Expedition Westward

  ***

  “I shouldn’t have smoked that damned weed,” Dr. Che muttered, “it always puts me in a strange mood.”

  Then he heard a beckoning voice behind him, and his mood lifted.

  “Dr. Che ... Jerry!”

  His true love was calling to him. He stopped and turned toward her.

  “I’m here,” he said.

  56. Maneuverings

  Estrella covered the last few meters of sidewalk, coming toward him like an angelic vision emerging from the haze.

  “Can I talk to you a minute?” she said.

  Che’s arm wrapped around her waist automatically, as if somebody from another place and time was controlling it.

  “Sure thing, Estrella,” he said.

  She stiffened momentarily at this show of affection but quickly got over her surprise. Her own arm slipped around Dr. Che; she couldn’t help herself. She moved in close. The attraction she’d felt for him in the truck returned, greatly magnified by the mysterious surroundings.

  They began walking through the flying dust. Star had found her strong protector now. He carried ultimate power in his left hand, his right held onto her reassuringly. They were joined together against the hostile environment. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to join together in other ways?

  “What’s on your mind?” Dr. Che asked.

  With great effort, Star groped her way up out of her sexual revelry.

  “Uh ... I’d like to ask you a big favor,” she said, “if it’s all right.”

  “Go ahead,” Che said. “After the way you saved my ass this morning, I owe you one.”

  “Yes, your ass ...”

  Star reached toward Che’s rear end, meaning to clutch it hard in her trembling fingers, but she managed to restrain herself. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

  Che laughed. “You seem a bit unsure of yourself, Estrella.”

  “I ... uh. It’s just so pleasant walking with you, Jerry.”

  “I think we’d better continue our stroll inside,” Che said. “This dust storm isn’t going to let up any time soon.”

  “Sure Jerry ... whatever you say.”

  Che led them up the walkway to his mid-sized building and opened the front door.

  “Better let me check things out first,” he said. “Wait out here a minute, okay?”

  “All right, Jerry.”

  Through the glass doors, Star watched Dr. Che advance cautiously through the lobby area, assault rifle at the ready.

  “Is anybody here!” she heard him shout.

  He looked so powerful slinging that gun. So determined! Star placed a hand against the glass and moved her face in close. She kissed the spot where she could see him, leaving a lipstick smudge on the transparent surface.

  The unpleasantness about the vandal blew out of her head, replaced by recollections of Jerry’s heroism at the jail. The way he’d dashed across the room and dove to the floor, seizing the weapon that had liberated them all – the very one he was holding now. The way he’d dominated the room after he’d retrieved the gun from Rackenfauz’s faltering hands ...

  She lost sight of him as he moved down a corridor. The spell broke.

  “What am I doing?” she said aloud.

  This was no time for idiotic sexual fantasies, she had important business to discuss with Dr. Che. The whole purpose of her 2,000 kilometer trek was at stake, but she was acting like a stupid jellyfish. Well, this was going to stop, right now!

  Then Jerry Che came back into sight and the spell resumed. He pushed the door open.

  “Coast is clear,” he said. “Our vandal friends seem to have overlooked us.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful, Jerry,” Star said.

  She crossed into the building as if she was entering a royal palace, walking on air, almost. She looked about the lobby with its plastic-upholstered furniture and reception station. What a fabulous place this was! So much better than that barren, joyless place where Dr. Rackenfauz had his workshop.

  Of course, the two buildings differed little in the objective world, but Star had left that world far behind. A nagging inner voice she didn’t want to listen to uttered a warning.

  Careful, girl, you’re playing with fire!

  They began walking, arm in arm, along the hallways. Her face felt very warm, maybe it was even turning red a bit. Could it do that, she wondered? With Jerry at her side, anything seemed possible.

  “So, what was this ‘big favor’ you wanted to ask?” Dr. Che said.

  “Oh ... nothing, really,” Star said. “I kind of forgot.”

  Che squeezed her hand. “Well, you just let me know when it pops back into that pretty little head of yours.”

  Star tittered. What a thing for him to say – yet so appropriate! Jerry had such a way with words. A slight frown creased her face.

  Why have I come to see him?

  No matter, whatever it was could wait. Another question was occupying her ‘pretty little head’ right now. She’d been wanting to ask Jerry about it for some time.

  “Tell me about the first Estrella,” she said.

  It was Che’s turn to stiffen.

  “The first Estrella?” he said.

  “Yes,” Star said. “There must have been one, right? The woman you modeled me after.”

  “Ah, you have intelligence to match your beauty,” Che said.

  Star tittered again. When had she picked up this silly laugh?

  “Tell me, Jerry. I’ve been wondering about her for a long time.”

  Che drew a heavy sigh.

  “I met her during my student days in Seoul,” he said. “Her father was a Brazilian diplomat, and she was taking classes at my university to occupy herself.”

  “And then you became her occupation?” Star said.

  “You might put it that way,” Che said.

  Star could tell that Jerry did not want so discuss the first Estrella, but she pressed ahead anyway. The subject was far too interesting and important to ignore.

  “Judging from my own appearance,” she said, “the first Estrella must have been a mixture of human races. How did that come about?”

  Che gave her a rueful smile. Star thought he would not answer, but after a few moments, he began talking.

  “She wasn’t his legitimate daughter,” he said. “She was the result of a tryst he had with a serving girl who was of African and Japanese descent. He adopted her, though, and gave her his name.”

  Che kicked at a paper cup lying on the floor.

  “She was too lovely for even an s.o.b. like him to reject,” he said.

  “And what was the race of her father?” Star asked.

  “Oh, he was as white as they come,” Che said. “His family were German and Hungarian immigrants to Brazil.”

  Star laughed. “You mean, I’m part Hungarian? Wait until Winston hears about this!”

  Che’s face darkened, the muscles in his jaw bunched.

  Why is he so upset, could it be about Winston?

  “I’m sorry, Jerry,” Star said. “This is very painful for you to talk about. She must have hurt you deeply.”

  Che nodded.

  “Let’s change the subject,” Star said.

  “Okay.”

  Star waited until some of the tension drained out of Jerry’s face. Then she approached another topic.

  “I’ve been wondering,” she said, “why did you come to Mech City to work on the Estrella project? Weren’t you based here?”

  “The best collaborator I could find was Dr. Lindemann,” Che said. “He didn’t want to relocate here, so I moved the project to Mech City.”

  “Is this the ‘Loony Lindemann’ I’ve heard about?”

  Che allowed himself a small chuckle.

  “Lindemann was brilliant,” he said, “although he did start to go around the bend after a while. A lot of the technicians were cracking up under the strain.”

  Che was smiling now with memories of his old friend.

  “Lindemann
started making replicas of characters from the Gorzo the Adventure Robot stories,” he said, “Ajax, Clawfurt, warrior drones. It got so I couldn’t work with him anymore. But by that time I was good friends with Edgar, so I was reluctant to return to the west coast.”

  “Dr. Rackenfauz helped design me, then?” Star asked.

  Che shook his head.

  “No, he didn’t want to be involved, not even after the director was killed and Blake forced him off the Iridium project. He’s got his own ways.”

  He chuckled again.

  “Of course, you already know that.”

  “Indeed,” Star said.

  Conversation faded out after this. Star had learned what she wanted to know, and it was so pleasant just to stroll arm in arm, her eyes partially closed. A whole eternity could pass along these endless corridors ...

  But Jerry did not seem to share her dreamy contentment. His walk conveyed growing agitation, his arm became taut under Star’s fingers. Finally, he halted their progress and turned toward her.

  “What’s this ‘big favor’ you wanted?” he said.

  Star opened her eyes. “Favor?”

  “Yes,” Che said. “It seemed pretty important a few minutes ago. Out with it.”

  Star closed her eyes and frowned with concentration. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. When she opened her eyes again, she was fully awake.

  “I want you to make Winston sexually functional,” she blurted out, “so he can be my lover.”

  Che hardened. He spoke through clenched teeth.

  “I should have known!”

  “What’s wrong?” Star said. “Isn’t this the way you designed me? It’s only natural.”

  “I’m afraid it’s out of the question,” Che said.

  “But – ”

  “I do not have the necessary components to make any conversions,” Che said. “Now good day, Estrella.”

  He stalked off, leaving Star baffled and adrift. She watched him enter a door at the far end of the hall.

  I’d better wait out here a while, she thought. Give him some cooling off time.

  57. Workshop Confrontation

  Che slumped miserably behind his desk. The surroundings gleamed back at him, pristine and orderly like the kitchen of some luxury restaurant during the off hours. He would have preferred a vista of chaos, as in Edgar’s workshop, to match his apocalyptic mood.

  The great love of his life was rejecting him – for a second time! He covered his face with both hands and sprawled across the desk.

  “I’m such a fool!”

  Didn’t Edgar say that intelligence could not be controlled, that it evolved unpredictably? This principle must apply to the deepest emotions as well. Estrella could choose whom she loved – and it obviously wasn’t him.

  But he’d never gotten a fair opportunity to win her affections. Those sons of bitches at the RDI had forced her into a brutal activation, they’d corrupted the programming he’d so meticulously entered into her mind.

  Face it, Jerry, you tried to play God, but you’re just an idiot.

  But couldn’t he reverse things – deactivate her and repair the damage?

  No, that would never work. He wouldn’t even know where to begin. He’d need to implant a whole new advanced brain unit, and there was no way to construct one with the diminished resources of the RDC. And it would be wrong, too. He’d be a fraud in his own mind.

  No, he couldn’t control Estrella. Sitting in the sterile cavern of his workshop, Jerry Che realized that quite the opposite was true. Estrella controlled him. Whatever the outcome might be, he’d end up doing what she desired. He could not refuse her anything.

  But there was still hope for him, wasn’t there? He had to try. He had to go find her ...

  Dr. Che rose from his chair just as Estrella opened the door. Her excruciatingly beautiful face materialized from the hall.

  “Are you okay, Jerry?” she asked.

  He wanted to fix her with a stern, withering glower. Let her know that she could not trifle with his affections. Instead, he felt his countenance melt into lines of gladness.

  “I’m fine,” he said. “Come on in, Estrella.”

  Star entered.

  “I’m glad to see they didn’t smash up your place, too,” she said. “It was bad enough to see Dr. Rackenfauz’s workshop.”

  Dr. Che waved a weary hand around the room.

  “Yeah, everything’s just wonderful.”

  “I mean, you still have all your components and stuff, right?” she said.

  “Seems like it.”

  Star began to wander around the large workshop, opening drawers and closets, as if she, not Che, owned everything.

  “Watch what you’re doing,” Dr. Che said.

  “I’ll be careful, Jerry, don’t worry,” Star said.

  He wanted to physically restrain her, but hearing the sound of his name coming from her mouth deterred him. Jerry had a sweet, magical sound when she pronounced it – like a cherry reposing atop a scoop of sweet, light chocolate ice cream ready to melt down into it.

  Star pulled open a locker door. Inside was a full-body male epidermis, draped on a hanger like a Halloween costume.

  “Oh, my!” she exclaimed, her eyes bulging.

  The epidermis had blonde, brush-cut cranium hair and a very light complexion. The limbs and torso were smoothly hairless. Star stroked the synthetic skin lovingly, felt its exciting warmth under fingers.

  “Keep out of there!” Che yelled.

  He strode to the locker and attempted to shut the door, but Star had wedged herself halfway inside to prevent it.

  “So, you do have the necessary components, after all,” she said.

  “Apparently so,” Che said. “I must have forgotten about this one.”

  “Uh huh,” Star said.

  She fondled the epidermis some more. Even drooped lifelessly on a hanger, it seemed to be pushing all of her sexual buttons.

  “It was supposed to be for my ‘Nordic Avenger’ robot,” Che said. “I modeled it after Drago in the Rocky IV movie.”

  “You’ve got a real fondness for old movies, don’t you, Jerry Maguire?” Star said.

  She tried to brush her fingers along Dr. Che’s cheek, but he stepped back out of range.

  “It’s got beautiful workmanship,” Star said. “Are there others?”

  “No!” Che said, louder than he intended.

  Star cocked an eyebrow. “Really?”

  “Yes, really,” Che said. “I planned to construct a partner robot for Dr. Rackenfauz, but things went to hell and it never got built.”

  “Poor Dr. Rackenfauz,” Star said. “He must be lonely all by himself.”

  She stepped aside, Che closed the locker door.

  “What about Winston, then?” Star sidled close to Dr. Che. “He’s ready made.”

  “Not possible,” Che said.

  “Why not?”

  Star had pressed her body against Dr. Che’s. She felt his thermal signature soaking into her breasts. Part of her advance was pure calculation, part of it was because she couldn’t help herself – another part was that she simply enjoyed it.

  So did Dr. Che, judging by his increased breathing rate and his reddening complexion.

  “Well ... I-I didn’t construct any male genitalia for one thing,” he stammered.

  “No problem there,” Star said. “Dr. Rackenfauz has already provided a set.”

  She, too, was having difficulty keeping her simulated breathing under control.

  “Then there’s the programming,” Dr. Che said. “It’s tremendously complicated.”

  Star struggled to keep her mind focused on her urgent task, to keep Winston foremost in her mind despite her raging lust for the male right beside her. She ached to grab Dr. Che, to throw him on a workbench and couple wildly with him.

  “Winston’s programming has evolved most of the way on its own,” she said. “You just need to fine tune it.”

  Dr. Che pul
led away and retreated a few steps. Star followed, confronting him boldly, like a whore on a street corner.

  “What’s the real reason, Doctor?” she said. Her voice had a cold, hard edge now.

  Che hesitated, looked away. Star gripped his chin with both hands and turned his head back.

  “Well?” she demanded.

  “Damn it, Estrella, I made you for myself!” Che cried.

  He pulled himself away and stalked to the far side of the workshop. He remained there, back turned to her. Star observed him, one eyebrow arched and her hands on hips. Understanding flooded her overheated brain unit. The path she needed to take became clear, as if a bright floodlight had been turned upon it.

  Che turned back and jabbed a finger toward her.

  “I don’t want to share you with anyone – or any thing,” he said. “I already lost you once!”

  “But I don’t love you, Jerry,” Star said. “I can’t – not in that way. Winston is the only one for me.”

  A cry of despair escaped Dr. Che’s throat. “No!”

  “I can love only one male,” Star said. “Anything else is simple lust.”

  He turned away again, a crumpled figure with hands buried in his lab coat pockets. Che appeared to be only half his former size.

  “I’m sorry,” Star said, “but you designed me this way.”

  For a desperate moment she considered grabbing the epidermis and fleeing before Che could destroy it. After all, it was just another ‘component’ to him.

  But what would that accomplish?

  Only Dr. Che had the skills required to perform the conversion. Dr. Rackenfauz had stated long before that he could not do it. He wouldn’t want to try, either, and there was no way to compel him. Rackenfauz had already proved that he’d rather blow his brains out than be forced into anything he didn’t want to do.

  There was only way to get Dr. Che’s cooperation.

  “Oh, Jerry,” she said.

  Che turned back. “What?”

  Star began unbuttoning her blouse – slowly, methodically, keeping a seductive eye on Che. He stared at her, transfixed.

  She pushed all thoughts of Winston out of her consciousness. The immoral savage she’d left standing in the window at Pickle Lake Castle returned full force, barging into her mind, taking over her actions.

  She tossed the blouse aside, displaying perfect breasts with erect nipples. Che gasped.

  “Well, here I am, Big Boy,” Star said. “Are you man enough to take me?”

  She moved rapidly across the room, like a panther closing in on its prey. Dr. Che stepped back, alarmed.

  “Hold on!” he cried.

  Star lunged, grabbing Che by the lapels. She tore his lab coat off.

  “Maybe you’ll find I’m too much for you!” she panted.

  Star crushed her mouth against his, kissing fiercely. She pulled him onto a workbench. Tools clattered to the floor.