I picked up all three vibrators and got back to the shack, where Sera still slept safe and sound, and got to work. The vibrators were made rather simply and not for the purpose I had in mind. I grabbed my self-repair toolkit and took apart the Dezztroyer first. I had to change all the wiring to the kind used insideme since it was more reliable under the strain of high energy currents. I’d hate for my cock to fail me mid-orgasm.
When shuffling sounds came from the hammock, I grabbed everything and stuffed it in my backpack, deep under all the clothes.
“Morning,” Sera said through a yawn. “Oh God, this is the least comfortable way to sleep ever.”
She rolled out of the hammock, landing with a thud, and rubbed her eyes. Outside, the sun already blazed, but it was early.
“We have two hours until the first shipment is scheduled to arrive,” I said. “What do you want to do?”
Sera yawned, looked at me, and grinned. “It feels like a cardio day. Let’s go.”
My core burst with static.Bro Signalcalled sex cardio all the time. Did she mean…?
Sera put on a pair of socks and her sneakers and ran out of the shack still wearing pajamas. I realized with profound disappointment her version of cardio meantrunning.
Chapter 20
Sera
We ran among the heaps in the landfill in the early morning sun. Clanker kept pace with me, playing music, and I soared, my feet barely grazing the packed earth. For the first time since this started, I felt light and free. I was in a landfill filled with obsolete tech in Japan, building a robot while another robot kept me company. It was bliss.
I remembered Dean’s words from last night.You’re sad and that makes me sad.It was so painfully simple, and I spent a long time thinking about him and me, and what it meant to be a person.
Deanwasgood. He had empathy, he made decent choices, and none of that required a soul. That shifted something for me. Oh, my vendetta wasn’t over, but maybe I could allow myself to see a few shades of gray between the black and white.
Dean was a machine and he was good. A good machine was no longer an oxymoron when it came to him. It was a shade of gray, something in between, something I was allowed to have.
I laughed out loud, running faster and faster, and Clanker chased me. Motori flew over us, shouting that she left food for me in the factory fridge, and I whooped at the sky in thanks. It felt too good to stop, so I ran for almost an hour, taking only short water breaks.
“I thought you meant another type of cardio,” Clanker said a bit sulkily when I stretched in front of our shack, and he brought me a bag of toiletries and a change of clothes. I sat on the ground, shielding my face from the sun, and he moved to cast a shadow on me. No longer blinded by the sun, I looked up, leaning back on my hands, and just admired him.
I could admit it now, and it didn’t make me feel like a shitty little traitor. He was hot. The towering presence that once terrified me spelled safety now. He was strong, and he carried me without trouble. Talking to him was fun. And Ilovedhis face and all of his expressions, the smiles, the glares, and the one he made when he came, a bit slack with his eyes flaring bright from pleasure.
“There are many types of cardio,” I mused, ogling him shamelessly with a huge grin. I would ride that endorphin high right to the end, I decided. Even if it ended in tears. “And I said this is a cardio day, didn’t I? It’s only morning, Dean. The world is our oyster!”
“A 3D printer,” he said, cocking his hip. “Just saying, it’s more appropriate.”
I laughed, giddy and electric, and jumped up to grab my things. I showered as fast as I could, then wolfed down three turkey sandwiches Motori left for me.
“Twelve minutes until we have to hide, Sera,” Dean said when I brushed crumbs from the front of my top. “Chop-chop.”
“My, are you that impatient to be locked up with me?” I asked, laughing.
“Always.”
There wasn’t a hint of a smile on his face when he said it. I sighed, taking his hand. “I’m ready. Let’s hide.”
Dean squeezed my fingers, then picked me up with one arm, neatly throwing me over his shoulder. I squealed, partly in outrage, but mostly because it was fun. God, he was just so muchfun.
He barged into the shack and locked the door, letting me to my feet. The AC rattled, but at least it wasn’t too hot. I stretched my arms high, and Dean crouched by his backpack, rummaging inside.
“I want to show you something.”
The purple indoor lights brightened when he stood up, his back turned to me. He did something, hidden from view. There was a soft click, something akin to a sigh, then a flare of bright light cascaded down the wall he faced. He stood like that, a tower of a cyborg, without a word, still turned away. I realized whatever was about to happen was important.
“I won’t laugh, whatever it is,” I said, remembering he demanded that of me once.
He nodded, and my heart squeezed. Just when I was about to ask what was wrong, Dean spoke.
