing Luke, Ryan asked, "What is it?"
If I was to terminate my consciousness right now, I would cease to exist happily," Luke said.
Ryan could feel his own eyes widen. He'd die happy?
Luke's review of human behavior told him that humans often gave into the need for pleasing the body and then regretted it. He had spent much of the time while waiting for Ryan to wake up to categorize his lover's treasures, memorize the sensation of his damply heated skin, the touch of it soft and textured as nothing else could be. Luke breathed Ryan deep, storing olfactory details in both chemical formulas and emotive responses. He held a drop of Ryan's sweat upon his tongue, finding it more divine then the finest chocolate. He could have told Ryan from a thousand clones and he also realized that Ryan was not a clone and certainly not the original. It pleased him greatly that he had such wondrous luck in finding the one, the only Ryan.
Sighing, Luke said, "Ryan, I know that you are not from this earth...you are unique, beloved. I want you to know that I won't hold you back.
How ... how can he know?
"For wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die and I will be buried there. The LORD will punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! Nothing but death will separate you and me." This is from a book that Master used to read aloud, but he never read that one. He liked the ones about honor thy father and smiting. He really liked smiting. But Mary showed me the ones that were really full of beauty and joy. That's how I think of you, my source of beauty and joy."
That sounds like the Bible -- Luke knows the Bible? And he knows about me? About where I'm from. Shit!
Beauty and joy? Me? How the Hell can he know about me? Maybe we'd be better off talking about smiting for a few minutes. Give me time to think, to adjust, to figure out what to say.
Looking into Ryan's eyes and seeing worry, Luke said, "But if you find that I am a problem, you can leave me now. Because I'll keep you right here."
Ryan's mind was whirling.
Picking up Ryan's hand, Luke held it against his "heart." It may have been a positronic pump, but surely if Dorothy's Tin Man always had a human heart then so did Luke....
Ryan opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Nothing could around the lump that had formed there. It wasn't as though this was the first time Ryan had been told by someone that they loved him. Not that it was a biweekly occurrence either, but Simms hadn't counted on hearing such a thing from Luke so directly or articulated in anything like the way the android had.
Staring into Luke's eyes, Ryan moved his thumb gently against Luke's chest. He couldn't move the other fingers of the hand Luke was holding, as the android was gripping them tightly to him.
"Luke," he began with a sigh. "I ... I don't know what to say. I guess I'm a little overwhelmed by all this -- the things we did, the stuff you said, everything."
Not knowing how Luke would interpret those words, Ryan slipped an arm around him to keep him close and continued, "I mean, I'm glad you're happy, but I don't want you or anyone else to ... to terminate your consciousness. And I don't know what you mean about me not being of this world. I am." More or less.
"Besides, if I wasn't, how did I get here, meet you and end up in bed with you? Hmm?" Before Luke could interject, Ryan rushed ahead. "I get that you want for us to be together. I'm glad you can be so sure, although I wonder how you can be this quickly. With most humans, it generally takes a little longer. But if you say you won't go out and meet a new clone or Mac 27 or someone else and forget all about me, I'll believe you because I don't think you'd lie to me. Not knowingly, anyway."
When he paused, Ryan realized that his hand was moving of its own accord along Luke's back in an effort to soothe and that it appeared to be working successfully. Flush with that unconscious success, Ryan didn't analyze his next impulse before acting on it or the words that flowed thereafter before saying them.
Moving his hand behind Luke's neck, Ryan leaned in to kiss him on the mouth, tasting the increasingly familiar flavor of the android's saliva or whatever he called its equivalent.
"If ... you are holding me in your heart, will you ... can you do that until I figure out where my heart stands in all of this? I'll be safe there, I think, if you'd be willing. But I don't know how long it will take; I'm kind of slow with these things. Once bitten; twice shy, you know?" Wincing, Ryan hoped that the clich was something Luke could interpret.
--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--
Youngblood knew that the first step was to be sure what the macro on the virus was. He selected several pieces of equipment and McGivered them together rapidly. Soon he had a combination of an EEG and virus checker, which he gently connected to the port on Sypher's head.
Sypher arched slightly, dimly aware of what was going on, but unable to do anything. Exhaustion had taken its toll and her body badly needed to rest. But since she hated to sleep, she rarely listened to it; only dropping off when she could push herself no further. /Don't like to sleep,/ she mumbled tiredly, only to be shushed and cuddled tighter by whoever was at her back while 2068 (she knew it was him by the band sig when he touched her) smoothed the tangled hair out of her eyes. "You must relax now, Sypher," he whispered into her nearest ear.
Youngblood's eyes narrowed as numbers and letter dizzily danced over the small monitor. Damn, he knew how to blast the worm out of existence, but he'd have to do it by opening a DOS box which was very hard on Cyborgs who were more human than machine.
The wave coming from Youngblood put her a little more on edge. She couldn't do anything--move, talk, put up the least little bit of a fight--and that scared the shit out of her. She'd always had dreams like this from the time she was little, and now it was really happening. Then she caught 'DOS box' from someone's thoughts, and weakly moved in an effort to make it stop. DOS boxes hurt--they hurt so bad.../don't...please don't...it hurts...nononononononononono.../
Gritting his teeth, Youngblood Hawke said to Wild Thing and the other Mac 27, "Monitor her breathing and keep her calm."
/Sypher! Stop it!/ 2086 commanded harshly. /This is the only way. The more you fight, the more it will hurt, do you understand? Do not fight it. I am sorry it has to be this way, but you will die otherwise. Is that what you wish?/
/No./
/Then you must trust us. Relax. Youngblood will try as much as possible not to hurt you. I will make sure of it./ When she sagged again, 2068 looked at each of the I-Macs in turn. "Do it."
Youngblood entered the first command and brought up a DOS command. He could see how the worm had entered and slightly altered so many essential operating commands. Just one letter of difference and it changed the entire function. The worm was multiplying crazily, ready to infect every system that it touched.
His brain racing at speeds that would have burnt the most powerful modem known before the Mac 27s, Youngblood entered command after command.///
Sypher's world went blinding white with pain--the kind of pain that constricted every muscle into almost bone-snapping contortions. The distant screams echoing through her were her own, she realized, and stopped them by sheer force of will. But the razor blades were still shredding her brain, and the nanocytes responded accordingly by pushing veins to the surface with the force and speed at which they currently traveled through her. Dimly, she felt the blood flowing freely from her nose. This was it; her body was starting to shut down.
/I must not fear...fear is the little death.../
Youngblood Hawke felt all the changes taking place. His fingers flew as he eradicated the malignant code from every part of Sypher's system. He knew her human half experienced great pain, but there was nothing he could do except to finish this work right. It was devious and evil worm, lurking in every conduit between the mechanical and human portions of her. He wasn't sure if he was keeping pace with the changes, substituting healthy drives for the damaged ones.
One thing he knew, if he was Sypher he would go after the people that did this to her. He had an odd feeling that it may even have been the very people who employed her. Were they so frightened by the Mac 27s that they would risk an expensive investment and efficient operative like Sypher to infect the Mac 27s? He was somewhat concerned about 2068. If he had attempted intimate contact with her, she might have inadvertently infected him.
Youngblood felt sure that he had all the codes although it seemed to have taken hours. He was very concerned about her. Her human body was deeply taxed. He hoped he had not cured the disease and lost the patient.
--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--
Eyes wide Michael looked into the huge green eyes that looked into his, intelligence gleaming. "Leigh?" he whispered.
The big head nodded and with another lick across Michael's lips, Baines dropped to the floor and moved to Jess' side. Johnny opened the outer door and the two wolves trotted out of the room.
Michael followed, studying the pair. Baines was the taller and heavier of the two. Jess was just as well muscled under her black fur and proportionally longer in the leg. Her long, red tongue lolled out over ivory fangs. She moved with an easy power and grace that Baines seemed to be trying to emulate. Her brown eyes were bright with a more than canine awareness.
Baines trotted besides Jess, head even with her shoulder. He was content to follow her lead for the moment, concentrating instead on the strange information being relayed to him by canine senses. He had always read that dogs and wolves had diminished vision and enhanced smell, but to actually experience it...
He couldn't tell a visual difference between Alexei, Sasha, Johnny, or Michael, but he could certainly smell it. Each of the androids shared a slightly metallic tang, but with distinct variations. And if anyone thought the Mac 27s were only emulating human emotions, he had proof that they were wrong. Sasha and Alexei smelled curious, Johnny relaxed although slightly worried. Michael's scent was even more layered. Or maybe he was more attuned to his lover. Fear, excitement, awe, concern all were emanating from him, as well as the sent of sex from their last coupling. It was intoxicating...
~Leigh!~ He focused on Jess, who was looking at him with a mixture of amusement and understanding. Beyond her was the front gate, open enough for them to slip out. ~You want to go out or not?~
Michael swallowed as Baines looked back at him. He knew that Jess would watch over him, but they weren't invulnerable. Jess' earlier fight with Wraith had shown it. There were threats and dangers outside the gate. He wanted so badly to ask Baines to stay here where it was safe. But safe wasn't Baines' style. "Go on," he said, making a little shooing motion with his hand. "Just try not to track mud into the room when you get back." Baines' tail wagged and he followed Jess out.
He turned away as the gate was shut. Johnny reached out and patted Michael on the shoulder. "They'll be fine," Johnny reassured. "Jess will take care of him."
"Yeah, I know that," Michael said with a backwards glance. A thought struck him, and he giggled at it. "I'm just trying to figure out what it is about me and shape shifters."
Johnny shared a questioning look with Sasha and Alexei, who looked equally puzzled by Michael's comment. Humans! They transmitted to each other.
Outside the gate, Jess paused, drinking in the night air. The sky was clear, the air cool, and the moon bright in the sky. Sitting, she lifted her muzzle and let out a long howl. There was a wild beauty to her song, and he felt compelled to join her. His voice was shaky at first, but gaining volume and steadiness as Jess serenaded the sky.
When the echoes of the last howl faded, Baines looked at Jess. ~Now what?~
An impish look glinted out of Jess's eyes. ~Now we see what you can do.~ Darting swiftly, she nipped his shoulder and sprang away. ~Tag! You're it!~ She bounded away to a spot about 20 yards distant. Looking back at a stunned Baines, she offered a play bow, tail wagging. ~You gonna sit there all night?~
~Maybe.~ Baines ambled two paces to his left, and then darted towards Jess. She was apparently expecting a move like that, and bolted another 20 yards. Grinning, Jess repeated the bow, leading Baines in a merry chase in the woods surrounding Skips compound.
Hours passed as the two coursed through the woods and boundaries of Ship's compound, scent marking territory. Baines was amazed at the stamina and strength he could feel. The incredible pleasure of movement. The astonishing information he could pick up about his surroundings with his nose. The temptation to follow illusive but fascinating scents into the darkness was sometimes overwhelming but he followed Jess' lead. She loped with such grace ahead of him, her tail up with happiness. She found such comfort in his presence, a companion to run and play with, a mind to communicate with. The worries and cares of the past year seemed to fade with every mile they travelled. Periodically, she would stop to howl her delight to the wind, Baines adding his voice to hers.
Michael did not enter the house with the others but wandered the darkness listening to the voices of the night as in the distance he heard the call of the wolves. He even thought he could distinguish Baines' voice from that of Jess'. He wondered what their future would be like now but then he had been wondering before also. All this was so new and strange. So many changes in so short a period of time. Baines was as beautiful in wolf form as he was in human form. A humane predator, if such a thing could be imagined. He knew Alex Krycek had arrived and wondered about the man Baines said was the original. He was hoping to find a place for himself here as something other than Baines' lover/companion. Another howl in the distance made him smile as if it were just for him, a reassurance from his lover that all was well. He wanted to go to the gate to welcome them back but chose instead to hunker down on the front steps to watch for glowing green eyes to appear out of the darkness.
This was going better than Jess had expected. Part of her had been dreading this. Her time with the other werewolves had been a constant battle for position in the pack. Baines seemed to be content to follow her lead for the moment.
She stopped short as she came across a new scent. This didn't smell right. There two armed people standing by an unmarked van outside of the compound. ~Leigh, you know anything about this?~
She was surprised when Baines growled in response. ~Innobotic's goons. They've been tracking the Mac 27s, taking them back to their laboratory. Supposedly they were all recalled.~
~Well, apparently all of them didn't get the message.~ She looked at Baines. ~So what do we do?~
~We definitely need to let One know about this.~ Baines studied the pair. Then his gaze drifted to the cache of weapons in the back of the open van. ~I would like to get a hold of some of those weapons though. We need to know how they work in order to be able to defend against them.~ Belly to the ground, he began to inch towards the van.
~Leigh! What the hell are you doing?~ Jess tensed, watching Baines inch towards the van. The two men appeared to be watching the compound, and Baines was sneaking behind them, towards the rear of the vehicle. He made it there silently, and reached with a forepaw for a weapon.
That was a mistake. He had forgotten that there was no manual dexterity in a wolf's paw. Unable to hold onto the gun, it clattered to the ground. Both men turned at the sound. "What the fuck?" one said as the other pointed his gun at Baines.
Jess's instinct to protect kicked in. With a growl that was closer to a roar, she charged at the man with the raised weapon. Shifting to a more bipedal form, she leapt into the air, raising her arm for a deathblow. Her claws sliced across his throat, severing the trachea and jugular vein.
Before she could turn to deal with the other man, a blow landed behind her left ear. She yelped, stumbling forward and hitting the ground. She heard a gun cock and then a scream. Twisting around to see what happened, Jess watched Baines tear out the second man's throat.
The body had barely ceased twitching before Baines was nuzzling at Jess. ~You okay?~
Jess shook her head and regained her feet. ~Yeah, think so. Caught me off guard.~ She could smell blood on herself, and on Baines. ~There's a stream we passed a ways back there. We should go wash the blood off before going back inside.~
Baines nodded. ~I want to take a couple of these weapons with us. We can pick up the rest later.~ Gingerly, he bit on the stock, lifting it. Jess did the same. With a weapon in each mouth, and a mental map of where the rest were, both trotted off to clean up.
Dropping the weapons on the bank the two wolves jumped into the stream. Submersing and swimming until their fur was free of blood they were headed for the shallows to leave the water when Baines started a water fight throwing water on Jess using his paw as a paddle. She splashed back and they spent a few minutes romping before climbing out, shaking off the water and retrieving the weapons.
~Jess, thank you for saving my life. I forgot what I was for a moment there. I know how you feel about killing, even in self-defence.~
~I'm not happy about it, that's true, but they were a danger to the people who took us in and had to be neutralized. I just wish it didn't involve killing. And as for saving your life, the shot would not have killed you but it would have hurt like the devil and forced the change. You returning bloody would scare Michael to death.~
~Right, silver bullets, I remember. ~
~It's all part of the learning process.~
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