Portia opened the door to the small bedroom and peeked in before entering. Andy was as she had left him, lying on the bed in his self-healing mode. To the normal eye, he looked like he was sleeping. Although he could 'rest' anywhere, Portia had always insisted that he use a bed so that it looked like he was sleeping. She had a small fear that one day someone would find out what Andy was, and that she would lose him.
Staring at him, she had to admit that he looked magnificent. Had she not known he was a pleasure model android, she would have pegged him as some wealthy woman's naughty little weekend secret. Light brown hair hung nearly to his shoulders, giving him the classic 'bad boy' look. When he had it tied back, she could almost visualize him dressed in leather, sitting atop a motorbike. She knew that androids of his model were made to certain visual specifications, and she often wondered who had designed this little piece of erotic heaven.2
If she were to create her own masterpiece, she doubted she could do better than Andy. Extremely well endowed with a sculpted body that showed fine definition, he possessed strong hands, a face that held features that were both handsome and wise, and a tongue that could deliver pure ecstasy.
Not just eye candy, his programming allowed him vast knowledge of a variety of subjects so that he could discuss anything with anyone, and he took in new information daily to add to his banks. She knew that some thought of him as arrogant because of his knowledge, but to her it was an invaluable source at certain times.
She watched as he rolled over in the bed, amazed that at times he had tangible human attributes about him. He could play a symphony of instruments, but his programmers made it so he could never win a poker. She always thought that was so that the 'lady' could always win.
"You gonna watch, or are you gonna strip?"
Portia jumped slightly at the voice, and blinked as she noticed him watching her. "Reel the horse in, studmuffin," Portia said as she walked over and sat on the edge of their bed.
He reached up and pulled her down for a quick kiss. "No pleasure today?" he asked innocently.
"Didn't say that," she corrected him. "I'll hold you to your offer later."
Andy smiled as she put a hand on the bed on the opposite side and leaned over him "What day is it?" he asked.
Portia shrugged. "No idea, but you've been in bed for three days."
He ran his hands over his face in an all-too human gesture. "Guess I was more tired than I thought."
"Are you feeling better?"
"System's fully charged and raring to go." He motioned for her to get up, and then he swung his legs off the bed and stood in one fluid movement.
"You may be raring to go, but there's no place to go."
"You don't want to try to make it to the East Coast?" he asked as he pulled on a pair of pale grey pants.
Portia sighed and sat on the bed. "Don't know," she said and laid back into the blankets. "It’s going to be hard to do."
"Since when," he said as he grabbed a folded shirt off of a small table, "do you let something like that stop you?" He walked to the bed and sat down beside her. "We find another plane, find some fuel, and wing on over to the coast."
"Just like that."
"Just like that."
"I'll just fuck it up again." She closed her eyes in annoyance for making an unforgivable error the last time.
"You didn't fuck up," Andy told her. "You read the gauges, and believed them. Not your fault they were wrong."
Portia opened her eyes and stared. "I should have checked."
"When do you want to leave?"
"Why did you change the subject?"
"Why do you want to torture yourself over something that's over with?"
Portia glared at him, put two hands on his chest, and pushed him away from her. "Shut the fuck up."
Andy let himself be pushed off the bed. In addition to his pleasure programming, his model had been given various discussion techniques, since one was never sure what a client would find as 'pleasurable'. Although he knew it would be far from enjoyable, he knew what Portia needed right now was to take a hard look at herself. "Look, Portia. I did not go through all that shit just so you can have yourself a 'pity Portia party'. I believe in you too much to sit here and listen to you whine, so when you're ready to give that up, come look for me."
With that, he walked to the door and out of the room. Portia watched to door close behind him, half hoping that it would open again and he would be there. She didn't know where his attitude had come from, and although she understood the reasoning behind it, she was surprised that he could add 'jerk' to the list of qualities he could do rather well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Portia stayed in the room, fully intending to wait him out. She refused to be the one to cave in, and as she sat on the bed she knew he had been right. She could either dwell on her mistake, or she could learn from it and move on.
She jerked at a sudden noise, and realized that she had fallen asleep. Sitting up in bed, she noticed that she was still alone, and quickly got up and left the room to search for Andy. She found him sitting at a long table in one of the small restaurants, papers strewn on the table before him, and female who was all too pretty sitting a little too close.
Suddenly feeling extremely jealous, Portia went to the bar, ordered a drink, and downed it in one gulp. She ordered another one, and took it with her over to the long table.
Andy didn't even look up as she sat across from him, and tried not to smile as she gave him a cool stare. He knew she was probably fuming about the woman he was with, and he contemplated letting her stew for a while longer, but decided against it.
"Portia," he said without looking up from the paper he was reading, "this is Leza...Leza, Portia." He ignored both women as they traded polite, yet distinctively icy greetings. It was only when Leza moved marginally closer to him that he decided a preemptive action was in order. He reached over the table, took Portia's hand in his, and brought it to his mouth. He kissed the palm of it gently, then placed it back on the table, but held on.
Leza stayed where she was, but seemed to move back. She could see her fantasies of spending the night with this man vanishing before her eyes. "As I was saying," she said in a cool voice, "I think we can work something out." She pouted slightly, knowing that he would not be one of the things that she could work into the equation. She stood. "I'll be here for a few more days, and feel free to come see me...alone." She turned and walked out of the restaurant, her long blond hair swinging around her shoulders.
Portia pulled her hand out of Andy's. "Ten seconds to convince me not to put my foot through that bitch's head."
"Jealousy is and ugly trait, Portia, and one not suited to you at all." He went back to looking at the papers in front of him. Ever since the fall of humanity, computers had become obsolete, and paper had made a strong comeback. He liked the feel of paper in his hands, it felt more concrete than a computer pad did, and it was something that he could shuffle to keep from having to look into Portia’s angry face.
Finally running out of papers to look through, but put them down and regarded her calmly. He ignored the glare she gave him. "I have promised you that I will be with only you, and that should be enough to ease any fears you have about us. If you don't think it is, let me know now."
If she had never felt like dirt before, she did now. He had a way of taking her anger, and showing her just how unfounded it was. "Are you going to be long?" she asked instead.
"It can wait." He gathered the papers up and stood. Holding out his hand for her, he took the one she offered and walked together out of the restaurant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Instead of going back to their room located in the back of a half destroyed hotel, Andy headed towards the main part of the settlement and the one building that was more or less completely intact. The library had received major damage during the attacks, but had been rebuilt to serve as the current governing offices for the large community. They entered the door, and stopped in front of one of the main conference rooms.
Andy knocked once, then entered. Portia was surprised to find the few elected officials present.
"Well?" a middle-aged woman asked.
Andy placed the papers on the table before him, but didn't sit down. "Doesn't add up," he said, noticing a few frowns on those present, while others nodded. "We're on Lake Erie, same as them, so the water quality should be more or less the same. Climate is the same, yet they seem to have been able to produce excellent crops."
"You don't trust them?" someone else asked.
"Not under the terms she's provided, no." Andy glanced at Portia for a brief moment then back at the 'mayor'.
"Sending someone back with her to check it out would be best," the mayor said. "Full agreement?" she asked looking around the table. No one disagreed, so she faced Andy again. "Thank you for taking the time to talk to their emissary."
With that, they were dismissed, and Andy gave a quick nod, then led them both out of the room.
Portia stopped on the steps. "Want to tell me what this is all about?"
"Someone from another community about five days walk from here arrived recently. She says they have vast stores of supplies, and are willing to trade for other things they need. I was asked to talk to her, and see if I could find fault with her information. The woman you were jealous of was that woman."
"I see," Portia said, but stayed where she was. "And when will we be leaving?"
Andy expression fell slightly, but he regained his composure instantly. "You're still upset with me." He held up a hand when she started to talk. "I don't have the luxury of holding on to anger, or even a grudge, and I'm glad. It seems like a vast waste of resources."
"Don't get all self righteous on me."
"That's a human trait," Andy reminded her.
"You've been around me for this long, and you've yet to learn to act human," Portia shook her head, "I thought you were able to learn and adapt."
Annoyance surfaced and he pushed it back. "I've learned far too much in the past six years...most of which I doubt I was designed to learn." He sat on the step beside her. "I was designed with moods, but I don't see the need in acting like a spoiled brat."
"So I'm a spoiled brat now, am I?" Portia stood and stormed away.
Andy stared after her, trying to recall where the conversation nose-dived. He hadn't meant to imply that she was acting like a spoiled brat, but she had indeed proved his point about emotions and mood swings. While others tended to lash out when they were angry, Andy had discovered that swearing seemed to work the trick for him.
"Andy," he said to no one, "you're one dumb assed mother fucker."
~~~~~~~~~~~
She was sleeping in their bed when he slipped in to the room, and he quietly undressed and slipped in beside her. She rolled over and curled her body to his, then looked sleepily at his face.
"I'm sorry," he told her.
"Me, too," she replied.
"Do you want me to act more human?"
"No." She sat up in bed and looked down at him. "I like you the way you are. It's just sometimes I forget you're not human, and it frustrates me that you don't get mad at anything."
He smiled slightly. "I get mad." He reached up and ran a finger along her shoulder. "I just don't let you see it."
"Why not?"
"System coding," he confessed. "Pleasure models are not to show anger in front of their... owner, I guess...unless that's what they're into for pleasure."
"I'm not your owner," Portia whispered. "Do you think of me like that?"
He withdrew his hand from stroking her skin. "I don't mean owner as in you own me, I mean owner as in the person imprinted on my system."
"I'm imprinted on your system, am I?"
"You're the first woman I saw when I was activated, so yes, you are." He looked past her into the dark. "I'm not explaining this very well, am I."
"So you're only with me because I accidentally flicked the wrong switch six years ago?" Portia stopped as a hurt look crossed his face. He sat up and turned away from her. She reached out as he stood, grabbed his hand, and dragged him back to the bed.
Andy gently took her hand off his arm and stood again. He walked over to the room's lone chair and sat in it, turned on the small light on the table beside the chair, and grabbed a random book. Opening it to somewhere around the middle, he sighed to himself as he tried to concentrate on the words.
"Andy?"
"Tell me," he said without looking up from the pages he wasn't really seeing, "am I a mistake to you?"
"No." She sat on the corner of the bed and wrapped the blankets around her shoulders.
"I don't age like humans."
"I know."
"I obviously can't father children."
"I know."
"Does it bother you that you're fucking a machine?"
"If it did," she said in a forced voice, "I wouldn't be doing it." She sighed. "We've always been able to talk about anything. Please...talk to me."
He closed the book with a sigh, and tossed it across the room where it thumped against the wall then to the floor. "Fine. Let's talk." He got up and went back to the bed and sat beside her. "Why are you pushing me away"
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are." He took her face in his hands and turned her to look into his eyes. "You're taking every thing I say, and twisting it around."
"I don't know," she said slowly. "Maybe I'm trying to see if you're with me by choice, or by design."
"Any time you want me to go, simply tell me, and you'll never see me again." His voice was calm, but underneath his systems churned at the thought. She was all he really knew, and he liked being with her.
"Would you?" It wasn't a dare, but a scared wonder.
He let go of her face. "I would do anything for you, Portia. Haven't you figured that out by now?" He leaned toward her and gently kissed her forehead.
"I know, I know," she whispered. "I trust you and believe in you, but...I don't know...maybe I'm trying to get you to go so that I won't put you in danger again."
"I'm in danger every day just because of what I am." Suddenly growing weary of the conversation, Andy put an arm around her and leaned her back on the bed. "And speaking of what I am, let me convince you that I'm with you by choice, not obligation." His head dipped down and he started nuzzling her neck as his hand moved to massage below her waist.
Maybe it was a good idea to just forget things for a few hours. She had been alone to think in the three days he had been recharging, and had accepted the whole thing as her responsibility and her fault. Portia reached up to run a hand through his light brown hair as his lips worked their way down her body.
~~~~~~~~~~
The sunlight streamed through the window coverings, bathing the room and its occupants in a light yellow tinge. Portia smiled as she snuggled into his body, feeling a lot better than she had in days. The argument they had had cleared some of the tension out of her mind. She looked up to apologize for the things she had said, and froze as she looked at his face.
His eyes were open, and he was staring blankly at some spot in the corner. Completely unfocused, his eyes looked like two blue marbles. Worried, Portia put her ear to his chest to make sure he was still operating. A simulated heartbeat assured her that he was still with her, and she sat up to get a better look at him.
He suddenly jerked like he was in pain, and his gaze flickered back and forth between two unseen points. After a few seconds, and far too long for Portia's liking, his eyes closed briefly, and he seemed to pale.
"Andy?" she asked, completely worried.
"Yeah?" He mouthed.
"Are you okay?"
His eyes opened slowly. "Yeah." He closed his eyes again for a few seconds. "Woah. That hurt."
"What happened?"
"I was accessing a few operational databanks around the world, and ran smack into an old firewall."
"Firewall?"
"Something to prevent unauthorized outside access," he told her as he rubbed his forehead. "Usually they're no problem to get through, but this one kicked my ass from Virginia all the way back here."
"What were you accessing in Virginia?"
"A little of this, a little of that," he said vaguely. "Old government stuff."
She smiled at him. "I don’t even want to know why you were snooping there." She kissed him lightly. "I trust you to tell me if you want to."
"Thank you." He felt slightly better, but still a little tingly from the cyber shock he had received. "I’m coming up on my twenty-five hundred day upgrade."
"Your who-de-what?"
"Upgrade…happens after six years." He started to run his fingers through her hair. "A tweak of this, a buffing of that, and I come out better than ever." He was silent for a moment. "I have an internal system that keeps trying to access something…only there’s no place to return to for an upgrade and it keeps being rejected."
"I don’t want you upgraded," Portia said. "I like you the way you are."
"I like me the way I am, too." He smiled at her. "I was trying to go through some backdoors for the general programming when I hit the firewall."
"You lost me." She looked confused.
"According to my base level knowledge, all updates were stored on file in Virginia." He noticed a worried expression on her face. "Don’t worry…it’s not a mandatory upgrade, just a suggested one."
"You sure?"
"Yes." He lied. "Don’t worry, you’re stuck with me."
"Accidentally activating you six years ago was the best mistake I ever made. I like being with you, and don't want you to leave."
"I'm here for good, then."
~~~~~~~~
Time passed quickly and quietly over the next few weeks. Two people had gone with to another community with the Leza to check for themselves if the supplies were indeed there. At first, Leza had argued that they should be bringing things to barter, but finally relented. The men still had not returned, and a group was being put together to set out and search for them.
Andy spent far too much time tending to his systems, which caused Portia worry. She could tell he was in whatever passed for an android in pain, but he refused to admit it to her. Fearing the end was coming for them, and wanting to spend as much time with him as possible, she shut herself off from the settlement and spent every second by his side.
In another in a long line of attempts to get the upgrade that he had to admit was mandatory, Andy tried to contact various sources around the world. Every place shut him out, which was logical, since computer systems had crashed since the near annihilation, and had been all but forgotten in the aftermath. It seemed useless to keep trying, and, had he been human, he knew he would have felt like crying for the pain he could see in Portia’s eyes every time she fussed over him.
He looked down at Portia sleeping on his chest, he realized that he was not ready to leave her just yet, and decided that he indeed had one option left. He closed his eyes, readied himself for his biggest attempt yet, and started.
~~~~~~~~~
Portia opened her eyes as Andy moved below her. She sat up quickly, horrified as his body twitched like it was undergoing shock treatment.
She hopped over him and knelt on the floor beside his side of the bed. "Please…come on, baby…please," she whispered, wondering if this was the end.
All movement stopped and she stared in disbelief. She started to lean over to check for sound when his eyes flew open and he gasped loudly.
"Mother fucker!" he moaned in pain moments before he curled into the fetal position and rocked back and forth slightly as he moaned.
"Andy?"
Portia fell back as his head whipped up to look at her, an expression of fear, anger and complete hatred on his face. Then he seemed to recognize her, and the expression softened. The pain receded, and he slowly uncurled his body. He stared at Portia for a few moments.
"I know you, don’t I."
Feeling her heart break, she just nodded.
The name was on the tip of his tongue, and he struggled to say it. "Portia, right?" He felt relief when she nodded. "Sorry…it’s…going to take a few minutes to reboot my memories."
"What happened?" she finally spoke. Not knowing what to expect, she stayed where she was.
Sensing unease in her, Andy forced himself to sit up on the bed. His body didn’t want to cooperate, so he opted for holding out a hand for her to hold. He smiled as she tentatively took his hand.
"I’d know that touch anywhere," he said softly. He jerked again as memories came flooding back, causing a small gasp from Portia. "Oh, yeah," he moaned, then looked at her again. "I had to find the program for upgrading."
"Did you?"
"Not exactly." He pulled her hand gently, and she got up and sat on the bed. He put his head in her lap and looked up at her. "I couldn’t find it, and…well…I lied when I told you is wasn’t mandatory."
"I noticed," she replied dryly.
"I didn’t want to leave you just yet, so I took the last option I had."
"You sold your soul."
"Don’t have a soul." He wrapped his arms around her waist in a hug. "I went back to the government sites in Virginia, accessed their system, and bastardized myself an upgrade."
"Oh, Andy…"
"I took a little of this, a little of that, and now not only am I a pleasure model, but I also have vast knowledge of covert agency techniques, am versed in hand to hand combat and weapons control, and know over two hundred ways to kill a human without a weapon."
"Charming."
"It is, isn’t it." He ran his hands along her back. "If you need time to think about this, I understand."
She sighed at the feeling of his hands, something a few minutes ago she thought she had lost forever. "Does this upgrade mean that you’re not you?"
He thought about it for a moment. "It means that I’m me, with a little attitude thrown in."
"And are you capable of all the techniques you had before?"
"That struggle I had after the download…" he paused as the emotions came back. "That was me trying to put those new…attributes…in their place."
"Which means?"
He smiled one of his sexy smiles, the one that nearly gave her an orgasm. "It means…I’m a lover, not a fighter."4
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