The Game 38
Edited by Karen Leigh
The pretty human seemed to be disgusted now and pushed them away. Between sub-vocalizations that humans often do when having an interior monolog, his actions, and a few drunken words said aloud, Bernie got the gist of the conversation. His dolphin brain was geared toward communications that were a blend of low and high bands of sound and nonverbal and near telepathy. Bernie slipped back into the water and slapped it in irritation with his legs, finding them a poor substitute for a dolphin tail.
Malibu slipped and fell; so abrupt was Mulder's physical rejection of him. He sat where he fell and sniffled. "He didn't like me! I did something wrong..."
Rapidly and indignantly transmitting this event to Mac Smith, who was with his lover, Skip Brule, Bernie climbed out to cuddle Malibu. "It's okay, Malibu, I'm going take you to the ocean to play...you can teach me how to surf."
The first thing Bernie had done once he had arrived here from the consortium labs was to enlist the most powerful person in the place on his side. He had decided that was Skip Brule, who owned the place. He had quickly arranged these comfortable quarters as his primary residence and had remained hidden until Skip put Malibu in his charge. He'd seen the golden Mac 27 as a sort of animated play toy too, but then that was how he saw most of the world. Play was lovely.
Bernie's feelings were not hurt by the human's reaction...sure Mulder was an asshole, but all Bernie wanted was a nice bout of sex and he had gotten what he wanted. Poor Malibu however didn't have his confidence.
"There, there, the human was an idiot. He's self-deluded. That means he lies to himself. He wasn't nice at all so you just forget him, Malibu," Bernie cooed, stroking Malibu's hair.
By the time, Skip and Mac Smith arrived at the pool, Malibu had stopped crying, but he was frowning as he tried to process his strange experiences in life.
Bernie said, "Skip, I want a helicopter out. I want to go to the ocean and teach Malibu enough so he won't be so vulnerable. It's either that or try dumping lot of programming at once into him and I don't think that would be a good idea. Normally, the first boot is the only time when a Mac 27 can endure such an overload of data. Since Malibu was created without much programming, he needs someone to teach him."
"I'll get you the helicopter if One says it's okay. I'm sure he will as long as you are sure that you can keep Malibu and yourself safe."
"I no longer have any tracer chips and if the team that is working on the devices that will mask our energy pattern will give me one of the prototypes, I can just about guarantee it. I found an island where coconuts grow close to the beach. Between that and seafood, Malibu and I will need nothing from humans," Bernie said.
Wiping away the last of his tears, Malibu said, "I think that I would like that. I think that I don't like humans very much after all..."
Mac Smith shook his head and said, "Don't judge them by one bad person, Malibu...or two. Skip's a human too and there are many good humans here who wish to help us."
"Even I know that," Bernie said.
"We'll go talk to One now," Skip said.
--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--
One didn't even bother to fill a plate. He could feel Mac Smith...whose thoughts really had a flavor...like freshly baked bread, a chocolate cake sitting on a cooling rack, sweet, and spicy and warm thought patterns spilling from him.
Sure enough, Skip filled the room a moment later with Mac Smith in his wake. "Bernie wants to go out, hit the ocean, and try to live on his own for a while. He wants one of the prototype wave scramblers and a ride out. He also plans to take Malibu Alex, who apparently wants to go. He just went through a big learning curve and has decided that he doesn't like humans any more."
"That is sad," One said. He now filled a plate while he thought.
David agreed on one level but disagreed on another. Blind trust in anyone or anything was dangerous
"The prototypes are not stable. I don't know if they will work outside of a laboratory. I also am disturbed about Malibu's feelings. He shouldn't judge humans by two bad experiences."
Sypher thought for a moment. "Maybe someone should talk to Malibu before he goes--a human. I'm not sure it's a good idea for the two of them to just leave under these circumstances. Malibu is little more than a child right now; and while it's okay for him to be cautious and aware, if we can show him that not all humans are like Mulder, it might help us out in the long run."
"I fired that gardener..." Skip growled, "There were plenty of less naive Mac 27s around he could have asked if he wanted to put an effort into it. I'd still like to fire Mulder too...out of a cannon. He's a total ass wipe."
Sypher grinned, but said nothing. She knew there were a lot of reasons behind Mulder's behavior, but she'd sooner be damned than defend the man now. Besides, Skip was right...he was a total ass wipe. She wondered what Alex saw in the man.
"You think so? A lot of humans react like that...only a few instinctively know that we are not mere machines. I had hoped to persuade him..."
"Soon as talk to a hog in a wallow..." Skip judged, "The man has got a screw loose. Gives me the creeps. Wanted to wash my hands after I touched him."
David was surprised. He'd heard much of Fox Mulder and had anticipated that the man would have a more open mind. After all, he believed in the paranormal and in extraterrestrial life. Self-aware androids seemed to David to be in keeping with Mulder's passion -- the X-Files. "Perhaps it's our resemblance to Alex Krycek that limits Mulder's ability to see us as anything other than poor copies?" he softly mused.
Maybe. That doesn't give him the right to treat anyone like shit, Sypher muttered to him privately. That attitude is what started this whole deal in the first place. She had some very definite ideas about changing his attitude as well, which made David emote a wave something along the lines of 'remind me never to make you angry.' Her attitude softened immediately and she nuzzled him back. Sorry. It just pisses me off, that's all.
"Mac Smith? What do you think?" One asked.
"Let him go...I think if any of us could survive on his own, it would be Bernie and I think it is hard for him to be confined. Part of him is a dolphin; you know...he wants the ocean. Caring for Malibu would be good for him and good for the innocent one. Let him grow up before any more humans use him and hurt him," the android chef replied.
Dotingly, Skip said, "What Mac Smith says, goes for me. I haven't asked for much since you folks arrived. I understood from the first and I wanted to see you have a chance to be free. Then I met Mac Smith and it became personal. So I'm asking for a little return of my favors."
Time to pay the piper, One. This concept was one that David understood and applied to his own existence.
David, this is hardly the same thing, Sypher scolded gently, startling him. Skip isn't asking for himself, he's asking for Malibu and Bernie--for their benefit, not his own.
Turning to David and to Sypher, One asked, "What do you think? There are three prototypes and we did want to field test them anyway. As long as Bernie contacts me periodically to let us know they are safe?"
David nodded. "Bernie is capable and very protective when he wants to be. And you are right. We do need to know if the equipment works in an uncontrolled setting. The only thing I would add is that they let at least you know where they are at all times, so we can get their feedback on the equipment and deliver more advanced prototypes to them as they are developed."
Eyes meeting Sypher's, David damped down his pleasure at her proximity, sensing her agreement with him before she indicated it with a nod. In this quieter moment, David decided to state his position. Thank you for your support, but I am not at all certain that you should be flirting in these circumstances.
Sypher smirked unrepentantly.
Normally I wouldn't have, she answered back, but Luke needed to know I wasn't a rival. I think it's raised you a notch or two in his eyes--not a bad thing, incidentally. Besides, her eyes narrowed dangerously and the smirk curled slightly more upward, you liked it.
Ryan Simms eyed David and the woman curiously as he rapidly consumed a piece of toast and washed it down with coffee. Women did like bad boys. He'd always known that and had played the part on occasion himself to attract or keep the interest of someone in whom he'd been interested. And regardless of his basic personality type, David's words and suggestions had been pragmatic. Ryan couldn't deny that.
Noticing Ryan watching them, she grinned. "I'm sorry, I just realized that I have you at a disadvantage, Ryan. I'm Sypher. Pleased to meet you."
Luke was gearing up to glare at her again as Ryan nodded in response. Save it, kiddo...I'm not interested in him, she told him truthfully, I'm already spoken for. Just making an introduction, that's all. She turned her attention back to the conversation.
Cautiously, Ryan ventured, "Did any of your research on me include something called "sliding," David?"
Focusing on Ryan and noticing that Luke had done so as well, David replied, "I found some files relating to the creation of gateways to parallel dimensions. They called the research team "sliders." There were no records of sliders from other dimensions coming to this one, though."
Ryan tried for brevity, feeling oddly guilty that he hadn't shared this information with Luke alone first. "I helped one of them avoid making way. In return, they took me with them on their next slide and I stayed behind when they slid out again."
"Making way?" David asked.
"You'd call it population control, I guess."
At first, this made no sense to Luke. Making way sounded like his files on manners. You were to make way, get out of the way for elderly and infirm people. But population control? That was what human breeding pairs did when they did not want to have offspring.
Slowly it processed...they had intended to take Ryan's life just as Innobotics planned to destroy the Mac 27s. How could they? If Luke had been destroyed, it would have only mattered to him and to Mary, Dog Luna, and Sally. Well, perhaps to One also. But Ryan? To imagine a world without Ryan was as if the all the colors were gone from the earth, as if the sun had lost its warmth. If he had never met Ryan, Luke would never have known how much he wanted to live.
Assimilating the facts as well as the shock and dismay evident on Luke's face, David murmured, "How long have you been in this dimension?"
"Not long. I came to Washington to learn some history." Blushing, Ryan admitted, "All I really did before all this started was spend three whole days in the Air and Space Museum. I found it fascinating. The ... the differences between my dimension and this one in that area, I mean."
How Luke longed for a time when he could roam with Ryan, learn new things...to be free and not afraid of being enslaved again or destroyed at a cruel human's whim. Of course, he had hardly seen much of this world yet. Was there a world where the Mac 27s had been created free as brothers? Where humans did not doubt that they were alive...just as alive as anyone else. Was it possible for soulless creatures to love?
Feeling Sypher in the back of his mind, David thought about his experiences and how to apply them. While he himself had not employed this strategy before, he'd seen it done successfully. Thus, David looked Ryan in the eye and stated, "I regret my choice of tactics in obtaining my samples." Shifting his eyes to Sypher briefly, he added, "I have received stern lectures recently on the concepts of ends and means."
Wuss, she giggled affectionately, you've just never had to be accountable for your actions before. Another brief, private nuzzle tempered his exasperation again. I'm only teasing, David. I'll stop. She thought she heard something along the lines of 'brat' as he refocused most of his attention on Ryan and Luke...
Ryan laughed sympathetically. Luke frowned but said nothing, obviously processing the inputs in an effort to interpret them. Satisfied, David offered his hand to Ryan. With only a few heartbeats hesitation, the human from another dimension took it.
David knew he had to do something about Luke as well, but he found his mind wandering to Sypher's earlier assertion -- that he'd liked the fact that she'd flirted with him openly as she had. An immediate and vehement denial came from his logic processors -- such a reaction -- pleasure or satisfaction -- made no sense. His emotive systems were strangely silent. A tentative request for information from that quarter brought forth a vague feeling of warmth and well being that was quickly overridden by logic processors sifting through options of what he might say to Luke. Frowning, David promised himself another complete diagnostic.
Again, Luke had to process the words on more than one level before he understood that David was saying he was sorry. Now, Luke knew he must forgive...Could he? His eyes met David's...finally he responded by opening a channel and pouring out the emotions he'd felt when he learned how he had been used. He saw One wince, but he was not entirely sorry. He wanted to be sure that David understood.
That promise was lost in a wash of sexual desire, anger, helplessness, fear, recognition of betrayal admixed with a loss of any sense of self-worth, all of which resolved into a rash wish to have one's existence terminated. It took a moment and an anguished silent cry of "Ryan Simms!" for David to realize that Luke was sharing his emotions, not those of the moment but rather what he'd felt when David had led Ryan away from him. With an effort, David quashed the impulse to thrust the other awareness back from whence it came and forced both his logic processors and emotive systems to evaluate the input. Previously unaccessed files were opened and reviewed and each individual emotion was broken down for analysis.
No David demanded of himself. Not separately, the meaning will be lost. The evaluation of the gestalt was unsatisfactory.
Ouch. Sypher could feel David wanting to ask if this outpouring was what she'd felt when he revealed himself to her. Later, she replied gently. Now isn't the time, beloved. She glanced over at One, wondering if he was okay and got a terse, 'fine', in response.
A lack of precise understanding did not prevent a top-level analysis. Ryan had inspired Luke to feel these things.
Turning to Luke, David observed, "You have made a wise choice, Luke. Protect him well." Taking a chance, David offered his hand to Luke as well.
Gauging the effect on David, Luke took the hand and held it. Finally, he followed the hand in and directed by his own nature, he hugged him and said, "I'm sorry that I threw you out the window too."
Stunned, David froze for a moment. This was not what he expected and he realized that his mistake was one that humans often made about his kind. David had anticipated that Luke would emulate Ryan and shake his hand. Luke's self-expression certainly supported One's earlier observation that Luke had grown much through his association with Ryan.
Sypher chortled privately. David was unused to such physical contact, and as such, was valiantly trying not to squirm in Luke's embrace. Finally, he brought his free hand up to return the clasp and she grinned indulgently. See, that wasn't so bad, now was it? she asked when Luke sat back. David only growled at her. Jeez! So testy .., she mock-pouted, reaching for another sausage...
Nodding to Luke, David decided definitively that Sypher was a brat. It was annoyingly exasperating, yet David recognized that it was a way that humans demonstrated affection. She reminded him of why he avoided extended interactions on anything except for a professional basis with humans. But just a little while ago she'd forcefully driven home the price he'd paid for that decision. Given all of the recent inputs and the sluggishness of his subsystems, David couldn't decide which was the appropriate course of action, particularly while watching Sypher eat a sausage.
I believe that Luke and Ryan are back in the fold, as you and One wished, so my testiness is no longer an alliance-level issue.
Her privately communicated laughter suggested a smile to David's subsystems, but he fought it. Then she playfully smiled with her mouth full of breakfast and he lost the battle.
Sighing, he faced One who was regarding him intently, an unclassifiable expression on his face. Not equipped to process further mysteries, David reviewed the recent discussions and suggested, "Maybe Luke and Ryan both should see Malibu Alex before he accompanies Bernie. Children learn more by observation."
Ryan glanced at Luke, shrugging, and the android seemed amenable, but distracted by his own thoughts.
David wondered what Luke might be thinking even as he said, "It might be best to find something for Mulder to do outside of the compound. Word may spread about what happened and we don't need a lightening rod for human-Mac 27 conflict at the moment."
Realizing that the donut he'd absently started to consume also had chocolate cream in the center, David approached the rest of it with more enthusiasm, moving a half step closer to Sypher and waiting for One to respond.
Before One could respond with more than a mental note that David's tongue flicking the cream center out of a doughnut should have been banned everyplace but France and Sweden, Mac Smith tugged on Skip's arm and said, "Interior cam number B-11 A monitor reports that Mulder and his lover, Alex appear to be having an altercation in the bedroom. Apparently, Mulder has had a jealous confrontation with Alex after finding him naked with another man."
Just when you think you have a grasp on how humans think....
One blinked. How did a man leave a sexual tryst with two beings to go and have a jealous fight with his lover? Of course, from what Bernie had shared, Mulder apparently thought he was using animated sex toys.
Skip Brule roared with laughter and remarked, "What a jerk!"
Knowing he should remonstrate and express some sympathy, One couldn't quite find the altruism to do so. He contented himself with "I'll ask Bernie to join us here with Malibu immediately. Then he will not encounter Mulder. I'll redirect the Mac 27s from the area. Skip, can you move guards to the outside area of the corridor to prevent Mulder from roaming the house?"
"Done that," Skip said, "I've had it with all this foma. I have guards on all the potential hostile visitors and I'm not countermanding that order. I didn't make it out of 'Nam and only get busted once while getting rich by being naive or trustful."
Skip's glare stopped One from even commenting on all the surveillance...
Contenting himself with a pleading glance at Mac Smith to prevent his lover from taking preemptive action, One sent a tight wave of communication to Bernie and Malibu, asking them to come up to the room.
Damn, Bernie bitched; he had just calmed his poor little golden boy down! Besides that he didn't like to walk. He could walk, but his feet were specialized, webbed, wide, and finned. Not the best things for land navigation. He was designed for the water. Ah, well, if he had to travel...
Shortly, they arrived at Luke and Ryan's room, Bernie riding comfortably, carried on a chair between Malibu Alex and Mac 27-72 RPM, who had happened to come into the swimming area when Bernie was thinking about the long uncomfortable walk. Tapping the oddly named Mac 27, Bernie said, "You may go to lunch now, James."
"Are you naming me?" the Mac 27 asked eagerly.
"No, sweetheart, got my hands full with Malibu. Don't worry; look around. You're young, you're pretty, you're free...You'll find someone," Bernie promised, patting the nice round ass.
Deigning to waddle the few feet to the bed, Bernie sprawled wantonly on the bed...wantonly because he was not capable of any other behavior. Malibu timidly followed and wiggled close to him, looking with big eyes around the room.
"Are we in trouble?" Malibu asked? "It was my fault not Bernie's..."
Trying to save One the trouble, David replied, "Neither of you is in trouble, because neither of you did anything wrong." Disconcerted by the simple gratitude in the blonde one's eyes that were now firmly focused on him, David muttered, "This meeting is about your request to leave the compound."
Sypher took pity on David and decided to get the blond clone's attention if she could. "Are you hungry, sweetie? We've got lots of good things to eat here. Why don't you come on over and help yourself?" She was rewarded with a timid smile, but otherwise Malibu refused to move and was looking to the Mermac for guidance.
So four other Mac 27s, a pretty woman, and two humans, one his friend, Skip and the other a human that resembled a Mac 27.
Shoving Malibu Alex toward the food, Bernie said, "Fill a few plates for me, luvie. I've worked up an appetite."
Standing next to the spread, Ryan roused himself, set his own plate down, picked up fresh plates, handed one to Luke and offered, "We can hold them for you if you want to pick out what you want."
Eying the group, Bernie asked, "What's the verdict? Going to set my Willie free?" He waggled the member in question and grinned obscenely.
After glancing at One and getting a nod, David replied, "We are, if we have your word that you'll be careful and you agree to take the precautions we suggest." Watching the blonde Mac 27 eye Ryan Simms fearfully, David sighed. "Malibu finding his way back into the hands of Innobiotics or of anyone similarly unscrupulous is unacceptable, Bernie. Completely unacceptable."
Bernie was listening to David, and there was no doubt that he understood every word that was being said; but having found something of a new playmate in Sypher, he was trying to get her to engage with him by thinking increasingly outrageous images at her. Which of course meant that she was trying to contain her amusement with ever-increasing difficulty. Bernie! Stop! Please! This is important! With an effort, she brought herself back under control and found her lover frowning faintly at her. "I'm sure that Bernie is very well aware of that fact," a tight reassurance of her well being accompanied her words, "and will take all the necessary precautions--including the ones we suggest. Won't you, Bernie?"
Giving Ryan thumbs-up for his generosity, Sypher snorted. And David thought she was a brat. Fascinated by Bernie's beautiful, faintly iridescent skin, she wondered if it was as smooth and sleek as it looked. An image of her tickling his belly popped into her head, and she fought the laughter down before David could scold either of them for their lack of decorum. Tempting...but I'll pass, she declined with the barest of nods in David's direction and a huge smile as Bernie got it.
Amusement from Sypher at this juncture, David didn't understand, but he found that he was almost becoming accustomed to mysteries. What choice did he have?
Ryan stared. He couldn't help it. He'd never wondered what he'd look like as a blonde, but now he knew. But he hadn't been that wide eyed in a long time, if ever. It would've never occurred to him to wonder what he'd look like ... like Bernie. And, yet, here Bernie was. Alive and strangely sensual.
Feeling Luke's discomfort with his preoccupation with the newcomers, Ryan smiled at the android and drew him closer with a hand on his elbow.
Ah David was making progress, One thought, concentrating on the final testing of the field units. The Mac 27 who was overseeing the process promised to be up with the units shortly. In the meantime, One walked over the bed, sprawling next to Bernie although he removed the hand that started to unfasten his overall.
Sypher had a curious sense of relief when One moved Bernie's playful hands away and Bernie chided her for wanting all of the playmates to herself. It isn't like that, she protested to him privately, growing flustered as the Mermac transmitted his blatant disbelief back. I don't know how to explain it, but it isn't like that, was the only thing she could think of to say. Surprisingly, Bernie sent her a wave of comfort and she smiled back at him, feeling a bit better.
Sypher was intrigued by Bernie; David found that interesting. They seemed to have similar senses of humor. Some of David's emotive subsystems protested that he should put a stop to that interaction forthwith, but David paid them little attention. If he took that stance with her, he'd have to address the stronger negative reaction he had to Bernie's playful attitude with regard to One's clothing. David wanted no part of that until he had a chance to test all of his systems once again.
David was confused again and Sypher knew she was going to have to talk to him soon. Hopefully, they'd be able to get out of here shortly; because they would need privacy for this discussion as well.
"Stupid to wear clothes. Why cover perfection? We are beautifully formed and it's a pleasure to see us," Bernie remarked in his voice, which was pitched slightly higher than any of the other Mac 27s, but was still melodious.
"Because it makes most humans uncomfortable unless they are nudists or intimate," One said.
David focused on Sypher. You are certainly not "most humans".
She blushed. He must have picked something up from her recent interaction with Bernie. You forget, Demon, that I'm not even considered human by most of them in the first place. David gave her the equivalent of a quick, tentative hug and she returned it.
It amazed One that humans thought they all looked alike except for the oddities such as Bernie, Malibu, or I-Mac. To One, each of them had endless variations of eyelash length, skin smoothness, hairstyle, and even in complexion and hair color. One for instance thought himself rather plain.
The gentle wave of affection Sypher sent his way combined and magnified other waves emanating from One that intersected hers. David gasped at the intensity of the combined communications, blindly reaching out for Sypher as he tried to sort the input. The feel of her hand within his allowed him to focus and David's eyes darted to One, not trusting what he was picking up.
Suddenly, David grabbed her hand and held on tightly; flooding her mind with images and feelings...she recognized her lover as being the focus of them, but the image wasn't quite the same and Sypher realized that she was seeing David as someone else saw him...specifically as One saw him.
David...David was a beautiful to him as his namesake. His friend's eyelashes were blacker than night, glossier than raven's wings. The green of his eyes was fashioned after emeralds, not just ordinary ones, but the type shot through with silk, so that the green beryl had hidden depths and shades. The eyebrows were slightly more pointed than One's, like wings perhaps, twin wings flying across his broad brow...Of course, there was also the nature of David's thoughts. A Mac 27 like David was like a fine torte, layers and layers of him, richly flavored. A dessert so rich that it must be savored with care...Sypher looked sated and sleek from her feasting. One thought they looked very beautiful together...lovely.
Bernie snorted and said, "You are as bad as a human, One. When two dolphins meet, we may sport see who leaps higher, can ram a side harder...then we play."
That odd flash came again and Sypher felt heat along with it. Staring at One, she felt sure that he'd somehow tuned in to their loving this morning; but instead of making her angry or sad, the knowledge made her hot and weak. Knowing herself as well as she did, she knew that taking both of them to her bed would be no problem--for her. They were both very beautiful in their own ways, and she cared about One deeply apart from their connection to David. He always seemed rather sad; as if waiting for something he wasn't sure he'd ever find, and that touched her because she could identify with it whole-heartedly. But while she might be willing, that didn't necessarily mean that either One or David would be--especially when they learned of the consequences of their bonding.
Bernie spoke but David didn't hear him. Only one thought found purchase in his mind. One considered himself to be ordinary? How could anyone capable of such clarity of thought and persuasive self-expression ever truly be ordinarily, even if his or her features were considered as such? The coverall, and what David realized that he knew it meant to One after the forced reboot, added to the impression he made. It ... magnified his presence, allowing it to be softened but not weakened by a true gentleness that David denied himself. Was it possible for that to be shared?
An inquiring mental nudge from Sypher startled David out of his reverie. I'm fine. She looked skeptical at his quick reply, and David couldn't face her. She had given of herself to him freely and without restriction. Surely, it was appropriate to reciprocate and ... and not ... Shaking his head, David squeezed Sypher's hand and smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner before returning his attention to Bernie.
As she watched David stare longingly at One, a sudden thought occurred to her: what if the feelings David had developed for her had come about because of the reboot? What if what he felt was only because she was the first person he had coupled with after the reboot instead of One?
Suddenly, Sypher couldn't breathe...it was too hot and stuffy and the room was too full...
"You're not a dolphin, Bernie, that's part of you. I think you'll miss your own kind," One said.
Smirking, Bernie said, "Where would I find my own kind? I am alone unless someone will make Malibu into one like me?"
"It's too late to do that, Bernie; I understand your creation was difficult. A dolphin at Sea World gave birth to an infant so premature it could not have lived and that brain was united with a waiting Mac 27 body and the same human clone matter as we all have. It's unlikely to happen again."
"Not very thoughtful of the creators, but Malibu loves to swim. He'll suit me. I'll teach him everything I know about the sea," Bernie said. He reached over and petted One's hair, "Maybe we should all hide beneath the sea?"
Can't...can't...don't...please...let go...can't watch this...love you...
David tensed as Bernie touched One, mentally berating himself for the aberrant behavior. Sypher tried to withdraw her hand from his grasp, but he wouldn't allow it. He couldn't. It anchored him somehow. He didn't comprehend how, but David knew that he need the contact with her at some level.
"No, I think not...I'm not ready to abandon humanity yet and I know Luke isn't. Don't teach Malibu bitterness," One pled. "Teach him joy."
"He seems to have a willingness to learn," David observed, nodding to Malibu who was watching Ryan smile at something Luke had said. The blonde android's sad eyes were filling with wonder and what just might be hope.
That briefest of flashes presented itself again, and she felt strangely bereft when One took his hand away. Sypher felt David's confusion and her own echoed it. She wanted...she wasn't sure what she wanted, and to visualize what was flitting through her own mind was unthinkable. And yet the vision persisted, giving her a small sense of hope. Remembering the Oracle's long-ago admonishment about trusting her instincts, she decided to speak to David as soon as they had a moment alone together.
The equipment they had been waiting for finally arrived, and it gave Sypher something to focus on besides the maelstrom of emotion threatening to drag her under. Turning to Malibu, she said, "we'd like for you to stay and talk to Ryan and Luke for a little bit while everything's being set up; okay, sweetie? You'll be safe with them and Bernie's right here, so you don't have to be scared, right?"
David did his best to listen to Sypher, wondering where she was going with this. The upbeat tone and gentleness in her voice didn't match the tension in her body or the frantic pacing of her mind.
Another nod and a bright smile and then she turned to David, trying to control her emotions even though she was sure he could see everything in her heart anyway--including the love that made her feel like she was being ripped to shreds inside at the moment.
Looking into her eyes, David had to fight hard not to step away from her. Had he caused her this new pain as well? The pain that she couldn't even manage to keep out of her voice when she next spoke.
"We need to talk, David, and I think One needs to be there because it concerns him as well. It's important," she stressed, "or I would have waited until after this was done."
Wide-eyed, David nodded slowly even as he held more tightly to her hand...
Letting go of the physical connection between them was unthinkable given Sypher's distress. Wryly, David could admit to his own confusion more easily now, becoming accustomed to it and being able to attribute it to the aftereffects of letting himself run down too much.
"Sypher," he whispered as they made their way back to her room. Idly wondering whether he should refer to it aloud as their room, David continued, "I am sorry that I am not fully functional yet. I thought I was, but I was mistaken. I can see that my sub-optimal performance causes you pain, and I will correct the problem as soon as I am able."
"It isn't you," she whispered back, "there is nothing you can do about this."
One's concern flitted into David's mind. He sent back a reassuring mental message along the same lines to One.
One questioned her as well, and all she could do was ask him to wait for relative privacy.
--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--
It made Ryan angry that someone had traumatized the blonde they called Malibu. He was as innocent as a child. Luke had hastily explained the reason for that which had turned Ryan's stomach. Malibu's owner had been a pedophile in disguise.
Bernie, on the other hand, was as adult as an adult could be. He was very inventive with propositions -- even had some subtle ones that Luke didn't catch. But Ryan could tell it was all in fun -- Bernie was bored here in the compound.
It made Luke feel warm inside to be left in charge of Malibu Alex...although he wanted to keep an eye on Bernie who seemed to want Ryan to swim with the fishes.
Ryan winked at Luke when he caught him glancing at he and Bernie.
"Someday, Ryan and I are going to go diving in the ocean too. Maybe we'll see you."
Malibu brightened again and said, "I saw skin divers. I wanted to go with them, but Master refused to let me. He said that sharks might eat me, but Bernie says sharks are fun to play with. You ram them with your head until they die. Then you can eat them. I'm going to miss chocolate."
Quickly turning to see what Ryan was doing, Malibu whispered, "Does the man push you away after he has had sex with you? I did not enjoy that...and Bernie said that Mulder thinks I'm just a machine, but One says that we are people..."
"Of course, we're people," Luke said, "it's just that some humans are mean. I used to belong to a cruel one, but his wife and daughter were kind. Mary, the female, said that it was a shame that her husband bought me. She said it was purely obvious that I could think, learn, grow, and feel. She even said that if her husband was considered alive and thinking, that God knows, I must be twice as human as he was."
Ryan had never heard Luke speak like that about his former master and he thought it was a step in the right direction. It had been clear to Ryan from the very beginning that Luke had been treated poorly -- at least by the man of the house.
"I thought he liked me though. He was beautiful. When I saw him in the car, I just knew I wanted to have sex with him. He was nice to me at first and then he changed. I just get so confused. I wish they had made me like the rest. Why did my master want me to be stupid?" Malibu asked.
"Oh, shush," Bernie said, "you're not stupid. You just didn't come preprogrammed like the rest of us. You have all the capacity for learning that we do. I'm going to teach you and we'll talk about humans. I'm not overly fond of most of them, but I've met some good ones. Pendrell...the guy who designed me is one. Poor jerk, I wonder if he's still alive? Then Skip is a great guy. I couldn't even seduce him because he's in love with Mac Smith,"
Ryan smiled ruefully at the fact that he hadn't yet made Bernie's list of acceptable humans. Maybe I should've agreed to go swimming with him after all.
Malibu went back to sit with the Mermac and stroked his gleaming scales. "I wish I had these."
"You're beautiful," Bernie said, "pretty inside and out just like Luke, One and David. And we're going to have a good time in the ocean. This time they won't be able to catch me. I bet there will be new legends born out of us if we let ourselves be seen."
Maybe Bernie wasn't so bad. Luke moved closer to Ryan, concentrating on the link between him and Malibu. Since he had arrived here, it was increasingly easy to talk this way, Mac 27 to Mac 27. He wondered why? They were still individuals and Luke knew he could function fine without the link, having shut it down once, but more and more precisely, he could send thoughts and images, feelings even to his brothers.
Ryan smiled when Luke shifted nearer, because it was clear that the android was thinking about something. Trying to show Malibu how things were, Ryan stepped closer to Luke, put an arm around his waist, leaned down and whispered, "What are you thinking about?"
Luke picked up on the sensual tone of voice and looked up quickly, smiling shyly. Ryan hoped that Malibu was watching as he tipped Luke's head toward his with a finger. However, when the full force of those expressive green eyes hit Ryan, he forgot anyone else was in the room.
--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--
CGB Spender had seen the man come out of the elevator, but taken no notice until he saw the blond apparently observing one of the Macs - or was it a clone? No matter. He had other fish to fry. He gestured to his technical assistant to remain seated out of sight and strode towards the blond.
Spike was studying the Cory look-a-like so intently he did not hear Spender approach him. He had seen some bloody strange things in his long life, and the odder they were the more he thought it was a good idea to avoid them. This thing wasn't human and it wasn't anything demonic. As Dru had said, a metal man. It was nearly a machine, but not quite. He thought of Robocop, and the Six-Million Dollar Man and his mouth twisted into a smile. Trust the Yanks to make comic books into reality. What next? Fucking Mickey Mouse, genetically engineered thanks to the Disney Corporation?
A voice at his shoulder made him jump.
"My name is Charles Spender, and I believe that you and your associates might benefit from a conversation with me. Why don't we go somewhere where we can talk?"
Spike twisted round with a snarl, then remembered where he was, and had to struggle to keep his face human. The wrinkled man facing him looked urbane and unthreatening. Dru had warned about someone who smoked, though... this bloke was smoking, and by the look of his stained fingers did so constantly. He seemed harmless, but if he was connected to the prats who had put the chip in his head, Spike was not about to go anywhere with him.
He backed off a couple of paces, put his hands in the pockets of his coat and raised his brows. "Should I know you mate?" he said evasively. "That name doesn't mean anything to me. And as for associates... dunno what you're on about. You've got the wrong guy."
"Of course you wouldn't know me." The very idea made the Smoker chortle with black amusement. "I do, however, know you, Mr. Vampire."
As Spike hissed out his shock, Spender lit another Morley and waited for him to stop trying to escape.
Spike stepped back a little more, until he was just out of reach. He wanted to run, but somehow this old fart had found him and if he could do it once, Spike reasoned, he could do it again. Might as well find out what was going on.
"I have a proposition for you, Mr. Vampire. It's one that you might enjoy, and if you were to carry out your part of a bargain that we will make, I could possibly consider permitting your restoration to - how can I put it? - Your former hungry self."
Spike looked at him with narrowed eyes. He didn't bloody trust him, and any human who knew how Spike had been neutralized, would have to be right round the bend to reverse it... or desperate for something.
The old man drew on his cigarette pensively. "I am aware that you are not alone, and I would like to speak with you and your associates... Yes, especially with the associates. I assure you that I mean you no harm at present. I believe that your desires currently march with mine." He stubbed the butt of his cigarette out in a conveniently situated potted palm. "So? Would you care to lead the way?"
Right into the lion's den, Mr. Spender, thought Spike with vicious satisfaction. Come into my parlor, to mix a metaphor or two. No matter what your little game is, Dru will soon get the truth out of you, and if you're one of the people who turned me into a sodding eunuch, I'll make sure she takes a nice long time over it.
He gave a cocky grin, and inclined his head in a little bow. "Certainly, Mr... Spender. You are more than welcome in my humble abode. And seeing as we're mates, now, you can call me Spike."
With a spring in his step, he walked off, not bothering to see if Spender followed behind.
Spender gestured to the technician to remain until summoned, and then to the other two that were to follow him and ensure his safety, then he turned and entered the elevator beside Spike.
--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--
Langly kicked off his shoes, slid the heel aside and took a mini tool kit from its hiding place and worked the window open. It seemed like a long way down, but he was tired of the crazy Mac 27.
What surprised him was finding divots installed as if people regularly came and went by this means. He used these until he came to an unlocked window and managed to pry it up. An elderly woman looked up from watching wrestling and said, "Are you from Mr. Mulder's apartment?"
"Yes, ma'am," said Langly.
"Oh, all right, I do hope it's not the water again...bottled water is so expensive! Be sure and wipe your feet on the welcome mat before you come into the apartment," she said.
Sure enough there was a welcome mat that portrayed a grinning alien and said, "We come in peace."
Langly wiped his feet and tipped his head pleasantly, adding, "I'll lock the door on my way out."
The old woman said, "Mr. Mulder is getting a better class of thugs these days. You have nice manners."
"Thank you," Langly said, continuing out.
To his surprise, I-Mac ran out the door of the apartment and said, "I'll give you a ride home. I was going to rescue you."
"Well, yeah? I rescued myself instead. Next time that idiot comes after me, I'm ripping his legs and arms off and selling him as a factory second, Mr. Bass," Langly replied.
Flopping in the car, Langly said, "Home, I-Mac, to the temple. I hope to hell, they've noticed that I'm missing by now. This could hurt a guys feelings."
--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--[o]--
A brisk knock on the door was followed by the entrance of Scotty, formerly Mac 27 number 1399. He was in the company of one of Skip's employees, Jerry Sanchez, who had won an MIT scholarship at seventeen, before turning his technical skills to the drug world after graduation. Reformed now, he had come to work for his old friend. He was the one who had named the technical model, Scotty, Montgomery Scott, to use his full name. Every tech Mac 27 who was unnamed now wore a Star Trek inspired name.
Sanchez waved at Skip and said, "Here they are. They work in my lab, but you know how that goes. No guarantees..."
The modules were small. Skip picked one up and examined it. It was a smooth cylinder, bigger than a bullet, smaller than a beeper. It would fit in the control box of the Mac 27s. "What's the power source?"
"We'll wire it in," said Sanchez. "That way it won't create a problem on its own as it blocks the power signals. Come here, Scotty, show them the jazz."
The tracking device was larger, similar to the types One had seen with hunting teams sent out by Innobotics. Scotty was one of the crew cut Mac 27's with efficiently shorter eyelashes, a kind of no frills type model.
Skip's grounds looked like a mass of green light from all the energy leakage from the Mac 27s he was protecting. The city showed a few blips of green light including a larger concentration than expected in an area corresponding to the demolished secondary Innobotics laboratory.
Pointing to the largest grouping next to those here, Skip asked, "Why so many here? I thought they got them all out?"
"Must be a few left...When One comes back, maybe he can tell us." Scotty responded.
"How are our uninvited guests doing?" Skip asked Mac Smith. He felt better now that he had put his foot down. One had some very naive ideas and so did many of the others. He'd gone along with it because he knew he could monitor what was going on and also because they had the advantage of numbers. Wraith, however, had always worried him. The what ever the hell he was posed a danger that Skip's gut told him was considerable. Why Wraith had been dragged here was beyond Skip.
Did someone really think that you could persuade everyone to see things the same way? No, everyone had a right to disagree, but Skip was not going to pretend any longer that Wraith was not an unstable being. If he was going to have some kind of breakthrough and stop seeing the Mac 27s as prey, it was going to happen by some other means than simply showing him that the Mac 27s capacity to live, grow, change, and express emotions. It sure wasn't going to happen because of what anyone had said to Wraith at the conference. Perhaps, the blond woman, Marita, could do something with him, but Skip preferred that it not be here.
As it was, he was going to have change every security configuration he had once Wraith had been released. Alex Krycek was another case. Skip didn't know what to make of him...but he wasn't taking chances.
Lastly, Mulder....he was an odd duck. Skip hadn't thought anything of it when the man decided to skip the conference to play with the two exotic Mac 27s. However, his behavior afterwards did not put him on the side of the Mac 27s. He had showed his colors. Perhaps, he would change his mind, but Skip was not having any of the clones that had not fought for the Mac 27s already, wander around unescorted.
There was a war brewing and Skip thought people had better face up to it. He'd tell One, David, and Sypher that when they came back.
His lover had an earphone connected. He was listening to the Mac 27s and to Skip's guards who were posted about the halls. Mac Smith said, "Quiet so far, although Krycek and Mulder want some food and a bathroom. There hasn't been much stirring around Wraith and Marita's room."
"Tell the guards to move back and allow them to use the bathroom. Get them whatever they want, but the corridor remains closed. Did we pull everyone else out?" Skip asked.
"More or less, they aren't far from the infirmary, but there's only three other rooms in that wing. Wraith and Marita are right off the kitchen where Mac Smith put them so that's another matter. However, that room has it's own bathroom as most of the rooms do."
Skip bounced the module in his hand and said, "We're going to need a lot of these. One for every Mac 27 in the building. You make sure that no one talks out loud about these. Keep it mum unless it's someone who has already shown what side they are on."
There were a few solitary green spots left in the city. As Skip watched, one of them winked out. He wondered what that meant....but then again, he was afraid he already knew the answer. Whatever had caused Innobotics to call off the dogs had not entirely succeeded. Mac 27s were still being hunted.
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