Pairings: Bo/Android, Bo/Lauren, Bo/Six, One/Two
This is the middle bit of a planned "Electric Love" trilogy ; sequel ("Seeing Stars") and prequel ("Past Lives") to follow in the summer of 2017, also inspired by BORNS songs.
Dark Matter and Lost Girl and their characters are properties of Prodigy Pictures, and this is a work of comederotica, from which I make no money and claim no fame. Enjoy the ride!
CH.1 Lightning in a Bottle
"Two, please come to the bridge - we have detected a distress call."
The Android's voice echoes through the comms of the Raza. Two groans her annoyance and climbs off of a shirtless One, sprawled on her bed. At least she hadn't taken most of her clothes off yet, and heaven help the Android if she had called 5 minutes later. Two shimmies into her shirt and straps on her guns as One is still dazed and confused by the sudden interruption.
"The hell?" One whines. Not much blood is left in his brain, and he adjusts his pants to relieve some of his discomfort.
"Duty calls, sorry - you'll have to take matters into your own hands." Two replies briskly, nodding at his crotch as she exits her room and activates her comm. "This is Two, on my way."
Two arrives on the bridge to see Five standing by the Android, intently examining the display panels.
"What type of ship is sending the beacon?" Two asks as she strides up between Five and the Android, taking her own look at the readings.
"It is an escape pod automated distress call, no other ships are detected in the vicinity, " The Android answers in her typical dry, high-pitched tone. "But there is a significant debris field nearby, with radiation signatures indicating a vessel's power core has been compromised."
Five points to draw Two's focus to a rotating 3-D image on the display.
"Looks like this model pod just has room for one. Maybe someone is in there? Alive?" She looks at Two, who tells the Android.
"Bring the pod on board - let's see what or who we've got." Two hits her comm. "Everyone meet me at airlock 3, we found something." Two cuts her comm and pats Five on the shoulder. "Come on."
They exit the bridge as the Android closes her eyes to complete the instruction to the ship's tractor beam and airlock docking system.
Six arrives at the airlock to find Three peering through the small window at the pod behind the doors, with Four beside him. A second later One joins them with an awkward stride, and Six notices.
"You OK, man?" He smirks as One adjusts his pants as discreetly as he can, which is not at all.
"Ah, yeah - nothing I can't handle." One blushes a bit and looks away. "Three, what do you see?"
"I see a pod, slightly damaged but looks like the lights are on - wanna see if anybody's home?" He presses the button to re-pressurize the airlock. Two and Five jog up just as the airlock door opens. Everyone surrounds the pod, Five kneels down to read the display, then stands up exclaiming.
"One person in stasis, alive!"
Two taps her comm. "Android, we have a survivor, meet us in Medlab." She turns to the guys. "Bring the pod, let's crack it open in the lab just in case they need immediate medical attention."
Gathered in Medlab, the crew all watch intently as the Android carefully opens the pod, revealing a beautiful brunette woman, in stasis. One turns to Three.
"She one of yours?" he asks. Three shrugs, as Two smacks One on the arm and glares at him.
"Ow! What, too soon?" he rubs the sore spot, grumbling. "Always with the hitting..."
Two ignores him and indicates to the Android.
"Scan for biohazards, and wake her up." The Android completes her instructions as a green wave of light passes over the unconscious woman in the pod.
"No injuries or pathogens detected, she appears to be in perfect health." The Android continues to press buttons on the pod at an unnatural speed. "Deactivating stasis, initiating awakening sequence."
The strange woman awakens with a deep gasping breath, startling everyone but the Android to jump back a step. The Android simply notes that the woman has deep, rich brown eyes to match her long, lustrous dark hair and - the Android catches herself slipping away from logic and closes her eyes for a moment to schedule a full personality matrix diagnostic in the ship's log.
The beautiful brunette sits up to half a dozen strangers looking at her. She returns their curious gazes then locks her eyes on the Android just as she opens them again, having completed her task.
"Lauren!"
The woman cries out and grabs her face in a passionate kiss. The Android doesn't respond, staying perfectly still and wide-eyed at the brunette's actions. All the others gape at the scene - stunned and slack-jawed.
"Guess she's not mine." Three comments in a hushed tone to One, who continues to stare but adjusts his pants again.
The woman finally notices her lover is non-responsive - upset, she pulls back and drops her embrace, sitting back in the escape pod.
"You're not Lauren, you're not even human - who are you, what's going on?" She hears the rustiness of her own voice and it feels odd to speak, as she struggles to hold down a swelling panic.
"You're on our ship, we mean you no harm." Two replies. "We picked up your escape pod, woke you from stasis - Can you tell us your name, and what happened to your ship?"
"Bo - I was traveling on a job with a merchant freighter - we were attacked by the Galactic Authority, I don't know why..." The Raza crew look at each other worriedly. "Our ship was destroyed, a few pods made their way out. Did you find any of the others?" She looks from Two back to the Android, filled with too many emotions to process so fresh out of stasis. The Android holds her gaze and answers.
"No other distress calls have been detected in the area. Yours is the only escape pod we retrieved."
Bo opens her mouth to ask one million questions of the blue-jump-suited blonde in front of her, when Six speaks.
"What kind of job?" Bo looks at the large and very fit man, studying him in detail for the first time - his aura flaring at her scrutiny.
"I find things for people…" She softens her tone in reply; realizing she is extremely hungry, and he would do nicely to fill her primal appetite.
"You're a bounty hunter?" Four moves toward her with his hand on his sword hilt, ready for trouble. Bo holds up her hands in an appeasing gesture.
"More of a freelance investigator, I help people, try not to hurt or get hurt along the way but I guess the GA had other ideas." She glances at the shorter, but equally well-muscled man who addressed her. His aura doesn't fluctuate at all.
Two leans into Bo's field of vision. "When was your ship attacked?"
Bo considers for a moment. "I think it was the 7th…"
"That was two weeks ago!" Six exclaims.
"Well, GA is probably long gone from this sector but we should jump back to FTL just in case." One speaks up for the first time.
Bo notices he and the woman who seems to be in command have auras that reflect the same colors and pulses. She mentally notes their connection and goes back to staring at the Android in wonderment. Five steps closer to the Android and Bo.
"This is the ship's Android. Who's Lauren?"
"Hello, Bo." The Android says with perfect politeness. "I am curious why you kissed me."
"Lauren is my dead wife. You look exactly like her." Bo's voice cracks a little. The crew are all shocked into gaping silence again, except the Android who answers enthusiastically.
"I am modeled after the 21st century geneticist Dr. Lauren Lewis, although of the Stars of Science series from the Nakashima Corporation, my model is one of the least utilized. " Bo get tears in her eyes as the robot's ramblings remind her of her lost love. "There are a number of more commonly purchased androids in my series; Neil DeGrasse-Tyson, Jane Goodall, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Isaac Newton - Nikola Tesla is by far the most popular model, and is usually on backorder…."
"Whooooa, back up - 21st century?!" Two interrupts with an even more shocked look at Bo, who nods in agreement.
"You look good for your age, " Three chimes in. "Guess being married to a top geneticist has its perks." He winks at her, aura in full tilt, and Bo instantly dislikes him.
"Yeah, something like that." Bo deflects and turns her attention back to the Android. To her delight the blonde machine is visually appraising her in great detail, causing Bo's own aura to flare. She concentrates on not letting her eyes flash succubus blue.
Bo climbs up out of the pod but when her feet touch the floor her knees buckle as she almost faints. The Android quickly and easily catches her as the other crew members rush forward to help, which the robot clearly does not require.
"Thanks," Bo trembles as she stands in the Android's strong yet gentle grip. "I think I'm just really hungry, and maybe dehydrated after my little nap." She lets the Android and others help her to sit again on the edge of the escape pod. Bo keeps her hands on the robot's arms.
There is no body heat, or aura, or any hint of emotional response from the blonde - Bo's mind knows the facts and feelings of Lauren's passing so long ago, and that she herself has lived long enough to be in a world where human-looking robots are common, but her heart and all points south respond to Lauren's likeness.
Six is the next to gently take Bo's hand, wrapping it around a bottle of liquid.
"Drink this, you'll feel better." She accepts the gift and maintains contact with his hand to test his aura without pulsing him, and indeed he is burning very bright for her.
"Thanks, ah - I didn't catch any of your names." The crew introduce themselves and the reasons behind their number names, while Bo sips the drink.
"Sometimes I wish I could forget…Everything…." Bo muses, haunted further by the faux-Lauren in front of her.
"Don't envy us - " Two corrects her, then turns to the blonde. "Android, run a few more detailed scans on Bo to make sure she's alright, and when you're done show her to one of the empty quarters on C deck." She turns to Bo, handing her a comm.
"Call if you need anything. OK, everyone, back to whatever you were doing." She spares a slight nod at One to follow her and he nods back.
Two turns to leave and the rest of the humans file out, Six taking a lingering look at Bo before leaving her alone in the lab with the Android for several minutes of awkward silence.
"You are sexually attracted to me - because I am modeled on your spouse?" The Android states as she completes her last round of tests and scans.
"Yes, um...sorry, trying to rein that in - and how can you tell?"
"I can detect changes in your bioenergetic signature, and chemical composition of your pheromones."
Bo barks out a laugh. "You - YOU - can read my aura? And smell me?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes." the Android replies. "Also, despite appearances to the contrary you are not human and your genetic profile is not in the ship's database - did Dr. Lewis alter your DNA, and if so, to what purpose?"
"Lauren didn't change me, I was born this way." Bo eyes the barcode tattoo on the blonde's neck - that and the hairstyle being the only visible differences between the robot and her wife. "Do you have a confidentiality subroutine?"
"Yes, I can keep confidential any information you disclose to me that by doing so does not directly endanger the crew or ship." The Android assures her. Bo allows herself to trust in the blonde.
"I am a rare species, really a whole genus…" Bo pauses as her memory flashes the many times, in both stern and gentle tones, Lauren reminded her of the taxonomical difference. "Called Fae, that was native to FirstEarth, living among humans - other than being killed by violence or disease we are virtually immortal. I will not harm you, the ship, or the crew - I promise - so please keep my secret and let the crew think Lauren tinkered with my genes. But, I require nourishment beyond food - I need to feed off of human sexual energy, so if no one on the ship is a willing donor I'll just get off at the next space station to..." She makes a vague gesture. "...Get off."
"Fascinating - I wish to know more about your species and what you recall of FirstEarth history before the colonization of space, during the 6th Extinction Event. Very few records of that era remain, and your knowledge is invaluable to the historical database." The Android ponders excitedly. "And if you require human sexual energy, Six and Three showed signs of arousal in your presence - perhaps one or both of them could provide your sustenance?"
"I noticed that, too, but Three reminds me of a guy I knew and wish I didn't." Bo says distastefully, thinking of Ryan Lambert, the Loki. "But Six might work, we'll see. I also sensed something between One and Two - they're a couple?"
"I do not know the parameters of the relationship between One and Two, but from their biometric patterns and pheromone signatures I conclude they regularly engage in sex together." The Android replies in her usual dry style. "And previous to the initiation of sexual relations between One and Two, Two engaged in intercourse with Three, and One had sex with the entertainment android, Wendy, who then proceeded to follow a corrupted line in her code and deactivated me and attempted to kill the crew by steering the ship into a star. Of course, she was not successful, or we would not be here having this conversation. "
"Good to know, thanks for the low-down." Bo is taken aback at the information, slowly absorbing the sordid details. "Wait - Wendy the 'entertainment' android? This ship has a sexbot?!"
"She is no longer on board. Four cut off her head and then the crew disposed of her out of the airlock."
"Well, in my experience decapitation solves a lot of problems with bad guys." Bo can't help but smile at the incredible information delivered in such a perky manner. The Android continues her verbal data dump.
"Although I have no direct memory of the incident, One used Four's sword to cut off my right hand when I was reactivated in a security default mode, and attacked the crew." She holds up her hand and wiggles her fingers. "As you can see, my corrective nanites have completely restored functionality of all digits to optimal parameters."
Bo bites her lip and squirms at the sudden heat in her tight leather pants, the Android's actions and words triggering visceral feelings of Lauren's fingers functioning at optimal parameters with her. The robot notices and comments.
"Your pupils are dilating and your heart rate has increased, along with a release of pheromones, indicating an increased state of sexual arousal." Bo nods but doesn't dare speak, tears welling up at the overwhelming mix of good and bad memories and emotions the robot unknowingly unleashes. The blonde continues.
"I am not an entertainment android, but part of my programming includes the care and comfort of the crew. Do you require care and comfort at this time?"
Bo looks at the Android with watery eyes and a sad smile, reaches to touch her face, but pulls her hand back before contact.
"Thank you, no, I'll just get settled in for a bit. Funny, in all of this deeply personal sharing - you look so much like her, I didn't even ask - what is your name?'
"I possess no personal designation; the crew calls me 'Android'. Do you wish to address me as Dr. Lauren Lewis?"
Bo chokes on something between a sob and a chuckle.
"No, that would be weird - er, if that's even possible in all this weirdness. I'm going to go check out my room. No need to walk me there, just show me on the ship's schematic." Bo needs to get away from the blonde before she completely loses control of her emotions.
"OK, Bo." The Android answers, oblivious the the storm of feelings she has created in the brunette. She guides her to a display screen, indicating how to get to C deck, and Bo nods her understanding of where to go.
"Thanks, um - Android - I guess I'll see you later." Bo mumbles, heading out the Medlab doors toward the deck lifts.
"Bye, Bo." The Android says to her retreating form. The blonde touches her own lips, processing the lingering sensations from the kiss. She begins her personality matrix diagnostic to determine the cause of her new, illogical emotional responses to the brunette.
Bo is relieved to not run into any of the crew as she makes her way to her quarters and collapses on the bed in uncontrolled, wailing sobs.