Chapter 6

Our brief visit with Kevin confirmed that Jesse was allowed to take some clothing. He frowned hard when he heard about Zane’s involvement yet again, saying he’d handle him personally. I wasn’t sure what Kevin would do to him, but whatever it was I was just glad I wasn’t going to be on the receiving end of that look later.

“So, why’d you refuse to take them even with Kevin’s reassurance?” Jesse almost whined. “By next week my pants will cut me in half!”

“I’ll tell you at home, okay? I promise I have a good reason.”

“You better,” Jesse said huffing again. We walked towards Julian’s quarters and stepped inside. There he stood, the boy wonder I found only a few days ago. Had it only been that short of time since then? It seemed like we’ve had him for a lot longer. Sure I really haven’t spent much time with him but lately a lot of my thoughts are about him or involve him. And a lot of them are starting to turn… dirty.

Slowly, Riley’s eyes opened up and the instant they did, his eyes locked with mine. That pool of liquid blue pulled me into him and I tried to resist but… I just couldn’t. He smiled very brightly at me and I couldn’t help but be tractored in even more. I saw him disentangle himself from the interface he had with Julian’s programs. The moment he finished he walked over and gave me a great, big hug. It felt nice to be wrapped in his arms, really nice. I couldn’t tell at all that his arms were really made of metals and silicates instead of flesh and bone. He felt warm, soft, hard… safe. It confused me.

“Are you okay Travis?” Riley asked, now looking a bit concerned. “We had heard you got arrested and I planned out thirty-seven different ways to break you out. You had us all worried!” My confusion deepened but this time even Jesse looked a bit lost. He sounded… really human compared to the last time we spoke. He then giggled when he saw our strange looks. A real, genuine boy giggle. “Thanks to Julian’s repair program, it helped me to isolate and repair several areas of my memory core. It is probably sitting at about one-quarter of the way finished. Also during that process I managed to locate and fix my language subroutines and algorithms so I sound a bit more… natural for a fourteen year-old boy.”

“I’ll say,” I said with a low, somewhat lustful whistle. “You sound so… so human now. Less headache-inducing words now.” Riley laughed.

“Yeah, the more damage I have to that area, the more I have to rely on my emergency language controls. If my backup controls are in place, I sound as I did the first time I was reactivated. Short words and broken sentences.” Riley actually grimaced a bit. “I hate it when I have to – it is so hard to communicate that way with humans.”

“Is your language control area fully repaired?” I asked him.

“Just about. There are still some things like contractions that are hard to say right now for me.” I couldn’t believe the smile I saw in his eyes – almost like it was just for me. “Why do you ask, Travis?”

His question snapped me back from my slightly lust-filled haze. “Um… the only reason I am is… couldn’t you maybe copy it when it’s fully fixed and have the copied parts replace that out of date program or maybe integrate natural language into your emergency communications stuff?”

I swear I saw a supernova cross through his eyes. “Travis, that is brilliant! I did not think about doing that!” Again he hugged me, but then he also gently grabbed my face and… and he kissed me. On the lips. For a second I tried to resist but I couldn’t. Those puffy, soft parts of him manipulated things inside me that I wasn’t fully aware I had. Thanks to him, they woke up full force and signaled large quantities of my blood to start filling my penis. It never felt so hard before! A moan slipped out between the two of us and I couldn’t quite tell who it came from – me or Riley. He moved his lips open more and this time I knew it was me that groaned.

With great reluctance and difficulty, I pulled away from Riley.

“W-Wow…” I said breathily, forgetting that my little brother and another friend stood not too far away. I probably should say something, tell them Riley just got carried away some. “Wow…” I’ll work on speaking later.

“Man, that’s one hell of a kiss!” Julian teased. “Was it good?”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, your brother liked it,” Julian said as he leaned closer to Jesse.

My brother giggled. “He sure did.” I turned to face him and caught him looking down around my waist. I quickly turned back around and blushed heavily.

“Did you like that, Travis?” Riley asked with a bit of breathiness to his voice. Hearing him talk like that drove me crazy. He sounded so sexy! A soft whimper escaped my throat. A coy smile crossed his lips. “I think you did.” Then he bit his lower lip sexily. What… what is this bot doing to me? It’s like he’s flooding my body with hormones on purpose with all this teasing!

Shakily, I tore my gaze from Riley. “W…We should get going. I-I think we’ve overstayed our welcome. There are things we have to do.”

“If you must,” Julian said with a sigh. “Before you go, Riley, you can borrow my repair program if you need it. Right now, it’s not being used since I’m not tinkering with anything.”

“That is most kind,” the bot said as he picked up the box. “I have already made a copy of it inside my undamaged memory core, but it might be better to have it assist me from the outside looking in.”

The three of us made it to the lift and stepped inside. Jesse started reaching for C level but I shook my head. “Why not? I want to get back home! I’m tired from all the stress Zane caused.”

“Then press B level,” I smirked.

“B level?” Jesse looked at me oddly. “That’s… that’s where we used to live Trav. We now live on C level, remember?”

“Not anymore,” I said, my smirk getting bigger. Riley saw this.

“Jesse, I think your brother is, as you would say, ‘pulling your leg’. He is hiding something from us.”

Suddenly Jesse’s eyes shot wide open. He grabbed my arms and started shaking me. “You’re shitting me! There’s… there’s no fucking way! How?! When?!” The boy started getting really antsy, so I sighed and decided to relieve some of his anxiety.

I watched his eyes as I slowly knelt down, reaching over his shoulder to press the button for B level. “Jesse, we can go home. And I do mean that. Home. And we don’t have to run or hide anymore. We’re free.” I could tell several emotions struck my brother all at once. Probably the same ones I felt when Hanson’s holo recording told me the same thing. I could tell that disbelief, relief, trepidation, and skepticism all played out before he just gave up and started to cry. I pulled him to me as he cried with tears of both happiness and sadness.

“I-If you’re saying this as some sort of joke…” Jesse warned in between sniffles.

“I’d never kid around with this, bro. This is like part of our dream coming true. We get to go home.”

“Are you okay, Jesse?” Riley asked with concern. “Are you not happy?”

“No, I’m totally happy,” he said as he lifted his head from my shoulder. “This… this is the best news I could’ve gotten today, aside from hearing that Mom and Dad were back on the station.”

“I do have to warn you Jess, that in order for our quarters to be released back to us they had to declare them legally dead for now. Now,” I said steamrolling through Jesse’s bubbling protests, “I was guaranteed that they’d still search the area where they last were known to be. I think if I remember their itinerary from their trip there were several places they could have set down if they were having problems. And they’re all a bit spread out so I know the search is still going to take quite a long time. Especially if they decide to also check along their entire flight plan, to be certain.”

“Okay, if you say so.” He now looked sullen.

“I don’t really like declaring them legally dead like this either but I’d think they’d want it this way even if they do come back.”

I stood up as the lift slowed and opened up to B level. Compared to C level, I could tell that I had forgotten how much nicer it was up here. While C level wasn’t bad by any means, B level catered to residents a little more well off than most. I don’t think Mom and Dad could afford a place on this level with their salaries before they disappeared. Maybe their positions gave them a couple of unknown perks, like better housing. I shrugged off the thoughts.

We made it back to our quarters, our original home, with no incidents. Though I did sense Riley’s eyes on me quite a bit. I wasn’t sure what that was about, but it did make me feel a little funny inside. Good funny. I almost giggled a couple of times when I swore I saw him lick his lips some. But when we got near the doors to our old quarters, all of us stopped. I think Jesse and I were quite afraid to see our past again, this part frozen a month after their disappearance. Riley just stopped because we did, waiting patiently for us to work up the nerve to go inside.

“Here we are,” I said quietly to no one in particular.

“Yep,” Jesse said just as quietly.

“Shall we go in?” I said, summoning up some courage to face our past and be home once again. Jesse looked up to me and nodded but suddenly took my hand into his, a pensive look crossing his face. He placed his other hand into Riley’s.

The door opened and we stepped inside.

I couldn’t help but draw in a breath. It was just as I remembered. The table sitting near the kitchen unit, draped in the slightly faded fabric Mom had chosen last. I could even still see some of the stains on it when either Jesse or I spilled something in that in-between time. The couch cushions slightly askew from our last bout before we had to leave. Some of the books Dad liked to keep in paper form spilled onto the floor from the same fight. I felt Jesse’s hand tighten around mine.

“What were we fighting about that day?” Jesse murmured, mostly to himself.

“I think you didn’t want to leave but we had to and you hated me for forcing you to as well.” I saw him nod numbly.

“I was such a brat back then. I-I knew we had to, but I… I just thought if I stomped my feet enough I’d get my way.” I chuckled a bit.

“But I think you’ve grown up some since we had to ‘rough it’ for a bit.” I squeezed his hand back. “You’re not the same kid anymore. Neither am I.”

Jesse looked at Riley. “If I ever act petulant or bratty again, smack me upside my head, please.” He turned to face me. “I… I don’t want us to fight again, not like we did back then.”

“Trust me, I don’t want it either.” I knelt down again. “Look, just because we’re back here doesn’t mean we’re still not gonna have problems. Sure, we’ll probably still fight but I don’t think it’ll be about dumb things like you always poking me while we sit on the couch or me taking some of your things just to irritate you. Now that we’re back here, we’ll be okay. And the best part is I don’t… I don’t have to steal anything any longer.”

Jesse’s eyes widened. “Really? How?” I reached into my pocket and pulled out several dozen credit chips and Jesse balked. “Whoa! Where did you get so much money?!”

“This is chump change compared to what I have access to. But we’re not going to go hog-wild with it. I’m not going to tell you how much we really have just to be safe. At least not right away. Is that okay?”

Jesse shrugged. “Right now the biggest thing I want is bed. This day has been so draining.” Jesse suddenly jerked. “Oh my God! I get to sleep in my bed again! My bed! Shit yeah!” Before I knew it, he tore off towards our old shared room. That left me and Riley standing near the doorway alone.

“Travis, I think we need to discuss a few things.” I didn’t really like the way Riley was looking at me. It almost seemed that he was ashamed of something. I was the one that just told him I was a thief and yet he’s the guilty one. It made me hesitate some. My stomach twisted a bit in apprehension. Maybe even some anticipation.

My hands couldn’t seem to sit still. They kept fidgeting and gesticulating all on their own. I grasped my hands together, hoping the two of them would settle down. “Like?” I wasn’t aware that Riley seemed upset with me about anything. “Is this about me being a thief? Because I was going to tell you about it but I–”

“No, I do not really care about your kleptomania right now. Please, let us sit.” I eyed him carefully as he wore a neutral tone on his face while his voice held a steady calm that almost felt unnerving. He waved his arm towards the couch. I stepped in front of him and I felt him follow. Once I got to the couch, I straightened out the cushions and both Riley and I sat down. I sat in the middle and oddly the bot sat right next to me. I could feel the heat coming from his synthetic skin and I felt myself stirring a bit.

“Did I upset you in another way?” I asked as I turned a bit to face him.

A gentle smile crossed his face. “No. You did nothing wrong. At all. I want to talk to you about something I discovered in my memory core during my last attempt to repair it. I found some memory files that… that involve you.”

“Me?” I asked. “I only met you a few days ago, when I found you in that pile of… of trash!” I blushed a bit for Riley’s benefit. I didn’t want to remind him of how I found him, about how one-third of his skin was missing. I didn’t like to remember it either, seeing the pure panic and fear on his face back then. “How could you have memories of me if we only met so recently?”

Riley shook his head. “I cannot explain how I have them. Just that I do. And, in those files, I have found why I was constructed.” And he looked away. “And possibly by whom.”

“That’s great, right?” I asked him, not understanding what he was getting at. I felt happy that he could remember his primary function and maybe who made him. If I never knew who my parents were, I’d want to know who they at least were if I couldn’t meet them or something. But Riley seemed… unsure about something. Hesitant.

“It is, yes. It is… unnerving to know I know things but cannot access them due to damage caused by my extended downtime.” Riley’s eyes met mine again. He placed a hand on my left knee. “I also caused my own epidural damage but out of necessity.”

“How? I mean, how could destroying your own skin keep you, um ‘alive’?”

“My body is capable of converting most forms of matter into energy. When my emergency batteries were fairly low, my power matrix started to convert my… skin, as you call it into energy. Once my epidural layers were gone, my matrix would have started to convert my limbs.”

“Do you know what happened to you? I mean, how you ended up where I found you?” This all seemed really weird and troubling. It was almost like someone drained him of his energy and tossed him aside like a spent shell.

A grim visage crossed his face as, I guess unknowingly, he started to rub my leg. “I do not recall at this time. Perhaps as my repairs continue I will be able to say who… attacked me. Or maybe I had an accident. But this is all slightly irrelevant to the discussion I wanted with you.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I probably got us off track a bit,” I chuckled a bit. I glanced down at his hand stroking my now bare thigh, as his hand had pushed up my shorts some and made contact with my flesh. I wasn’t sure if I should stop him or not. Part of me said yes while the rest said no. I shrugged mentally; as long as his hand didn’t get too close to certain things, I felt I’d be okay. It felt… rather nice.

“The main reason I needed to talk with you is that… my purpose…” It seemed hard for him to say what he wanted. I decided to place my left hand on top of his right as it tickled my leg absently. Our eyes met once again and he smiled slightly at my gesture. “Perhaps I should start with my creators.”

“Whatever’s easiest for you. I can see this seems to be hard for you,” I offered.

I felt Riley’s hand flip and take mine into his. He squeezed gently, a pulse of warmth spreading up my arm. The warmth changed into shivers once it hit my core, tickling me from within. “It is hard for me to say because of how you pertain to it all.” He paused. “Can I ask a favor?”

“Sure Riley,” I asked, still unsure how I was involved in his life before I found him. I wanted to speed things up, to get to the root of the issue but Riley needed to take his time. Mom and Dad would have done the same thing for me.

“After I am done telling you what I know, will you…” I saw his cheeks flush as I looked at his face again. It made me wonder how he made his skin react like that without any blood running through him. Unless, he had something like blood and it was colored red to mimic human’s. He faced me and I saw some fear in his eyes, almost like he was afraid I’d… hate him or something. “Will you still be my… my friend?”

“Of course Riley,” I said softly. “I think, even for a really advanced bot, you’re pretty cool.” I almost said cute, but decided against it, not sure how he might take that. For all I know, he actually was built to have female companionship in mind. A wave of relief flooded his system.

“From what I can put together inside my subroutines, I believe that Julian’s father partly designed my systems. The other two that aided him as they could…. They were your parents.” It took a bit for that to process for me. My parents helped to build Riley? When? What for? A dozen questions fought to the forefront of my mind but before I could dwell on any of them, Riley continued. “I can see that this causes some stress for you. For that I am truly sorry. But from what I can recall, mostly Julian’s father constructed me with minimal assistance from your parents. This is why Julian had an external repair kit in his quarters – it is his father’s. But… there is more involved.”

“L-Like what?” I asked, almost afraid of what else he could reveal.

“Part of what I recovered tells me of a time when both of your parents were standing in front of me. I was nearly finished being built, but they were telling me something about you. I can, in my memory, see your mother with child, talking about her offspring – she kept rubbing her belly whenever she spoke about it. About you.” Hearing this from Riley made me swallow nervously. “Your mother kept repeating something she knew about you. About some test the doctor performed on you in utero. A test that, among other things, revealed your… your sexuality.”

“What?!” I shouted. I jumped to my feet, starting to get a little upset. But Riley grabbed my hand and pulled me down to the couch again. Before I could start yelling again, he went on.

“This was before my gender-specific functions were applied. I was neither male nor female. There was a purpose for telling me that you were, to use an old phrase, gay in case they could not tell you themselves.” Riley held both of my hands firmly but caringly in his. He squeezed both gently and I looked into his bright, blue pools. His smile reminded me of a warm blanket. “I… I was built to be your companion… your, as you might say…” He started to blush a little more. “Your boyfriend.”

I muttered something totally incomprehensible. Before I was even born, my parents had a robot built specifically for me?! To be my life partner? It seemed way too far-fetched. It didn’t seem possible. Why would they do something like this? There had to have been a reason. But what could it be?

“Travis, please understand,” Riley said quickly, suddenly afraid I’d try to bolt. The thought did cross my mind for a moment. “They had their reasons, their purposes for this. I can extrapolate from what little I can pull from the damaged areas of my core if you would like. But I know they told me all of why and how and anything else you might need to know. I just need more time to fix my core in order to give you a more concrete answer. I apologize immensely.”

It all made sense to me now. The initial look I got from him when his eyes first opened. The utter panic in his voice when he thought he might shut down for good. The glances, the teasing, the touching. The hugging. The… the kiss. I didn’t see it all at first, how utterly attractive I found him, how much I really did want to… to kiss him again and to hold him, cuddle with him in bed after a bout of… of awesome sex? As much as I wanted it all, almost needed it all, I stood up and stepped away from Riley, my hands slipping from his. I had my back to him.

“I-I… I need to take a walk. I have to think about some things. A-And I need to do it alone. Make sure Jess doesn’t leave until I get back as I’ll need to talk to him after I talk to you again.”

“I understand.” I heard heavy sadness in his voice and it almost made me turn around to look at him again. Almost. “I will work on further repairs to my core. Maybe while you take your walk, I will have more answers for you. I hope I do.”

“S-So do I.” Before I left, I pulled out the card Dawson gave me. “Can you… scan this? Make a copy of the data in case I lose it?” I kept my eyes averted from Riley as a green flash of light enveloped the room.

“Complete.” Again his voice sounded almost heartbreakingly sad. Like I took his favorite toy away from him and never said I would give it back. In a way I was, if he was built specifically for me.

“I-I’ll be back in about an hour.” I risked a glance up at Riley’s face. I think he tried to control his emotions but I could see some tears building in his eyes. I offered a small smile. “I will be back.”

“I know,” he said. “I know you need time to process all of this, but I… I wish I could help you in some way.”

I didn’t say anything else. I just stepped out of my old home once again and decided to pay a visit back to F level in a little bit. First things first, though. I decided to go buy a new outfit and discard these ratty clothes I had on.