On the morning she'd seen a clown, Alara had thought that it would be the weirdest part of her day but no, there she was racing down to engineering on an abandoned Orville. Her friends were gone, dead, she didn't know what. Rushing to Engineering she'd not quite known what to expect but Isaac's calming voice hadn't been it, instantly she relaxed.
"Hello Alara."
The Xelayan couldn't describe the level of relief that rushed though her thin frame when she turned to face him, she surged to hug him tight but quick and had her mind not been focused on the chaos going on around them she'd have questioned him not hugging her back.
"I thought I'd lost you." She released him. "I've been all over the ship and it's completely deserted."
"Yes, I was on the bridge and I suddenly found myself alone." He seemed unaffected by the whole ordeal and somehow that soothed her. "I came down to Engineering to determine the status of the Deflectors."
"Me too. We're headed straight into the plasma storm and without the Deflectors we're going to be shredded."
"Ship's power is completely off line." He told her with a micro head tilt and gestured to his Comm device. "However, the comm scanners are functioning. Perhaps we can transfer enough power to access the main logs."
That was the best idea she'd heard all day. "That might tell us what happened to the crew. Do it."
With that Alara circled around the console while Isaac set to work, as much as she'd have liked to cling to him and pray for everything just to go back to normal she couldn't. She knew it, Isaac knew it. If they didn't do something fast they'd lose their lives and the ship.
Alara took a deep steadying breath as she leant on the console. "Isaac, what the hell is going on? Why are we the only ones still here?"
"I do not have any more data than you at this time." Damn him and his constantly calm tone. "Perhaps the scanner logs will provide a clue."
"How long is the power transfer going to take?" She asked quickly.
"I would estimate approximately four minutes."
Isaac's precise estimations usually annoyed the crew somewhat but Alara was grateful for it in that moment, they didn't have long but four minutes they could spare. It was then that everything hit her, she stared off into space while he worked and actually thought she might have cried.
"I watched Gordon die."
A pause, brief and hardly there. "I am very sorry to hear that, Lieutenant."
"There was nothing I could do, I couldn't save him."
"We must remain vigilant," he reminded her as he closed the Comm device in his silver hands and moved it under the console "encase the alien creature returns." The power flooded back and Alara's heart soared. "Minimal systems on line. We will need to work quickly as the power supply is limited."
"I never told you how he died, I only told you he was dead. How did you know about the creature?"
"We do not have much time." He was deflecting. "We must review all scanner logs if we are to find out what happened to the crew."
Alara ground to a halt then as realisation struck her like a tone of titanium bricks. It was Isaac! All along it had been Isaac. Of course it had. Isaac was the only one smart enough to have conned everyone without a single person becoming suspicious. The man she'd come to call friend was a monster. A villain. Had he only started their relationship to distract her from his true motives? She was the head of Security, of course his had. She'd been so blind. She rounded the console to face him, a sudden bubble of anger inside her.
"You didn't answer my question. How did you know?" He didn't answer. "It's you isn't it, you're behind all this."
The next thing she knew Isaac had grabbed her by the shoulders and thrown her into the wall so hard the metal dented and onto the floor. She didn't know how she managed to kick him off of her and smash his head into the console but it seemed to have little to no effect on the Kaylon, he was just as strong and resilient as Alara herself, if not more so. How had a man who'd brought her so much pleasure suddenly turned and caused so much pain? He smashed her over the head and chest with a piece of loose metal, this wasn't the Isaac she'd cared for.
Taking him out had been a battle in itself but she'd managed it, he was so much stronger than her she quickly realised and had he not been trying to kill her she might have found it hot.
Alara had fled Engineering and quickly armed herself, she could do it, she could live but then Isaac had appeared from around the corner, movements so slow that it was clear he'd decided to torment her. She'd demanded to know what had happened, why it had happened, but 'foolish little girl' was the only response she'd gotten from him. It amazed her that she'd fallen so easily for his deceptions, that she'd let him touch her so intimately and even worried about him. He was a monster. Her heart sunk. When his eyes turned read that sunken heart broke, in the back of her mind she's convinced herself Isaac had been remotely hacked but those eyes, that maniacal voice, he wasn't compromised, he wasn't forced, Isaac had just shown her his true colors. He wanted to hurt her. Only knowing that the Isaac she'd cared for didn't exist allowed her to shoot him square in the chest
"Inner hull compromised. Evacuate ship immediately."
She had to get off The Orville, that was all she could focus on after shooting Isaac, the computer was all but screaming at her to abandon ship and she'd damn well listen.
Just when she got into the Shuttle Bay and thought she was finally safe, would finally be able to escape The Orville Isaac grabbed her from behind and they both fell through the glass to the Shuttle Bay floor with a hard dense thud. She'd smashed him in the head, shot him on maximum, what did Alara have to do to stop him?
It's not Isaac! It's not Isaac! Alara kept screaming at herself like a mantra, had to, had to escape. And she did, managed to kick Isaac away long enough to get into a Shuttle but there he was. The mad metal bastard was willing to take his own life just to block her path. You are not afraid! Alara screamed at herself and she pushed through that fire and escaped. Saved herself.
Then it was over, Alara stood in the simulator room with Mercer, Isaac, Claire and Kelly stood before her with concerned expressions. A simulation, the whole thing had been a goddamn simulation!
XXXX
Later, after she'd been tended to by Claire, the Captain had explained everything to her, the fears, the simulation, the threatening to resign, the bloody memory wipe she'd conned out of Claire. However it was amusing to discover crazy psycho Isaac was Bortus' fear. She'd realised Isaac hadn't wanted to hurt her, he'd done as she asked and probably would have even if she'd not made it an order. That crazed version of him didn't really exist, he was still kind, mild mannered Isaac. Captain Mercer had almost ripped her a new one for evoking directive 38 and she couldn't argue with him but when he'd finished he'd actually sounded proud of her.
Still, that had been almost two hours ago. Alara had changed into her pyjamas and clambered into bed, she'd just started to drift off when the door chimed and her brow furrowed. It was late and the bridge crew all knew she needed sleep. Despite that Alara got up and went to open the door, there before her was Isaac with a powder blue box in his metal hands.
"Good evening, Lieutenant." She flashed him a smile but it waa a little awkward. "I have discovered that chocolate is an appropriate gift for someone who needs 'cheering up', and that many females believe chocolate to be an urgent necessity."
Alara just stared at him for a while. She could see he was trying to be kind – or whatever his Kaylon version of it was – but after his blood red eyes and 'foolish little girl' she found herself wary of him. Isaac seemed to notice that rather quickly.
"I apologise if my program scared you irreparably, though the purpose was to incite fear I did not intend to harm you despite your orders."
Alara knew it had all been her, he'd not actually done anything to her, she'd done it to herself. Still though, she had a sense of reservation towards him. It actually meant a lot to her that a man who came form a species where apologies and emotions didn't even register had gone out of his way to say sorry. Isaac wasn't evil so she took the offered box of what she assumed were chocolates. That was how she found herself thanking and inviting the Kaylon inside. She sat down on the couch and gestured for him to do the same which he did without protest.
Of course Alara knew it had all been fake but the simulation had felt so real, then again that had been the intention. Just for something to do in the silence Alara opened the chocolate box and plucked one out at random, she took a bite.
"Mmm," smooth cocoa and just a hint of sweetness "that's really good, Isaac."
"What does it taste like?"
Isaac asked suddenly which gave Alara pause, she'd never expected him to ask how something tasted, he'd had plenty of chances to ask that in the mess hall with the others but had never bothered before. Alara didn't actually know how to answer, it tasted of chocolate. Then again, thinking about it explaining to him what chocolate tasted like was the same as describing red to a blind man. Isaac just sat there patiently waiting for her answer.
"I don't know, it just tastes like chocolate." She glanced down to the box. "It's like... it's like nothing at first, you put one in your mouth and it doesn't taste of anything and then it suddenly explodes on your tongue. Kind of bitter as it starts to melt. These are all milk chocolate so it gets sweet at the end and coats your mouth making you want more. Dark chocolate stays bitter, I don't like dark chocolate. Then there's white chocolate, that's all sweet and can actually be overpoweringly so."
Alara didn't know if any of that made sense to anyone who wasn't her.
"Thank you, Lieutenant, your description is most enlightening and useful." A pause. "Might I ask, do you feel reassured now that you have proven not just to yourself but to the crew and Captain that you are perfectly capable of doing your job?"
She set the box of chocolates aside then turned back to Isaac.
"Yes. I'm sorry if I forced you to build that program." She sighed.
"It was an order, I had no choice. I do not hold any ill will towards you." There was that calm tone of his. "Would you like me to leave so you can engage in sleep?"
He asked a moment later when he saw her yawn. Instead of answering verbally Alara shook her head and curled up against his chest. It only took a split second before Isaac wrapped an arm around her without being asked to do so.
This Isaac, the real Isaac, wasn't anything like the simulation one, he was good and kind without even knowing he was. Alara snuggled further into him and found he was actually rather comfortable for a man made of metal and wires. He said started to say something about leaving so she could sleep but Alara paid him no mind and just snuggled closer into his surprisingly warm body. Before she even knew it the Xelayan had slipped into slumber with her arms wrapped around Isaac.
When she awoke several hours later Alara was alone and in her bed with the covers pulled over her. She stretched and rubbed at her eyes as she sat up. Only once she'd dressed and about to leave her quarters did she spot the box of chocolates set neatly on her coffee table and remembered Isaac had been there, she'd fallen asleep on him. Alara felt a little awkward then, it wasn't really appropriate to fall asleep on the ships Science Officer but she'd done it anyway. It had been sweet though that he didn't just move her off him but had actually taken the time to tuck her into bed.
For a man who couldn't feel Isaac was undeniably caring.
XXXX
A few weeks went by and nothing of any real interest happened aboard The Orville, just basic missions and boring paperwork then boom, two dimensional lifeforms and a whole lot of what the fuck is happening here? Truth be told three hours after they'd returned to regular space and she still didn't understand what had actually happened, honestly she didn't care, it had happened and that was enough for Alara.
Isaac and Lamarr had explained it to everyone at the briefing but she still didn't follow beyond everything was flat, her focus had been mainly fixed on keeping everyone safe. She'd spent most of her shift once they were out of the anomaly having her security staff sweep the ship for any structural issues. Fortunately – other than a lot of dead plants – everything aboard The Orville seemed fine. Nothing to worry about, seemed they could all breath easy.
There had been a small party for the new Lt Commander Lamarr in the mess hall, odd for them to have parties twice in the same week but she wasn't going to complain. Alara had watched Isaac try to make small talk for a while but the crew kept finding reasons to just leave him stood there and go either to the buffet table or to speak to their friends. He was like the unpopular kid at the prom. Earlier that day when she'd seen stroke Malloy's arm Alara had wanted to burst out laughing, somehow though, she'd managed to stop herself. Strangely she felt bad for Isaac stood there alone with no one to speak to, he probably didn't feel lonely but she felt it for him. Alara left the buffet table and the people she'd been chatting to in favour of heading over to him, she greeted Isaac with a smile and he turned to face her.
The hubbub buzzed around them faded into nothing but background noise. She didn't really have an idea of what to say to him in that moment, that awkward moment, until she decided to thank him for the chocolates just for something to say.
"You are welcome, Lieutenant. Did you enjoy them?" He asked with that little head tilt.
"I did, yeah." She looked down to the ground almost sorrowfully for a second then. "No one has brought me present since I left Xelaya." Alara decided to change the subject then. "You did a real good job getting us out of that anomaly."
"I must admit, Lieutenant, that the bulk of the credit should go to Lt Commander Lamarr and Yaphit. You must also be commended for keeping the crew calm during the whole situation."
Alara shrugged that off. "Thanks. And thanks for tucking me into bed a few weeks ago and, you know, not mentioning any of it to the crew, especially Gordon."
"I would never reveal personal information about our encounters sexual or otherwise. I have learnt that many biological lifeforms would find this embarrassing and inappropriate to reveal such details."
"Nice to find a guy that's considerate. Thanks."
"There is no need to thank me, Lieutenant." Said Isaac in that metallic tone. "Also our experiences have been very revealing and helpful for my understanding of organic lifeforms."
Why did his voice make her want him? She didn't understand it. Isaac was attractive and she couldn't understand why, he didn't even had a face! It only took a split second for Alara to make her mind up.
"Isaac," she started only a little cautiously. "do you want to come to my room and fool around?"
"'fool around' refers to sex, correct? If that is what you wish I would be happy to."
Alara nodded. "I do wish. Wait ten minutes and then follow me to my quarters."
"Very well, Lieutenant."
Alara nodded and left knowing that Isaac would wait exactly ten minutes before he even took a step outside the mess hall. Alara charged down the hallways meanwhile and back to her quarters, she wasn't actually running that fast but it certainly felt as though she were. Once inside she stripped off her red uniform jacket and put it in the hamper knowing that Isaac would have the instant urge to fold and tidy up if she didn't. That was a real mood killer. After an internal debate she decided against putting music on. She could feel heat starting to pool at her core just from the anticipation, she wanted him. Now! The Xelayan stripped off the rest of her clothing and clambered onto her bed with the door open and waited for him, he couldn't be that far behind her.
When did she start wanting him so badly? When she went to the buffet she'd been talking to Palovis, she'd had no thoughts of Isaac, he'd been the furthest thing form her mind. Then she'd seen him and he'd just filled her mind; taken over. Her body wanted him, craved him, almost as though the metal man was a drug. Why do I want him so much? By all accounts it didn't make sense.
She waited patiently for Isaac to appear in her quarters, there was silence and the want continued to rise and rise within her. A gentle heat at first that soon became a furnace. Alara wanted him! After what felt like forever the door chimed and she called out for him to enter, when he did he found Alara splayed out on the bed for him. Shame he didn't have a face, she'd have loved to see the surprise in his expression.
"Like what you see?" Alara asked teasingly with all the confidence she had.
Isaac tilted his head just a little too far which suggested he didn't quite understand the question.
"Your physical structure is what would be considered attractive on several planets to several different species-" He saw her expression change then and quickly changed tack. "Yes. You are very beautiful."
That had the dark-haired woman smiling. "Good. Come here."
He did without hesitation. Isaac knelt on the bed beside her. "How do you wish for our encounter to be, Alara? Rough as you asked before or more gentle as my research indicates many women prefer?"
She pulled him closer. "Surprise me."
One of his metallic hands stroked up her thigh as he settled over her, knees between her parted legs while the other hand combed softly through her dark hair, there was something strangely loving about it but Alara's mind didn't dare let her think about that. She could feel those little electric sparks radiating from his touch, small bursts that tingled through her body making her desperate for him, her reaction was to wrap her legs around his metal waist and then he was at her core, fingers tormenting her glistening sex.
"Isaac." Alara moaned as her head fell back against the pillows.
Fingers screwed into the fabric as the Kaylon prepared her for his thick metal length, Alara's eyes rolled back in her head. Isaac never said a word. Not when he removed his fingers, not when he thrust his hard length into her, not when she screamed out his name quite some time later; boon of a Kaylon was the stamina. However, despite all that, their time together had been slow and gentle, almost passionate. Alara couldn't decide it that was actually better than before when he'd been rough with her.
Limply, the Xelayan rested on the bed but when Isaac made to stand up she stopped him and instead pulled the Science Officer so he was forced to lay beside her, it surprised her when – after a few minutes – Isaac threw an arm over Alara's side and pulled her so her back was to his chest. Neither said anything, normally Isaac would have just left, wasn't rude about it but he always left... Alara didn't know why she'd stopped him.
The dark-haired woman stared out the large windows onto the black where stars whooshed past, there was something almost tranquil about it and Alara realised she was happy, actually happy there with Isaac beside her. It was peaceful. She wasn't worrying if she'd hurt him with her strength or if it was strange sleeping with someone who wasn't even biological. Did that make Isaac a giant sex doll? Isaac didn't care about any of that though. Before Alara knew what she'd done she'd put her own hand over Isaac's and pulled it up to her chest so they were basically cuddling, the motion forced him to shuffle closer and press his chest to her back. Isaac made no attempt to move his hand away, he just stayed quiet and let Alara do as she pleased.
If Isaac was running numbers, adding to his report to Kaylon or actually paying attention to Alara's peace and quiet she didn't know, then again it didn't actually matter, wasn't important. She enjoyed the peace, Josh had all but freaked out after they'd had sex, too strong and masculine for his tastes, while Andy had complained about every single touch being painful... and he danced weird. Isaac was different, with him they just lat there in a comfortable silence afterwards. It was nice, she'd never had that before even when she'd been back on Xelaya. It suddenly dawned on Alara then that she was happy with Isaac. Happy with Isaac. The Kaylon made her happy. The mechanical man without emotions who came from a legendarily racist species made her happy! Made her feel cared for, special and normal.
Alara sat bolt upright then on the far side of the bed, mouth open and eyes wide. She recognised that Isaac sat up as well but much more slowly and just watched her for a moment as a million thoughts rushed around her head. Then something happened that she'd never expected, Isaac shuffled closer on the bed and wrapped his arms around her waist so he could pull her to his chest as if he'd sensed she had needed the comfort and reassurance; even if he didn't know why. Much to her amazement Alara found she'd settled back against his strong metal chest, her head rested on his shoulder and just for a second it was as though they were a real couple. Normal. Red alerts screamed in her head telling her that the whole situation was ridiculous, that Isaac was a machine and felt nothing for her just like she felt nothing for him. But those thoughts didn't go away, they sat there just waiting... waiting for something.
What if she had developed feelings for him? What if she... No! No, no, that's not happening! Alara refused to think of it further. It was just the post orgasmic bliss wearing off and the blood returning to her brain. Alara did her best to push everything she'd just been thinking about form her head and let Isaac lay her back down on the bed. She yawned, sex always made her sleepy.
"Would you like me to leave, Alara?"
She opened her mouth to say yes, it would have been better if he went but those weren't the words that left her mouth, instead a whispered 'no' escaped and she just clung to him. Isaac said nothing after that, just lay there with her until she fell asleep.