Enhanced

  “Just let Yipper speak to you about it,” Six said. “I am certain he could offer you something small and noninvasive that would free you of the need to wear your oculars and also meet the requirements of the Collective.”

  “I don’t know…” Mei-Li said slowly. “I’ll have to think about it but it does sound better than having an arm or leg cut off and replaced.” She frowned at him fiercely. “If you knew there was an easier way to go, why did you push me last night? I thought my only option was amputation—that’s why I freaked out.”

  Six bowed his head. “As to that, I am truly sorry for the distress I caused you. I never meant to imply that complete extremity replacement was the only enhancement you could have. I was simply thinking of your safety—I wanted you to have a way to defend yourself once I take you back…back to Earth.” He looked away as he said it and Mei-Li found herself unexpectedly touched.

  “So you wanted me to get a robot arm so I could punch guys like Dungston in the face if they bothered me?”

  Six nodded earnestly. “Exactly.”

  “God…” She sighed. “Okay, I forgive you I guess. For that, anyway.” She still wasn’t happy about finding out she was just an assignment for him from his boss. And yet, the gentle way he had carried her and comforted her after she had her meltdown, not to mention the tender way he held her against him all night long made her wonder if maybe he did care…at least a little.

  Don’t be stupid, she told herself sternly. He doesn’t care—not about anyone. He has no emotions, remember? She had to stop interpreting his sporadic gentleness as caring—it was only going to confuse her.

  Speaking of confusion, she was confused as to what came next. Did she have to go back and get an enhancement right away? Her stomach clenched in a knot at the thought.

  “Are you well?” Six was watching her intently. “Your heart rate suddenly increased. Is something distressing you?”

  “No, nothing,” Mei-Li said quickly. Then, seeing the skeptical look on his face she went on, “Nothing but the state I’m in, anyway. I mean look at me…” She gestured down at herself. “I’m filthy and my clothes are a mess. I don’t even want to know what my hair looks like.”

  “It’s lovely,” Six said unexpectedly. “It reminds me of a flurta’s wing.”

  Mei-Li was thrown by the sudden compliment. “A what?”

  “A flurta. It’s a small flying creature that lives in the dense forests of Gillex, our nearest moon. Its wings have long, silky black fringes that swirl around it when it flies.” He shrugged. “I suppose it’s foolish of me to think—”

  “No, it’s nice.” Mei-Li put a hand on his knee and he looked down at it, as if wondering why she was touching him. Feeling awkward, she drew it back. “Um, anyway as I was saying, is there someplace I could get a shower and a change before we do anything else? Oh, and maybe some breakfast? I’m really hungry.” It had been a long time since her French fry and milkshake lunch and she hadn’t really gotten to eat more than a few bites of that.

  Six nodded. “Certainly. The fresher is in the corner.” He nodded at a small door in the corner of the room. “And I will synthesize you some more clothing as well as something nourishing to eat while you refresh yourself.”

  “Thank you,” Mei-Li said gratefully, really meaning it. She started to get up but it was hard to get out of the vast beanbag bed they were sitting on. Then, as though reading her intentions, the pink bed gave her a nudge and she found herself standing beside it. “Whoa—did the bed just move on its own?” She looked down at it uncertainly.

  “It’s not really a bed—it’s a sousa,” Six explained. “A creature which has been bred to serve as a rest and relaxation area.”

  “What? I’ve been laying on an animal? I thought it was just some kind of weird bean bag chair thing!”

  “I do not know what a bean bag chair is but be calm—the sousa will not hurt you. It derives nourishment from supporting you.”

  “Nourishment? It’s not going to try to eat me, is it?” Mei-Li edged away from the bed.

  Six shook his head. “Not in the way you mean. It ingests dead skin cells which slough off in the normal course of slumber. That’s all.”

  “I still don’t like the idea of sleeping on a live animal.” Mei-Li shook her head. “I’m really glad I didn’t know that last night. I was already freaked out enough and—” Suddenly there was a low gurgling sound and she clutched her midsection. “Sorry! My stomach—I haven’t eaten in hours—”

  He frowned. “Clearly. I will synthesize you double portions.”

  “Thanks,” she said and fled to the fresher, which she really hoped was Kindred talk for the bathroom. Not only did she want a shower, she also had to pee really badly.

  Chapter Thirteen

  It was, indeed, a bathroom although the facilities were a little strange. They were much larger than she was used to for one thing—clearly built for Kindred sized people. Also, she looked for the shower controls for a good five minutes before realizing the flow of water was motion activated. She found out purely by accident, waving her hand under the nozzle in frustration, and was surprised by the sudden gush of hot water.

  The nozzle hung straight down from the ceiling with nothing around it which meant the water should have gone everywhere. Somehow it didn’t though. Looking closely, Mei-Li saw a shimmering, iridescent bubble surrounding the nozzle and the floor around it for a two foot radius on all sides. She didn’t get wet until she stepped past the shining, almost invisible barrier, to get into the flow of water.

  There didn’t seem to be any shampoo or conditioner but the first gush of water seemed to have soap mixed in with it—it lathered in her hair nicely. When she had her hair and body scrubbed, the water changed again to a clear flow which washed the foam away. Mei-Li wondered if the shower was reading her needs somehow or if it was simply preset to do a wash and rinse. Either way it was nice to feel squeaky clean again.

  The water turned off automatically as she stepped past the shower’s nearly invisible bubble barrier and she wrapped herself in an oversized white towel she found hanging on the hook outside the shower barrier. It dried her immediately, wicking the moisture away from her skin so completely it was as though she had never been wet. It didn’t work quite so well on her hair which was still a little damp but Mei-Li didn’t mind. She felt thoroughly refreshed and she simply finger combed her long, black hair straight back to get it out of her way.

  She was about to get dressed in her own clothes again but a look at the dirty, crumpled dove gray suit and white silk blouse changed her mind. She didn’t even want to put her bra and panties back on, though she supposed she would have to eventually. But she couldn’t go out in just a towel, could she?

  A knock on the fresher door interrupted her deliberations.

  “I synthesized a garment for you,” said Six’s deep voice.

  “You did?” Mei-Li opened the door a crack and peeked out. Six was standing there holding a small, neatly folded bundle in one hand.

  “I am still working on finding everyday wear that you can use on Z4,” he said, handing it to her. “But I synthesized this from the memory of the dreams we shared. Hopefully it will fit you until the other garments are ready.”

  “Oh, thank you.” Mei-Li smiled at him gratefully. “That was so thoughtful of you.”

  He shrugged his broad shoulders. “No, merely practical. I did not wish you to catch a chill and I thought you might prefer some clothing that looks like it came from your home world.”

  “That’s still thoughtful,” Mei-Li told him gently. “I’ll put it on right now—just give me a minute.” She shut the door and shimmied out of the towel before unfolding the clothing he’d given her.

  To her amazement and discomfort it was her white lace nightgown. Well, what did you expect? whispered a little voice in her head. That is what you were wearing last time you were dream sharing. That’s what he remembers you in so that’s what he made.

  Only the nightgo
wn didn’t look exactly like the one she had at home. When Mei-Li put it on, it seemed to fit tighter to her body, clinging to her small breasts and the slight curves of her hips. And was it her imagination or was the lace over her breasts a lot thinner and more see-through than her original gown? When she looked down, she could practically see her nipples right through it which was embarrassing because they were much darker than the rest of her pale skin and puffy which made them poke out obscenely through the front panel of lace.

  “Oh my God, should I wear this?” she muttered to herself. But Six had gone to the trouble of making it just for her—it would be rude not to.

  Look, it’s not like he whipped out a sewing machine and handmade it just for you, whispered the skeptical little voice. He said he synthesized it. They probably have some kind of machine that just makes whatever you want. And what he wanted to make was this. So what does that say about what’s on his mind?

  But that was silly. If Six had been a normal guy back on Earth, Mei-Li would have mentally accused him of trying to get her into the flimsiest thing possible on purpose. But he had no emotions—he probably wouldn’t care if she walked around completely naked. Not that she would, but still…

  “Mei-Li?” came his deep voice from the other side of the door again, making her jump. “Are you well? Does the garment not please you?”

  “It’s, um…fine,” she answered as brightly as she could. “I was just…tidying up in here a little.” Deciding that she would just have to wear the white lace nightgown, she hung up the towel and came out.

  Six was standing there and the moment she came out, his gaze roved over her. He nodded as if in approval.

  “It fits you very well.”

  “It’s certainly very, um, tight.” Mei-Li tugged at the gown, trying to make a little room. She felt nervous all over again as she considered that she wasn’t wearing panties under the thin white slip.

  “Clothing should be tight. It keeps an enemy from getting a hold on you in battle,” Six said. “Come and sit on the sousa with me.” He motioned at the bed-thing which had a bowl of steaming blue-gray mush and a clear, thin sheet of plastic in the center of its pink surface. “You can eat your firstmeal and peruse the contract at the same time.”

  “Oh, well…” Mei-Li was still a little wary of the bed now that she knew it wasn’t really a bed but instead a living organism that snacked on dead skin cells. She watched uncertainly as the big Kindred settled himself on one side of it and nodded at her.

  “If you are worried you might spill your garn, don’t be,” he said, misinterpreting her reluctance. He patted the pink bed as though it was an animal and said, “flat, raised surface.” Immediately the middle of the pink bean-bag bed raised up to become a kind of little table. Six placed the bowl of blue gray mush on it and gestured for her again. “Come.”

  “All right…” Mei-Li climbed gingerly back onto the bed and settled down with her legs crossed modestly to one side. She was feeling self-conscious again about wearing nothing but the thin white lace gown which clung too tightly to her body but she told herself she was being silly. He only made it tight because that’s the way they wear their clothes here, she told herself. And it doesn’t matter what I wear because it doesn’t affect him at all. Six probably wouldn’t care even if she was completely naked. Lust was an emotion and he had no emotions so it didn’t matter what she wore. Still, she made sure the edge of her gown was covering her knees and kept her legs carefully together.

  “If you’d like to start consuming your garn, I’ll find the part of the contract you may wish to peruse,” Six said, nodding at the bowl of mush which had a long handled utensil sticking out of it. “I am still not as versatile with written English as I am with spoken so it may take me a few moments. My apologies for the delay.” He picked up the thin piece of plastic which was about the length of an old-fashioned legal pad and began scanning it.

  “Take your time,” Mei-Li murmured, picking the utensil out of the mush and examining it. It had a bowl like a spoon and a long hollow shaft like a straw. “Um, am I supposed to eat this or drink it?” she asked, motioning to the mush. “And what exactly is it, anyway?”

  Six looked up from the piece of legal-sized plastic he was perusing.

  “Garn is a complete food—perfectly nutritionally balanced. You will receive all the fats, carbohydrates and proteins you need for the first part of your day,” he said. “It also has shifting molecular motility.”

  “Meaning what, exactly?” Mei-Li asked. Whatever it was, it didn’t sound very appetizing.

  “Meaning it will shift in texture to meet your needs. If you wish to chew it, you can scoop some into your mouth. If you are thirsty, simply suck it through the garn tube and drink it instead.” He nodded at the spoon-straw in her hand. “Garn satisfies hunger and quenches thirst equally well.”

  “Oh, uh…okay.” Experimentally, Mei-Li dug the bowl of the spoon-straw into the mush and lifted it to her face. She sniffed it but there wasn’t much to smell. Experimentally, she took a bite. Well, there isn’t much to taste either. It was true—garn was pretty much the blandest thing she’d ever eaten. In texture it reminded her a little bit of Cream of Wheat hot cereal but without the faint nutty sweetness. Actually, what it tasted like was a bowl of white paper that someone had stewed into mush and served lukewarm.

  It wasn’t very good but Mei-Li was really hungry. Also she didn’t want to be rude. She ate another bite and then decided to try drinking it as Six had said. Sticking the spoon-straw deeper into the mush, she sucked experimentally on the end.

  Immediately a gush of bland, gritty liquid filled her mouth. Mei-Li tried to swallow it and choked. Six looked up from the piece of plastic he was holding as she coughed into her hand, a small frown on his face.

  “Do you find it to your liking?”

  “Um…” Again she didn’t want to be rude but it was hard to think of something nice to say. “It’s not too spicy,” she offered at last.

  “Of course not. Excessive spices in comestibles may trigger emotions. That is why garn is the preferred nutritional ration on Z4.”

  Mei-Li nearly choked again. “So you manufacture it to be bland on purpose?”

  He shrugged. “Naturally—though it is synthesized, not manufactured. Of course, there are a few supplements that can be added but the areas they are to be found in are…”

  “Are what?”

  Six shook his head. “They are on Z4. It isn’t important.”

  “But this…this garn— this is all you eat?”

  Six nodded. “Is that a problem?”

  “Uh, no. I guess not.” Mei-Li looked down at her bowl of mush glumly. Was this really what she had to look forward to morning, noon, and night for an entire month? What a depressing prospect! Garn was a far cry from hot French fries and a creamy chocolate shake which was what she felt she deserved after everything she’d been through in the last twenty-four hours.

  Well, I guess it’s better than nothing. Sighing, she dug her spoon-straw in again and took another gooey, bland bite. Ugh.

  The one good thing about garn appeared to be that it filled you up quickly. The bowl was still much more than half full when Mei-Li decided she’d had enough. She put down the spoon-straw and pushed it away with a sigh which made Six look up again.

  “I believe I have found the part in the Claiming Contract which you may wish to read.” He frowned at the still mostly-full bowl. “Are you finished?”

  “Yup, I’m full. Really full.” Mei-Li patted her tummy meaningfully. “Thanks for breakfast.”

  “It does not seem as though you have eaten enough to keep yourself healthy, though.” He nodded at the unfinished garn. “I do not want you to become malnourished. Maybe you should eat a bit more.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Mei-Li assured him. “Really, I couldn’t eat another bite.” Not if she didn’t want to gag on the blandness.

  He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling under the thin black shirt he wore.
br />   “Very well.” He tapped the small pink table that had been formed by the sousa and said, “Dispose.” The table folded up, engulfing the bowl and spoon-straw and making them disappear immediately.

  To Mei-Li, it looked like a hungry mouth had just eaten everything in one bite.

  “Crap!” She jumped back off the bed, watching it warily.

  “What is the matter?” Six asked. “Are you concerned that I fed the rest of your firstmeal to the sousa? Had you decided you wanted more after all?”

  “No, I didn’t want any more. What I’m concerned about is that it can swallow a whole bowl of mush just like that.” Mei-Li snapped her fingers. “What’s to stop it from swallowing me while I’m sitting on it?” She had a vivid mental image of her bare legs sticking out of the bed, kicking uselessly while it digested her top half.

  “The sousa does not eat living creatures,” Six said. “Do you not have sleeping platforms on your planet?”

  “None that move on their own and eat table scraps,” Mei-Li muttered. “It’s like some kind of huge, freakish pet you sleep on.”

  “We do not have pets—well, other than Two and his personal sniffers.” Six frowned. “We do keep domesticated creatures but only those who have a use.” He patted the flat, innocent-looking surface of the sousa. “Come, sit. We will look over the contract together.”

  “All right,” Mei-Li muttered. “But I still don’t like it.”

  She settled gingerly back on the bed, beside the big Kindred instead of across from him this time. Not because she really wanted to be closer to him, she told herself. She was only sitting close because he offered some possible protection if the bed went crazy and decided the bowl of bland mush he had given it wasn’t enough.

  “Now, see here,” Six said, tapping a part of the thin, translucent sheet of plastic. “If you read this clause you’ll see that as the female I am claiming, you are obligated to accompany me to my home for the Claiming Period. Also, you are mandated to obey any and all laws while you are there. The law that everyone who steps foot on the surface of Z4 must have at least one enhancement is iron clad, as I believe the English idiom goes.”