Enhanced

  He tried to tell himself that it was simply Kindred instinct surfacing—a female’s pleasure always came first and a male’s need to make her come was part of that. But somehow, though he tried, Six couldn’t quite shake the sensation of unease that lingered around his head like a dark cloud, even after he rose on shaky legs and cleaned himself up.

  The fact was that Mei-Li affected him…deeply. Despite Yipper’s promise that all was well with his emotion damper, something was happening.

  Something that Six feared would have far lasting consequences…

  Trying to shake the idea, he gathered himself and took a deep breath. It was foolish to stay here in the fresher, avoiding her because of some ridiculous concern that would ultimately amount to nothing. Squaring his shoulders, he went to find her.

  * * * * *

  “Hey, are you okay?” Mei-Li looked at Six anxiously when he stepped into the kitchen. He had left the bedroom in such a hurry she wasn’t sure what was going on with him.

  “I am well.” The big Kindred looked much more composed and also much more clothed—though he was still bare chested, he was wearing his black leather flight trousers that clung lovingly to his muscular legs. That was good, if he had walked out naked, she didn’t think she could have kept her composure nearly so well. Even now she could feel her cheeks getting hot when she considered what they had just done together—or rather, what she had allowed Six to do to her.

  Hit it and quit it, she reminded herself sternly. Don’t get emotionally involved. Just be cool, calm, and collected—like Six is.

  Or was he? The last time she’d seen him, he was in a state of extreme arousal. Mei-Li snatched what she hoped was an unobtrusive glance at his crotch and noticed that he had apparently taken care of his problem himself. Well, that was a little insulting, but maybe he had his reasons.

  Looking back up at his face, she noticed that he was taking in her own choice of clothing.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” she said, nodding down to his thin black undershirt which she was wearing as a kind of a nightdress. She’d had to roll up the sleeves and it fell to mid-thigh on her but it was preferable to the tight, white shrink-wrap clothes he’d simulated for her. She wished for the white lace nightgown he’d given her but she must have left it behind on the med barge. “I wanted something comfortable to lounge around the, uh, domicile in.”

  “No, I do not mind.” Six’s voice sounded slightly strangled. “You can help yourself to anything you find here. What is mine, is yours.”

  “Thank you, I was hoping you would feel that way.” She smiled at him. “Right now I’m helping myself to some food—or trying to anyway. I don’t really see much of anything to eat around here.”

  She looked around the sterile kitchen area which appeared to consist of empty countertops and one cabinet which was bare except for a blue, plastic bag of fine, white sand. At least Mei-Li assumed it was sand—it certainly didn’t taste like salt or sugar when she’d dared to take a pinch of it to try.

  The whole room was so bare she wouldn’t have even known this area was supposed to be his kitchen if there hadn’t been appliance in it. One looked very much like a large microwave with wires sticking out of it the other appeared to be a small refrigerator built into the wall. Both were very clean and very empty.

  “There is plenty of sustenance to be had here,” Six rumbled, saying the exact opposite of what she’d been thinking. “Enough to feed the two of us for an entire solar year.”

  “Oh yeah? Where?” Mei-Li looked around skeptically. “Unless the bag of sand in the cabinet is edible, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “That isn’t sand—it’s tresh—raw material for the synthesizer.” He got out the blue plastic bag and set it on the counter. “Watch.”

  He reached into a small drawer which had several of the weird spoon-straws in it and withdrew a small metal flask. It was long and thin with measurement lines marked in black on its side and a pour spout at one end. Dipping it into the bag, he filled it about half full. Then he crossed to the microwave looking appliance and opened a tiny hatch in its top that Mei-Li hadn’t noticed before. He poured the fine, white tresh in and closed the hatch.

  “Wait—so you pour the sand, I mean tresh, in the top and food comes out?” Mei-Li asked.

  Six nodded as though it were obvious.

  “Of course. The tresh is a dehydrated and compact form of nutrients as well as other raw materials. It is converted into comestibles or other goods which appear in the delivery slot.” He nodded at the interior of the simulator.

  “But…how does it know what kind of food to make?” Mei-Li asked. “Or does it only make garn?” Please say it can make something else! She really didn’t want to eat stewed white paper-tasting gloop for breakfast, lunch, and dinner her entire stay on Z4, even if it was only for nine days.

  “The simulator can make whatever you desire. You simply tell it what you wish to eat.”

  “How do you tell it?” Mei-Li asked, still mystified.

  “Watch.” Six lifted one of the wires hanging off the back of the microwave and pressed the flat pad at the end of it to one of his temples. “Tell me what you desire.”

  “Oh, I’m not exactly sure I could describe it.” Mei-Li frowned, thinking of the large French fries and chocolate shake she had never gotten to finish from lunch the other day. “Maybe you should let me do it.”

  “I am afraid the simulator is not yet attuned to your brain patterns. Though I will instruct Ter to work on it, it may take some time to reprogram.”

  “Working now. Approximate time to reprogram, eight solar hours,” the voice of Ter came over the speaker, making Mei-Li jump.

  “Oh,” she gasped, putting a hand to her chest. “I almost forgot about him! But look, you don’t have to make anything special for me. I mean, I don’t want to impose.”

  Six frowned. “It is part of my duty to cook you meals that meet with your approval. I will be pleased to make you anything you desire.”

  “But I really don’t think I could explain what I like well enough for you to make it,” she protested.

  “What about the comestibles I saw you give away to the young one on the day I claimed you?” Six asked.

  “You saw that? You were watching me?” Mei-Li felt suddenly uncomfortable. What else had he seen her do? How long had he been watching her that day before he claimed her?

  He nodded. “I told myself that I wanted to be certain you were not in danger. But I think now that I was…” He looked suddenly troubled.

  “You were what?” she asked softly.

  “I think I was curious about you. I wanted to see how you lived…who you spoke to…what you were like outside of my dreams,” he admitted in a low voice.

  “Oh…” Mei-Li wasn’t sure what to say. “Well, that’s…” She cleared her throat. “I mean, I guess I wondered about you, too.” For a moment she had the impulse to go over and hug him, or at least touch his broad, bare chest. She restrained herself with an effort. “Anyway…yes. The things you saw me eating the day you came to get me would be just fine. They’re called French fries and a chocolate shake.”

  Six shook his head. “The names are irrelevant. I will simply picture them in my mind and remember how they smelled.”

  “Don’t you actually need to know how they tasted?” she asked.

  He shrugged, as though it wasn’t important. “The sight and smell should be sufficient for the simulator to make a reasonably close facsimile.”

  “Okay, well…if you say so.” Mei-Li shrugged. “But…you were close enough to me to smell my lunch?”

  “I have very sharp senses.” His nostrils flared slightly. “Though mostly I was searching for your personal scent.”

  She frowned. “What? You mean like perfume? I don’t think I was wearing any that day.”

  “Not an artificial fragrance—I mean the scent of your skin, of your hair.” He reached out and stroked a strand of it out of her eyes, tucking it g
ently behind her ear. “It is…intoxicating.”

  “You, uh, smell really good too.” Mei-Li had a feeling they were getting off topic but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. Six had just made her come harder than she ever had in her life only a few minutes ago. Despite her promise to herself to remain emotionally uninvolved, she couldn’t help being drawn to the big Kindred.

  They were actually leaning toward each other with Six cupping her cheek and Mei-Li standing on her tip-toes to reach him when she realized what she was about to do. You’re about to kiss him, just like you promised you wouldn’t, whispered a little voice in her head. Really, Mei-Li, get a grip on yourself! Have some self control—some self respect!

  “Um, I’m really hungry,” she said, drawing away from his hand. “Maybe you should go ahead and make supper—if you don’t mind.”

  “I will.” Six let the hand he’d been stroking her cheek with drop to his side. Then he took a deep breath and his brow furrowed as though he was concentrating hard. After a moment there was a small, flat chime and the inside of the simulator lit up.

  “Is it done?” Mei-Li asked hopefully.

  “It is.” Six removed the sensor pad from his temple and opened the door. He pulled out a familiar looking white paper sack. Inside, was a big red cardboard carton filled with golden, crispy, delicious looking fries that were steaming hot. There was also a paper cup with a plastic lid and a straw and when Mei-Li lifted the lid, she saw a frosty chocolate milkshake inside.

  “That’s amazing!” she exclaimed as he put the items on a long, flat tray-like plate and held them out to her. “I can’t believe you can make fries and a shake out of sand just by thinking about it.”

  “The simulator can make anything you can imagine,” Six told her. “Within reason, of course. Whatever you are trying to simulate must fit within the delivery slot. And you cannot simulate a living creature.”

  “Wait a minute—you mean you use the same machine to make food and everything else?” Mei-Li was a little nonplussed.

  “Of course. Why not?”

  “Well, I mean…it just seems weird. But you must have a different kind of raw material—a different kind of tresh to make the non-edible items. Right?”

  Six shook his head. “That is not necessary. Tresh is both nutritious and structurally flexible. It is a raw material which can be made into literally anything. The clothing that I synthesized for you is made from it, as well as the garn you ate this morning.”

  “Well I’m never eating garn again now that I know I can think up some French fries,” Mei-Li muttered, helping herself to a long, crispy looking fry.

  “Excuse me?” Six said, just as she was about to bite into it.

  “Um, nothing. That’s really amazing,” she said louder, smiling. “One more thing though—what are the nutritional stats on this stuff? I mean, back home this is junk food—fat and carbs and sugar that aren’t really good for you at all,” she explained, seeing his puzzled look.

  “Tresh is mostly protein and fiber,” Six answered. “Anything made with it has only the highest nutritional value.”

  “In other words it’s not fattening or bad for you?”

  He shook his head. “It helps build lean muscle mass. As you see.” He nodded down to his own impressive physique.

  “Mmm-hmm, I do see.” His bare chest was almost enough to distract her from the hot fry wafting its delicious scent towards her nose. Again she had to restrain herself from touching him. We’re doing the no-strings-attached version of the Claiming Period, she reminded herself. Touching—even casual touching—is out unless we’re in the bedroom.

  With some difficulty, she turned her attention back to the fries and shake. She could hardly believe it. Junk food that was good for you? There had to be a catch somewhere…

  “Try it,” Six urged. “If you do not like it I can sim you something else.”

  “No, no—I’m sure this will be just delicious.” With a smile, Mei-Li popped the crispy fry into her mouth and chewed…and chewed and chewed…

  Damn—I knew there had to be a catch! The delicious smelling, nutritionally good-for-you French fry was incredibly bland. Oh, it had the right texture, crispy on the outside and fluffy in the center—but that was all. It was like eating garn all over again.

  “Is it not good?” Six was looking at her anxiously. “Do you not like it?”

  “No, no—it’s fine. Delicious.” She swallowed and reached for the chocolate shake. Taking a sip, she tried to smile. “See? Yummy.” Actually, it tasted just as bad as the fry. Which was so disappointing—she really could have used some chocolate right now!

  Six frowned. “You are telling me a falsehood.”

  “What? What are you talking about? How can you tell that?” Mei-Li demanded, put on the defensive.

  “My sensors indicate that you are lying—you are not enjoying these comestibles at all. In fact, you are barely tolerating them. Tell me the truth, Mei-Li, what’s wrong with them?”

  “Well…” She sighed, giving up the whole polite guest routine. “They taste like the garn from this morning.”

  “Garn tastes fine.” Six was clearly mystified by her answer.

  “I’m sure it does if that’s all you’ve ever eaten,” Mei-Li said. “But it’s very bland—it has almost no flavor. Isn’t there anything you can, I don’t know, add to it? Some kind of spice or herb that can make it taste like something—anything at all?”

  He frowned. “There are certain additives available at the Serlix market. But it is in an…undesirable part of the city.”

  “Oh…okay.” Mei-Li sighed and reached for another French fry. If she was going to eat garn, it might as well be in this form. At least it had a better texture than the weird, solid-to-liquid stuff she’d had for breakfast.

  “I will go there tomorrow,” Six said.

  “What—to the market? But I thought you said it was in an undesirable part of town? Aren’t you worried it might be dangerous?”

  “It isn’t dangerous per se…” He frowned. “At least not for me, though I might worry if you were there.”

  “But I want to come with you,” Mei-Li pleaded. “I want to see the city! I’ve never been to another planet before—I want to do some sightseeing.”

  Six frowned. “I don’t know if that is advisable. You are a Feeler.”

  “With a big, glowing sign on my arm that says I’m allowed to feel,” Mei-Li reminded him. “Look, isn’t there something in the contract about you wooing me—you know, taking me out to nice places and things like that?” She hoped there was—she seemed to remember something like it, anyway.

  “Well, actually…there is something of that nature in the contract,” Six conceded reluctantly. “But I don’t know…”

  “Oh, please?” Forgetting her promise to herself not to touch him, Mei-Li leaned against his arm and looked up at him pleadingly. She really didn’t want to be stuck inside the little metal house for her entire stay here—she would go stir crazy.

  “Does it really mean so much to you? I thought after nearly being crushed by that wheeler you’d wish to remain indoors.”

  “Of course not!” she exclaimed. “I’m a born tourist. I want to see everything. Museums, theaters, restaurants…well, if you have anything like that, I mean,” she ended lamely, thinking that they probably didn’t.

  “There are a few places I can show you,” Six said slowly. “I am not sure that you would like them, though.”

  “Let me be the judge of that.” Mei-Li grinned at him. “Just take me out and show me the town, that’s all I ask.”

  “Well, if that is what you wish…”

  “It is,” she assured him, popping another bland French Fry into her mouth. And maybe while they were out, they could visit the market and get some kind of seasoning that would make the food taste like something. In the meantime, she was content to eat what he had made for her and look forward to tomorrow.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Spice! Spice for sale.
Additives to spice up your comestibles!” came the familiar cry from the stone covered square that housed Serlix market.

  Six frowned as they worked their way through the crowded street to get to it. Traffic was particularly thick today and he had wanted to carry Mei-Li, fearing she might get crushed. But she refused his offer, preferring to dodge nimbly through the crowds in a way that made his heart pound every time she slipped between two wheelers or slid past a tracker. She drew numerous looks from the various organics but the mechanoids mostly ignored her.

  So far their tour of the city had been a success. Mei-Li had been enthralled by the vast infrastructures that housed the Collective and especially interested in the historical exhibit which depicted the last Great War and the rise of the thinking mechanoids which now ruled Z4. The exhibit showed the decline of the organic population until the incubation tubes were built and also the influx of Kindred immigrants, centuries before, who had swelled the ranks of organics when the species seemed almost in danger of dying out altogether.

  “So most of the non-robotic people here are grown in these?” she had asked, eyeing the large, round incubation tube, a cylinder about eight feet tall and three feet wide, filled with cloudy green nutrient liquid.

  “Yes.” Six had nodded. “Almost all of them.”

  “But…you weren’t?”

  “No, I came to Z4 as an adolescent,” Six had replied shortly. Mei-Li was unfailingly inquisitive—a sign of intelligence which he so admired in her. He had waited, therefore, wondering if she was going to ask about his past. Truthfully there wasn’t much he could tell her since he had stored away his memories. He got occasional flashes Please, Jax! Help me… But for the most part everything he had known and experienced before his induction to the Dark Kindred was a blank.

  But though he waited with a strange sensation of unease in his midsection for her inevitable questions, they didn’t come. Mei-Li simply nodded and went on to the next exhibit, asking questions about the evolution of the enhancements and the various abilities they bestowed.