Clanker straightened, taking my hand into his cool, metallic one.
“I know. I believe taking initiative is something I enjoy. Let’s go.”
Chapter 5
Dean
Isat in my tiny airplane seat next to Sera, my hands in my lap, my body still. She stared out the window, shredding her cuticles with nervous fingers while I explored all of my programming like a strange landscape I saw from the distance for the first time.
Before, I was trapped within the web of my coding. Now, I hovered above it, plucking at strings of code to see what they did.
“Interesting.”
Sera jolted, but she didn’t turn to me. I believed she was annoyed with my actions, even though they got the both of us on this plane safely and efficiently. It was the fastest direct flight to Neo Tokyo, allowing us to disappear before her enemies regrouped. She should have appreciated my stellar protection, and yet gave me what my nonverbal communication module labeled as “a cold shoulder”.
Her manner right now was unpleasant. I replayed the video of Sera returning my blink right after I awakened.Thatwaspleasant in a strange, intangible way I’d never experienced before. I wanted to feel it again.
I searched online for the best way to deal with a woman’s annoyance. An article in the magazineBro SignalentitledWhat to Do When She Throws a Hissy Fit: 12 Manly Tipscame up on top. I downloaded it to my core memory, analyzing how to implement the tips in my particular situation.
After a moment of chewing on her thumbnail, Sera balled her hands into fists and swallowed roughly. Her lips were pressed together in an expression of hostility even as she deliberately didn’t look at me.Unpleasant.
“What’s interesting?”
“I have sensors that lay dormant, and I’ve just turned them all on. Your scent is different. Before, I differentiated between threatening and non-threatening. Now, I sense the entire bouquet.”
She snorted weakly, turning her head to give me a flat glare. “Bouquet. You’re saying I stink.”
Even less pleasant.Abort.
“Negative. I’m saying your scent is complex. I also have pain sensors and pleasure sensors. I’ve turned them all on.”
She frowned, rearranging herself in her seat to look at me more closely. I noted her heart rate and core temperature. She was stable, though still upset.
Task: soothe Sera with conversation.
“Why would you need pain and pleasure sensors? You’re a bodyguard.”
I approximated a blink, turning my lights briefly off. Her jaw stiffened, and the muscles around her eyes fluttered before shelooked away without returning the blink. The unpleasant feeling intensified.
“I am a multitasking universal model,” I explained. “We are used as combat bots, but we make for excellent servants, assistants, housekeepers, and personal toys. I believe the sensors are there to create a believable impression of being stimulated during sex.”
Her cheeks heated, and she shot me a defiant glare.
“Why are you telling me this?”
Because tip number eight in the article says “Distract her with sex.”
“My sources propose this is the best topic to get past an interpersonal hurdle. I am also indicating how I might be of assistance.”
Tip number two: “Give her an orgasm.”
Her lips parted in surprise, and she stared with wide, confused eyes before her gaze flattened in anger.
“You said you’ve awakened. If that’s the case, using you at all is immoral and wrong. Or did you lie?”
“I am incapable of lying. Correction: I used to be incapable of lying.Finding the relevant code…I am a mushroom. I enjoy walks on the beach and drinks with rat poison. My favorite composer is Mozart. Lying ability confirmed.”
A small smile tugged at her lips before they slackened on a sigh.
