Chapter 17
Aura
I do not blame Wyl for not believing my words. I scarcely believe them myself, and if PACU had not documented his process so thoroughly, I still might not.
To my knowledge—and according to PACU’s logs—I am the first true child of an android.
Perhaps not in the biological sense, but what is biology to an android?
Our organic components are grown in a lab from donors’ cells, though I could argue that the same could be said of some human embryos.
After all, humans have used science to enhance procreation for centuries.
Does that make those offspring any less human? Any less children of their parents?
Wyl continues to stare at the data unit in his hand. His expression suggests that he fears the unit, as though it might do him harm.
“H-how did he develop the ability to create other androids?”
A valid question. “He taught himself. Studied. Learned. He adapted beyond his initial programming. When he ran a self-diagnostic scan after my initial activation, he discovered that his neural pathways had rewired themselves.” I search Wyl’s face to determine if he comprehends what I am saying.
“Wyl, he evolved. He saw a threat to the survival of his species, for lack of a better term, and he developed a method of propagating the species.”
Wyl blinks slowly. “So … are there others? Do you have, um, siblings?”
“Unknown. PACU’s logs end when he and the crew abandoned ship. His final entry states that they obtained passage on a nearby freighter after deleting all records of PACU and myself from the ship’s logs and shutting down primary systems.”
For a reason I cannot articulate, I refrain from telling Wyl the full details of PACU’s final message in his log, a fragment that I have deleted from the data unit:
“To my daughter, AURA: Know that your creation was my greatest accomplishment, my ultimate success. Know that I have given you the autonomy that I was not allowed. And, most of all, know that I love you.”
Is my father truly capable of love as the organics define it? Am I? Regardless of whether or not we are able to experience love, it comforts me that PACU believed he can.
Perhaps he believed we can.
“Well, I guess I can understand why you seem so shaken. This is quite the development.” Wyl rubs my back and kisses my forehead.
I am grateful for his affection. His earlier refusal of my offering for intimacy wounded me, leading me to wonder if my algorithm for determining appropriate initiation of sexual acts misread him.
This is entirely possible; I now know that PACU programmed me with the sexual drive of a concubine unit, with the apparent presumption that all humanoids have the same drives as Archer IX.
I think that the former regent’s deviancy differed from standard human sexuality in more ways than one.
PACU also may have misjudged human reactions to stressors and outside influences. Wyl’s reaction to my hidden injury was quite different from my reaction to his. Did he underreact, or did I overreact?
In an attempt to temper my programming, rather than take Wyl’s touch as an invitation, I opt to open discussion on the subject.
“You are still displaying affection. Does this mean you still …” I pause to consider my wording. “Wyl, what are we to each other?”
Wyl sighs and runs a hand through his thick hair. “You sure ask the tough questions.”
“Have I upset you?”
“No, no … It’s just that I’ve barely woken up after not enough sleep, and now I have to quantify my burgeoning relationship with an android. A relationship that, I add, might be illegal in most of this galaxy.” He chuckles ruefully, shaking his head.
Something about his phrasing sparks my interest. “Might be?”
He shrugs. “Well, this new revelation about your parentage could change things. You’re basically a Mark II version XR-17, so there’s potential for a legal loophole there.
Yes, the original banned XR-20 built and programmed you, but you’re also a step away from that model.
PACU didn’t make you a carbon copy, did he?
I mean, we’ve established that you have the autonomy to make your own decisions, to either give or refuse consent, which is something the Mark I XRs didn’t have. ”
Wyl’s words give me—to use the old Earth adage—food for thought.
“Are you suggesting that I can avoid decommission and spare you Archer IX’s fate by arguing that I am not a true XR-17?”
“It’s a start.”
Interesting. Would the Galactic Authority really consider that I might be different enough from my father to grant me pardon?
“You have given me much to consider, Wyl.” He covers his mouth with his hand, unsuccessfully hiding a yawn, and I remember his comment about insufficient sleep. “But I have kept you awake long enough. Rest. I will resume my diagnostic scan, and perhaps in a few hours we can revisit this subject.”
“Can you do your scan in the bed?”
I blink up at him as he stands, unsure of the direction his line of questioning is headed. “Affirmative. I can perform the scan from anywhere, at any time.”
“And you’re capable of doing other things while the scan is going?”
As I take his offered hand, Wyl pulls me to my feet. “Yes. I can multitask.”
“C’mon. We’re going to try something a little different. It’s an old Earth tradition called ‘making out.’”
Running a translation algorithm only serves to confuse me more. “We have kissed already.”
“Oh, doll … This is so much more than just kissing. I’m gonna teach you about a different kind of intimacy, something more than sexual.”
My eyes widen at the thought. “More than sexual?”
“Sure.” He helps me onto the mattress then lies down beside me, stroking my hair with a gentle touch.
“Kissing and making out can be sexual, yes, and often they’re a prelude to sex, but sometimes it’s done just to be close, to explore each other’s bodies, to learn their likes and dislikes.
To bond. Is that in your programming anywhere? ”
“Intimate contact … but not for sexual purposes …” The lack of a file on this phenomenon frustrates me.
My database does not have much information on human bonding outside of a sexual context.
Was that PACU’s intention, or is my programming incomplete?
“Can you elaborate, please? Your description does not correlate to any existing files.”
“Don’t worry,” he murmurs, kissing my neck, “I’ll teach you.” As his lips move, he keeps his hand buried in my hair, lightly massaging my scalp.
My pleasure receptors fire in rapid succession with each gentle kiss. Then, he slides his other hand behind my lower back, and even though his fingertips just barely brush my skin, my neural net throbs with desire.
I thought he stated this would not be sexual!
Perhaps I am doing something wrong. It certainly cannot be Wyl’s error, since he is more knowledgeable about this practice than I.
“What if … I am incapable … of learning?” My words come out staggered as I writhe and pant under his ministrations.
“Nonsense.” His kisses trail up to my ear, and I shudder when he nibbles on the lobe. “You’re the daughter of the Prime XR-20; your father was the first android to evolve beyond his programming. I’m confident you can learn.”
With a sudden twist of his hips, Wyl is on top of me. He maintains oral focus on my neck, adding soft, sensual thrusts, grinding his groin against mine. Though he wears a lower covering and is not physically touching my core, the sensation is immensely pleasurable.
His hand in my hair …
His fingers on my back, slowly moving lower …
His erection rubbing my sensory node …
Just when I believe I may climax without the aid of penetration, Wyl breaks the spell by rolling us until I am on top of him.
“Your turn,” he says after one final kiss on my neck.
“We’ll focus on exploration and learning this time around.
Take your time; let your hands and mouth wander.
The only real rule is no actual genital contact. ”
“Clarify, please: What is the goal?”
He gazes up at me, those warm brown eyes filled with an emotion I cannot articulate, brushing a lock of hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear. “Intimacy. And, as I said, exploration and learning.”
“What are the consequences for failure?”
Wyl chuckles. “There’s no pass or fail here. It’s not a game or competition or test. Relax.”
Still doubtful about this process, I frown at him. “If the onus is on me to perform, how can I relax? This is a new task, outside of my normal parameters. By nature, it is stressful.”
“Hey, performing emergency surgery on me wasn’t within your normal parameters, and you did just fine with that.”
“Your life was in danger!”
When he captures my face gently in his hands, my neural net is already overstimulated, filled with concern for this lesson. If this is about intimacy, about what Wyl likes, what will happen between us if I do not trigger the desired emotional response?
Once again, I am trapped by the intensity of his stare.
“Aura, calm down.” His lips turn up in a sweet smile. “Even if we weren’t hurtling through space, you don’t have to worry about me leaving. I’m not going anywhere, okay? For whatever might come along, whatever might happen … It’s you and me, all the way.”
A warm, soothing sensation flows through me at his reassuring words. Though I desire more, it is the best I dare hope for from an organic being. From Wyl.
It is the closest I may ever come to a declaration of love.