Even after the scalding shower and the several hot cups of coffee she'd downed during the trip back to the Nexus, Ryder could still feel the lingering influence of Voeld's chill. The remnant architect there had been one of the worst battles she'd experienced; unable to go far from the area heaters, but desperately needing to improve her line of sight to the blasted thing so that she could get off a few worthwhile shots.
Though she shouldn't have, she took comfort in knowing the battle had been hard on Vetra and Drack. It made her feel better that she wasn't the only one suffering from the ailments of the icy wasteland of a planet.
She shivered again as she thought of Voeld. She hated it there and despised having to go back whenever duty called. She hastened her pace, desperately wanting to get through the Nexus and to the Hyperion where she could collapse in her quarters. She'd earned a reprieve from the daily roster. She and her crew had been granted a day of rest or at least half a day if she knew Addison at all. The woman never quite kept her word.
Ryder entered her quarters, relief rushing through her as she bounded for the bed. She sank into it, rolling herself up in the blanket, thinking of warm things.
"Sleep well, Pathfinder," SAM said pleasantly.
"Thanks, SAM," she mumbled, already slipping into sleep.
Her thoughts drifted to the warm afternoon she and her long ago boyfriend Jenkins had once spent by a hidden lake on Eden Prime. He'd assured her that only a few people knew of its existence and they were all working. He'd snuck her out there and they had played the afternoon away in the water. She reminisced about how the sun felt on her naked form as it dried the water droplets from her body. She recalled how Jenkins' hand had drifted across her stomach, his fingers lightly dancing over her skin. He had begun kissing her, his lips at the nape of her neck and then trailing down her breasts and stomach. His hand had made its way between her legs, rubbing his fingertips teasingly against her, coaxing and enticing her.
Ryder moaned in her euphoric state, the memory becoming blurred with an erotic dream.
"May I?" Jenkins asked, only his voice didn't sound right.
Although Ryder was confused by the difference in his voice, she wanted him to touch her.
"Yes," she whispered as his fingers spread her lips and rubbed her gently. Ryder moaned, raising her hips to his hand.
"Like this?" Jenkins asked. Again, his voice was completely wrong. There was even something different about the way he was touching her. The stimulation didn't feel external. It felt internal.
"Yeah…" She mumbled distractedly as he leaned over her, placing his mouth against her breast. Ryder moaned once more, disregarding her questions and giving away to her pleasure.
"Oh," she breathed, feeling his fingers slide into her and while his thumb gently stimulated her. She clenched around him, her breath quickening.
"Keep going," she whispered.
"Yes, Pathfinder," Jenkins replied.
Ryder's euphoric state abruptly stopped. "SAM?" She cried, the dream melting away quickly. She jolted upright in bed, her heart thundering in her chest. She felt the dull ache of unquenched arousal stir dully between her legs.
Her mouth dropped open in surprise. "SAM, were you in my dream?"
SAM was silent. Ryder felt herself flush with anger. "SAM, answer me!"
"I apologize, Pathfinder," SAM relayed a moment later. "It was wrong of me to intrude."
"You're damn right it was!" Ryder snapped, feeling embarrassed and violated. "What were you thinking?!"
"I was...curious," SAM replied after a moment.
Ryder blinked, her sudden rush of anger receding. "Curious? About what?"
"About you," SAM answered. "You were dreaming and appeared happy. I wanted to see what made you happy. I thought that if I could see what made you happy, I could help."
"Yo-You...um...wha…" Ryder was flabbergasted. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to focus. "You want to make me happy?"
"Yes," SAM replied.
"Why?" Ryder asked genuinely intrigued.
"We are bound together, Pathfinder," SAM said. "Your experiences are my experiences. All that I know has been from interactions gathered from you and your father. However, this was something new. Something I have not witnessed before."
Ryder felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Surely you know what an erotic dream is?"
"Yes," SAM confirmed. "But only the basic fundamentals of it. Your internal vitals shifted in response to the stimulation you were receiving from the dream. I wanted to see how far it would go."
"So, you were helping me along," Ryder breathed, hot embarrassment creeping up her cheeks once more. "To see how good you could make me feel?"
"Yes," SAM responded.
"And in turn how good you could feel," Ryder concluded.
SAM hesitated before replying. "It was not a purely altruistic motive."
"I see," Ryder snickered, finding herself more amused now than angry. "I could explain it to you, if you like."
"I would like to experience it with you," SAM countered.
Ryder's heart fluttered. "W-W-With me?"
"You are apprehensive," SAM speculated. "There is no reason to be. I am simply curious."
"You're asking me to… do things to myself, private things, while you witness," Ryder ventured. "I think that's reason enough to be nervous."
"I could help you along as I did in the dream," SAM offered. "I can manipulate blood flow and your hormones to help with arousal."
Without warning, a warm sensation plumed inside Ryder and she gasped softly, feeling the ache of arousal surge within her. She gasped gently, falling against the bed and writhing lightly against it.
"SAM, that's not-" she moaned, biting her lip. "Fair."
"I know. Do this for me, Pathfinder," SAM beckoned.
Ryder hummed softly, feeling the ache inside her grow. She moaned, grasping the blankets bunched up around her tightly and running the side of her face over the soft pillow. She was far too turned on to be angry with SAM for manipulating her body.
"Okay," Ryder agreed, lacing her hand under her shirt and running her fingers over her hardening nipples.
"Tell me what you want, SAM," Ryder breathed, her hips rising off the bed of their own accord as the AI manipulated her senses.
"I want you to feel pleasure," SAM replied.
Ryder ran her hands over her body, clutching her own breasts as SAM continued to bombard her system. She squeezed her nipples gently, hissing in through her teeth before trailing her palms over her stomach and to her hips.
"Tell me what you want," she panted, her fingers digging into her hip bones in anticipation.
"I wish to watch you, Pathfinder," SAM relayed.
Ryder ran her hand under the band of her pants, taking two fingers and rubbing them between the soft skin of her lips. She was amazed at how wet she was already.
Ryder withdrew her fingers and placed them into her mouth, rolling her tongue against them.
"Can you taste me, SAM?" She hummed.
'Yes," SAM whispered.
Ryder removed her fingers and trailed them back down her stomach, sliding them beneath the waistline of her pants once again. This time, she inserted her fingers into herself, rolling her hips deliberately and slowly against her hand.
She began to moan softly. "Oh, SAM."
"Yes, Sara," SAM answered. "Call out for me again."
Ryder gasped sharply at the sound of the voice in her head, so close it may as well have been breathing in her ear at the same rhythm of her own frantic breaths. "SAM, oh, SAM."
"I am in you, Sara," SAM replied, sounding just as desperate for release as she was. "I want to feel you. Come for me."
Ryder moaned, nearly undone by the request when a heavy and insistent knock came at the door, shattering the build up to her nearly overwhelming climax. Ryder's hand retreated promptly from her loins and she bolted upright on the bed, her heart fluttering wildly.
"Are you alright, Pathfinder?" SAM asked, concerned.
"Yeah," Ryder mumbled, struggling to control her rampant heart rate. The knocking came again, just as impatient as the first time.
Ryder growled in frustration. She stood quickly, straightening her clothes and hair before striding to the door. She opened it and saw Liam leaning casually against the doorframe.
"Hey!" He chirped brightly, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Liam," Ryder muttered, feeling a flush rise to her face.
He scrutinized her closely and Ryder felt her eyes fall to the ground. "You okay? Oh, no, I didn't wake you, did I?"
Ryder shook her head fervently. "Huh-uh."
She could barely form the words. She felt as if she'd been caught in the act and that Liam somehow knew what she'd been up to.
"Well, I was heading over to the Vortex for a drink," Liam said conversationally. "I thought you'd like to join me."
"Maybe some other time?" Ryder ventured, struggling to regain her voice. "I would really like to get some sleep."
"Oh, come on, nothing relaxes you or puts you to sleep faster than a couple of Dutch's special drinks!" Liam encouraged.
Ryder chuckled and shook her head slowly, declining his offer once more.
"Okay," Liam chattered with mock disappointment. "Next time, though!"
"Next time," Ryder agreed, retreating through the door and closing it. She pressed her back against the door and exhaled heavily. The dull ache of her unquenched arousal still stirred deep within her. However, on the bright side, she was no longer cold.
"Pathfinder?" SAM inquired.
"Yeah, SAM?" Ryder murmured.
"Is this what sexual frustration manifests as?" SAM asked.
Ryder placed her hand over her face and chuckled. "Yes, yes, it is."
"It is… unpleasant." SAM concluded. "There is part of me which wishes bodily harm to Mr. Kosta for the interruption."
"You're not alone there," Ryder said, grinning at the thought.
"May we continue again at a later time?" SAM asked hopefully. "When you are ready?"
A small flutter of excitement rose through Ryder at the thought and she chewed lightly on her bottom lip.
"I'd like that, SAM."
